Point missed in question of America’s strength
Re: Sept. 18 article, “Is Ted Cruz’s ‘summons’ letter deceptive, illegal or fair play?”
I am writing in response to the recent mailing of “summons” letters on behalf of Cruz’s campaign. As the race between Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke becomes tighter, the Cruz campaign has resorted to unfair play in my opinion.
Though the article did state that what the mailers were doing was not necessarily illegal, I see it as unethical. A summons typically means that an individual is ordered to appear before a court; therefore, it may be deceiving for a person to receive such a letter.
Additionally, using terms such as “effective,” “critical” and “open immediately” could be cause for alarm. The goal of these letters might have been to gain supporter engagement — but in the long haul, it seems the summons have only caused upset and a loss of support.
Re: Sept. 17 commentary, “The unpardonable heresy of perhaps being correct.”
Strength in diversity goes back to our nation’s founding and is America’s original motto: E pluribus unum. In questioning America’s strength, Mona Charen profoundly misses the point by ignoring the key element in her examples.
The problem in every case is not diversity, but oppression. Nations cannot be preserved by enforced conformity, but only by the consent of the governed. When nations treat groups as second- or third-class citizens, or even refuse to recognize them as citizens, there is discord that weakens those countries. The cure is the freedom that comes from sharing power with different others as equals instead of seeking power over others.
Charen never gives an alternative to diversity because the alternative to acknowledging that all people are created equal despite their differences is to accept the core claim of fascism — that strength comes from conformity and eliminating anyone who is different.
Buried in the House’s 1,240page farm bill is the greatest threat to animals, consumers and the environment in recent memory: an amendment by Rep. Steve King to strip state and local governments of the right to regulate the sale of dangerous and inhumanely produced “agricultural products” — a category so broad it would include clothes, pets, drugs and more.
A Harvard Law School study found that the King Amendment could overturn thousands of laws regulating the sale of things like toxic baby food jars, fish caught by environmentally devastating “driftnets,” eggs from cruelly caged chickens, dogs from puppy mills and lumber carrying invasive species.
Thankfully, the Senate’s farm bill didn’t include similar language. As chair of the House agriculture committee and a member of the conference committee in charge of reconciling these two bills, our representatives should make sure that the disastrous King Amendment does not end up in the final farm bill.
The November midterms will be our opportunity to “clean house” in Congress and restore our American values. We cannot blindly vote along party lines. We must elect candidates who are honorable and demonstrate a sense of duty ...
Consider Sen. Ted Cruz. He ran for senator on a platform of helping Texas and Texans. After winning our votes, he outrageously grandstands for media attention, so he can run for president. What has he done for Texas?
During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump ruthlessly and maliciously disparaged Cruz’s wife. Once Trump was elected, “Lyin’ Ted” became a Trump lapdog to further his political ambitions.
Cruz has proven he has no honor and will even sacrifice family for personal gain. A man who will not defend his own family against an attacker cannot be trusted to represent Texas.