Letters on Benghazi hearing, castrating criminals, Trump, road race defacing

Benghazi hearing a waste of time

I would like Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Wichita, to please speak for himself instead of saying “the folks in Kansas don’t think that is accountability” when referring to some of Hillary Clinton’s testimony at the Benghazi hearing last week. As far as this Kansan is concerned, Clinton has answered questions ad nauseam and ultimately taken responsibility for what happened, regardless of what was beyond her control. That’s accountability enough in my book.

Was Benghazi a tragic mess? Of course. But then so is the whole Middle East. I don’t see Pompeo asking George W. Bush to testify about his ill-advised invasion of Iraq that set off the chaos we have today. How about holding people accountable for those lost lives and the bad decisions that led to death?

It’s been three years now, and there have been eight investigations on Benghazi, and the only conclusion we can come to is that if we want to keep our ambassadors out of harm’s way, we should not send them to chaotic war zones. So it’s time for Pompeo and his buddies to quit with the expensive dog-and-pony show and move on to something else, like figuring out how to help Rep. Paul Ryan, the presumptive next speaker of the House, get that herd of cats they call the Republicans to move as one. But that likely will be as much of an exercise in futility and waste of time as the Benghazi investigation has been.

Benghazi nonsense

I could not believe how low Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Wichita, stooped in the Benghazi “inquisition” of Hillary Clinton last week. I know this nonsense gets him elected in Kansas, but it also ensured that reasonable Americans will hold the White House in 2016. It actually helped the next president, Hillary Clinton, gain ground beyond my wildest imagination. And for this I am eternally grateful.

Thanks again, Rep. Pompeo. Keep up the good work.

Surgical fix

From my teenage experience working on a farm and a ranch, I learned that a two-minute surgical procedure would remove two items and nearly all the aggressive behavior differences between a bull and a steer, resulting in steers being as docile as cows. Horses were very similar. Thus geldings were as valuable as stallions were for productive work, if not reproductive work.

Therefore, it is reasonable to evaluate this “procedure” for its potential to resolve the rapidly escalating criminal problems of homicidal deranged males, violent criminals, repeat offenders and terrorists. I believe that this “procedure” would provide a far greater negative influence on those considering a first offense than would the current or liberally proposed gun laws.

The program could be evaluated by observing the changes in a few thousand “life sentenced” criminals over a period of a few years at a minimal additional cost. If it proves to be effective, some of the cost savings in long-term prison sentences could be directed to early detection and remedial treatment before crimes are committed.

If it proves to be effective and is implemented by law, it could go down in history as the “Emasculation Proclamation.”

Trump an insult

Donald Trump is an insult to the station of the United States presidency. Those who would tout his tawdry insults as “just speaking the truth” are themselves shameful in their own morality.

An honest, honorable man (or woman) seeking public office would never repudiate others in the manner that Trump has seen fit to do. I am appalled at the appeal that this Kardashian-style lord has over the masses – not just Republicans but independents and others who seem to be lost in the swill of reality show television.

A person of Trump’s character is a disaster waiting to happen if he were to gain the presidency and become a person of power. We must find what is true and good in all of us and then seek to elect a person who could uphold the ideals of the United States of America.

Race defacing

I believe in running road races. A 5K race, for example, is a fun, healthy outdoor activity, and many races support worthy causes in our community. However, I find it regrettable that many race organizers today feel entitled to spray-paint public property rather than have adequate staff on hand to direct the participants.

The recent Earn Your Stripes race in east Wichita was an example. They spray-painted neon yellow on the city’s nicely blacktopped bike path (between 13th Street and 127th Street East) and on neighbor sidewalks going into the White Tail neighborhood. Their 1,000-foot-long, wobbly, hand-painted line to their race finish line on the bike path is particularly ugly and completely unnecessary. Perhaps they thought the paint would fade, but they painted next to earlier race markings that are still clearly visible.

These races last a few hours and then the organizers and sponsors disappear, but their damage will probably last for years. These people tarnish a good sport and deface public property.

This story was originally published October 26, 2015 at 7:04 PM with the headline "Letters on Benghazi hearing, castrating criminals, Trump, road race defacing."