Readers react to President Obama, a new KCI plan and global warming
Obama’s mistakes
When President Barack Obama was asked why he mistook the Islamic State for a junior varsity team, he blamed bad intelligence. A member of the intelligence community blamed policy.
Obama’s policy: Ignore military advisers and remove our troops from Iraq. Obama’s policy: Ignore his cabinet, unanimous in its support for the Syrian moderates. Obama’s policy: Ignore the Islamic State.
As a state senator in Illinois, Obama opposed the Iraq war in 2003. On what intelligence was Obama relying? CIA Director George Tenet was saying weapons of mass destruction in Iraq were a slam dunk.
President George W. Bush’s policies brought the Sunnis and Shiites together in Iraq, and both were elected to high office. Obama’s Middle East policies created a vacuum filled by Iran, the Islamic State and chaos.
Lastly, Obama’s policies are responsible for most of our Afghanistan casualties and added seven years to our longest war.
Jim Kilen
Kansas City
New plan for KCI
I am in favor of the alternate airport design by Crawford Architects (1-21, A6, “Airlines to review new idea for KCI”). But it does not stand a chance for one reason.
There is not enough money in it for the requisite kickbacks to City Hall and others to make it a reality.
Don Cameron
Overland Park
Returning ice age
If you are not satisfied with the dogma and fanaticism associated with the church of global warming, consider joining the church of global cooling. Why:
▪ We have almost reached a midway point between ice ages, and it is inevitable, according to all open-minded scientists, that the big freeze will again occur. The Earth has seen many ice ages due to natural causes.
▪ When all of Canada and much of the northern U.S. are covered with an ice sheet two miles thick, we had better make friends with people in Mexico so they will not be upset when more than 300 million northerners scramble across the Rio Grande.
▪ The oceans rose 300 feet after the last ice age ended, and we can expect a drop of 300 feet in the coming years. There will be new land between Russia and Alaska, England and France. Territorial fights will result, so think about a military career.
Lots of new job opportunities will arise. Our new church will have job fairs for those handy with tools to rebuild hundreds of our cities. Let’s stop denying the natural causes of climate change and help with solutions to a real threat.
Hop aboard the new church, and help save the planet.
Clarke Homoly
Warrensburg, Mo.
Trump’s candidacy
“Sir, have you no sense of decency?” Remember that question asked of Republican Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who was accusing people of being communists? McCarthy’s lies and hijinks ruined many reputations and careers.
Fast forward to today.
I think the same question should be asked of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The answer, of course, is obvious.
Trump has demonstrated over and over by his inflammatory and outrageous utterings and outright lies that he has no sense of decency. The GOP should be ashamed.
Delores Mair
Kansas City
Running barefoot
Barefoot running is a dangerous alternative compared with running in shoes. The risks outweigh the benefits, causing serious problems to your body.
Running barefoot causes intense strain and pressure to your feet, which could take a while to get used to.
The average person’s running style involves striking with the heel. Barefoot running makes you land on the front of your foot. This could be too sudden a change and could cause serious damage to your feet.
Many people say barefoot running can strengthen your feet and speed your reaction time. I believe this, although there are many exercises and drills to accomplish the goals that require less time and knowledge.
Douglas Brown, a radiologist in Utah, conducted research in which he took 20 runners, 10 barefoot and 10 wearing running shoes. After 10 weeks, the results showed that the group running barefoot had developed early signs of bone injuries in their feet.
Barefoot running has been proved to produce injuries and could be a poor choice for your body.
Tori Findley
Blue Springs
This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Readers react to President Obama, a new KCI plan and global warming."