Posted on Wed, Jul. 02, 2008

We may need to stay in Iraq

Fifty-eight years ago, June 24, 1950, Secretary of State Dean Acheson called President Truman at his home in Independence to alert him to the invasion of South Korea by North Korea. Because details were sketchy, Acheson advised the president to delay his return to Washington until the next day.

I happened to be working then as an air traffic controller at the Municipal Airport when Truman met the press before his departure for Washington.

Star reporters were there, but I was the only person with a movie camera. Philip Brooks, director of the Truman Library, appreciated getting my film, since it was the only visual recording of this historic event.

President Truman obtained U.N. concurrence to send troops to South Korea because Russia at the time was boycotting the Security Council and unable to prevent such action.

Washington maintains armed forces in South Korea to this day. The fact that there might possibly be the need for such a continuing presence in Iraq is a matter of spirited controversy between John McCain and Barack Obama — who has criticized McCain for suggesting that circumstances might make this necessary.

Bill Smith

Topeka

‘Flip-flopping’ beats alternative

The newly released report from the Army’s Combined Arms Center in Fort Leavenworth states:

“The military means employed were sufficient to destroy the Saddam regime; they were not sufficient to replace it with the type of nation-state the United States wished to see in its place” (6/29, A14, “Army study shines light on occupation of Iraq”).

Whatever the final outcome, the first three years of this war will be cited in future war planning classrooms as Exhibit A of how an arrogant, naive political leadership combined with weak-willed generals to nearly sink Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was only a resounding defeat in 2006 that caused Bush to do what even casual observers knew necessary — fire Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and dramatically increase troop strength.

In the face of the Bush administration’s record of negligent inflexibility, charges of “flip-flopping” by the current candidates don’t seem quite so alarming. Maybe electing someone capable of changing his mind when faced with reality isn’t so bad a thing.

Andy Catsimanes

Overland Park

Obama’s qualifications

Jerry Overstreet’s letter (6/26) questioning Barack Obama’s qualifications to be president is a fascinating melange of half-truth, insinuation and omission.

Sen. Obama is a duly elected U.S. senator from Illinois, not a state legislator. Sen. Obama’s education was financed by a combination of merit and need-based scholarships and loans, the latter recently paid off by him. Nothing nefarious there.

John McCain received his college degree at taxpayer expense, finishing near the bottom of his class at the U.S. Naval Academy, which he apparently entered on a legacy admission. Not a point in his favor.

Sen. Obama was a successful neighborhood organizer in Chicago and also taught at the prestigious University of Chicago law school. Real jobs.

By contrast, Sen. McCain has had a lengthy post-military career in Washington as a U.S senator, again at public expense. In a government so often seemingly far removed from reality, is that a “real” job?

Clearly, Sen. Obama has far more going for him than his strong oratorical skills. Just ask the millions who’ve voted for him in the primaries and will continue to support him.

Robert K. Miller

Kansas City

Injecting racism into campaign

As one who was impressed by Barack Obama’s show of strength when faced with the Clinton machine, I was disappointed to see him open the final stretch of this political season by being the first to inject racism into the campaign during a recent speech in Jacksonville, Fla.

While the Clintons brought up racism earlier this year, John McCain has refused to do so, and its injection by Sen. Obama is a poor opening and a bad omen for someone we know so little about.

We will have to examine his record, his opinions and those he surrounds himself with much more closely. There seems to be more emotionalism than sound judgment by many of those so excited by Obama’s campaign.

Charley Morasch

Leawood

Flag should stand for truth

Stu Tarlow (6/26, Opinion, “Plaza protester disrespects flag”) passed by a rally at the Plaza in which folks protested George Bush and Dick Cheney’s war by asking for impeachment. Immediately, Tarlow sees the flag in scorn and suggests that “probably” the folks there disregard dead soldiers. I was there at age 70.

The piece is a shameful mess to pontificate about flag etiquette, which wearies me. The way to honor the flag is to stand with courage preserving what the flag means. One honors the flag in damning a war built upon lies, even if formal etiquette about touching the nation’s soil is offended.

As for soldiers, my own uncle died at age 26 upon the beaches of Normandy. He volunteered because a president like Franklin Roosevelt drew him there with one means: the simple truth. That honors the flag, and wins a hand over my heart. Without that, the flag is only a piece of cloth that is now despised by most of the civilized world because of Cheney and his puppet, Bush.

Scruples over frilly “etiquette” never replace the flag’s real inspiration: the call to protest any abuse of liberty.

James V. McCormick

Kansas City

We must conserve resources

Yes, go ahead and drill in our costal waters and Alaska.

Yes, we (who are alive now) can use all the coal, oil, water and gas, which are all finite. What about long-term use? These short-term fixes are just that: short term. We must have a huge change of mindset to start conserving our resources.

A recent trip to Denver going 60 mph saved us half a tank of gas over our usual 70 mph.

