Letters to the editor on death penalty, Fox News, government care, cancer screenings, 'Wicked'

Speed up process in death penalty cases

Regarding the cost of the death penalty (Oct. 20 Eagle), the real question we must ask ourselves is: Can our society afford not to enforce capital punishment? Death row would not be nearly so costly if the judicial system would expedite the process and execute the prisoners sooner after they are convicted. If we did not prolong the trials and appeals, and instead carried out the punishments swiftly, we would waste significantly less money on death row, and still provide the penalty that the criminals deserve.

Nationwide, convicted prisoners spend an average of 10 years in prison before their execution takes place. Convicts such as the Carr brothers, who were convicted with more than 850 pieces of evidence and 97 witnesses, are still sitting on death row nine years after their crimes were committed.

The solution is not to abolish death sentences altogether but to accelerate the painfully slow process, thereby saving money.

KATE RYAN

Wichita

Fund screenings

In response to the state budget crisis, some leaders have called for across-the-board cuts to all government programs and services, including those services many of our neighbors may now need to rely on. One program that deserves to be spared from the ax is Early Detection Works, which provides free breast- and cervical-cancer screening for many of the state's uninsured and underinsured women.

The earlier a woman's cancer is discovered, the more likely she is to survive. Early diagnosis is the closest thing we have right now to a cure. In fact, when breast cancer is discovered early, before it spreads beyond the breast, 98 percent of women survive at least five years. The 2.5 million breast-cancer survivors in the United States today are living proof.

Closing the doors to early diagnostic services increases the likelihood that women will receive a late-stage breast-cancer diagnosis. Data tells us that uninsured women diagnosed with breast cancer are 60 percent more likely to die from the disease. And the cost of treatment doubles with a late-stage diagnosis. As our policymakers begin to look to find savings in the state budget, we need to ensure that they don't take away women's best chance at survival.

CHRISTI NA OSBOURN

Executive director

PEGGY JOHNSON

Public policy chairwoman

Susan G. Komen for the Cure Mid-Kansas Affiliate

Wichita

Bias obvious

People who say the White House has declared war on the Fox News Channel are wrong. It is more accurate to say that Fox declared war on the White House.

The last time I checked, media outlets were supposed to be unbiased and fair in their coverage of the news. They may not always succeed, but that is the goal they should aim for. Fox doesn't even try to disguise its bias anymore. When I tune to the channel, I know I will hear Obama criticism 24/7.

The White House merely stated the obvious truth — that Fox is the media arm of the Republican Party. That was the goal of right-wing billionaire Rupert Murdoch when he founded the network and appointed Republican operative Roger Ailes as chairman to run it.

If you can't see the obvious bias of Fox News, then you are a conservative who only likes to hear what you want to hear.

ROB CASTILLO

Wichita

Government care

Do you really want the government to take over your health care? Do you really want the Democrats to decide what kind of medical care you deserve?

Take a tour of any of the public health service facilities on Native American reservations. Ask Native Americans how the government takes care of them and what quality of medical care they receive. Ask President Obama to make a doctor appointment for a routine checkup at a Native American reservation facility, and don't ask him how many hours he has to wait but how many days or weeks it takes to be seen by an intern, not a medical doctor.

If the health care the government provides the Native Americans is any indication of what the government is offering the rest of Americans, you're all in trouble.

CHERYL WILSON

Wichita

Wickedly good

My husband and I were most fortunate to attend, as part of a full house, the Sunday matinee performance of the musical "Wicked" at Century II Concert Hall.

We hesitated to purchase tickets because of the high prices. But we had heard from others in different cities that it was a "must-see" production, so we went. Well, what a memorable production it was.

From the moment we took our seats and saw the huge dragon and the complex fixed scenery, we knew we were in for a high artistic adventure. The playing of the orchestra, including nine local musicians, was bold and direct. The costumes were eye-catching. The musical's themes of love, hate, kindness, rejection, isolation, caring, loneliness, power, dishonesty, peer pressure, life and death ran quite a gamut of life experiences.

The Eagle has written about the elaborate sets. However, it is not until one experiences the richness of the various component parts — vibrancy of set designs; creativity of the many changes in styles of costumes; the singing, dancing, acting, the music, the themes, the full usage of the width and height of the stage — that one is elevated to a unique artistic magical experience.

Thank you to producer Marc Platt and the whole crew for bringing to Wichita a world-class musical production.

DORIS WELLER

Wichita