Unfettered Letters

Finders shouldn’t be keepers

To the man who stole my $246 ticket at the casino on Saturday, Nov. 1:

True, it was my fault for either accidentally leaving it in a machine or dropping it on the floor, but that doesn’t give you the right to cash it in, which you wasted no time in doing.

It would take both hands to count the number of tickets or cash I have found and turned in to casino personnel, because they can track down the rightful owner.

As far as I am concerned, you are nothing more than a common thief, of which the casinos are full.

J.E. Adams
Kansas City

Caring about more than economy

The economy is horrible, and I care about that, but I care about more than the economy.

I care about our children and the education that they are (or aren’t) getting.

I care about the callous disregard for another human life — including, but not only, in the womb.

I care about how polarized our culture has become.

I care about the growing number of lies that are accepted as truth.

I care about how few people seem to be able to think through a problem logically.

I care a lot about laws that are selectively enforced.

I care about our freedom.

Betty Reed
Overland Park

Economic values

Weeping for America

I recently read some very pertinent articles from the Investor’s Business Daily editorial page of Sept. 24 by respected columnists Robert Samuelson, Michael Cosgrove and Thomas Sowell. They all three discuss our current financial crisis, and they almost make me cry.

Where have our members of Congress been while this current crisis was building? Where was their “reputed wisdom” to hold their elected office? And worse, where were we, the constituents?

The real power for change rests with the Congress. But Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid seem to be out of touch in their zeal for partisan politics — let the American people be damned; I’m getting mine first, and the Democratic Party second.

There will be a long, dark period ahead of us before any sense of normalcy returns to this country. And now we, the electorate, face an election of our next president and Congress. The choices are bleak.

Those standing for office show no sense in their campaigns of the problems ahead, nor of how to bring personal, national, and fiscal discipline back to the forefront of this country’s actions.

Where are those who would speak for such a move? I weep for us.

Robert E. White
Bonner Springs

Stop putting money first

The financial and economic crisis we face brings to us the opportunity to recreate a system that corrects some of glaring deficits of the latest economic regime. The environment and human rights must be integral parts of the new economic order that we create.

No longer can we accept an order where monetary capital takes precedent over human rights. No longer can we accept economic equations where environmental impact is ignored or minimized. No longer can we devour the planet’s resources with impunity.

We must learn that a good, simple life is not only possible but desirable. We all lose in this resource race that ravages the place we call home.

Finally, we must learn to share. We only have this place to call home. There are a lot of us here. It seems self-evident that if we expect to continue living here and want a decent existence, our only chance is to learn to share and get along with each other.

Ken Gates
Overland Park

Biblical problems?

Trust God for the answers

I am sick of the greed in our country that causes our economic foundations to collapse. I am sick of congressional misdeeds, lying and stupidity that corrupt one’s desire to serve the public. I am sick of political partisanship at the expense of our nation’s well-being and that of her people.

I am sick of the degradation of human value and worth that leads to the destruction of innocent human life. I am sick of the attitude that promotes a “me first” agenda and then plays the blame game when things go wrong. I am sick of all the chaos in our country and the world due to all of the above.

The reason is plain — the mistaken belief that mankind has all the answers. The solution is simple — put your faith and trust in God for the answers.

Peggy Fry
Olathe

$700 billion: A symbolic figure?

The number $700 billion keeps popping up. The original bailout and rescue plan was $700 billion. The $700 billion figure is mentioned as the amount being paid annually for foreign oil. And $700 billion has been quoted as the cost, so far, of the Iraq incursion.

I’m beginning to think it is like a symbolic biblical number, such as “40 days” in the wilderness, and “40 years” the Israelites wandered after leaving Egypt, and “40 days and nights” of rain on Noah and family. In other words, it is not a literal number — it just means “a whole lot,” “a very big amount,” or “enough to do the job.” Otherwise, the cost of the bailout exactly equals the cost of oil or the Iraq occupation. Not likely.

My conclusion: In each area there is a problem of biblical proportions.