Bruce Rogers

Kansas City

Less talk, more action on energy

I felt compelled to write after reading “Key energy issues charge up presidential debate” (6/29, Opinion). Both John McCain and Barack Obama “agree to ... more federal funding for research in renewable energy, especially wind power.”

It would seem to me that the taxpaying public would be best served by implementation instead of endless government-funded studies. Take the “billions of tax dollars” flushed down the toilet trying to find safe nuclear storage, and the millions upon millions spent on research for renewables.

Instead, we could actually erect wind turbines and construct solar engine facilities. The technology is feasible right now.

It defies logic that we sit around complaining about oil prices crashing our economy when the solutions are right before us. But then again, we are talking about the federal government.

Chris Harper

Oak Grove

They already paid for schools

The taxpayers in the area of the Kansas City School District that is to go to Independence paid taxes to have the school buildings in their community built in the first place (6/28, Local, “Tug of war is not over; A restraining order could delay the transfer of seven school buildings”).

These buildings belong to the people — the taxpayers — who live there. Now Kansas City wants to sell them to the residents who paid for them in the first place and are the true owners. The school board is given the use of them only to conduct public school.

It sounds strange that the people in the area should have to pay again for something they already paid for.

Charles Pike

Parkville

Lifting of gun ban in D.C.

So, if I understand the mayor of Washington, D.C., correctly, in three weeks the streets of that city will run red with blood, as the 30 or so years of crime-free existence comes to an end with a resounding “bang.” Soon we will hear stories of innocent victims actually defending themselves at the horrible expense of criminals.

Maybe the liberals among us can start a fund (at government expense) to relocate the poor, mistreated criminals to someplace like Chicago, where they can once more ply their trade with impunity.

Paul Christman

Kansas City

I think that those on the Supreme Court, the National Rifle Association leaders and politicians who rejoice in the ruling that will strike down Washington, D.C.’s gun laws should take a midnight stroll in D.C. neighborhoods. All those people will be very unlikely to ever be in a situation to come face to face with a handgun in D.C.

The tragedy will be that friends, relatives, neighbors, children and themselves will be the ones injured or killed by the new gun owners’ weapons.

Do they not remember the shootings at schools?

Troy C. Bell

Kansas City

Restaurants should recycle

One way that Kansas City can become “greener” is to make it mandatory for all restaurants and bars to recycle the cans and bottles that they now dump. The servers would toss the items into bins specific for each category, eliminating secondary sorting at recycling centers. Reducing this waste will slow the need for new landfills.

Kansas City has made the air cleaner to breathe with its smoke-free policy. Now let’s work on the land.

Randy Maddox

Kansas City

Smoking ban hurts bartender

Smoking or nonsmoking? This question is a thing of the past. I am fast going broke in the service industry due to the recent smoking ban in Kansas City.

I have two children and work days as a bartender. Since the smoking ban started, I have been slowly watching my bills pile up. This is so frustrating to me. Not only that, it is downright scary.

I am being forced to find other work to support myself. I cannot choose any longer to stay a daytime bartender.

If America is all about choices and having the right to choose, then why can’t people choose to go to a bar or restaurant where they can or can’t smoke? Why can’t I choose to have a well-paying job? Where’s my choice in all of this?

Kristina Long

Mission

Crash victim’s mom thanks helpers

On June 25, my son Andrew Rogers was in a serious car accident near Worlds of Fun. He and six of his friends (all honors students from Omaha North High School) had taken two cars to Kansas City, and one of them was in a rollover accident on the interstate. Andy was severely injured but will be OK.

Within minutes of the accident, more than 10 people had stopped to offer help and comfort to Andy and his friends. Andy was the only one seriously injured. He was taken to Centerpoint Medical Center.

I want to thank everyone at the scene of the accident and the paramedics and the hospital personnel for all of their kindness and excellent care they provided to Andy and his friends. I felt so terrible that I couldn’t reach him for three hours, coming from Omaha. But when I found out how caring the people in the area were, I felt comforted.

Thank you all for reaching out to him. He was hurt, and he and his friends were afraid, and all of you made them feel like someone cared and everything would be OK. I am thankful that he was well taken care of.

Kathie Rogers

Omaha, Neb.

Great time at T-Bones game

I was sorry to hear about what a bad time Paula Read (6/29, Letters) had at the Royals. She should give the T-Bones baseball team a try.

My husband and I went to our first T-Bones game two weeks ago. The park was clean. The parking was free. The tickets were very reasonably priced. They had about 6,500 people that night. The stands looked almost full. It did not feel crowded, though.

The concessions were lower priced and easy to get to. The fans were great. There was a lot of staff, so if we had had a problem, I am sure it would have been dealt with.

There was beer, but it wasn’t the predominant drink. Many people were drinking lemonade or iced tea.

We had a really great time. Give it a try and see the difference for yourself.

Jennifer McClung

Liberty

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