This law is no joke

The Trib’s Jan. 4 editorial, “That passed?” made fun of various new laws that have been enacted around the country, including the new Texas law that requires landlords to install smoke detectors that emit a bright light so a hearing-impaired tenant might be alerted.

This is no joking matter, because this could save the life of someone who might not be able to hear the sounding alarm.

As someone who is deaf in one ear and can’t hear with the other, that law makes perfect sense to me. In fact, I’ve had recent experiences in being unable to hear the smoke alarms in our home.  Fortunately, they were false alarms caused by an equipment failure. But if I’m asleep and not wearing hearing aids, I can’t hear our smoke alarm siren well enough to wake me.

If I am wearing my hearing aids when the alarm sounds, the hearing aids completely suppress the sound, although I’m not exactly sure just why. The aids might be blanking out the loud siren sound to protect my remaining hearing, or the siren frequency is higher than the frequencies the aid can amplify.

Regardless, what seems to be a dumb law to a “normal” person may in fact be a smart law to others.

Herbert R. Haynes

China Spring

New election round

Jim Denton’s Jan. 6 letter “Shake up lawmakers” had the correct title. However, his thinking is an example of someone who is not paying attention.

Why would we hand over the reins of the Texas legislature to people who think like Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Shummer, Henry Waxman and our president? No! We are all done with that!

Come next November, the American people will vote and Democrats are already scared of the outcome. (Some Republicans too I might add!)

We want elected officials who use common sense and will respond to the will of those who elected them. Who will put the constitution first, not last and people who will continue to keep Texas the best place to live, work and raise a family

Michael Varadi

Waco

Response a little late

Who’s side is this guy on? An American airliner with some 300 passengers and crew is attacked over Detroit by a young Islamic terrorist and President Obama takes four days to respond. But let Dick Cheney call them on their fecklessness in protecting America and they respond almost immediately.

Doesn’t Obama see Islamic extremist Jihadi terrorists as the enemy? Our enemy? His enemy?

Will he ever get around to fighting America’s enemies?

Alfred W. Evans

Gatesville

* * *

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said last week that the thwarting of the attempt to blow up an Amsterdam to Detroit airline flight on Christmas Day demonstrated that “the system worked.”

Is the woman looney? 

The would-be bomber got past security and on the plane with explosives!

The only thing that “worked” is that his bomb didn’t work!

America, do you feel safer now?

Clyde Reedy

Waco