Trump phenomenon; Meteoric rise; Offensive cartoon

Trump phenomenon

How anyone can see Donald Trump as president of the United States is beyond me.

The fact that he is rich and says whatever blows through his brain is not a recommendation.

Many of the people who support him do so because they know they couldn’t get away with his ridiculous spouting off.

His money seems to buy him that privilege and a place on all the social media ports.

Trump’s suggestion to stop Muslims entering the United States might have been stated a little more artfully, but it is something George W. Bush should have done on Sept. 12, 2001.

I’m a Republican, will not vote for Trump in the Texas primary.

But if he wins the Republican nomination, I will absolutely vote for him.

When will Republicans see through the warmongering rhetoric of Trump and object strongly?

Trump says that he will “bomb the hell out of ISIS.”

How many innocent civilians will be killed with this approach?

Now Trump wants to block all Muslims from entering the U.S., and cites the strategy used by Franklin D. Roosevelt in World War II.

This isolationist idea would, more likely, play into the enemy’s hands.

To those who think this may be a good idea, I suggest they read The Train to Crystal City by Jan Jarboe Russell, which describes the internment of Japanese, German and Italian American families into family internment camps right here in Texas.

This was a true black mark on FDR’s legacy.

To Trump’s supporters: I, too, am ready for a president who is not a career politician and doesn’t worry about political correctness.

But I worry whether Trump is closer to Teddy Roosevelt or to Howard Beale, the fictional network anchor who told his viewers to open their windows and yell, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore.”

One thing that really worries me is this:

Donald Trump is likely to be a political IED on the world stage, especially with the likes of Vladimir Putin to deal with.

The last thing anyone needs is an escalation of world tensions.

Meteoric rise

I hope lovers of all things Fort Worth are enjoying the meteoric rise of Crowley favorite son Leon Bridges.

His performance on Saturday Night Live last Saturday was stunning.

It was not much more than a year ago that this fine young man was washing dishes at Del Frisco’s Grille and singing on Sundance Square street corners.

He now has a rich record contract, has become world renowned and is being compared to Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Al Green.

His class and style are just as refreshing as his songwriting and voice.

His album Coming Home put his name at the top of the charts and Fort Worth back on the musical map.

Offensive cartoon

I am a born-again Christian, and I was horrified to see on Saturday the Columbia Daily Tribune cartoon of baby Jesus lying in a manger holding a gun with the words “Gifts from the two wise men and another from the American.”

Your paper may think this cartoon is funny, but it’s sacrilegious and blasphemous.

The wise men did not find Jesus until he was about 2 years old, when they presented him with their gifts.

A gun was not among them.

This story was originally published December 9, 2015 at 5:25 PM with the headline "Trump phenomenon; Meteoric rise; Offensive cartoon."