Letters to the Editor — Reasonable debate, renaming streets, Texas heat, Congress

Speech intolerance at colleges

Re: “At the Thanksgiving table, disagree better — Utah governor joins others in promoting healthier ways to debate without breaking families or the nation,” by Spencer Cox, Monday Opinion.

I agree wholeheartedly with Cox about our inability to disagree without demonizing people who hold a different opinion. I believe much of this intolerance for opposing viewpoints began at college campuses many years ago when students who disagreed with a visiting speaker would not allow them to speak. In many cases these interruptions were actually encouraged by much of the faculty.

I can remember a time when open debates on any subject were not only tolerated but encouraged at colleges and universities. I’m not sure when this changed but intolerance of differing viewpoints at these places is now almost the rule rather than the exception. It’s encouraging that so many like Mr. Cox are finally sounding the alarm so maybe it’s not too late.

Les Gregory, Frisco

Street-name changes’ impact

Re: “Street’s renaming rejected — Panel cites location, process concerns over plan to honor boy slain by officer in 1973,” Nov. 17 news story.

Another reason to not rename the street is that besides loss of physical history, now it seems, 100-year-old street names are available to change for whatever reason that comes up. Many rightfully bring up the economic and logistical impacts to their homes and businesses. But there’s something more. Once destroyed, both structures and street names are soon forgotten. Forever.

I want to add that street-name changes also bring a disconnect to the past. Once Jim Miller Road is changed, it is lost, and the stories of 100 years of people and places along that road that are in publications and city map heritage are lost. That should matter.

Mike Sundin, Old East Dallas

Time running out on climate

Re: “Report: Warming no longer ‘an abstract future issue’ — U.S. heating 60% faster than rest of world as whole, it says,” Nov. 15 news story.

On Aug. 31, 2020, The Dallas Morning News published a letter to the editor written by me in which I warned that “the grave consequences of the climate crisis are not somewhere in the future. They are here now.”

On Nov. 15, 2023, more than three years later, I read on the front page of this newspaper, this story about the National Climate Assessment, a scientific report that comes out every four to five years. In that report, climate scientists concluded that climate change is no longer an abstract future issue, but, rather, is concrete, relevant and happening right now.

My conclusion in 2020 and the scientific conclusions of today appear to be the same. The main difference is that more than three years have passed. I wonder how many destructive wildfires, catastrophic weather events, food shortages, population migrations, and deleterious effects on health and safety will have to occur before people demand bold, aggressive action by their governments to combat man-made, global warming pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law in 2022, was a strong step in the right direction. However, it will take time for all the benefits of this legislation to take effect, and time is running out.

Alan Kazdoy, Far North Dallas

Separate religion from science

Creationism is not science. There is absolutely no scientific basis for it to be included in any science textbook. That Texas is still debating the merits of evolution vs. creationism is very disheartening to say the least.

Maybe someday we can manage to separate religion from science. Maybe we can to separate myth from reality, too.

Brian Bowles, Dallas/southwest Oak Cliff

New Congress members needed

So we now have people elected to the U.S. Congress who behave like thugs and hooligans, don’t we? I propose we recall them home and ask Hollywood to bring back The Jerry Springer Show so they can have the job they are most suited for.

Who votes these people in? They fight and posture in addition to not getting done anything productive that will benefit the nation.

Can we, please, elect people who understand and practice statesmanship so we can be proud of our leaders again? The nation needs voters to think as upstanding citizens and not people addicted to cultlike figures.

We are losing the respect of our allies and our enemies rejoice because we are behaving like them. May God help us.

Anastasia Campbell, Little Elm

Abbott and the Bible

Gov. Greg Abbott purports to be a Christian, if I remember correctly. Supposedly he believes in following God’s word, as found in the Bible. Leviticus 19:33-34 counsels, “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”

And Jesus himself stated, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. … Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

The Rev. James R. Bridges, Fate

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