World War I was the war in which trench warfare, machine guns, heavy artillery, chemical warfare and submarines were introduced to battle tactics. Europe honors its World War I veterans with places like the Menin Gate in Ypres. Can the same be said for the United States? World War I was the war in which African-Americans, Native Americans and Mexican-Americans made significant contributions to service of this country. These are facts that the average person needs to learn about, including George W. Bush.
I've been across Ontario and Quebec. I've seen the service memorials that every Canadian town, regardless of size, has for its veterans. I've seen the monuments on Native Reserves that honor indigenous soldiers for their battle merits.
I've been to wonderfully informative museums in Brantford and Ottawa, Canada. Kansas City could accomplish the same with the Liberty Memorial if it had the foresight and the desire to realize the impact of history. I'd like to see a place with all of the artifacts that the Liberty Memorial curators have access to on display. If people knew the impact of blind nationalism, maybe they would be a little more hesitant to go to war.
Mike Ford
Lawrence
The Pitch does make an occasional stab at greatness. Casey Logan's piece on Area Transportation Authority funds going into tax-increment financing developers' pockets was simply excellent ("Busted," October 23). But, alas, your greatness is so short-lived. You're like a dog that wins our admiration, then goes and rolls in a pile of horse shit -- in your case, the useless character assassination stories. Here are a couple more notable victims:
Congratulations, you have made it clear that Clay Chastain has some emotional problems. And Rhonda Chriss Lokeman (Kansas City Strip, October 23) writes for The Kansas City Star, a truly lousy newspaper. Is that a crime?
Pitch, I really don't hate ya. God knows, you are a desperately needed alternative to the Star for regional news. So, be an alternative, damn it!
Marc Briand
Lawrence
The Palestinian, who is a female terrorist in the play, is depicted as a sympathetic character. She is strong and idealistic, yet she compassionately tends the wounds of the Israeli soldier, whom she finds wounded in Lebanon. And later, they become lovers. In the real world, the self-proclaimed mission of an Arab terrorist is to kill as many Jews as possible.
Michael Stock, who plays the Israeli soldier, does not speak with an Israeli accent. He has an exaggerated Yiddish accent, the stereotypical accent of Jews from Europe.
In the play, the Palestinian asks the Israeli soldier what he would do in her position. He could have said, "Be willing to compromise and negotiate. Accept the right of Israel to exist. Support leaders who are willing to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure. Live up to the peace treaty you signed."
To the Unicorn Theatre and Karen Sunde, the playwright of this political pap: Stop glorifying terrorists and wanna-be suicide bombers.
Anita Colman
Kansas City, Missouri
I am glad to see an increase of press related to local hip-hop. My only hope is that those who report on the local scene spend some time getting to know the scene rather than applying hyped, misleading rhetoric and overdone media buzzwords.
Keep the press coming, and keep coming yourself so you can understand what you are writing about.
Necia Gamby
Kansas City, Missouri
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