Unfettered Letters

Sick of silly women

This letter has been brought on by “The Bachelor,” the reunification of Chris Brown and Rihanna and the show “Tool Academy,” among many countless other examples. I don’t know about you, but I am sick of silly women! A few silly women make us all look bad.

From one single woman to others, please consider this advice:

Have some respect for yourself.

Believe that you are worth pursuing and waiting for.

There’s nothing wrong with being a little reserved. It adds to the mystery.

Choose to love a man who loves you.

Believe that there are nice men out there. If you believe this is true, you are less likely to pine away for garbage.

I am an unmarried woman in what is said to be one of the worst cities in America in which to be single. It can be difficult and frustrating, but please, ladies, let’s all grow up and quit being a bunch of whiny clowns.

When we demand more, men will take all of us more seriously.

Shannon French
Kansas City

Support for ERA in Kansas

Kansas is debating whether to add an Equal Rights Amendment to the Kansas Constitution (2/26, Local).

The opposition is trying to frame the debate by making the slippery-slope and fear arguments. They make the usual charges of abortion conspiracy, that it will invalidate rape laws, and that it would d be a pathway to gay marriage. Beyond the fact that these arguments are absurd, one must only look to the 22 states that have ERAs to know the claims are ridiculous.

Many states with ERAs have stricter abortion laws, and Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania courts have held that their ERAs do not allow for any change to abortion provisions existing in their states. The 22 ERA states all have laws against rape, and we already have an anti-gay marriage amendment.

When all fear and smear are debunked, the ERA is simply a collective constitutional commitment. It incorporates into the Constitution the prohibition of sex discrimination. While there are federal and state laws that address sex discrimination, it’s not the same as a constitutional commitment. Laws can be repealed and revoked at any time.

Support the ERA.

Marla Patrick
State Coordinator, Kansas National Organization for Women
Lindsborg, Kan.

We still must work on equality

I am watching with amazement the profound impact the election of Barack Obama is having on this country, inspiring a connection between people and politics we haven’t seen since the ’60s. Whether it’s a reaction to the deterioration of this country under George W. Bush or the charisma of President Obama, this country’s energy is undeniable.

In this context I recently had a stunning conversation with a female high school student I work with. She told me she joined the electronics club at school but was having trouble because the male-dominated club referred to her as “the pretty face.” She is in a higher level of math than most club members, but they refuse to let her participate — except to take club photographs.

In the context of electing our first African-American president, I found this to be a sober reminder of the work still to come.

Elizabeth Weidling
Overland Park

Caroline Kennedy should run for Senate

If Caroline Kennedy wants to be a U.S. senator, she should run for election to the office just as Kansas’ Nancy Landon Kassebaum Baker did.

If you will recall, Nancy was the first woman ever elected to the Senate without previously being appointed to serve out an uncompleted term, i.e., not to run in the general election as an incumbent.

In Nancy’s case, there was probably a factor of name recognition in her victory. She won the Republican primary as the most recognizable name against 12 or so opponents, at a time when winning the Republican primary was tantamount to election in the general election. Many Kansans remembered her father, Alf Landon — former governor of Kansas and Republican opponent against Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1936 general election — with high esteem and affection.

Nancy, who did not have a lot of government experience, served as a senator with competence, if not with distinction. And there was no question as to her legitimacy, as she had won the votes.

Harvey A. Jetmore Jr.
Lenexa

KMBC discrimination suit

My husband and I began watching KMBC news shortly after we moved to the area in 1980. Yes, we remember Christine Craft, and we thought KMBC had changed its ways. Apparently not so, based on the lawsuit filed by three longtime female staffers (11/15, A-1, “KMBC hit by gender lawsuit”).

We want to hear the news from someone we respect and trust because of their knowledge and experience, not some young chick in a tight sweater. In support of Maria Antonia, Peggy Breit and Kelly Eckerman, we are no longer watching any news broadcast on KMBC.

Ellie Luzynski
Blue Springs

Finally, the female anchors at KMBC are doing something about the blatant discrimination that has been going on for too long in television news. I often wondered why the men enjoyed longevity after turning gray while the women have been replaced by younger, giggly females.

I, for one, have turned to other stations for my news.

Susan Boney
Kansas City

KMBC discrimination lawsuit

What a sad state of affairs if the three female newscasters who are suing KMBC for gender discrimination have merit (11/15, A-1, “KMBC hit by gender lawsuit; Three women who are on-air personalities also allege age bias and ‘a hostile environment’.”)

