Once again, I am offended. Seems to be happening a lot lately, doesn't it? Today, I was reading about the Christmas Tree that was taken down at MSU due to what some call "cultural insensitivity." Yet the groups that complained, had been invited to place their own symbols and decorations along with the tree, but they declined to do so out of fear of theft. So now the tree is down, and the grinch has won another battle.
Let me say...I am pissed. Pissed beyond belief. I remember in school (which was NOT in the stone age like some believe), we would have a Christmas Program, sing Christmas Carols in the halls, be off for Christmas Break, and when we would see someone else, we would wish them a Merry Christmas...not this Happy Holiday's crap that we are having forced upon us by a slim minority. Wishing someone Merry Christmas is not an insult - never was - never will be.
There is a special spirit that seems to flow with Christmas. People are kinder, gentler than usual. We think more about families and children. We do the good works that we should be doing all year long but don't find time for. We contact those who have fallen out of sight due to the busyness of everyday life. We reflect, are thankful, count our blessings, and try to help others. Man, that's hardcore when you think about it. One little holiday that can do so much, just by it's spirit. Too bad the Christmas season isn't around all year long - think of how much better things would be if it were.
I am not a religious nut, nor do I hold my church membership at the mega church near Ozark - the one I laughingly dub "Six Flags over Jesus." BUT...when I see you, this is your warning. I will STILL wish you a Merry Christmas. If you're offended...too bad, get over it.
Heck of a good weekend if you are a college football fan. Mizzu kicked some Jayhawk rear and are on board for the national championships. I despise KU. Almost everyone I've met from there has an attitude. Nice to see the smirk wiped off their faces. Turning Westward to the land of the Cornhuskers, Bill Callahan and his merry band of idiots were fired from Nebraska and it looks like AD Tommy O will be restoring order in Lincoln. About time.
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It's better the 2nd time around for shock jock Don Imus, who will be
returning to the airwaves in December. I'm not sure if any Springfield radio station has 
signed on to carry him - hopefully someone will. But never fear, if you get RFD-TV, his show is being simulcast there. This takes the struggling little network and turns into a much more attractive buy for agencies. Lets face it, like Imus or not, he generated the coveted dollar that is so wanted by the majority of today's media outlets. He did NOTHING that could surprise anyone...shock was his job, and he does a damned good job of it. Welcome back Imus, you HAVE been missed!
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After a few fleeting moments of watching "Meet the Press" yesterday, I've determined that host Tim Russert is nothing more than a fat pant-load. This is a man who sponged life and ratings success off of Don Imus, yet did nothing to stop the blood flow when Imus was down and out. Russert was a frequent guest of the show...and with it's return, I hope he's placed on the list of "Lip Service Wack Jobs" that will never EVER be allowed on the ratings, revenue, and career making show that belongs to Imus. There are too damned many fake people who will tell you what you want to hear. I thought more of Tim Russert. But I think his time covering the slime in Washington has rubbed off on him.
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Speaking of slime, Gov. Matt Blunt topped my "Top Turkey" list
for this Thanksgiving. Talk about adding insult to injury, I'm sure some of those people that were receiving dinner at the Victory Mission were put there due to the "Boy-Blunder's" change in medicaid laws. Now, they get his smiling face serving food to them? Nice, please...hit me again. Does he really think he has a chance of winning round 2? If not, I've also heard the nasty rumor that his name is being pitched for a possible Vice Presidential candidate slot. Oh God, please...deliver me.
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Democrats, this will be our election to loose. Please, oh please, don't do something stupid...again...like usually happens.
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Whew. I feel SO much better now!
As many of you good readers know, I've never been a slave to fashion or popular ideas. I like what I like, and I know what I like.
We have some great sports here in town, including the Cardinals. Basketball is well represented, and the football at MSU is better than it's been in YEARS. World Class Tennis and all kinds of programs for the kids. Yes, for the most part, we are a sports lovin' town. We like our football with KC, and baseball with St. Louis, and we follow with a passion. But, I for one, see a little hole in our semi-pro world of Springfield. Yes, I miss the "Spirt."
Our short lived hockey team the Springfield Spirit was fun to watch. No, it wasn't a Blue's game, but there was some good stick action and the occasional fight, plus the dedication of the few but die hard fans. Yes, I miss the Spirt - while good, watching MSU just isn't the same.
As I read the "Voices" section of the News-Leader today, I became a man of mixed emotions. I'm thrilled at the idea that something creative might actually be done in the Heer's building. Like the majority of people 30 and over who grew up in Springfield, I spent so much time in the Heer's building as a kid, I can remember it like yesterday. I would love to walk around in it again, something familiar, something from my past, something...that would give back to the city once again and be a source of pride.
