Unfettered Letters

Still fighting for light rail

We are only as free as we are free to govern ourselves.

On Feb. 25 my wife will seek judicial support from the Missouri Court of Appeals for our core position. Giving a government the power to overplay its legislative hand and sweep away the results of an election it disagrees with contradicts every democratic principle this nation stands for.

In that election, 73,998 voters said yes to a citizen-led initiative that called for rebuilding the city, renewing Union Station and laying the cornerstone for a regional transit system around a 27-mile, centrally located, green-light rail spine from the Kansas City Zoo to KCI.

One year later, those 73,998 certified opinions in support of that vision were overruled by 10 opinions on the City Council.

The city lost something that day: a means to power itself into a new green era. The City Council lost something that day: the people’s trust and respect. The people lost something that day: their right to self-determination.

Many citizens probably feel the community has moved on and I should, too. But moving on from an injustice to avoid legal and political confrontation is not my style. That is cowardice.

Clay Chastain
Bedford, Va.

Disgusted with Phelps’ funeral protests

The propensity of Fred Phelps’ church to protest at military funerals, as backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, is absolutely disgusting (1/9, Local, “St. Joseph sued over ordinance”).

These soldiers died for this country. They died to continue to protect the rights of all citizens, and these people show their appreciation by parading with disparaging signs at their funerals. What’s worse is that they don’t know the soldiers. They don’t know about their families and loved ones, and they don’t feel the sorrow of their loss.

I guess their motivating factor is that they might get their picture in the paper.

John Gaines
Prairie Village

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

Lawsuits cost consumers

Eli Lilly must pay $62 million for off-label misuses and side effect disclosure violations on Zyprexa (10/9, Business). Missouri will get $1.55 million of that to go to consumer education and to enforce consumer-protection laws.

Consumers and employees pay for lawsuits and taxes on businesses. Lawsuits and taxes are overhead. Businesses respond to increases by cutting expenses with measures like layoffs, raising prices on products, or going out of business (where everyone is laid off).

As with special funds like Social Security, the $1.55 million will be lost in the midst of the general revenue funds. The only ones to profit from this lawsuit are lawyers, politicians and bureaucrats. To the public, it’s another stealth tax to be added to their financial burden. Apparently the bad decision-makers at Eli Lilly will still have their jobs.

Jerry Murray
Centerview, Mo.

We owe immigrants nothing

Regarding Tim Suttle’s letter (10/1, “Kobach’s callous tactics”), this is an excellent example of the entitlement mentality of today’s culture. Undocumented workers are here illegally. We don’t owe them an education, health care, or any other form of social welfare. This is not a socialist country.

It’s very simple. Immigrate here legally, obey the law, and pull your weight. This is the real “foundation” of our country, Mr. Suttle!

David Youmans
Merriam

Illegal aliens don’t deserve tuition break

Why doesn’t Tim Suttle champion the cause to send poor Americans to college (10/1, Letters)? Send the — as he said —undocumented immigrants (meaning illegal) back from where they came.

Russ Henderson
Overland Park

I was encouraged by Kris Kobach’s successful efforts to convince the 3rd District Court of Appeals in Sacramento that California’s tuition law violated a federal law that prohibits illegal aliens from receiving post-secondary education benefits that are not extended to U.S. citizens. American students initiated this lawsuit because they did not want illegal aliens to receive a tuition break that American students were being denied by the state of California.

On 10/1 Tim Suttle wrote that “one of the hallmarks of any great country (is): Care and concern for the poor and for the alien.” This country does have care and concern for legal immigrants. I am the grandson of one.

Illegal aliens violate federal immigration law and several state laws. They continue to displace millions of American workers. Federal and state governments must start enforcing the law to protect American jobs and our economic security.

Frank Nedrow
Shawnee

Kobach’s callous tactics

I was disappointed to read of Kris Kobach’s litigation in the recent California court case (9/17, Local, “Kansan examines court case; The California decision could affect other states with similar tuition laws for illegal immigrants”) as well as his plans to pursue a similar lawsuit in Kansas concerning the effort to deny in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants. He may have won the court case but he lost the battle for basic human decency. He has struck a blow against one of the hallmarks of any great country: Care and concern for the poor and for the alien.

Education is the silver bullet. It is foundational to our hope to be a nation which embodies mercy and justice. It is also the best antidote to the racial/immigration strife that we experience here in Kansas. We should do everything we can do to help educate immigrants. We should be begging them to attend colleges in our state, not filing lawsuits to make it more difficult. His efforts constitute an alarming callousness toward the poor. I hope his attempt to follow a similar course in Kansas will be unsuccessful.

Tim Suttle
Olathe

What if light rail goes down?

I was wondering: If we vote down the light rail proposal in November, is Clay Chastain going to sue all of us?

Charles Barnes
Kansas City

Employment discrimination suit

The court order on which Randolph Heaster reported in “Discrimination case ends; Lawsuit asserted that some were improperly denied work by a job-referral list” (7/9, Business) was disappointing. My clients and I were dismayed by Local 2 business manager Ken Alexander’s comments that he “regrets” the union defended against a “case (that) should never have been filed.”

It is shocking that a labor union responsible for protecting its members from unfair practices, including discrimination, would regret the filing of a discrimination case.

Those courageous enough to challenge discrimination are heroes and champions of justice and should not face retribution. Often at great risk to their employment and reputation, civil rights plaintiffs demand equal rights.

My clients should be applauded for attempting to dismantle employment discrimination they perceived, not publicly labeled as objects of regret.

Audrey Wiggins
Acting deputy director of legal programs, Acting director of employment discrimination project
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Washington