WHAT ARE THE ODDS?Are you reluctant to get the COVID-19 vaccination because you are worried about side effects? Even the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which may have caused blood clots, is statistically safe: 1 in 500,000 vaccinations; 3 people died in 8 million vaccinations. Compare that with this statistic: “The National Safety Council of America states that the odds of dying in a motor vehicle crash are 1 in 114. The lifetime chances of dying in a car crash are 1 in 608.” Are you going to refuse to drive?

Think about these updates from the mother of my 45-year-old friend: “He has COVID and it turned into pneumonia and he is now on a ventilator … He has taken a turn for the worse and will be transferred to a larger hospital where they have ECMO machines … The ECMO machine is breathing for him as a type of artificial lung … His wife visited today, but he was not aware of it. They asked permission to do a tracheotomy so they can remove the ventilator tube down his throat. They can hook up the vent to the trach opening. Doctor said it may be three weeks before they know if his lungs are healing. COVID has broken down his lung tissue. He is still in bad shape, but there are small improvements. He is still with us on this earth. The ECMO and ventilator and feeding tube are keeping him alive.”

John Serio

Tyler

SOLDIER DEATHS AREN’T JUST STATISTICSThis is in regards to Marc Thiessen’s April 20 column He states that only “four combat deaths occurred in Afghanistan last year,making for the lowest number of U.S. combat deaths in the country in a calendar year since the war began in October 2001.”

Previously in the article, he said that our troops weren’t even fighting a war, so how can they be combat deaths? WOW! What A BARGAIN! Only four deaths in a year! That is, of course, if you’re not one of the four, or they aren’t your son, husband or friend.

Thiessen writes as if these lives lost are completely acceptable. Of course, he doesn’t have any skin in the game, does he? I don’t think that he ever served in the military. Therefore, he has never been shot at. Thiessen’s claim to fame is that he was a speechwriter for George W. Bush. The worst injury he ever endured was writer’s cramp.

In short, he talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk. He harps on 9/11 and that our presence gathers intelligence to protect us from Al Qaeda or other terrorist groups. Before 9/11 we had no troops in the Middle East, yet, U.S. intelligence agencies were able to learn about the planned attacks on 9/11.

“Al Qaeda determined to strike inside the U.S.” was the warning. President W. Bush chose to ignore these warnings and look at what happened. Let the Afghans take care of their own country.

Since President W. Bush, we have been able to stop most, if not all, foreign terrorist attacks. The Russians warned us about the two terrorists who executed the Boston Marathon attack long before they did it. No preventative action was taken.

It just irks me that someone like Thiessen is so free and easy with our soldiers’ lives.

Steven Harrell

Tyler

GOHMERT, OTHER NEED TO STOP TALK AND TAKE ACTIONThis letter in in response to Representative Louie Gohmert’s April 18 letter to the editor. While I share many of Mr. Gohmert’s concerns over how the border crisis is being handled, I can’t help but be more concerned about the lack of any meaningful action by congressional representatives and senators to address the situation.

It has been since the 1980s that congress has passed any legislation concerning immigration. Isn’t it time for our elected officials to get off their Twitter feeds, cancel their appearances on Fox, Newsmax, CNN, etc. and sit down and actually address the problem? Mr. Gohmert might be well served by the advice of our 43rd president, George W. Bush, who seems to have a much better grasp on the situation than he apparently does.

We elected our representatives and senators to get something done about problems, not continually campaign with the goal of raising money from their beleaguered constituents. If we have a problem with immigration, and we obviously do, do your job; which requires meaningful dialogue with other members of congress on both sides of the aisle with the goal of addressing our problems. Stop pandering to the public and work for some progress to address our problems. Then you can rightfully show that you deserve our trust and future support. The Biden administration is obviously overwhelmed. Stop complaining and do your job — please.

William Carlton

Tyler

RESPECT VOTING RIGHTS BY OPPOSING HB 6

We saw proof in 2020 — Texans want to vote and they did! Right now, the Texas Legislature is moving on comprehensive election bills that will deter voters and restrict election officials: SB 7 has been passed out of the Senate, and HB 6 was passed by the House Elections Committee.

We know that HB 6 would complicate voting and add unnecessary procedures that would subject voters, those assisting voters, and public officials to criminal penalties.

– HB 6 threatens volunteer workers with penalties and criminal proceedings. These volunteer workers contribute their time to offer fellow citizens the ability to vote.

– HB 6 jeopardizes polling place safety by giving poll watchers (who are partisan appointees) unwarranted authority to intrude upon and intimidate voters and election officials.

– HB 6 also limits the ability of voters to access applications for voting by mail.

We need bills that support voters, such as measures that benefitted all voters last election: extended early voting, longer polling place hours, and more ways to hand-deliver vote by mail ballots. The League of Women Voters and I oppose HB 6!

Ellen Thornton

Chandler