LETTERS 05/04/08

How times change!

Leora Werner

Overland Park

In the April 27 Star Magazine, the article on Behzod Abduraimov, a 17-year-old pianist from Uzbekistan studying at Park University, mentions that his late father, a physicist, “invented a car that ran on oxygen.”

With gasoline at $3.50 per gallon, shouldn’t we follow up on that?

Art Winter

Raytown

A sure-fire way to reduce your gasoline expense is to slow down. Drive 55 mph or less and save lots of money.

Tom Johns

Raymore

Giving up on Chiefs

I am 58 years old. I have been a Chiefs fan since the beginning, until now. I own a little bar in Marysville, Kan. I have now taken down all my Chiefs items in the bar. You do not trade the best defensive end in football for untested picks, especially third-round picks.

As long as Carl Peterson and Herm Edwards are running this show, I will not go to any more Chiefs games. I used to go to at least one every year. I will not support this team and the way it is run.

As Comedian Ron White has said, “You can’t fix stupid.”

Joe Cohorst

Marysville, Kan.

Halls’ gift to William Jewell

I was delighted to read that the Hall Family Foundation will continue to provide financial support for William Jewell College (4/29, Local, “William Jewell College to get $6.5 million”).

Because of a generous scholarship from the Hall Foundation, I received a top-notch education from William Jewell and even studied abroad in Oxford, England. I was given a strong academic background and taught to lead and serve.

The Hall folks know that Kansas City is fortunate to have one of the region’s best liberal arts colleges, and we are fortunate to have both of these fine organizations in our city.

Anthony F. Shop

Kansas City

Laws don’t stop criminals

As much as I sympathize with Kathy Cagg and the families of the victims of the Ward Parkway shootings, I couldn’t help but notice some inaccurate statements in Cagg’s As I See It column (4/29, Opinion, “This ‘freedom’ has a heavy cost”).

In carrying out his vicious act, David Logsdon did not take advantage of numerous freedoms, as Kathy Cagg writes. Instead, David Logsdon broke numerous laws, such as carrying a concealed weapon without a permit and purchasing ammunition with a stolen credit card. Last I checked, these sorts of acts are not freedoms. They are criminal violations — violations that someone intent on killing other human beings isn’t likely to concern himself with.

The emotional reasoning behind calling for more restrictions on gun freedoms in the wake of shootings such as the one at Ward Parkway is understandable, but it couldn’t be more futile in the fight against gun violence.

Criminals are criminals because they break laws, not because they take advantage of freedoms.

Michael Keizer

Independence

Pre-emption policy

Roger Merryfield (4/26, Opinion, “Let’s undertake a debate on pre-emption now”) suggests that the question of pre-emption should be debated and decided now, during the quiet of the campaign. This would indeed be a great idea, if whatever decisions were reached would carry after the election.

Three conditions would have to prevail, though, for this program to be morally valid. 1. The debate must take place only between purely honest people (no hidden agendas). 2. Presidential discretion and signing statements could not later subvert the adopted rules. 3. The safety and welfare of the people on both sides must be the deciding factor, not oil, revenge or world domination and power.

 

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