Alt-right, America’s best, Burton’s LGBT bill, be sore losers

Alt-right

Free speech and hate speech are not the same, and not equally protected by the First Amendment.

Richard Spencer coined the term alt-right to give cover to his despicable ideas and words. But he gave himself away completely last week.

He concluded his pro-Trump, white nationalist, anti-Semitic rant in Washington with “Hail victory!”

As anyone raised around German-speaking family members knows, “Hail victory!” in German is “Sieg heil!”

Richard Spencer’s ideas are straight out of Mein Kampf. His policy goals are Nazi policy goals.

Nazi garbage, however softly spoken and however gentle the vocabulary, is still Nazi garbage.

If the faculty, students and administration of Texas A&M quietly stand by and allow Spencer’s appearance to pass without objection, they are giving tacit approval.

Bud Kennedy showed his lack of tolerance for the speaker at Texas A&M (“Alt-right or all-white? Race talk at A&M tests Aggies’ values,” Friday).

Kennedy has tolerance for all others: the New Black Panthers, Black Lives Matter, Chávez Rules, Gay Pride, Malcolm X, LGBT, anything but orthodox Christian or white.

He would praise any other gathering.

America’s best

During this past election year, the worst of America reared its ugly head.

Perhaps the spirit of the holiday season will remind us that we are one race, the human race. Each of us deserves no more, no less than our fellow human beings.

May the best of America prevail.

Burton LGBT bill

Texas Sen. Konni Burton’s Senate Bill 242, filed last week, is a troubling development in the Texas Republican Party’s mission to unravel LGBT progress.

This bill is a response to the Fort Worth school district’s transgender bathroom policy, which drew widespread criticism from Republicans. Burton’s two-page intention is to make sure parents can have access to all records concerning their children, including “teacher and school counselor reports of behavioral patterns.”

Imagine two young boys growing close, and in their boyhood relationship beginning to express their affections with hugs or perhaps even kisses.

While these kinds of displays are not situationally appropriate for school, there is nothing behaviorally wrong with these boys.

The teacher should tell the boys to cut it out, but should not send them home, heads down, unsure of how their family will react.

We must not introduce children to a life of sneaking.

Heterosexual anxiety still pulses. Lawmakers should not keep children on the front lines of sexual battles.

These kinds of laws are what make oppression systemic.

Be sore losers

Richard Greene recently told those who didn’t support Trump how to be good losers. (“Being thankful even when election results didn’t go your way,” Nov. 20)

I for one think that we should be this kind of loser: The Democrats in the Senate should announce that their goal over the next four years is to make Donald Trump a one-term president; that they will oppose everything that he and the Republicans put forward, requiring a 60-vote supermajority in the Senate to pass anything.

The Democrats should oppose Trump even on issues where they agree with him because — hey, it’s Trump. Can’t let him get credit for anything.

The Democrats should also demand to see Trump’s long-form birth certificate because people have questions.

We want the original, because people are concerned that he might be hiding something.

The Democrats should oppose any tax legislation until Trump reveals his tax returns. We want the long form there, too.

Finally, the Democrats should designate someone to yell “You lie!” at Trump during a State of the Union speech.

We all know he’s going to lie. Might as well say it.

Correction

Joan Formby of Bedford wrote a letter published Friday about President-elect Donald Trump’s adviser, Steve Bannon. Her name was misspelled.

This story was originally published November 25, 2016 at 5:08 PM with the headline "Alt-right, America’s best, Burton’s LGBT bill, be sore losers."