Beliefs form backbone of our rights. Why is DC targeting churches, nonprofits? | Opinion
Special place
Churches offer a community and a special place to all, whether you go to them or not. With the rise in megachurches and numbers of people going to them becoming a problems, it’s hard for a small church to stay afloat in these times.
- Kendall Flinn, Gladstone
Don’t silence
Across Missouri, churches and community organizations are the backbones of our small towns and cities. They step up when others step back — feeding the hungry, helping those in crisis and reminding people they’re not alone. That’s not politics. That’s service.
There are proposals being discussed right now in Washington, D.C., that would give federal agencies broad power to decide which nonprofits and religious groups can keep their tax status and which ones might be shut down or be punished for being “too political.” What does that even mean? What happens when those decisions are based on ideology rather than law?
One administration might target faith-based groups that speak up about abortion or marriage. The next might go after environmental organizations or civil rights groups. Once we allow government officials to determine which beliefs are acceptable, no one is truly safe.
Free speech, religious liberty and the ability to serve others should not be up for government approval. If a church or nonprofit is breaking the law, hold them accountable. But don’t use vague political standards as an excuse to silence people.
We don’t need more red tape for those doing good work. We need to protect their right to do it.
- Rachl Aguirre, Lee’s Summit
Saving lives
The history of the Gaza conflict is so complex with current and historical events, ideologies (Hamas and Zionism, messianisms), extreme personal losses on both sides, commitments, tragedies, wounds, traumas, pogroms, genocides and cataclysms that the reality is there are no reasoned, definitive moral conclusions. Each advocate chooses her or his side, picks the best arguments he or she can muster, and states them as though from Sinai, the final word.
No moral argument suffices; no commitments prevail. Meanwhile, soldiers’ families, Gazans, hostages and their families, relatives locally and around the world, pray each to his or her God that their most beloved emerge safely from the inevitable carnage, along with everyone else, of course.
Love requests saving the lives we cherish. Hope requests saving God’s image in every human.
And yet we kill.
- Rabbi Mark H. Levin, Overland Park
Who pays
On Aug 11, as in other days, I noticed on page 6A a headline from Bloomberg that read, “Trump may impose tariffs on semiconductor chips.” It may well be that kind of sloppy writing which put us in our current quandary. “Trump may impose tariffs on Americans who purchase certain computer chips” is the true statement.
There are not now and never will be tariffs imposed on China, for instance, or any other country. The tariffs are taxes imposed on Americans who receive certain products, and are paid by those Americans to the United States government.
That might take a little bit more ink to print this fact, but it is the truth.
- Hollis Hanover, Kansas City
‘Right on’
Every day I go out to get the paper. It is part of my routine. I sit at the kitchen table, drink my coffee and read many of the articles in its pages. I really like the stories and pictures and interesting wellness, cooking, sports and pertinent local and national updates. Of course, there are “Pickles,” the other comics and the weather section.
But one of my favorites are the opinion columns by Melinda Henneberger. I look for her and read what she writes from first paragraph through the last paragraph.
She is so “right on” in my opinion.
- Sylvia Smith, Lee’s Summit
Civic gems
Kansas City is losing two of its most civic minded residents. Joe and Gloria Bessenbacher are moving to Denver to be closer to family. Joe was an engineer and worked for the Marley cooling tower company, and Gloria is a past president of Sociedad Hidalgo. They were also very active in the Sister Cities Association of Kansas City, representing our sister city of Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.
But more important, the two of them established and for 30 years maintained the Latin American Film Fest. Every fall for five consecutive weeks, it brought us the best Spanish-language films from all over the world. Many years, the best film I saw that year was one that I saw at this festival.
I want to publically acknowledge them and thank them for the many years of enjoyable film watching that they provided.
- Fred Lambert, Kansas City
Amendments
In what universe does this make sense? Possessing brass knuckles is illegal or severely restricted in more than half of the states. However, owning an assault rifle is legal across the country. Put another way, the man who recently murdered four people in a New York City office building would have been subject to arrest if he bought, possessed or displayed brass knuckles — or even plastic ones. In today’s America, though, even with his diagnosed mental health issues he legally purchased and openly carried the M4-style rifle he used in his deadly rampage.
Those on the right consistently respond to our endless string of mass murders by pointing out the right to gun ownership is enshrined in the Second Amendment to the Constitution, a position intended to end debate. Now, many of those same conservatives adamantly support President Donald Trump’s attempt to repeal the 14th Amendment, even by streamlining the process with an act of Congress or through an executive order.
If they believe the 14th Amendment can be abolished or modified for the stated purpose of improving our lives, then so can the Second.
- John McDonald, Ferguson, Missouri
Odd targets
It’s ironic.
The assault on the legislative branch of the U.S. government on Jan. 6, 2021, was organized by President Donald Trump.
Trump did not order the National Guard to protect the Capitol.
Vice President Mike Pence ordered the National Guard to protect the Capitol from the mob that had constructed a gallows to lynch him because he chose not to violate the Constitution.
Trump ordered the National Guard to evict the homeless in Washington, D.C., and stated that cops will be allowed to do “whatever the hell they want.”
Trump stated that everything should be perfect when dignitaries and foreign leaders visit the Capitol. The homeless would detract from Trump’s vision of a so-called “golden age” of America.
The homeless haven’t attacked the legislative branch, nor threatened to lynch anyone.
- Holly John Blythe, Shawnee