Robert L. Thatch
Kansas City

U.S. will pay for sins

In the midst of the financial disasters, political betrayals, moral calamities and foreign enemies among the many tsunamis facing our beloved nation, it is astonishing that voices are seldom raised in the public square proclaiming the Lord God of history’s declarations about these issues. Where are the prophets calling America to repentance or to judgment?

History is replete with nations and empires that rose but then fell from identical destructive stresses pressuring us right now. Why does America think she will be protected from judgment for her national sins?

The situation is so desperate that I do not hesitate to warn anyone that this could easily be “the land of the free’s” last year of freedom. Evil forces arrayed against and within us could bring us to our knees. Hear the word of the Lord, America. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).

John James
Prairie Village

Greed happens

In defending the lack of oversight and regulation of Wall Street promoted by President George Bush, Sen. John McCain and the Republican Party, my father stated: “You can’t regulate greed.” Greed happens.

Greed may indeed be a part of our human nature. It is forbidden in the Ten Commandments (coveting what other people have) and made the list of seven deadly sins. However, our willingness to kill each other is also condemned as part of our “fallen” human nature. I hope the government won’t give up trying to regulate murder just because someone is bound to find a way to do it anyway.

Rebecca Brock
Kansas City, Kan.

Greed natural

I hate to be the bearer of bad news to Jon Hudson (9/29, Letters, “Greed is not human nature”), but greed is a part of our human nature. Mr. Hudson writes: “Reading any high school anthropology book makes plain that human nature is to care for our fellow human beings, because it is good for our communities to do so and so that we are cared for in return.”

I will go Mr. Hudson’s observation one better: Take two 3-year-olds, place them in an empty room and give them one toy. Eventually one of them is going to say “mine!” and take it from the other. No one taught them to do that; it is simply their nature. It is only when our gracious triune God intervenes (that is, by sending his Son to die on the cross for our sins) that the direction of our nature is changed.

Rev. Kurt G. Rutz
Paola, Kan.

Walk the talk

David Manning (9/29, Letters) says read the Bible instead of waving it, walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, not throwing stones and passing judgment. Yet if you read the first three paragraphs of his letter that is exactly what he is doing. Double talk is what I call it. You’d make an excellent speechwriter for the very people you’re bashing.

L.M. Kump
Liberty, Mo.

Respect life in all forms

My respect for people with a pro-life stance leaves when I hear that they also choose the death penalty. The same mindset is often against the use of tax money to raise those live births. Recently The Star reported that a majority of babies born to women younger than 30 were out of wedlock (9/7, Local, “A slow but seismic shift; Most mothers under 30 are unmarried, and the costs to society are huge”).

Either you revere life in all its forms, or you do not. A pick-and-choose modality is immoral, in my view.

D. A. Duke
Overland Park

Decline of decency on TV

I don’t watch MTV or reality shows, but I wanted to see a tribute to our military, so I turned in and kept my fingers crossed.

After watching the “nudies” and muting the “screamers,” I nearly gave up. Then, believe it or not, I saw a real class act. A handsome man in beautifully tailored clothes who sang and danced and entertained. No garbled lyrics. No suggestive crotch-grabbing.

Guess who? It was Seal.

I’m glad I waited, and I wish other people on TV would be entertainers, not exhibitionists.

Cathleen Cooper
Merriam

Presidential principles

I hear many negatives about people with good morals who have the best interest for our country. My motto: If you can’t say something good about someone, keep your mouth shut. Good leadership is about choosing people to serve who have the expertise to guide us with good sense, good morals and honor.

We need leaders who are open with congress, willing to take advice, criticism, and operate within the law.

If you follow these principles, many of us could be president. Gov. John Anderson replied to me when I asked him why he didn’t run for higher office: “Paul, you might be as honest when you go to Washington, D.C., but, to get things done, you won’t be honest when you return.” Great words from an honest man. A sad commentary, indeed.

