Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 112, No. 114, Ed. 1 Tuesday, November 24, 2015 Page: 4 of 18
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OPINION
4A
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Denton Record-Chronicle
Denton Record-Chronicle
Letters to the editor
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Published by Denton Publishing Co.,
a subsidiary of A.H. Belo Corporation
City government questions
I’m curious about how Denton city gov-
ernment works. We vote for no fracking. But
wait! The state says it will sue us. So that
costs money and we back down.
Our children are hit by cars because of a
lack sidewalks. We are told the state is not
working on the streets for a while and we
have no money. So we have to wait.
We ask for seating and handicap access
for our bus system but there is no money. We
build a driving range for golf (so there must
be an interest in golf) but we have no public
course because it costs money. Now a con-
vention center and a Buc-ee’s (still just a big
gas station) want millions of dollars to build
here. But wait? We don’t need this money for
20 years.
Do we not need that money for the qual-
ity of life in this town or now do we have it to
give away? I guess we can build them some
sidewalks. So is our message, “Come to
Fracking Denton and stay. We have three
Wal-Marts and a giant gas station. So you
can fuel up as you get ready to go golfing in
Gainesville, Muenster or Gunter.
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Founded from weekly newspapers,
the Denton Chronicle, established in 1882,
and the Denton Record, established in 1897.
Published daily as the Denton
Record-Chronicle since Aug. 3,1903.
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EDITORIAL BOARD
Bill Patterson
Publisher and CEO
Scott K. Parks
Managing Editor
Mark Finley
City Editor
Mariel Tarn-Ray
News Editor
PAST PUBLISHERS
William C. “Will” Edwards
1903-1927
Robert J. “Bob” Edwards
1927-1945
Riley Cross
1945-1970
Vivian Cross
1970-1986
Fred Patterson
1986-1999
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Editorials published in the Denton Record-Chronicle
are determined by the editorial board.
Questions and suggestions should be directed to the:
Denton Record-Chronicle
314 E. Hickory St., Denton, TX 76201
Phone: 940-387-3811
Fax: 940-566-6888
E-mail: drc@dentonrc.com
Politicians run against
Syrian refugees
Ken Horstman,
Denton
ahbelo.com NYSE symbol: AHC
You might be an anarchist if ...
If you disapprove of the actions of a City
Council member, you maybe an anarchist. If
you think the City Council is not following
the wishes of the voters, you may be an an-
archist. If you follow city charter to force a
recall vote of one of the council members,
you may be an anarchist.
This is not a Jeff Foxworthy act, but what
Greg Johnson thinks about people who dis-
agree with the City Council. Why didn’t calls
for such an investigation occur when the
“Occupy” group came to town? What about
the Drilling Awareness Group and Earth-
works? After all, they are all related groups.
If the city manager investigates these “an-
archist” groups, he should also look at the
unconstitutional ordinance that prevents
council members from exercising their right
of free speech. Also, expand the investigation
to determine practices that hide from public
view issues that directly affect the citizens. If
Johnson is concerned about the use of MLK
Center, also look into all the political events
held at Denia and the Civic Center.
I am pro-fossil fuel and anti-climate
change. I also believe we all have the right to
voice our opinions and beliefs without fear
that our government will “investigate” us.
Maybe all the council members who be-
lieve as Mr. Johnson should face a recall vote
merica’s refugee screening process is
so tight — only about half are accept-
ed after a process that can take two
years or more — that it probably would be
easier for the Islamic State to sneak a jihadi
terrorist in by rowboat.
Yet that reality has not stopped some pol-
iticians from exploiting fears instead of
calming them since the terror attacks in Par-
is. Some even talk
about suspending
such inconveniences
as, say, the Bill of
Rights.
Yes, I’m talking
about Donald Trump.
The billionaire,
who has managed to
offend his way to
frontrunner status in
the Republican presi-
dential race, says the
United States will have “absolutely no
choice” but to close down some mosques
where “some bad things are happening.”
What bad things? The Donald does not
say. Yet he is not about to let a simple lack of
evidence stop him from frightening Amer-
ican voters.
“Nobody wants to say this and nobody
wants to shut down religious institutions or
anything, but you know, you understand it,”
he said recently on Fox News’ Hannity.
With that, Trump bumped up the ante on
his remarks. In response to the recent terror-
ist attacks in Paris that killed at least 130 and
injured hundreds more, Trump said recently
that as president he would “strongly consid-
er” closing mosques.
Why the shift, asked host Sean Hannity?
“There’s absolutely no choice,” said Trump.
“Some really bad things are happening and
they’re happening fast,” he said.
Be afraid. Be very afraid. Not.
Among other presidential contenders,
Republican Ben Carson warned that fleeing
migrants should be treated with the caution
we would use with “rabid dogs.”
Fellow Republican candidate Mike
Huckabee on Dana Loesch’s The Blaze talk
show compared refugees to the recent out-
break of E. coli bacteria in Chipotle restau-
rants.
lum seekers.
Since Oct. \ 2014, the United States has
admitted only 1,854 of the estimated 4 mil-
lion refugees who have fled Syria.
