Letters on Trump mandate, stolen election, green energy, church-state

Trump has a clear mandate for change

Some Eagle letter writers have praised the election of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States, while others have moaned and groaned about it. Personally, I am pleased he was elected.

Trump won an overwhelming bloc of counties nationwide and in Kansas. That’s not just impressive; it is a loud and clear mandate for change.

Normally, I don’t care for Christmas music until Thanksgiving is concluded. However, lately I’ve thought about a song often sung at Christmas. Its lyrics begin: “Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with me.”

To all the college kids who were rioting, burning cars and yelling profanities as they marched in protest: I wish they’d stop in their tracks and think of that lyric. It shouldn’t be just a one-month moment of “goodwill.” It should be a sentiment all year round.

I congratulate President-elect Trump. We need to forget the slogans and actually focus on doing what’s best for the good of the whole country.

Father knows best

It appears the American married white male has spoken.

Ward Cleaver has said, “Father knows best.”

George Santayana said: “Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

We have not learned.

Election stolen

According to the pundits, the pollsters really got it wrong this time. But I am not buying that.

Prior to FBI Director James Comey’s letter announcing that additional e-mails had been discovered, Hillary Clinton’s lead had been good. After that announcement, not so much. And the same was the case in the down ballot races, particularly in the races for the U.S. Senate.

Comey’s letter to Congress may have tipped the balance and rigged this election in favor of Donald Trump and the Republicans. How can this country fairly address this issue? We can’t turn to the U.S. Supreme Court, as was done in 2000, because Republican intransigence has left the court evenly divided.

The only solution may lie with the Electoral College, which meets on Dec. 19 to cast its votes for president. For those who believe that the election was once again stolen, I think we should make our voices heard so that the electors dutifully take this into consideration, and possibly award the presidency to the person who won the popular vote and really won this election.

Cleaner energy

I was extremely excited to read “Westar to get half its energy from zero-emission sources” (Oct. 2 Eagle). Gov. Sam Brownback said some really encouraging things; he hopes to move from our 30 percent of energy from wind to 50 percent by the time he leaves office in 2019.

I love Kansas with our big skies, sunsets, native grasses and rock formations. Finding ways to use renewable energy has been a passion for me, because I know that one day we will not be able to use these nonrenewables. And what’s not to love about clean energy?

With high rates of lung problems, cancers and premature deaths linked to high amounts of nitrogen oxides that are released when burning fossil fuels, we need to utilize these cleaner energy resources.

Please consider putting a price on carbon emissions. All of these things are linked together, especially the economy and health care. Working on moving forward away from our antiquated, dirty ways of producing energy will create a safer, cleaner and stronger Kansas and economy.

Church-state rules

With the school year well underway, it’s important to remember some basic rules about church-state separation and public schools.

▪  Teachers are to teach – not preach.

▪  Students may pray silently or anytime they wish as long as it is not disruptive to the classroom or to other students.

▪  It is the responsibility of the after-school religious groups to collect permission slips for Bible classes and not classroom teachers.

▪  The Gideons are not allowed to pass out Bibles on school property.

▪  Official prayer has no place in public education. It cannot be read over a public address system during school functions like football games or class time.

▪  Student-run Bible clubs are permitted as long as other noncurricular student groups are also allowed to meet.

▪  A public school’s approach to religion must have a legitimate educational purpose, not a devotional one.

▪  Public schools and their employees generally may not display religious iconography or messages.

Most importantly, public schools are prohibited from sponsoring worship or pressuring students to pray, meditate, read religious texts or take part in religious activities.

This story was originally published November 16, 2016 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Letters on Trump mandate, stolen election, green energy, church-state."