Keller needs help, not mayor’s sharia fight or ICE political stunts | Opinion
Texas reality
Keller Mayor Armin Mizani’s resolution to reject sharia law in his city is a blatant attempt to increase divisiveness. (Jan. 6, star-telegram.com, “Keller backs off ‘sharia law’ ban but makes clear it doesn’t want an EPIC City”) There is a certain hypocrisy in vilifying Muslims over sharia while supporting putting the Ten Commandments in every classroom in our public schools, despite the U.S. Constitution requiring freedom of religion.
In the past few months, Mizani and Keller have partnered with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to turn over immigrants and rescinded a prayer invitation to a church leader who supported a LGBTQ-friendly event. Shouldn’t we be trying to improve the lives of Texans by addressing real problems such as the cost of living and affordable housing?
- Ernesto and Debbie Garcia, Keller
Get gold
Chris Wallace, CEO of the North Texas Commission, and David Ibsen, executive director of Americans for Free Markets, advocate for a “Y’all Street” based in Texas to serve as a competitor or even a counterweight to the New York Stock Exchange. (Dec. 31, 11A, “As NY turns left, Texas can rise even more as financial powerhouse”)
Any new stock exchange must have the latest cutting-edge technology, but we must have the anchor of any sound economy: “hard money,” meaning physical gold, silver and other precious metals. Those are God-given resources and cannot be printed on a whim. Unlike crypto or digital, precious metal coinage is tangible and can be physically held and counted, and it never loses total value.
Paper currency, bonds and stocks can become totally worthless. Texas needs a gold reserve.
- James A. Marples, Longview
Dokoupil rules
New CBS News anchor Tony Dokoupil said in promos: “Don’t just trust me. Make me earn it.” Then, in his debut, he hosted the equivalent of “The Pete Hegseth Show,” as the secretary of defense presented an unchallenged promo for the Trump administration’s action in Venezuela. No time was given to opposing views.
It’s obvious that Dokoupil’s new boss and owner have set the rules.
- Jack Bowen, Fort Worth
Resist lies
On Jan. 6, the White House posted several lies about the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot, including that “Capital Police were responsible for escalating tensions and turning a peaceful demonstration into chaos” and that the “2020 election was stolen.”
We all play some role in the things that allowed Donald Trump to be elected again. One year later, we see what he and his team of sycophants are doing to the country. It could degrade the rule of law and the values by which many of us aspire to live.
I wish the Fort Worth Star-Telegram would systematically and fairly tear through these lies, for the benefit of, in the short-term, the 2026 elections and, beyond that, the next generation.
- Ed Riefenstahl, Fort Worth
Not Christian
I was pleased to see the Star-Telegram cover Saturday’s protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement violence, and even more pleased by the turnout of the community and churches. Regardless of the debate about the actions or words of Renee Good in the moments leading up to her killing, we live in a nation of due process and human rights, and federal agents should not be doling out the death penalty without accountability or oversight.
We are at a dangerous place as a country when the government excuses and defends the violent killing of a citizen before a thorough investigation . Whatever happened to waiting for all the facts? Law enforcement and federal agents are not above the law, and every on-duty shooting should be subject to scrutiny.
We cannot call ourselves a Christian nation while supporting extrajudicial killings in our streets.
- Sheila Joiner, North Richland Hills