Why just one version?
Re: “Ten Commandments required in every public classroom — Civil rights groups say government should not side in religious debate,” Thursday news story.
Most people are not aware there are different versions of the Ten Commandments: Jewish, Catholic and Protestant. The law enacted in Louisiana and being proposed in Texas is to display the Protestant version. Are teachers going to be prepared to explain to their Catholic and Jewish students why what is being displayed in school is different from what they are learning in religious school?
Larry Goldsticker, Plano
Who will guide teachers?
Regarding the movement to require posting the Ten Commandments in all classrooms, if our state legislators do pursue this course of action, I would sincerely hope that they provide specific guidance to public school teachers for their proper reaction to totally predictable classroom situations.
What, for instance, do they say to the student who doesn’t understand the first commandment because his/her family practices a polytheistic faith? If acting contrary to the commandments is bad, does that mean that their religion is wrong?
On another note, what does the third grade teacher say to the 9-year-old who asks what “adultery” means? Yes, our schools should be reinforcing the basics of civilized society. Most of us would agree that people shouldn’t steal, lie, commit murder, cheat on their spouses or wallow in envy. But please, let’s leave the religious context out of the discussion.
Patricia Baldwin, Dallas
Commandments offer unity
The state of uproar that displaying the Ten Commandments in Louisiana schools has caused is rather insightful. As a child of the ‘60s, we stood to recite the Pledge of Allegiance each morning and in doing so created unity and a sense of pride. I would assume that most world religions preach some version of the Ten Commandments.
There is nothing in these 10 mandates that one would find issue with. The lessons are illuminating. In elementary school, we were offered three minutes of quiet time. We were free to contemplate our navels or stare at the walls. Having the Ten Commandments posted might have offered some valuable reflection. As a country, we are desperately in need of unity. Our children need it if they are to grow into adults who understand that we are more alike than not.
Anne Davidoff, Plano
Shocked at alleged sins
Recently an unholy trinity of Dallas-Fort Worth area pastors — Tony Evans, Whitney Foster and Robert Morris — have been in the news for alleged sins of their own. Reminds me of the famous line from Casablanca when Capt. Louis Renault is “Shocked, shocked to find there is gambling going on in here.”
Granted it’s nothing new. Remember Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart in the 1980s, not to mention Ted Haggard about 18 years ago? What really makes me go hmm, isn’t it funny when these preachers are the first to shout about the sanctity of marriage and Christian values and then they’re caught doing un-Christian things?
Reminds me of the 1972 hit ”Papa Was a Rolling Stone” by The Temptations, and this line in particular, ”stealing in the name of the Lord.”
John T. Patterson, Mansfield
Only legislators can change law
Re: “Medical board tweaks rules — Abortion guidance clarifies practices for doctors, but Legislature holds power,” Saturday news story.
Kudos to the Texas Medical Board for its bold guidance in stating that doctors do not need to wait until a pregnant person’s death is imminent to provide life-saving treatment. It’s true the Medical Board can’t change the law. So that means we need to change the legislators and elect leaders who clearly support what is only common sense — health care decisions, and their timing, belong between patient and physician.
Vivian Bigelow, Plano
Protesters’ mothers chose life
On Page 2B, in the June 17 Metro section, there was a photo of a large group of protesters who were in Austin following the decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade. They were holding a sign that said, “Abortion Saves Lives.”
I had to stop and think about that for a moment. In order for abortions to save lives, that means that someone had to die. But then you would have to get into the debate as to when does life begin? Bottom line, though, when an abortion is performed, something is being killed. Terminated!
If the mothers of every one of those protesters had decided to abort them instead of giving birth to them, then none of them would be there that day protesting for the very thing that could have kept them from ever being born. None of us would be here today had our mothers miscarried us or had an abortion. But no one wants to think about it though, do we?
The fact that this is such a divisive political issue is sad.
Kevin Loyd, West Dallas
Lines aren’t ERCOT’s
Re: “ERCOT needs a name change,” by Sandra Bakkethun, Saturday Letters.
Bakkethun’s criticism of the word “reliability” in ERCOT’s name shows she knows little or nothing about ERCOT’s role in trying to control the grid. ERCOT owns no generation, transmission or distribution lines. Generation is owned by private or public investors. Transmission lines and local distribution facilities are owned by the Public Utility Commission of Texas’ regulated public utilities.
ERCOT has no authority to require the expansion of any of these facilities. Such decisions are the responsibility of the owners of the facilities. ERCOT’s only authority is to plan and dispatch the generation others have connected to the grid.
In the planning area, they forecast the need for all of the above facilities. They identify bottlenecks in the transmission system which limit the addition of new generation in certain areas of the state. As we have seen, they also warn the public when there may be shortages and interruptions of electrical service. That, briefly, is the role of ERCOT.
Charles E. Jackson, Richardson
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