Letters: Readers discuss a beheaded Kansas puppy, Alphapointe safety, Jan. 6 traitors

Shocking attack

I read with absolute horror and dismay about the German shepherd puppy, owned by a police officer, that was cruelly beheaded in Parsons, Kansas. (Dec. 14, KansasCity.com, “Kansas police search for person who beheaded officer’s puppy in ‘senseless attack’”) What absolute cruelty. I can only hope that the dog did not suffer.

In memory of the little guy, I donated money to the Canadian guide dog association (I’m Canadian). May he rest in peace.

- Neil Andrew Wilson, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Make them safe

Visually impaired clients at Alphapointe face many challenges, including concerns about their personal safety near the Kansas City Police Department’s “temporary detention facility” adjacent to Alphapointe headquarters, as noted in The Star’s Dec. 15 editorial, “Blind Kansas Citians at Alphapointe feel threat.” (16A)

This wonderful organization, founded more than 100 years ago, is one of the nation’s largest employers of visually impaired individuals, employing nearly 400 people around the country, including nearly 200 at its headquarters in Kansas City. Alphapointe has a plastics and micro-molding facility, sewing and knitting services, a retail store and low-vision clinic with tools to help visually impaired individuals. It offers services and programs for young people and much more.

This organization’s impact on our community is incredible, not only in terms of supporting visually impaired citizens, but also providing jobs to people who often have a tough time finding employment because of visual impairments.

Delta Gamma sorority supports Alphapointe with thousands of volunteer hours, members serving on the board of directors and financial support through the Delta Gamma Foundation.

We implore the leaders of Kansas City and the Kansas City Police Department to take the necessary steps to alleviate the financial and safety pressures on Alphapointe to remedy a situation that is certainly dangerous and no fault of Alphapointe.

- Kristin Wing, Leawood

By the book

Sedition is the crime of advocacy of insurrection against the government or support for an enemy of the nation during time of war, by speeches, publications and organization. It is a federal crime in the United States. People very high in our government appear to have supported the attempted coup on Jan. 6, and they need to be charged and sent to prison if convicted.

This went beyond “political differences.” It was not a peaceful protest. There were people who fully intended to overthrow the election, and they used the ignorant and uneducated to accomplish the goal of the coup.

Now we see all these “useful idiots” pleading guilty and crying about how they were duped. It’s time for the higher-ups to pay the price for that coup through the justice system.

To those who still believe elections are rigged, what’s stopping you from becoming an election judge or an election deputy? You will learn the election laws through a class Jackson County gives when you volunteer to participate in the election process. That goes for the media, too. Apparently, a lot of you don’t know anything, either.

Forget party. Get these traitors out of government and vote.

- Donna Cox, Independence

A slow burn?

According to a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association, more than 164,000 coronavirus cases occurred among U.S. children during the second full week of December — a jump of nearly 24% over the previous week. The groups called this number “extremely high.”

Now is the worst time to drop COVID-19 health precautions in America’s classrooms. But Missourians such as Attorney General Eric Schmitt think otherwise. He threatens to sue school districts if they continue to enforce mask mandates and quarantine orders, saying they violate a ruling by a Cole County circuit judge. Quick to follow is Missouri Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick, who says he will not sign off on money-saving bond deals if schools continue to mitigate the spread of this deadly virus.

Doing the right thing for the common good is falling prey to the blind ambition of those seeking power at the expense of their constituents. Are we paying attention?

Frogs jump out of boiling water, but they perceive no danger when put in lukewarm water and will cook to death as temperatures rise. The fires are raging under our democracy, and we need to wake up before it is too late.

- Ron Fugate, Overland Park