Letters to the Editor: When will mass shootings ever stop in the United States?

Uvalde massacre

In Texas another mass shooting. When will it stop. Before even any of the funerals begin what we hear already is the same old Republican political blocking retorts that signals no change to this bloody rampage in America. The strategy: We need more thoughts and prayers. We need more interest in mental health. We need to pour more money into police protection. Guns don’t kill people—people kill people. It’s all President Biden and the Democrats fault. God is the only answer. These retorts are actually a fund raising battle cry of the right to run your lifers. What they are really saying is please send more blood money to your favorite conservative voices so that that those voices can (1) prevent anyone from taking away any of your guns, and (2) stop any roadblocks to anyone securing more weapons for already bulging personal arsenals. As I said above, when will it all end? Gun lovers don’t seem to mind, or want to change, the 124 gun deaths that occur each and every day in America. Those daily deaths are a small price to pay so that fanatics can cling to their gun addiction. Blood money tastes real good.

Gene Lockhart, Lexington

Too many guns

Stupid is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. This country has more guns per person than anywhere else in the world allegedly to keep us safe, but we have the highest incidence of gun violence and deaths by gun than any other country. Republican politicians say it’s not the gun, but the person with mental health issues who uses the gun that’s the problem. Yet they cut funding for mental health which shows their hypocrisy.Republican politicians spent millions of dollars investigating and along with Fox News discussed endlessly the four Americans killed at Benghazi. Yet they say the left wants to politicize these mass killings if the left wants to discuss common sense gun legislation. Stupid is electing Republican politicians over and over again and expecting a different outcome on gun violence.

Joe and Kathy Crouch, Lexington

Resource officers

I took interest in the article about the Fayette County Sheriff placing two deputies in Lexington Christian Academy as school resource officers starting August 2022. Let me also state LCA is a private religious-based school so I ask myself if this might possibly violate the first amendment to our Constitution. The first amendment states there should be a separation of church and state. It further states that government should remain neutral toward all religions and not officially recognize or favor any one religion over another. Is the Sheriff favoring LCA over Lexington Catholic High School, Trinity Christian Academy, or Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary School? I have not heard or seen any evidence that SRO’s have been placed or will be placed in these other religious private schools by the Sheriff. As a Fayette County taxpayer, I feel I am entitled to have this looked into and investigated for a violation of the First Amendment.

James Jeffrey Coleman, Lexington

Abortion rights

I urge U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, and U.S. Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul to codify Roe vs Wade. It is a foundational aspect of our constitutional rights to bodily autonomy. Overturning the act would be detrimental to the well-being of Americans across the nation. Our elected officials are trusted with upholding the freedoms and rights of our citizens, we look to them to protect those rights and stand up against those that endanger them. Abortion is healthcare. It is life-saving healthcare. Banning abortion will only ban safe abortions, causing thousands of women to die. If you allow Roe vs. Wade to overturn, the blood of thousands of American women will be on your hands.

Amanda Vatter, Lexington

Red lights

I have a question for our Mayor Linda Gorton, whom I support. I want to know why I see red light runners on a daily basis and not a traffic stop one. Someone needs to get a handle on this issue, or we will see more and more deaths. I am certain that there is a reason, but as to what it could be I have no idea.

Anne Wells, Lexington

Paul’s diplomacy

I disagree with Rick Chrisman’s assertion that the world would be more peaceful if Sen. Rand Paul was in charge of foreign policy. There are many theories about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reasons for invading Ukraine in addition to the stated excuse about NATO’s encroachment on his western flank but in fact, no one really knows, and I suspect Putin’s fear of an invasion from NATO is far from the whole story. The fact is that Putin destroyed Chechnya and he invaded both Georgia and Ukraine before Ukraine’s membership into NATO was under anything close to serious consideration. Had Sen. Paul been in charge of U.S. foreign policy, it’s not unreasonable to believe Putin would have gobbled up all of the former Soviet Republics and then set his sights on who knows which other countries. Perhaps Sen. Paul needs to refresh his memory regarding Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement of Adolf Hitler.

Jack Ellis, Tahoe City, Cal.

Paul’s neighbor

In 2017, Sen. Rand Paul was beaten by his next-door neighbor, who had crossed onto Paul’s backyard to settle some trifling landscaping dispute. I would’ve thought that Paul, who was severely injured by his neighbor’s unprovoked aggression, would have more empathy and understanding for what Ukrainians are enduring from Russia, their neighbor. I guess I was wrong!

