Can we please quit politicizing everything — including funerals?

The last thing we need right now

Richard Greene’s article is a reflection of the problem in this country today. (Sept. 9, 4B, “McCain wouldn’t forgive Trump for his ‘war hero’ comment. Here’s how that hurt us all”)

Rather than letting Sen. John McCain rest in peace as a war hero and patriot, Greene brings his political ideology to the fore.

Then-candidate Donald Trump’s comment about McCain not being a war hero is well known. Contrary to Greene’s assertion, Trump has never tried to “walk back” this comment. Trump went so far as to refuse to say the full name of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act, even after Congress had named the act to honor McCain.

McCain voted against repealing the Affordable Care Act not as a slight to Trump. He did so because there was not thorough vetting by Congress. He wanted to see repeal and replace, with Congress functioning as it should.

We need to stop stoking division, and Richard Greene should not use John McCain to do so.

The power of the ballot box

You want to do something that really shows you are using your rights as a citizen of the United States of America for the better?

Then work to vote all those rednecks out of office. (Sept. 5, 13A, “Protesting ad, people destroy their Nike gear”)

Wishing for a Senate surprise

About the only thing I could agree with in Cynthia M. Allen’s recent column were some of the adjectives used to describe Sen. Ted Cruz: arrogant, grating and ineffectual. (Aug. 31, 11A, “He’s a Democratic darling in Texas, but is O’Rourke’s support deeper than a yard sign?”)

I can think of many more derogatory ways to describe our junior senator. He is an embarrassment and must go.

It may come as a shock to Allen to know that many of us outside her circle do, in fact, understand and support the policy positions advocated by Rep. Beto O’Rourke. It will probably also surprise Allen to learn that “Beto” has been O’Rourke’s nickname since he was age 3 — not a name he conveniently adopted for political purposes as she implies.

It is my hope that O’Rourke continues to surprise and shock Allen with a win in the November election.

Who’s missing from this picture?

I’m a lifelong resident of Fort Worth. I was raised from 1959 through 1978 on the 700 block of east Second Street.

There’s a parking lot where my childhood residence was. You could stand in my yard and look one block north at the historic Allen Chapel Church on Elm Street.

There are thee churches in my old neighborhood: Allen Chapel, Greater Saint James Baptist Church on Harding Street and Morning Chapel Church on East Third Street.

These are three predominantly black churches in what used to be a minority community. But now there are no minorities living in that area.

From First Street to Fourth Street north to south, and from the Trinity River to Jones Street west to east, an entire community of black people has been removed from the Fort Worth landscape.

So why is it that in Fort Worth, “progress” means the removal and exclusion of black people? Hey, Mayor Betsy Price, why doesn’t progress include us?