While all three women are physically attractive, that is not why I get my news from them. I chose that station, in part, because of those three newscasters’ ability to develop good sources and their professionalism in delivering the story.

The idea that the viewing public demands this change is a bunch of malarkey. The media bears responsibility for the images and messages it sends to viewers.

Discrimination is a learned behavior. We were not born with it. Just as we learned to discriminate, we can learn not to. Unfortunately, after the Christine Craft fiasco, this may not have been a lesson learned by this station.

It’s past time to realize that it is what’s on the inside that counts, not a fleeting image.

Larry Kirkwood
Kansas City

I always liked Maria Antonia. She always had great rapport with Joel Nichols and Jeremy Hubbard. They had completely different personalities, but she could blend in with anyone. I wondered what happened to her.

I was here during the Christine Craft incident. You would think KMBC would have learned from it.

That was before the computer generation. This generation gets its news from the Internet and cell phones, so why is the station still trying to please them?

Glen Paronto
Independence

We’ve come a long way, maybe?

As I was driving home last Friday, I was sexually harassed by men in a roofing company vehicle who made a gesture depicting oral sex when they passed me.

When I called the company to complain that their employees were sexually harassing women on the highway, I was informed that it would be “mentioned to the guys.”

When I pressed further, the company representative hung up on me.

This is no unique incident, only peculiar in that these men did not consider the company information on their windshield to be a deterrent.

They assumed that they could get away with it because I would dismiss their threat as just another part of my day.

How bittersweet to see women as contenders for our country’s highest offices and still live with the normalcy of sexual harassment in our everyday lives.

Will we accept violence as normal life?

Jane M. Webb
Kansas City

Hate her because she’s vacuous?

Trust me, Joanne King (10/15, Letters), the “sisterhood” does not hold Gov. Palin in disdain because of her looks. Her lack of intelligence in not being able to name a single publication that she reads, the inability to name any Supreme Court ruling other than Roe v. Wade, having no idea what the Bush Doctrine means — these are just a few of the examples as to why she is unqualified to run for an office that will put her a heartbeat away from the presidency.

Her looks come no more into play than the looks of any man who has run for public office. On behalf of your gender, Ms. King, you should stop reinforcing sexist thinking that the rest of us in the “sisterhood” keep trying to erase.

Maureen O’Brien Salz
Overland Park

Let him call me ‘sweetie’

Barbara VanBeber (10/16, Voices) seems to be offended because Barack Obama called a female reporter “sweetie.”

If that’s the worst word he has uttered after speaking day after day ad nauseam for how long this campaign has been going on now, I would call it a miracle. Obama apologized to the reporter after it slipped out of his mouth.

I am 80 years old, and I would be thrilled to death if Obama called me “sweetie.” I wouldn’t want an apology, either.

Norma Barsky
Merriam

Sarah Palin’s debate wink

What’s wrong with cute is the same thing that is wrong with profane.

Diane Stafford was very thorough in pointing out the downside of Sarah Palin’s wink and folksy manner of speech (10/9, Business, “Let’s not wink at careless gesture”).

It would be nice to look past the superficial aspects of a candidate’s appearance or speech or behavior — not to mention race or age or gender — and focus on the content of their character and ideas. But for most of us, surface matters, speech matters and behavior matters.

When protestors at Kent State University in May 1970 were vilified as subhuman and shot by the Ohio National Guard, I was shocked. I laid the blame on the narrow-mindedness of the pro-war “adult” generation.

Now that I am 65, I know that the grooming habits, drug use, “free love” and profanity of some of the protestors gave excuses to those who despised dissent anyway.

Let us try to focus on the issues and the leadership strengths and weaknesses of the candidates. It would help if they would show us their true depth.

Phil Rhoads
Overland Park

Diane Stafford’s recent column chastising Sarah Palin for her wink during the vice presidential debate officially raises this non-issue to the level of absurdity.

To Ms. Stafford and all who would characterize the gesture as that of a red state Mata Hari, let the record show that Palin explicitly directed the wink and accompanying greeting to her father, who was seated in the audience.

If your preferred rhetorical style is Harvard-educated gravitas, I respect your choice. But to confuse colloquial expression and being plainspoken for a lack of professionalism or credibility is more than misguided. It’s prejudiced.

Rick Lucas
Overland Park

Diane Stafford’s comments were so true. After a long struggle by professional women to advance in the business world, it is unbelievable that someone as unprofessional as Sarah Palin would be considered by anyone as a good pick for vice president of the United States. But then, John McCain is an old boy from the era of women being considered tokens.

Barbara Weians
Parkville