Paul W. Meyn
Overland Park

Be careful with your vote

It amazes me, the trash being sent over the Internet. And it didn’t take long for some idiot to start sending out e-mails attacking the Democrats and John Edwards for having an affair. That person must not have read about Newt Gingrich or Rudy Giuliani’s multiple affairs. How about Sen Larry Craig’s men’s-room follies? Or about McCain leaving the mother of his children to marry a rich woman, and use her family’s money to launch his political career?  The list goes on and on. Are these the family values the Republicans like to talk about? There’s an old saying: People who live in glass houses shouldn’t cast stones. Vote for the candidate who best shares your views. Don’t vote for the party, race, or because of misleading campaign ads, or stupid trash sent over the Internet.

Jim Schultz
Lee’s Summit

‘Two Americas,’ one big ego

The “two Americas “ that John Edwards refers to — one where you do what is right, and the other where you do what you want — point out the basic flaws with any politician.

Firstly, they tell you that you live in the greatest country in the world but want you to change it with them. That is basically flawed.

Then they tell you that this is how you should live your life, meaning you, not them. That is basically scary.

Bill Inghram
Kansas City

Now I know why John Edwards spoke of “two Americas.” He wanted a wife in each America.

Bob Underwood
Raytown

Thanks to The Star for printing Maureen Dowd’s piece “A narcissist confesses, but he’s still plastic” (8/14, Local).

John Edwards made a terrible mistake. In effect, he continues his trend of narcissism by explaining “why” he did it — getting caught up in the whole election process.

He could have said: “I did a bad thing that I deeply regret. I hurt my wife and my children and acted selfishly. I was only looking out for myself, especially during a time when my wife was ill and needed me.” Nothing more, nothing less. Period.

Who cares why he did it? I think it speaks volumes when people have the humility to acknowledge and admit their mistakes and not make excuses.

Why can’t he do it? Because humility and narcissism cannot be used in the same sentence.

Karen E. Turner
Overland Park

Sex scandals dog GOP, too

Ben Nicks’ letter (8/12) mentioning John Edwards, Paul Morrison and Bill Clinton for their involvement in sexual scandals is right on. But let’s add a few names to the list: Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, Larry Craig, Mark Foley, David Vitter, Strom Thurmond, John Bolton, Henry Hyde, Dan Burton, Buzz Lukens, Helen Chenoweth, Robert Packwood, Dick Armey, Tim Hutchinson, Ken Calvert. Oops, wait a second, they’re all Republicans!

And all you have to do is Google “Republican sex scandals” to get the details, and a lot more names to boot.

Maybe the Democrats don’t have a monopoly on this sort of behavior after all.

Robert K. Miller
Kansas City

Letter writer Ben Nicks has a good point about the apparent womanizing by some of the leading Democrats, both locally and nationally. But for sheer variety in sinful vices, they have nothing on the Republicans.

Let’s not forget Rush Limbaugh’s OxyContin and William Bennett’s gambling, David Vitter’s hookers and Mark Foley’s congressional pages, Ted Haggard’s massage therapists and, my favorite, Larry Craig’s bathroom antics.

The real difference is not the personal lives of these people but how they lead our government and treat its citizens. After eight years, the Republican White House has all but destroyed our nation’s reputation abroad, weakened our military, eroded our Constitution, killed, maimed and tortured innocents and ruined the economy. I’ll take a Democratic sex scandal any day over any of that.

Daniel E. Smith
Kansas City

John Edwards’ infidelity

We are all sinners. When will we admit it? To see the smug satisfaction with which the sexual betrayals of members of either party are viewed by some members of the other is always disheartening, but the lip-smacking delight with which pundits hungry for a new story are greeting the news of John Edwards’ infidelity presents America at her worst (8/9, A-1, “Edwards confesses infidelity; The former senator admits his affair with Rielle Hunter, who produced videos for his campaign”).

No one should be saying, “How could this have happened?” Sin happens where human beings gather.

What we should be wondering is where Elizabeth Edwards will get the superhuman strength it will take to handle still another devastation. First her health and now her partner have let her down.

