Letters to the Editor: ‘Laughable.’ Rand Paul, Mitch McConnell wield fear.

Come on, Rand

It is difficult for our country to address the issues surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement, especially when the president has some documented white supremacy leanings himself. It must be hard for Sen. Rand Paul too.

After leaving a Republican National Convention session, Paul tweeted that he was attacked by about a hundred members of a “crazed angry mob”. I believe in this situation the best option would have been to stop and tell this “mob” that he understands why they are angry and as a sitting senator he would try to address peace and justice issues by encouraging a process to address the troubling events that continue to flash across our television screens. But, no, he chose the typical Republican response of making the incident one of denial, deflection, and fear, demonizing the angry crowd, making this a law and order issue and placing the blame at the feet of Joe Biden. Make no mistake, there are no dots to connect the demonstrations and violence of this summer to Biden. He has been behind the scene for almost four years, yet Paul, however, and the president, have been in Washington. The ball is in their court.

William Farnau, Lexington

Wielding fear

Sen. Mitch McConnell gave all of two minutes to the Republic National Convention the last night of the convention. Well, that’s one minute more than he had for ailing coal miners who rode a bus 10 hours to his Washington, D.C., office to ask him for help.

Throughout his two minutes McConnell kept drawling on about how “they want to decide this and that for you”.

It’s laughable that the Grim Reaper would accuse anyone of seizing decision making when he declared laughingly, “I get to decide what we vote on.” And so America has seen nothing from the Senate the last three years but one-sided, right-leaning judges, even not qualified, put in lifetime jobs that will tilt the scales of justice.

McConnell has become so jaded to the needs of America that he can’t conceal his tactic of instilling fear in suffering citizens for his own political gain.

He criticizes Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden for showing his moral fiber and character. McConnell says the Democrats won’t say what they will do. But what we do know from our own eyes and ears is that McConnell declared nothing will get done if America rejects the hate and divisiveness of Donald Trump.

Jamie Kirven, Louisville

Listen up, UK

Turn off the platitude machine and turn on the listening machine, Dr. Eli Capilouto and rest y’all University of Kentucky administrators. Students yell “n----r” at another student. Reaction of students in earshot: just ignore that.

Student posts signs about racism towards him. Well, guess who’s in trouble now. Hint: It’s not the white people.

Recommended pandemic pastime: I convert the UK platitude machine’s magnanimous pronouncements into Mad Libs. Makes a fun pandemic patio party game.

Erin O’Donnell, Lexington

Changing his tune

For months we have been told by Gov. Andy Beshear to listen to the experts; that we must follow their guidelines. This is the basis for the 15 days to flatten the curve now moving towards 200 days of indiscriminate rules and regulations. Recently the Centers for Disease Control, THE expert body, issued new guidelines to only test symptomatic people suspected of having COVID-19. King Andy said he vehemently opposes this guidance and is going to continue full-out testing. Why? Because if the guidelines were followed the 70% asymptomatic “new” tests would disappear, removing his need for a daily “Band of Brothers” speech. He would have nothing to talk about. Death rates are not increasing. He would be out of reasons to not reopen. He and his emergency room state doctor are now the experts. He is a hypocrite.

Dallen Wendt, Nicholasville

Not that dumb

Oh, for a dollar every time Gov. Andy Beshear uses his destroy-the-state-with-impunity alibi. He thinks Kentuckians are so stupid they don’t know every time they had flu they were in lines of transmission hundreds of people long that ended in people dying, and that never made them killers. Probably he is also conditioned to habitual use of this line from giving reassurances to his BFF, Planned Parenthood: Don’t worry, Planned Parenthood and NARAL didn’t endorse him for nothing.

Glen Reidhaar Lexington

Housing error

I live on Penmoken Park, and I noticed “Shame” spray painted on the newly built 86 Penmoken Park. This attempt to debase the new development is really a rebuttal to Lexington’s housing plan. This lot goes against the objectives to respect the context and design features of areas surrounding development, encourage creativity in housing development, and to de-emphasize vehicle dependence. This type of density on Nicholasville Road is a blunder when traffic congestion is so bad — the homes come with a two-car garage and driveway.

Perhaps the city, and the Pensacola District, could work together on issues like the construction of accessory dwelling and commercial units. Pensacola could offer more missing middle housing or cottage clusters. These would be more affordable than the new tract homes, and encourage walkability in the area.

