Cash Flow
Nobody beats the wiz: Allie Johnson’s “Insanely Rich” (March 14) could have been an interesting article — had she exhibited a modicum of sensitivity to the feelings of the teller at UMB Bank. She could have said, “The twenty-year-old teller was extremely frightened,” or “The twenty-year-old teller was frightened beyond measure.” Such a choice of words would have made the point and at the same time would not have been a shabby public humiliation of this young lady.
I am a retired bank security officer, and I can assure you that most tellers who have been robbed experience a degree of trauma (the degree varies from individual to individual). If I am not mistaken, this young woman had experienced previous robberies and had just returned to work from maternity leave when this incident occurred. Surely the article would not have suffered artistic merit by showing a little understanding.
Marshall Hendrickson
Shawnee Mission
Rail of Tears
Road to ruins: Thank you, Pitch, for T.R. Witcher’s in-depth article on the Quindaro ruins (“A Sorry Free State,” March 21). There is a glaring inequity between funds considered for the preservation of the Quindaro ruins and the million-dollar bond issue that was raised for the NASCAR Speedway. Are we so addicted to sports entertainment that we forsake our national treasures, which are slowly eroding away and being lost forever?
No matter what you think of Marvin Robinson, no other resident of that community has taken up the fight for preservation to the extent that he has. If not for Marvin, the site would now be a garbage dump. My first visit to the Quindaro ruins was to retrace the escape of the great-grandfather of Jimmy Johnson, George Washington, from the Miller plantation site near KCI to the Quindaro site. I felt as if I were reliving this daring escape. The entire group performed a mass prayer and spiritual cleansing there because you could still feel the suffering that occurred, as if the spirits were still lingering. Upon arriving at the Quindaro site, Marvin led us down into this hidden city. Marvin’s narrative was chilling and informative to the smallest detail. This is not only an important part of Kansas City history but of this nation’s history — one we may like to forget.
We hate it when others refer to people here as backwards yahoos and unsophisticated rednecks. But actions do speak louder than words, especially in this case.
Imani Malaika
Kansas City, Missouri
Soul survivors: I really enjoyed reading T.R. Witcher’s very informative and enlightening article. My husband and I recently moved from Olathe to I-635 and Parallel because of the great location and because we loved the historic house (built in 1923). We love the people in this area but have found the lack of care in both homes and businesses to be so sad. My children have even asked me why people don’t use the trash cans instead of dumping trash literally in our yard. There is so much history here; I pray that all involved will recognize what a treasure lies here before it’s too late. When one travels south, there are very pretty things to look at, but no soul. As you might guess, we believe it is the soul which counts!
Lillian Savoy
Kansas City, Kansas
A site for sore eyes: Just a quick note of appreciation for the long, detailed article about the Quindaro site. This remains an important story, and those of us who were involved greatly value the focus of the article, when so much of the media is devoted to trivial pursuits.
Fred Whitehead
Kansas City, Kansas
Marine Life
Axis and allies: As a Marine Corps combat veteran, I was very disappointed in the title given to Joe Miller’s article on conscientious objectors (“The Peacemakers,” February 28). Accordingly, the letter titled “War and Peacemakers” (March 14) continued the disappointment.
The fact is that the men in the article did not bring about peace. Peace was brought about by destroying the will and means to wage war. Once our servicemen destroyed the Axis powers’ will and means to wage war, peace was made. Our servicemen were the true peacemakers — give them the credit, not the men in your article.
Many conscientious objectors did serve in the military and are among the true peacemakers. The article mentioned that Lew Ayers was blacklisted by Hollywood because he was a conscientious objector; however, he was awarded the Navy Cross for valor in saving wounded Marines under fire. The Marines have never blacklisted Lew Ayers — he was a peacemaker, too.
Lee Reynolds Jr.
Overland Park
Children of the Porn
Holy shit!: I am strongly opposed to your paper. I have had the misfortune to pick it up, thinking it was worth reading. The sexual content and advertisements are deplorable. They are against God our Father, against our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and against the Holy Spirit. Your paper is against all Christians everywhere.
Please, think carefully about what you are doing. Is it worth your salvation? Sirs, is it worth your souls and your future as sons and daughters of God? Think about it, I urge you, please!
Please, turn your life over to him. There are better alternatives out there. I believe that; do you?
Read the scriptures, the holy Bible; for it speaks of God’s purpose in one’s life. Pray, trust, wait, hope for his divine guidance and love, as he wants you to love. Let him lead you in your lives.
Lord, let your will be done, this day. Amen.
Name Withheld Upon Request
