Austin American-Statesman letters to the editor, June 25, 2023
Gov. Abbott's vetoes flout legislature, hurt Texans
So, if our governor does not get what he wants, out comes the veto. Apparently, he chooses to punish everyone who lives in the state of Texas in order to get his own way. Makes no matter what the law is and that it's been legally passed by the legislature. Makes no difference if the law is something that would benefit the people of Texas.
This intelligent man could not think of anything else to do?
Three-year-old anyone?
Annette Naish, Austin
Casualties are mounting in Ukraine,
but gun violence also devastates the U.S.
The morning after Father's Day I listened to the news that in our country we have had over 300 mass shootings so far this year, causing numerous deaths and injuries.
The war raging in Ukraine, with its civilian casualties, makes me wonder if the casualties in the USA are greater than in war-torn Ukraine.
Our congress has allocated enormous amounts of money for the preservation of Ukraine's independence. That same congress, without spending a dime and by passing sensible gun laws, could provide U.S. citizens independence from gun violence and peace in our days.
Ramiro "Ray" Martinez, New Braunfels
Republicans miss the irony in their
complaints about cancel culture
Republicans are canceling what students may read, canceling what teachers may teach, and canceling what scientists may research, all while decrying Democrats for “cancel culture.”
They forgot to cancel irony.
Peter Donovan, Austin
Migrants are in need at Texas border,
the Bible instructs us to welcome them
A question for Gov Abbott: If Mary and Joseph came to Texas, would you ship them off to California or Massachusetts? The Bible says we are to welcome the stranger. That means everyone, even people with dark skin, like the Holy Family.
Gary Tracy, Austin
Hotter summers demand sensible action on
climate change in Texas and around the world
“No clear end in sight to this oppressive heat. Continue to do what you can to keep cool!” So says the National Weather Service. But not only is there no clear end to the oppressive heat, it will continue to get hotter for decades to come, here in the US and all around the world.
It is a disconcerting habit of humans to deny and avoid problems until they become catastrophic. All we need do is look around with open eyes and mind to realize we are baking the world. We ignore the elephant in the room when we decide, as did our Texas legislature, that the answer to the global warming problem is to promote more gas-fired power plant construction while penalizing renewable energies, all with the intent of giving fossil fuel companies yet another leg up.
How about instead we decide to confront the source of the problem?
Mark Warren, Austin
Rule of law and national security interests
necessitated indictments in Trump case
No matter where we fall on the political spectrum, if we care about the rule of law and protecting our country’s national security, we should support the latest federal investigation and indictment of Donald Trump.
A group of everyday Americans, fulfilling their civic duty by serving on a grand jury, reviewed mountains of evidence—including testimony from dozens of witnesses, documents, and more. They decided there was enough evidence that Trump committed a crime to bring 37 charges against him.
According to the indictment, he knowingly took documents that contained everything from U.S. nuclear secrets to potential military vulnerabilities and our response plans for a possible foreign attack against us. These crimes are too serious to be ignored.
Fame, fortune, and title doesn’t make someone above the law—that includes Trump. When others have committed crimes of this nature, they were prosecuted. The same must happen here. Our democracy depends on it.
Patti Pierce, Austin
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin American-Statesman letters to the editor, June 25, 2023
