Readers share views on a police holiday, guns and the movie ‘Selma’
Emergency workers
In response to Jerry Ameling’s suggestion in a Jan. 22 letter for a national holiday to recognize our law enforcement officers and firefighters, I second the motion.
What these men and women do every day to protect us, most important putting their lives on the line, should be appreciated by each and every one of us. The salaries they earn for doing this is a real crime.
How can we begin to justify what professional athletes are paid (notice I didn’t say “earn”) compared with these brave men and women?
I am so tired of the disrespect and lack of appreciation for our law-enforcement officers because of a small minority in uniform who, truly, did wrong.
Someone please tell me how to get Jerry’s idea for a nationwide Law Enforcement and Firefighter Appreciation Day initiative started.
Carol Malarky
Overland Park
Today’s grandmothers
The Jan. 23 letter writers are correct. Grannies sure have changed since yours were alive.
Today’s grandmothers mourn the senseless deaths by gunfire of infants, toddlers, 5-year-olds and teenagers.
We pray, just like our grandmothers did, that our families will be spared the grief of a senseless killing of an innocent child.
Gun locks could have prevented a 5-year-old from killing his baby sister. And background checks on all gun purchases would keep at least some criminals or mentally ill people from acquiring them. I support legislation to require both of these actions.
But nothing can prevent a tragedy like the one at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where a mother supplied her mentally ill son with assault weapons. And Grandmothers Against Gun Violence can’t get guns away from all bad guys.
Let’s work together to prevent guns from getting into the hands of the wrong people.
Be honest: Wouldn’t you feel safer if the two actions above — mandatory gun locks and background checks — were implemented?
What will it take for the culture of gun violence to be replaced by people living in harmony, like grandma wanted?
Mary Jacobi
Grandmothers
Against Gun Violence
Kansas City
Pursuing the dream
The movie “Selma” brought it all back to me and made the outrage about Ferguson, Mo., clear.
I was born in the North in 1940 and by 1964 had my first child. I couldn’t leave her and go to Selma, Ala., but I admired those who went.
From their bravery and non-violence and the eloquent speeches of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the right to vote became the reality it should have been long before.
The movie recreates the emotion and the danger people faced to bring about change.
My children and grandchildren don’t know about the struggle for civil rights. It is glossed over in history books.
My outrage over the decision of the prosecution in Ferguson centers on the arrogance that says a black man is usually guilty of something and that we will protect the rest of the people using our own violence.
The grand jury needed to recognize that white doesn’t make right. The facts have to be laid out and investigated.
My grief is that the hopes and dreams of Dr. King remain unfulfilled.
I pray that “Selma” becomes required viewing in schools and churches. It is beautifully made and very real.
Mary Eick
Gladstone
KCI conveniences
My daughter and I recently traveled from Kansas City International Airport to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on vacation.
The flight out of KCI was with Alaska Airlines, and because this is not a major hub for Alaska Airlines, the flight was OK.
However, the flight into Seattle-Tacoma was a nightmare as was the departure five days later.
I realize Sea-Tac is a much larger airport than KCI, but the problems that go with that make it a bad destination.
Going up and down escalators with two pieces of luggage on wheels is very hard, so I learned to use the elevators. The signs directing people to the counter to check in and get their luggage on board are mysterious.
I saw very few, and they were confusing at best.
The security lines were long and slow. Boarding was difficult, even though we had assigned seats.
Everything considered, I will not be traveling to Seattle again.
If you must do something with KCI, do some updating such as adding a few more restaurants.
Don’t redo the whole airport.
Shirley DeRigne
Gardner
Kansas book bans
The Lansing Correctional Facility has just made me further question the minds of the leaders of Kansas.
I’ve been mentoring an inmate at the facility. This inmate requested some books to read, so I ordered a couple not thinking they might actually be banned.
The historical-fiction novel, “The Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett, is a banned book.
The prison named three pages that contained sexual references and therefore the book was going to be incinerated.
Three pages out of a 900-page book were not appropriate. I was blown away.
Why not just rip out the three offending pages?
Gary Murra
Overland Park
Maintaining KC
For several weeks while driving through downtown Kansas City, I’ve noticed an army of sweepers, all wearing yellow jackets with name tags, making sure that the downtown streets are free of litter.
I’ve had the opportunity to meet Clary and Tyler, hard-working people who pursue their tasks in all kinds of weather.
We commend them for their willingness to perform a very needed activity.
Stephen B. Hester
Overland Park
Abortion restrictions
Missouri ladies, you might like to know that your representatives in Jefferson City, among them House Speaker John Diehl and Rep. Rick Brattin, will move heaven and earth to restrict abortions.
This is not a question of for or against abortion, but these people should not be allowed to be in charge of women’s bodies.
If you have means, no problem, you can go out of state. But if you are poor and maybe don’t even have a car, you are stuck.
Not to worry, though, these kind gentlemen will take care of these little ones.
They will provide food and clothing and will pay for their education and their health care. Oh, maybe not health care. You are unable to take part in the Affordable Care Act, because Missouri will not accept federal funds for Medicaid expansion as in some other states.
It is also a fact that in countries that provide free contraceptives and provide good sex education, cases of abortion are minimal.
So, ladies, next time you vote, get informed before you cast your vote.
Maria Baldwin
Kansas City
Sebelius’ critique
Former governor Kathleen Sebelius appears to see the fault in Gov. Sam Brownback’s plan to reduce the enormous budget deficit by taxing smokers and drinkers (1-21, A4, “Sebelius speaks out, faults Brownback plan”).
The more that strategy works, the more those folks pass away.
Sebelius was secretary of health and human services. It’s probably not in her nature to urge smokers to light up another one or to push someone to have one more for the road.
It’s just not a policy that can generate enough tax income before the smokers and drinkers expire.
Clarence Abell
Olathe
Bus stop shelters
The city has always encouraged residents to ride the bus. Why doesn’t the city provide at least a minimal cover over these stops?
Maybe not every stop but at least at the most used stops. These riders are standing out in the cold and rain and not always because they want to but because they have no other means of transportation.
Also if the city would take a look, when the snowplows are in action, the riders have to stand sometimes in a foot of snow or in the street. Come on Kansas City.
Take a look at what residents need and spend some of the taxpayers’ money where it is needed.
Sharon Taylor
Kansas City
This story was originally published January 27, 2015 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Readers share views on a police holiday, guns and the movie ‘Selma’."