Readers sound off on Veterans Day, KCI, recent election
A simple act
At Leavenworth’s Veterans Day parade Friday, I saw an elderly man sitting in a lawn chair with a dachshund in his lap and a blanket over his shoulders. He cradled the dog closely to fight off the chill. He was poorly shaven and definitely did not look well enough to be there, even with the oxygen tank that fed into his nostrils.
In any other context, there was nothing about the old man that set him apart. He wasn’t wearing any military clothing. He was just an old man watching a parade.
It’s not hard to imagine this could be his last winter on Earth.
During a pause in the parade, a Vietnam veteran on a Harley stopped in the street waiting for the procession to move on. He looked over at the old man briefly, hopped off the bike and shook his hand. I don’t think they said anything — they probably were strangers.
Respect and gratefulness movingly passed between them. The younger soldier was able to see beyond the frail body to spot a hero.
Sometimes it takes one to know one.
There were tears in the old soldier’s eyes when the younger man rode away.
Daniel Greer
Leavenworth
Future hope
Feeling a bit as I did after 9/11 , a 16-year-old’s heartfelt letter (11-14, 10A, Letters) gave me hope for a future filled with warmhearted young people who care about fellowship with all people.
With five grandchildren near the writer’s age group, I am more than aware of this level of kindness and acceptance, and of their readiness to vote and create a better world.
I’ve told my grandchildren many times there people in my age group who feel similarly, and for Christmas I need a hat that says, “I’m a liberal! I just look like Dick Cheney.”
George Baggett
Kansas City
No comfort
It is undeniable that Donald Trump made hateful, racist comments about minorities and certainly sexist comments about females. Trying to cope with his election, many people I know are telling me that he said these things just to get elected and that he doesn’t really believe them.
Let’s assume he doesn’t truly believe what he said. That he needed to motivate enough people who have these thoughts to turn out and vote so he could win. He loves to win and will do what it takes to do so.
People are saying this to comfort themselves. They have to. We certainly can’t have a president who actually believes this.
So, there’s your choice. He actually believes this, or he used this hateful approach to legitimize and motivate to vote people who actually have these racist and sexist beliefs. I would argue the latter is worse.
A man who does not have these beliefs but is willing to foster this hatred, turning citizens on one another in order to win, is worse. He knowingly would have done something he does not agree with to win at the sacrifice of many.
So don’t comfort yourself with this approach.
Brendan Donelon
Kansas City
Last request
As an 18-year-old, I wasn’t around to see Theodore Roosevelt, the original conservationist, in action. I’d like to think, however, that I’ve come pretty close.
President Barack Obama, as far as presidents go, has done an incredible amount to protect the planet and preserve it for years to come. Under the Antiquities Act, Obama has gone above and beyond when it comes to declaring national monuments.
The only problem is that he missed one — a pretty big one.
The Grand Canyon is being threatened by recent expansion of uranium mining in the surrounding acres. This mining is not only harmful to the canyon and the Colorado River, but it also could have detrimental effects on the animals and people living in the area.
If he were to protect the area around the Grand Canyon by creating the Greater Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument, Obama would secure the American icon for years to come.
Therefore, during the small amount of time he has left in office, I am asking you to join me in calling on Obama to create the Greater Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument.
Shoshana Grossman
St. Louis
A test
One of the major sources of money in politics is Big Pharma. Will Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans break with tradition and appoint independent, qualified people to run the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or will we get more drug-company insiders passing judgment on the safety of food, drugs and vaccines?
The choice of money over human life and public safety is a good test of human character. If they choose wrong, then The Star’s and other media’s judgment of Trump and the others will be proved right.
Michael Stone
Leawood
Down the line
There are panic and protests, but I think much of the same would have happened on the other side had Hillary Clinton won.
Right now, I believe our democracy will still be standing in four or eight years. Assuming so, there are plenty of long-term questions.
Will primaries be run differently to select more popular nominees?
Will the parties be back to normal, or will Donald Trump have changed Republicans? And will Democrats change in response?
Will Republicans ever again elect a first-term president who wins the popular vote?
Will third parties and independents do better or worse?
Will voters realize how important voting is, or will they have further lost trust in the system?
Most important, will candidates ever be able to find common ground with both rural and urban America?
If so, we stand a chance at finally electing a government more than half of us can be happy with. If not, this may be only the first in a long line of crazy campaigns.
Paul Lawless
Raytown
Don’t touch KCI
Our Kansas City International Airport is anything but an embarrassment. Easy access across the structure makes it simple to go through baggage check, go through security and get to the terminal in less than 30 minutes.
Not only is it easy to get on the plane, it is easy to get off, too. I’m not sure about others’ experiences with this, but after having parked in an instant, I’ve gotten off the plane and walked not even a quarter-mile to get to my car.
All I’m saying is that people need to be thankful for what we have instead of complaining about how “bad” KCI is, and they should start thinking about people who aren’t as fortunate to have such a magnificent airport.
Tommy Murphy
Mission Hills
Revamp needed
The Electoral College needs to be modernized or eliminated. This is the second time in the last five elections that a president has been elected by the Electoral College despite losing the popular vote.
This raises one point on which I agree with Donald Trump: The election was rigged.
When this happens, the votes of the people in each state who voted for the candidate who did not carry the state are totally negated. What is the point of voting?
The districts have been gerrymandered over the last few years to favor the Republicans. I find it hard to believe the national Democratic Party is not pushing for the elimination of the Electoral College.
I have seen many protesting Trump’s election who probably have the same opinion about how he got there.
It is time to eliminate an antiquated system. When it was designed, many people could not vote who can now.
The system is obsolete.
Debra Amandola
Overland Park
Political money
The most disturbing thing about this election was the amount of money spent on campaigns around the country, money that was spent mostly on attack ads that deliberately distorted the truth about all candidates.
When I think of the hundreds of millions of dollars wasted trying to persuade voters of the evils of their opponents, and the number of families in this country who are hungry and homeless who could have been helped with that money, it breaks my heart.
This is immoral.
I did not vote for him, but with all my heart, I hope Donald Trump can bring the country together and heal the wounds created by all the vitriol of the last 18 months.
It starts now with overhauling our elections to shorten them, to get the money out of the process and to impose term limits on Congress.
This isn’t the end of anything; it is just the beginning.
Christine Bovos
Lenexa
Show love
Our new president-elect is someone who was endorsed by the KKK, who has had no political or military experience and who belittles everyone who is remotely different from him.
He has offended every group in America except the white male. He bashed minorities, Muslims, women, the LGBTQ community and people with disabilities.
Honestly, I’m terrified. I’m a female minority living in a country that voted for someone who is against exactly that, but we will not let him reverse all the progress we’ve made.
To adults (and anyone against Donald Trump): Please do not stoop to his level. Rioting is not the answer. Rise above the bigotry and hate.
Your presence is vital today in the lives of children. Show them what love looks like.
We are stronger together. When they go low, we go high. Exhibit kindness and respect.
Life will go on. The sun still rises and the world still spins.
Meagan Taylor
Olathe
This story was originally published November 15, 2016 at 5:45 PM with the headline "Readers sound off on Veterans Day, KCI, recent election."