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I had some errands to run after work that required me to go home via Westport. On my way south on Main, I saw the beginnings of Kansas City's Tax-Day #Teaparty. I don't completely grasp what the deal is with this "Tea Party" business.

I do know that despite what they say about being a non-partisan grassroots movement, it is unsurprisingly heavy on conservative participants. It's strange to see conservatives protest with this kind of turn-out. Usually, you only get this kind of sign-holding crowd with people decrying the war, fighting for gay rights and civil liberties. Sure, a few conservative extremists might picket abortion clinics, but I'm talking about hundreds of protesters, perhaps even a thousand. I've never seen anything like this from a conservative group.

Anyhow, here's the photos from near the Liberty Memorial.

The current Flag of the United States of America is a complex one with no official meaning to its symbols other than one star for each state in the union. While it tugs at the heart-strings of America, its meaning is open to interpretation.

Unless you're a history buff, you've probably never seen or heard of the Gadsden Flag until recently, when it started regaining popularity. There's not much left to interpret. It's a freaking rattlesnake ready to strike, with the words "DONT TREAD ON ME" [sic] written on it. It was one of the earliest flags from our history. It was blunt and to the point. It still is.


It's hard to tell from these photos (some of which were taken at the limit of my point-and-shoot camera's digital zoom) but there are also droves of protesters on the memorial structure in the background.






Time to reel this back into bicycling, though.

I have never ridden home from Westport before. That was interesting. I ended up taking Westport Road out to Mission Road, taking that more or less all the way to Tomahawk, then back through old-town Overland Park as if I were coming back from the usual Monday night ride.

I had one interesting moment on Shawnee Mission Parkway (which I had to use as a detour for a short section of Mission road) where I found a kid on a 49cc Honda scooter attempting to race me. While I'm certain his top speed would have bested my own, I had the jump on him when it came to accelerating. I haven't hit 37 MPH on my bike (without the help of a serious downhill) in months. It felt good to sprint for a bit.

All in all, the day's errands added a mere two miles to my homeward. I also learned about a few stretches of bike-friendly road... and a few dicey sections that I am not quite sure I want to ride on in evening rush-hour again.

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