I wonder if there was a settlement conference that didn't go so well.

I read this item....

Suit alleges illegal destruction of state e-mails

By Jo Mannies

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

01/09/2008

...The suit includes allegations about a meeting convened last summer by Blunt's general counsel at the time, Henry Herschel. At the meeting, the suit contends, Herschel told lawyers for all departments under the governor that e-mails about state business "would not have to be turned over in response to Sunshine Law requests if they were destroyed and not retained."

The suit also contends that Blunt's chief of staff at the time, Ed Martin, ordered all staff members to make sure they were deleting e-mails. Martin and other top Blunt aides also are accused of orchestrating the destruction of the state's computer backup system for such e-mails.

...then found this:

Posted at Show Me Progress.

In the interest of full disclosure: I am chair of the 31st Senate District Democratic Committee. I have communicated with Chris Benjamin in that capacity and as an individual party member who is pleased that he joined the Democratic Party.

Chris Benjamin, former Chief of Staff for Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton (r), has announced that he has joined the Democratic Party and will be running for the open senate seat in the 31st District. The seat is currently held by Chris Koster, a Democratic Party candidate for Attorney General. Previous to that, the seat had been held by Harold Caskey (D), one of the legendary legislative "lions" in the Missouri General Assembly. David Pearce (r) has already announced his candidacy for the senate seat.

Posted at Show Me Progress.

The Kansas City Star finally published my letter to the editor on torture - tiny URL: first part and tiny URL: second part.  I first wrote about my submission to the paper in a post on Show Me Progress titled: "Limited use of torture" in the Kansas City Star.

The online comments at the Star's "Unfettered Letters" forum associated with my letter are a sad commentary on the state of our nation. tiny URL

Posted at Show me Progress.
After a brief respite, the letters to the editor have started up again.

I have previously written about the commitment announcement of two males published in the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal and the reactions in letters to the editor in the paper here [original diary], here [part 2], here [part 3],...

It's a sign of how debased our national discourse has come when a major metropolitan daily publishes a letter to the editor advocating crimes against humanity.

Limited use of torture [tiny URL]

....Inflicting pain on one person is not as bad as allowing innocent people to die, and the prisoner in this situation can avoid that pain by telling what he knows.

Instead of prohibiting torture, we should regulate how and when it can be used. It should only be used on people we are sure have important information...

Posted at Show Me Progress.

Ebb and flow. Just when I think that things are finally getting down to a trickle, the floodgates open. It's the nature of this subject in our polarized society.

I have previously written about the commitment announcement of two males published in the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal and the reactions in letters to the editor in the paper...

Posted at Show Me Progress.

The letters to the editor about the commitment announcement of two males previously published in the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal continue.

This subject has obviously struck some nerves. It is also truly indicative of some level of polarization in our culture and, I suppose, the reluctance of anyone to cede ground anymore. That is an observation, not a paean to useless and/or unprincipled compromise.

People are speaking out. The conversation is no longer one sided. Why should I be surprised? The last six and a half years have certainly taught us all very important lessons about not speaking up when we should. That in itself is a very good thing.

Posted at Show Me Progress.

When it comes to letters to the editor in the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal it seems that exhaustion and the cult of victimhood have settled in.

I have previously written about the commitment announcement of two males and the reactions in letters to the editor in the paper here [original diary], here [part 2], here [part 3], here [part 4], here [part 5], here [part 6], and here [part 7].

One letter to the editor was printed in last Friday's edition of the paper. One letter was printed in today's edition of the paper.

A compilation from posts at Show Me Progress.

I didn't expect to be that prophetic:

I don't think this is going to end any time soon.

Those letters to the editor keep showing up in the paper.

I have previously written about the commitment announcement of two males and the reactions in letters to the editor in the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal here [original diary], here [part 2], here [part 3], and here [part 4].

Five letters to the editor in support of the announcement were published in the Monday, November 5th edition of the paper. Four more letters expressing support appeared in [the November 6th] edition.