We are always looking for models. I propose that we take the spotlight off Mr. Edwards as we acknowledge him as a fellow sinner, and instead place it on Mrs. Edwards and all the heroic women like her who not only stand by their profligate spouses but become models of personal grace as they do it.

Janelle Lazzo
Roeland Park

After dinner Friday, I settled into my easy chair, picked up the newspaper, and turned on CNN to see what late-breaking news I’d missed in the previous few hours.

As I was doing the male version of multitasking, some talking head speculated that a prominent Democrat’s narcissistic behavior might threaten Barack Obama’s election chances. Paying more attention now, I was surprised to find out that said leader’s surname was not Clinton.

As CNN fleshed out Sen. Edwards’ saga, listeners learned that he would probably not be speaking at the Democratic National Convention. No word yet on whether all speakers there will have to swear that they have never been involved in an extramarital affair.

If both the GOP and the Democrats allowed only speakers with perfect marital fidelity records, would either party need the scheduled four days to complete its business?

Michael Oldfather
Manhattan, Kan.

John Edwards, Paul Morrison, Bill Clinton? Well, there’s one thing in which the Democrats can beat the Republicans pants down.

Ben Nicks
Shawnee

Vexed by too much ‘Sex’

I’ve had it up to here with sex … but not lately.

Yuk, yuk. But seriously, folks, it’s no laughing matter. As a society, we’re way past that slippery slope. We’re tumbling headlong into the abyss of amorality.

The latest affront is all the attention being given to “Sex and the City.” I realize that the television show from whence it sprang was a monster hit, but that doesn’t absolve the producers, writers and actors from sending a disturbingly wrong message on sexuality. It only highlights their desire to cash in on the prurient interests of the ignorant masses.

I guess I don’t understand all the hoopla about four youthful, successful and rich women flagrantly discussing their bedroom antics amongst themselves.

I’m no prude. I’ve had my share of “antics,” some very stupid, wrong and hurtful. But I don’t lay it all out for the world to drool over. Why do we feel so compelled to listen, watch and now read about a tasteless torrent of time-wasting titillation?

Further, I admit I’ve never seen the show. The title alone is enough to turn me off.

Timothy Earl Osburn
Parkville

Violent video games

Jonathan Last tries to rationalize away the corrupt “entertainment” of the “Grand Theft Auto IV” video game (5/19, Opinion, “It’s just one more form of entertainment”). To use the excuse of the second law of thermodynamics to justify our culture spiraling downward is ignorant.

We are not the universe. We are humans who have a choice to say yes or no to corrupt forms of entertainment. When we choose to say yes to the sick enjoyment of virtual killings of innocent bystanders and the theft of other people’s property in the video games out today, we are choosing to aid in the descent of our culture.

When we say no to these forms of entertainment and choose healthy forms of entertainment that do not warp our mind, we are defying the negative influences in our culture and saying yes to a positive and healthy culture for us and our children to live and thrive in.

Christina Brown
Shawnee

Did anyone else question Jonathan Last’s assertion that culture “tends inexorably toward lesser levels of sophistication?” We’re not living like cavemen anymore, dragging women around by their hair. And what of the Germanic and barbarian tribes? They became civilized. Or is Mr. Last only considering history he has personally witnessed? Doesn’t his devolution rationale fly in the face of evolution?

And did I miss the logic by which Mr. Last concludes that the increased affordability of transistors per integrated circuit leads inevitably to software designers programming in the option of executing prostitutes to recover gamers’ money?

Doug Burford
Mission

Barbara Walters’ poor example

Apparently if everything is correct that Barbara Walters writes about in her new autobiography, Walters has fooled the world (5/2, A-6, “Walters reveals affair; Her relationship with a married black senator in the ’70s could have cost their careers, she says.”)

The “View” ladies have always limited their “shady” topics when Walters was on the set so as not to offend the prudish, proper “lady.” Now they must know that anything goes.

She and those who have been interviewing her seem proud of her illicit affair. Wouldn’t you think Walters would be more concerned about the example she could set for young journalists and leave her tales of adultery for her biographers?

