Letters to the Editor

This is in reference to columnist Walter Williams’ article, “Criminologists mislead us with their liberal bias,” (Wednesday, Sept. 4). I have always appreciated and looked forward to his “straight shooting,” letting it hit any guilty party.

His last statement reads: “Find a 70-, 80- or 90-year-old person and ask him whether today’s conduct among black youth would have been tolerated yesteryear. I guarantee you that “no” will be their answer.”

I believe the same is true of white people (of which I am one) or those of any other color or culture. Further, I firmly believe the lack of knowing and honoring the promises and precepts of Our Creator is a major contributing factor. I in no way discount many other contributions to this dilemma, such as single-parent homes, lack of education, slavery and other unfair judgments and treatments.

Betty Fulford

Athens

4 Absolutes

Says POTUS’s administration: the four absolutes, which are the tools of his administration.

1. Absolute honesty: no lying, no cheating, no stealing. In a word, in ALL your affairs, simply and absolutely no falsehoods whatsoever.

2. Absolute purity: purity of mind (reason), purity of body (physically fit), purity of emotions (non-angry, non-resentments), purity of heart (acting your way into right thinking for the benefit of others — America First), sexual purity (boy/girl).

3. Absolute unselfishness: seeking and placing what is right and true in every situation above what I want (which does not mean an individual or our nation is to become a doormat for others to wipe their feet on).

4. Absolute love: loving our Creator (God) with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength, and your neighbor as yourself.

These tools are spiritual in their nature and moral in their humanity, recognizing that each individual, the children of the republic, its citizens, are body, soul and spirit, one part body and two parts spirit, making spirit primary, the same as our nation is one nation consisting of 50 states (the body parts of our nation), not 52 states as our former president stated along with his running buddy who can’t remember which state he is in. It boils down to placing principles (laws) before personalities (likes vs. dislikes).

R.M. Trowbridge Jr.

Tyler

Disrupting a Method

Don’t be fooled by GOP Chairman Thompson’s pompous statements about building a better party. His stated purpose in disrupting the decades proven method for assigning election judges is to “bring in some young, minorities, inexperienced and try to just help change the face and look” of our party.

As stated in the Texas Election Code (Title 3, Section 32.071), the election judge “is in charge of and responsible for the management and conduct of the election at the polling place.”

Having served for the past 10 years as primary election administrator for the Republican Party, I can tell you without reservation that using the position of “election judge” as a recruiting tool to get new people involved in the party is a terrible idea!

And who and what could pay the price on primary day? The voters of Smith County and the integrity of our election process — two things that should be highest priority for a party chairman.

The County Executive Committee (CEC) of the Republican Party is made up of 44 duly-elected precinct chairs. The CEC is mandated by the Texas Election Code (Title 10, Section 172.111) to “supervise the overall conduct of a primary election in each county.” These are the people that Mr. Thompson accuses of “meddling and politicizing” the selection of election judges.

It would be impossible for Mr. Thompson to build a better party when he left the country for nine months, failing to communicate with our CEC throughout that time, and has done his job so poorly that 80% of the CEC asked for his resignation. The county chairman is to chair executive committee meetings, not be dictator or king!

Mr. Thompson has not only NOT built a better party, he has gravely damaged the integrity of our party. I’m embarrassed for our local party.

Sharon Emmert

Tyler