Posted at Show Me Progress.

...MICHAEL MUKASEY ATTORNEY GENERAL CONFIRMATION HEARING 10/18/2007

SEN. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D-R.I.): So is waterboarding constitutional?

MR. MUKASEY: I don't know what's involved in the technique. If waterboarding is torture, torture is not constitutional.

SEN. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D-R.I.): If water-boarding is constitutional is a massive hedge....

Posted at Show Me Progress.

I don't think this is going to end any time soon.

I have previously written about the commitment announcement of two males and the reactions in letters to the editor in the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal here [original diary], here [part 2], and here [part 3].

It really is true - one should never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel. The ability of the Warrensburg paper to control the dialog (as long as they receive content in the form of submitted letters) bodes ill for the direction of public opinion in the views of those who chose to criticize the paper.

Posted at Show Me Progress.

I have previously written about the commitment announcement of two males and the reactions in letters to the editor in the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal here and here.

The supreme ironies in today's Warrensburg paper (wasted on those who are irony impaired): a lead editorial (reprinted from a letter in the Kansas City Star) pleading for less divisiveness and an article on the front page announcing that the News Press & Gazette Co. of St. Joseph has bought the Warrensburg paper from publisher Avis Tucker.

Posted at Show Me Progress.

I first wrote about the commitment announcement of two males and the reactions in letters to the editor in the Warrensburg [Missouri] Daily Star-Journal here and here.

Lo and behold, my disappointment in my fellow citizens was assuaged by four letters to the editor in today's paper in answer to the seven coordinated letters of last Friday.

Unfortunately (or fortunately - that depends on your  opinion of the quality of the Warrensburg paper) the Daily Star-Journal does not publish an on-line edition so one can't provide links to the letters.  

Posted at Show Me Progress.

A while back upon reading the Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal [no link - this paper is still in the 19th century] I noticed a commitment announcement for two individuals (along with a formal photo) who both happened to be male. The announcement appeared on the "People & Events" page (always page 2) of the paper.

A few days after the announcement a letter to the editor appeared in which an individual congratulated the two and wrote something to the effect "invite us to the reception, my husband and I give good gifts." A few days after that another individual wrote a letter to the editor, which the paper published, criticizing the paper for publishing the announcement 

Posted at Show Me Progress.

[Missouri] SB 389 [pdf] has an interesting little clause which prompts the title: "The Term Limited Politician Lowering the Bar for Public Higher Education Employment Shameless Self Interest Act."

173.475. Notwithstanding any provision of law or policy of a public institution of higher education to the contrary, no public college or university, as defined in section 173.355, shall reject an applicant for a faculty position based solely on the applicant having not earned a graduate degree, provided that the applicant has earned an undergraduate baccalaureate degree and has served for at least eight years in the general assembly.

A compilation from three diaries at Show Me Progress - here, here, and here.

Well, after a day's total of nine hours of driving we just got back [last night] from the Harkin Steak Fry. As a surreal experience it certainly exceeded expectations.

When we arrived into town at Highway 92 - heading east toward the balloon field - we encountered one of the slowest moving traffic jams I have ever experienced. It took us 45 minutes to get the three miles from a highway junction to the balloon field.

Posted at Show Me Progress and MyDD.

Early tomorrow morning a small group of us from Warrensburg will pile into two vehicles for the 4 1/2 hour drive to that muddy (probably) balloon field near Indianola, Iowa for the 30th Harkin Steak Fry. This to hear Democratic presidential candidates  Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Barack Obama, and Bill Richardson speak.

I wrote about some of my experiences at the event four years ago here.

Posted at Show Me Progress.

Nancy A. Youssef of McClatchy Newspapers has an article on American military casualties in Iraq on the front page of today's Kansas City Star. The Star headline (front page, above the fold) in this morning's  printed "Kansas City Edition"?

American casualties plunge in Iraq

[This headline is not available on the Star web site.]

The headline on McClatchy Newspapers national website?

Combat deaths in Iraq decline; reasons aren't clear