No wonder Walters had trouble raising a daughter. Someone should have suggested that setting a proper example would have been the best way to go.

I can’t believe she is able to face the nation with her stories of illicit affairs. Oh well, that’s what sells books. Shame on her.

B.J. Taylor
Overland Park

Laws don’t stop criminals

As much as I sympathize with Kathy Cagg and the families of the victims of the Ward Parkway shootings, I couldn’t help but notice some inaccurate statements in Cagg’s As I See It column (4/29, Opinion, “This ‘freedom’ has a heavy cost”).

In carrying out his vicious act, David Logsdon did not take advantage of numerous freedoms, as Kathy Cagg writes. Instead, David Logsdon broke numerous laws, such as carrying a concealed weapon without a permit and purchasing ammunition with a stolen credit card. Last I checked, these sorts of acts are not freedoms. They are criminal violations — violations that someone intent on killing other human beings isn’t likely to concern himself with.

The emotional reasoning behind calling for more restrictions on gun freedoms in the wake of shootings such as the one at Ward Parkway is understandable, but it couldn’t be more futile in the fight against gun violence.

Criminals are criminals because they break laws, not because they take advantage of freedoms.

Michael Keizer
Independence

Working the system

Greg Graeff (3/27, Letters) writes that the number of people who need help to survive is marginal compared with those who have learned to manipulate the system. He’s right.

The help given to people who are poor is marginal compared with the help given to Bear Stearns and other corporations, companies and individuals who are wealthy.

Mr. Graeff also accuses the Clintons of an “I’m smarter than you and I know what’s best for you” attitude, even as he himself asserts that Sen. Obama has a huge following of people who don’t understand the issues. If Mr. Graeff believes the issues are hypocrisy, arrogance, corruption, classism and blind self-interest, I agree with that much, too.

Tom Gould
Kansas City

Pinkie promises

The pinkie promise — now there is a contract that is never broken. If you are a child or a senior citizen, you know that if you say, “I pinkie promise” and wrap your pinkie around the recipient’s, then you know that it is a real promise.

We should have people do pinkie promises before testifying in court, rather than swearing in with their hand on the Bible. This probably would have made Bill Clinton tell the truth the first time, and the recent scandal of Mayor Kilpatrick in Detroit would have been avoided as well.

Instead of the focus on baseball and the steroid problem, focus should be on enacting a pinkie promise from everyone who takes the stand in court.

Rex Harigon
Kansas City, Kan.

Right and wrong

The Vatican recently added to its list of sins, pollution, drug abuse, genetic experimentation, and the growing disparity between the rich and poor. It apparently forgot a more heinous sin: hypocrisy!

On both sides of the political aisle, we see the hypocrisy of those lecturing us on the moral clarity and the rule of law while they pursue unethical and illegal lifestyles: Eliot Spitzer on the left and Mark Foley on the right, for example.

We see government growing and spending us into the greatest federal deficit in history, while our foreign policy has alienated most of our allies, and the entire Islamic world.

In business, arrogance, greed, and bribery bring on mortgage foreclosures and a housing construction meltdown, inflation, unemployment, the highest levels of American debt and bankruptcies, while hiring undocumented workers perpetuates an immigration crisis.

Our religious leaders preach to megachurch congregations condemning gays, lesbians and Muslims, while ignoring basic Christian principles of kindness and humility, of feeding the poor.

The November election should not be about the “right or left.” It must be about what is “right or wrong.”

Rod Yeager
Kansas City

‘Bodies Revealed’

I long ago decided when I first heard about the bodies at Union Station that I wasn’t going to attend. Still haven’t changed my mind, but what I do mind is all the coverage and photos in the media. I guess it holds an eerie fascination, but I still don’t plan to attend. I would not take a young child, either.

I have been a teacher and a science fair judge for more than 15 years, but I just don’t feel comfortable with this exhibit. If I had been a board member, I would not have voted to have this exhibit displayed here in Kansas City.

