Letters: KC readers discuss defining ‘sarcastic,’ gun grabbers and Pelosi in charge
Care for KC
Thank you for your praise of Mayor Quinton Lucas. (April 29, 10A, “In coronavirus crisis, Mayor Quinton Lucas proves our worry about him was mistaken”) From my point of view, he is doing a spectacular job of navigating the real world in which we, hopefully, continue to live.
- Judith A. Carpenter, Kansas City
What a bother
As professor emeritus at the UMKC School of Medicine, I offer some steps to make sure you are doing your very best to know firsthand what the COVID-19 disease is like:
1) Leave your face mask at home. You can’t use it when you’re eating, anyway.
2) Go out as soon as the stay-at-home order expires. There will be enough other dumb people out there to make sure you don’t have to worry about not being exposed.
3) If you have recovered from the virus, ignore any and all precautions, because you are now immune, even though the medical authorities have stated there is no evidence that prior infection protects you from getting the virus again.
4) You can forget about the 6-foot distance recommendation. Some studies have shown coughed germs can travel 10 feet or more. Therefore, why bother at all?
5) Besides, most people in the stores with you don’t have any symptoms, so they won’t infect you, right?
- Donald A. Potts, Independence
Learn the meaning
Sarcasm: the new excuse for stupid statements.
Just to be clear, only a stable genius would suggest injecting disinfectants as a viable treatment. That is sarcasm.
How can anyone support someone who suggests injecting disinfectants as a viable medical treatment? That isn’t sarcasm.
- Larry Morris, Kansas City
Doubtful expertise
I am more than a little troubled by Jean Peters Baker’s attempt to piggyback gun control on to the COVID-19 pandemic panic. (April 26, 13A, “Where is our Fauci to fight gun violence?”)
Her analysis is breathtakingly shallow, and one statement — “But what about another public health crisis that has killed more people since the first days of this pandemic? That crisis is gun violence.” — could give a flat-out wrong impression. COVID-19 has killed about 62,000 people in the United States. That’s three-plus years’ worth of firearm homicides.
Her willingness to place solutions in the hands of so-called “experts” also speaks volumes. In case she failed to notice, early in the pandemic, the experts were all over the map, and, while there has been movement, they are still nowhere near a consensus. We tend to pick our experts according to our biases.
As for experts in criminology, that is laughingly close to an oxymoron. Not to belittle the social sciences, but they are on the squishy side of science.
To equate gun violence with communicable diseases as a matter of public health is ludicrous. It’s simply another attempt to work around the Second Amendment.
- David Overman, Parkville
Who’s in charge
Steve Lopez’s column “We’re already living in different worlds: Let’s split the USA” (April 29, 11A) suggested that the blue states should split from the “Kingdom of Mar-a-Lago” to form their own union with “California as its capital.”
He failed to mention that the ruler of the new United Socialist States of California would be Nancy Pelosi. Best of luck.
- Stephen Vick, Lee’s Summit
Streaming strong
I am so very proud of our KC Water employees for the essential work they perform to provide water, wastewater and stormwater services.
May 3-9 is Drinking Water Week. What better way to highlight the importance of water than to acknowledge the hard-working people who keep our water flowing?
At KC Water, we are taking safety measures for our employees by practicing social distancing, encouraging frequent hand-washing and using appropriate protective equipment. We are also sanitizing office spaces and trucks.
KC Water treats more than 90 million gallons of water nearly every day and delivers it to Kansas City and surrounding communities via 2,800 miles of pipeline. It all starts with the Missouri River. Each of us must do our part to protect the source. One way is to dispose of debris, wipes and chemicals in the trash and not flush them down the toilet or dump them in the environment.
Through no fault of our own, the coronavirus has taken a toll on the world, but we must still provide essential resources. I salute every essential worker in all fields who must keep going.
Thank you, KC Water professionals.
- Terry Leeds, director, KC Water, Kansas City