Letters to the Editor

Tens of thousands of fires are burning in the Amazon forest area. Now that many nations are offering financial support, the burned sites have disappeared from the media and thus from the minds of most people — maybe because we feel so helpless to impact this destruction.

There are opportunities, however, to impact similar destruction close to home. As East Texas grows, our beautiful pine and deciduous forests are being destroyed.

The city of Tyler, Smith County and East Texas allow for the bulldozing, piling up and often burning of trees, leaving a barren, clear-cut blight on our once beautiful environment. Later, usually a strip of businesses, apartments, homes, etc., appear with a minimum number of seedling trees that will struggle to survive amid the concrete.

We all know the importance of trees. Providing oxygen is paramount. Yet we are losing this vital resource at an alarming rate. It is possible to develop land without total destruction of a forested area. A few developers have nestled homes and other buildings within a wooded area, probably at higher initial cost, but with greater value and benefits to communities later.

Citizens, elected officials and developers can all impact this environmental issue in a positive way by working together to ensure our quality of life.

Now more than ever, our environment and our children’s children need for us to act responsibly.

Pat Parsons

Tyler

IT’S WRONG

I was surprised that I read all three columns in a recent Saturday Opinion page without a pause. Usually, I skip many of them. But “Rainforest destruction…” by Newsday was wrong! The obvious reason is the sun, not man-made activities. I wonder what will be blamed when the sun decides it’s too hot and starts cooling the entire earth again.

Then it was “Why socialism appeals to younger Americans.” Young is the keyword; doesn’t anyone realize considering individuals mature at 18 is idiotic? The “legal” age for voters should be at least 21, although 25 would probably make more sense. By then, most adults are concentrating on career and family, and are beyond expecting to live on government (think other adults’) handouts.

And last but not least, “Examples Ilhan Omar gives…” Here the keyword is “gives.” I read some New Yorker columns about her, but I’ve never believed their motivation when I lived across the river from NYC. I suspect most of her voters are individuals looking for something for nothing. I can’t imagine why any American would vote for her, not because she’s Muslim, but because her political aspirations are ridiculously un-American.

Norm Beavers

Tyler

CHEERLEADER PHOTO

Although covered, the private area angle of the picture is morally and socially corrupt.

I am scandalized that the Tyler paper printed this. As a Christian and a woman, I am sickened by this disregard for respect of the young lady and the blatant, in your face, shot of this picture. There are infinite numbers of ways the cheering could be presented. This one does not qualify.

Dardine Roedel

Hideaway

EDITOR’S NOTE: We regret the lack of judgment shown in publishing a photo of a Tyler Junior College cheerleader doing a straddle jump. We apologize to those it offended as well as to the cheerleader.

GUN CONTROL LAWS

In an unusual way I agree with Rep. Schaefer’s position to not enact new laws after a mass shooting. We need to enact effective gun control laws before the NEXT SHOOTING. According to the Pew Research Center, there were 14,542 gun-related murders in the United States in 2017 ( just for an example). That equates to about 40 per day or one every 36 minutes. Rep. Schaefer had better hurry up.

In contrast, only 6,900 U.S. military have died during the full duration of the wars in Iraq (eight years) and Afghanistan (17 years) up to the end of 2018. I don’t want to believe I’d be safer in a war zone.

Konrad Kern, Lt. Col. USAF (Ret.)

Tyler