Readers share views on Frank White, religious freedom and baby boomers
Where’s Frank White?
We were at Kauffman Stadium for opening day and were blown away by the ring ceremony and were equally blown away with dismay during the alumni recognition of past Royals players. Frank White was not on the field, yet was at the game.
I do not know the reason for the rift, although I have heard rumors. Regardless, the two parties need to end this childishness.
After the alumni celebration, everyone in our section in the stands was saying, “Where’s Frank White?”
Frank’s No. 20 is up there with George Brett’s and Dick Howser’s. One of only three.
Make the calls. Have a meeting. Grow up.
Kirk Krueger
Kansas City
Religious freedom
The subject in all news outlets of religious freedom caught me by surprise. I thought the gay questions were answered when Pope Francis responded, “Who am I to judge?”
Perhaps it’s time for a law to give us freedom from religion.
Bill Emerson
Kansas City
Gridlock culture
I found your April 5 front-page piece, “Upset by gridlock? Blame boomers,” rather amusing because I am a boomer and I’ve found many of my fellow boomers to be rather confrontational and self-centered.
Regardless of whom you blame, the responsibility rests squarely on the electorate. Our gridlock is a result of our own inability to work things out.
Congress has become a reflection of our culture, polarized and with short attention spans. We as voters can change that, if we’re willing.
Jesse Hall
Lenexa
God bless America
I hope our next president is a patriot. It’s one thing to be a legitimate American citizen, but it’s clear that doesn’t make you a patriot.
A patriot is one who places America first, who supports her principles through good decisions and bad. One who is proud of her place in the world and supports her people before all other citizens of the world.
One who understands that you don’t promote peace by downgrading your military and you don’t appease evil to avoid conflict.
We’re not perfect, nor will we ever be.
What we are is the most successful nation in the world, and our citizens, a rich variety of black, white, red, yellow, male and female, make up a nation to be proud of and to give loyalty to.
Why is so much attention given to the slavery of the past and the discrimination that took place toward women, diverse lifestyles and race?
Why not focus on how far we have come compared with the still bigoted and enslaved countries from which so many of our citizens’ families have come. Americans can show love to the world without downgrading our greater love for America.
Calvin Day
Kansas City
Ride hailing in KC
As a retired person, being an Uber partner is the perfect job for me. I am able to use my car to make more money than most jobs available to seniors.
This money is spent right here in the metro area. I pay bills, buy groceries and gasoline and I pay my taxes.
More important, I have given rides to people who have few options in getting around town, including disabled, students, elderly and celebrators from bars. I give these people safe, reliable and relatively cheap rides to wherever they want to go.
Right now we are in danger of being banned in Kansas by SB 117 and by the City Council in Kansas City — not because we are inferior, unreliable or unsafe, but because we are, in fact, better in all these categories. I hope forward-looking views will win out and smart 21st-century regulations will be adopted, that Uber will be allowed to stay, providing jobs and services to our citizens.
To all my more than 200 riders, I say thank you. It has been a pleasure and an honor serving you.
I hope to continue to do so in the future.
Edward M. Shafer
Shawnee
Republican leaders
Republican leaders have done and said some nasty, spiteful and shameful things to President Barack Obama in the past seven years. And make no mistake, most of it has been very personal and born out of hatred and bigotry.
But they outdid even themselves by resorting to near treason in sending a poisonous letter to Iran in a vicious attempt to embarrass our president.
It was bad enough that Republican leaders would use the Israeli prime minister to embarrass Obama and drive a wedge between Israel and the U.S., but to follow that with actions usually reserved for traitors sends the clear and unmistakeable message that these people cannot and must not lead.
Eddie L. Clay
Grandview
Racism revisited
We seem to be seeing more acts of racism in the United States than at any time of my life.
I know we’ve had racism from the founding of our country, but what I don’t understand is why so many of these acts are by conservative Christians who on Sunday play the roles of disciples of Jesus and then Monday through Saturday are so anti-poor and anti-disfranchised.
Now I have many flaws, but I don’t go out of my way to keep a boot on the neck of those who struggle each day in this country. What do you say evangelical, conservative Christians?
John Koehler
Kansas City
Lee Judge cartoons
I am getting tired of Lee Judge comparing those with whom he disagrees to terrorists such as the Taliban and the Islamic State militants (4-5, Lee Judge cartoon). Shouldn’t civility and reasonableness be a job requirement for working at a newspaper?
Jim Bowen
Lawrence
Support for police
Let it be recorded here: I support the police in this country, any race, any color, any branch, anytime, anywhere, period.
Bob Tobia
Kansas City
Public schools
I find it embarrassing that our educators have to go online and beg for support for their classrooms. This has been a very successful tool for teachers.
Evidently, the public wants to support our public schools. Why don’t our elected officials understand this? Could it be that they are more interested in lining their pockets with corporate lobbyists dollars than in the interests of the electorate?
We are supposed to be the greatest nation in the world. Why aren’t our schools the greatest in the world? Why is there a competition to get into a few high-quality schools?
Why aren’t all our schools worth fighting to get into? Why aren’t we paying our teachers their true worth?
They have the future of our country in their hands. It should be as profitable to be a teacher as it is to work for the biggest corporation.
After all, aren’t our schools like corporations? They produce our future.
What kind of future do we want for our country?
Donna Sunderson
Olathe
Gun laws
In passing all these firearms laws, legislators are loosening gun control. That includes no restrictions on open carry and being able to carry arms into public buildings, and now they want to allow people to carry concealed weapons without permits.
Some lawmakers want to let anyone get a gun and carry it with no permit or training. It’s as if legislators think that’s the way law-abiding citizens of Kansas and Missouri are leaning.
I propose a couple of more ideas. Take all metal detectors out of all state buildings and furnish exactly the same protections in them as are in our schools. I would like legislators to have the same great protection as our children.
Build special places for gunslingers to draw down on each other. Why not? We have soccer fields, tennis courts and other play places. Why not a special place for calling out someone you don’t like?
What is happening in America? Will it take another massacre like Newtown, Conn., Aurora, Colo., and other places?
Only a gun threat in a capitol might get legislators to wake up.
Use your heads, people. Some gun restrictions are logical. People should vote for sanity in the next election.
Thomas Taylor
Independence
This story was originally published April 8, 2015 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Readers share views on Frank White, religious freedom and baby boomers."