Letters: Readers discuss gun safety, Royals announcers and a Good Samritan
Guns everywhere
So, I turn on the news last Friday to see non-stop coverage of the shooting incident at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, and I think, “This is some sort of surprise that is worthy of frantic ‘breaking news’ in the United States?”
When everyone in the country owns a gun, combined with significant cultural and governmental implosion, this will become the norm.
So get used to it, everyone.
I don’t like guns, but I figured out some time ago that most guns manufactured and sold are meant to kill people. That said, I own one and will buy more.
The Trumpites, conservatives and evangelical Christians should remember that progressive-thinking people own guns, too.
Who gains from all this? The NRA, gun manufacturers and the GOP win, whatever happens — a beautiful conspiracy.
Ted Steinmeyer Jr.
Overland Park
About 20 years ago, when Sen. Claire McCaskill was Jackson County prosecutor, she spoke to my Rotary Club on the subject of gun violence.
The one thing that made me feel OK was when she said, “If you do not do drugs or associate with people who do, and don’t carry a gun or associate with those who do, you’ll be safe.”
That’s not true anymore.
Steve Johnston
Leawood
Say what you mean
I read the story on the front page of the Jan. 6 Star about Kris Kobach’s hard line on immigration and President-elect Donald Trump’s apparent softening of his stance on the subject. (“Is Kobach’s immigration policy too much for Trump?”)
Roy Beck, executive director of NumbersUSA, which wants tighter constraints on immigration, said he was “worried about Trump’s seemingly contradictory language until he realized ‘that’s just his way of talking.’”
“Just his way of talking?” Isn’t that a euphemism for lying?
Terry J. Snyder
Mission Hills
Great Royals news
Thank you for an article that gave me hope and made me happy — the announcement that the entire Royals broadcast team will be back this season. (Jan. 6, 1B, “Royals’ entire broadcast team expected to return for the 2017 season”)
With what’s happening in our country, Rex Hudler and Ryan Lefebvre’s positive attitudes will be so refreshing. We need them.
So first: Go Chiefs. Then bring on baseball!
Mary Yunt
Warrensburg, Mo.
Ratings above all
After President Barack Obama placed sanctions on Russia for election-related hacking, Donald Trump issued a statement calling for the country to “move on to bigger and better things.”
On Friday, the morning of his briefing with the national intelligence director, the CIA director and other top intelligence officials, Trump posted tweets about the “DJT rating machine” and how successful his ratings were on “The Apprentice” compared with Arnold Schwarzenegger, who Trump said was “‘swamped’ (or destroyed) by comparison.”
Rather than focusing on the problems at hand, Trump is tweeting about his own greatness.
Apparently, his narcissism takes precedence over the problems facing our country, and his egotism knows no boundaries.
I am appalled that he will be our next president.
Jeanie Schiefelbusch
Prairie Village
Good Samaritans
During the morning rush hour Friday, my husband and I were on our way from our home near Gardner to North Kansas City to watch three of our grandchildren for the day.
Fortunately, we did not yet have the grandkids in the car when we were hit by a stolen Jeep. It had hit a pickup truck and a van before hitting our car.
We would like to thank the husband and wife who stopped not only to be witnesses, but also to give us shelter from the cold. Sadly, we did not get their names so we could thank them formally.
They got us out of our car quickly because they were afraid of a fire. They insisted we sit in their car until family arrived.
My husband ended up going to the hospital to be checked out, and he is doing well — just a little sore.
Thank you to the people who show care and compassion to total strangers every day.
Susan and Roger
Spears
Gardner
This story was originally published January 9, 2017 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Letters: Readers discuss gun safety, Royals announcers and a Good Samritan."