Time to wear red; meaning of freedom; a better idea
Time to wear red
Heart disease is still the No. 1 killer of Americans, taking the life of one in three each year. This means that both women and men are dying at the rate of one every 90 seconds.
This week, the City Council presented the American Heart Association of Tarrant County with a proclamation declaring Friday as Wear Red Day in Fort Worth. The proclamation was announced at the council meeting Jan. 20. We appreciate our cities helping us build awareness of heart disease.
Wear Red Day is an important part of the Go Red for Women goal to build awareness and urge women to take concrete actions to reduce the risk of heart disease and raise necessary funds for research and education.
We ask all Tarrant County residents to Speak Red, Wear Red, and Go Red for Women on National Wear Red Day.
— Connie Kerr, Arlington
Meaning of freedom
Freedom is important to America, although lately its meaning has changed.
It now means you can do anything you want, as long as no one gets hurt or offended.
But offending and even hurting someone is often inevitable.
For instance, recall the battles over slavery and segregation. Slaveowners and segregationists were deeply hurt and offended by Lincoln and civil rights legislation, but the issues had to be settled and they were.
It takes courage to discuss and settle important issues.
Sadly, today there are powerful lobbies that stifle discussions.
No one in government has the courage to stand up to them.
Instead of electing courageous leaders, we wind up electing the best campaigner.
And as we’ve seen, a good campaign is no predictor of good performance in office.
— Curt Lampkin, Azle
A better idea
Regarding the ridiculous “dream” sculpture, I have a better suggestion for Arlington.
Has anyone on the City Council visited the place where our little Amber Hagerman was kidnapped? The little makeshift shrine is next to a filthy dumpster strewn with litter — a pathetic tribute to this little heroine.
How can this city, which boasts the many fabulous entertainment venues and has streets and parks named after the likes of Nolan Ryan and Tom Vandergriff, to name a few, not have an appropriate monument dedicated to this one little girl, who is known worldwide and whose savage death led to measures that have saved thousands of lives all over the U.S.?
— Betty Garcia, Arlington
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This story was originally published February 5, 2015 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Time to wear red; meaning of freedom; a better idea."