Kemper Arena garden

I have been hearing talk about how best to use Kemper Arena, and I have an idea. Why couldn’t we follow St. Louis and establish our very own spectacular botanical garden?

Shaw’s Gardens was always one of the must-sees on any visit that I have made to our sister city.

Sure, converting Kemper Arena would be a major undertaking. But just imagine a towering tropical forest, a hanging bridge, azure pools dotted with lily pads, butterflies and exotic birds, flower-lined pathways to different levels of beauty, perhaps a treehouse and a waterfall.

It could be a really cool destination if it included a restaurant or two in a treehouse.

The Kemper botanical garden could include areas for meetings, lectures and gatherings. It could really be a multigenerational space.

And it would be so exciting if there were zip lines. And maybe monkeys.

Now, wouldn’t that be an excellent complement to our increasingly exciting downtown and city? Kemper Gardens.

And we’d be way cooler than St. Louis.

Joe Breeden

Lee’s Summit

Debt never paid

While reading a history of Thomas Jefferson, I came across this passage that influenced Jefferson so much he included it in his papers before the Revolutionary War:

Death is the worst; a fate which all must try. And, for our country, ’tis a bliss to die.

The gallant Man tho’ slain in Fight he be,

Yet leaves his Nation safe, his children free.

Entails a debt on all the grateful State.

His own brave Friends shall glory in his Fate.

His wife live Honour’d, all his Race succeed;

And late Prosperity enjoy the Deed.

— Quote from Homer, about 850 BC.

We should ponder these words when any of the men and women who so proudly serve and die as members of the military or first responders is remembered.

Our debt can ne’er be repaid.

David G. McIntyre

Leawood

Catholic Church, change

It is always disturbing for anyone with even modest Catholic upbringing to hear about a pope changing views on things such as gay marriage, abortion, women’s ordination or even ritual (2-21, A2, “A changed timetable for pope?”). Popes are chosen to uphold the church’s doctrines and rightful demands, and then to fashion a vision that allows us to address the current world.

Just changing rituals or altering what has been established doctrine is not the way to guide the flock, and it is really facile and foolish as an expectation.

Finding ways to address what is now is the task of serious men. And we can be sure that the new pope will be a man.

After all, men can think and are not dumb tyrants by nature. Some, like the Apostle Paul, become incredible icons.

James McCormick

Kansas City

Fixing the gun problem

The National Rifle Association contends that gun control doesn’t work. Is the NRA this misinformed or does it think the public is gullible enough to believe anything it says?

In the U.S., we own 88.8 guns for every 100 people, and our gun homicide rate is 3.2 per 100,000 people. Next door, Canadians own 33.3 guns per 100 population, and their homicide rate is 0.1 per 100,000 people.

Australia is like the U.S. in many ways, but only 15 out of 100 people own guns, and the gun homicide rate is 0.1 per 100,000.

Japan’s gun laws are strict. Only 0.6 people per 100 owns guns, and it has no gun homicides.

Australia is a good example of what can be done to stop gun deaths. In 1996, a young man wielding semi-automatic weapons killed 35 people in Port Arthur, Australia.

Outraged, citizens demanded that something be done. The conservative prime minister headed a program to outlaw assault weapons and buy back illegal firearms. It was supported by 85 percent of the voters. In 13 years before the ban, there were 13 Australian mass killings. Since, there have been none.

Keith Evans

St. Joseph

Today’s gun violence

The cause: violence in video games, violence in the movies, moral relativism, contraindication of multiple psyche meds, street drugs, excessive drinking, disintegration of American families, no father in the home, the abortion industry and its culture of death, prayer removed from schools, inane sitcoms and brokenness of the mental-health system.

The effect:

Some deranged, disturbed person secures a dangerous weapon and wreaks unimaginable horror.

Dan Sarver

Overland Park

Living longer meat-free

Last year’s developments have certainly vindicated those of us who care about our health, our environment and our treatment of animals.

First lady Michelle Obama unveiled revamped federal guidelines requiring school cafeterias to serve more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and less sodium and animal fat.

In March, a study involving nearly 38,000 men and 84,000 women by the Harvard School of Public Health concluded that one daily serving of meat is associated with a 13 to 20 percent increase in the risk of death from heart disease or cancer.

The American Journal of Preventive Medicine estimates that obesity among American adults will escalate to 42 percent by 2030, with a $550 billion increase in medical costs.

The Humane Society exposed unconscionable atrocities at three pig producers in Oklahoma and a Pennsylvania egg farm.

It’s little wonder that more Americans consider themselves vegetarian or vegan and even more are actively reducing their meat consumption.

We should all consider following suit. Entering “live vegan” in a search engine brings tons of recipes and other useful information.

Victor Wing

Kansas City

KC needs light rail

I think this city would greatly benefit from a light-rail mass-transit system. We should have one that stretches from north of the Missouri River to the downtown area and into the south Kansas City area and suburbs. We should also have one that goes from downtown to the Truman Sports Complex.

Some people may say that it would be a waste of money and there is no point. But it would save money for some, and it would help reduce drunken driving.

A light-rail mass-transit system would help cut back on people having to pay for gas. When they need to go to work they would take the rail instead of using their cars.

When people go to a sporting event and have a couple drinks, instead of getting into their cars and trying to drive they could hop on the rail and take that back to their home areas and not have to put other people in danger by driving drunk.

These are just a couple ways that I believe a light-rail mass-transit system would help our city.

It would be a great addition to Kansas City.

Matt Wasche

Kansas City

Vote out all liberals

President Barack Obama wants three things from Americans. Topping the list is their money. Look at the latest deal between his administration and the GOP. He is going to get trillions from Americans, not just the super rich.

Second, he is going after your guns that you have a legal right to possess. Third, he is going after your liberty. You will never feel safe from the federal government again.

Suggestions: Put as much cash as you can in mattresses, coffee cans, attics or any place you can reach it immediately. Buy as many weapons as you can afford but do not tell anybody you have them, including family or friends. That may encourage them to turn you in.

The most important is if you are a true patriot, vote out every liberal, progressive professional politician you know and demand that they all, including the president, have term limits.

Do you really want to be like Spain, Greece, France and Italy? They are all broke, and it is the citizens who are suffering, not the politicians.

Sam Fowler

Marshall, Mo.