Readers react to guns, Rep. Mike Pompeo and old buildings
Gun absurdity
Have we entered the theater of the absurd when a gun can be purchased in Kansas with no restrictions and the military has limited access? We are living in strange times indeed.
Marilyn True
Warrensburg, Mo.
Benghazi sham
Rep. Mike Pompeo of Wichita is eagerly participating in a most disgraceful “investigative” charade. The House Benghazi committee is apparently interested in only one thing: discrediting Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Its selective calling of witnesses, single-minded focus on her personal emails and mischaracterizations of her motives and performance during this tragic episode are anything but an impartial “search for the truth.” Furthermore, no other similar congressional investigations in our history, including Watergate, 9/11 and the Warren Commission, have been as long, expensive or blatantly partisan as have the endless Benghazi hearings.
Pompeo’s outrageous declaration that the “people of Kansas” are dissatisfied by the performance of Secretary of State Clinton was particularly galling.
The people of Kansas, at least some of us, are disgusted by this blatant multimillion-dollar waste of time by our Congress, all for political theater, while decisions on major national priorities languish or are completely ignored by our elected representatives.
Kansans deserve better than Mr. Pompeo’s pathetic shadow projections.
Gregory M. Rieke
Overland Park
Save old buildings
Once again, we have to fight to preserve buildings that have significant and intrinsic value to our community and our city’s history.
This is especially true when seen in light of the fact that Nelle Peters was one of a very few women architects of her generation. Look it up (10-8, Commentary, “Historic preservation becomes even more urgent on the Plaza”).
I suggest a photo archive be made available of all the historic buildings that have been torn down in order to “remove blight,” “build something shiny and new” or simply enable developers to make another several million dollars.
We are worse off for allowing greed and disdain for the past to prevail.
Once torn down, these edifices are gone forever. We can never show our children that respectful preservation trumped unbridled development and chasing a buck.
We should also see another archive of the buildings that have been saved and still stand as examples of a city that cherishes its past instead of wantonly tearing it down for the benefit of a very few.
Remember Union Station.
Jill Harrelson
Kansas City
Democracy for sale
The worst blow American democracy ever suffered was the Citizens United Supreme Court case that enabled the purchase of elections and legislation in this country. There are some things that are too important to be for sale.
Our leaders and laws should be among them.
Armand Way
Topeka
American truth
Who owned Stone Mountain in the first place?
The Oct. 23 article, “Proposed MLK tribute sparks furor,” discussing the Stone Mountain Memorial cited a quote regarding the prohibitive cost of sandblasting the historic carving commemorating Confederate history. The individual stated, “That’s no cost when you compare it to the cost of slavery and destroying a whole race.”
I’m wondering whether the individual was referring to the near extermination of the Native American race.
Does anyone remember President Andrew Jackson signing the Indian Removal Act of 1830 when the government seized Native American land and sent thousands of human beings to their deaths while marching the Trail of Tears?
Why don’t Americans ever discuss this immoral, heinous atrocity? Isn’t it sort of like those who don’t believe the Holocaust ever happened?
I find this extremely disturbing.
From what I’ve read and learned from museums, the Native Americans respected the Earth and introduced the colonists to new foods and how to grow them. The colonists introduced whooping cough, typhus, dysentery and cholera to the Native Americans. The Americans tried to force the Native Americans to learn English and adopt Christianity.
Why don’t we speak of this truth?
Lynne Kukal
Kansas City, Kan.
This story was originally published October 27, 2015 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Readers react to guns, Rep. Mike Pompeo and old buildings."