Spare me the comparison of Jackson to Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett SCOTUS hearings
It’s no comparison
A letter to the editor Sunday (19A) bemoaned the supposed bad treatment of Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch during their Supreme Court confirmation hearings. What a ludicrous complaint.
Kavanaugh cried like a little baby while acting as if he was entitled to a seat on the court. Republicans would not allow Democrats to ask Barrett questions without injecting themselves in some way. Gorsuch should never even have gotten a hearing. He received a stolen seat, remember? No, you don’t.
Sens. Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and others on the Republican side made comments that were completely uncalled for during Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation. They asked leading and racist questions in an effort to catch her in a lie. It didn’t work — but the questions and comments kept coming at her.
Yes, I remember Robert Bork, who helped President Richard Nixon carry out his “Saturday Night Massacre” during the Watergate scandal. What else is there to say about him?
Jackson’s grilling was nothing more than Republicans trying to keep anyone other than another white male off the Supreme Court. Ridiculously comparing her hearing to the previous three justices’ is nothing more than the usual hatred from Republicans.
- Bobby McGill, Valrico, Florida
Put the fire out
“Never Forget, Never Again” is a cautionary message and an imperative obtained from the Holocaust.
The world should not tolerate the persecution and extermination of any group of people based on prejudice against their religion, race, class, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, mental health, physical health, age, political belief or desire for freedom.
“Never Forget, Never Again” means that a leader of a country must be stopped now from killing innocent people. We need to treat any unprovoked aggression on others like a house on fire. We need to put out the fire now — not tomorrow, not next week, not next month and not next year. To delay putting a stop to killing innocent people will only increase the daily tally of dead and maimed bodies of men, women and children.
America and the NATO countries are engaged in a game of chicken with Russia, essentially saying, “I dare you to make the first move and use nuclear weapons.” The outcome of simultaneous or reciprocal nuclear warfare would be catastrophic and could cause the obliteration of the world.
It is a sad and scary reality that civilized diplomacy has failed in the 21st century and is no longer effective.
- Steve Shaw, Kansas City
Who’s to blame
As the mother of three sons, and as a teacher, I read Sunday’s editorial, “Students need these skills before the next violent incident happens” (19A) with interest and concern. Manuel Guzman’s death was a tragedy that never should have happened in a school, or at all. However, the editorial seems to place blame for his death on the school, the district, the community and the pandemic, but never once mentions the personal responsibility of Manuel and the student who stabbed him, nor the parents of both teens.
Vicenta Guzman, Manuel’s mother, reportedly knew the teens had fought previously off of school grounds. Why didn’t she intervene or notify authorities then? After that incident, local parents “wondered why there was no mediation or intervention by the school with the boys.” Why is the school responsible for what happened off school grounds?
Yes, it takes a village to raise and protect our children. But as the primary educators of our children, parents must teach children how to resolve conflict and make moral choices beginning at a very young age. Schools can offer all the counseling and training possible, but that is not enough to prevent senseless violence like what happened on April 12.
- Sandy Law, Leavenworth
Just too much
I was truly stunned by the April 17 coverage of Rep. Vicky Hartzler. (1A, “Running God’s way”) Granted, she has been in office for several years so there is clearly a story to tell about how and why she has supported specific legislation and issues, or not. That said, five full pages in the Sunday edition of The Star, including a full-color picture on the front page and a total of 10 photographs is truly over the top.
Is this fair to other candidates for the same office? Does The Star plan to provide comparable coverage for other candidates (of all political parties)? Please be fair and balanced in your coverage in the run-up to the November election.
- Linda A. Smith, Parkville