Praise for paper, letter

The Wednesday edition of The Dallas Morning News was so inspiring and rewarding, I’m forced to send praise to your editors and a letter writer.

To start with, Peggy Wehmeyer’s amazing analysis of “religious” roles and their hucksters in the breakdown of our nation and truth, especially Jesus’s truth, was awesome. Your editorial, “Cut Vaccine Red Tape” detailing the efforts of Chad West, Adam Bazaldua, Paula Blackmon, Omar Narvaez, Adam Medrano and Jaime Resendez, supported by City Manager T.C. Broadnax, deserved to be aired, just as our mayor’s interference should be reported, too. I thought this can of worms was very fairly presented.

The piece de resistance came with Robin Smith’s letter to editor titled “Please abandon this rhetoric.” She was letter-perfect in asking that our two senators start acting like they have the intelligence to recognize truth from pure politics, honor instead of power. I leave my newspaper this morning feeling invigorated with hope for our future.

Eulaine Hall, Northwest Dallas

How the vaccine works

The COVID-19 vaccines are a welcome light amid the darkness. As part of Immunize Texas, a group dedicated to keeping Texas safe against vaccine-preventable diseases, I would like to eliminate any misinformation and emphasize the importance of vaccination.

Simply put, the mRNA vaccines encourage the immune system to recognize the “spike protein,” found on the surfaces of the COVID-19 virus. The mRNA from the vaccine enters the cells and provides instructions on how to make a harmless piece of the spike protein. Afterward, the mRNA is broken down and disappears. The cells then display the newly made protein on their surface. Our immune system immediately recognizes that the piece of protein is foreign, and then starts producing antibodies to eliminate the protein. By the end of the process, our body has antibodies specific to the spike protein found on the COVID-19 virus and can protect against future infection.

These vaccines do not contain any live virus, and the mRNA does not enter the nucleus. These vaccines cannot cause any DNA changes or infect someone with COVID-19.

Please take care of yourself and your community by getting the vaccine. Help us end this nightmare.

Yumna Furqan, Dallas

Bogart would understand

The GOP response to former president Donald Trump’s impeachment for insurrection reminds me of the great scene from the film classic Casablanca. Claude Rains, as the wishy-washy Capt. Renault, is “shocked” to find there is gambling going on, and at behest of the Nazis, shuts down Rick’s Café, just as he collects his illicit winnings.

In similar fashion, some Republicans expressed outrage for what happened in our Capitol on Jan. 6, yet even after that, almost 200 Republicans were still trying to overturn election results. This is the GOP mantra: pretend concern about our country, law and order, the people. Yet all the while, they undermine this mantra.

Two weeks later, four years of Trump dividing and destroying the nation doesn’t matter as much as fear of him and the fear that they might not get re-elected.

The unfortunate difference between reality and Casablanca’s ending is that in the end, Renault does the right thing for his country, whereas Republicans follow their ideology — “Move along, nothing to see here” — and couldn’t care less about insurrection or even treason.

Chuck Elkins, Plano

This deplorable is tired

Yes, I’m deplorable. I am a deplorable Trump voter. We, 70+ million Republican voters, are now hearing calls for deprogramming us because we didn’t vote for President Joe Biden. I’m really getting tired of this.

I’m like many Donald Trump supporters. White, retired, live in the suburbs, married for almost 30 years, Christian, raised three children, paid for their college. I believe in free speech, law and order, compassion and equality. Even with its faults, our nation is the freest and most prosperous on earth. A land of opportunity. I’m the second generation of European immigrants who arrived with little money and few skills. My father didn’t finish high school. I was the first in my family to graduate from college.

I worked for 39 years after college. Not big executive jobs, just ones that rewarded hard work. I thank God and my family for what I have. So according to the new world order, our traditional values and accomplishments are wrong, need to be ridiculed, and even punished. How did we get like this? Is this our future?

Cary P. Metke, Flower Mound

Take a look back

I find amazing the willful ignorance of many GOP supporters. The party in power for the last four years has ignored the rule of law, blocked legislation that benefits anyone other than the top 2% of Americans, not been adult enough to compromise with others to uphold the Constitution or, for that matter, even acknowledge their own complicity in trying to end Democratic norms set forth by the founders of this great country.

Biased media always intrigue me — which media is it that’s biased? One America News Network, Fox News or any number of other propaganda outlets? Perhaps there is a deep state and it’s staffed completely of aliens.

Philip Kirk, Dallas/Oak Lawn