If your name is O’Neill, Conner or McCarthy, rethink your complaints about immigration | Opinion

Irish Immigration

As we approach St Patrick’s Day, some of you are concerned about the “crisis” at the border promoted by politicians. Please pause for a moment and think about the past. If you have one of the following Irish surnames: Walsh, Murphy, O’Neill, Conner, Kelly, Ryan, Doyle, Smith, Branner, Gallager, Brady, Murray, Collins, McCarthy, and Moore, please take note. Here is what politicians said about your ancestors and whether they should be included as citizens of the United States or expelled — “We must stop the invading hordes of Wild Irishmen who are both turbulent and disorderly in all the world. They come here with the basic view to distract our tranquility.” (1789)

Politicians drew up a list of Irish immigrants for persecution and deportation. It was never acted upon. What would the United States be like if that had happened? Would it be better or worse?

We must never forget our country was founded on the principle of “E Pluribus Unum- meaning, “Out of Many One.”

Damian Beach, Frankfort

Hax support

Bring back Hax!

Count me in agreement with the March 3 letter writer who called for the return of the wit and wisdom of Carolyn Hax. Annie may be a nice person, but the Dear Annie column — if last week’s submission is any indication — just does not cut it. Bring back Carolyn!

And while you’re at it, bring back our Pulitzer Prize winning political cartoonist, Joel Pett! Whoever made the decision to eliminate his talent from our local paper should be consigned to copy editing…

Katherine Kellermann, Lexington

More on Hax

Please bring back Carolyn Hax! She was infinitely better than “Dear Annie”!

Jen Brown, Lexington

Even more on Hax

We need Carolyn Hax!

We need her bracing good sense and nuanced insights into human nature now more than ever. Her column is the much-needed breath of fresh air in the current news cycle, which, unfortunately, your replacement Ann-Landers-lite is woefully unable to deliver. We who still doggedly subscribe to the Herald Leader have endured the banishment of Joel Pett and the substitution of dollar-store comic strips for ones of quality among other low points on the slippery slide towards mediocrity -- do we really have to add Hax to the list of casualties?

Ave Lawyer, Lexington

Incarceration blame

The editorial, “How many must Ky. put behind bars … ?” is an inane piece overlooking the obvious symptoms of cultural decay and instead choosing to blame lawmakers for indiscriminately wanting to incarcerate more people.

People are not placed willy-nilly into prison; they are there by their own volition. They have chosen to break the law knowing full well the consequence of their lawless behavior will be imprisonment. The question he should be asking is why are more and more people choosing to break the law? Is there a pattern in those who are incarcerated?

In the beginning we are all born as feral babies, untrained. It’s the responsibility of the parents to train their new offspring to be disciplined, responsible, and respectful of law and authority. Early on in the child’s school years we see the signs of social maladjustment with increased school violence, absenteeism, lack of respect for teachers, poor achievement scores, rising dropout rates and irresponsible social behaviors. The value system of these youngsters is determined by their late teen years.

The problem isn’t the legislators, it’s the parents. No amount of money to finance welfare schemes and counseling programs is going to have much effect.

George Tomaich, Lexington

America last

Once again the “Dupes for the Donors” (Washington elites of both parties) continue to push for more money to the corrupt government of Ukraine. The U. S. has already given Ukraine more than $75 billion but they scream for more. Ukraine will ultimately lose the war, Zelenskyy will head to Switzerland with his cut of the loot and America will have gained nothing like the fiasco in Afghanistan.

How can a country that’s virtually bankrupt, like the U.S., who’s borrowing money from Communist China, continue such an asinine policy? Ah, the donors (defense, tech and financial groups) have a master stroke... they’ve already planned for the rebuilding of Ukraine with their companies in the forefront. It’s corruption, collusion and manipulation on a super scale. Now here’s the fun part - American taxpayers get to pay for it!!

As this malfeasance unfolds our country is under invasion from degenerates pouring in from across the world causing crime, financial stress and hardships for average families unheralded since the Carter years. The media promotes this irresponsibility while the political donors count money and average Americans, finishing last, get to pay higher taxes.

IT’S WRONG! CLOSE THE BORDER AND CUT TAXES!

Robert Adams, Lexington

McConnell endorsement

Was I surprised that our senior senator endorsed the man he said was “practically and morally responsible” for the January 6 attack on the Capitol? Not at all. U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell R-Ky., has repeatedly shown he has no moral compass, no backbone, no soul, and is always willing to put himself and his party ahead of our country.

Andy Mead, Lexington

More Mitch

After the events of Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., took to the podium to make the following statement: “Former President Trump’s actions that preceded the riot were a disgraceful, disgraceful dereliction of duty. There is no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day.” After the Senate failed to impeach Trump, McConnell explained that the Senate, “does not condone anything that happened on or before that terrible day.”

These are McConnell’s own words. He has now endorsed Trump’s presidential candidacy. Does he have selective amnesia or does partisan allegiance override personal integrity?

