Letters to the Editor: We have only ourselves to blame for COVID-19 surge
We’re to blame
As the number of COVID-19 cases rose precipitously here in our state, I am inclined to write this letter and state: It is our own fault. My husband and I were at our grandson’s Little League game at Veterans Park. He and I and one other older couple had masks on and that was it. Pretty unbelievable considering the current state of affairs. If we want our children back in school, if we want our stores and restaurants to be fully open, if we want to make sure we don’t acquire this disease, then we all better be wearing masks when we are outside of our homes.
It’s that simple, folks. Let’s do it! Or continue to suffer the consequences.
Dr. Miriam L. David, Lexington
Wear the mask
One of the great things about this country is that we have had very few disasters, and very few that were not sudden, with no warning. Aren’t we lucky that this pandemic is not a bombing, a flood, or an earthquake affecting the entire nation?
Aren’t we lucky that we have warning, and at least some method for minimizing the risk and the danger. Yes, the mask. We all hate wearing them. They are no more uncomfortable for you than they are for anyone else. We should not risk more lost jobs, more businesses closing, more people sick and dying because we wouldn’t simply do the right thing and wear a mask.
Now, you might be a “hell, yeah, I woke up in a free country” kind of person. Unquestionably, personal freedom is a wonderful thing, and as a descendant of immigrants who came seeking freedom and opportunity, I am grateful to be an American. However, if you use your personal freedom to help close your neighbor’s business, make your mother sick, or make sure your buddy loses his job then you probably didn’t really understand that while we are a free country, Americans also try to take care of each other.
So, which kind of American are you?
Selma Owens, Lexington
Mail-in voting
Like Florida, it would seem President Donald Trump would be highly supportive of voting by mail in Kentucky. With a secretary of state who formerly worked with the president, the close relationship between Trump and our former governor and current senators and Kentucky’s status as essentially a red state; how could we not be as prepared as Florida for mail-in voting? We check all Trump’s boxes. No need to worry about a lawsuit; let ’er rip!
Charles Myers, Lexington
Golf fee hike
Not sure who is running the golf courses but the city just raised prices during a pandemic when most people are out of a job and there is not much else to do. This would not be so bad if golf courses were in great shape, but the truth is they are all in very bad shape. It’s like no one is taking care of anything. Kearney Hill Golf Links is burnt up; someone turned the water off for the second time in the last three years. It’s very sad because that is a great course. The greens at the Gay Brewer Jr. Golf Course at Picadome are full of some kind of fungus; they have big areas of dead spots. Tates Creek Golf Course is always wet. I’m just not sure why we are paying more for less.
Mark Tipton, Lexington
Free GOP women
I was eager to read a column in the Herald-Leader by Barbara Ellerbrook, the national membership chair for the National Federation of Republican Women, though not for her partisan criticism of the paper’s astute opinions columnist Linda Blackford.
As membership chair, Ellerbrook has influence within the Republican Party for which I worked decades ago as press secretary: Its women were an important part of the then-moderate Kansas GOP.
Her column ends with its actual raison d’etre: “I will be supporting and voting for Senator Mitch McConnell, and Congressman Andy Barr for reelection in November.”
Sorry, but my vote will neutralize hers. Instead, I’m going to take the bet she is making on the political hand she holds and raise it with a challenge — free the women from working their guts out to save GOP good ole boys by encouraging women to run for office themselves, like Democratic women did in 2018.
Women can then start the hard work of rebuilding the archaic, slave-bound Republican Party. The white male Grand Obstructionist Party and tyrannical Trump administration neither resemble nor represent our diverse nation. Instead, they cling to power and prosperity by enacting voter suppression tactics/laws while gerrymandering congressional districts, hurting women of all hues.
Ramona Rush, Lexington
Let’s talk ‘confusion’
In her opinion piece in the Herald-Leader, writer Marie Fischer implies that voters should choose a “clear thinking” Donald Trump over Joe Biden, due to Biden’s demonstrated speaking gaffes. Biden has never been a great public speaker, but his moments of confusion pale in comparison to the alternative.
