Unlike the many elected weenies who occupy seats in city halls across the country ( and in Congress), Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser stood his ground against an arrogant National Council of La Raza (The Race) that made good on its threat to cancel its 2009 convention in his city after he refused to withdraw his appointment of 73-year-old Frances Semler, a member of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps., to the park board, [La Raza withdraws '09 convention from KC, by Deann Smith and Lynn Horsley, The Kansas City Star, Oct. 20. 2007]

"I think she has the right of freedom of association and freedom of speech. I don't think her belonging to the Minutemen impacts in any way her work on the park board."

Way to go, Mr. Mayor (e-mail)!

Janet Murguia, The Race's president and CEO, said the decision to relocate her rule-of-law hating organization's meeting to friendlier environs was a sad one:

"We had no choice. This is about Mayor Mark Funkhouser and his lack of understanding about an issue, his lack of leadership and his lack of respect for the Hispanic community."(Read the official statement here.)

Memo to Murguia: I haven't read it, but I'll bet your annual salary that nowhere in Kansas City's charter does it say the mayor's power to appoint whomever he pleases to whatever is derived from Hispanic organizations that support the violation of our immigration laws.

Comprende?