Hutchison approves
Re: “Dallas, let’s build a bird-safe convention center — Our city has an opportunity to lead on saving countless migratory birds," by Deedie Rose, Sunday Opinion.
Rose’s opinion column was excellent. I love the model of the expansion of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, with more windows and light for our convention visitors to enjoy.
Rose’s examples of ways to treat the glass that would lower the number of birds flying into those hard surfaces should be explored. Our area is one of the most important bird migration corridors in our hemisphere, and making these major contributors to nature’s ecosystem as safe as possible is a worthy effort.
Kay Bailey Hutchison, Dallas
Remembering Samuel D. Dealey
Good reporting on George B. Dealey and his success and service in founding and presiding over The Dallas Morning News. However, let us remember the prominence of the Dealey family also extended beyond the newspaper.
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Specifically, George’s nephew Samuel D. Dealey graduated from Oak Cliff (W.H. Adamson) High School and in 1930, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. He went on to become one of the most decorated submarine commanders in World War II, aggressively leading the USS Harder in attacking, sinking and damaging Japanese ships in the South Pacific.
Unfortunately, on Aug. 24, 1944, the Harder and all of her crew succumbed to an intense depth charge attack near the coast of the Philippines. It was only last year — some 80 years later — that the wreckage of the Harder was found resting on the ocean floor at a depth of more than 3,500 feet.
For his heroic service, Samuel D. Dealey was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.
Bill Blaylock, Dallas
Teachers take political beating
Re: “Texas partisans bully teachers for political gain — Social media trolls often aim at public schools, making a tough situation even worse for educators," by Glenn Rogers, Sunday Opinion.
As a public school teacher here in Texas, I wanted to take a moment to thank Rogers for his defense of our profession.
We teachers have been taking a beating in political discourse lately, and it is exhausting. We are doing our best to educate kids in a state that ranks near the bottom in per-student spending, and all this rhetoric and overregulation is driving people out of the profession.
We still have that teacher shortage here in Texas that hasn’t really been addressed. We now have more uncertified and untrained adults teaching our students than ever before, and the climate continues to get worse.
It feels unsustainable, and fewer and fewer of us are willing to endure it. Thank you, Mr. Rogers, for seeing us and advocating for us.
Justin Clumpner, Dallas
Teaching children to think
Rogers wrote an excellent column pointing out some of the forces of ignorance and prejudice that are attacking Texas public schools. Contrary to assertions by such groups, our schools are generally doing an excellent job of producing well-educated young people.
Probably the majority of graduates from four-year universities in this state are products of our public school systems. Their successes are partly because of their early teachers.
Some parents complain of their children being indoctrinated. But that isn’t the actual problem. There doesn’t exist some secret cabal of educators who meet under the full moon and plot how to turn our children’s brains to mush.
The real fear isn’t that teachers aren’t doing their job, but that they are doing it too well by teaching young people to think critically, taking what they’ve learned and applying factual logic and fact checking to their beliefs and prejudices. In short, learning to think for themselves.
The thought that, because of a good education, their children might not believe as they do seems to terrify some parents.
Holmes Brannon, Plano
How re-barkable
Re: “Dr. Dolittle right at your fingertips — UTA scientists hope AI can help translate man’s best friend’s bark," Monday news story.
Dr. Dolittle preferred talking to animals. One subplot through the Dolittle novel followed the good doctor to a foreign country where the animals helped him rescue disadvantaged people of another race, ethnicity and culture from a life-threatening problem.
They also found the push-me-pull-you which for many years was my father’s favorite animal. I did not realize the literary and political allegory of this magical creature for many years.
So I say bravo for using AI to help us understand our canine friends and family. There are many days where a conversation with a dog would be preferred over the poisonous rhetoric so prevalent in our society. A re-barkable use of AI!
Karen Miller, McKinney
Missing locally owned banks
The demise of important things that matter to Dallas such as Fair Park began with the collapse of our three major locally owned banks in 1988 and 1989 — The Mercantile, First National and Republic Bank. These three banks always supported things that mattered to Dallas.
Tom Hunt, Dallas/Preston Hollow
Editorial page a hit
Regarding Friday’s editorial pages, what a great example of editorial discretion and selection. You knocked it out of the park. All met the moment.
Each was succinct and well-written. The two editorial statements, regarding Qatar and Carroll ISD, were spot on. The eight letters, from “Thanks” to “Carefully,” touched on matters of importance to each of us, loyal readers, young and old.
And the cartoon, oh my, none better! RIP Jane Goodall, a life well-lived.
Kirk Bennett, Frisco