Uber Drives Away from Kansas

Uber continues to suffer from uneven publicity. For all the fuss Wall Street has lavished on the app-driven car service, a surprising number of domestic municipalities have frowned over Uber's tactics and apparent distaste for regulations determined by democratically elected bodies.

The latest black eye comes from, of all places, Kansas. The home of extreme right-wing politics sent Uber a clear message that the state, not Uber, would determine driver suitability and insurance requirements. According to a story in siliconvalley.com, both houses of Kansas' legislature overcame Governor Sam Brownback's veto regarding laws pertaining to Uber's services.

Uber's response was to pout and stomp out of the state. Ironically, Uber, whose CEO embraces the free-market mantle, has experienced its share of defeats in profoundly conservative areas, such as Boise, Idaho. Perhaps "free" has its limits.

Kansas Duns Sperm Donor for Child Support Payments

Many years ago, the author William S. Burroughs speculated there would be a need for biological courts. At the time, the concept seemed connected to some far away event that might not ever materialize.

The circumstances that influenced the writer of Naked Lunch and The Ticket That Exploded may be upon us now. According to an Associated Press story reprinted in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, a Kansas sperm donor is fighting against a state ruling that he must pay child support. The case gets entangled in Kansas law, which mandates sperm donation must be conducted via a licensed medical doctor. The donor in question, William Marotta, gave his jizzom to a lesbian couple without benefit of medical sanction or assistance.

The story is definitely worth reading, as the details add texture, philosophical weight, and legal gravitas to this tale of unplanned, unwanted consequences. The journalist noted one unintentionally funny moment, when Mr. Marotta "dropped off a container with his sperm at the couple's home..."

Now there's service!