The Kansas City Star, the city's main newspaper, has a strange business model -- i.e., insulting large swaths of Missouri readers.  In an op-ed on August 23, "Todd Akin is the legitimate face of Missouri Republicans," columnist Barbara Shelly writes: Missouri Republicans, aghast at the idea of Democrat Claire McCaskill winning a second term in the Senate, are now treating Akin like a pariah. In truth, he is their native son, nurtured in the bosom of a party that tolerates wackiness and outright ignorance as long as one is sufficiently pro-life, anti-tax and suspicious of Washington. Ms. Shelly begins her column with "fun things to know about the Show-Me State," where she bashes Missourians and, in particular, the Missouri GOP.  Her bill of particulars gives a "fun" window into Shelly's mind.  But when accusing large groups of folks -- potential subscribers, no less -- of being wacky and even ignorant, it's best to be careful with one's "fun facts": Always the...(Read Full Post)