We care too much about kids’ feelings. Let Judge Alex Kim stream court on YouTube

Judge Kim isn’t the problem

It’s only fair to offer a different perspective to your Sept. 11 editorial on Tarrant County Judge Alex Kim. (4C, “Is Alex Kim fit to remain Tarrant juvenile judge?”) For at least two generations, young people have been coddled, excused and given a pass for bad behavior. Their parents, educators and society have offered up myriad excuses.

Society worries more about them becoming repeat offenders than about appropriate punishment and deterrents. Schools have become more focused on children’s feelings than about teaching a basic education.

Kim was correct in wanting to know who supplied a 12-year-old with guns and drugs. If his using YouTube to show the process of what happens in juvenile court prevents one minor from breaking the law, it’s appropriate. Kim isn’t responsible for overcrowding at detention centers. The number of kids breaking the law is.

Unless we realistically address how we are failing our young people, the patterns will only continue. Kim isn’t the problem. We are.

- Carol Guarnieri, Fort Worth

Just stay in your lane

Two things are abundantly clear to me. First, Judge Alex Kim is a nontraditional jurist who, like Icarus, may be flying too close to the sun. Second, the Star-Telegram is pulling out all the stops to make sure he is not elected to another term. I thought that was the job of the people, not the paper.

- David Ross, Bedford

Playing politics with people’s lives

These are not people who had broken U.S. immigration laws that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent to Massachusetts. They are Venezuelans seeking political asylum from a communist dictatorship. Their arrival in the U.S. is perfectly legal. It’s the first step in having asylum granted. They have one year from arrival to file paperwork.

They were lied to about their destination. They were given no food as planes went from Texas to Florida, then to Massachusetts. They had to walk 2 miles to Martha’s Vineyard where no one knew who they were. Families with children were treated like human cargo.

DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott celebrate as the humans they turned into political chess pieces suffer. Anyone who would vote for those should re-examine themselves.

- Sue Clark, Houston

Teach to pay off college debt

When I went to college on the GI Bill, I was paid for each month I attended. This enabled me to get a degree without incurring debt.

I wonder why nobody has proposed some federal loan debt forgiveness in exchange teaching? It would be a great incentive for college students to attend school and spend time leading a classroom. Students could take education courses as their electives, teach for the number of months they attended college full time and then be debt-free to pursue a career. Some might even decide to stay in education.

It seems to me that would be a win-win.

- S.R. DeWees, Arlington

Criticism on the menu

Bud Kennedy’s critical remarks about the original owner of the Burger & Philly Shack in Watauga was pathetic. (Sept. 16, 1C, “New owners at cheesesteak grill offer lots of flavor, less sarcasm”) My family and I were longtime customers. We appreciated David McCurtain’s personality and patriotism, along with his support of local police and other first responders.

Kennedy’s piece did no favors for the new owners by being critical of the original owner.

- Roger Parsons, Haltom City