Week One: Cheers & Sneers

May 10, 2009 10:26 PM

By the Readers

The Missouri Record: Excellent and Refreshing

To the editor,

I've been reading The Record regularly since its inception, which may not say much since it first appeared four days ago. Still, I'm at least as qualified as any other reader to pass judgment on your product. My personal judgment is: excellent and refreshing.

While The Record is forthrightly conservative, there is an aroma of independence of mind that does not normally waft up from my computer screen when I'm reading an Internet publication. Good work.

In passing, I particularly enjoyed David Steelman's piece on reviving the Republican Party.

I understand that The Record will move beyond opinion pieces to add straight reporting. It's badly needed. The newspapers no longer underwrite investigative reporting. There is no good beat reporting on education, either K-12 or higher. MoDOT and KDOT go about their work untroubled by media coverage. In general, the coverage of Jeff City in The Star is blog-like; long on bigoted opinions, short on investigation and reporting. The media only rouse themselves from torpor when the FBI shows up in the state capitol buildings. I hope that, as time and The Record march on, you will fill these and other voids.

Congratulations, keep it up, and good luck.

Woody Cozad

Platte City, Missouri

Mr. Cozad is the founder of Cozad Company Government Relations. Among other honors, he was chairman of the Missouri Republican Party from 1995 to 1999.

To the editor:

Congratulation on the publication of The Missouri Record. I am impressed with its mission and challenge all to participate in the free-and-open debate about the political ideas facing Missouri. As Thomas Jefferson instructed, “Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.”

If we believe in the power of the ideas that founded our state and country, then we must all get involved so we may all pursue life, liberty and happiness.

Jason Hannasch

St. Louis, Missouri

Mr. Hannasch is vice president of the St. Louis-based Show-Me Institute

We also got plenty of mention from other Internet sites. Here are those of which we are aware:

Tony's Kansas City was very gracious in welcoming us to the Web.
The Kansas City Star reposted David Steelman's commentary in their blog on Thursday and then carried the piece as their own "Special to The Star" on Saturday.
John Combest linked to the Thursday's KC Star repost; and
Missourinet's Steve Walsh called us to ask questions before posting a story on our launch.
David Martin at The Pitch made some snarky remarks about our launch, and
Roy Temple's FiredUp! Missouri linked to David Steelman's piece (of course).
Brian Johnson's Principally Political was complimentary, and
Jo Mannies did her usual interview and background research about us and Steelman's piece, which was in turn picked up and commented upon here.
In their eagerness to dismiss us, Gone Mild confused us with another organization with the same name;
The Missouri Political News Service carried our announcement, linked to David Steelman's commentary and Jay Barnes' response.
Show-Me Pocket Change carried our announcement, and lastly
A Sacramento, California-based blog entitled McClatchy Watch also brought us some significant traffic by mentioning our launch.

We apologize if there were other links we omitted; please let us know of any other mentions. Thanks to Mssrs. Cozad and Hannasch for their letters and we look forward to publishing more readers' thoughts.

While The Record is forthrightly conservative, there is an aroma of independence of mind...