Kansas City should build a new airport.
The current airport is not only old, but also ex- tremely inefficient for trav- elers and airport personnel alike.
Yes, yes, the 2004 renova- tion freshened its look. The tile floors remain a stand- out.
But the design as a whole is not passenger friendly and is also cumbersome for today’s security needs.
The biggest complaints from passengers is the lack of amenities. A canceled or delayed flight that strands you at KCI is like waiting in purgatory. The circular de- sign of the airport’s three terminals make passen- gers feel isolated because they can’t see beyond their immediate arc. There’s no center eating or shop- ping area to help pass the time. And once checked in for a flight, passengers are cordoned off into waiting areas because of security measures.
Today’s airports should be designed so security gates are at their main en- trance. This serves two pur- poses: (1) Only those whose purpose is to board an air- plane have access to the greater interior of the air- port; and (2) it allows pas- sengers to be free to roam the airport and take advan- tage of its restaurants and shops.
Kansas City’s airport
loses out on potential rev- enue by its lack of ameni- ties. According to a report in Sunday’s Kansas City Star, the airport nets about $3 million a year from con- cessions — among the low- est of any airport in the country.
NOW 40, the airport is showing its age. The walls of its concrete foundation are bowing and leaking re- quiring costly repairs.
Its parking garages need to be either replaced or expanded because of in- creased patronage.
And its baggage and se- curity systems need to be updated.
Ever since the terrorist bombings of 9/11, secu- rity at airports has had to change dramatically. Long gone are the days passen- gers can simply walk up to a gate and board a plane. Now, extensive screenings are required for each gate.
With three terminals each having multiple gates, the security required at KCI is overkill. One central terminal with one or two entrances would save on se- curity measures and more importantly, manpower.
An airport is a business like any other, although it has a distinct advantage of having a captive audience. Kansas City is ignoring its potential by not making the airport all it can be.
— Susan Lynn

It has been one week since SAFE BASE returned from Colorado, and I am still recovering — for better or worse. 

It took a lot of work from behind the scenes — Mark Dunlap and I staying up (much) later than the students to upload photos, write and edit. The weeklong trip the students embarked on was something I never thought I would be able to experience.

I’ve spent time in the mountains, climbing, hiking and fishing, but, Angela Henry and her staff created something special, something worthwhile.

The kids took in boatloads of information and experiences thanks to this special after-school program, and they probably don’t even realize how much it will affect them. Sure, Angela could have bought new iPads or computers, and some may say that the Colorado trip was a “disposable” use of the $100,000 grant.

I disagree.

The teachers and staff, many of whom agreed they had as much fun as the students on the trip, realized the trip’s effects would last much longer than when everyone stepped off of the bus. When a child who has never left home becomes involved in a trip of this scope, it WILL change his life.

Most of the students had not been to the mountains. 

They saw Rocky Mountain National Park, traveled through a gold mine, touched a real wolf, went whitewater rafting and most importantly, spent five nights sleeping in a tent away from home — priceless.

ONE EVENING on the trip, I talked to a group of students about their experience. I had some mixed responses. Most agreed that they were having fun, but also complained about the lack of showers, sleeping on the ground and not having TV or video games. 

That’s when I explained the difference between what I call “type-1 fun” and “type-2 fun.” So here goes:

— Type-1 fun is instantaneous and passive, like watching TV or a movie.

— Type-2 fun may be grueling and difficult in the process, but its outcome depends on active participation. 

Sleeping on the ground, riding the rapids, hiking the trails — all involved the students.

These students will look back on their journey through the Rockies for years to come. The memory will grow fonder as each year is ticked off of the calendar. The dirt and sweat (some tears and a little blood) will add to the stories they will tell their friends and families. 

Many of these children will not have the opportunity to experience such a trip again, at least not in the near future. SAFE BASE offered this experience at no cost. Maybe when they grow older and have families of their own, they will take their children scrambling over the boulders of Rocky Mountain National Park, or tour the historic buildings of Leadville.

In the end, the struggle was worth it — the journey was the reason and the point. In the future, each of the SAFE BASE students will realize that fact. Heck, I’m already excited about the next adventure.

   —Steven Schwartz

Nobody likes a power-grabber. 

Which is the essence of the downfall of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.

On our Independence Day, Egypt’s military staged a coup of sorts and arrested Morsi and hundreds associated with his political party, the Muslim Brotherhood.

It was a coup by acclamation. Both Muslim and Christian clerics supported the removal of the Islamist Morsi.

It’s important to note 90 percent of Egyptians, and Arabs for that matter, are devout Muslims. But not all are Islamists, a branch of Islam that follows an extremist bent. All Muslims follow the teachings of the Koran; Islamists regard its teachings in a literal fashion. So when the passage reads: “Islam wishes to destroy all states and governments anywhere on the face of the Earth which are opposed to the ideology and program of Islam,” they see the imposition of Islam across the face of the earth as their mission.

Doesn’t leave a lot of room for compromise.

Thursday’s coup is a wake-up call to Islamists that they are not the leaders of the world’s Muslims. The same lesson was illustrated in Iran’s recent election where the more moderate candidate, Hassan Rowhani, won overwhelmingly against his opponents. All were handpicked by Iran’s clerical leadership.

Last year’s election in Egypt was the first of its kind, which was a good thing. Morsi won the election by the slimmest of margins. Voters saw him the lesser of two evils. His opponent was a holdover from the regime of Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s president-dictator for 30 years. 

Morsi was unable to build consensus among various factions because he insisted on remaking Egypt in the image of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood. Instead of creating an inclusive government, Morsi treated opponents as traitors and focused his sights on making the Brotherhood a preeminent force.

His downfall, however, does little to placate.

Egypt is still a mess.

And at some point the Muslim Brotherhood will have to be welcomed back and included in Egypt’s governance.

Many fences will need to be mended down the road.

BUT FIRST, peace must be maintained. The Muslim Brotherhood has done nothing wrong to warrant violence against its members. And vice-versa, the Brotherhood should not take up arms at the risk of civil war.

Second, a constitution must be constructed, again, but this time to the satisfaction of all Egyptians.

And third, try again with another election.

— Susan Lynn