If we just quit talking about White Settlement Road, it won’t be a problem anymore

A mistake that had to end at last

For those who question the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan: How many more American lives would you sacrifice? How many more trillions would you spend?

We’ve spent 20 years trying to prepare that country and its military to remain free of the Taliban. It now seems it’s been to little avail.

After losing thousands of American soldiers, with many more wounded, and after spending trillions of dollars, do you really believe any more would help?

- James Morgan, De Leon

Please, think of the arms dealers

In all the lamenting over the collapse of Afghanistan, I have yet to hear or read about those who will suffer the most: the military-industrial complex.

- S.R. DeWees, Alvarado

Masks on kids? No big deal

Many people might think that school-age children would be contentious and combative about wearing masks in school. As a new substitute teacher in rural Tarrant County, I can tell you that I have been very pleasantly surprised to find all of our students wearing masks, usually correctly. In my experience, there have been only about three times I had to remind a student to put the mask over his or her nose.

Adults skip the vaccination and argue with store employees about wearing masks, but the students I deal with are apparently much smarter. Now if we can only get Gov. Greg Abbott to be as mature and show some leadership.

- Mark K. Bauer, Haslet

I don’t believe the same as you

Concerning the Fort Worth school board’s meeting Tuesday to discuss whether children should be required to wear masks in class: (Aug. 16, 1A, “Fort Worth school board calls special meeting over mask requirements”) If masks are the end-all, be-all some parents think, those parents should send their kids to school wearing masks.

Please don’t force your mask beliefs on someone who may not share them.

- Steve Himes, Fort Worth

Talk about a shot that missed

The hospitals are filled with COVID-19 patients. Intensive-care beds are scarce. School districts and the governor are suing each other. Communities are sharply divided over vaccination requirements and masks. And the Star-Telegram’s Sunday front-page centerpiece is about a skeet shooter? (“Triple Olympic gold skeet shooter calls Fort Worth home”)

What planet do your editors inhabit?

- Dennis Novak, Fort Worth

Tell us more to make it hit home

It seems that a great number of COVID-19 deaths are among people with underlying conditions. We learned early in the pandemic that health issues such as diabetes and weakened immune systems make people more susceptible.

It might be helpful for the media to report more specifically on underlying conditions that people who die from the virus had. Perhaps then people with those conditions might be more inclined to get vaccinated. And the rest of us might rest a little easier.

- Kelvin Johnson, Crowley

Discussing injustice makes it worse

Bud Kennedy’s column about White Settlement Road is just more woke whining in an attempt to change history. (Aug. 15, 1C, “Lynchings, slavery in White Settlement Road’s past”)

The events of more than 100 years ago have absolutely nothing to do with our current racial disharmony. That disharmony is being fueled by commentaries such as this.

- Paul Ward, Mansfield

This story was originally published August 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "If we just quit talking about White Settlement Road, it won’t be a problem anymore."