Paid tributes; Houston vote; School discipline; James Bond; Blue Bell return; President Trump?

Paid tributes

It’s a real shame that we the taxpayers have to pay rich sports team owners to honor our troops and then the owners get the credit for doing so (see Thursday news story, “U.S. paid teams to honor the troops”).

The owners receive tax credits, make millions of dollars from the fans and the players receive multimillion-dollar contracts. And they can’t pay tribute to our troops without charge?

I hope that sports fans who pay exorbitant prices to attend the games boycott the games until all this money is returned.

Houston vote

The United States is dedicated to the proposition that we all are equal before the law.

Equality of personhood is our foundational idea, our core value — not just for whites, or men, or heterosexuals, or those who profess one particular set of anti-rational superstitions, but for all. Black, brown, female, gay, transgender, atheist — we have a right to be who we are and to be free.

Yet the people of Houston — who elected a lesbian mayor three times — voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to repeal a law that did nothing but guarantee equal rights.

Why? Because of religious prejudice? Because of a propaganda campaign focused on perverts in public restrooms?

Because they are impenetrably stupid and couldn’t understand what the law actually would and would not do, or incurably lazy and didn’t bother to find out?

I am a Texan. I was born here. I’ve lived 52 of my 62 years here. This is my home; I’m here to stay. I won’t give ignorant fools the satisfaction of running me off. But I am very tired of being surrounded by narrow-minded, fearful bigotry.

School discipline

An Oct. 4 story (“Feds seek civil-rights data from schools”) suggested that certain groups of students were disproportionally (and unfairly) subjected to school disciplinary procedures.

Could it be that certain groups of students come to school lacking adequate measures of self-discipline, exhibiting behaviors that interfere with the educational opportunities of others and necessitating “disproportionate” external controls?

James Bond

I loved David Martindale’s Thursday article on Bond, James Bond, 007 (“Bond, from A to Z”). Very creative writing.

Your article about James Bond drew to a close by saying that there have been six James Bond actors.

In fact, there have been seven.

You left out David Niven, who starred as a spoof Sir James Bond 007 in the first version of Casino Royale (1967).

Blue Bell return

Blue Bell doesn’t deserve your adoration or your money.

It wasn’t until three people died that the company started to clean up its act.

Regardless how much I liked the product, I can’t begin to trust the management team.

Shame on media outlets for making the return a news story.

President Trump?

Donald Trump? Whatever your political leanings are, you need to look long and hard.

Do you, we, want “The Donald” representing the United States as our president?

His money is not reason enough. Our standing in the eyes of the world’s people and leaders is less than sterling as it is.

I’m not recommending anyone. Just please, not Trump!

This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Paid tributes; Houston vote; School discipline; James Bond; Blue Bell return; President Trump?."