Letters: Climate crisis; Escape from New York; SCOTUS follies; invasive religion | Opinion

Change the climate

Several Wichita news outlets have recently covered the drought currently affecting Kansas.

According to drought.gov, more than 30% of the state is experiencing exceptional drought conditions.

In these areas, including Wichita, the risk of wildfires is higher, and the economy suffers, especially agriculture and ranching industries.

The city of Wichita is taking action on multiple levels.

First, by instituting a water conservation plan. Throughout the city, managers are working to reduce and reuse water on city-owned land and by parks and utilities operations.

Next, by approving a Water Conservation Rebate Program. Citizens can receive money for buying water-saving appliances and devices such as washers, dishwashers, and toilets.

These actions are a great start, but many Wichitans, including myself, are worried that these actions are not enough.

As the climate continues to worsen, Wichitans may wish to get even more involved. One way to do this is by contacting U.S. Rep Ron Estes and Sens. Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall, urging them to support renewable energy and other policies to reduce emissions and capture carbon in the atmosphere.

The upcoming Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act works by putting a price on carbon that will help lower carbon emissions and slow the climate change contributing to this drought.

It is up to us all to work together on climate solutions.

A new Kansan?

As a resident of New York City, I wish to apologize, deeply, to the entire state of Kansas, and the city of Topeka in particular, for the ignorant and insulting comments made against you by our mayor, Eric Adams. — “Kansas doesn’t have a ‘brand,” and “He (God) could have made me the mayor of Topeka.”

As mayor of New York, Mr. Adams has nothing to take pride in or brag about. Our city is filthy, drug addled, and crime ridden. Its streets are menaced by crazy people, businesses are closing on a daily basis, and those with the resources to move are doing so in droves.

If this letter gets printed, I make the following offer: If anyone in Kansas is interested in hiring me and helping with the expense of relocating my family, I promise, in return, you will get the most loyal “new Kansan” you’ve ever seen.

Contempt by court

Why should ordinary Americans abide by laws when their highest court has shown nothing but contempt for both those laws and us? When too many people start asking this question in earnest, responsibility for the subsequent violence and lawlessness will sit squarely on the shoulders of the six individuals who have forever stained the court they allege to serve.

Invasive religion

Gillian Richards’ opinion piece, “Americans’ dismissal of religion doesn’t bode well for the republic,” Page 13B, July 2, requires a response.

The idea that humans require religion to be moral and virtuous has long ago been debunked.

Religion in various forms has been around since the beginning of human existence. It eventually evolved into a very practical way of controlling people, as it does to this day.

Ms. Richard’s opinion that the decline of religion does not bode well for our country, in my opinion, is not true, and for one important reason. We do not have, and probably never had, a true separation of church and state.

Religion has invaded the commercial and political arenas of our country. And the impact has been devastating. I don’t think there is any question that the conservative movement endorses and caters to the religious right. As such, it seems they are dead set on imposing their religious dogma on the country.

Thus, we see in the areas of women’ health care, education, and gay rights, just to name a few, the rights of our citizens are gradually being taken away, even to the extent that commercial businesses can now discriminate about who they serve.

History and current world events show that religion is the root cause of most of the death and destruction that has, and is, occurring. To let it continue to infect our politics and commerce does not bode well for our democracy to endure.