Unfettered Letters

The blame game

Before Jan. 20, everything that happened was Bush’s fault, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s responses to natural disasters. Now that tainted peanut products have been sent to the victims of the ice storm, it’s FEMA’s fault.

What am I missing?

Rex Hargis
Shawnee

U.S. needs national power grid

Every state in the union is subject to frequent power outages due to various kinds of storms. Some individuals and businesses are still without power long after the ice storm that swept the nation. Yet, like the weather, everybody talks about it but nobody does anything. We are still dependent upon the antiquated poles and wires of yesteryear to deliver power. Storms knock them down, and power companies pay large sums of money to put them back up.

I hope the “stimulus package” contains public works funding to develop and install a power grid that can function in all kinds of weather. Creative engineers who already know how to provide power to orbiting space ships should be able to develop systems that benefit earthlings. An undertaking of this magnitude would provide jobs for years to come and be of enormous benefit to all Americans.

President Eisenhower was severely criticized for proposing the Interstate Highway System and had to fight tooth and nail for funding. He finally prevailed, and we have all benefited from the system. If President Obama could achieve the same measure of success with a nationwide power grid, his legacy would be secured.

Kenneth Lee
Raytown

Nuts to FEMA

Unless you have been living in a cave recently, you have heard about the salmonella-contaminated peanut products. Despite all this widespread coverage, the Federal Emergency Management Agency sent 168,000 emergency meal kits containing peanut butter to Kentucky residents following a devastating ice storm there (2/6, A-2).

Although residents were eventually warned not to eat the peanut butter, FEMA officials were obviously asleep at the switch. Can FEMA ever do anything correctly?

Jane Toliver
Leawood

Redemption after Katrina

Politics, not unlike life in general, is full of ironies. Last week at the presidential inauguration, I was struck by how ironic it was that America was celebrating the swearing-in of its first black president, in no small measure because of George Bush’s mishandling of the Katrina disaster.

Even some key aides now concede that Bush lost faith with the American people when they saw on television tens of thousands of their fellow citizens, mostly black, suffer and some even die in the streets of New Orleans because the most powerful government on Earth did not have the will to rescue them. It looked like a scene from a post-disaster “response” from Haiti or Pakistan or Myanmar.

Bush will have to explain all that suffering to his maker, but for the black people I saw and talked to that day in Washington, it felt like redemption.

Steve Glorioso
Kansas City

Texas thanks KCP&L all-stars

I want to let citizens of Kansas City know just how wonderful the employees of Kansas City Power & Light are.

These workers left their families and homes and came to our rescue after Hurricane Ike.

The residents of our subdivision are mostly older (age 60 and up). Being without power for 15 days — especially air conditioning, since we have such high humidity — really has an effect physically and mentally.

But these great people came to our rescue and late Saturday night we had air!

On behalf of the residents of Mossy Oaks in Spring, Texas, we say thank you.

Karin Kemmerer
Spring, Texas

I would like to extend a big thank you from all in Houston to Kansas City Power & Light. As I was leaving my neighborhood the other day, a convoy of utility trucks caught my eye. They were all from Kansas City. My spirits were lifted seeing people from around the country coming to help our hurricane-ravaged area. It was even more uplifting since these trucks were from my hometown.

I have always been proud to claim KC roots, and this show of generosity makes me so glad that I come from such a wonderful place.

Jennifer Bertrand Montes
Tomball, Texas

On Sunday, Sept. 28, I passed a convoy of more than 30 trucks from a power company. As is habit (because there have been numerous entities in the area), I looked at the doors to see where they were from. The logo was from Kansas City Power & Light. My heart ached. I wanted to honk my horn and wave to let these individuals know how appreciative I was, but I refrained.

I know these men and women have put their lives on hold to help those of us affected on the Gulf Coast. I don’t know how to say thank you. Your willingness to help means so much to so many.

Kristin Gibbard
Spring, Texas

Hurricane holdouts

I am getting so fed up with these Rambo type of people who choose to ride out these hurricanes by refusing to leave after it is ordered for all persons to evacuate.

They choose, on their own, to stay. But when the storm gets too rough for them, and their lives are in danger, they scream and complain and blame others for not getting them out soon enough.

These people not only put their own lives in danger, but they cause danger to the rescuers.

I think in the future these people should be set a hefty fine and charged for the rescue efforts.

George Jeter
Kansas City

Thanks from Chapman, Kan.

A simple “thank you” seems inadequate to describe what it has meant to see all the support pouring in after the destruction that hit USD 473 and the Chapman community. The donations and hours of hard work that have been given to help everyone affected by the tornado have been phenomenal. Offers of assistance with manpower, equipment, food, donations and just a word of support or caring have been a great encouragement for everyone.

It would be impossible to acknowledge each individual who has made a contribution to the recovery effort, but please know that we are grateful for everyone who has assisted in any way. School started as scheduled on Aug. 18 because of teamwork. Because of everyone’s support, we are looking forward to a wonderful school year.

Thank you again for all that you have done for our schools and our community. The board, administration, staff and students are sincerely grateful for your support.

Tony Frieze
Superintendent, USD 47
Chapman, Kan.

Human spirit mightier than flood

I have never seen such widespread destruction as the havoc caused by recent floods in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (6/14, A-2, “Nine rivers hit records”). I went there last week to transport supplies from our mental health center to one where I had been executive director. It is beyond my imagination to fathom how the city will regain any semblance of normalcy.

Yet the resiliency of the human spirit shines a light through what seems insurmountable. I met a mental health worker who had just relocated to an older section of the city before floods ravaged her neighborhood. She lost everything. In spite of this, she reported for work to help others.

The generosity of the human spirit has a wider span than the destructive forces of nature. A local businessman heard that Wyandot Center had taken a truckload of items to aid flood victims and planned to take another. He encouraged government and business leaders to join this humanitarian response. Several Wyandot Center staff volunteered to be on standby to provide mental health support in Cedar Rapids and have donated items for flood relief.

One good turn leads to another and to another and to another.

Peter W. Zevenbergen Jr.
Chief executive officer
Wyandot Center for Community Behavioral Healthcare
Kansas City, Kan.

Bush, floods

I was just wondering who Bush is bringing with him to explain to him what he’s supposed to be looking at on his trip to view the flooding on the Mississippi River.

Glenn Murphy
Cameron, Mo.

Flooding

Having gone through the 1993 floods while living in St. Joseph, I have been following the developments in Iowa closely.

One of the most heartening things to me in 1993 was the outpouring of help.

Today, I came across an example of that spirit in one place that I least expected it. I was visiting www.barackobama.com to do some research regarding his positions and found that prominent on this Web page was a plea for assistance for the victims of the flooding and a link to the American Red Cross Web site at www.redcross.org.

I urge everyone to contribute what they can to help the victims of this natural disaster, just as many helped us and our neighbors in 1993.

Dale Wethered
Mission