McCaskill in Beverly Hills, Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and delaying vaccines
Cross country
Last week, I heard on early-morning TV that former President Barack Obama would be speaking at an event for Sen. Claire McCaskill. (March 28, KansasCity.com, “Will McCaskill bring Obama to Missouri?”)
The event is to be held in Beverly Hills, Calif. I had not realized there were exiled Missouri voters residing in Beverly Hills.
Beulah Rule
Kansas City
A second act
Mayor Sly James: When you have completed your service in Kansas City, please go to Jefferson City and perform your duties as Missouri’s governor.
Vernon Reed
Liberty
Reach across
I couldn’t agree more that it’s time for Kansas City to further commemorate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. But I think renaming The Paseo falls short of what King’s legacy deserves. (March 31, 1A, “Leaders seek vote on renaming of Paseo”)
King dreamed of changing the hearts and minds of people of all colors and creeds. While it’s understandable that people in a predominantly black community would find comfort in his name being preserved there, I submit that King’s message was never intended to be contained to the predominantly black community.
He risked his life to speak to whites and minorities alike. We can all benefit from his message.
Perhaps naming a bridge between downtown and the suburbs would be a more fitting way to memorialize the man, and would reach more of us who can be enriched by the memory of his wisdom 50 years after his ultimate sacrifice.
Jerry Clewell
Lee’s Summit
Don’t delay
The topic of vaccines is constantly in the media. Recently, stories about delaying children’s vaccinations to prevent adverse reactions have been circulating. However, medically there has been no proven benefit to delaying vaccines.
The Centers for Disease Control, the national expert on diseases, has produced immunization schedules and has endorsed that kids may safely get up to five vaccines at one visit.
One study showed delaying the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccine for several months only caused more side effects. Another study showed a delayed schedule can actually increase risk of fever-related seizures.
Additionally, a delay keeps kids unprotected from disease longer.
Social media and the internet provide parents endless negative misinformation. Decisions about vaccines should be made through thoughtful, factual and in-person discussions.
As a pediatrician, I urge parents to discuss this with their doctors because each vaccine can save not only their own children’s lives, but the lives of all children in our community.
Paymon Savoji
Kansas City
Good stewardship
When Donald Trump was elected president, sportsmen had high hopes that the president and his Cabinet would commit to, in Trump’s words, “honoring the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt.”
As our 26th president, Roosevelt worked tirelessly to stop special interests from developing and privatizing our public lands and waters, conserving more than 230 million acres by establishing 150 national forests, 51 federal bird reserves, four national game preserves, five national parks and 18 national monuments.
Sportsmen have applauded the administration for some Roosevelt-like actions, such as its proposal to expand hunting and fishing on 10 national wildlife refuges and calling on Congress to create a permanent solution to “fire borrowing,” when the U.S. Forest Service dips into other funds to pay for firefighting.
Yet we will continue to hold administration officials accountable for pursuing the rollback of conservation protections on millions of acres of national monuments, scrapping collaborative habitat management plans for sage grouse and not fighting administration proposals to cut popular public-access programs.
These actions threaten to undermine Roosevelt’s legacy, and I join Backcountry Hunters & Anglers in urging the Trump administration to do the right thing and stand up for our public lands.
Jessica Hoops
Belton
Well done?
I guess if you accept that President Donald Trump cavorts with porn stars and has trouble telling the truth, he is doing a good job. The economy is doing well. I guess we have to accept this.
Somehow, I miss having a president who is a role model for our youth. I can’t think of anything for which Trump is a good model.
Bill Betteridge
Independence
This story was originally published April 3, 2018 at 8:30 PM with the headline "McCaskill in Beverly Hills, Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and delaying vaccines."