President Obama said in September that
the United States would accept at least
10,000 in the coming year.
But only 187 Syrians arrived in the month
of October, according to the State Depart-
ment, and they were scattered across 17
states.
Editorial
A
Make political points
without firearms
he gun fetish is spinning out of control in Texas. If
we don’t watch out, someone is going to get hurt or
killed.
A group of armed protesters showed up at a mosque in
Irving to denounce what they called “the Islamization of
America.” They told a reporter they brought guns to their
sidewalk protest to defend themselves.
We support free speech and the right to peacefully
assemble, but bringing shotguns and AR-15 assault-style
rifles to a protest is unnecessary.
Other than mentioning the jihadi attacks on Paris, the
protesters failed to explain why they felt the need for guns
to defend themselves from peaceful Muslims at their
place of worship.
Thankfully, we are not hearing reports of similar pro-
tests at the Islamic Center of Denton. All appears to be
quiet there. And we want it to stay that way.
Several months ago, when controversy about the Den-
ton County Confederate Soldier Memorial flared up in
Denton, a group of protesters in favor of keeping the
memorial on the courthouse Square showed up. At least
one of them was armed with a rifle and confronted a
small group that favors taking down the memorial.
The presence of a loaded firearm at the center of an
emotional, impromptu debate on the Square raised eye-
brows and caused anxiety.
On Jan. 1, it will become legal in Texas for concealed
carry permit holders to openly display their sidearms
while walking down the street or while going about their
business. The rules say the pistol must be kept in a belt
holster or shoulder holster.
We reckon that very few permit holders will take the
opportunity to walk the streets looking like Clint East-
wood playing a role in a Western movie.
On Aug. 1, so-called campus carry will be allowed on
the University of North Texas and Texas Woman’s Uni-
versity campuses. Concealed-carry permit holders age 21
or older will be allowed to bring pistols on campus. The
universities will be allowed to designate gun-free zones.
But the implication is clear. More guns will be allowed
where they once were prohibited.
We believe in the right of Texans to possess firearms
for hunting, target practice and self-defense. Pistols and
rifles have been a part of our lives since before the Texas
revolution against Mexico.
But we are a modest people not given to ostentatious
public displays of any kind. We don’t need people in-
volved in emotional sidewalk protests waving guns
around on city streets. It’s imprudent and irresponsible.
We should be able to make political points without the
possibility of bullets flying though the air.
T
Yet Democratic Mayor David Bowers in
Roanoke, Va., kicked up a firestorm when he
cited the use of internment camps to “se-
quester” Japanese “foreign nationals” during
World War II to justify his suspension of the
relocation of Syrian refugees to his city.
The threat posed by the Islamic State,
Bowers said, “is just as real and serious as
that from our enemies then.”
For this stance, Bowers was sternly re-
buked by his fellow council members and
leaders of both major political parties, plus
Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
But the most poignant objection came
from George Takei, the Japanese-American
actor who played Mr. Sulu on the original
Star Trek — and spent four years as a child
with his family in the internment camps.
In a Facebook post, Takei corrected Bow-
ers’ faulty history. “The internment [not a
‘sequester’] was not of Japanese ‘foreign na-
tionals,”’ he noted, ‘but of Japanese-Amer-
icans, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citi-
zens.”
Clarence
Page
and run on the platform of limited speech.
See how that goes over!
Steve Sullivan,
Corinth
Sheriff’s staff compassionate
I’ve spent the last eight months going to
visit my grandson twice aweekatthe Denton
County jail’s video visitation site. I expected a
bad experience under trying circumstances,
but the sheriff’s department personnel on
duty have made it better than I expected.
Visitors have to enter a room full of little
booths with video screens with telephone
things. This is where you get to see and talk
to your loved one during a free 20-minute
video visit. For those with limited computer
experience, it can be a very intimidating and
frustrating experience.
There are always two officers on duty. On
my first visit, I was afraid they would act like
jerks and treat me like scum because I had
come to visit a prisoner. In fact, the two offi-
cers were compieteiy polite, helpful, kind
and compassionate. That has been the case
with all of the officers. I wish I knew all of
their names because I would like to write
them thank-you notes for their professional-
ism, helpfulness and patience — especially
with old ladies like me who take forever to
figure out how to do the computer stuff.
So, officers, please continue your great
service to the families and friends who are
His family broke no laws, yet they were
imprisoned, Takei wrote, ‘because we hap-
pened to look like the people who bombed
Pearl Harbor.”
About 120,000 Japanese-American
men, women and children were detained in
the camps, which are remembered as one of
our government’s most shameful acts.
That sounds a lot like what’s beginning to
happen to Syrian refugees who have applied
to the U.S. for asylum. Internment camps
should not be a model for how we treat Syri-
an refugees.
Quite the opposite, they illustrate some-
thing that governments should never do:
Presume an entire group of people to be a
threat to national security, simply because
they belong to the wrong ethnic group.
Yet, if you carry his metaphor forward, it’s
worthwhile to note that Chipotle vetted its
meat so the chain can resume normal opera-
tions — much like the government vets asy-
CLAKENCE PAGE writes for the Chica-
go Tribune. His column is distributed by
Tribune Content Agency.
