Skepticism and the Saudis
Apply pressure
Regarding “Skepticism deepens after Saudis’ explanation for journalist’s death” (Sunday, Page 2): The changing and frankly, improbable stories only came out when the Saudis realized they couldn’t cover up the murder. As business columnist Chris Tomlinson suggests (“Saudi crown prince is bad news, trouble for oil industry too,” Business front), letting women drive doesn’t make Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a reformer any more than having an ant farm makes one a zookeeper.
President Donald Trump’s vague threats and wishy-washy statements certainly don’t help to put pressure on the Saudis.
Maybe he can be as tough on them as he is with immigrant children at the border. Bob Gayle, Houston
Moral issue
Regarding “Trump shifts tone on Saudis” (Front page, Friday): Transactional is the interaction style so often attributed to President Donald Trump. That style is more evident than ever when you see his response to the Khashoggi incident. I believe most prior presidents would have immediately gone to the moral and emotional
Public housing
Regarding “Isle risks losing Ike housing funds” (Front page, Monday): Straightforward math highlights the absurdity of Galveston’s public housing delay: unspent funding from 2008’s Hurricane Ike. Lingering and subject to forfeiture is $66 million available to build 287 units, approximately $239,000 per unit. That amount would build a very nice 3-4 bedroom home instead of austere public housing units.
Perhaps those responsible have been parlaying this into a decade of employment with benefits. I suggest transferring that commitment to Mexico Beach, Fla. G. Gratzer, Sargent
Candidate vetting
Regarding “Our endorsements” (Editorial page, Monday): The Chronicle’s list of recommendations for the November election makes checking out the candidates online much easier. Another place I find to be an excellent resource for knowledgeable recommendations is the Houston Bar Association. There are no party affiliations, but the questions the organization asks of the candidates tells a lot about how they follow the law, how they treat victims, the accused, court staff and how much law they really know and act on. I still research the candidates but can cull them as I read the results.
Thank you for the excellent job of covering a very contentious election. Cecily M. Ryan, Kingwood
Migrant caravan
Regarding “Trump says he will cut aid issues involved, but Trump went to the size of the arms deal we had with the Saudis and wondering if Khashoggi was an American citizen. It really gets tough when you consider Khashoggi was a member of the media, which Trump has repeatedly derided.
Let’s see if the details, when finally disclosed, are as horrific as hinted and whether Trump can get past being transactional and move on to emotions, and then to actions that uphold American values in regard to this incident. Ron Curtis, Houston
U.S. values
Regarding “Bipartisan chorus calls for punishing Saudis” (Nation/World, Monday): If we ever needed confirmation that one man or one woman can make a difference in the world, we need to look no further than the changing stories from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States about the demise of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who lived in Virginia and died in the Saudi consulate in Turkey.
Khashoggi’s death and, more important, the facts surrounding his death that are slowly coming out from the three autocratic leaders of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States have caused a worldwide crisis of a) governments concerning their ethics or lack thereof; b) the oil industry, c) what for decades has been the foundation of American democracy, a strong and free press.
Khashoggi was a friend of the United States. He thought he could be an honest reporter as a member of the American press and be beyond his unanticipated murder by Saudi forces.
We need our president to return to American values and truly “Make America Great Again” by his actions, instead of more bluster and fake news! Bill Turney, Houston to 3 countries” (Nation/World, Tuesday): Why is it that those in that caravan think they can come as a horde of invaders to the United States and expect this country to accept them with open arms? They are showing no respect for our immigration laws and our sovereignty. And what makes things worse is that there are some in this country who don’t seem to have a problem with this. Well, they should imagine themselves living in a gated community and that caravan shows up wanting to come in, thinking they have the right to do so — how would they feel now?
The immigration problem was an issue in the 2016 election and will be an issue in the 2018 midterm election. The Democrats and their leadership don’t seem to object to that caravan coming here. If that caravan is successful, then that will only encourage future caravans to come. So when does this all end? Robert M. Louie, Houston