I wonder if she remembers the border wall that Mexico was going to fund. No, we will pay for it. Or the great healthcare plan being developed that didn’t happen, and now this administration is in court to take healthcare away from many Americans. I wonder if she remembers how well prepared we were for COVID-19, the virus that was just like the flu and would disappear over the summer. The writer should also be concerned about how a mockery is being made of the rule of law, how the continued rollback of environmental regulations will further degrade the environment, and those never-ending “clear thinking” tweets full of inaccuracies and hate. Selecting a president is about policy and character. Biden is head and shoulders above Trump in both these areas. I’ll take a few gaffes and moments of confusion from Joe Biden rather than what I have witnessed from Trump.
William Farnau, Lexington
‘Thankless job’
It seems the mainstream media has grown confused about the importance of police. For the record, they are underpaid, not overpaid. They are cursed at, mocked, ridiculed, and made scapegoats in liberal circles and enclaves when in fact most current “social justice” novices wouldn’t last a week trying to do their thankless job. Weed out the bad apples, raise the pay for the rest.
JD Mackey, Lexington
Lexington PD
I would like to provide some insight based upon my 24 years of experience with the Lexington Police Department. The city’s police department is one of the most highly trained in the country.
In 1973 when I joined the department, it was changing to develop into a more professional organization, involving increasing training, screening of candidates, accountability, and an increased emphasis on formal education.
When first assigned to the Training Unit, I realized the academy curriculum was inadequate and lacked sensitivity and crisis intervention training. Community members were invited to share their views on divisive issues. Mental illness resources were incorporated into a new crisis intervention class.
In 1993, the department received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, and has been re-accredited several times since.
Strategies such as walking beats, horse/bike patrols, and crime prevention booths at events were implemented to provide citizens with the opportunity to interact with police. The department implemented the Police Activities League, a program to help at-risk kids. About 3,000 citizens have graduated from the Citizen Police Academy.
I can assure citizens that the Public Integrity Unit and the Disciplinary Review Board thoroughly investigates and reviews disciplinary cases.
Please be proud of our officers, who serve our community daily under very challenging circumstances.
Richard H. Owen, retired Lexington police captain, Lexington
Still waiting
The state’s unemployment office is letting people lose everything because they won’t respond back. I’ve been waiting for almost two months for someone to call me back. It’s embarrassing.
Burley Dutton, Owensboro
Thanks, VA
My first experience with Lexington’s Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system was excellent. As a Vietnam era veteran, I had a primary care appointment for a general physical. With all the negative publicity about the VA system over the past several years, I was unsure of what to expect. The nurse that conducted the preliminary screening and the doctor that did the examination were professional and at the same time friendly. Both seemed knowledgeable and to be enjoying their work. I did not feel like there was a time constraint to complete the exam.
Thank you, VA of Lexington, for a pleasant experience.
Terry S. Barnes, Lexington
McGrath has integrity
A campaign ad for Sen. Mitch McConnell against Democratic senatorial candidate Amy McGrath portrays her as unpolished and “wooden.” Frankly, these are not the qualities I am worried about. Highest on my list of the qualities I am looking for is integrity. Amy graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a degree in political science and took an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. She spent the next 20 years doing just that, flying combat missions in Afghanistan and fulfilling her military service with honor. That’s patriotism and integrity. She took her oath seriously.
Amy has congressional experience as a defense and foreign affairs advisor and as a Marine Corps liaison to the Department of State. She knows how Congress works. Amy studied at Georgetown University as well as Johns Hopkins University where she earned a master’s degree in international and global security. That’s the education and experience for the job she seeks now.
Granted, she is new to the political arena as a candidate. She may not be the silver-tongued politician we are used to. But she is honest, competent, and eager to represent the people of Kentucky for our benefit, not her own.
Betty Snider, Nicholasville