So A&M’s new coach Jimbo Fisher is a fraud, Mac Engel?

List missing one big category of hero

Ann McFeatters was remiss in her omission of educators when she named people who work in a number of occupations as the “real heroes … who make the country work.” (Nov. 22, 21A, “Give thanks for the great things about America”)

Because educators perform their “sometimes thankless jobs,” the heroes whom she chose to list had the foundations to achieve and grow.

In fact, free public education has been a bulwark of the democracy and national cohesion. We need to rally in support with praise and professional wages for these heroes: educators.

Vaccines should not be optional

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported nearly 10,000 flu- and pneumonia-related deaths during the last flu season. This was a spike of nearly 27 percent above the previous year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 80 percent of the children who died nationally were under-immunized or not immunized at all.

The flu season in Texas peaks from December through February. Those of us in the caring professions are getting ready for the onslaught. How many more deaths do we need in 2019?

We don’t need uniformed rhetoric aimed at swaying public opinion on the dangers of vaccines while the innocent get infected and needlessly die from preventable illnesses like the flu. The state needs to overturn the current opt-out stance for all vaccines, not just the flu vaccine, and legislate that all children must present documentation of current immunization status before attending school.

What exactly makes someone a fraud?

So Mac Engel thinks Texas A&M hired a fraud to coach its football team in Jimbo Fisher (Nov. 21, B1, “Aggies’ blah football season exposing Jimbo Fisher”) but likes the idea of Texas Tech hiring a coach with a history of having zero control over his players and no knowledge whatsoever of their off-the-field behavior. (Nov. 27, 1B, “Former Baylor coach Briles would be a perfect fit for Texas Tech”)

That’s not exactly what Tech needs, in my opinion. But what do I know? I don’t write biased sports columns for a living.

He’s just trying to poke the bear

My son, who is also a Texas Tech graduate, sent me a copy of Mac Engel’s column about why Texas Tech should hire Art Briles as its next football coach.

After years of obsession and bashing the Baylor program and Briles, Engel most assuredly would be the first to condemn any school that would make such a hire.

So why would Engel write such a column? Frankly, I am growing quite tired of his pernicious attempts at being provocative.

Yes, yes: Trust us, we remember it

Why does Richard Greene keep reminding us that he had a minor position in the Bush administration a decade or so ago? (Nov. 18, B7, “Cornyn visit echoes need for common sense in Washington”)

Not how it should have happened

Thank you, Adrian Beltre, for being the consummate professional in your time with the Texas Rangers. See you in Cooperstown.

However, I will never forgive Elvis Andrus and Nelson Cruz for choking and thereby robbing a great and deserving player out of his World Series championship.

With two outs and two strikes, a simple, routine throw sailing over first base into the stands and a routine flyball sailing over an outfielder’s head prevented a true legend from properly capping his career.

Thanks for the memories, Beltre.