September 4, 2019 810 PM
Dear Editor,
Don’t say, “It can’t happen here.” Tom Jacobs’ Big Bend Sentinel story “Marfa China?” in the August 15, 2019 issue perfectly describes what Marfa would become if C3 and Live Nation continues to commodify Marfa. C3 and Live Nation is an international corporation, they have already started. I do not support C3 and Live Nation in any form to bring anything to Marfa or Presidio County.
Marfa
Dear Editor,
Odessa, 7 dead. El Paso, 22 dead. Santa Fe, TX, 10 dead. Sutherland Springs, 26 dead. Meaningful actions taken by Texas politicians, zero.
Thoughts and prayers by Governor Abbott, Senator Cornyn, Senator Cruz and a few others really amount to a slap in the face of the survivors, friends and relatives of those who did not survive, and the dozens and dozens who have been traumatized by those events. If I were among the survivors or relatives of those killed and any of those morons came to me with thoughts and prayers I would enthusiastically tell them where to shove their thoughts and prayers.
Politicians make the laws of the land, the rules we live by so that the vast majority of us can function without living in fear of the few who respect nothing, abide by no ethical codes. And the best the morons have come up with was: don’t have so many doors in schools. Well, what about shopping malls, churches, theaters, outdoor concerts, night clubs and the scores of other locations where these atrocities have occurred in recent years? Oh, right, convene a meeting, as Abbott just did. Talk about everything except guns; don’t talk about NRA political contributions.
It may not have occurred to the bulk of Texans but victims of shootings are not just Democrats or Republicans or Independents. They are all of us. Men, women, children, black, white, brown, Christian, atheist, gay, straight, relatives, friends, strangers. And the one certainty we live with is knowing that our elected Republican politicians will do nothing to, at the very least, make it more difficult for hate-filled nutjobs to run around shooting people.
After El Paso there were a number of sensitive, compassionate letters expressing the views that something has to change. (Kudos especially to Brenda Silva Bentley, Presidio County Commissioner.) At the same time others wrote that guns are not the problem, the problem is people “living without God, removing prayer from schools,” and not having fathers or virtue and heroism. And others still argue that more people are killed by hammers, knives, hands and feet than guns, which misses the point just as it did a couple of years ago when that “stat” was first offered.
I am not anti-gun. As I’ve said before, I have continuously owned at least one gun my entire life. But the facts make it clear that meaningful revisions to existing gun laws are necessary and urgent. If you don’t believe me, ask the families of the 65 dead from the four shootings in my first paragraph.
Fred Gossien
Terlingua
Dear Editor,
The family of Richard Hibbitts would like to thank the Marfa High School Senior Class of 1999 for their generous donation to the Cindy Hibbitts Memorial Scholarship in memory of Keli Morales.
The Hibbitts family has given a scholarship in memory of Cindy to a Marfa High School graduating senior to continue there education after high school for ten years now. Our family would like to thank all the people who have contributed to this fund over the years.
It is always amazing when students like this class of 1999 think about giving back to their school to help other students. I think this just shows that they have grown up and become successful adults in our society. We know Marfa ISD and the community was part of their success.
Corpus Christi
Dear Editor,
Trade War Hurting Farmers
President Trump is trying to attain trade equity with China, but his trade war is having a devastating impact on U.S. farmers, which could lead to long term losses of the Chinese market for our agricultural products since they are being replaced by competing countries. The $12 billion farmers subsidy is just a temporary reprieve for farmers.
China typically imports large quantities of U.S. fruit, pork, cotton, soybeans and other farm products. It imports 60% of U.S. soybean exports, about 30 million tons per year. Although the European Union agreed to import more soybeans, its 14 million tons falls far short of the 30 million tons to China.
Brazil is the largest exporter of soybeans to China. It has increased its soybean exports to China by 27% to 71 million tons, and it is clearing large swaths of the Amazon Forest for soybean production. Unfortunately, the forest is being cleared with set fires that are out of control, and the clearing has a huge adverse impact on the world since the rain forest absorbs millions of tons of carbon emissions each year; along with trees throughout the planet.
Note: My wife’s father, Alton Jones, was a cattle farmer.
Londonderry, NH
