Missouri’s Bill Eigel would burn books with offensive content? Ever read the Bible? | Opinion
Tame the flame
I have just heard about Missouri state Sen. Bill Eigel’s views on burning books. (Sept. 21, 12A, “Politicians’ lame flamethrower stunt shows lack of actual ideas”) If he can burn books that he does not like, what would he say about burning the Bible? After all, the Bible has reports of the mass destruction of Jericho and the killing of every living thing in its ruins, reports of a commander sending off a general to die in a war so that he can have sex with his widow and a brother killing a brother.
These things offend me. But just as I am not willing to ban the Bible, neither should Eigel be willing to burn books he does not like.
- William E. Feeman Jr., Bowling Green, Ohio
We can do it
The statistics are easy to read: a 1.4-degree Celsius temperature rise for the current year over the baseline average global temperature from 1850 to 1900, global ice loss of 13% per decade and carbon dioxide levels up 25% since 1960.
We need to do more than just cut down on the rate of greenhouse gases going into the air. We need to do things to mitigate the gases already there and counter the effects of climate change. Geoengineering can address the problems. If human activity created these issues, let’s use human ingenuity to solve them, or just to give us more time to reach sustainability as a society.
The current options for cooling the planet include attempts to capture the carbon, removing it from heating up the planet; reducing the amount of sunlight that reaches the land; or raising the reflectivity of the Earth. Some of these techniques mirror natural processes. For instance, injecting sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere happens naturally during volcanic eruptions. The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 was estimated to have lowered the global temperatures by as much as 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit for three years.
- Frederick Steiner, Kansas City
Alzheimer’s help
In February 2022, I lost my mother to corticobasal degeneration, a rare and aggressive form of frontotemporal dementia. She was only 67 years old. As a woman who is raising two bright and beautiful little girls, I am overcome by the frightening statistic that shows almost two-thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are women. I don’t want my daughters to have to deal with the emotional, physical and financial struggles that Alzheimer’s and other dementia put on families like I experienced.
I consider it both my honor and obligation to make an impact, which is why I am participating in the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Kansas City on Saturday, Oct. 7. I’ll carry the purple flower because I have lost someone to dementia, but others will carry blue because they have dementia, yellow because they are a care partner to someone with dementia or orange because they share the vision of a world without Alzheimer’s and dementia.
We are closer than ever to stopping Alzheimer’s, but to get there we need you to walk with me and my family on Oct. 7. Join us as we raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research, because there are tremendous days ahead. Learn more or register at alzwalkkc.org
- Emily Lane, Overland Park
Editor’s note: There are additional Alzheimer’s walks scheduled nearby, including in Liberty on Oct. 14 and Lawrence on Oct. 21.
Yes, dress code
I totally agree with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial board that it’s important for our leaders, particularly those in the U.S. Senate, to convey the dignity of their office by wearing appropriately professional clothing while performing their duties. (Sept. 26, 7A, “Scuttling the Senate dress code lessens much-needed decorum,”) I was surprised when I saw a picture of Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman wearing shorts.
It’s good that the Senate unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday requiring business attire on the floor. There must be a tailor in Washington, D.C., who can accommodate Fetterman’s needs.
- Merna Siegler, Kansas City
