I’m tired of the alphabet soup of liberal politics, like ESG, DEI and CRT | Opinion

Enough

I’ve had enough. I say “NO” to… identity politics; ESG (Environment, Sustainability and Governance); DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion); CRT (Critical Race Theory), trans females competing with females; doctors mutilating or drugging any underage person without the consent of their parents; abortions of convenience; affirmative action; minimum/living wage laws; group rights; the federal government engaging in wars without explaining how doing so will enhance the national security of our country and without a fulsome debate and approval of Congress; executive mandates; politically weaponizing the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), etc.; open borders; non-citizens receiving voting rights or social benefits; COVID voting policies; government monopoly of education; media serving as PR agents of government policy; and a government-controlled digital currency.

I say “YES” to… a constitutional republic; meritocracy; competition; competence; individual rights; nuclear families; faith-based values; parents’ control of tax dollars for their children’s’ education; non-partisan media investigating and holding governments and corporations accountable; hiring and pay based on competence and performance; strong borders; merit-based immigration policy; same day voting; term limits; reduced tax rates, balanced federal budget; reduced federal spending; lowering the national debt; non-interventionist foreign policy; and a strong national defense.

Ray Davis, Lexington

Liberal defense

A reader recently dismissed a defense of liberalism charging that today’s liberals are a corrupted version of those earlier good guys. Now MAGA world claims the new liberals are only bent on taking away our liberties. Thus, so they would have us believe, masks, vaccines, business curtailments and loss of religious freedom have been needlessly foisted upon us.

To honestly judge this argument we revisit our history. In so doing we can’t deny that a greater proportion of Americans who scoffed at masks and vaccines died from COVID-19 than did those who accepted mitigation measures. There is no scientific basis for the inane argument that vaccines are a mortal threat. And Jesus doesn’t keep office hours.

What really galls, beyond misinformation and revisionist history, is the slap in the face to medical personnel, first responders and morticians. Without their heroic, life threatening and exhausting efforts the whole system would likely have failed. That reader and her cohorts should hang their heads in shame!

Unfortunately, they continue their grievance against teachers, doctors, election officials and all others who still value truth, honor and public service. And we all will suffer a dark future which their hate ideology would bring.

Ernest Henninger, Harrodsburg

Congrats, Rep. Comer

Congratulations to the U.S. Rep. James Comer (R-Ky)! It takes a big man to admit when he is wrong!

Comer voted against the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which provided more than $1 million towards the new Barkley Regional Airport. But there he was at the ribbon-cutting for the project. Clearly, he has seen the light and reversed his positions on working with President Joe Biden to put Kentuckians over politics.

I’m so glad to see that Comer has swallowed his pride and embraced Biden-omics. Thank you for now putting Kentucky first.

Better late than never.

Ivonne Rovira, Louisville

Sisters Rising

I was glad I attended the meeting of the United Nations Association of the United States of America Kentucky Division (UNA-USA) where the documentary, Sisters Rising, was shown.

One in three Native women report having been raped. Eighty-six percent of the crimes are committed by non-Native men, who are rarely prosecuted.

Sisters Rising follows six Native women fighting to heal a society crippled, by violence against Indigenous women in the United States. Dawn was in the Army, now she’s a tribal cop amid the North Dakota oil boom that threatens to pull the last threads of her Native culture apart. Patty teaches indigenous women’s self-defense workshops. Sarah is an attorney and scholar fighting to overturn restrictions on tribal sovereignty and increase legislative protections for Native women. Loreline and Lisa are grassroots advocates working outside of the system to support survivors of violence and influence legislative change. Chalsey is writing the first anti-sex trafficking code to be introduced to a reservation’s tribal court.

This is an important film, and these issues need to be shared. Our country owes reparations to the Indigenous people for the ways they have been and continue to be treated.

Debra Graner, Frankfort

Brazilian actions

Brazilian election officials blocked former President Jair Bolsonaro from seeking public office until 2030 for violating Brazil’s election laws.

Like former U.S. President Donald Trump, he claimed the voting systems were rigged against him. Like Trump, his supporters stormed the Congress and courts. No deaths were reported, but 300 people were arrested, and the buildings were secured 3 hours after the attack. His punishment was swift coming six months after his election loss.

In the U.S., Trump watched the Jan. 6 attack for 187 minutes before telling the rioters to go home. This followed his exhortations to “fight like hell,” the day of the riot.

Section 3 of the 14th amendment clearly states that Congress has authority to bar public officials from holding office if they “engaged in insurrection/rebellion against the constitution...”

