Right to honor both sides?
Alamo makeover
Regarding “Sweeping makeover set to start at Alamo,” (A3 , Nov. 24): I was quite shocked to read the new plaza will “honor fallen combatants on both sides of the famed 1836 battle for Texas independence.”
I’m having a problem understanding how this is possible. We were fighting a brutal dictator over a disputed border and most important of all, freedom. How can we honor those that tried to destroy us? I fail to see how this is possible or appropriate. Bill L. Caughman, Sugar Land
Apple in Austin
Regarding “Thumbs up, down,” (A15, Nov. 23): The Chronicle is technically correct in stating that Trump did not open a new manufacturing plant in Austin as he claimed. However, the piece is disingenuous at best by not providing the whole story. Note excerpts from Apple’s press release dated Nov. 20, three days before your thumbs down: “Apple has broken ground on its new $1 billion, 3-million-square-foot campus. The campus will initially house 5,000 employees, with the capacity to grow to 15,000, and is expected to open in 2022. … Apple is steadily growing in Austin with approximately 7,000 employees in the city.”
This should have been a positive story and not another anti-Trump piece. The Apple expansion in the U.S. and particularly Austin is the result of some arm twisting by Trump and his tariff/taxing policies. It is good for this country, so be positive for a change. Not missing a chance to take a shot at Trump by one-sided reporting as usual. The Chronicle is not changing minds, just hardening them with this kind of journalism. Charles Teixeira, Houston
Win clean
Regarding “Major fouls tarnish the Astros’ star” (Front page, Nov. 24): David Barron’s assessment of the damage done to the Astros’ brand by this sign-stealing scandal is spot on, as is his comparison of the Astros to the New England Patriots, the NFL franchise that has likewise been accused — and in their case, found guilty — of cheating. The Patriots‘ lesson to the Astros is that while you never fully recover your reputation, the only way to keep from having your pre-scandal accomplishments viewed as illegitimate is to follow that up by winning “clean.” By winning multiple Super Bowls after their scandals, the Patriots proved that while still reviled by many, Belichick and Brady really are that good. Hinch, Altuve and this band of Astros must now win another World Series or two, post-scandal, otherwise the rest of the country will always see their 2017-19 seasons as having an asterisk. So Jim Crane, if you are reading this, go do the one thing above all else that will give the Astros the best shot at redemption. Re-sign Gerrit Cole. David Bradley, Spring
Not proven
Regarding reader Plácido Gómez’s comment on “Astros break rules?” (A18, Nov. 20): When I grew up, I was told that in America, people are innocent until proven guilty. Guilt has not been proven yet either for the Astros’ for sign stealing or the impeachment inquiry of President Trump. Has something changed that I don’t know about or should we wait and see what completed investigations determine? Peggy O’Hara, Cypress