Letters: Readers discuss Westport violence, Confederate monuments and Chappelle-Nadal

Westport crime

Think about how Sunday’s murder in Westport looks to the visitors who came into town for the eclipse. (Aug. 22, 1A, “Party ends in fatal gunshots, desperation”) It’s shameful, extremely disturbing and sad.

On Sunday night, we considered dining at Californos before a concert downtown but changed our minds. I am grateful I was not there at that time.

Barbara Carol

Overland Park

Bowing to vandals

Over the weekend, the United Daughters of the Confederacy statue was prepared for removal from 55th and Ward Parkway amid growing public outcry that culminated in vandalism.

I am in favor of removing all Confederate statues from public display and believe the parks department’s statement was not strong enough. These need to come down not so they can be “safely stored,” but because of the racist cause they stand for. But giving vandals what they want — in this case, removal of the statue — sets bad precedent.

Kansas City leadership needs to fully reconcile all of the city’s racist symbols — from the 55th and Ward Parkway statue to the J.C. Nichols Fountain to the memorial for Confederate dead in Forest Hills Cemetery — and not simply kneejerk react to what is going on broadly in the country.

Removing a now-reviled statue that was vandalized but refusing to address the other symbols in the city is shortsighted, dishonest and poor leadership.

Leaders across the area would be wise to deal with all of these controversial statues in a proactive way to show they are serious about meaningful change in Kansas City.

Jay Cook

Overland Park

Code of conduct

The Star editorial board says Missouri state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal has to go. (Aug. 22, 10A, “State senator who hoped for Trump assassination must resign”)

I agree we must have a standard where threats of assassination are considered unacceptable. But The Star must hold President Donald Trump to the same standard with his too-numerous-to-count comparable and inappropriate public statements.

If she must quit, why not make the same demands for our president?

The president is responsible for lowering what is considered acceptable community standards for public statements, and Sen. Chappelle-Nadal drank the Kool-Aid.

Everett Murphy

Kansas City

Missouri state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal made an obvious error in judgment when she wrote a vicious anti-Trump diatribe on her computer.

However, she is the choice of her constituents, and the Republican majority should not remove her from office.

Kenneth Lee

Raytown

Think broadly

It’s too bad that Bret Stephens’ message about right-of-center Jews who voted for Donald Trump was not trumpeted and heard a year ago. (Aug. 22, 11A, “President Jabberwock and the Jewish right”)

President Donald Trump never did pass the smell test.

And to vote for a president based on one issue — any one issue — ignores the fundamental elements of competence, integrity, judgment and moral compass.

Jack Mayer

Mission

Let’s vote on it

Letting the public vote on whether to remove Confederate monuments seems like a viable option. Isn’t that the way differences are resolved in a democracy?

Or do we just give up our rights and succumb to the most vocal and rabid group?

Murl Talbott

Kansas City

Election fix

Here’s my suggestion: During any campaign, the only people candidates can talk about are themselves.

They cannot discuss anything about other candidates, because so much of what is said about opposing candidates is misleading, taken out of context, an exaggeration or even a lie.

Or, when the words out of a candidate’s mouth or in print are proved to be misleading, taken out of context, an exaggeration or a lie, his or her candidacy should be barred from any further advertising and promotion or the candidacy should be completely finished.

Today, candidates are so concerned with making their opponents look bad that we don’t get to know much about the candidates themselves. Tell me about you.

Dark money is a shameful scourge on our election system. I’ve always heard that money speaks, and this legal and shameful practice is nothing but a rich man’s or woman’s game.

Michael Molick

Kansas City

This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 6:05 PM with the headline "Letters: Readers discuss Westport violence, Confederate monuments and Chappelle-Nadal."