By Barb Shelly, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

UPDATE: Ooops. Where is an editor when you need one? Yes, I meant to say that I oppose naming anything after a public figure who is still vertical. Horizontal was the wrong word there. Makes no sense at all. Thanks for pointing out that gaffe.

Some conservative bloggers, like Ed Morrissey here are in full-throated outrage over a snippet of a story that some folks in Topeka are lobbying in having Nov. 4 declared a national holiday in honor of Barack Obama's historic election.

Calm down, folks. The ringleader of this quixotic crusade is Sonny Scroggins, a prolific activist who has marched in opposition to U.S. investments in Sudan, spoken out against gansta rap, and, recently, led a two-man rally for the right of Topeka School District employees to wear political T-shirts to work.

The idealistic Scroggins is a man of many causes. Most of them come to naught. It's not as though the mayor or city council is promoting the holiday.

For the record, I oppose naming anything after a public figure while said person is still horizontal (should be vertical, see update). You never know what trouble somebody will get into, even an icon.