Atatiana Jefferson won’t get her life back, but her killer needs to serve the time

Former cop should see justice

Aaron Dean took a life needlessly. (Dec. 16, 4A, “Strong closing argument led to landmark conviction in Dean case”) There was no screaming or any sign of problems in the house where he shot Atatiana Jefferson. As an expert testified in his trial, the former Fort Worth police officer could have shifted his position and taken cover. Jefferson should be alive and well. Her nephew, Zion Carr, will be scarred for life.

Dean should at the very least serve 10 to 15 years in prison for his well-deserved manslaughter conviction. At this point, I’d be afraid to call the police to have them check on any of my friends.

- Andrea Kyle, Fort Worth

Don’t lionize court-martialed

Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan and the blowback against only one of them coming home seems to have consumed America. I listened to members of Whelan’s family speaking about their disappointment that he was not released from a Russian prison but hailing the return of another American wrongfully detained. They at least know the government is working as hard as it can to bring Whelan home.

Whelan has been in Russian custody since 2018. I see people bashing the Biden administration for supposedly leaving him behind. Whelan was given a court-martial for felonies, leading to a bad-conduct discharge from the Marine Corps, and has no military benefits.

So, please do not say that America is not bringing a Marine home. He is no longer a Marine. He is an American, however, and I hope America can get him back soon.

- Robert Terry, Fort Worth

Griner prisoner swap a bad deal

Eugene Robinson supported the Brittney Griner exchange in his Dec. 11 commentary. (5C, “Trading Griner for an arms dealer was a good exchange”) Who in their right mind would believe this?

Griner has objected to playing the national anthem before professional sporting events. Yet a former Marine has been in a Russian prison for almost four years. And the Biden administration traded a murderous tyrant in exchange for an America hater. Does that make any sense?

This was a political move and again showed how weak President Joe Biden is.

- Sandra Lewis, Joshua

Biden didn’t get enough in trade

I fully concur with Mark Davis’ column “It’s good that Griner is free. But did Biden press Russia enough?” in the Dec. 11 Star-Telegram. (5C) In the words of Theodore Roosevelt, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” Too bad President Joe Biden doesn’t know how to do that. He should have insisted that we wanted both Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan in exchange for Viktor Bout, the notorious arms dealer known as the “merchant of death.” The administration should have held firm: two for one, or no deal. Now, we’ve lost the opportunity to do that.

- Angela Benvenuto, Arlington

Animals are not inanimate objects

Pets shouldn’t be given as presents like toys or electronics. They are a long-term commitment. If you and your family are ready to add a pet to your family this holiday season, we urge you to head to your local animal shelter or a local responsible rescue group.

By rescuing an animal instead of purchasing one that may have come from an irresponsible breeder, you and your family can create a more humane world for animals in 2023 and years to come.

Adopt, don’t shop!

- Randy Turner, Fort Worth

The writer is a board member for the Texas Humane Legislation Network.

Smearing Anthony Fauci

Not much renders my wife speechless. But Nicole Russell’s Dec. 15 column truly did, when it stated Dr. Antony Fauci “engineered vaccine and mask mandates and lockdowns, even though they’ve all failed to stop COVID transmission and — in the case of lockdowns — were draconian and flawed.” (11A, “Chappelle, Musk are truth tellers but got booed for it”)

I suspect that Russell will next promote Donald Trump’s just-announced digital NFT trading-card collection. It has just about as much value.

- William Lawrence, North Richland Hills

Trump was the big ‘tariff man’

In the Dec. 14 commentary, “How tariffs are raising the cost of Christmas presents and more,” (11A) Bruce Yandle alludes to “our government’s effort to raise the prices of the goods we buy in high volume.” I hope people read past this opening paragraph to see that it was Donald Trump who installed his thoughtless tariffs and embargoes (he even called himself “a tariff man,” raising the U.S. consumer tariff burden by many billions during his presidency. Not Joe Biden — Donald Trump.

- Owen Daniel, Fort Worth