Letters to the editor on the wall, warming and registering to vote (Jan. 15, 2019)

Walls works

We are not a sovereign nation without a controlled border. Walls work. In 1961, before East Germany built the Berlin Wall, there were 7,000 East Germans leaving each day for freedom in West Berlin. After the wall was in place, only a few hundred people were able to escape over the next three decades. In Israel, walls have reduced the threat of terrorism by 99.8%. There is virtually no movement between North and South Korea due to their border wall. The White House and the U.S. Capitol have barriers, armed guards and high-tech security systems. I would think most members of Congress live in secure housing.

Members of Congress take an oath of office to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic…” When people invade our uncontrolled southern border we expect the government will protect us. Building a strong border wall is a major part of doing so. If members of Congress choose not to protect us the citizens by funding and building a secure wall, they should resign or be removed from office. Please contact your members of Congress and tell them you support funding and building the wall.

Global warming in a can

If the global warming alarmists are so concerned that CO2 is causing the planet to heat up (it is, but only minimally), then why aren't they protesting in front of the headquarters of PepsiCo and Coca Cola for creating CO2 and injecting it into soft drinks to produce their carbonated beverages. After all, the CO2 in soft drinks has the exact same chemical makeup as the CO2 from burning fossil fuels. 100 percent of the CO2 consumed by drinking a carbonated beverage is ultimately expelled from the body into the atmosphere by various means.

Also, if the global warming alarmists are so concerned that CO2 is causing the planet to heat up, then why aren't they protesting in front of the governor's mansion demanding that the 55 MPH speed limit be reinstituted? Like during the 1970's oil embargo. Enacting a national 55 MPH speed limit would reduce by 10 to 15 percent the total amount of fossil fuels consumed in the United States.

Declare Republican

To all the legal voters in the State of Kansas who are registered to vote as independents, I have a suggestion. Go to your registration office and declare yourself a Republican. You can keep it quiet if it embarrasses you. Next year, we will choose who a new senator to represent us in Washington.

With the current political situation in our state, that person will most likely be the survivor of the Republican primary. The far-right segment of the party pushed through laws that are slanted specifically toward keeping moderate voters, like most independents are, from voting in the primary. The rule that you must declare your party in early summer to be eligible to vote a party ticket rules independents out unless you plan far ahead.

It is so very important that we not elect another nut case like we had for governor and secretary of state. We defeated the far right candidate for governor last November, and now in the next election we will most certainly have to work hard as middle of the roaders to keep those of his ilk out of a most important political position in our state. Register Republican and vote Republican in the next primary. As I said, you can keep it quiet if you are embarrassed about it.