Letters: KC readers discuss Eric Schmitt’s ‘fight,’ Chiefs teamwork, useless gun laws
Fighting words
The war of words in partisan politics is starting to sound a lot like the words of war.
“We’re going to fight them on every front. … I promise you — this noble fight, this important fight, this sacred fight to save America — we can do it together.”
Those were the words of Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt outside Rae’s Café in Blue Springs on Saturday, a day the nation commemorated the Sept. 11 tragedy. Repeatedly, Schmitt used the word “fight” as he critiqued city and county officials, as well as local school board leaders.
Schmitt’s combative rhetoric comes in a year that started with Americans — called to action by Donald Trump — attacking the U.S. Capitol. Schmitt’s inflammatory instigation came in an area where Mayor Quinton Lucas and a Jackson County judge received death threats, and where police responded to altercations over mask policies outside schools last week.
The violence and intimidation must stop. And so too must the provocation and incitement, especially from elected representatives entrusted with the power of public office.
Serving as attorney general is not a platform to spew a message of mutiny to the masses. Let us not become desensitized to such seditious speech.
- Kurt Austin, Kansas City
Chiefs together
Now that’s teamwork. Mike Hughes made a huge play when he intercepted the ball with a little over a minute to go in the Chiefs game with Cleveland on Sunday. But did you notice that he seemed to be getting up to try to run with the ball? Enter No. 97, Alex Okafor, who stopped him, made sure he was down with both knees touching the field and put his hand on his back, seemingly telling him not to run: Stay put, we’ve got this now.
Great work, guys.
- Janet Lynn Mays, Kansas City
Work for us all
Three Sept. 10 Star opinion columns focused on the impact and challenges the 9/11 attack presents 20 years later. All were thoughtful and raised provocative questions about our nation’s response and consequences of the decisions our government has made.
Two made us think about where our democracy is headed if we don’t consider changes in our thinking and actions in the near future. Michael Ryan asked: “How do we pull out of this spiraling nosedive, when so many factors are at work and so many institutions and politicians and talking heads benefit from us fighting each other? How can this end well?” Dave Helling wrote: “Democracy can be resilient. … But our democracy isn’t guaranteed. … The outcome remains uncertain.” All are sobering reflections.
Guest columnist Bill Tammeus called for us not to just think about the tragedy, but to “think about helping to create a world in which it will be much harder for extremist ideas to thrive.” He concludes: “We also must be part of the work to make sure others don’t buy into destructive ideas and then act on them violently.”
Together, the columnists remind us if a democracy is to survive, let alone thrive, its citizens must not only think, but act, for the common good.
- Diane C. Kuhn, Shawnee
Already illegal
A letter writer Friday suggested creating an anti-gun law styled similarly to Texas’ new abortion law, where a person could sue anyone remotely associated with a shooting, criminal or otherwise, including the gun store and manufacturer.
I am against the Texas abortion bill’s methods. I think we have too many lawsuits in this country already. Just as the Texas law penalizes those assisting in federally lawful abortions, a law like this would penalize lawful businesses and individuals. It would not reduce gun violence or death, as the writer suggests, but has great potential to penalize even those who shoot in self-defense.
This is why new gun laws have been largely ineffective in reducing gun violence, the vast majority of which are from criminal activity. Murder is already against the law. Criminals by definition disobey the law — and so why would a murderer care about a lawsuit?
- David Lane, Belton
This story was originally published September 15, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Letters: KC readers discuss Eric Schmitt’s ‘fight,’ Chiefs teamwork, useless gun laws."