RE: OUT TO PASTURE?

As just another Bandera County retiree, I would like to voice my opinion about the editorial written by Abraham Schneck in last week’s paper.

As an older person, I try very hard to keep an open mind about what is written on the editorial page.

Not all the opinions presented are ones I support.

However, it is an American right to express those opinions with freedom. This includes in the newspaper, at the Post Office, around a table at the OST, and in the spaghetti aisle at Lowe’s.

Freedom of expression is one of our most basic rights as Americans.

As for the editorial cartoons Mr. Schneck criticizes, each artist has the right to express whatever they want. Frankly, I get very tired of the negative information that floods the media about everything today. I know as people age; they tend to see the negative outcomes more easily than the positive. I like that cartoonist Dennis Allyn produces cartoons that reflect his unique and sometimes wry perspective of Bandera County. He never fails to give me a laugh or make me think.

While Brandon Powers’ cartoons nearly always deal with national politics, Allyn’s cartoons have themes that are local. Each represents a viewpoint that is valid. I am glad that the Bulletin seeks to balance the viewpoints presented local to national, and conservative to liberal. I praise Bulletin Editor Dan Tucker for seeking to present opinions that are as balanced as best he can. We should all be encouraged to explore and consider each side of the issues through the printed word and in cartoons.

I think it is important to remember that all kinds of people enjoy all kinds of things. Casting stones at an artist serves no purpose except to show the thrower as a person enclosed in the negativity of their age. We all have something to give, and I applaud Mr. Schneck for expressing his opinion — even if I don’t concur.

Horace Mann Deep in the Heart of Bandera County.