Unfettered Letters

Hank Young is a KC treasure

What a surprise when I saw a picture of Hank Young on the cover of Kansas City Star Magazine (3/8, "An eye on the Chiefs; For more than 35 years, Hank Young has trained his camera on the team - and the world"). One, he's a wonderful human being. Two, you actually got to take his picture.

I've been lucky enough to be friends with Hank for many years, and getting him to be in a photo is very difficult. He's very elusive!

Thanks for taking the time to capture the essence of Hank and for bringing to light another Kansas City treasure. If you can find his Gameface book anywhere, buy it. It takes us through the glory years of the Chiefs the way only a pro can.

Jeff Holmes
Leawood

Ramseyer served JoCo voters

Bob Ramseyer’s obituary (3/8, Local) did not mention his involvement with Johnson County elections. He was, by far, one of the most dedicated citizens serving the residents of Johnson County on election days. He served many years as a supervising judge for every election until last year when he began chemo treatments. He deeply regretted missing the recent presidential election.

Jokingly, Bob was the “self-appointed” president of the nonexistent JCEWU (Jo Co Election Workers Union).

Johnson County is extremely fortunate to have many devoted election workers following the example set forth by Bob. We hope his legacy will continue to thrive as voters continue to express their democratic freedom at the polls.

Whether appropriate or ironic, Bob died on Tuesday, March 3 — Election Day in Johnson County. We will definitely miss him and will always remember his fun-loving personality.

Tom Ray
Election director of voting locations and staffing
Johnson County Election Office
Olathe

Limbaugh and the GOP

So the left and the mainstream media are up in arms at the comments of Rush Limbaugh suggesting the failure of President Obama’s policies. How dare Limbaugh not support nationalizing health care, vastly expanding the welfare state, likely tripling the deficit of Bush, weakening the military, supporting a suspect global warming treaty, rolling back support of Israel, expanding abortion rights, illegal immigration and an almost unending list of other left-wing social programs that will bankrupt future generations?

Am I to believe that Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, television networks and newspapers were striving to support George Bush over the last eight years?

Millions of conservatives disagree with Obama’s policies. Last I heard, we had that right. God knows that the left has been exercising the same position as Limbaugh for years.

Tom Zach
Gladstone

To claim Rush Limbaugh to be the head of the Republican party demonstrates the intellectual grasp of Mary O’Halloran as much as it does the power of Mr. Limbaugh (3/4, A-1, “Is Rush GOP royalty?; Limbaugh is the party’s leader, some Democrats think, while Republicans are wary to cross him”). But it has provided the Democratic Party leadership a much-needed distraction from Americans’ close examination of their policies. You know, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

What Mr. Limbaugh should have said was that these liberal attitudes and policies toward governing can no more succeed here than they did in Cuba or the Soviet Union. Whatever relief the Democratic Party may temporarily enjoy now will be short lived, as their wild spending, tax policies and massive deficits in the face of economic crisis work against America over the next two election cycles. They will then pay at the ballot box, as surely as all Americans will pay for these deficits.

Charley Morasch
Leawood

Reading Rush Limbaugh’s rants and the ditto remarks of Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, I wonder why they’re upset over President Obama’s plan. Evidently there is a blank spot in their memories of the $700 billion bailout of the banking system that President Bush pushed through Congress last October, with the panic that we had to save the economy. All this occurred without any oversight as to what was going to happen to the money.

Any individual, Democrat, Republican or Independent, wishing that Obama fail in his attempts to stabilize the nation is tantamount to saying the United States should go down the tube because you don’t like our current president. Pitiful!

Joseph Zaiotti
Kansas City

Rush Limbaugh should be a happy man. He was characterized as “a big fat idiot” in a book title a few years ago, but thanks to his expressed wishes that our new government will fail, he’s never looked smaller.

Dan Nastali
Kansas City

Missing Vince Bilardo

I was saddened to read of the passing of Vince Bilardo (2/26, Local, “KC drummer Vince Bilardo, mentor to other musicians, dies”). Having been a bunny at the Hotel Continental Playboy Club, I got to know him well. He was always supportive, fun and professional. He was very dear to all of us.

As the first African-American bunny at the club, I found his support and advice invaluable.

The last time I saw Vince and his wife, Joanie, was at the Folly Theater. He was, as always, the consummate gentleman.

