LETTERS TO THE EDITOR | [email protected]
NFL and National Anthem
The recent actions of NFL players of taking a knee or raising their hands during the singing of the National Anthem to protest police brutality have upset many football fans, resulting in attendance numbers dropping. Under the freedom of speech, these players have a legal right to protest.
However, many citizens see these actions as a form of disrespect to the millions of military personnel who have served, and are serving, this country. Approximately a million men and women have been killed in the service of this country since the Revolutionary War. There have also been many millions who were wounded while serving.
In my family, my father got trench foot or frostbitten feet in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. During the Vietnam War, my brother served his tour of duty in the jungles and got slightly wounded. My first cousin paid the ultimate price when he was killed by a landmine, and my brother-in-law died of stomach cancer from Agent Orange 25 years after being exposed.
These players should brush up on their American civics and history to find out the real story behind their rights and freedoms. There is a place and a time to protest injustices. It is not during the National Anthem.
Please pay respect to the military veterans who have served this great country during America’s conflicts and wars.
Silvestre Moreno Jr., Mercedes
Pharr’s top cop
I read with great interest about the $24,000 taxpayerfunded, nationwide search for the top cop for the Pharr Police Department, a process that has been far from transparent.
For whatever reason, this seems to be the time of year and the season for police leadership throughout the RGV to become severed from their municipal jobs, based on reporting in The Monitor and ancillary publications.
If the problems in Pharr, at least, are corrected by the city, the taxpayer may well be more assured that the headhunter’s fee is well spent.
Dr. Kenneth C. Fetcher, Pharr
