Letters to the Editor

I am a white, heterosexual woman who loves Jesus. In the week prior to CityFest, I was discussing it with an African American friend, who informed me that she had concerns about one of the participants, Phil Robertson. She had voiced those concerns to one of the event organizers, who listened politely, but ultimately dismissed them. So I read with interest your glowing article last Monday about CityFest, which surely seems to have been a resounding success. Curious, I went to the CityFest website, and found the event at which Mr. Robertson was featured. Here is what causes my heart to ache: with minimal research, I found the interview my friend had read, wherein Mr. Robertson voiced a profoundly dismissive attitude towards the Civil Rights movement, characterizing his pre-civil rights African American acquaintances as happy and uncomplaining, as they picked cotton alongside him. In the same interview, he made the crudest possible references to homosexuality. This festival touted itself as an opportunity for reconciliation. How are our African American brothers and sisters in Christ supposed to reconcile those remarks with the faith that gave them strength and grace as they struggled and sometimes died securing their rights as American citizens? I am not suggesting that Phil Robertson be cast out; what I long for is a religious community that hears the concern about what he apparently believes, and in a loving, Christian dialogue, ask him to account for it.

Carol Thornton

Tyler

BOTH CAN’T BE TRUE

There are things that I find confusing about the Trumps and the president’s arguments against Joe Biden.

For instance, on Sep. 27 at 4:07 p.m., Donald Trump Jr. retweeted an argument, in paraphrase, that “the difference between liberals and conservatives is that Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, used his father’s position to make millions of dollars abroad while Trump’s sons stopped engaging in overseas deals once their father became president.” At 12:19 p.m. the day prior, Sep. 26, Eric Trump tweeted the following:

“Minutes ago, we received full & total approval for a new phase of development to include 500 homes, 50 cottages, sports center, retail & more. We also received approval to build a 2nd golf course!”

Clearly, both cannot be true. Additionally, the Chinese government has granted Ivanka Trump 21 patents since her father took office. Like Hunter Biden, Ivanka travels with the president on official trips to China, amongst other destinations. So, I don’t understand exactly what their arguments are against the Bidens. Right now, Trump is pushing to host the G20 summit next year at his own golf course.

Whether a Ukrainian firm hired Hunter to access Joe Biden does not mean that it got that access. Hunter Biden, being an adult, had no legal obligation to narrow his employment prospects based on his father’s position. And the amount quoted to have been paid to Biden — $3,000,000 — is a fraction of what the Trump sons have earned dealing abroad since their father became president.

DeeAnn Fox

Flint

NEED CHALLENGING SPEAKERS

I read with interest the coverage of Laura Ingraham at UT Tyler’s Distinguished Lecture Series. This is what we used to call “preaching to the choir.” The university might want to consider engaging more challenging speakers — either that, or change the name of the series.

Terry Cowan

Bullard