Kansas City bishop’s praise for Trump immigration crackdown policy causes discontent | Opinion
Bishop a pawn
Some people wonder why there are very few young people in the pews of churches. Melinda Henneberger’s Feb. 26 column “No, Kansas Catholic Conference statement backing Trump immigration crackdown isn’t fake” (9A) reminded me of at least one reason: Partly, it’s because of so-called “leaders” of the Catholic Church, namely Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas. He is all about President Donald Trump and his nonhuman dignity way of rounding up legal immigrants along with nonlegal immigrants, as if they were cattle.
Naumann “commends” Trump for “addressing this serious, national threat.” Does he know that Trump just released and pardoned 1,500 felonious American thugs who broke into the U.S. Capitol, causing many injuries and five deaths? Isn’t that more of a serious threat? I’d much rather have a migrant in my neighborhood than a Proud Boy or Oath Keeper. If Naumann turned off Fox News, he would know that more Americans commit serious crimes than migrants.
Pope Francis called the Trumpian policy on migrants a “major crisis.” Francis scolded the bishops, saying, “I exhort all the faithful of the Catholic Church not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters.”
Did Naumann see that letter, or is it still on his desk?
- Teri Weiter, Raytown
Climate quiet
The deep pride I feel for my hometown was born after Donald Trump pulled us out of the 2015 Paris climate agreement — the first time. This decision sparked a flame that created Climate Action KC, initiated the annual Climate Summits and encouraged the Climate Action Playbook. I was so proud of Kansas City for firmly stating that we will pursue the goals of the Paris Agreement, whether the White House wants to or not.
Here we are again, and it is no surprise that Trump 2.0 reinstated the “drill, baby, drill” mentality. I worry that KC’s fiery flame has fizzled out this time. Where is the solid affirmation from Mayor Quinton Lucas that we remain steadfast in our climate goals? Where is the passionate resistance from City Council? Since Inauguration Day, the mayor’s social feeds make no mention of climate, but rave about the Chiefs.
Has climate been nudged to the back burner, or has it fallen off the radar completely? We have made too much progress to back down now. Mayor Q and the council must reignite the flame, stand firmly and loudly against Trump’s climate inaction, and reassure Kansas Citians that we will remain on the right side of history.
- Briana Anderson, Kansas City
Trump strengthens NATO?
Donald Trump’s behavior toward Russia and Ukraine is becoming increasingly difficult to explain — other than the supposed explanation offered by left-wing commentators that Russian President Vladimir Putin has some sort of personal leverage over Trump.
That said, I woke up this morning with a more positive thought: Putin’s and Trump’s behavior over the past three years has served to strengthen NATO by 1) bringing Sweden and Finland into the alliance and 2) forcing the Europeans to build their militaries and take a leadership role in ensuring their own defense.
From this perspective, Putin’s strategy for Eastern European domination has failed. Call me a cockeyed optimist, but I still believe that democracy and capitalism (with a proper social safety net) always wins in the long run. Humans are wired to choose freedom over autocracy.
Putin may yet die a peaceful death (though few autocrats do), but the Russian people ultimately will not choose Putinism — just as the Germans and Italians ultimately did not choose fascism.
- Chuck Battey, Prairie Village