Letters on gun control, voter fraud, ‘American values’

More gun control is not the answer

Another mass shooting, and before the bodies could be removed from the scene, the president was out calling for more “commonsense” gun control.

Why is it that whenever some small number of people, in this case two, commit an unspeakable atrocity, the liberal left and their champion, President Obama, immediately want to impose more and more controls on the hundreds of thousands, or perhaps millions, of legal, law-abiding gun owners who haven’t done anything wrong?

Granted, weapons of any type should be kept out of the hands of the mentally ill, criminals, and foreign or domestic terrorists. But no law is going to keep them from either getting or making a weapon if they are so inclined.

Those areas of the country with the most strict gun laws are some of the most dangerous places on the planet, and I imagine the building in San Bernardino was a “gun-free zone” with the proper signage clearly posted. The thing is, law-abiding citizens obey the law; criminals and terrorists don’t.

The truth of the matter is that it’s up to you to provide for your own security, unless you’re rich and can afford a bodyguard. Remember when the Dalton gang tried to rob the two banks in Coffeyville? It was the citizens who stopped them, not law enforcement, and it’s easier to carry a firearm than a policeman.

Equally American

“How do you promote American ‘values’ to secular and Islamic societies, which mostly do not share them?” asked columnist Cal Thomas (“Agency to promote values a really bad idea,” Dec. 2 Opinion).

My question for Thomas would be: How do you define “American values”?

Obviously, Thomas only accepts as “American” those values that he and other people who agree with him hold sacred. To claim that a large section of American society – “secular” (whatever that means to him) and “Islamic societies” – do not share American values is spurious. These people are just as American as Thomas.

The main value I embrace as a Christian and secular human being living as a citizen of the United States is this: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

These are the words written by the poet Emma Lazarus found on our Statue of Liberty, the shining symbol of our open and tolerant nation that welcomes all people, including the secular and Islamic societies Thomas deems lacking in “American values.”

Though Thomas’ opinion is guided solely by his personal viewpoint and prejudices, the rest of us must know that just because some Americans may not hold precisely the same values and opinions as Thomas, that does not mean they have no values or that they are not equally American in outlook.

Full acceptance

Wichita State University needs to be congratulated for its emphasis on multicultural factors. The opening up of its chapel for Muslim student worship is important (Oct. 7 Eagle).

A highlight of my professional career was serving as a teacher of English at Friends Boys School in Ramallah, located eight miles from the walled city of Jerusalem. There were 270 students in the school, about one-third of the Muslim faith. The Muslim students were good learners as well as mannerly.

Muslims, as well as all minorities, need full acceptance as individuals having much worth in society. People have intrinsic values and need to experience role models of excellence in society, not bias nor prejudice.

Kobach on a mission

A few years ago, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach set out on a mission to ensure the sanctity of the voting booth would not be tarnished by criminals who would violate our country’s standard of “one person, one vote.” Many questioned his motives and were also concerned about the drain on our tax dollars needed to accomplish his single-minded goal.

But this month our secretary, after failing thus far to bring the myriad of promised voter ID fraud cases to court, was vindicated when Steven Gaedtke, a 60-year-old Vietnam veteran, pleaded guilty of unlawful voting (Dec. 3 Eagle).

According to Scott Gyllenborg, Gaedtke’s attorney, his client, who was in the midst of a move to Arkansas, mistakenly voted in both states. Kobach, however, wasn’t buying this attempt to let Gaedtke get away with this so-called flagrant disregard for the law. Gaedtke must pay the maximum $500 fine and court costs.

Never mind that 36,000 Kansans have been unable to vote under the new, repressive voter ID laws put into place through Kobach’s efforts. This violation of our country’s constitutional right to vote is obviously irrelevant to Kobach in his perceived mission to stamp out voter fraud, which is virtually nonexistent.

This story was originally published December 7, 2015 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Letters on gun control, voter fraud, ‘American values’."