Letters: KC readers discuss defining patriotism, Scott Atlas’ RT interview and COVID-19
That’s patriotic
My 13-year-old granddaughter wrote the below for an essay contest. It made me very proud:
To me, patriotism is always wanting your country to improve and not being a bystander in bad times. I don’t think patriotism means to support your country blindly. You can help your country by signing petitions, going to protests and doing community service.
Patriotism also means being grateful for the people who protect us. We should always be thankful for doctors, nurses and the military, who protect us every day.
Patriotism means helping keep your country safe. You can do this by wearing your mask when you are inside and near other people. Wearing your mask may seem like a small thing to some, but wearing it will keep you and others safe.
I believe that true patriotism is inward, not just waving a giant American flag. If that is all it takes to be a patriot, it cheapens the meaning of the word.
To be a patriot, you need to be actively helping your country do better, even in small ways.
Anyone can be a patriot. All you have to do is help your country do better.
- Rosemary Morgan, Kansas City
Altlas’ shrug
White House Coronavirus Task Force adviser Scott Atlas says he was unaware he had granted a 30-minute televised interview with the Kremlin.
Atlas claims he had no idea that RT stands for Russia Today and that RT is a state-owned propaganda arm of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s oligarchy.
It seems to me that libertarians are small-thinking people who believe that their rights as small egoists match the rights of their huge ids and bank accounts. If they could figure a mathematical equation, no one else would matter in it, except for them.
Oops, there was Dagny Taggart, too. And Ayn Rand, the fountainhead of this nonsense herself.
Good work shrugging this weekend, Dr. Atlas. I hope the weight on your shoulders, trying to credibly carry forth a message of total garbage from the president of the United States, feels much lighter to you. Your reputation is certainly blown now.
- Sarah Martin Douglas, Mission
Trump doing fine
Blaming President Donald Trump for COVID-19 makes about as much sense as blaming Dwight D. Eisenhower for the massive outbreak of polio in the 1950s and early ’60s, which crippled one of my own cousins for life.
Should Americans have blamed Ronald Reagan for the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle or George W. Bush for the 9/11 terrorist attacks eight months after he took the oath of office? In every presidency, unexpected historical events occur.
Reacting to a pandemic is in a category all its own, especially when scientists worldwide are working tirelessly to find a cure. Sure, it is easy to second-guess our leaders after the fact, but who’s to say someone else could have or would have done any better?
The Monday morning quarterbacks like to criticize, but without a medical cure at hand, there is only so much that can be done. Telling people to wear masks and to social distance only goes so far in handling the dangerous virus. It is very doubtful that the number of deaths in the United States would have been any different with someone else in office, and they might have been even worse.
- Lynn Pierce, Independence
Out of order
If The Star explained why it has changed how its obituaries are published, I missed it. Please consider printing the names in your obituaries in larger type and putting them back in alphabetical order. At one point, I thought I might know a person in the index, but the obituary was nowhere to be found.
- Sheila Koetting, Kansas City
This story was originally published November 4, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Letters: KC readers discuss defining patriotism, Scott Atlas’ RT interview and COVID-19."