Letters! We letters! This is a long one. Sorry

Library makes no sense
The city of Fort Worth has cut library hours and is now threatening to close two libraries. At the same time, it is building a library in far north Fort Worth. The new library will be within spitting distance of the Saginaw Public Library, which can be used by nonresidents for $15 a year. Doesn’t make any sense to me.
— Ka, Fort Worth

Well that’s because you’re an idiot Kay. The new library was probably funded and paid for 1-2 years ago. I’m pretty sure city planners weren’t sitting in a meeting one day deciding where to make cuts and then out of no where decide to a new library. And I’m pretty sure; knowing the difference between Saginaw and Ft. Worth, the library in Saginaw isn’t much compared to the Ft. Worth facilities. Our readers want more than just books on how to properly deliver a calf and cleaning grain silos.

Rainbow Lounge apology
I was troubled by Fort Worth Police Chief Jeff Halstead’s public apology regarding the Rainbow Lounge incident. I cannot help but believe that he has bowed to unrelenting pressure. Unfortunately, he has opened the door to more outrageous behavior and even civil lawsuits that will take more of our tax dollars to fight.
He also has failed to stand up for his officers, who were trying to protect the public from drunken drivers. After all, what are laws against public intoxication for? I don’t care if someone wants to overindulge, unless that person is going to leave the bar and kill someone else.
This tyranny of the left, where any behavior by a "protected" group can not be opposed without being labeled bigotry, must stop. Who is to protect the rest of us? If we won’t let our police do their jobs, we will descend into anarchy.
Halstead is supposed to be dedicated to the protection of all residents of Fort Worth, not just the loudest minority. Who is looking out for us?
— Michael, Fort Worth

Oh dear friend Michael. You homophobic piece of gutter poo. I love how you hide behind your support for the Ft. Worth PD to express your feelings about the gay and lesbian community in our city. You need to read everything, all the news stories about the raid and not just what your Baptist preacher is telling you. This raid had nothing to do with preventing drunk driving. TABC doesn’t go in on such raids and more to the point, the police stop drunk drivers as they come out of the bar, they don’t go in after them. As I sit here and read your letter over and over the more I want to kick you in the shins. Why the shins? I have no clue. Public Intoxication laws are to protect the public from individuals who have had a bit too much and are a threat to the outside public. This raid took place INSIDE the bar, which, yes, one can be arrested for public intox inside a bar, however; that is usually because the person is causing problems inside the bar and not just for being gay. As far as Halstead standing up for his officers…Read the official reports. The officers were out of line in this raid and any punishment they received was just. The chief of police cannot stand for and protect officers who break the law in the name of the law. It just doesn’t work that way. At that point our PD becomes the Dallas PD. And I hate you.

It seems that our city officials — namely the mayor’s office and the chief of police — can’t apologize enough for raiding a gay bar.
If this was a routine raid, then so be it. If it wasn’t, say so and quit the apology.
I don’t understand why this case requires so much political correctness. It seems that some officials have tails between their legs and are running like crazy. What about the officers involved? It seems they have been thrown under the bus.
— Doyle, Fort Worth

Honestly, would you expect any other opinion from someone named Doyle. IT WASN’T a ROUTINE raid you schmuck. Both the TABC and the FWPD have said it wasn’t. Read the reports. Turn off Fox news for a minute and look at the whole story. Yes the city officials have tails between their legs. It’s a political nightmare for most of them. This has nothing to do with political correctness you j-hole. This has everything to do with a particular segment of our community being wrongfully treated. Read above about the officers.

Y’all hail Caesar
I watched a show Wednesday night that touched on Rome’s last two years of existence under siege. Supply lines cut, starvation, disease and death soon followed. However, chariot races, gladiator matches and the spectacle of watching the killing of wild animals continued despite attendees dropping dead in the stands. This, in the name of maintaining morale.
"Flu unlikely to shut stadium," read the Thursday morning front page of the Star-Telegram.
I came. I saw. I died.
— Greg, Fort Worth

It’s the flu you moron. Get a grip. And if you’re so concerned, don’t go to the stadium. How about picking up some average hygiene skills… Really? The Roman Empire. 1000’s of years ago? That’s what you’re going from? Just how old are you Greg?



Fix it. Now.
I want the healthcare system fixed, now. If the Republicans had any ideas, why didn’t they fix healthcare when George W. Bush was president? If Gov. Rick Perry has such great ideas, why is Texas rated the worst state in healthcare insurance coverage?
I’m tired of the insurance companies abusing their power. Just fix it. Today!
— Vickie, Fort Worth

I want a million dollars and my own photography studio NOW! Damn…That didn’t work either.