Then there's the other part. The pissed off part. The "damn those foolish idiots" part. Of course we don't have any old historic hotels because the wisdom of the "city fathers" in their rush to obliterate the past and become the "Midwestern Mecca of Moderns" was that it was better to have parking lots than old buildings, and they were torn down! We used to have some beautiful hotels in this town. Anyone remember the Colonial? Hello??? Anybody home? Here's what a true historic hotel looked like on one of those postcards with the fancy writing, thanks to a photo from the Missouri State Archives:
Missouri State University gets double damning in my book for what happened to that grand old lady. They could have turned it, like the Kentwood, into student housing. Nope. They could have created a state of the art hotel management program, with a living, working hotel as it's training grounds. Nope. To hell with it said the officials...we'll let it fall into such disrepair that the only thing that CAN be done with it is tear it down. Then, we'll add another parking lot and charge to park there.
Yes to Heer's. It's a great idea, and I'll look forward to spending a weekend there. Damn you MSU and the City of Springfield, for letting our heritage be torn away from us in the first place!
Today's lead article by Wes Johnson in the Springfield News-Leader left a bad taste in MY mouth. It follows the owners of a snack bar located in the hallowed basement halls of the Greene County Courthouse.
Click here to read the story: http://springfieldnews-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071112/NEWS01/711120356
Let me say this up front. Yes, courthouse workers need someplace close by to eat. I'm not against ANYONE having a lunch break for goodness sakes...if you've ever met me, one of the
first things you'll notice is that I've done a good job at not missing too many meals over the years. My problem has to do with a private, for-profit business being located in the basement of a county building. This is supposed to be a place where county officials are housed, business is conducted, taxes are assessed and collected - a place where the workings of government slowly grind forward. It is a building of the people, by the people, and for the people...and it should not be a place for individuals to make a profit. Should the county get into the food service business? In my opinion, no. Close the snack shop and make another office.
Next time the county decides they need to build more offices, I hope the powers that be grab a cup of coffee down in the Courthouse Snack Bar, and think long and hard...about how stupid they will look to the rest of us. Egg on your face?? Only $1.23 in the basement...
Poor Hal Higdon. If anyone is having a bad week, it's the not-so-new President of OTC. First, voters in Tuesday's elections tell the growing school that while their programs are valued, they are not valued enough for added taxes. A school that started out so small, and has accomplished so many BIG things during it's short life, Ozarks Technical Community College will now have to continue turning away students, raise tuition, and hold on additional staffing for the time being.
If that wasn't bad enough, salt was poured on the wound when it became public knowledge that OTC had lost a bid for the former Social Security Office near Police Headquarters, to none other 
than the Rev. Larry Rice - a man whom both the City of Springfield, and the City of St. Louis would loved to see sucked into a funnel cloud, never to be heard from again. No one wants the homeless, the disadvantaged, and the down on their luck people in their back yard. Springfield city leaders are considering different places for the disenfranchised to go - possibly moving them out of the Commercial Street area to another location where they are "not as visible" to the general public. I've never met him, but I like Larry Rice, and I admire his 35 years of work on behalf of those who don't have anyone else to turn to. Except by the Grace of God, we could be just a paycheck or two from being in that situation.
Back to OTC and poor Dr. Higdon. I would like to give some words of advice and comfort to him: Dr. Hal, we don't hate you or your school. We are proud that OTC has been able to accomplish so much, and we see a bright, shining future ahead. We do, however, hate taxes. Springfield's School Board knows that lesson better than almost ANY institution in town. Take a big page from their play-book. Get a focused message together. What will the money do, how will it benefit the kids, and why should I fork over an extra $22 per year in taxes for my $100,000 home for their benefit? Once you've got the message, condense it into easy to read graphic boards, sound bytes for tv, radio, and newspapers, and above all, make sure that a 4th grader could understand it. Once that is done, drive that message home to EVERYONE. Saturate the area and market it heavily. You'll get a win next time around.
Tomorrow begins the great odyssey. My new boss starts work, which always means change, change, and more change. Now, if the boss looked like this, it would help a great deal.
Ahhhhh, but no such luck. We went out to dinner tonight, and he seems like a nice enough guy. Of course, he will do things different, which isn't a bad thing. But, it will be tough seeing him call the shots instead of me.
Well, I've got to think there is a lot to learn from him. Hopefully he will be a good teacher and all will end up well. I don't know, but I don't think he'll be around too long. He's got a long resume with some short tenure. Guess we'll wait and see. Again, I'm just thankful to God that I've got a job.
Let me just get this out in the open...I hate daylight savings time. I've never liked it, and probably will only when I'm older and need the extra daylight. I remember as a kid, my bedtime would be around 7:30 at night, and it was still "blue" outside. Laying in my bed, I would hear the other kids playing, but nooo..bed time for me.
Granted, I'll give the devil his due. Each household will save a small amount of money due to springing forward earlier, and falling backward later in the year. But the big benefit is when all of that savings is put together - hundreds of millions of dollars a year are saved nationwide. That can go a LONG way to help fund research into other energy sources.
But I still wish they would just leave it alone. Changes make my alarm clock, angry...very angry, and take my word for it, you won't like him when he's angry!
Once again, I am offended. Seems to be happening a lot lately, doesn't it? Today, I was reading about the Christmas Tree that was taken down at MSU due to what some call "cultural insensitivity." Yet the groups that complained, had been invited to place their own symbols and decorations along with the tree, but they declined to do so out of fear of theft. So now the tree is down, and the grinch has won another battle. 
