Letters to the editor: Sports power at colleges, Carson for president

Football wins

University of Missouri graduate student Jonathan Butler, challenging university system president Tim Wolfe, conjures up the image of a Chinese “unknown protester” facing a tank in Tiananmen Square in 1989 in protest. History doesn’t tell us what ultimately happened to that protester, but we can readily assume some dreadful conclusion.

We already know that in the MU case, the anti-establishment won, and the college’s administration lost. Unfortunately, the same story is being told on college campuses throughout America.

Another conclusion is that sports, especially football and basketball programs, drive much of what occurs today on college campuses. This is a byproduct of “liberalism” in our institutions of higher learning.

Steve Katz

Leawood

Carson for president

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson doesn’t get it. Doesn’t he know that you’ll never get elected president if you believe that marriage is between a man and a woman or that it takes more faith to believe in evolution than in God, or that life begins at conception?

Or that only Washington insiders have a shot at winning the election? And maybe he better come up with a more plausible explanation when news organizations dig up things from when he was in junior high.

Even when it turns out that the news organizations lied about him, he still needs to understand that he can’t win as a black conservative. He needs to pay more attention to how Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton is campaigning.

If you say the right things, then the press will ignore the lies, the flip-flops, and the blame game that Clinton is so adept at. She doesn’t offer anything new — just more giveaways with other peoples’ money.

She’ll never be held accountable for the lies she told to the families of those killed in Benghazi, her misuse of emails, the Bosnian sniper incident, etc.,because the media doesn’t care. I hope she’s indicted.

Meanwhile, Ben Carson for president.

Mark Haskell

Olathe

Nation of cowards?

When did the United States become a frightened country (11-17, Editorial, “Unwanted hysteria over refugees”)? I’ve heard politicians talk of the refugees from the Middle East as if they were criminals instead of victims.

Are we a country of brave freedom lovers who are willing to stand up and fight? Or are we a bunch of frightened children?

It appears from the response of many in politics that they are frightened children. Or is it that they want to scare the public for there own gains?

Terrorists thrive on the fear we surrender to every time we act frightened. Stopping refugees is what a frightened person would do.

We are all going to die. It’s how we chose to live that matters.

Don’t give in to fear. My only question is why are the men of Syria fleeing their country?

They should stay and fight. The women, the old and the children need to be protected.

Thomas Clarke

Overland Park

Polar ice reforming

Recently NASA has proven the southern polar ice cap has grown significantly. What a victory against global warming.

All of this gloom and doom about us killing our planet has been defeated, right? Wrong.

The left-wing liberals who started all of this massive lie say this is not enough. Like a spoiled child on Christmas morning asking, “Is this all?” the left-wing has chosen to double down on a losing hand.

Pay no attention to this good news. It is a disguise of global catastrophe.

Do not expect the left-wing press to report or even mention this finding.

Joseph Lavender

Lenexa

NRA, guns in U.S.

Read the bloody writing on the wall, in the movie screen, on the church floor, in the school hallway. People who should not have guns get them with ease.

The National Rifle Association suggests that we focus on mental health issues. Simply cure schizophrenia, paranoia and bipolar disorder. Throw in depression while you are at it.

Every sane person knows that it is much more effective to concentrate on better background checks than dream of cures that are likely to never be realized.

The NRA correctly states “guns don’t kill people; people kill people.” That should place the NRA at the forefront of ensuring only responsible people have firearms.

To do otherwise is just insane.

Tom Stroud

Overland Park

School for seniors

What we need is four years compulsory education for seniors. After a few years of retirement benefits, too many seniors realize the world has changed, and they are having a hard time keeping up.

They get stuck in a rut and get depressed. Our government reflects this stagnation.

What we need is compulsory education for seniors to make them as smart (or smarter because of experience) than a high school senior applying for college. Bring seniors up to date on climate change, immigration, and new technology, including cars, space travel, diversity, history and so much more.

Check their opinions and voting preferences before and after taking a class. We need educated citizens.

Martha Field

Leawood

This story was originally published November 17, 2015 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Letters to the editor: Sports power at colleges, Carson for president."