Letters on GOP mailer, Ranzau’s enemies, voter registration, media, pools

GOP mailer promoted fear and hatred

As an Indian American (U.S. born), I am very disturbed by the recent shooting of two Indian immigrants in Olathe. I used to live in Kansas for some time, and I have kept up with the local news in the area.

An Eagle article last fall reported that the Kansas GOP sent mailers depicting ISIS flags on a farm and asking if you had “met the new neighbors.” This type of promotion encourages unstable individuals to target minorities who may be perceived to be Middle Eastern or Muslim. No one deserves that.

Ranzau’s enemies

Apparently, the phrase du jour for anyone who has a different viewpoint than yourself is “enemy of the people” – at least based on Sedgwick County Commissioner Richard Ranzau and, of course, President Trump.

There was a time when people of reason and good faith on both sides of an issue could cooperate, compromise, reach consensus and maintain mutual respect for each other.

It’s sad and pathetic that Ranzau has to defend his viewpoint by denigrating others and casting them as “enemies.” Of course, he couldn’t resist hurling one last insult at his nemesis, President Obama, by accusing him of distorting the truth. Ranzau made no mention, of course, of our distorter-in-chief Trump, whose distortions, lies and departures from reality would fill this newspaper.

As a proud progressive, though, I’m going to take a positive view of Ranzau’s aspersion. After all, Jesus said to “love your enemies.”

Thanks, Commissioner Ranzau. Keep spreading the love.

Register to vote

Exercising our right to vote is one of the fundamental aspects of being an American citizen. It is the most common and effective way that citizens can influence our government and the policies that it puts in place.

Unfortunately, a large percentage of our populace is unregistered to vote. Factors such as poverty, lack of transportation and being unaware of the voter registration process prevent eligible individuals from registering and exercising this basic American right.

Senate Bill 118 would mandate agencies that serve a largely underprivileged population to offer voter registration services. When applying for services at these agencies, citizens would be asked if they would like to register to vote. As most of the documentation required to register would have already been accessed at this time, this legislation would make accessing social services and registering to vote a kind of one-stop shop.

If you are in favor of eligible Kansas citizens being able to exercise their constitutional right to vote, please call or write your state representative and senator and ask them to support SB 118 for a stronger, more representative democracy.

Media’s decline

The half of the populace so opposed to President Trump might not be as hard on him if they would come to appreciate that he is but a result of the “digital explosion” columnist Davis Merritt described as the demise of journalism and not a cause of it (Feb. 28 Opinion).

Had professional, old stream, dependable journalists stayed the course reporting authentic news reliably and not disappeared themselves into the pollution of their own spurious ways and means, we might still have a preponderant and preeminent mainstream media that cause people to check their predispositions and confront, if not turn, their biases, rather than causing them to disparage “news” media.

Joseph Pulitzer said, “A cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will in time produce a people as base as itself.” That observation is playing out before us now and becomes even more disconcerting with Pulitzer’s forgotten admonition that journalists should put facts before the people “briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light.”

If what remains of professional journalism cannot stem the tide of where digital age media are taking us, then one last Pulitzer quote may prove prophetic: “Our Republic and its press will rise or fall together.”

Moving forward?

Last Sunday’s Eagle had special sections on moving Wichita forward. Is closing neighborhood swimming pools moving Wichita forward?

It was with deep sadness I learned of the plan to close many of the city pools (Feb. 22 Eagle). Why do the neighborhood pools have to suffer the budget shortfall of the Wichita Parks and Recreation Department?

The Wichita City Council said the pools are old and worn out. Well, where was the maintenance? Many small-town pools in Kansas were built in the 1950s and 1960s and are still going just fine.

Closing so many pools doesn’t seem right and fair to the residents of Wichita, especially the kids. It is not moving Wichita forward.

What is needed is small and simple but functional swimming pools in all regions of the city, as well as some of the proposed splash parks. Then, if a water park with all the features is still determined to be needed, one centrally located water park could be constructed for all areas of the city to enjoy.

Criticism justified

The writer of “So dangerous” (Feb. 15 Letters to the Editor) said: “Nothing disturbs me more than President Trump’s attacks on the judiciary.” But Trump’s condemnation is sometimes well justified.

Trump, as the elected commander in chief, has the constitutional and statutory authority and responsibility to defend us from harm. He receives daily intelligence briefings.

Accordingly, in his best judgment, Trump issued an executive order to temporarily restrict travel to the United States by nationals from seven Middle Eastern countries.

But the activist Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals – a court that is often reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court – preposterously decided to block the order because the president had failed to present evidence that the ban was needed.

Judges are not in the intelligence loop and are unqualified to second-guess the president on crucial security matters. What’s more, they have absolutely no authority or responsibility to do so.

To expect the president to first sell the judiciary on the necessity for actions to defend us is entirely unreasonable and could well disclose sensitive intelligence to the enemy, which could expose us to even greater danger.

This story was originally published March 5, 2017 at 5:04 AM with the headline "Letters on GOP mailer, Ranzau’s enemies, voter registration, media, pools."