Ignore skeptics on climate
Don’t add legitimacy
Regarding “These skeptics believe in climate change. Why is it so hard to convince them catastrophe is coming?” (Aug. 26): I’m a huge supporter of the Chronicle and the reporting that’s being done on the topic of climate change. The Chronicle reporting typically covers the areas of climate disasters in Texas and around the world, as well as the current scientific news such as the IPCC 2021 report. And as has been reported, the IPCC bases their information “on an assessment of over 14,000 scientific publications.” With this background and context, I feel that this most recent article falls flat on its face as a huge disservice to every individual working as hard as they can to help solve climate change. We know all about the climate deniers, skeptics and disinformation that’s spread on a daily basis across the internet and social media. We seriously don’t need to have any legitimacy added by an article such as this in the Chronicle. Please continue with your other fantastic reporting to inform people of the scientific facts and the critical information.
Joe Garfunkel, Houston
Kabul attack
Regarding “Editorial: Did you hear? 13 American soldiers died in Kabul. Remember to grieve,” (Aug. 26): It didn’t take long for terrorists to make it known that Afghanistan is their turf, which clearly signals a new surge in global terrorism. We’ve tried parking American troops there, and we’ve tried making the populace think more like us. These things obviously don’t work. Withdrawing our military is the right thing to do, but Biden has handled it in the worst possible way and it’s now inevitable that Americans and sympathetic Afghans will be left behind to suffer a gruesome fate. The Soviet Union tried for 10 years to impose their way of life in Afghanistan. We’ve tried for 20 years. Who’s next? China, of course. Afghanistan has too many valuable resources and too much strategic value to be ignored, so Afghanistan will always be dealing with foreign intervention. Although the U.S. is highly unlikely to entirely eliminate its presence in Afghanistan, China is likely going to try to fill the void left by the American withdrawal and secure control of Afghanistan’s many valuable natural resources, including lithium. Can the Chinese Communist Party co-exist with the Taliban? We’ll soon have the answer.
Greg Groh, Houston
Fiscal responsibility
Regarding “Focus on the COVID filtration devices,” (Aug. 26): First of all, thank you Erica Greider for continuing to uncover waste and excess in Texas politics. To the reader who thinks that Grieder’s citation of alternatives to inflating former politicians’ bottom line are “useless rambling”: Do you really think that diverting education dollars to a filtration system in classrooms, peddled by washed-up politicians looking to enrich themselves, is more fiscally responsible than simply wearing a CDCrecommended mask?
Darlene Regan, Houston