Author Archives: Dwight D. Sutherland, Jr.

BOOK REVIEW “IF I HAD A SON,” BY Jack Cashill (Race, Guns, and the Railroading of George Zimmerman)   Local author Jack Cashill has done a yeoman service in setting the record straight on what actually happened in the Trayvon … Continue reading →

Rarely does the staff of the Star show why they qualify as the “short-bus” riders of political intelligence so succinctly. In an article by Yael Abouhalkah (“Abacadabra”), he decribes how there is “trouble in Johnson County’s paradise.”  He does this … Continue reading →

 It was not a good year for KU Professor Katherine (“Kate”) Stephens. .. The sixty-nine year old professor emeritus of Greek had two staggering blows to contend with in 1922. First of all, a long forgotten boyfriend had managed to … Continue reading →

In response to a series of postings I’ve done about various acts of ethically challenged behavior on the part of various local politicos and their backers, I’ve been hit with the familiar, “You’re just attacking them out of mean-spirited partisanship!” … Continue reading →

Huck and his runaway slave companion, Jim, are drifting on a raft down the Mississippi when they fall in with two con-men, “the King” and “the Duke.”  These two know only too well how to fleece the hapless denizens of … Continue reading →

 I went through some boxes of books up in my attic the other day and was amazed at what I found…  Culled from the libraries of various family members and friends, all now departed, I see that I have enough … Continue reading →

Woody Allen’s new movie, “Blue Jasmine,” has been called a “mash-up” (“a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another,” Wikipedia).  … Continue reading →

To: Alex Smith Senior Leverhulme Research Fellow, Department of Sociology University of Warwick, Coventry, England RE:   The Land of “Ahs” Dear Alex: Thank you for your note.  I can’t wait to “break bread” with you upon your return to these shores. The … Continue reading →

The most consistent criticism of my posts is that I’m airing “ancient grudges as topical political insight.” And my response is:   1)  It’s a Scottish thing, you wouldn’t understand! 2)  Only someone on the receiving end of a politician’s … Continue reading →

Even a movie that is so dated that it’s painful to watch can contain some insight or observation that gives it current day “redeeming social value” (to use the words of the Supreme Court re works of art that would … Continue reading →

There is a local lawyer, who is a little older than I am, who came back from college on the East Coast with that absurdist line in his repertoire.  (I think it is from some long forgotten TV show in … Continue reading →

It’s been sixty-five years since George Orwell wrote “1984,” his classic description of the totalitarian mindset.  Thanks to local ideologues like Dr. Robert Meneilly and his church militant, the hate group formerly known as The Mainstream Coalition (like the artist … Continue reading →

I got a video from Mark Helprin which was an interview in Chicago about his new book and I’ve transcribed it here for you.  I sent Helprin some of my posts last week and he sent me a You-Tube video of his … Continue reading →

I have a friend who was a professor at UMKC Law School, Peter Kostant… He’s one of the best read people I’ve ever met and is always able to recommend new books to me that I will enjoy and learn … Continue reading →

 I’m delighted that the 1998 incident at the Precious Moments Park & Exhibition Center in Carthage, Missouri still has so much interest for KC Confidential’s audience… I’m particularly touched that so many are interested enough to post comments to say … Continue reading →

Here’s the letter I wrote to the Kansas City Star in 1998 after its hatchet job on me… It predictably created a firestorm because I dared to criticize the Star, one of my law firm – Lathrop & Gage’s – … Continue reading →

One could argue that it isn’t sporting to heap further abuse on the Kansas City Star, circling the drain as they are… However, their violation of every known standard of fairness over the years when they had a monopoly here … Continue reading →

Anything which would double a television network’s audience is bound to get our attention… That is exactly what happened with PBS after it screened the popular series “Downton Abbey,” three years ago.  Naturally the elitist cultural gate keepers dismissed it … Continue reading →

“The Way We Live Now” was the memorable title of an Anthony Trollope novel from the 1870’s.  It would apply just as aptly to the books of a contemporary author, Thomas M. Caplan. I had the pleasure of meeting Caplan … Continue reading →

Anyone who has lived in any community of any size for any length of time inescapably realizes there is an “In Crowd.”  By that term, I mean the people who not only make the decisions (financially, politically, culturally), but set … Continue reading →