Hours after the Jan. 6 insurrection, 147 Republicans voted to overturn Trump’s election loss, 133 of whom declined or failed to answer the question – “Did Trump lose due to voter fraud?” Small wonder then, with Republicans in charge of Congress, that Democracy and the Constitution are mere obstacles to political power, and that the U.S. is now considered a “backsliding democracy” by international observers.

John Scott, Lexington

Police support

I was watching the news on TV tonight and saw a story about a police officer in Bowling Green who had been shot and was in critical condition.

The story said both Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and his Republican rival, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, expressed concern for the injured officer and were praying for him.

Immediately following that story was a story about last year’s Fancy Farm picnic, and once again Cameron was front and center. This time he was bragging about being supported by former President Donald Trump. He seemed very proud of it. I guess he didn’t care about the more than 100 Capitol Police officers who were injured on January 6th, at least one of whom died as a result, because of Trump inciting and encouraging the rioters and refusing to call them off until it became apparent that they were doomed to failure.

Something tells me Daniel Cameron doesn’t really care about that police officer in Bowling Green either.

Greg Kring, Lexington

Faith-bashing

Joel Pett continues to show a troubling side with yet another attack on Daniel Cameron’s faith. Cameron’s policy positions are fair game, but his faith should be off limits.

If that faith was Muslim or Hindu or Wiccan - among many others - I am sure it would be.

Rick Shannon, Somerset

Abusive behavior

Extreme temperatures, injury, illness, and cars all threaten cats who roam unattended or live on the streets, but perhaps the greatest risk they face is human predators.

Though I am not naïve to the plight of many “outdoor” cats, I was horrified to learn about the beloved neighborhood cat who was allegedly tortured by two juveniles, his death too graphic for the police to post. It’s impossible to imagine the pain and terror this once-trusting animal must have endured in his final moments.

What’s more, many serial rapists and murderers, including school shooters, have a history of childhood cruelty to animals. A study of risk factors in school shootings documented in Clinical Psychology Review reported that 45 percent of the perpetrators had known histories of animal abuse. The American Psychiatric Association identifies such crimes as one of the diagnostic criteria for conduct disorders.

We must not excuse this behavior. Juveniles who abuse animals need prompt professional intervention to prevent the violence from progressing.

Melissa Rae Sanger, LVT, Norfolk, Va.

Torturing cats?

I am outraged…….again. Two teen boys torture an innocent, sweet, neighborhood cat to death in a Georgetown neighborhood and they haven’t been taken and dropped off on an island where they can fight the elements with others just like them?

Who will they pick next? Their brother, sister, or a neighborhood kid? I think everyone knows that kids who do this are usually psychopaths who have no empathy and no conscience. It is time that we all take a stand against this type of behavior. They should be prosecuted as adults.

Teresa Durbin, Lexington

Non-Kentucky values

The political ads have already started airing in the run up to the 2023 Gubernatorial election, and one of them is a doozy. While listening to a weather report online I saw a pop-up ad from a group calling themselves “Kentucky Values.” After listening to the ad, I decided to do a little digging.

Turns out “Kentucky Values,” which refers to itself as a political action committee, isn’t from Kentucky. Their address is listed as 1747 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 200, Washington D.C. Probably not coincidentally, that’s the same address as the Republican Governor’s Association. Curiously though, the FEC database on PACS shows no record of “Kentucky Values” and neither does Open Secrets.

The ad accuses Gov. Andy Beshear of making it easier for minors to get an abortion, but fails to mention all he did was veto House Bill 3, which when it comes to abortion treats women in Kentucky the same as they are treated under Sharia law in Saudi Arabia.

Needless to say, “Kentucky Values” isn’t from Kentucky, and doesn’t represent our values. It’s early in the election year, but sadly the paid lying is already well underway.

Jason Belcher, Harold

Courageous speech

With a lot of help from his speechwriter, Ted Sorenson, then U.S. Sen. John F. Kennedy wrote the book “Profiles in Courage.” Each chapter tells the story of an historical US Senator who had the courage to do what he believed was right despite popular opinion to the contrary.

In the days following the Jan. 6 attack on congress by former President Donald Trump’s confederate army, both U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Cal.) and U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) gave speeches in Congress condemning Trump’s actions. That was only because during the attack a few days before they had been fearing for their lives.

The blasé reaction to their speeches made them realize that continuing down that path would be hazardous for their political lives in the delusional world of Republican politics where tax cuts supposedly increase tax revenue, and millions believe Trump’s lies about the 2020 election.

So neither voted to impeach Trump. They have no integrity. Someday they may appear in a new book titled “Profiles in Cowardice.”

Kevin Kline, Lexington

Compiled by Liz Carey