Letters to the editor
Honest mistake
I don’t belong to any group promoting
anarchy in Denton that City Council mem-
ber Greg Johnson wants to spend city re-
sources monitoring. But I am an anarchist.
I think it’s an honest mistake if Johnson
hears the word “anarchy” and thinks of Sons
of Anarchy or something like that. Anar-
chism is the least understood of any major
political philosophy.
Quite simply, anarchism is the idea that
the free choice and autonomy of every single
human being is sacred, and that it’s possible
to live without hierarchies based on gender,
race, class or ability. It means anarchists re-
ject the idea of a government that holds
power over people.
It suggests that we, collectively, can orga-
nize human affairs from the ground up in
tribal councils, worker cooperatives, neigh-
borhood assemblies or other models. Power
rests at the bottom, not the top.
Greg Johnson’s call to investigate anar-
chists came as part of his defense of fellow
council member Joey Hawkins, who was
SUBMISSIONS
suffering the sadness caused by the incarcer-
ation of a loved one. You are the greatest and
the people of Denton should know that and
respect you for it.
Letters for publication must include the writer’s
name, address and telephone number. Au-
thorship must be verified before publication.
The Record-Chronicle reserves the right to edit
letters for length. Letters should be typed or
legibly handwritten and be 250 or fewer words.
We prefer email submissions.
Send to: drc@dentonrc.com.
Otherwise, fax to 940-566-6888, or mail to:
Letters to the editor, P.0. Box 369,
Denton, TX 76202
Pamela Kaatz,
Denton
This day in history: November 24
Public lacks full information
I think members of the City Council need
to be reminded that the public does not have
all the information they need regarding the
proposed natural gas power plants because
we are not allowed in closed sessions. The so-
called Denton Municipal Electric open
house was no more than an infomercial with
no one who could really answer the hard
questions.
I have sent a list of 20 valid questions re-
garding the proposed NG power plants to
our mayor and City Council. I received a re-
sponse from the mayor and two council per-
sons.
Today is Tuesday, Nov. 24,
the 328th day of 2015. There
are 37 days left in the year.
On Nov. 24,1865, Missis-
sippi became the first Southern
state to enact laws which came
to be known as “Black Codes”
aimed at limiting the rights of
newly freed blacks; other states
of the former Confederacy soon
followed.
In 1784, Zachary Taylor, the
12th President of the United
States, was bom in Orange
County, Virginia.
In 1859, British naturalist
Charles Darwin published On
the Origin of Species, which ex-
plained his theory of evolution
by means of natural selection.
In 1944, during World War
II, U.S. bombers based on Sai-
pan attacked Tokyo in the first
raid against the Japanese capital
by land-based planes.
In 1950, the musical Guys
and Dolls, based on the writings
of Damon Runyon and featur-
ing songs by Frank Loesser,
opened on Broadway.
In 1963, Jack Ruby shot and
mortally wounded Lee Harvey
Oswald, the accused assassin of
President John F. Kennedy, in a
scene captured on live television.
In 1965, Joseph-Desire Mo-
butu (later known as Mobutu
Sese Seko) seized power in the
Congo (later known as the Dem-
ocratic Republic of Congo, and
for a time, as Zaire) through a
military coup.
In 1969, Apollo 12 splashed
down safely in the Pacific.
In 1971, a hijacker calling
himself “Dan Cooper” (but who
became popularly known as
“D.B. Cooper”) parachuted from
a Northwest Orient Airlines 727
over the Pacific Northwest after
receiving $200,000 dollars in
ransom; his fate remains un-
known.
In 1974, the bone fragments
of a 3.2 million-year-old homi-
nid were discovered by scientists
in Ethiopia; the skeletal remains
were nicknamed “Lucy.”
In 1985, the hijacking of an
Egyptair jetliner parked on the
ground in Malta ended as com-
mandos stormed the plane. Fif-
ty-eight people died in the raid,
in addition to two others killed
facing a recall election. Hawkins ran unop-
posed last May and got 302 votes, or 1.5 per-
cent of registered voters in his district.
According to Johnson, the voters who
gathered 125 signatures to force a recall elec-
tion were making a mockery of our democ-
racy. Odd choice of words from the guy who
advocates monitoring voters because they
want to vote in a real election.
Peter Beauchamp,
Denton
One assured me they would try and get
answers to my questions. One did not at-
tempt to answer my questions but told me in
a patronizing tone how good the NG power
plants would be. The third informed me they
also have many questions that have to be an-
swered before they could vote either way.
My tone was civil and my questions were
well thought out, so I am at a loss as to why a
majority of our council members chose to
not respond to my request at all.
Council members, please remember that
we do not have the information you are privy
to in closed session. So, we have many unan-
swered questions. Please show some regard
and respect and answer your constituents.
Cathy McMullen,
Denton
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by the hijackers.
— The Associated Press
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Parks, Scott K. Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 112, No. 114, Ed. 1 Tuesday, November 24, 2015, newspaper, November 24, 2015; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1124613/m1/4/?rotate=180: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .