Hurricane Harvey, the Three Percenters and Royals payroll

Harvey’s message

Could Mother Nature be nudging Texas oil interests a little more toward climate reality?

Clark Achelpohl

Kansas City

A fair trade

I have a great idea: Let’s send groups such as the Three Percenters and the other groups like this in Missouri — who are so ready to pick up arms as so-called patriots — to Afghanistan. They could take the place of our transgender military members, who President Donald Trump has decided no longer belong in the military and will not allow to enlist.

These groups could then wear their camouflage, carry their guns proudly and shoot all they want.

Think they will go?

Karen Zentz

Raymore

Put it in context

A letter writer Saturday recommended closing the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, in rebuttal to the movement to remove Confederate memorial statues.

If that museum consisted of statues honoring the bigots who permitted the banning of blacks from playing baseball for so many years — the managers, the commissioner and owners — the letter writer would have a point.

He does not, and I’m sure he knows it. His letter is yet another thinly veiled, Trump-inspired rebellion against equality.

Further, I have an idea for this countrywide quandary.

The right wingers claim to need these statues to honor our history, and they claim to want accuracy in regard to that history for future Americans to see and know. OK, let’s leave those statues and install a plaque for each one stating something along the lines of:

“Here is one of the men who stood in opposition to the president, Congress and the Constitution, killing thousands of fellow Americans for the purpose of continuing the barbaric practice of white people owning, torturing, raping and murdering African-Americans. This statue is, therefore, a reminder that this hateful criminal and his cause were defeated soundly in the name of justice and fairness.”

Jim Krsnich

Overland Park

In it to win it?

It appears the Royals have given up. The players who will be free agents after the season have realized they are not going to make the playoffs, so they appear to be playing for their big payday.

Too bad for all of us who have supported them for all these years. I hope owner David Glass has come to grips with the fact that you get what you pay for. Give away Wade Davis — he costs too much money.

Well, Kansas City is in for many years of rebuilding because our owner wants another write-off.

Garry Ratliff

Olathe

A better chance

In his column “Missouri Democrats can’t afford to impose abortion litmus test,” (Aug. 25, 13A) Steve Kraske argues that the chairmen of the Missouri and Kansas Democrats could win more elections by running candidates who support limiting women’s ability to end unwanted pregnancies.

As a pro-choice Democrat who has survived a two-year sentence in southwest Missouri and nearly 40 years living 80 miles or more west of Lawrence, color me skeptical.

Republicans in both states intensely dislike Democrats for a whole host of reasons. Most of us support immigrants’ rights, racial equality, same-sex marriage, ending capital punishment, strong public education, church-state separation, repeal of open-carry laws and so on.

Why would anyone believe we could swing a substantial portion of Republicans to overlook all these other flaws if only we’d nominate anti-choice candidates?

People who voted for President Donald Trump and continue to regard him as fit for office are beyond reach.

A more promising approach would be to convince sensible, pro-choice Republicans that Democrats in both states are reliable partners in supporting fair and realistic roles for local, state and national governments in making life better for all of us.

Michael Oldfather

Manhattan, Kan.

See right through

Where is Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt?

Is he with President Donald Trump? Or does he support Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell?

Why has my senator, who will not stand for re-election until 2022, disappeared?

I’m not asking for “Profiles in Courage.” I just want to know where he is.

Could he stand with Sen. Claire McCaskill in a bipartisan leadership role? Does he prefer to stick to his own party only?

Why do I have to ask? Sen. Blunt, where are you?

Mark Johnson