Humble veteran, duck boat tragedy and the ESPY awards

That’s service

Wayne Miller wrote a letter to the editor Sunday about cutting the grass of his 94-year-old World War II veteran neighbor. (12A) Wayne failed to mention that he is 86 years young and has a debilitating back problem — and still manages to tend his fellow vet’s grass.

Sign me a proud 74-year-old vet.

Ken Krawchuk

Lone Jack

Action not taken

Hindsight is always 20/20.

After the incident in 1999 that claimed 13 lives on a duck boat in Hot Springs, Ark., the canopies that covered the boats were cited as the major contributor to those deaths. (July 21, 1A, “Federal agency warned about danger of canopies”)

A modification, which would divide the canopy down the center with supporting frames hinged along the sides, would have allowed the top to open and passengers to escape a sinking boat.

As usual, nothing was done.

Corporations, greedy for profit, will shun spending money to fix a problem that could save lives. Instead, they hope the situation will never repeat and profit will outweigh potential litigation.

Ronald D. Burri

Pleasant Hill

A bright future

Thank you for including the names of Tyler Ruzich and Joseph Tutera Jr., along with descriptive paragraphs, in the list of Kansas Republican gubernatorial candidates in the Sunday Star. (12A, “Meet the GOP candidates for Kansas governor”)

They have put considerable effort into their campaigns. They should not be ignored because of their youth.

The Kansas Legislature might enact a bill defining age requirements for candidates, but I predict this is not the last time Kansas voters will read about these two young men, in addition to teenage Democratic candidate Jack Bergeson.

In 2022, they’ll all be four years older and will already have campaigning experience under their belts.

Peg Nichols

Olathe

Talk is cheap

I am a longtime subscriber to The Star and believe it is important to continue to financially support our access to actual current events and news.

Right now, I’m beginning to lose faith.

One day last week, as I opened the morning paper, voila — another anti-President Donald Trump article emphasizing his continuing failure to see the Russia “threat.”

Isn’t dialogue usually suggested as the best response to a perceived threat? Wasn’t that former President Barack Obama’s approach? Didn’t this happen on his watch?

I don’t recall such condemnation being directed toward Obama by The Star. Why is that?

William Riddle

Kansas City

Failure of ideas

Since unexpectedly winning a New York Democratic party primary election last month, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — a self-described democratic socialist — has become the “great red hope” of the political left. Maybe another Castro or Ho Chi Minh.

A recent PBS interview brutally revealed how little understanding she has of the world beyond her leftist ideology. When asked how President Donald Trump’s economic policies have produced historically low unemployment level, she replied it is because workers must work more than one job. Go figure that one out.

If she had ever taken a non-ideological history course that included the 20th century, she would know that capitalism was rejected in countries such as Russia and China, whose people witnessed the total collapse of their societies under the brutal, murderous system she supports.

How do prestigious universities produce these kinds of vacuous minds? Simply by hiring radical ideologues more interested in indoctrination than teaching.

Kenneth G. Hartman

Lee’s Summit

Important message

I recently watched ESPN’s ESPY awards. The Arthur Ashe Courage Award was presented to the more than 140 female athletes sexually abused by USA Gymnastics and Michigan State team doctor Larry Nassar. It was quite moving.

Abuse of this magnitude occurs when good people do not want to become involved … when they do not want to hear such things … when they hope it will just go away.

This presentation was a very important 10 minutes of television. The message was very clear: Abuse can happen anywhere, and it can be committed by those we trust the most.

We all need to pay attention and be involved in the protection of those who are the most vulnerable.

Jim Cox

Louisburg