Locker room privacy, endless Afghan war and Senate seats

Bills of hatred

As I toured the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C, this past weekend, I saw the impacts of hate through the lives of others. I will remember what I saw for the rest of my life. Hate has no place in our society.

However, coming home to Kansas to see HB 2320 and HB 2321 presented in the Legislature broke my heart. (Feb. 13, KansasCity.com, “Kansas lawmakers sponsor bill calling same-sex marriages ‘parody’”) Having my sexual orientation labeled a “parody” by lawmakers reminded me that Kansas has a long way to go to become the progressive state it once was.

With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that Kansas’ suicide rate rose by 45 percent during 1999-2016, we should remind our lawmakers that lesbian, gay and bisexual youth are almost five times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexuals. Another harrowing fact: One-third or more of transgender adolescents have reported attempting suicide.

Stand up to hate by calling your lawmakers and asking them to oppose these bills actively. Kansas needs to move forward on these issues. Lives are at stake.

Jonathan Cole

Manhattan

Inconsistency?

While I was reading about the male coach invading the privacy of the women’s locker room (Feb. 14, 4A, “UMKC softball players defend coach as accusers stand by claims”), it occurred to me that several years ago a similar action but in reverse took place when female sports reporters were allowed into male athletes’ locker rooms, even though the men often were nude.

Many of the men objected to the loss of privacy, and rightly so. I’ve never understood the logic of the decision. Nude men aren’t entitled to privacy?

Now, nude women — ah, that’s different. Which leads us to this current odd double standard.

It’s all right for women to intrude on men’s privacy in the locker room, but it’s not all right for men to do the reverse?

Barbara Young

Independence

Consequences

Question: Why do men go to strip clubs?

Answer: To use the microwave.

Every person in authority at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, from the top down, who still has not done everything possible to see that assistant softball coach Greg Bachkora is brought to justice for his actions should have to answer for his or her inaction.

Deborah McIntire

Kansas City

Special occasion

Imagine my surprise Tuesday when I went to renew my driver’s license at the Blue Springs license office, only to find a little sign on the door, which I had to get out of my car to read.

It told me the office was closed to celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. Another little sign indicated the office also will be closed Feb. 18 for Presidents Day, which was to be expected.

The mail was delivered and banks were open that day, so the celebration for Lincoln pertained only to this license bureau, I assume? Well, my birthday is March 27, so the license bureau and anyone else who wants to can take off that day to celebrate, too.

Kay Beth Hightower

Grain Valley

Tell us yes or no

I contacted Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas three times via email in December. I also called his Olathe office at the phone number on his Senate website in mid-January and talked to a staff member.

On all four occasions, I asked the same question: Does the senator support the war in Afghanistan? And if so, why? To this date I have not received a reply to the question from Moran or any of his staff members.

To say the least, I am very disappointed by the lack of response from the senator and his staff. It concerns me that our country has spent billions of dollars and thousands of lives with our ongoing military presence in Afghanistan for 17-plus years, with apparently no end in sight.

C. Roger Denesia

Overland Park

How it’s set up

Stephen Mihm’s Tuesday commentary, “How the Senate gives Wyoming 70 times more clout than California,” was largely correct, as far as it goes. (7A) Regrettably, he omitted the one salient fact necessitating the 1787 Constitutional Convention’s brilliant compromise of proportional representation in the House of Representatives, balanced against two members per state in the Senate.

Realistically, the U.S. comprised 13 independent states at that time. The new Constitution required each state to cede vital aspects of its sovereignty to the new federal government. Without the equality of the states preserved in the institution of the Senate, every small state would have withdrawn its delegation and the Articles of Confederation would have remained in effect.

As it is, with the Constitution the framers gave us a democratic republic. They neither intended nor designed a pure democracy. Whether this was sad (as I would expect Mihm thinks) or wise, readers will conclude for themselves.

Joseph Coleson

Raytown