Letters on law enforcement officers, inviting Netanyahu, driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants, death penalty, climate change

Be thankful for law enforcement officers

I would like to thank all law enforcement officers for the time and effort they put into their jobs. They rarely see a happy face, unless they are telling people that they have caught someone who hurt their family.

When are we going to accept responsibility for our actions? You likely will get shot if you point an object or even a toy gun at a law enforcement officer. If this happens, the officer will carry this with him the rest of his life.

Also, people need to understand that they cannot believe everything printed or said in the media. A lot of times it is not the truth. That is why people are so surprised when a court verdict comes out. The jurors hear a completely different story.

Treasonous act

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, in my opinion, has committed what is close to a treasonous act. Hours after President Obama’s State of the Union message Tuesday, Boehner invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to a joint meeting of Congress.

It is an outrageous method to undermine Obama’s stated policy toward Iran. It is a cowardly way to leverage so-called Republican power – or Boehner’s standing among his friends and enemies – in the face of so much good that Obama has achieved thus far in his six years as president.

Boehner’s invitation is another chance for Netanyahu to meddle in U.S. politics as he is granted the privilege to speak before the gathered Congress as if he were the leader of this country. This invitation came without any knowledge of or consultation with the White House. It is an invitation to a world leader who, in my opinion, should be facing war crimes charges before the International Criminal Court for the slaughter of the innocents in Gaza last summer.

Boehner seems to be timing this invitation in a way that could help Netanyahu in a divisive re-election campaign in Israel. It is close to treason for Boehner to help a foreign leader undermine the president of the United States.

Require driver’s ed

Before being issued driver’s licenses, illegal immigrants should be required to take driver’s education. If you think this is too harsh, go to south Texas. We have been raised in an automobile society for generations, but many illegal immigrants have not, and it shows. Surely insurance should be mandatory, too.

End death penalty

Prison affairs seldom capture our attention for long unless an accountable person like the governor of Illinois stops the mistakes of the death penalty system. In this new year, we Kansas citizens have the opportunity to abolish capital punishment as a state policy for a second time.

Are we able to discern what it means to do the right thing for those who are awaiting execution? Let us reflect carefully on the incarcerated and on our questions about domination, cruelty, punishment, isolation and unconditional love.

Despite our lack of interest this could be our chance for renewal. As author Jens Soering, who was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder in Virginia, reminds us: Christians are people saved by a death-row convict.

Need death penalty

When the death penalty was used in the 20th century, there were fewer crimes and fewer homicides. The nation enjoyed peace and prosperity. During the years with no death penalty, we suffered wars, high crime and depressions.

Your choice: Do you want peace and prosperity or high crime, wars and depressions?

Learning resource

We have noticed a wide range of opinions about climate change in letters to the editor. People disagree about the basic principles of science and about where to find trustworthy sources of information.

For those who have yet to explore the scientific fundamentals or who are interested in deepening their understanding, we recommend looking into a MOOC, or massive open online course.

We have taken climate-related courses from several different providers including Coursera, FutureLearn and edX. These courses are offered by leading universities in the United States and overseas. They range from easy-to-follow introductions to advanced mathematical model-building, and they are free online. In a MOOC, you can watch whatever videos and do whatever readings you like, and you can interact with participants from different backgrounds in courteous discussion forums.

Climate-change debates are not going away. MOOCs are one resource that responsible citizens can use to make informed decisions about this critical issue.

This story was originally published January 23, 2015 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Letters on law enforcement officers, inviting Netanyahu, driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants, death penalty, climate change."