Letters: KC readers talk Sam Graves, Shawnee Mission COVID denial, baseball memories
Not patriotic
It is deeply saddening that our elected Republican U.S. representatives are such hypocritical cowards in voting against a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 invasion of the Capitol. (May 21, 1A, “Kansas, Missouri Republicans oppose Jan. 6 panel”)
Military costume-play Rep. Sam Graves especially loves to promote the claim that the current administration is doing nothing in regard to infrastructure, but his party had the House, Senate and White House in 2017 and 2018 and did absolutely nothing about it. He has done the same now with regards to one of the darkest periods in our government’s history, carried out by domestic terrorists supported by Sen. Josh Hawley, a few other unpatriotic elected officials and, of course, the then-president.
GOP lawmakers: Grow spines and do your constitutional duties to investigate the seditious revolt, or get out of office.
- Greg Kunkle, St. Joseph
Need to know
When the father of former presidential adviser H.R. McMaster was found dead in a nursing home, many weren’t surprised: He was 84 and had recently suffered a stroke. But within a month, a nurse was arrested and criminally charged. Without his family having deep pockets or political connections, it’s unlikely an investigation would have taken place — until now.
Before COVID-19, the Kansas Department for Aging and Disabilities didn’t have a protocol requiring that all nursing home deaths be investigated. A doctor could sign the death certificate without even seeing the body.
My father’s 2017 death in a nursing home followed an unexplained and sudden catastrophic decline. An out-of-town doctor, not connected to his care, rubber-stamped cause of death as “natural” after he had been prepared for burial. Had he died in the era of COVID-19, an investigation and autopsy would have been inevitable, and his loved ones given answers.
COVID-19 isn’t the only threat to nursing home residents. The truth about cause of death is connected to transparency and accountability. That’s what we should all demand in a setting to which many of us are headed.
- Valerie Rouviere Harper, Topeka
Just the facts
Perhaps the Shawnee Mission School District should offer remedial science courses to parents who believe COVID-19 is non-contagious and that masks cause cancer. (May 21, 5A, “YouTube bans Shawnee Mission school board video over COVID misinformation”)
And former TV weatherman and current Kansas state Sen. Mike Thompson might learn something, too, about the storms of COVID-19 that have claimed the lives of nearly 600,000 Americans.
- Ron Fugate, Overland Park
Naumann’s focus
Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the Archdiocease of Kansas City in Kansas, in his Catholic newspaper, said President Joe Biden should not consider himself a “devout” Catholic. Biden often attends daily mass and receives communion. Naumann thinks this should be taken away from him because of his stance on abortion. He says Biden’s communion should be considered a “grave moral evil.”
Naumann told Benedictine College not to offer yoga classes because they lead to Eastern mysticism. He blamed The Star and the local prosecutor for having an anti-Catholic bias.
Bishop Walter McElroy of San Diego said banning Biden from communion could have tremendous destructive consequences. The Vatican recently warned bishops that trying to achieve 100% unanimity on the subject could “become a source of discord rather than unity” within the church.
Naumann should concentrate on getting back the significant membership and donations he and Robert Finn lost. The United Methodist Church in Leawood has become the denomination’s largest congregation. It has benefited from the local Catholic leaders’ divisiveness and mismanagement.
- James Wasko, Olathe
Saved by the books
I would like to commend Mid-Continent Public Library and the Kansas City Public Library for saving my sanity during the last 14 months. Although the library was closed for browsing and other in-person activities, I was able to request books and pick them up. They have provided me with a pleasurable pastime at no cost. When I see a book that I think would be interesting, I go to the library’s website and request it — easy.
The Sunday Kansas City Star carries the bestseller list and book reviews, which are helpful in learning about new books or authors. I would suggest adding a section on the books that are checked out most at area library systems.
Thank you, library employees.
- Doris Foley, Independence
Baseball greatness
I agree with a May 18 letter writer’s assessment of the state of Major League Baseball. (9A) If anyone wants to see how the game was played 50 years ago, you need to watch the WGN color video broadcast on YouTube of the last three innings of Jim Maloney’s 187-pitch, 10-inning no-hitter with 10 walks — no kidding — in the Aug. 19, 1965, game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago Cubs. And it was the first game of a doubleheader.
The Reds would have lost this game in the eighth, ninth or 10th inning, if the game had been seven innings and each team had started extra innings with a man on second base, as in major league games these days.
You can witness one of the great pitching duels. Both pitchers threw complete games.
I listened to this game on the radio as a 15-year-old, and I couldn’t believe there is actually archival footage of the TV broadcast. Everyone who appreciates baseball needs to watch this video. It even includes classic Hamm’s beer commercials.
The game will never be the same again.
- Clyde Ernst, Lee’s Summit
This story was originally published May 23, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Letters: KC readers talk Sam Graves, Shawnee Mission COVID denial, baseball memories."