Beth MacCurdy Wigner
Prairie Village

Spitzer’s party

So the governor of New York got caught in a lurid scandal. Big deal. Seems to happen all the time: a politician misusing his power to pursue his various, ahem, personal interests. What bothers me is The Star’s front page coverage of the story (3/11, “Spitzer caught in sex scandal”). At a quick glance, I could find nowhere that tells us that Eliot Spitzer is a Democrat. Not a single one. The only mention of the word “Democrat” was in reference to Lt. Gov. David Paterson taking over if Spitzer resigns.

Who’s willing to bet that, had the governor in this scandal been a Republican, the headlines would have blared about “Corruption in the GOP” and every third word would have alternated between “Republican” and “scandal”?

I’m half surprised that The Star didn’t bury this in the relative obscurity of Page 4, but at least they were able to excise some timely election year damage control for their vaunted, and evidently flawless, Democratic Party.

Dan Naden
Gardner

‘Bodies Revealed’

As a high school student, I see nothing wrong with the “Bodies Revealed” exhibit. What better way to educate the public on anatomy than to show and explain what humans are made of and how we work?

This exhibit is showcasing how far science has come, not just parading dead bodies. This is for education, and if you do not want to see it, then don’t go.

Christina Moore
Kansas City, North

To see the organs connected at the “Bodies Revealed” exhibit at Union Station in the respiratory, digestive, urinary, etc., systems is the real deal. That is how we are inside of our own bodies. Pictures in books, plastic overlays, and various kinds of models are not the real thing. There is certainly nothing insulting or degrading about our own bodies or this exhibit, as some of the letters to the editor are suggesting. There is something here for us to learn and appreciate about ourselves. In our country we strive for education for all, to stamp out all ignorance. Go see it.

Bob Siemens
Shawnee

Spitzer scandal

Unsurprisingly, all the people who suggested New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer resign were Republicans while the Democrats offered varying degrees of support (3/11, A-1, “Spitzer caught in sex scandal”).

Call me cynical, but why do I think the situation would be reversed if Spitzer was a Republican?

Too bad he was not an independent. We would have seen them all (Republicans and Democrats) in agreement and calling for his resignation.

Steven Thomas
Kansas City

‘Bodies Revealed’

I am writing in regard to the exhibit at the Union Station where human corpses are put on display.

I feel, for myself, that it is disrespectful, gross and gory. I think it should be shown only to those in the medical profession.

In my opinion, I would just as soon attend an autopsy.

Pauline Evans
Holt, Mo.

Shame on Kansas City and Union Station for achieving a new low by exhibiting the macabre “Bodies Revealed.”

In past times, when there was greater respect for human life, even the dead were treated with dignity. Today, the bodies of our fellow human beings have become a marketable commodity.

For society to no longer be shocked by such displays reflects the tremendous harm that has been done to our moral fiber by accepting the wanton slaughter of the innocent unborn and the painful starvation of those who are ill.

I commend Archbishop Joseph Naumann and Bishop Robert Finn for their courageous, if unpopular, stands to defend the dignity of human beings, before birth, after birth and even after death.

Francis Slobodnik
Topeka

I’ve been reading the various views regarding the Union Station “Bodies” exhibit. I knew that it was not an exhibit I would support. I did not feel strongly about it, though, until I saw the picture of the corpse on the front page of Friday’s edition (2/29).

I found the display of this deceased person so profoundly disturbing I could not even bring myself to open the paper. I put it in the recycle bin with a prayer for restoration of the moral fiber of our society. I then immediately canceled my subscription to The Star.

I am a nurse and know there are many fascinating lessons to be learned from the study of anatomy. That’s why companies have created plastic replications of every part of the body.

There truly can be no reason to denigrate a human body for profit and sensationalism. I pray that a competitor will develop a traveling exhibit of “A Human Body Revealed” with plastic and synthetic materials, and put this shameful company out of business.

Brenda Scruggs
Overland Park

‘Bodies Revealed’ exhibit

Regarding Wednesday’s article “Catholic schools warned against ‘Bodies’; Local archbishop and bishop say exhibit of preserved human specimens is degrading” (2/27, Local), here’s what arrived in my head within seconds: “Don’t pray in my school and I won’t think in your church.”

