Letters: Readers discuss Israel policy, Republicans, and walking at Allen Fieldhouse
View on Israel
Rabbi Daniel Kirzane, I am a member of the congregation you serve. The opinions in your recent letter to The Star certainly do not represent mine. (Jan. 6, “Moran’s statement”)
I am aware that you wish to identify with the action of the U.S. that abstained from voting against the recent U.N. resolution. You did not even specifically and openly address the issue of condemning Israel settlements.
Secretary of State John Kerry said that friends can criticize friends. This should work both ways. When campaigning, every recent president has pledged to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Israel’s capital. Congress has approved the move but allowed the presidents to block that action.
The core of the U.N. resolution declared that settlements are the obstacle to peace. This is not true, and the U.S. and other countries have swallowed this falsehood whole.
Numerous negotiations have taken place between the Palestinians and Israelis, with the Israeli proposals refused. The latest proposal would have given away the store.
It was proposed by then prime minister Ehud Olmert that many settlements would be withdrawn and that East Jerusalem could become the capital of a Palestinian state.
Is it the Israelis who are intransigent? Or is it the Palestinians from whom nothing is expected?
Examine the history of the State of Israel and you will find defensive wars, disputed territories, continuing resistance to Israel’s existence by acts of terrorism and rejection of the idea of a Jewish state.
Sol Koenigsberg
Overland Park
Time for change
The GOP-controlled senate voted Wednesday 51-48 to move ahead with debate on a budget resolution for fiscal 2017 that would repeal Obamacare. President-elect Donald Trump alerted the Republicans to be careful and make sure any dissatisfaction of the Affordable Care Act would be blamed on the Democrats.
Does Trump’s advice sound any different from our past Washington politicians?
Would Trump’s advice not have been better if he said, “Let’s keep the good of the ACA and get rid of the high premiums and the rest of the bad?”
Trump was elected because people wanted change. Blaming the other party is typical Washington.
Related to this 51-48 senate vote is Republican Sen. Rand Paul’s vote. He said he voted against the ACA because the proposed Republican budget increases the federal debt by more than $9 trillion over 10 years.
Blaming the other party and being fiscally irresponsible doe not look like change to me.
I’m for both parties working together and being fiscally responsible.
Hopefully that will still happen in 2017.
Alan R. Mohr
Overland Park
Jayhawk walk
The traveling violation that wasn’t called at the end of the Jan. 3 basketball game between Kansas and Kansas State has brought out the frustration of area non-KU fans, the delight of area cartoonists and a constant stream of conversation on local and national sports talk programs. (Jan. 4, 1B, “Walk-off win; Jayhawks get 10th straight victory over Big 12 rival”)
The reality of that game is that the missed walk call was one of several missed calls that gave or took points away from either team. This is common in almost all basketball games.
In this particular game, K-State benefited because KU was called for more fouls, allowing K-State to shoot more free throws, even though both teams played a similar style game.
What the missed walk did was allow area non-KU fans to again try and hold onto anything they can find to support why KU wins so much more than their schools and why KU has won its conference for 12 straight years.
It kind of reminds me of all the non-Trumpers after our recent presidential election.
Steven Martin
Olathe
This story was originally published January 8, 2017 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Letters: Readers discuss Israel policy, Republicans, and walking at Allen Fieldhouse."