Thank you, professor
Re: “’One-of-a-kind’ philanthropist,” Thursday Metro & Business obituary.
Thank you for printing this obituary for Allan Saxe. I was fortunate to have him as my professor in the mid-1970s. He is the only professor whose name I still remember.
Several times a month, he would get a bright gleam in his eyes as he used the last part of the class to engage us in a current events topic. I remember one time he decided to mention each of the groups of students in the class — engineering, business, fraternities, sororities, athletes. Everyone was mentioned.
With 10 minutes left, he’d gotten most of the class angry at him or each other in the class. He then laughed his distinct laugh and pointed out how he had forced all of us out of our comfort zone and into uncomfortable topics about each other.
He pointed out that if we would talk and listen to each other, each of us had unique thoughts on any subject. Embrace learning from each other, examine all information. After defusing the session, he said he hoped we were not waiting for him in the halls. He taught us critical thinking.
What a gifted professor. I was fortunate to see him a few years ago and thanked him for teaching me to think. Thank you, Allan Saxe, and RIP.
Ray Janes, Highland Village
Sad for Ruidoso, Smokey Bear
Re: “Wildfires rage; 2nd person killed — Rain, hail, wind could complicate efforts to contain pair of blazes,” Thursday news story.
Smokey Bear must be so sad. That was his home forest. The fires in New Mexico are certainly climate change at our door. Southern New Mexico was always a harsh place to live, but then they found oil in the Permian Basin, and after several generations of spreading that poison from every tailpipe in the world, we’re reaping the harvest.
The effects of this fire will last a long time. I went to a church camp in those mountains more than a decade after the Smokey Bear fire in 1950, and there were no trees. The charred remains were still visible. They’ve barely recovered 75 years later. It takes a long time to grow a forest. Ruidoso may never recover.
Jon Caswell, Dallas
Court backs off ‘deference’
Re: “This No Longer Makes Any Sense — The twisted logic of Second Amendment absolutism,” Thursday editorial.
The Supreme Court decision on the legality of bump stocks was met with both praise and derision. However, this decision was much more legally significant because it may finally signify a curtailment of the practice known as “deference.” This is the idea that if an administrative agency applies rules that go beyond the letter of a law, courts should defer to the agency decision if the application is “well intended.”
This allows expansion of a law’s impact beyond what was intended by Congress and lets Congress off the hook for addressing the issue directly. The application of the Clean Air Act to covering the regulation of carbon dioxide by the Environmental Protection Agency is but one example of expansion beyond Congressional intentions.
It should not be left to unelected bureaucrats to determine what is a “well-intended” expansion of a law. This can lead to law creep and potential unfair legal and criminal impacts not envisioned by the original law’s boundaries. The proper course is for Congress to act on the record as to the legality of bump stocks.
Neal Okerblom, Dallas
Don’t poke the bear
Re: “Council condemns immigration law — Texas SB 4, delayed over legal issues, raises civil rights concerns,” June 14 Metro & Business story.
Yes, we know that Dallas is a welcoming city and we, individually and collectively, will aid any person in need, regardless of their origin, race, religion or legal status. We also know that Dallas is a city that should and does obey the laws.
Considering this, I am puzzled why the City Council members would take such a stand, in that it seems divisive and may create an impression that our police force is anxious to take people into custody because of their appearance. We know this is nonsense, but this resolution seems to indicate otherwise. I think that we can place our trust in our police chief, his staff and officers. Why poke the bear, unnecessarily?
Robert Smith, North Dallas
Juneteenth worth celebrating
Here’s a short history. Certainly Opal Lee as the grandmother of Juneteenth deserves much credit for her perseverance. I have great respect for her as I am about her age, and I don’t think I would have the stamina to do what she does!
June 19, 1865, is a real date to be marked as the day slaves in Texas received word that President Lincoln had declared the Emancipation Proclamation freeing them. But this proclamation freed slaves only in “states in rebellion against the United States in 1863,″ which included Texas.
Slaves in other states were not freed until six months later on Dec. 6, 1865, when the 13th Amendment was ratified by the required number of states and became law. So even though Juneteenth has been adopted as a national holiday, the date affected only Texas. But it’s surely worthy of being celebrated!
Shirley Lewis, Grand Prairie
Two few make choices
Here’s one more explanation about the despondency over democracy. The U.S. government operates as a republic, and we citizens have no direct voice in the decisions government makes. Instead, we choose (or rather a few of us choose) representatives who make choices for us. To cure this gap between real democracy and a republic, look to the way we choose our representatives. There, in my view, is the real problem. Too few make their democratic voices heard at the only time choices really matter.
Michael E. Egan, Far North Dallas
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