Rodney Thanksgiving
Roeland Park

I can’t say I was surprised that the Catholic diocese issued its warning to keep children away from the “Bodies Revealed” exhibit. I was surprised by the reasoning, however, which was vague and lacking in specifics.

I have seen the exhibit and I would caution parents with young children that they may find it disturbing, just as they might find a horror movie disturbing. I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit. It certainly made one appreciate the complexity of the human body.

My question to the diocese is this: Will you issue a similar warning to kids contemplating any type of medical career? Gross anatomy will be far worse than anything they might see at Union Station.

Wendy Lund
Overland Park

People leery of stories

Regarding “Growing numb to matters of morality? Stories of politicians’ indiscretions … appear to inspire less indignation now” (2/24, A-1): Please consider that the public may be less jaded to indiscretions of public figures than it is leery of media stories offered to make headlines, sell newspapers or gain TV ratings.

For the most part, the media have become an industry whose purpose it is to pander irrelevant gossip about public figures, especially during presidential elections.

Let’s follow the money. The price of advertising is related more to the volume of readers and viewers than veracity. A good story sells.

I heed the advice of my old sociology professor, who told me to focus on the corrections and retractions in the back of the newspaper for a balanced view instead of the headlines.

Alan Smead
Independence

Bad behavior glamorized

I read the story on the front page about the young girl, from a good family, with good friends, shortly out of high school and from a small town in Kansas, who met a boyfriend online and then was linked to bank robberies (1/6, “How life turned to crime is a mystery”). I followed the story through. There were no answers as to why.

Later, while reading the ads for one of a chain of department stores, I saw an ad for teenage girls. It showed a T-shirt with this phrase covering the whole front of the shirt:” Good Girls Love Bad Boys!” Go figure.

The Star and that store are part of the problem. Anything for a buck.

Jim Kilgore
Bates City, Mo.

Get what you pay for

We are corrupt, greedy and selfish.

Every one of us (rich or poor) expects benefits out of the public treasury, while unwilling to shoulder our fair share.

A country rich in billionaires and millionaires having a national debt is a disgrace. Constant demand for tax cuts is proof of our national kleptocratic psyche.

So let us not blame the politicians or the government. Let’s put the fault where it really is: “we, the taxpayers.” Or should I say “we, the thieves.”

Peter Theoharis
Lenexa

Spears’ pregnancy

I found Mary Sanchez’s column “Many teens are in Jamie Lynn’s predicament” (1/1, Opinion) interesting and insightful. But there seems to be one thing missing. Where were the parents? Where were the chaperones?
In the old days, studios protected their stars. No young female star would have been out at any time without a chaperone. It was never assumed that young people who were on their own would always show good judgment, so it was the responsibility of the adults involved to watch after the young.
If an adolescent is not old enough to sign a legal contract or buy alcohol, why are there no other protections for them? Likewise, parents were expected to set limits. Did it always work? No, but it was better than the present where no one seems responsible and then everyone is surprised by the results.
Nancy Jefferis
Shawnee

Regarding Mary Sanchez’s New Year’s Day column “Many teens are in Jamie Lynn’s predicament,” the courageous decision to have the baby was only half right. The best thing for the child statistically is to be adopted out to a two-parent family. That would be truly courageous.
This family has been ridiculed in print for a long time, and most of it is justified. Is it really in the best interest of the baby to be brought into this level of dysfunction?
Bill Moses
Liberty

Ten Commandments

God gave us 10 simple rules to follow. If we could follow, there would be no need for courts or judges. Attorneys would be out of work. No need for manufacturing any type of military equipment or supplies. Instead, man could be so productive and the world would be so peaceful and tranquil.
Instead, man chooses to be corrupt. It’s sad.
Jim Lockhart
Merriam

Morrison’s party

I keep hearing chatter about Paul Morrison being another Democrat who has gone bad. Let us not forget that Morrison switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat to challenge conservative Republican Phill Kline.