The neighborhood had opposed the demolition of a unique house and the construction of tract homes. The situation at the end of the street is exactly what the neighborhood feared. The city needs more housing, and building nothing is certainly bad. But allowing the construction of bad options is unacceptable. Now, the spray painted “Shame” is bricked over, part of this home forever.

Elizabeth Greenwell, Lexington

For shame, H-L

I’m not often embarrassed to have the Herald-Leader as my hometown newspaper, but a recent edition is a standout exception. A front-page photograph and main story about a corn maze-based political advertisement that encouraged people to re-elect a thoroughly despicable liar who is turning the United States into a despicable nation was terrible journalism.

Michael Kennedy, Lexington

‘Hit job’

Herald-Leader opinion columnist Linda Blackford’s hit job on Attorney General Daniel Cameron typified Democrats’ universal response to any African American caught expressing traditional American values and respect for Western civilization (which she says she doesn’t understand -- but, of course she doesn’t!). In the few instances where she actually expressed mild appreciation for Cameron, I was waiting for her to echo Joe Biden in 2007: “I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” Biden said. “I mean, that’s a storybook, man.”

In spite of what Blackford and her radical cohorts in the streets of American cities are demanding, justice doesn’t move any faster just because she or they demand it. Cameron’s recent announcement that he had received ballistic test results from the FBI lab illustrates the fact that he has not been stalling this investigation. After all, why would he even consider doing that? There’s no upside for him in not doing a thorough investigation.

Blackford is not complaining about the amount of time it’s taking John Durham to investigate government malfeasance by Obama administration officials. And I’m fairly certain that she’s probably not going to like the results of that investigation either.

David L. Patton, Lexington

Pain clinic patients

Last month, state and federal law enforcement officers closed a Kentucky pain management clinic until further notice.

Patient care is collateral damage in an abrupt closure like this. Those who live with chronic pain will see a disruption regardless of what comes from the visit from federal authorities. This threatens the continuity of care, which could lead to worsening pain and medication withdrawal, or even seeking relief with street drugs. This is harmful to all patients and potentially deadly for some.

Although pain management clinics may have a bad reputation, the medical community recognizes that these facilities play a valuable role in health care. They provide specialty treatment for a segment of our population that legitimately struggle with pain issues.

Until now, patients often learned of a pain clinic’s emergency closure when they arrived for their appointment. However, under the provisions of House Bill 344, legislation we passed during the 2020 legislative session, patients will be notified by the state if their pain clinic is closed. The new law allows the Cabinet for Health and Family Services or a licensing board to access the state’s prescription reporting database (KASPER) to identify patients. The agency must then notify patients of the emergency closure of the clinic.

Rep. Kim Moser, Taylor Mill, 64th House District

It’s our fault

I am an aged cynic. To me almost all shootings/killings are senseless, regardless of race, gender, religion, or status involved. Lexington has recently become a microcosm of Chicago. That is not a good thing. In times past teenage arguments that escalated resulted in fisticuffs, seldom with any resolution. However the disciplinary repercussions of such activity when they returned home were more painful than any physical ailments sustained in the altercation.

Perhaps the protest groups should march everyday into the communities where these criminally involved teenagers live and demand that the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and any other authority figures provide enough discipline to end this seemingly continuous cycle of violence and crime. That is the change that is really needed. Look in the mirror, folks. It is nobody else’s fault. It is that simple.

Mike Daugherty, Lexington

America, just stop

As a Kentuckian in Australia, I’ve watched in horror since 2016 as the United States slides into a fascist mafia-state much like Russia, Poland, Hungary, Brazil, and others.

Neo-nazis in the streets chanting about “Jews not replacing them.” Killing Heather Heyer with a car. A white supremacist echoing this administration’s “immigrant invasion” in his manifesto executed more than 20 in the dear city of El Paso, Texas Today I see video of militias working directly with Kenosha police and then one 17-year-old shooting dead two protesters. This is the United States under President Donald Trump’s regime. And it will only get worse. We know Trump will not leave the White House willingly if he loses. And these are the people he’s calling upon to unleash terror in our beloved country.

Living in Australia has been eye opening. They use hand-marked, hand-counted paper ballots. It works perfectly. I saw it in action by volunteering to observe their election. They have Medicare for all. I use it. My asthma inhaler is $6 over the counter. I once paid $90 in the United States.

I plead with my fellow Americans. Please stop. You deserve better. This is not normal.

Lisa Conley, Melbourne, Australia

This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 1:46 PM.