Alex Gordon, teens with guns and presidential prerogatives

You’ve earned it

Alex Gordon, thank you for 14 wonderful seasons with the Royals. You are a fantastic role model for young people everywhere. Enjoy retirement. Enjoy the time with your family. You will always be “forever Royal.”

- Barbie O’Toole, Prairie Village

Think before acting

As a former English teacher of Daisy Martinez, the young lady senselessly shot and killed Sept. 16 at a festival to honor Hispanic culture, (Sept. 23, 1A, “Father of 19-year-old killed at KC celebration mourns loss”) I wish to offer not more imperatives, but interrogatives, to the youth of Kansas City.

Before reacting to bad situations immediately and with negative energy and emotion, would you please consider the pain your actions could cause yourself, and would you please consider the pain your actions could cause the family members and friends of those directly affected?

I speak as one of the latter.

- Donald L. Robertson, Blue Springs

Self-preservation

President Donald Trump must feel cornered and exposed, and now he has become more dangerous and desperate with the revelation of details from 20 years of his federal income tax returns.

Truly, the nonviolent way is to be on high alert and withdraw all support from Trump so he cannot launch a nuclear war, engage our military in a trumped-up incident, collude with Russian President Vladimir Putin or take other desperate measures.

Now is the time to demand our elected leaders be on high alert and perform their duties to check Trump’s madness. Further, there should be a national walkout and a demand to safeguard us from the president.

It appears that Trump has betrayed all of us, and he must be held accountable now. His games and deceit are over.

- Henry M. Stoever, Co-chair, PeaceWorks, Kansas City

Chain of command

Civilian control of the military has been the cornerstone and bedrock of our democratic republic. The president of the United States is the commander in chief of the American military, no matter who holds the office. His or her orders must be obeyed.

It is not up to military officers to decide the legality or righteousness of those orders. To allow or expect them to do so is an invitation to disaster. That is up to Congress and the courts. That’s what impeachment and appropriations are for.

If Congress fails to check the president, the president’s orders must be considered legal and constitutional, and must be obeyed.

- Terry Stevens, Kansas City

It’s Trump’s duty

Dear Democrats: Are you so afraid the Senate will confirm President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, who will construe and apply the Constitution as written, that you think he should not perform his duty as president while in office? The president’s duties are not suspended by your hope he will not be re-elected.

- Larry Livengood, Overland Park

No crystal ball

What has the world come to when our legislators expect a Supreme Court justice nominee to know how he or she is going to vote before hearing a case? I’m sorry if conservative judges disappoint those who expect them to be in lockstep with the right on every decision. That works for both sides of the aisle.

Thank God for those on the court who show they are independent thinkers, surprising us once in a while. This is a democracy, folks. You don’t always get your way.

- Marcia H. Bailey, Fairway