Letters

Guns and bikers

Was W.B. Slaughter serious in his Wednesday letter (“Waco shootout”)?

His assertion that more guns at the Waco biker shootout would have made a police presence unnecessary was ridiculous to the point of absurdity!

I support our Second Amendment rights, but the thought of more random bullets flying at that violent outbreak would only have led to more senseless carnage.

Maybe Slaughter was making a reductio ad absurdum satirical statement, but if his letter truly reflected his opinion, we better duck and cover!

— Tim R. King, Fort Worth

W.B. Slaughter’s letter seemed to be a call for more gun control. If this was the case, I would suggest that he think this through.

It wasn’t about guns in Waco, but organized crime. The bikers were there to work out “differences,” and “claims” to the state of Texas. The warning signs were there, but they were ignored, and in this case by the restaurant, all in the name of profit.

Because this is a turf war, just how many of those guns used by the shooters were legally purchased? Because this appears to be organized crime, I doubt if any were.

— Richard Lilly, Haltom City

I think biker gangs are mostly docile until tensions spark. My biggest gripe is that the Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco invited trouble by allowing rival gangs on the premises simultaneously. That’s a recipe for a bloodbath.

— James A. Marples, Longview

Texas invention

I was pleased to read the excellent article by Jim Reeves on the Kilgore Rangerettes in the Sunday edition.

We all grew up watching the precision, high-kicking Rangerettes on television and were mesmerized by their talent and discipline.

I knew who they were and where they came from, but did not know the history, background and tradition of the group. Now I do.

I was surprised that the Rangerettes have been performing for more than 75 years. They are a genuine Texas invention.

— Tom Hoskins, Arlington

Congressional ethics

The Office of Congressional Ethics is launching an investigation to find out who paid for 10 members of Congress to travel to Baku, Azerbaijan.

If the members of Congress are found to be in violation, they get only a slap on the wrist.

There should be an ethics law that says they cannot accept anything from any source. If convicted of this, they should lose the job that they spent millions to acquire.

If our political leaders want to restore confidence in our elected officials, this would be a good start. Put it on the ballot to the people of the U.S.

— Danny Cloy, Weatherford

This story was originally published May 21, 2015 at 5:12 PM with the headline "Letters."