Shift August primary

It seems that Kansas may be holding its primary election later than usual (5-31, A1, “Map decision now rests with court”).

I think this is a wonderful idea.

The regular “first week of August date” is a terrible time for an election. Families are on vacation, parents are getting children ready for school and last-minute visits to out-of-town grandparents are taking place.

Elections are low on many families’ agendas, and the voter turnout shows this.

By the third or even the fourth week of August, families are back into their routines and reminders to vote could even be sent home with schoolchildren. This is a change that should take place not just in this election but permanently.

As for arranging voting places, why not use the ones that will be used in November? August has a low turnout, and voting places could be combined, but November needs a lot of places to vote and officials find enough then.

Nancy F. Jefferis

Shawnee

Lee Judge cartoon

Here’s an open note to our talented leftist progressive friend, Lee Judge.

Which one needs to be regulated: the bedroom or the boardroom? This Republican Free Market Constitutionalist has the answer: It’s neither.

Jim Washington

Basehor

I found it amusing that Lee Judge’s May 30 cartoon on Gov. Sam Brownback’s recent tax cuts shows what Lee “expects” to be red ink flowing out of a small overturned ink well.

I’m now waiting for his cartoon that shows the “real” red ink by President Barack Obama — maybe an oil tanker on its side, spilling red ink covering a map of the entire United States?

Terry Kliethermes

Overland Park

Insensitive senator

I was appalled to read the May 31 letter regarding Sen. Rob Schaaf’s insensitivity regarding those who overdose and die from misuse of prescription drugs. Schaaf said, “If they overdose and kill themselves, it just removes them from the gene pool.”

Is this really how an elected official in our state of Missouri feels? It’s disgraceful.

Rather than using available tools to control and identify misuse of prescription drugs, let’s condemn those involved and just forget the whole thing. Right, senator?

Surely, the good people in my state of Missouri will remember important issues that have been tossed aside during his term.

Voters, get out there and make a difference.

Elect a senator who represents all Missouri citizens — someone who cares about all of us and is out to make things better.

Mary Misner

Kansas City

Capitol bull Rush

So someone wants to erect a highway sign commemorating where 30 cows died. Why not? Missouri recently placed a bronze bust in the Capitol commemorating a lot of “bull.”

Larry Bradshaw

Greenwood

Focus on passengers

There have been several letters in The Star concerning Kansas City International Airport. Many have been critical, many supportive.

Let me offer a somewhat different perspective. While in the service, I had occasion to travel to many countries throughout the world as an air traffic controller.

The airports in these countries were especially interesting to me. After retiring, I have continued traveling, although not a lot lately.

Recently, I traveled to southern Florida and went through two of the largest airports in the country. Atlanta and Miami, compared with KCI, were severely lacking.

The terminals were a mess, and going from one to another is a trial. At Miami, even after retrieving my bag, I had to go through another area, ride an elevator to the proper floor and then board a people mover to the car-rental area. Then there was another walk to the rental-car agency, and then down the elevator to get my car.

Kansas City has problems. The terminals are not among them.

Getting from one terminal to another is a chore. I’m sure the vendors are not happy, either. However, passengers are the ones we should be concerned about.

Ken Beauchamp

Platte City

Naked statue conflict

What do the following phrases have in common? Majoring in minors, making a mountain out of a molehill, the tail wagging the dog, tempest in a teapot, much ado about nothing, too much time on one’s hands and get a life.

They all apply to Joanne Hughes and her ridiculous campaign to censor a statue, invoking the overused pretext of protecting young children (6-2, A1, “Work incites debate: Is it art or obscenity?”)

Is her life so empty that she has the time and energy to create a spurious controversy? Apparently so, but in squandering her own time, she also interferes in the lives of others and causes frivolous legal expenses.

What’s just as absurd as Hughes’ conduct is The Star’s decision to waste print space on such foolishness. While the country faces monumental problems threatening its very future, the newspaper chooses to report and elaborate on such a ludicrous issue.

Maybe it was meant as comic relief from our nation’s ills, but I, for one, was not amused.

Crosby P. Engel

Weatherby Lake

Faith lost in politics

I thoroughly enjoyed Chris Kraft’s June 3 letter, asking, “What would Jesus do?”

Common themes of the current crop of political conservatives are contrasted with what Jesus actually taught.

The letter writer very eloquently pointed out the contrast between Jesus, who clearly taught us to love one another, and the haters and judgers who claim to speak for Him.

The letter writer asks, “Where are the meek, loving and honest Christians who truly live by their savior’s teachings?” Maybe we’re just too meek to speak up.

I must also mention another letter on the same page that casually attributed to “our churches” a Catholic-specific practice. This is a common occurrence, and it must be confusing to many people.

Although Catholics do constitute the largest sector of Christianity, there are dozens of Protestant Christian denominations with far different views on social issues. With a little research, seekers can find a Christian denomination that makes sense to them because there are many manifestations of “the church.”

Carol Rothwell

Lee’s Summit

God wrongly used

I see Christians are at it again, putting God back in America. What don’t people understand about the Constitution?

Separation of church and state is not to protect the church from the state. It’s the opposite. The idea was to protect the new nation’s government from interference from the Church of England and other churches.

It’s ironic that Christians cry over “supposed” persecution of their faith but forget the Christian persecution of the Native Americans’ beliefs or other religions and persecution of people who choose not to believe at all.

I bet that all Christians would be outraged if the public square or government supported another religion over Christianity and would feel an injustice going into any government building that supports other religions.

That is the reason our founders created a secular nation. That way no one religion was favored over another.

It’s also very sad that many Americans do not know that God was inserted on our money and in the Pledge of Allegiance in the 1950s because of the red scare.

I also have noticed that people cherry pick Bible verses, so I picked some: Deuteronomy 22:28-29, Deuteronomy 22:23-24, Ephesians 6:5, and Exodus 31:12-15.

William Crissey

Kansas City

Ban gay marriage

Right on, Rev. Collier (6-4, Opinion, “Regrettable move by Obama, NAACP”).

I could not have said it better myself.

Rev. Dorrell T. Baird

Shawnee

Supermarket of smiles

Sometimes we tend to gripe and complain a lot, but I had a nice day at the supermarket recently.

My first stop was the corn-on-the-cob bin, where I chatted with a lady about various ways to cook corn. She gave me a great tip about a microwave shortcut.

I thanked her and continued on to the next aisle, where I came alongside one of those super-organized shoppers. She looked up and grinned when she realized I had heard her say “OK” out loud as she checked off each item from her very long, very neat list.

I complimented her on her efficiency, and we had a good laugh.

My list, of course, was left at home.

Then I made my way up the aisle to the T-junction at the front of the store.

Here came a man from the other direction.

We both stopped, thus avoiding a collision. I think he had the right of way, but he smiled and invited me to go first.

I don’t know whether only pleasant people were shopping that day or if it was just Midwestern friendliness. Anyway, I had a nice day at the supermarket.

Shirley Cornelius

Kansas City