Fawning over Obama

Why doesn’t The Star just write one editorial, “Give Obama whatever he wants when he wants it” (1-22, Editorial, “Obama’s effective call for unity”). That way you could spare us the tendentious fawning that follows whatever The Star’s Saint does.

Interesting definition of compromise — give me what I want and there won’t be a fight.

William Nowack

Leawood

Government intrusion

Doesn’t it seem a bit incongruous that the exact same people who so loudly protest government intrusion into their personal lives are the ones who demand federal disaster relief when their crops fail because of drought conditions for which they didn’t plan? “Intrusion” is not acceptable unless you benefit from it personally.

Talking out of both sides of their mouths. It must make their jaws hurt.

Doug Shaffer

Bonner Springs

Radical NRA

Now that the president has announced a response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, we can expect a flood of self-righteous malarkey from the National Rifle Association.

This is not your grandfather’s NRA. That organization promoted safety programs and marksmanship. It could’ve written the rifle-shooting merit badge book for the Boy Scouts.

But in the late 1970s, there was a palace coup, and the organization fell under control of a radical bunch. Among other things, that new NRA helped perpetrate the myth that one purpose of the Founding Fathers was to arm the citizens so they could overthrow the government.

Actually the reverse is more likely true, as there was no standing army, and armed citizens could be called to defend the young country and its fledgling government.

However, the overthrow myth played well with the militia types who could now find common ground with the NRA.

Now the NRA, like a grotesque body snatchers victim, is little more than a well-heeled lobbying force caring nothing about the collateral damage that stems from its work for weapons and ammunition makers.

Joseph Goebbels would look upon the success of this propaganda campaign with appreciation and envy.

Tracy Leonard

Kansas City

Unworthy to govern

After the November election, Republican leaders said they had to change their image. Republicans appeared anti-women, anti-minority, anti-middle class and anti-science.

The fiscal cliff, however, demonstrated their greatest flaw — anti-governance. Republicans run against government but cannot accept their responsibility to govern once elected.

All officials are responsible for governance in our non-parliamentary political system.

Speaker of the House John Boehner offered a proposal to avoid the cliff. The president countered with a proposal that was a movement from his stated position.

There appeared the possibility of compromise involving tax increases and budget cuts.

This grand bargain could have resolved the profligacy of the past, but the radicals in the speaker’s caucus forced him to cease negotiations. Ideology was more important than solving the problem.

Now radical Republicans are committed to destroying the American and world economy unless they get the cuts they want. They will hold the full faith and credit of this nation hostage to meet their ideological goals.

No compromise to balance the budget makes our once-vaunted political system dysfunctional.

We need two functional political parties to govern. Those Republicans who will not govern are unworthy of office.

Bond Faulwell

Overland Park

New sports station

I have a hard time believing Kansas City needed a third sports radio station. 102.5 FM used to be a comedy station that was a nice change from music and sports.

Apparently, we can’t have many thoughts in Kansas City without it being sports. With the sad football and baseball teams we had this past year, a little comedy was refreshing.

Karen Kline

Kansas City

Stan Musial’s greatness

Now has come the day when no boy in a cornfield with a baseball bat can pretend he is Stan Musial standing at the plate, there in a bent stance, ready to swat in the winning run for the home team (1-20, B1, “He was The Man”).

For more than 20 years, Musial was music to the ears of the boys from Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Arkansas and Kentucky as they stood by their Crosley radios listening for that great hit. That winning home run blast.

And though he hailed from Pennsylvania, Missouri has claimed him.

He was the man. He was the grace. Without peer.

The one and only Cardinal. And the cornfields cry.

Frank Berry

Kansas City

America’s lost values

After listening to the president’s speech, my mind reverted to another well-known Democratic president, John F. Kennedy.

In his Jan. 20, 1961, inauguration speech, Kennedy said: “And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what, together, we can do for the freedom of man.”

How things have changed. The Republicans have evolved since that time. The Democrats even more so.

Bernard Zybko

Shawnee

An unfair target

Out of 311 million people in the United States, five people were injured in accidents at gun shows in one weekend (1-20, A2, “Gun show accidents”). That is a fraction of the population injured because of these accidents.

Of these five accidents, none resulted in death. Texting while driving results in hundreds of deaths annually. Hippos kill hundreds of people every year in Africa.

Falling out of bed kills dozens of people every year in the U.S. Icicles kill dozens of people every year in Russia and worldwide. Jellyfish kill hundreds of people.

Before we start complaining about insignificant accidents that do not result in death, let’s worry about the ones that do.

Ban texting while driving. Kill all of the hippos in Africa.

Make people sleep on the floor. Ban icicles, and stop allowing people to enjoy the ocean.

Jerret S. Perrin

Olathe

Safety of children

I am in my 29th year of teaching in Kansas City, Kan. After the mass killings at Columbine High School in 1999, I put an orange neon card on my door stating that the door would be locked for the safety of the children.

In my mind, God forbid, if shootings like at Columbine or Sandy Hook Elementary happened, I’ve already thought about how I’d get my students out of my classroom.

I was not trained in guerrilla tactics of escaping from a deranged shooter. But you can be sure that I’ll do what I have to do to make sure my students come out alive.

I don’t believe arming teachers is smart.

Some of the teachers who I know have trained with firearms and are certified. But there are also people like me who aren’t comfortable around firearms.

I don’t think having guns around children is smart. Unfortunately, like all professions, we have teachers who are irresponsible, and God forbid if any child got his hands on a gun brought into a school by a teacher.

The cry from society would be heard louder than the cry of the mother whose child was shot.

Veronica L. Viegra

Independence

Inauguration rudeness

I watched the inauguration on television. It was magnificent and awe-inspiring.

During the event, I was switching channels to try not to miss any of the historic moments.

I was surprised to see that the Fox channel was the only channel that had a news crawler at the bottom of the screen during most of the inaugural ceremonies.

I found it to be offensive, rude, unnecessary and inappropriate. Basically, it just seemed wrong.

Regardless of who is being sworn in, the Fox channel should have had more reverence for this historic event.

Janice Wasserman

Leawood

Kindness at theater

I took my elderly mother to see the movie “Lincoln” recently.

Unfortunately, when we went into the theater, there were only front-row seats available.

My mother and I sat down, but I could tell that my mother, who is somewhat disabled, could not see the screen from such a close angle.

Only a moment passed before a young boy and his mother tapped us on the shoulders and asked whether we would like to trade seats with them.

They had middle-of-the-theater seats — best in the house.

I can’t tell you how much I appreciated their kind thoughts and deeds.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will try to pay it forward.

Nancy R. Trussell

Overland Park