Star-Telegram readers deserve better than this level of discourse

This is who’s really off base

The Star-Telegram’s decision to print recent Sunday columns by Pat Carlson is inexplicable — and insulting to readers.

Carlson’s first column took the unprincipled stand of calling for Dr. Shahid Shafi to step aside from the Tarrant County Republican Party leadership because somehow he, and not the bigots calling for his resignation, has “divided the party.” (Dec. 17, 13A, “Tarrant GOP, get your house in order and take the vote”)

Then this past Sunday, she wrote that those concerned about fighting global warming are adopting the philosophies of Hitler and that the United Nations is engaged in a global conspiracy to socialize the world. (5B, “World’s young steeped in ‘warming’ dogma, but don’t you buy it”)

These columns are, of course, nonsense, and I can’t believe I’m reading them in the Star-Telegram. They’re not worthy of a serious newspaper, nor of your readers’ time on Sunday mornings — nor any other morning.

Surely, in one of the 20 largest cities in the United States, you can find local writers who don’t submit columns written in crayon. Do better.

Church abuse stories demean

Two featured front-page stories this week — “Spirit of fear; Hundreds of sex abuse allegations found in fundamental Baptist churches across U.S.” on Sunday and “Pastors abused children, then found refuge at other churches” on Monday — were about independent fundamental Baptist preachers who had engaged in sexual misconduct.

While everyone agrees that sexual assault is abhorrent, did those stories warrant consecutive days on the front page? Each story was four pages long and included several color photos. Was that really the most important news of those two days?

The fundamental Baptist church is in no way related to the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest evangelical Christian denomination in the country, but these stories seem to malign all conservative Christians.

The bias against evangelical Christians in the secular media, including the Star-Telegram, is overwhelming. Evangelical Christians usually identify with the Republican Party, so they must be discredited and demonized at every opportunity.

What’s definitely not in a name

The author of a Dec. 5 letter to the editor dismisses the question of why Rep. Beto O’Rourke uses a childhood nickname, comparing it to Sen. Rafael Edward Cruz’s use of “Ted.” Did anyone ever tell this writer that Ted is a nickname for Edward? Ever heard of Edward “Ted” Kennedy?

Beto is not a nickname for Robert or Frances.

Not up to party standard-bearers

I agree wholeheartedly with the statements expressed in the guest commentary by James Dickey, chairman of the Republican Party of Texas. (Dec. 8, 11A, “Texas GOP committed to religious freedom for all”)

Unfortunately, these statements are regularly contradicted via innuendo and insults by our president — a president our state party enthusiastically supports.

I doubt Presidents Abraham Lincoln or Ronald Reagan would be supporters of President Donald Trump.

Schumer dismissed fellow Americans

For any of you who witnessed the spirited debate in the White House on Tuesday between President Donald Trump, incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, I hope it didn’t go unnoticed that Schumer dismissed the people of Indiana and North Dakota as insignificant.

Once again, the liberals were pompous, self-righteous phonies.