Grandmother of transgender child voices concerns over limiting rights and slurs | Opinion

Many targets

As the grandmother of a transgender child, I have endured an exhausting, scary and sad couple of weeks. Watching Republicans celebrate removing her right to exist and preventing her from playing the sports she loves, the clubs that provide support or the job she might occupy has brought me to tears more times than I can count. When you see U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace shouting out a crude transphobic slur multiple times during a committee hearing, you have to ask yourself: Who are the people these representatives think they are representing?

I hate to tell you that many of their constituents will appear under the banner of diversity, equity and inclusion. All you have to do is look at the list of executive orders and who they target, and you will likely see your own countrymen, besides LGBTQ individuals — Asian Americans, Black people, women, federal employees, Head Start teachers, Native Americans and students, to name just a few.

It has been only a few weeks at the start of this administration to see the direction we are heading. We will have to change how we ask the question now: Are you better off today than you were yesterday?

- Mary Sasser, Columbia

Put US first

The following is a message I sent to Sens. Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran:

Dear Senator:

I am worried about the unintended effect on Kansas wheat farmers of shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development. Please correct me if I am wrong, but when USAID ships grain or grain products to recipients, at least some of the wheat and corn comes from Kansas farmers who are paid by the U.S. government. In other words, cutting funding to USAID cuts into the incomes of your constituent farmers. We have been shipping American products rather than American dollars, not to mention goodwill, to places where China is going to be more welcome now.

You are probably aware that even now China is building schools and medical facilities in the Caribbean along with its Belt and Road Initiative. So let’s keep building goodwill toward us, not toward China.

- Jeffery Lee, Overland Park

No on RFK Jr.

I strongly oppose Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination as Secretary of Health and Human Services. As an emergency department nurse, I see how hard it is for people to afford health care. Many patients delay care or worry about medical bills they can’t pay. Medicare and Medicaid are lifelines, and without proper funding, hospitals will struggle to operate. Many rely on these reimbursements to stay open — without them, closures will leave communities without access to critical care.

As a mother, I also worry about my children’s health and safety. Kennedy has spread misinformation and been inconsistent on vaccines and public health. Although he now claims he would work with the Senate, his past actions suggest otherwise. HHS needs a leader who prioritizes science, evidence-based policy and public well-being.

Having served on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic, I know how vital strong leadership is in public health. We need someone who supports medical research, innovation and disease prevention. Kennedy’s record shows he is not that leader.

For the health and safety of our nation, we must reject his nomination. I urge lawmakers to vote no on his confirmation.

- Rachel O’Keefe, Lawrence

Real outlaws

We were overwhelmed by the sheer number of executive orders flying off the Resolute Desk from the Oval Office the week of the inauguration. But there is one executive order that is most troubling because it strikes at the rule of law: the mass pardons and sentence commutations of more than 1,500 criminal rioters from Jan. 6, 2021.

What we saw that day was not a peaceful protest. It was an insurrection in an attempt to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power and to overthrow a valid election.

Those pardoned were convicted of violently assaulting police. They caused more than $30 million in damages to the Capitol. They were legally tried and sentenced for their actions. Their criminal records are now wiped clean. They can never be held accountable for their actions.

Violent criminals were released onto our streets. Some promised more violence the day they were released. At least 12 have since been charged for different crimes.

Pardoning insurrectionists was wrong.

Our rule of law is the foundation of our democracy. It is what stabilizes a democracy. Democracy cannot exist without the rule of law.

When we elect leaders who violate the rule of law, we put our democracy at risk. As John Locke wrote: “Wherever law ends, tyranny begins.”

- Bernadine Kline, Liberty