Letters on new police chief, West High shooting, Syrian democracy, angel in the skies
Help Ramsay have a successful tenure
Congratulations to Gordon Ramsay for being hired as Wichita’s next police chief.
Serving as chief of police of a major city is a complex and oftentimes thankless undertaking. I’m sure all of us hope Ramsay rises to the challenge.
I had the honor to serve 24 years as a Wichita police officer and 30 years as director of the Wichita Crime Commission, a citizens’ group that interacts with the Police Department on a daily basis. It would be a gross understatement to say I genuinely care about the law enforcement community. During my many years of service, I had the experience of working with and observing some outstanding chiefs. They all shared the common goal of wanting to provide the best police service possible. However, we need to remember that the chief of police will never be able to please everyone and every group all of the time, although many will believe he should.
Let’s welcome Ramsay to a great city with citizens who care deeply about making it even greater, and pledge our support in helping him have a very successful tenure.
Bobby Stout, Wichita
Officer protected others
About the recent shooting outside West High School (Dec. 5 Eagle): Yes, a police officer shot a teenager who allegedly had a gun and was running away, toward the school. Shouldn’t officers protect those who are in the school, including students, mothers, fathers and children?
Sheryl Reed, Wichita
Not very democratic
I was listening to Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent speech (or sound bite, because that’s all we ever get) about Syria and Bashar Assad. He said that we want Assad out, but we want to keep the government structure in place.
My first thought was: That didn’t work so well with Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Then I thought, here Kerry is representing the democracy of America, calling for the removal of a foreign leader. That’s not democracy, that’s dictatorship.
I would have responded a lot more kindly if Kerry had said, “Let’s have elections in the democratic fashion and let the people of Syria decide who their leader is going to be.”
Dona M. Baba, Wichita
Angel in the skies
I would like to thank a lady named Louanne who helped me get through Southwest Airlines Flight 862 from Wichita to Dallas on Dec. 12.
I told Louanne I was a fearful flier and I had flown on Southwest on Labor Day weekend and experienced anxiety over the takeoff and climb. I had sweaty palms and cried during the flight due to the anxiety.
When I told her I was afraid of scaring people, she said I wasn’t going to scare her. I told her I didn’t want anything to go wrong, and she said, “You’ll do fine. I’ve talked to God about it, and He said it’s going to be all right.”
When the takeoff started, it surprised me and she said, “You’re doing fine.” All that time she had a smile on her face and was very confident about flying. Long story short, she said I did great, and was proud of me.
I can truly say about her, “I’ve been touched by an angel.” God bless you, Louanne.
Kelly Eslinger, Wichita
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This story was originally published December 24, 2015 at 8:35 AM with the headline "Letters on new police chief, West High shooting, Syrian democracy, angel in the skies."