Critical thinking, civil discourse
Re: “Closed Campus Minds Create Chaos — College protesters ignore others’ right to peace,” Friday editorial.
Your editorial is on target when it attributes the cause of student protests on college campuses to faculty failures to teach critical thinking about the complex issues surrounding the Israel-Hamas war.
The situation at universities today is not the same as when I was a student in the 1960s. At that time, Jews and non-Jews with different political outlooks could disagree without the antisemitic atmosphere and danger to Jewish students that now exist.
When students haven’t been taught to engage in constructive argument and debate, they default to slurs and slogans, like “From the river to the sea,” a phrase rooted in Hamas’ charter that is often interpreted as a call for the destruction of the state of Israel and the genocide of Jews.
Protesters have the right to have different views about the war in Gaza, but they don’t have the right to threaten, harass and menace. Until college faculties teach students how to engage in civil discourse and challenge them to open their minds, the situation on campuses will not improve.
Raymond J. Termini, Dallas/Turtle Creek
We owe veterans
Re: “Gratitude to so many,” by Ted M. Moore, Monday Letters.
I agreed with all letters published Monday. However the one about the burial at Fort Worth National Cemetery stood out. It reminded me of a quote by writer J.M. Storm: “And the truth is that all veterans pay with their lives. Some pay all at once, while others pay over a lifetime.”
We owe our veterans so much.
Jodi Slabaugh, Denton
Farm life is different
Re: “Would-be VP’s tale of killing dog unleashes critics — Political figures pan book excerpt detailing shooting of ‘hated’ pet,’” Sunday news story.
Gov. Kristi Noem’s mistake was not in killing the dog and goat. The mistake was in putting it in print and failing to anticipate the fallout.
In rural life, animals have a place and that is to do certain tasks. If they turn out to be destructive, then the animal has lost its place on the ranch or farm. A dog killing chickens is bad. A dog killing your neighbor’s chickens cannot be tolerated.
Those who are condemning her for killing those animals need to take a step back and look at how things work on farms and ranches. Those people probably don’t realize where their food comes from and would be shocked to watch and learn.
If you want to condemn Noem, do so for her politics but not for how she runs her farm.
Mac Hopkin, Frisco
Life and killing puppies
Gov. Kristi Noem recently let us know that she deliberately shot her 14-month-old puppy. A 14-month-old puppy! Somehow, I think she forgot to “walk the talk” as it relates to being committed to “right to life.”
Governor, your actions have told me everything I need to know about you.
Lynn Lawrance, Dallas
Poetry personal and motivating
Re: “Poetry is personal,” by Brian Tompkins, Sunday Letters.
Well said, Mr. Tompkins! I agree that the column by Christopher de Vinck was negative. Your assessment that poetry is personal is so very true.
Starting at age 4, my goal in life was to see the world. As an adult, I finally did it — I set foot on all seven continents. My inspiration? Poetry, poems, rhymes, jingles in commercials, words to songs, psalms, a bit of graffiti. Call it what you may, but to me, every rhyming word sang to the wanderer in my soul and was the impetus that sent me traveling along the waterways, byways and highways, skyways and freeways of this incredible world.
At age 6, I sang along with Doris Day as she belted out, “See the USA in a Chevrolet.” My teenage self daydreamed of strolling along Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and believing that’s the one that ”has made all the difference.”
As an adult I cherished every second of reading Dr. Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go! to children and relished the confidence booster of the line, “You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” And, I did.
But there are 10 powerful two-letter words, attributed to William H. Johnson, that sing the loudest and have kept my goal alive for many miles. “If it is to be, it is up to me.” Yes, poetry is personal!
Charlotte Camilla Koford, Dallas
Close to book banning
Re: “When I was an English teacher, I threw out books — Protecting child innocence doesn’t make me a tyrant, but some latitude good for education,” by Christopher de Vinck, Saturday Opinion.
De Vinck’s op-ed regarding the disposing of 150 copies of Killing Mr. Griffin from his department’s book room and removing it from the department’s curriculum was interesting to say the least. His statement, “I am 100% against book banning in any way,” was not exactly true since he did destroy 150 books. His defense was that it was still available for students to read in the school library.
Therein lies the slippery slope problem of human justification. In many Texas schools, parents are clamoring to have whatever book offends them completely removed from the building. I have no problem with a department deciding not to include a book in a curriculum (although, parental pressure is highly suspect since every person on earth is offended by something).
I do have a problem with the author destroying 150 books rather than re-homing. The gleeful statement “the next day I pulled 150 copies of Killing Mr. Griffin from the book room and tossed them all into the beat-up dumpster that sat next to the school’s loading dock” smacks of figurative book burning. I’d give him 70% against book banning.
Danna Zoltner, Denton
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