Readers share viewpoints on Ray Rice, Ferguson, body cameras

Ray Rice, abuse

Although I found football player Ray Rice’s actions sickening and repulsive, I thought NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was wrong to issue one punishment to Rice only to change his mind and give him a harsher sentence.

Goodell’s actions were similar to a judge who finds a defendant guilty, sentences him to two years in prison and a few weeks later changes his mind and gives the defendant a life sentence.

Even Ray Rice, as despicable as his crime may have been, deserves fair treatment under the law.

Yes, his original punishment was woefully inadequate considering the seriousness of his actions. But once those in authority issue a sentence to a defendant, that sentence should stand unless there are mitigating circumstances surrounding the case, which does not seem to apply in this situation.

Eddie L. Clay

Grandview

Kansas joins suit

Thanks, Kansas, for joining Texas and 15 other states in the lawsuit against President Barack Obama’s issuing of “an executive decree that requires federal agencies to award legal benefits to individuals whose conduct contradicts the priorities of Congress (12-4, A2, ‘States sue to halt executive action’).”

Kathy Dix

Fairway

Michael Brown’s life

As a mother, I cannot begin to imagine the grief and sorrow of losing a child. I’m sure Michael Brown’s parents are mourning the loss of their son in Ferguson, Mo.

However, what I would be equally saddened by is that, at 18 years old, he was using drugs, stealing, committing assault and battery, and had respect for neither the law nor authority. Was he really headed to college?

Carol Campbell

Independence

Insurmountable wall

In the summer of 1970, a friend and I were in Berlin and decided to drive along the West Berlin side of the Wall.

We stopped now and then at the platforms that allowed us to look over the wall, into the no-man’s land in East Berlin and even at their guards in their lookout towers.

Seeing all that, my friend said, “Well, yeah, but there has to be a way for those folks to get out.” Nothing I said could change his mind.

Then we got to another platform, where we noticed an elderly woman furtively looking over the wall. We finally realized what she was looking for: a young man and a woman holding a small baby, standing a bit back in the window.

There was gesturing back and forth, the elderly woman beaming and joyous, as the young woman held the baby’s arm and waved it our way. Then, suddenly, the young family disappeared, and the elderly woman, with a painful look, scurried off.

As we drove off, my friend muttered, “Oh, my God, they can’t get out, they can’t get out.”

Well, not for another 19 years.

Tom Cooke

Kansas City

New funding sources

On the Dec. 2 front page was a good news story, “Police body cameras sought,” about getting body cameras on police officers. It’s a good idea.

Just ensure that we have a new revenue source to pay for them. Congress might be creative in this endeavor or might just add a tax to guns and ammunition to finance the cameras.

How about a new revenue source for the billions we’ll spend fighting the Ebola virus and the Islamic State crisis? Both are worthy causes, but show me the new money before we just dig deeper in debt.

A surtax on all wages for those making more than $150,000 would be a start, and that would include all of the members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

Bo Steed

Kansas City

Gullible Americans

On Oct. 30, 1938, radio listeners tuned into The Mercury Theatre on the Air production of H.G. Wells’ “The War of the Worlds.” Those who tuned in after the drama’s announcement thought that this was a real news bulletin: Martians were attacking the hamlet of Grover’s Mill, N.J.

Panic ensued. People left their homes in fear of the Martians. Did anyone ask, “Why aren’t the police knocking on doors in warning?” Or “Why haven’t we heard air raid sirens?” Or “Where’s the message from our president?”

Some listeners called police stations and found officers unaware of this “invasion.” Would police not know?

People believed what they heard on the radio. There was no Martian invasion, although here on Earth, Nazis steadily marched into Eastern Europe.

Were these listeners gullible? Were they susceptible to panic because the broadcast sounded authentic?

Have any lessons been learned for contemporary Americans with the plethora of media available today? Wouldn’t people fact check information before buying into it?

Did voters not see voter suppression, racism, outright lies and the dark money “invasion” usurping more of our democracy Nov. 4? Or are they all too willing to be duped into remaining true believers.

Rosemarie Woods

Kansas City

GOP, Democrats

As a Republican, I’m very delighted over the recent election victories. But we must remember that the Republicans alone could not have pulled this off.

This election was won because many Democrats chose to cross the line and make a statement against a bad Congress and the seated president. Like the Republicans, many other Americans oppose the policies of this Congress and the president, as well.

I firmly believe that most Americans greatly oppose the president’s position on the border and immigration. I believe that most Americans want a closed border and tightly controlled immigration.

I’m proud of the response of so many citizens of both parties.

Bob Patterson

Lee’s Summit

Presidents’ daughters

It was an interesting Dec. 2 article, “Daughters in the spotlight,” about the daughters of former presidents and the daughters of our current president.

However, I am surprised The Star didn’t mention one of our feistiest, a Missourian at that, Harry S. Truman’s daughter, Margaret.

There was a big brouhaha when a music critic criticized her singing. It caught national attention in a big way.

Morton Berlin

Prairie Village

Bratty Congress kids

Initially, I want to say that I do hope the children in Washington, D.C., will find a way to play nicely together. Constant arguing stops everyone from enjoying and benefiting from the game.

Now for mandates. The Republicans are riding high, touting their win as a mandate because they won the vote of a small fraction of the American people. They see this as a sign that the entire country wants them to decide the game and also make all the rules.

In 2008, Barack Obama won with 53 percent of the vote to become the 44th president, and in 2012 he won with 51 percent, and yet the Republicans never considered this a mandate that Obama and the Democrats should decide the game and make the rules. Instead the Republicans said they didn’t want to play the game that the American public had chosen.

The Republicans said it’s my game or no game, and they held the ball so that no one could play.

Boys and girls of the House and Senate, the business of the United States is too important to treat as a game. You get to play when your work is done. Please stop behaving as bratty children.

Vicki Bronson

Overland Park

Statue of Liberty

I’m wondering when the Republican majority will get around to changing the bronze plaque on the Statue of Liberty.

It reads in part: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Surely they’ll be changing this to: “Keep your tired, your poor, your homeless. We don’t want them.”

Mike Cunningham

Kansas City

This story was originally published December 5, 2014 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Readers share viewpoints on Ray Rice, Ferguson, body cameras."