Letters on America first, DeVos, Ramsay, U.S. drug demand

What it means to put America first

President Trump’s inaugural address sounded the theme “America First,” thus echoing those who supported German anti-Semitism, militarism and fascism prior to World War II.

If we really wish to put America first, we should remember that putting America first meant fighting a bloody civil war to end human slavery. It meant fighting World War II to save the world from the holocaust of an entire religion. It meant fighting to protect ourselves and others from the brutal militarism of imperial Japan.

Putting America first means that we fight terrorism to protect the rights of women and minorities, as well as all citizens, imperiled by extreme religious fundamentalists who do not reflect their own religion.

America is the bastion of freedom protecting the rights of all. We trumpet the words on the Statue of Liberty, asking the world to give “your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

By his words and action, the president has shown that for him, putting America first means building barriers and curtailing freedoms of religion, speech and press for all who oppose him. We must not remain silent in the face of this demagoguery, which poses serious threats to our freedom and heritage.

Better than DeVos

Betsy DeVos has only her billions and her campaign contributions to recommend her for the position of secretary of education. She has produced no resume to prove she is fit for the job, and her inane comment about a grizzly in the hallway of one school could stand as a metaphor for how misplaced she would be.

I have a better background for the job than she does. I attended an Oklahoma public secondary school for four years; I taught in Kansas public schools for 34 years; and I have taught at two public universities and one community college. I also attended a parochial school for eight years and have taught at a private university.

My children attended the most conservative of preschools in Wichita and a second private school as well before transferring to and graduating from public schools in Wichita. Plus, I know what a FAFSA is and have written as many as 120 individual education programs in one year.

I am hereby applying to be the next secretary of education.

Ramsay a hero

I was a cop most of my life in Superior, Wis. I was working an attempted murder case once and met another cop while we were serving a search warrant in Duluth, Minn. His name was Gordon Ramsay. About 10 years later, I was elected mayor of Duluth. When our police chief retired, I chose Ramsay to be our new police chief.

Ramsay made huge advancements in the police department, and the whole city loved his work. I left office in 2008, but I have followed his career, because I am very proud of him. It was a wise move for Wichita to steal him away from us.

I have a friend who contacted me a couple weeks ago and asked if I could help her. Her nephew had been abducted by his own mother, and she fled to Texas. The father had custodial rights, and he still lives back in Superior. I asked Ramsay if he could help find the five-year-old child and get him home. The chief contacted federal agents, and they raided the house. They found them, and they took the child into protective custody and put the mother in jail.

Today, the child is home with his father. I only share this story because I want you all to know you have a police chief there who is a hero.

U.S. drug demand

I have a solution for stopping drugs coming into the country: The people in this country are going to have to stop using drugs. Admit it, people in this country using drugs is the reason Mexico and other places are sending drugs by the tons. We want to blame someone else for our drug problem.

This story was originally published January 31, 2017 at 5:03 AM with the headline "Letters on America first, DeVos, Ramsay, U.S. drug demand."