Poor police response; tax-free ammo; what’s best for children; incomplete statistic

Poor police response

Your article on “Law Enforcement Pays Visit to Republic of Texas Meeting” was a shocking revelation of the abuse of the Constitution and law.

The Republic of Texas was holding a meeting in Bryan that was open to the public.

The meeting was interrupted when an “armed and armored force of the Bryan Police Department, the Brazos County Sheriff’s Department, the Kerr County Sheriff’s Department, agents of the district attorney’s office, the Texas Rangers and the FBI” burst in.

According to the article, these law enforcement officers had a search warrant “for suspicions of a misdemeanor crime.”

How does a misdemeanor justify investigation by the district attorney, the Texas Rangers and even the FBI?

And to search and fingerprint every person who was at this meeting and seize all of the cell phones is shocking.

— David White, Fort Worth

Tax-free ammo

I have seen in the paper this week that there is talk in the Texas Legislature about a tax-free weekend in support of hunters.

No tax on guns, ammo and other related hunting paraphernalia.

Fine. Let’s do that, but specifically not include assault weapons and their ammunition.

How far would that bill get?

— Dan Smith, Fort Worth

What’s best for children?

Reading the recent article, “Backers say loss of principal was a mistake,” was very distressing and left me with some questions.

If the internal investigation is ongoing, how can the administration decide to let the principal go before getting the results of the investigation?

The spokesperson for AISD said the principal was not forced to retire.

After reading descriptions about what a dedicated, loving educator he is — a man who knew every child in his building — does anyone really believe he decided to leave in the middle of the week without a word to his students, leaving them in tears and feeling deserted?

What happened to the concept that educators are there for the best interest of the child?

— Maryhelen Bronson, Arlington

Incomplete statistic

Your editorial, “Same-sex marriage laws are crumbling,” on Saturday, Feb. 21 mentions a popular statistic that in 2005 “more than 76 percent of Texas voters” voted against allowing gay marriage.

Recently-elected officials want Texans to see this and conclude that three-fourths of us oppose gay marriage.

That conclusion, however, is not supported by the facts.

Only 17.9 percent of eligible voters bothered to go to the polls in November 2005. In other words, 1.7 million voters out of 12.5 million expressed their opposition to gay marriage, or 13 percent of Texas voters.

— Greg Johnson, Fort Worth

This story was originally published February 26, 2015 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Poor police response; tax-free ammo; what’s best for children; incomplete statistic."