Build nuclear

I concur with Ford Ross' June 24 letter regarding the wind farm near Ellsworth.

Another report indicates that Westar Energy, bowing to the demands of the environmental lobby, is investing in another huge wind farm in Barber County.

It will take wind farms using at least one third of all the land in Kansas to equal the power that would have been produced by expansion of the coal-fired plant near Holcomb. The unintended negative consequences of this are legion. And these generators will still have to be subsidized by tax dollars. How smart is that?

The only intelligent way to gain long-term, non-polluting electricity is to build another nuclear plant, and the best site would be to add another unit to the Wolf Creek generator.

Where are our benighted politicians on these critical issues? Our educators? Our news organizations?

They all appear to have fled the scene.

J. H. RANSOM,Topeka

Diplomacy needed

Throughout history, we have had a diplomatic corps worthy of its name, until now.

President John F. Kennedy said we should never fear to negotiate, but we should never negotiate out of fear. Diplomacy is a fine art that has received little attention lately. Where are the Dean Achesons when we need them?

Much has been said about the willingness of one presidential candidate to talk to rogue regimes without preconditions. It is usual for such talks to begin between lower level diplomats and work up the chain of command, with the goal of building mutual trust and respect at each level.

Saber rattling and the threat of war is not a predictor of success for such talks. It's also not a predictor of success to leak to the media any progress or lack thereof each step of the way. I think the candidate I am talking about understands that, whereas there is some question in my mind about the other.

The ghost of Neville Chamberlain is often resurrected as a reason not to engage in dialogue with such regimes. I agree with JFK. We shouldn't fear to negotiate. It all depends on how you go about it - with seasoned diplomats in charge of the process or with cowboy, shoot from the hip, negotiators. War should always be an option only when all else fails.

ROBERT R. COOK,Manhattan

Middle East progress

I have been reading the latest news coming out of Israel with cautious optimism - the ceasefire with Hamas, an offer to begin talks with Lebanon and the ongoing talks with Syria and the Palestinians. It looks like Israel is heading in the right direction in its quest for security and peace.

I have been struck, however, by the absence of public expressions of support for these recent peace efforts, most notably from the pro- Israel community that is normally such a vocal advocate for Israel and its policies.

As an American who believes that the security of Israel, its neighbors and the United States is enhanced by a peaceful Middle East, I strongly support these initiatives and hope the United States will do more to facilitate their success. I hope that those who consider themselves to be friends of Israel will join me in this strong expression of support.

JOSE MARQUEZ,Topeka

Siren debate

The debate and finger pointing over the June 19 incident with the warning sirens shows a lack of communication.

Let's review the facts: Shawnee County was placed under a severe storm watch at 1:30 p.m.; thunderstorms began developing across northeast Kansas before 2:30 p.m.; and there were multiple sightings of a funnel cloud.

County officials were in contact with the National Weather Service soon after the sirens were sounded. With all the above mentioned details, the NWS had a responsibility to issue a statement to the media and NOAA weather radio to explain the public funnel cloud sightings and what NexRad Radar was detecting.

The public got nothing. It was left to the media to sort the details.

How many times has the NWS issued a tornado warning for "Doppler radar indicated rotation" in a severe thunderstorm and nothing happened? Many times. But the public would not want Shawnee County to ignore those tornado warnings and wait until a tornado was on the ground to activate the sirens, would they?

Neither does the public want the NWS to ignore a visual sighting without some sort of acknowledgement. It's not a perfect science, but better communication between agencies, and letting the public know the situation, will go a long way in keeping the confidence in our public officials.

ERIC PAGE,Topeka

Frustrated officers

I'm responding to The Capital-Journal's June 19 article, "Hecht fires back at criticism by cops," and specifically Hecht's statement about police officers being mad because he prosecutes them. I would like to make an observation based upon my 15 years as the lead chaplain for the Topeka Police Department.

While there are always individuals who might fit his description, the majority of TPD's sworn personnel take a very dim view of those among their own profession who break the law.