Excellent KCPD work, John Adams’ fears and City Hall prayer

Great work

I want to praise Detective Anthony C. Halford of the Kansas City Police Department for his excellent and determined efforts in helping us recover a valuable new musical instrument stolen from my Bradford & Company Fret Shop several weeks ago.

We made a police report and filed our insurance claim without having much hope that we would ever see our instrument again. Halford drew the file, immediately called and was on the case.

The instrument turned up in a Kansas City, Kan., pawn shop, where Halford found it and helped us negotiate its recovery through that city’s police department.

He was very helpful and kept us well informed every step of the way. We can all be proud to have this young man working for our police department. Our theft may have been considered small potatoes to some, but it wasn’t to us, and it sure wasn’t treated like that by Detective Halford.

Kudos to him and the police from both municipalities.

Glenn Bradford

Kansas City

Unfair to Kobach

Every time I think The Star has pinned the extreme-left-bias needle, you prove me wrong.

You really went above and beyond the call of the left to include front-page, editorial-page and additional articles containing snarky digs and distorted assertions about Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, all in one special “hate Kobach” edition Thursday. (1A, “Towns Kobach helped lost big as he powered his own political rise,” 7A, “Kobach-to-Trump payment was to Jr.,” 12A “Kris Kobach has gained prominence by scamming cities”)

David Land

Overland Park

Prayer fine by me

An Aug. 1 letter writer questioned why the Lord’s Prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance were recited at the start of a Lee’s Summit City Council meeting. (12A)

If a person is offended by respect for the United States, he or she does not have to watch or listen.

I am proud of our city leaders for standing strong for what represents us as one nation.

Alan Rioux

Lee’s Summit

Yes, stained

President Donald Trump tweeted that Attorney General Jeff Sessions needs to remove special counsel Robert Mueller before his investigation “stain(s) our country any further.” (Aug. 2, 1A, “Trump calls on Sessions to stop Russia probe”)

I submit that the president is the real stain. I agree wholeheartedly with the former Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Republican Christine Todd Whitman, that the president should resign for the good of the country.

Dorothy Buchholz

Olathe

At us, not with us

During his news conference this week with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, President Donald Trump said, “We’re the laughingstock of the world.” (July 31, 10A, “Trump says he has ‘no problem’ with a shutdown”)

Yes, Mr. President, we certainly are. And those laughing at us are the ones you have insulted: the prime ministers of England and Canada, the lord mayor of London, the chancellor of Germany and the rest of our NATO allies.

T.J. Snyder

Mission Hills

Blowing hard

Recent stories about two Kansas politicians are disturbing examples of today’s heavy-handed hyper-partisanship. We should all be concerned, regardless of party affiliation.

First it was Kansas state Sen. Barbara Bollier, chastised and removed from key committee assignments by her own Republican leadership. She had the audacity to endorse a Democrat for Congress over Rep. Kevin Yoder after deciding it was best for both her country and her constituents. (July 19, 11A, “GOP wants to oust moderate senator for endorsing a Democrat”)

Imagine putting principle before party.

This week, Yoder himself was on the receiving end of partisanship run amok. For hinting at even moderate support for a few Democratic immigration initiatives, he was accused of “selling out the Trump agenda” by Fox’s Laura Ingraham and a host of special interest lobbying groups. (July 31, 1A, “Ripped on immigrants, Yoder now reversing course”)

First, why should we care about the rants of overpaid, loudmouthed TV entertainers hired to generate anger and division? More important, we send our representatives to Washington to represent the people of the district, not the president or party leadership.

Otherwise, what’s the point of representative democracy?

Bob Dole was often lauded for reaching across the aisle for the good of the country. Today, sadly, he would never have been elected Senate majority leader.

Douglas Winn

Fairway