Taking a knee
An athlete “taking the knee” in a sports arena is not allowed. But Republicans “taking the knee” of voter suppression to the throats of the nation’s voters will be allowed.
Republicans know the right to vote and the voter will be dead in less than 9 minutes.
No autopsy necessary.
Judy Rembacki
Georgetown, Ky
Feigned outrage
Sen. Mitch McConnell and former Kentucky Auditor Adam Edelen feigned outrage that Quintez Brown was bailed out by the Black Lives Matter Community Fund. They said Brown was an assassin. Was this because he was Black?
Have either of them heard of Dylann Roof: white supremacist who killed nine Blacks at a bible study. Hate groups raised bond and defense funds. Assassin?
Ahmaud Arbery: Killed by 3 white men while jogging. Free men for over 3 months before charged. Assassins?
Kyle Rittenhouse: Killed 2 men, had to turn himself in and got bail money from right wingers. (Mike Lindell and Lin Wood).
The corrupt segment of law enforcement who have assassinated Blacks and called it justifiability!! Can we say qualified immunity?
So Mitch and Adam, when you are outraged at a community fund for poor people of color and not at the funding of well-heeled, right wing, hate groups, then your bias is showing. A sheet and hood are not proper attire these days, but you can still play your ace called “WHITENESS”.
Jim Dunn
Burgin, Ky
Minor problems
Some years ago, I was reading a book that included a cartoon that showed a wagon and a harnessed horse. The bridled end of the horse was hooked to the front of the wagon, while the back end of the horse was hooked to the front end of the wagon’s tongue. In our state, and in other states across our land, we seem to be “all hitched up backwards”. We seem to major on the “minors” and minor on the “majors”.
To illustrate: Kentucky is well known for being near the top of all states across our Union in child abuse and childhood hunger with less “solution finding” for these major problems, yet we can find plenty of energy to legislate “critical race theory” (that is not taught in our schools), and to curtail the Governor and local school authorities’ attempts to keep our citizens alive and well from COVID-19.
When do we keep the main thing, the main thing?
Mike Chamberlain
Lexington, KY
Laying blame
It is difficult to understand the thinking of Rep. Andy Barr. Maybe it is apparent to others, especially veterans, as to why he seemingly laid the Soviet invasion into the sovereign country of Ukraine at the feet of the President of the United States while not mentioning the despicable role of Vladamir Putin, the Soviet leader who initiated the invasion.
Barr wraps himself in the American flag when he heralds his support for veteran’s causes. Supporting our veterans is important and a valued tradition for the individuals who have served and died to protect us from the communist threat and despotic leaders such as Putin. I don’t doubt that Barr is committed to democratic values, but he does seem to have a peculiar way to show his commitment. Perhaps his position lies in the strategic decision that for his re-election it is necessary to even more closely embrace the Trump line which also supports Putin. Unfortunately, this does seem to make his commitment to working for veterans in a state that has a strong patriotic tradition and supports two major military bases ring somewhat hollow.
But I forgot, these bases are not in his district.
Charles Myers
Lexington, Ky
Problematic bills
There are multiple bills in the General Assembly right now (SB 138, HB 487) that seek to legislate what and how history is taught in our classrooms. They open the door to a multitude of problems. For example, who decides which historical events are controversial and need to be explored according to SB 138 “from diverse and contending perspectives without giving deference to a specific perspective”? There are some families in Kentucky who think the Holocaust is controversial or didn’t happen. I want our teachers to be emphatic and “give deference” to the truth: 12 million people were systematically murdered and it was wrong. This bill opens a door for a teacher to get in trouble for teaching that. Who decides what is a “revisionist view of history” (KY HB 487)? History education has been getting better at including the experiences of Americans who have typically been ignored. Is it “revisionist” and therefore punishable to teach about the historical experiences of Native Americans, African Americans, and Asian Americans, for example? These bills create more problems than they solve. Let teachers teach. Let local administrators handle any problems which may occasionally arise.