Southern pride
Whenever liberals like columnist Kathleen Parker get scared, they trot out their ignorant Southern redneck Old South speeches. (See: "Them dang Southerners," Aug. 6) Liberal Democrats and some moderate Republicans (aka liberal politicians who have not come out of the closet) cannot defend their positions without seeking to inject class, cultural or religious warfare to divide the country between the ignorant South or Middle America fly-over country and the more educated East/West Coast elitists.
Southerners are in fact the only thing good about either party — yes, either party — because Southerners including Blue Dog Democrats and conservative Republicans will always revert to their Southern roots first, and follow party second or not at all. Columnists like Parker are so caught up with the sound and style of their writings they do not recognize what is happening.
The GOP is not going to dismantle its base in Middle America. If anything, the opposite is true, as is evidenced by what is occurring in the town meetings and tea parties across the country. Thank God Middle America is finally waking up and reacting to stop liberal Democrats and moderate Republicans from taking this country further in the wrong direction.
— John, North Richland Hills

You mean those same Southern roots that kept slavery, hate, and discrimination around long after the Civil War? Those same Southern Roots preach segregation, war, and evil. Yeah. You’re right. Our government should be much more rooted in the South. Don’t get me wrong. I’m born and raised Texan…Wouldn’t change that for the world, but I do know the South has made some mistakes and there are some things in our past that just that, mistakes, and we don’t need to go back to them. All together now, I hate you.



Common sense, please
According to the Star-Telegram, Fort Worth is planning a gun buyback program to be held somewhere in southeast Fort Worth on Saturday. A $50 gift certificate will be paid for every working gun.
Let me be sure I understand this. Honest law-abiding people are supposed to turn in guns for a $50 gift certificate, when working guns are usually worth much more? What about the non-law-abiding, the ones who rob using guns? Will they turn in their guns for a measly $50 gift card when they can rob unarmed citizens for much more and even take away the gift cards that the unarmed persons got for turning in their guns?
The article said Fort Worth is following Dallas’ lead with this program. Please, let’s not turn Fort Worth into Dallas. Let’s continue to let the residents of Fort Worth defend themselves.
City Councilman Frank Moss, who is pushing the program, said that "District 5 has experienced more gun crime and gun violence." Does Moss think that by urging honest residents to turn in their guns the gun crime and violence will cease? This will only cause honest residents to be without protection and encourage thugs to carry on with their "gun crime."
Common sense should prevail.
— Hal, Watauga

Hey Hal…How about some education on your part, please. The gun buy back isn’t for those who legally own guns. And for those that do, that take part in the buyback are turning in working guns that aren’t worth anything. You ignorant dill hole. These buy back programs don’t put a dent into the gun population in the city. Yes, some guns are turned in and people get their $50, but the majority of criminals and those who have these guns illegally aren’t completely stupid. They know their guns are worth more and they know that can get more from using the gun in a crime.

Held hostage by NRA
The reason Americans don’t seem surprised about the latest mass shooting is either because they’ve become so desensitized to gun deaths (30,000 a year) or they’ve come to believe the NRA’s mantra that the Second Amendment gives every citizen (including terrorists, criminals and the mentally ill) the right to buy as many guns as they want.
Tragically, the killings will continue unless metal detectors and armed guards are posted at every health spa, church, business, synagogue and school in America or until public outrage demands that Congress start passing some sensible gun laws.
Just imagine how many lives could be spared if there was a five-day waiting period to purchase a gun; the assault weapons ban was reinstated; handgun purchases were limited to one per month; the gun show loophole was closed; and our lawmakers ignored the NRA guns aimed at their campaign funds and finally started doing what’s best for their constituents instead of what best for their re-elections.
— Sharon, Fort Worth

Oh Sharon…To call you a moron would be a step up. The NRA has never said that we should allow terrorist, criminals, and the mentally ill to own guns. Be careful on that mentally ill part as well. Just because a person might has mental issues doesn’t mean they can’t own and shoot a gun for sport. Yes, the NRA supports the second amendment, the right to keep and bare arms. However; let’s look at that amendment. In the time in which it was written it was still law that every man from age 15-65 own a musket and ammo. Each colony was considered a militia, a group of men bound by law to fight in a war if the time came. And those times came. So when the amendment was actually written, it wasn’t really a right, it was a law. Since that time laws have changed. The NRA supports most of those laws which the majority of those laws do keep us safe and maintain our freedoms at the same time. As far as a waiting period? Ummm, we had that you igmo. However, we now have this thing called the interweb where you can get instant access to a person’s background. When I bought my gun I waited 10 minutes for the background check to clear and it brought up everything. In fact, the guy asked me about going to radio broadcasting school which was 2 years earlier. The problem does not lie within the NRA or the government. No matter what laws are passed there will always be guns and anyone who tries hard enough can get one. ‘If you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns.’ I say do what Chris Rock says…Don’t make the guns more expensive, make the bullets more expensive.