Letters: Readers discuss Jonah Goldberg’s death penalty opinions, the Mexico border wall and the causes of obesity
The great debate
Tonight DEBATE-Kansas City is hosting a free event open to the community titled, “Policing the Police: A Public Debate over Body Cameras and Police Reform.” DEBATE-Kansas City is an urban debate league that provides 35 area middle and high schools and more than 1,000 students access to academic debate. We also hold public events to engage our community through civic discourse.
Policing in America is an important and timely issue that we will explore through a three-sided debate, grounded in research. It will feature three highly decorated area debaters, including UMKC’s Corey Fisher, a DEBATE-Kansas City graduate from Lincoln Prep who was named the 2017 College Debater of the Year.
Join us at 6:30 p.m. at the UMKC School of Education. There will be free snow cones from 6:30 to 7 p.m.
Gabe Cook
Executive Director
DEBATE-Kansas City
Kansas City
Change of heart
As a death-penalty opponent, I am shocked to agree with any part of what Jonah Goldberg wrote in his column, “Death penalty opponents’ sleight-of-hand arguments.” (April 23, 23A)
He is right that the legal arguments about drugs, mental illness and other matters are essentially strategies, although important ones. However, underlying that concern is my contention that the death penalty is fundamentally uncivilized and immoral. The United States stands with China, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq in carrying out the most executions in the world. Is that the company we want to keep?
For morality, what possible response is there to the question, “Why do we kill people who kill people to show that killing people is wrong?”
Although closure for families of victims has heart-tugging merit, it does not recognize the possibility of a different kind of closure as testified by Jeanne Bishop in her book “Change of Heart.” Had her sister’s killer been executed, she never would have had the transformative closure of meeting him years later and hearing his repentance.
Legal strategies must continue, but as they do I appeal for a profound change of heart among us all as citizens. We cannot end killing with more killing. It makes killers of us all.
Jane Fisler Hoffman
Raymore
Over the top
President Donald Trump’s wall is stupid. Does he think the Mexican army is going to attack us with catapults?
Mexico is already working on a secret weapon to defeat his wall. I believe it’s called a ladder.
Trump should quit trying to be president and go back to what he’s good at: nothing.
Randall Jones
Lee’s Summit
Health changes
Ever wonder what the results would be if restaurants charged $1 for a cheeseburger but $5 for a healthy salad? Well, we have our answer: According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 71 percent of adults in the United States are overweight. From 1962 to 2006, obesity more than doubled in America. It has been linked to diabetes, heart problems and even death.
Fast food and lack of physical activity are the main causes of being unhealthy. Fast-food places do not care about putting healthy ingredients in their food. All they care about is money.
Technology also plays a big part, giving kids and adults a reason to sit all day. With no physical activity for prolonged periods, you can lose muscle mass.
It’s not always bad to have a movie night or eat a 10-piece order of chicken nuggets, but don’t do it every day.
If we don’t start changing our ways, obesity is going to keep increasing. So it is time we act against $5 salads and $1 cheeseburgers.
All you have to do is a little to change a whole lot.
David James Terrazas
Kansas City
Kind gesture
Sunday, my wife and I treated ourselves to a dinner and show at New Theatre Restaurant to celebrate 66 years of wedded bliss. While standing in the food line, we engaged the couple immediately behind us in casual banter and mentioned why we were there. Of course, congratulations were extended.
A short time later, an usher came by to tell us that the people we had been talking to wanted to purchase our desserts. Imagine our pleasant surprise. Of course, I located them and expressed our gratitude and thanks. It is certainly nice to have met such gracious folks. Although I did not get their names, I did express our sincerest thanks.
My concept of humanity was greatly enhanced by that kind gesture. God bless them.
Wayne Miller
Lone Jack
This story was originally published April 24, 2017 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Letters: Readers discuss Jonah Goldberg’s death penalty opinions, the Mexico border wall and the causes of obesity."