Thank you. You will be missed.

Lea Hopkins
Leawood

Kline deserves respect

The media’s perennial assault campaign against Phill Kline as he has dealt with the George Tiller abortion clinic is just an example of the tactics used to divert our attention from the real issue of abortion. We are a country that has legalized murder through a Supreme Court ruling and has further facilitated the slaughter of unborn children through the many laws passed to protect a woman’s “rights.”

Some of these lawmakers and Supreme Court judges who have ruled in favor of abortion have since died, and now they know who is the only author of moral law and our true judge.

If we really accepted God’s laws as the standards for those we enact, Kline would not be the whipping boy the media has made him. In fact, he would most likely get the respect he truly deserves. You see, he understands law as few in his profession do.

Ed Cronin
Shawnee

Missing Cindy Wollen

The article about Cindy Wollen (2/22, Local, “Friendship flowed with the joe”) took my breath away. She was loved by many and left us too soon. What a wonderful tribute to her. She would have been proud of the article.

Cindy was loved by many, and she was always helping people. I would watch her hand $20 to a stranger. Some would pay her back, but some she would never see again.

Cindy didn’t have a lot, but she gave what she could. She is sadly, sadly missed.

Jeanne Coday
Olathe

Shublom’s influence on basketball great

I read with sadness that former Wyandotte High School basketball coaching legend Walt Shublom had passed (2/16, Sports). The article was a wonderful tribute to a great man. There was, however, one important omission: Walt influenced the development of high school basketball coaches in the Midwest more than anyone before or since.

Each October, his Clinic of Champions was attended by more than 700 coaches from Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado and beyond. Walt would bring in eight to 10 coaches from around the United States who had won a state championship the year before. I was one of them. I learned so much from the other speakers that first year that I came back for the next 12 years.

Shublom’s influence and contribution to the game of basketball were immeasurable. Thanks, Walt!

Doug Schakel
Olathe

Millicent Daugherty made an impact

Some people travel through life leaving a light imprint. Others stride through life, savoring each moment, giving joy and touching lives and communities deeply. This would describe Millicent Daugherty, who lived life to the fullest until the very last (2/12, Local, “Familial bond stood the test of time”). I knew her as a teacher and organizer, and she was brilliant at both. She demanded the very best from her students, and she got it.

She was everything a teacher should be: an expert in her field, a leader, compassionate, demanding, cajoling, caring and loving. Students wanted to do their best for her because they realized they were in the presence of greatness.

As well as the Music/Arts Institute she founded, she organized the music division of the George Caleb Bingham Academy of the Arts. On one of our field trips to the Kansas City Chamber Music presentation, I sat in front of her by several rows. We were asked to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” It was not long until the magnificent voice of Millicent encouraged us to stop singing and to listen. After the concert, audience members sought her out to praise her.

Millicent’s imprint will last forever. Brilliance never dies.

Janice Malott
Independence

Updike will be missed

I enjoyed John Mark Eberhart’s moving tribute to John Updike (1/28, A-1). We’ll also miss the man as a perceptive art critic. He was the rare writer who left a huge oeuvre and still crafted every sentence.

Asked about the drudgery of writing during his “In Depth” appearance on Book-TV, I remember his saying: “Even on the dreariest of days, I find that one well-written sentence will lead to another.”

John Updike is at rest. There will be no more dreary days for the Old Rabbit in front of the keyboard, but all lovers of literature will sorely miss those well-written sentences.

Larry Heffel
Lenexa

They’re ‘rich’ in many ways

Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, hero of Flight 1549, is a prime example of how we all benefit from the brightest, most productive individuals among us. His intelligence, focus and training resulted in a contribution to society that few of us can ever hope to equal.

What is the value of 155 lives? To their families? To society? What is the value of a stable, well-managed business to its employees and customers?

Another attribute our most productive citizens share is that they are generally considered “rich.” There are exceptions, of course, but the so called “rich” usually make better decisions, work harder and create more shareable “wealth” than the rest of us. Their productions (safe flights, successful operations, well-run businesses, award-winning movies), enrich myriad numbers of us.

Instead of begrudging these unusually talented individuals their monetary rewards, we should thank them for sharing their exceptional talents in exchange for the small amount of money we each end up paying for their services. We are extremely lucky to have individuals such as Capt. Sullenberger in our midst.

Jim Smith
Kansas City