Hey, athletes: If you want to help, why don’t you work at the polls?
Test to help
If it is true that plasma infusions from COVID-19 survivors can save lives, it becomes even more important to test as many people as possible and then encourage those with coronavirus antibodies to donate plasma.
- Armand Way, Topeka
Step up, athletes
If sports stars want to set an example for the best way to make our voices heard, they should man voter-registration booths, work as poll workers on Election Day or just stand by ballot drop boxes to say, “Thanks for voting.”
Some arenas have been offered as polling sites, but there are not enough poll workers. The lack of these workers has been used to justify closing polling places, making it hard to vote in many areas.
The polls I saw looked very safe during the recent primary, with plexiglass shields, masks and social distancing. Athletes could work the lines of those waiting, wearing masks and asking people to spread out for safety. We will do anything our heroes ask us to do.
- Linda Joslin, Leawood
Small delight
During this difficult time of the pandemic and the contentious political scene, I often find hope and joy in the small incidents of everyday life.
As I was taking my daily walk recently, I noticed our cheerful and friendly trash collector, David Vogt, get out of his truck and walk across the street to buy lemonade from a young boy who had set up a stand in his driveway.
I smiled to myself and treasured that sight in my heart. What a gift of encouragement David gave to that small boy and to me.
- Sara Colt, Mission Hills
Cops, not judges
It’s impossible for me to understand the irrational ferocity displayed by Kansas City Police Department Sgt. Matthew Neal toward a 15-year-old passenger during a traffic stop last November. (Aug. 28, 8A, “Want police reform in KC? There’s no chance with this police union”) Neal was accompanied by 11 other officers, and the victim cooperated. Even so, the boy was assaulted by Sgt. Neal and required hospital care.
Our taxes pay for judges and juries — not police officers — to decide on punishment for those they deem offenders.
I’m truly grateful for the service and bravery of our police men and women. Their contributions to a safe society are beyond measure.
Yet I would very much like Kansas City Fraternal Order of Police President Brad Lemon or any of its members to offer a candid and coherent explanation as to why he or she believes Sgt. Neal’s actions were justified, as they have professed their support for him. That doesn’t seem too much to ask.
- Mary Schultis, Kansas City
Don’t be a sheep
Herd immunity is a good thing, but herd thinking is dangerous.
I’m a Christian woman, devoted to God and to the practice of my faith. Friends and family have tried to herd me into the evangelical group, but that is not where I fit.
Recently, Ralph Reed, founder of the 501(c)(4) nonprofit Faith and Freedom Coalition, claimed that evangelicals support President Donald Trump because his policies are important to them. What policies? The policy to love your neighbor as yourself? If your opinion differs from the president’s, there’s no love. The policy to take care of widows and orphans? Not if they are poor and without medical insurance. Not if they are immigrants. The policy to let our speech be filled with grace? Trump mocked Gold Star parents and the disabled. He calls his rivals terrible names. The policy to not slander others? What about the birther movement and his recent attempt to cast doubt on Sen. Kamala Harris’ eligibility to be vice president? The policy to be humble? No.
Shepherds herd their sheep, keeping them on the right path. In this election season, it’s up to every individual to choose the right path and not follow the herd.
- Janet M. Milkovich, Overland Park
Not my street
I was surprised to read that streets in Kansas City will be painted with the saying, “Black Lives Matter.” (Sept. 4, 1A, “Artists to paint six Black Lives Matter murals on streets”) I find it disturbing that a selected group can paint city streets. I believe the streets belong to all the taxpayers to be used equally. If one group can paint the streets, how do you keep others from doing likewise?
Kansas City residents should have a vote in what is painted on the streets they pay for. I would have thought that after members of the City Council had to reverse course on renaming The Paseo for Martin Luther King Jr. they would have learned their lesson and asked residents their opinion or, better yet, a vote.
Fortunately, I don’t live in the city and don’t pay taxes for the streets that all Kansas Citians use equally.
- Jan Howard, Overland Park