So Texas Democrats are going to hell? That’s a narrow vision, Bishop Strickland
Students need protection
I was disappointed in the Sept. 7 editorial on the Carroll ISD school diversity plan. (4B, “Southlake Carroll school diversity plan: socialist race plot?”) You repeated extremist claims that some in Southlake are promulgating and using to hold the district and city’s leadership hostage.
There are no planned changes to the student code of conduct and no “LGBTQ agenda” added to the curricula. Disciplinary infractions are already tracked, and the plan proposes to collect information from LGBTQ students to address bullying and harassment they face.
No student should suffer a hostile learning environment, but many in the Carroll district do.
- Kandice Kapinos, Southlake
A narrow vision of grace
I am a Catholic in Longview, and luckily for me I’m pro-life, so Bishop Joseph Strickland would approve of me. (Sept. 8, Star-Telegram.com, “Catholic Bishop says Democrats are going to hell — and Texas Bishop backs him up.”)
I am embarrassed that my bishop is so rigid and dictatorial and paints with a broad brush. Bishops shouldn’t impose political affiliation litmus tests.
- James A. Marples, Longview
Won’t watch if they protest
Jerry Jones is concerned about the effect of players’ protests during the national anthem. (Sept. 9, 1B, “Jones worried fans will tune out if Cowboys protest”) He should be. Patriotic fans will drop their interest in the Cowboys if they show disrespect to our anthem, flag and country. The playing field is not the place to display a “hate America” movement.
- Dan Gabbert, North Richland Hills
The facts about your vote
Thanks to Bud Kennedy for sharing his experience with his mail-in ballot application. (Sept. 6, 1B, “Ways to prevent your election mail-in vote from being rejected”) Read it and heed it.
Your vote is important. If you receive a mail ballot and then decide to vote in person, take your unused ballot to the polls. If you mail your ballot and it’s accepted, the polling place will have a record and you cannot vote twice.
Do not listen to campaign rhetoric.
- Jack O. Lewis, Haltom City
COVID-19 no good reason
Bud Kennedy’s column failed to mention that fear of contracting COVID-19 is not a disability that entitles one to vote by mail. Both the Texas Supreme Court and the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals have specifically ruled so.
Kennedy knows this, or if he does not, he should not be writing about the subject.
- Steve Hollern, Fort Worth
Trump is not to blame
Ann McFeatters’ Sept. 10 column was a checklist of Democratic talking points. (9A, “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?”) Blaming President Donald Trump for the pandemic and the aftermath is like blaming Franklin Roosevelt for World War II and all the losses suffered and mistakes made in fighting it.
As for the rest of the list, I’m sure Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden can make these issues just go away, especially how cops, who are human, sometimes make mistakes with dreadful consequences.
Good luck with that one.
- Chris Sanford, Burleson
A void of leadership
When the coronavirus was discovered in our country in early January, there was no plan or leadership. Information from the brightest medical minds was ignored. Governors gave directives to their states’ residents, with none of the guidelines being the same. The president held a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with little social distancing.
So, what are the results? More than 195,000 deaths, many of which could have been avoided.
- Barbara Johnson, Hurst
What more do they need?
Will Republicans ever accept that President Donald Trump is incompetent and unfit for office? In the past couple weeks, we have learned that he called American heroes who gave their lives for their country “suckers” and “losers” and that he knew all along about the severity of the pandemic but failed to respond with appropriate action.
We are in a serious recession, and Americans will continue to suffer economic damage and a risk to our health and lives.
- Floyd S. Ostrom, Arlington