Letters on Cowtown boardwalk, West Bank occupation, racist display
Questions about plastic boardwalk
In the late 1800s, there were “10 miles of boardwalks laid at $13,000.” This is one of the history signs as you walk toward the Old Cowtown Museum from the visitor center.
Questions: How many miles are there now? What is the cost per mile of the composite boards being pushed? How many boards equal one mile?
How many accidents, since 1960, have there been that have been attributed to the boardwalks? What specific ruling addresses these types of walks in “historical museums”? What other U.S. historical museums have these types of boardwalks?
How can a visitor walk to the orientation building, farm, livery stable, Blood house, etc., without stepping in the mud puddles and sand because there are no boardwalks?
Please cite the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements concerning this specific situation.
F.D. Sharp, Wichita
End occupation
In 1947-1948, about 750,000 Palestinians were violently expelled from their homes and their villages to make way for the establishment of the state of Israel. These refugees expected to return when the war ended but Israel has never allowed them to return, even though international law requires that refugees be allowed to return to their homes after a war.
The 50-year-old occupation of the West Bank by Israel is a violation of international law and basic human rights. The expulsion of the Palestinians, called Al-Nakba, or “Catastrophe,” is remembered on May 15. This history is little known in this country because of the prevailing Zionist myth of “a country without people for a people without a country.”
It is important for Americans to be aware of this history, because the ethnic cleansing continues to this day, in the form of land theft for military bases, military assaults on the 1.8 million people of Gaza, settlement expansion, “price tag” attacks by right-wing settlers, arbitrary imprisonment of Palestinians, many of whom are children, and other forms of repression. Much of this is financed with U.S. taxes.
As we remember Mother’s Day, please also help to end the occupation of the Palestinians.
Michael Poage, Wichita
Racist display
The racist display at Boston’s Fenway Park recently was deplorable. African-American center fielder Adam Jones, who plays for the Baltimore Orioles, had several racist comments directed toward him and even had a bag of peanuts thrown at him.
Baseball fans who go to these games and commit these kind of acts of blatant racism should be pointed out and immediately forced to leave the game, while also getting hit with a lifetime ban of attending another major league baseball game. Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred should contact every major league team and let them know this type of behavior will not be tolerated.
It is truly a shame that 70 years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier – and had to put up with all the things that were done and said to him – this type of stuff is still going on today.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Reginald S. Nulan, Wichita
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This story was originally published May 13, 2017 at 5:03 AM with the headline "Letters on Cowtown boardwalk, West Bank occupation, racist display."