Confederates; GOP candidates; Sarah Palin; Oscars diversity; Anchor babies
Confederates
Recently those who celebrate Confederate Heroes Day and Robert E. Lee’s birthday have been taken to task for celebrating both too close to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Lee’s birthday, now Confederate Heroes Day, was signed into law as a state holiday in 1931. The federal holiday Martin Luther King Jr. Day was created in 1983 and was first celebrated in 1986.
Confederate Heroes Day is always Jan. 19, while Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the third Monday of January.
I agree that King deserves to be remembered and honored for his service and sacrifice, but I would ask that those who complain the loudest about who is usurping which holiday get their facts straight.
Daniel L. Nation,
Fort Worth
Confederate battle flags were distributed at the Fort Worth Stock Show parade to protest the ban on that flag.
Fort Worth’s United Confederate Veterans Camp No. 158 was once the largest in the nation. Former Fort Worth National Bank President K.M. Van Zandt was national commander.
His 1866 cabin is now near Farrington Field, and the dwellings in Log Cabin Village were those of Confederate soldiers.
Regarding secession: In 1848, U.S. Rep. Abraham Lincoln said of Texas’ revolution against Mexico that “any people … have the right to rise up and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better.”
Paul B. Martin,
Cleburne
GOP candidates
Thank you, Sen. Ted Cruz, for not resorting to third-grade name-calling in response to Donald Trump.
Trump won’t talk about solutions because he has none.
This country needs sensible solutions, not a commander in chief who, like the rest of the Washington’s liberal elite, will make deals with Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell.
Ted Cruz is despised in Washington because he has long-standing conservative principles that he will not compromise.
He won’t be a dealmaker just for the sake of making the deal.
Trump’s support in the polls only reflects the wholesale attitude of the misinformed.
Carol Guarnieri,
Fort Worth
I don’t blame Donald Trump for skipping the Thursday night debate on Fox News.
Darn! Mean ole Megyn Kelly. She’s such a big bully.
Golly, gee whiz! Vladimir Putin wouldn’t treat him so mean.
Mel Goodson,
Arlington
Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin’s profundity was again on display when she attributed the domestic violence arrest of her son, Track, to his deployment in Iraq.
Welcome back, Sarah. You have elevated this circus to Barnum & Bailey level.
David N. Snider,
Arlington
Oscars diversity
Controversy about the Oscars not having enough diversity and African-Americans boycotting the event makes me wonder.
What if Caucasians boycotted professional football games for the same reason: not enough diversity on the football field?
Sue Williams,
Fort Worth
Anchor babies
Another year has passed and nothing seems to have been accomplished on anchor babies.
Unless we in massive numbers demand a change, non-citizens will continue to come to America illegally to have children.
Loretta Jo Doty, Euless
This story was originally published January 27, 2016 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Confederates; GOP candidates; Sarah Palin; Oscars diversity; Anchor babies."