07:49 AM CDT on Thursday, May 4, 2006

Ramsey for school board

This is the time for the proven leadership of Curtis Ramsey for our Denton Independent School District. Denton is immersed in an explosion of population growth. An enormous burden is being placed on our school system to continue to offer the high quality of education that we want for all our children.

Curtis Ramsey provides the continuity, credibility and effective guidance known not only in Denton but at the state and national levels as well. Financial decisions are made in Austin and Washington that affect each taxpayer. We need Curtis’ voice to help make our voices heard.

We are most fortunate to have a native Detonite, active in the community all his life. Curtis has the integrity, wisdom and dedication to make difficult decisions that the DISD must make and the ability to carry out those decisions. Denton needs Curtis Ram­sey to serve on the DISD board. Make your vote count.

Lessie Perry,

Denton

Burning the flag

Mr. Crawford, I respect your opinion about it not being OK to burn the American flag in protest [Letters, April 24], but I don’t agree with it, and neither does the Supreme Court of our United States of America.

Justice Brennan announced the court’s position in Texas v. Johnson (1989) when he said, “We can imagine no more appropriate response to burning a flag than waving one’s own, no better way to counter a flag-burner’s message than by saluting the flag that burns. … We do not consecrate the flag by punishing its desecration, for in doing so we dilute the freedom that this cherished emblem represents.”

If burning one American flag helps to galvanize the public attention about injustice in our country, then I say burn two.

Michael T. Brown,

Denton

Outstanding candidate

Voters have an opportunity to elect a remarkably outstanding person to Place 2 of the Denton school board — Sterling Smith.

His TWU role in supervising student teachers at school districts all across North Texas has allowed him to observe numerous districts’ policies. He has unique experience in seeing new practices, what works and what does not, in education.

Sterling Smith is highly intelligent, but invariably kind and thoughtful to the max. He doesn’t settle for the quick and easy answer, but thinks things through in a down-to-earth common sense way.

He has a long record of service and leadership in many educational, church and local service organizations. He understands financing district needs, with responsibility and accountability to the taxpayers always vital.

This area is lucky to have such a true public servant — students, teachers, parents, the community all can gain from his insights and creative thinking to solve problems. We need him on our school board.

Please vote for Sterling Smith on May 13, or vote absentee earlier.

Doris Dundas,

Denton

Choices for Denton

I am writing in support of candidates for the upcoming mayoral and council election for the city of Denton.

While I am not a resident of the city, I have lived in the area for over 40 years and spent most of that time in the city. I am concerned about the current state of the council and its decisions thus far.

There needs to be a change to create a better future for the residents of Denton. Mayoral candidate Justin Bell and council candidates Shelly Shay and John Paul Eddy are exactly what this city needs.

These candidates have taken a stand on their beliefs and visions, and see the need for change. All three candidates are making the Denton Police Department one of their top priorities. The residents of Denton need to have their safety a top priority, and I do not see the current government making that happen.

These candidates would ensure the city would have more officers on the street and equipment to see that the residents’ needs were met. So if the people of this great city see the need for change, vote for the candidates that will make that happen. 

Johnnie Fountain,

Ponder

Oil and immigrants

I read in Thursday’s paper about the high price of gas and the money that the oil companies are making. This person was comparing Exxon with Wal-Mart. Let me say that I can remember paying only 15 cents for a gallon of gas, and I hate the $3-plus of today.

However, can anyone tell me the percent of profit of Wal-Mart and Exxon? I hear that the oil companies are only 8 percent. What is Wal-Mart’s? Most companies, I think, are more than 8 percent; I do understand the economics of scale. If you sell a bunch of something, 8 percent can be a bunch of money, where if you sell only a few, then you go broke at 8 percent.

I don’t know if the oil companies are ripping us off or not, but I do know that we have not built a refinery in this country in about 30 years, that it is almost impossible to drill for oil in places we know has oil, and the same goes for nuclear power plants.

To all of our elected officials, national, state and local: Get up off your butts and do something to help on the energy problem and quit fighting over who gets re-elected. Make our borders safe, stop the illegal immigration and do not reward anyone for breaking our laws. Is a country that helps its people break our laws really a friend?

Wayne Gann,

Aubrey

Happy anniversary

May 1, 2006, marked the three-year anniversary of “Mis­sion Accomplished,” the day our mission in Iraq was completed and major combat operations ceased, at least according to the president. But with the definition of victory in Iraq having been changed several times, many people have lost sight of why we initially invaded Iraq.

We invaded Iraq because of the gravity of the nuclear threat posed by Saddam Hussein, at least that’s what we were told. On Sept. 8, 2002, Condoleezza Rice told us, “... We don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.”

On Oct. 7, 2002, George W. Bush said, “The Iraqi dictator must not be permitted to threaten America and the world with horrible poisons, and diseases, and gases, and atomic weapons.”

Even though Saddam Hussein was complying with our demands for inspections, and the international inspectors kept telling us there were no WMDs, we determined that the threat of nuclear war was so severe that we were forced to invade Iraq.

Now Mr. Bush is rattling his little saber again about the nuclear threat posed by Iran (even though the best evaluation from within the administration estimates that Iran is probably 10 years away from being able to produce a nuclear weapon). So the threat must be so grave that war again is inevitable.

After all, the Bush administration doesn’t have a history of lying about a nuclear threat from the Middle East just before elections in the United States. Right.

David Johnson,

Denton

A voice for education

I am happy to recommend a vote for my friend Sterling Smith, candidate for the DISD board. I have known Sterling for many years, having worked with him in Boy Scouts and in church.

Sterling will be a very hardworking and effective member of the board, which can use some fresh minds and voices. Sterling knows education and will be a supportive voice for quality education for our children. He grew up in Denton and is a homeowner with a strong community commitment.

H. Stanley Thames,

Denton