Cheryl Keenan

McConnell legacy

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., would do well to read some of Warren Bennis’s work regarding management. Bennis had an insight into personnel management which may be relevant to McConnell’s recent announcement to relinquish his position. Specifically, Bennis observed much more attention is paid to how someone initially begins a career than to how they end and leave. Ironically, and in reality, how someone leaves a career is often remembered much more vividly than the actual career accomplishments of the individual. McConnell’s legacy may not be remembered in the manner he hopes.

His latest display of hypocrisy, blatant partisan positions and support for an individual who had no scruples regarding denigrating individuals and institutions at his career’s end will not be erased by holding some appreciation dinners and naming a few streets and elementary schools after him. It is a sad situation for McConnell that he did not give more thought to his legacy.

Charles Myers, Lexington

Burden of parenthood

The Republican war on women continues with the Kentucky legislature’s HB 700, the falsely named “Love Them Both Act.”

This bill relieves a convicted rapist of his parental rights and requires the state to pay for his child conceived during sexual assault. The child would receive benefits, tuition, and a waiver of unspecified fees from the state. The assaulted woman gets nothing unless she identifies the child as one conceived by sexual assault.

Ponder carrying that label. This bill seems to relieve men who sexually assault Kentucky women of their responsibilities when it comes to the children who result from those assaults and place the burden of raising them at the feet of both the mother and state instead. Kentucky’s Republican Reps. Dan Fister (Versailles), Ryan Dotson (Winchester), and Phillip Pratt (Georgetown) co-sponsored this bill.

Lynn Pruett, Versailles

Greene confrontation

There has been much hoopla about U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and her confrontation with President Joe Biden prior to the State of the Union address. Greene was adorned in her usual MAGA finery and a T-shirt with “Say Her Name” on the front. The name, in this case, is Laken Riley, a young woman who was murdered and whose accused attacker is an undocumented immigrant. Greene Biden directly responsible, in MAGA eyes, for her murder.

Green has more than a passing interest in gun violence and using it to further her own agenda. Keep in mind, she made her MAGA bones confronting survivors of mass shootings and parents of children murdered in school shootings. Not just confronting them, but publicly accosting them and insisting the shootings were hoaxes and that parents were reading from a script when speaking of their murdered children.

Gun violence has reached epidemic levels in the United States and losing a loved one to gun violence is horrific. Unfortunately, during the State of the Union address, gun violence was an opportunity for Green to score MAGA points. In doing so, she turned the murder of Laken Riley into a cheap, political stunt.

Ross DeAeth, Lexington

SOTU response

U.S. Sen. Katie Britt’s, R - Ala., hypocritically impassioned rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address falls flat. She is worried about a single death of a single woman when the GOP’s support of gun violence and mass shootings often by fanatical white supremacist supporters are just flatly ignored with statements of “Get over it!”

Yes “Enough is Enough,” more than just for Laken Riley, but for every person felled by mass shootings.

Republicans are refusing to “fix” it. They have as much blood on their hands as anyone else. Just ask any family member of a lost loved one in Uvalde, Texas. The GOP, because of their support of the NRA, creates the cauldron of blood across the United States that stirs the fear and racism behind these mostly white supremacist and radical GOP sponsored attacks upon our citizens through mass murder gun violence.

The list of names of those murdered in mass shootings is being added to daily.

When will they do something to stop violence and terrorism caused by their own policies? These Ghouls of Partisanship will remain just that. When they use Laken Riley’s name for their political gain, it is only a sham.

Robert Moreland, Lexington

Basketball greed

The Herald-Leader stated that greed drives University of Kentucky officials to exploit basketball ticket sales and raise prices to games. But that’s fiction. A wealth arms race drives these prices. It happens because UK and other schools want to increase their sport resources to gain superiority over one another. NIL deals intensified the race.

UK is a traditional basketball powerhouse. Compared to its race competition, it will soon take more than tradition to stay in the race. The University absorbs substantial revenue through ticket sales and donations, earns millions in merchandise, sponsorships and broadcasting rights, and benefits from public funded subsidies for facilities and salaries. Despite all the revenue streams, extra dollars are still needed to attract wannabe professional athletes who want their money now.

Look at Phil Knight, a University of Oregon alumnus, and CEO of Nike. He is wealthy. He could pay every player on Oregon’s basketball teams a million dollars a year. As others have asked: if universities’ alums (Gates, Zuckerberg) engage in similar actions to attract athletes, will Wildcat fans continue to support its teams financially? Could a fan’s recent contract dispute be a sign that the answer is “no”?

James A Kurz, Lexington

Women’s basketball

I just wanted to thank Kyra Elzy for all the hard work she has done with the University of Kentucky Women’s Basketball. We have followed her since her high school days. She does outstanding basketball work and will land a good job. I know she will continue the hard work and support of her players.

David Olinger, Berea

Compiled by Liz Carey