Is it possible Morrison could have been a Republican when he and Carter had a relationship? Carter claims she initially resisted her boss’ advances. Does that make it OK for her since she did not give in at first? It just goes to prove this has nothing to do with political affiliation. It depends on the morals of the person or persons!

Ramona Fuenfhausen
Liberty

Teen pregnancy joke?

Two things:

One, even if I suspend my disbelief for a moment that this is actually enduring news, it’s beyond inappropriate to use the Jamie Lynn Spears pregnancy as a platform from which to speculate on the sex lives and reproductive choices of other women (12/27, Preview, “Knocked up next?”), even if they are celebrities in the public eye!

Two, what’s with the bizarre throwback attitude that she is somehow a hussy for getting pregnant? Last I checked, it takes two to make a baby.

Amy Winger
Kansas City

The article “Knocked up next?” is in such bad taste I don’t know where to begin. The idea of asking readers which celebrity — including underage Dakota Fanning (13) and Miley Cyrus (15) – the reader wants “to see impregnated next” (emphasis added) is thoroughly repugnant.

As if the article itself weren’t bad enough, you had to make an online game. Is this supposed to be entertainment? This sounds like a bad joke that should never have made it into the paper. Where was the editorial judgment? Shame on The Star for publishing trash not even worthy of The Pitch.

Jessica Kerrigan
Kansas City

The Star has sunk to a new low.

Headline: “Knocked up next?”

“Knocked up” used to be a gross slang expression that very few people used. Now it’s everyday language.

To top it off you ask, “Which celeb do you want to see impregnated next?” followed by photos of some of the popular girls of today.

Unbelievable!

If I saw this in one of those raunchy tabloids at the grocery stand, it would still be offensive.

Patti M. Davis
Overland Park

Sarcasm?

I read James F. Westhues’ letter “President’s legacy” (12/24, Letters) that, among other things, said: “I, too, am enamored by this decent man (President Bush) who has restored morality and ethics in our government.”

Where has Mr. Westhues been the past seven years? We’ve witnessed one of the most corrupt and secretive governments in memory. Nixon was a Boy Scout.

William R. Park Sr.
Shawnee

Morrison scandal

Frank J. Smist Jr. writes (12/21, Letters) about Paul Morrison’s affair, trying to connect it with the Democratic Party. Morrison was a Republican when the affair began. Furthermore, cheating on a spouse is sleazy, but not illegal like Republican Sen. Larry Craig’s solicitation of an undercover policeman in a public restroom, which resulted in his arrest and confession.

Personally, I couldn’t care less about public officials’ sex lives. It’s between them and their spouses, and if a spouse doesn’t dump the guy for infidelity, that’s her business.

The reason all the Republican gay sex scandals have been so bandied about by non-Republicans is because many of those who were “outed” made their mark as gay-bashers. It’s not the sex — it’s the hypocrisy. Morrison never claimed that adulterers were going to hell.

While Morrison’s affair is inappropriate for a public office holder, so far the only person who did something illegal is whoever made the woman’s allegation public. That was legally confidential information, and the person who released it should be charged with the crime.

Bill Pryor
Overland Park

Christmas spirit?

Do you believe? I believe that, yes, there is a Santa Claus. There has to be, because some individual was extremely fortunate to discover a wallet with a substantial amount of cash enclosed. I wish that person the very best Christmas ever and a prosperous new year.

The money in the wallet belonged to my father and was accompanied by a completed bank deposit slip. These funds were to be used to buy a new furnace for his home. His current furnace has reached the end of its useful life, and carbon monoxide was leaking from it.

Additionally, my father is disabled and living on a fixed income. He had heart bypass surgery in November and is currently in cardiac rehabilitation. The very day the money was lost, my father was at the hospital, not only for his rehab appointment, but also to be with his 89-year-old father, who had surgery the previous day.

With knots in my stomach and tears streaming down my cheeks, I looked at my father’s heartbroken face as he said, “I hope whoever found it is from a needy family and they have a nice Christmas.”

Diana Deatherage
St. Joseph