Letters : KC readers discuss cancel culture, KU’s problematic mascot and Parson’s pass
Emblem of honor
Kansas City has an opportunity to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a beautiful statue of the visionary leader at the west end of the Country Club Plaza, where residents and visitors alike could pay tribute to one of the greatest men in United States history.
A street name is insignificant compared with a statue.
- Ron Jones, Kansas City
Don’t forget
In reference to the current “cancel culture” mania, the old aphorism from poet and philosopher George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” has become quite worrisomely relevant.
- Jerry Murray, Centerview, Missouri
New mascot time
As a public servant, I spent my career working to resolve conflicts in Bosnia, Rwanda and Iraq. I often find myself describing my home as the “Balkans of the United States.” We hail from a complicated region with a complicated history, unlike any other in our country.
The movement to remove honorifics to the Confederacy is at last sweeping our country. If our region truly seeks to heal from our past, we must take it one step further. We must recognize and remove any reference from our history that glorifies violence and oppression against the innocent.
Yes, this effort must start with the Confederacy and everything it stood for. But we must also recognize that being on “the right side of history” does not automatically make us right.
Missouri and Kansas can never hope to heal from our past when certain wounds are left open to fester.
It is time for the University of Kansas to disavow its violent namesake. The crimes of the guerrilla Jayhawker fighters from the 1850s’ Bleeding Kansas period should no longer be glorified by a public institution.
Our country has taken positive steps toward reconciliation in recent weeks. For our region, there is one more step in this journey: KU must change its teams’ nickname.
- Roger Webb, Independence
Courage needed
Health officials report an alarming surge in new COVID-19 cases in dozens of states. Unfortunately, many people contribute to the problem by their unwillingness to take common-sense precautions such as wearing face masks in public.
It’s time for Missouri and Kansas elected leaders to require masks. Mayors and county officials could do this individually, but what’s needed is for both states’ governors to issue executive orders requiring masks statewide in public, as governors in other states such as California, Maine, New York and Virginia have done.
So far, Gov. Mike Parson of Missouri and Gov. Laura Kelly of Kansas have punted, basically saying it’s up to the counties to do things like that. How great would it be if they would show a modicum of political courage and actually lead?
The fact is, our elected leaders have opened up the country too early. Largely because of their subsequent inaction, and the devil-may-care attitude of some individuals, we will witness more coronavirus surges and more deaths until most of us have received a vaccine, which hasn’t even been developed yet.
It’s so sad and so dangerous.
- Richard Lovett, Kansas City
Oh, it’s personal
I am outraged by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s belligerent response to a reporter’s respectful and important question Tuesday: “Do you feel any personal responsibility for the people who have been infected and don’t recover after you chose to reopen the state?” (June 25, 10A, “Gov. Parson passes the buck again as COVID-19 cases surge”)
Parson could have explained why he thinks personal responsibility is the only guide for controlling the pandemic, which is breaking records daily. Instead of taking personal responsibility for his own inaction as governor, he evaded the question by attacking the reporter.
If personal responsibility alone were enough, there would be no need for stop signs, speed limits or any laws that promote Missourians’ health, safety and welfare. Should personal responsibility replace motorcycle helmets, seat belts and no-smoking zones, which have saved untold thousands of lives?
Compare the stunning difference between soaring COVID-19 rates in states that reopened quickly with those that reopened more responsibly.
Certainly, the economy, which has affected nearly everyone (except politicians), must revive. But the virus doesn’t depend on politics, and Missourians’ lives should not depend on which lobbyists are loudest. Caving into these interests isn’t crisis leadership; it’s cowardice.
Voters will hold you personally responsible Nov. 3.
- Ken Nelson, Kansas City
This story was originally published June 26, 2020 at 5:00 AM.