Paul L. Newman, Merion Station, Penn.

Free will

Mr. Whitney Wade, your editorial on abortion was both condescending and insulting. Like all Republicans, you believe a woman is striped of her rights because she becomes pregnant. She is born with the right of “free will.” You should know this, but you choose to ignore it.

You state, “there are two lives which must be considered.” Yes, but not the ones you portray and choose to ignore. A male must be present for conception to occur.

In your targeted survey, how many males did you interrogate? How many males felt shame? How about actor Clint Eastwood who is responsible for five abortions. Did your cheering crowd boycott his movies? No, Mr. Wade, you sanctimoniously dump the male’s responsibility on a woman’s shoulders screaming, “It’s all her fault! She must wear a scarlet ‘A’. She must be treated like a brainless uterus with two legs.” And the crowd cheers and stands yelling “Crucify her! Crucify her!”.

What is your next target, Mr. Wade, the Constitution? And the crowd cheers.

Damian Beach, Frankfort

Fairy tales

At last my time has come. For many years I have been acutely aware of the hideous violence in traditional “fairy tales” like those of the Brothers Grimm. Time to ban them so children can learn of violence when they grow up and join the military. Meantime, lets’ continue to teach that insitutionalized violence like our wars, including the War Between the States, was a valiant attempt to preserve a lovely Gone with the Wind way of life. Those who want to change things are obviously rank leftist socialists.. And that brings me to Cinderella, one of the most insidious fairy tales of them all. How many generations of girls have been indoctrinated to think they are help-less, dependent, worthless creatures who must be rescued by a man in order to find happiness?When they grow up and realize that marriage is not a heaven -like state, they will become embittered and seekseek solace in pharmaceutical drugs (in the old days Valium), now Oxy). Once we remove these dastardly influences we can go back to the good old days where people were rigidly locked into gender stereotypes and innocent childhoods.

Sally Wasielewski

Not a robot

I recently met with a customer service lady; a bit gruff but we got through it and then I said, “I’ll forgive you for that Ohio State cap.” She laughed, “are you Michigan?” “No, Purdue”, “well, that’s OK.” I just want to shout-out for all the customer service people and receptionists dealing every day with unhappy customers. It’s not fair they face the guff while the suits upstairs screw up and alien programmers make it a nightmare to navigate websites. My practice is to use some friendly banter to lighten the day and give these folks a chance to feel a moment of human recognition. Let’s establish a National Customer Service Appreciation week!

And cyberworld makes matters worse. Sure, the internet helps in important ways, but wasn’t it easier before personal security became such an issue? Now to get anywhere you must supply a password, an account security code, four digits of your SSN, a callback number for a verification code, your mother’s maiden name… I have my Captain Marvel Club decoder ring ready. For anything medical I’m asked for my birthday. Sometimes I tell them, “it’s a week from tomorrow.” That sometimes lightens the day; not always.

Ernest Henninger, Harrodsburg

On our own

It has become apparent that people of color, poor people, handicapped and other marginalize groups are on their own. Let’s look at the people sworn to protect and provide a democratic solution for all people of our great country: Law enforcement-corrupt, prosecutors-corrupt, judicial system and judges -corrupt, Supreme Court of the United States-corrupt, Congress-corrupt, state legislators-corrupt, local officials-corrupt, schoolboards-corrupt, churches and evangelical pastors-corrupt (they are against abortions but have sexually and physically abused thousands of kids) and the greed of the corporations who are receiving record profits that has fueled inflation.

People need to learn that they have freedoms to carry weapons, stand their ground and have parental rights to protect their children. Turning the other cheek and praying just doesn’t work in today’s climate. Being law-abiding citizens just don’t work for some groups. I look back 10-15 years ago with sadness when the two most respected occupations were police and pastors and now, they are the least respected. I guess we are on our own.

Jim Dunn, Burgin

Personal enrichment

Whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, we can all agree that our representatives in Congress shouldn’t be able to use their elected office to gain an unfair advantage and enrich themselves.Unfortunately, our existing laws don’t do enough to stop members of Congress from engaging in insider trading or prevent conflicts of interest between their responsibility to the public and their personal financial gain. That’s why our representatives must act to ban buying and selling stocks altogether while in office. 76% of Americans, including 78% of Republicans, agree that members of Congress should not be allowed to buy or sell stocks while they are in office.The American people deserve to know that our elected representatives are looking out for us, not looking to line their pockets.

John Loventhal, Lexington