Column on O'Rourke vicious
Re: "Fighting for relevancy, O'Rourke jumps the shark — Inauthentic politician parrots the left's righteous anger in desperate bid to win votes," by Joshua J. Whitfield, Tuesday Viewpoints.
Wow. Beto O'Rourke really seems to have struck a nerve with his assertion that churches should lose tax-exempt status for discriminating against the LGBTQ community. I've always found Whitfield's columns to be thought provoking and even-handed, but Tuesday's was a vicious personal attack. It's a little bit shocking to see open contempt from a religious leader for a man who listens, shows empathy and acts as an ally for the marginalized. I'm sorry he threatened your revenue, Father.
Liz Urech, Plano
Mean-spirited diatribe
Wow, one can only hope that Joshua Whitfield treats his parishioners with more understanding and insight than this biased and mean-spirited diatribe on Beto O'Rourke. It's an opinion piece, I understand, but providing a forum for this kind of hateful rant should be something the editorial board filters out. Differences of opinion should be expressed in a more respectful way, especially from one who represents an organization based on love and grace.
Stuart Slaughter, North Dallas
Kudos for the column
Kudos to Joshua Whitfield for eloquently writing what most of us are thinking about Beto O'Rourke. Scary to realize he was actually on the ballot for U.S. senator.
Martin Tayman, Dallas
About that diagnosis
I read the opinion piece about Beto O'Rourke's intention and reason for running and Joshua Whitfield's opinions about his speeches that back up this flawed theory.
Just for a moment, let's assume that people who are not marginalized have empathy for those who are and want to change that. It's a very Christian (I would say Jesus-like) quality that really should be shared by the Christian base. Do you agree? Does that make us all lean toward the "psychopath" diagnosis you've laid out?
Second, please recite the exception in the Constitution that's calls for separation of church and state, that allows a federal tax exemption for a religious institution. Churches should in no way be exempted from paying taxes because they donate "some" of their profits to charities of their choosing! I also donate money to charity and pay my taxes.
Finally, if you feel "Beto O'Rourke is a philosophical psychopath," please tell me your diagnosis of Donald Trump, Robert Jeffress, Mitch McConnell and all the other politicians looking to stomp out the very basis of the reason we wanted to separate from England's rule.
Shelley Tomko, Allen
Police shootings similar
The circumstances between the Fort Worth and Dallas police officer shootings are very similar. Two individuals are in their residences relaxing and shot for no justifiable reason. I am wondering about the officers' training and mental conditions. I have known several police officers in my lifetime, and I can't imagine any of them acting this way. Officers are supposed to protect and to serve. Both officers failed miserably.
I am a 65-year-old white male. However, I understand what people of color feel about police. I have one question. Would the results have been different if the victims had been white? I hope and pray that no other individuals meet the same fate!
Ronald Paris, Anna
Police training faulted
Re: "Officer charged in killing — Chief: He resigned before termination after firing on woman in her home," Tuesday news story.
There is no question the officer in question was wrong in how he responded to a call to check on a residence. However, it appears to me that the Fort Worth Police Department bears a huge portion of culpability in this matter. This officer just joined the Fort Worth in April 2018. That time frame speaks volumes about the fact that department failed miserably in ensuring their officers have been properly trained and vetted before releasing them to the street. There appears to be no question this officer should not have been placed in this situation as he obviously was nowhere near ready to properly address the situation he found himself in.
David Miller, Pittsburg
Officer did everything wrong
Your coverage of this story was good, but incomplete. As a retired trial lawyer who filed and won several Dallas police shooting cases in the '80s, one fundamental principle stood out, and that is that an officer approaching a building should never shoot into a darkened room without announcing himself from a position of cover, and making sure there were no innocents in the room, such as children.
Everything this officer did was wrong! He failed to announce himself as a police officer, he shot into a darkened building without making sure that no innocents were in the line of fire (which there were here), and he discharged his weapon without a reasonably perceived risk to himself or others. In short, he did everything wrong, and at the very least should be charged with manslaughter.
Police are charged by law with the awesome responsibility of life or death, and should exercise this responsibility very carefully and in accordance with established principles. If they fail to do so, they should be held accountable by law, just like a lawyer or doctor who commits malpractice. Kudos to the Fort Worth police for taking prompt action in arresting and charging this officer.
Jim Barber, Dallas/Uptown
First Armenians, now Kurds
Again, Turkey is attempting a second genocide. First, the Armenians and now the Kurds. Armenian families were sent to their death through the desert. Many men remained home defending their country. All perished. Armenia received little help, and if President Donald Trump has his way, neither will the Kurds who are terrified along the border. With no allied help, Kurds were forced to make a deal with the devil — Syria. U.S. tolerates Turkey's government primarily because Turkey allows our air bases there.
Turks massacred my father's mother, father and seven siblings. He escaped the slaughter when his parents, anticipating a pogram, sent him alone at age 14 to America. He was processed through Ellis Island by a Turkish man, only because he could speak Armenian. This processor incorrectly entered dad's trade as one not needed here, and he now faced deportation. A note was smuggled out to his sponsoring uncle. This uncle personally contacted President Woodrow Wilson, who ordered his acceptance. Can you image this? Attending college, becoming a naturalized citizen and establishing a business, he became a proud patriot of our country. God bless the Kurds!
Edward G. Dardaganian, Richardson
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