Regina-Wink Swinford
Frankfort, Ky
Age-Appropriate Curricula
Kentucky Senate Bill 138, recently passed in the Senate, includes a provision mandating that age-appropriate curricula “shall incorporate fundamental American documents and speeches…including but not limited to…,” then goes on to list 24 specific documents and speeches. All but one of those listed are objectively appropriate, such as the U.S. Constitution; a few Federalist papers that helped persuade colonies to sign on to the Constitution; monumental Supreme Court decisions on civil rights; Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation; and even Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. However, the last item in that list of documents/speeches in SB138 is Ronald Reagan’s 1964 speech in favor of Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater, in which he blasted the Democratic Party’s platform, and highlighted his own switch of party affiliation from Democrat to Republican. Forgive me, but this sort of speech is only “fundamental” to partisan politics, which is supposedly what this bill is meant to prevent from happening in the classroom. Might I suggest, in its place, John F. Kennedy’s inauguration speech, in which he urged, “[A]sk not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Better yet, scrap the entire bill.
Vince Mongiardo
Lexington, Ky
Whitewashing history
The Herald Leader is not complete in telling the history of African Cemetery No. 2. I am sure Yvonne Giles knows the sordid story of how the railroad went in on one side in total disregard of the graves, as did a sewer line in the 1930’s. This history is documented in a Master’s thesis written by a UK student some years ago (and perhaps elsewhere). Maybe the city should offer reparations by either giving Giles or the Board a grant to pay for their work and upkeep including more adequately marked paths, better plantings, etc. Isn’t it time to start telling the real history ?
Sally Wasielewski
Lexington, Ky
Tax rebates
Of all the malarkey our legislative super-majority has come up with this session, nothing beats two tax bills, HB 8 and SB 194. Bills like these are why Kentucky just can’t have nice things. HB 8 would reduce and even eliminate our state income tax. SB 194 would use tax rebates to give away surplus dollars, mostly to rich people. The foolishness of these bills is made plain by the fact that this strategy has been tried—and failed miserably—a decade ago, most spectacularly in the “Kansas Experiment.” Our Commonwealth is a shared endeavor to build the community we can’t create individually; to do the big things that are too much for us alone. Those tax dollars are there so we can have safer roads; great schools for everyone; teachers, social workers and first-responders who don’t have to moonlight to pay their bills, and who aren’t drowning in student loans; health care that includes free and excellent support for those recovering from addiction; child care for low-wage workers; affordable housing; clean, affordable drinking water…. This list is just a beginning, and most Kentuckians REALLY need at least one of these public goods.
Deborah Gerth
Lexington, Ky
Firearm legislation
Children should be more important than firearms. But HB 63 mandates an armed officer at all K-12 schools in Kentucky. This isn’t the answer. It doesn’t make school feel safe, and it doesn’t positively affect school learning. I grew up in the “school shooting generation.” An armed officer was employed at my high school in my senior year. It did more harm than good. I spent high school afraid. That didn’t stop when an armed officer was brought to our school. It got worse. I had nightmares nearly every night. I went to school every day terrified. The presence of that armed officer told me that I was in imminent danger; that school wasn’t safe. I know what having an armed officer in my school did to me, and I know what it did to my classmates. It horrifies me that another generation will experience school as a dangerous place. The mental health and safety of children should be prioritized. No matter the context, guns do not belong in schools. Please call the legislative message line, 800-372-7181. Tell all state Senators in Kentucky to stand up for our children by voting against HB 63.
Kaitlyn Justice
Pikeville, Ky
Putin forgets
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s memory forgets the Russian military mistake of invading Afghanistan and our military’s presence there and in Iraq.
The invasion of Ukraine shows us amazing courage by a people seeking to live without another nation’s rule.
My tears go out to the children and innocent victims as well as spiritual support for resisters!
Don Pratt
Lexington, KY
Unity
I wish we had the same unity the English did during World War II. London was being bombed and the English decided to do something about it. They all agreed that they wanted the nightly bombings to stop. They passed an ordinance to blackout the city’s lights during the night, so the German Luftwaffe would not be able to hit London. Germany was using the lights of London to help locate the city. If the lights of the city were out, they figured, the Germans would have to rely on their unpredictable radar rather than the lights of the city. Then their bombs would hopefully miss the city.
Why can’t we do the same principle against the COVID-19 virus and unite as Americans, not by your party affiliation, race, religion and ethnicity. Londoners united for a common cause. We should unite against the virus. Not as individuals, but as Americans.
Kevin Haggerty
Lexington, Ky
