Letters: Readers discuss vaccine propaganda, Fox News hypocrisy, unfairness to police
What we teach
Last semester, my grandchild, age 15, involved me in a school assignment: Locate World War I and II propaganda posters, then make your own. We talked about the ones asking everyone to sacrifice for the country’s war effort — enlist, abide by rationing rules, save scrap metal. He used a photo of my father, who died in WWII at age 25, for his own poster.
We talked a lot about the responsibilities of citizenship and about sacrifice. Not surprisingly, he goes to school proudly vaccinated and wearing his mask because he knows it is his responsibility to protect himself and others.
Now we have Christine White running for public office on the Blue Valley school board on a platform of shirking responsibility to protect our fellow Americans. (Aug. 12, 8A, “School board candidate is against basic COVID safety”) A doctor herself, she advocates “doctor shopping” to find one dishonest enough to provide a phony medical exemption from school masking.
What is she, and all the other so-called adults who rail about rights and reject all responsibility, teaching children? To lie? Have a tantrum? Do whatever is necessary to get what you want because it’s all about you?
White should be ashamed, as should any doctor who conspired with her and anyone who votes for her knowing this.
- Bonnie Williamson, Kansas City
He got the shot
I’m so tired of so-called leaders such as Sen. Rand Paul, Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson trashing or sowing doubts about taking the COVID-19 vaccine, or saying masks don’t work. I can promise every one of you who listens to those people that all of them took the vaccine the first chance they could, because they knew it works.
Also, early on when they told folks to go to mass rallies and reach herd immunity by getting the virus, they were sitting safely at home in their basements going on the air and talking smack.
Rupert Murdoch, who owns Fox News, took the shot the minute he could, but he is now allowing his hosts to encourage skepticism about it and to frame being safe as attacking freedom. What a bunch of despicable hypocrites.
- David S. Evans, Kansas City
Some budget hawk
Sen. Jerry Moran’s hypocrisy knows no bounds. He says there is too much spending, too much debt in the infrastructure bill that he helped negotiate. (Aug. 10, 8A, “Moran puts GOP primary votes ahead of Kansans”)
He voted for the Donald Trump tax cut bill of 2017, which helped increase the national debt by $7.8 trillion during Trump’s presidency. He voted with Trump 81% of the time.
Even Fox “News” agreed that this hypocrisy is not a good look for Republicans who tout themselves as deficit and debt hawks. Remember, it was Trump who promised to eliminate the deficit in eight years. Does anyone remember how that went?
But on the plus side for Moran, he got an endorsement from Trump. What a hefty price he is paying: his integrity.
- Sue Thompson, Mission
Why it’s down?
The Star Editorial Board suggests that the reduction in speeding and other tickets being issued is some kind of protest or political campaign by Kansas City Police Department officers. (Aug. 10, 7A, “Better driving, or ‘blue flu’? Traffic ticket numbers plunge”) However, in the last few months, complaints have been made for racial reasons to stop writing jaywalking, parking and speeding tickets because they target African Americans or the poor.
So, Kansas City, be careful what you ask for. Either the police enforce the law or they don’t, but don’t gripe when they heed the warnings and therefore income goes down.
- Rick Merker, Olathe
This story was originally published August 13, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Letters: Readers discuss vaccine propaganda, Fox News hypocrisy, unfairness to police."