Letters to the Editor
Readers recall the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s accomplishments, worry about the censuring of Stephen Colbert, claim we need more than hard conversations and praise the good sportsmanship seen at the Olympics.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson watched as players warmed up before Game 1 of basketball's NBA Finals in Oakland, Calif., in 2018. The Rev. Jesse Jackson was a shining example of how to bring about change in a nonviolent, positive way. During his two presidential campaigns, one strong message he conveyed was to cut the Pentagon budget while expanding the education, housing and health care budgets.This is an example of promoting what he stood for, rather than railing against something. It is easy to be against a variety of things, but to stand up for what we want and show what the positive change would look like, that takes a definitive message and a plan of how to accomplish what is desired. Jackson demonstrated this many times in his lifetime, and indeed helped bring about positive change in the world, including the foundation of PUSH and the National Rainbow Coalition. He’s been called the “Conscience of the Nation” and “the Great Unifier” because he challenged America to be inclusive and to establish just and humane priorities for the benefit of all.He brought people together on common ground across lines of race, culture, class, gender and belief. He will be missed.Late night talk show host Stephen Colbert’s biting wit and impeccable timing have kept us laughing since he appeared onin 1997. But there’s nothing funny about CBS refusing to air his interview with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico. This seemingly inconsequential episode exemplifies the administration’s very real threats to our democracy, specifically to the freedom of speech promised in the First Amendment. “The comic artist’s purpose,” according to Britannica, “is to hold a mirror up to society to reflect its follies and vices, in the hope that they will, as a result, be mended.” Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, who was appointed by the president, attempted to smash this mirror by revoking an exception to the equal time rule for talk show hosts like Colbert. CBS caved.Americans who believe in democracy should be most concerned as our institutions crumble in the face of these autocratic actions. Colbert refused to be bullied and posted his Talarico interview on YouTube. Voting in the upcoming primaries against those who have capitulated to Trump allows us to join the resistance.Re: “How do we balance ICE’s excesses? Doing our part means hard conversations between friends, colleagues,” by Abby McCloskey,This column deserves a rebuttal. About politicians escalating immigration conflicts for political gain, she says “outside groups torpedo any congressional compromise because the issue is worth more to them unsolved,” failing to say that when Congress did reach consensus on this issue during the 2024 campaign, Donald Trump torpedoed it.She felt the need to label protesters as “activists” seemingly dropped from Berkeley in the ’60s to now. I was one of those people — a 73-year-old grandmother, who is not an activist but a citizen concerned about my country. She says “unrelated issues” should not be brought into protests, ignoring the many egregious issues in the current administration that are worth protesting. She says voting is “important, but feels insufficient,” as are writing and calling our legislators. She thinks doing “our part” when we see injustice means having hard conversations with friends and colleagues to help reach a fuller understanding of what America stands for. I agree. But I don’t think that hedging on the truth, applying labels to people, diminishing the importance of both reaching out to our representatives and voting will get us any closer to that fuller understanding.I’ve enjoyed watching the Olympics since I was a child. Along with being inspired by stunning displays of skill, I was captivated by the athletes’ ability to get up and keep going when they fell or made an error and their humility in accepting defeat gracefully with millions watching. Such humility was pointedly displayed when 21-year-old U.S. figure skater Ilia Malinin, shocked by his flawed performance for the gold, immediately congratulated an equally shocked Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan on his unexpected victory. Their exchange was prolonged and seemed sincere and heartfelt. I hope America’s children were watching these athletes who have filled the vacuum left by our country’s leadership and modeled the appropriate way to accept defeat.Re: “Dallas seeks to reduce impact — The city is spotlighting environmental responsibility before global sporting event," Tuesday Metro & Business story.I was impressed with the concerns voiced by FIFA in this story. I wish those concerns were taken as seriously by the organizers of the car race coming soon to Arlington. I simply want to express gratitude to de Vinck for this opinion piece. I often find his words comforting as he writes about his journey and the people who have made the journey with him. De Vinck recognizes the importance of building relations and how important these are to living a meaningful, fulfilling life. He’s not a hollow man.Dallas Morning News editorials are written by the paper's Editorial Board and serve as the voice and view of the paper. The board considers a broad range of topics and is overseen by the Editorial Page Editor.Rudy has covered politics, government, crime and all three mixed together for both The Dallas Morning News and The Chicago Tribune.The Mavericks officially shut down Kyrie Irving. Here’s why it’s a good decision
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