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Billy Graham coverage and other letters from readers

Billy Graham archive photo dated March 25, 1951, credit Special Collections Division-University of Texas at Arlington. Evangelist Billy Graham, who has set attendance records throughout the country, set a new one for religious meetings in Fort Worth Sunday in Amon Carter stadium when an estimated 36,000 heard his final talk. The crowd began arriving four hours before his sermon and left streets for blocks around the stadium lined with cars. An hour and a half after the meeting closed, cars were still filing from the stadium area. White dots on the field are pillows supplied by the revival committee for people to sit on during the service.
Billy Graham archive photo dated March 25, 1951, credit Special Collections Division-University of Texas at Arlington. Evangelist Billy Graham, who has set attendance records throughout the country, set a new one for religious meetings in Fort Worth Sunday in Amon Carter stadium when an estimated 36,000 heard his final talk. The crowd began arriving four hours before his sermon and left streets for blocks around the stadium lined with cars. An hour and a half after the meeting closed, cars were still filing from the stadium area. White dots on the field are pillows supplied by the revival committee for people to sit on during the service. Joe McAulay Star-Telegram archives

Graham coverage

Great coverage on Graham. I was a veteran student at TCU in 1951 and had the opportunity of hearing him. One of the most compelling voices I have heard. Also, impressive was George Beverly Shea whose solo featuring “How Great Thou Art” my first time to hear it, but never forgotten. It is unlikely there will be anyone to match his contributions to the country.

—Taylor Crouch, Fort Worth

Catholic Bishops’ advisory

The Texas Council of Catholic Bishops recently published an advisory for all parishes not to participate with Texas Right to Life in their efforts to battle the abortion industry in the state of Texas.

They instead said support should go to Texas Alliance for Life and Texas Coalition for Life.

Citing a desire for “incremental” progress in the fight to limit abortion, the Bishops are taking a political stand on a moral issue that demands resolute action.

Texas Right to Life staunchly promotes the elimination of abortion.

Unfortunately, the other pro-life organizations and the bishops appear to support a piecemeal approach.

All these organizations should get together and eliminate abortion in our state and our country.

—Mike Carr, Grapevine

Gutless wonders

Columnist Cynthia Allen was dead wrong when stating that the proliferation of guns hasn't increased gun deaths (The gun control dialogue should be about more than guns; March 1), and then blaming the growing number of mass shootings on the social estrangement of troubled young men.

I wish she'd explain why if guns aren't to blame how about 33,000 Americans are killed by them every year and why Australia, who also has violent, angry teens hasn't had a mass shooting in about 22 years, ever since they banned assault weapons.

Unfortunately our cowardly Congress refuses to ban war weapons capable of shooting 45 rounds in 15 seconds, allows people with mental illness to buy guns and refuse to close the “gun show loophole.”

I'm afraid that we have no choice but to kick these gutless wonders out of office and replace them with candidates that will value every single human life more than every dollar of blood money from the NRA.

—Sharon Austry, Fort Worth

A different light

Thanks for a wonderful column by Bud Kennedy about Jose Fancisco Ruiz and Jose Antonio Navarro (When Texas declared independence, these 2 proud native Texans were there; Feb. 27).

There are so many who have bad opinions of Latinos, but Kennedy's column about these two native Texans sheds such a different light on that group.

When Anglo immigrants spoke out against Latinos, Navarro spoke up for them.

Let us remember that Texas was once part of Mexico and Spain. White Texans were not the first Texans — they were immigrants.

Thanks for bringing such a diverse view.

—Sherree and Jerry Wood, Azle

This story was originally published March 7, 2018 at 11:04 AM with the headline "Billy Graham coverage and other letters from readers."

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