Political division, Josh Hawley’s complaints and black bears

We knew this

A headline I saw this past week said, “Tuesday’s elections showed that the U.S. is a more moderate and centrist country than activists on either the right or left let on.” I thought to myself: Didn’t we know that already?

The political divisiveness has become so bad, particularly in Washington, D.C., that most Americans have been squeezed out of the discussion. Or so it seemed. Each party claims to be “the big tent party,” welcome to everyone. That just is not the case. Didn’t we know that already?

“All politics is local” is commonly heard. The sentiment is very true. What concerns people in Virginia may not be on a voter’s radar in the Midwest. Whether it’s for mayor of a suburb or for a seat in Congress, elections often come down to local issues. Didn’t we know that already?

The United States is full of good, decent people. However, over the last decade or so, the political divisiveness in this country has become so bad that it rips families apart. Friendships are also broken. This country can rise above the shouting and vitriol. We have done that before. Didn’t we know that already?

- Pete Gutschenritter, Kansas City

No good reason

Timid black bears try to avoid humans and usually interfere with our activities only when they feel threatened. Missouri has only 800 of these animals, meaning one every 87 square miles. Can we honestly not let such a small number of bears live in peace?

The black bear hunt was a senseless, cruel trophy hunt — nothing more. (Oct. 28, KansasCity.com, “12 bears killed during Missouri’s inaugural hunting season. ‘Incredibly successful’”)

- Michelle Kretzer, The PETA Foundation, Norfolk, Virginia

A public threat

Typhoid Mary is the name given an Irish cook who spread typhoid fever to the wealthy New York families who employed her, without exhibiting symptoms of the disease herself. Hers was the first case of asymptomatic typhoid identified in the U.S., and the name has passed down to all sorts of asymptomatic exposures.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Department is seeking a nickname for itself when it allows employees to refuse COVID-19 vaccinations. It is only logical to assume that at least a few will develop asymptomatic cases. Officers are in close contact with the public throughout their working shifts, from interviewing to full-body-contact arrests. Mary boiled potatoes for one family at a time.

So what do we call these asymptomatic officers? Typhoid Mary with a Badge? COVID Barney Fife?

Other than cooking and serving food, Mary had no duty to her employer. On the other hand, police officers, their agencies and unions have a duty to protect and serve. By avoiding vaccinations, they are no longer protecting or serving the public, or themselves.

- Jim Clark, Lawrence

So put upon

Sen. Josh Hawley’s “poor, poor, pitiful me” speech on the undermining of traditional American masculinity (Nov. 2, 5A, “Josh Hawley says Democrats are tearing down masculinity”) is his rehash of criticisms of Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s 2020 book, “Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation,” which is a study of “prosperity gospel” preachers and their attempts to uplift Christian men to the farcical image of mythical cowboys of 1930s and ’40s Western movies as protectors of women, Christianity and the American nation.

- John Nelles, Shawnee

Alzheimer’s help

Both of my parents died of Alzheimer’s disease during the 20 years I spent as director of the local affiliate of the Alzheimer’s Association. I am acutely aware of the need for support and education for all those affected by Alzheimer’s in our community, as well as the growing need for important brain health information as we age.

The University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center is entering its 12th year as a nationwide leader in innovative research into the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s, and it is doing groundbreaking research in diet and exercise studies to improve brain health. To fully support the community, we have recently launched MyAlliance for Brain Health, a program that provides weekly tips, webinars and resources for caregivers, anyone with memory concerns or a dementia diagnosis, and everyone interested in brain health and Alzheimer’s prevention.

To learn how you can better support yourself, your loved ones, your friends and your neighbors, go to kubrainhealth.org. Join us. Help change the future. Start today.

- Debra Brook, Director of outreach and engagement, The University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Kansas City, Kansas

Personal choices?

I’m just wondering: Why is it OK to tell women whether they can continue their pregnancy, but it’s not OK to tell you to wear a mask in public or get a vaccine? That sure seems contradictory to me.

- Connie Cowley, Raymore

It’s just skin

Every time I hear the expression “person of color,” I get the impression it is meant as a term of racism or exclusion.

White is a color. I am white; therefore I am a “person of color.” So don’t exclude me or gore me because of my ancestry, which I have no control over.

- C.D. Rinck Sr., Mission