Talk:Lamar Smith

message: To any editors or watchers of the Wikipedia page of Congressman Lamar Smith: I serve as the Political Director for Congressman Lamar Smith.  I wish to respectfully raise concerns about the section “Personal Life.” I would also like to suggest a replacement edit to the line in question.  I would like to ask an unbiased Wikipedia editor to review the problem. The problem is as follows: In the “Personal Life” section of Congressman Lamar Smith’s page, it states, “He divides his time between homes in San Antonio and Hyannisport, Massachusetts.” The Congressman returns home from Washington, D.C. to his district nearly every weekend. Congressman Smith has spent a total of two hours in Hyannisport, Massachusetts, in the last three years, solely as a tourist, and is willing to give an affidavit to that effect. Per the Biographies of Living Persons policy, if there is no source for a piece of information about a living person (whether it is positive info or negative) then it should be removed. This is why I’m asking for another editor to consider making the following change:
I would suggest removing the line “he divides his time between homes in San Antonio and Hyannisport, Massachusetts.” As previously mentioned, Congressman Smith keeps a busy schedule traveling from Washington, D.C. to his home in San Antonio and rarely spends any time in Hyannisport, Massachusetts.  --JohnRussellHorton (talk) 18:27, 17 October 2014 (UTC)
replies: text: Given that no source was cited for the statement, I've removed it. AndyTheGrump (talk) 18:31, 17 October 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  Editing the “Personal Life” section of Congressman Lamar Smith’s Wikipedia page 

message: This sentence is unclear:
The 23rd is the largest district in the nation (not counting the at-large districts), stretching across 800 road miles from El Paso to San Antonio. Due to its size, nearly every district in the El Paso-San Antonio corridor had to be redrawn. Smith regained most of the Hill Country, but kept a large portion of his share of Austin, including the area around the University of Texas.
# I don't know what an "at-large district" is.
# The 23rd is the largest district in terms of - Geography? Voters? What?
# Citation needed.
Edrandall (talk) 12:00, 23 January 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Unclear jargon used in "U.S. House of representatives" - 23rd Jan 2015 

message: Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just added archive links to  on Lamar S. Smith. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add  after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add  to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
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Cheers.—cyberbot IITalk to my owner:Online 20:12, 8 January 2016 (UTC)
replies: text: Removed citation entirely. It makes no sense to cite the org's home page other than "look it exists" which is unnecessary and possibly promotional. -- GreenC 20:17, 28 February 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  External links modified 

message: Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just added archive links to  on Lamar S. Smith. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add  after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add  to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
*Added archive http://web.archive.org/web/20141024140107/https://team1.sos.state.tx.us/enr/results/mar04_169_state.htm?x=0&y=218&id=176 to https://team1.sos.state.tx.us/enr/results/mar04_169_state.htm?x=0&y=218&id=176
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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: Section 3.1 (Elections) has some inaccuracies I'd like to see updated; don't have permissions to edit myself.
Then 2006 entry ends with the sentence "This was Smith's lowest winning percentage of his career."
That is no longer accurate. The 2016 general election is now Smith's lowest winning percentage; see official results at the Texas Secretary of State website: http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist319_state.htm
In addition, the 2016 election section of the page is outdated.
I'd like to see both the 2006 and 2016 entries updated.
Ryanjacob (talk) 21:35, 17 December 2016 (UTC)
thread_title:  Requesting update to election totals 

message: The section "Tenure" should be labeled here and everywhere "Political positions" or "Tenure - Political positions" 50.252.107.21 (talk) 15:54, 12 February 2017 (UTC)
replies: text: Not done: please establish a consensus for this alteration before using the  template. — Sam Sailor 00:37, 13 February 2017 (UTC)
thread_title:  Semi-protected edit request on 12 February 2017 

message: Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just modified 2 external links on Lamar S. Smith. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
*Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130325065149/http://www.ksat.com/news/politics/Joaquin-Castro-Lamar-Smith-Lloyd-Doggett-win-U-S-Rep-races/-/2567674/17294152/-/owkg0w/-/index.html to http://www.ksat.com/news/politics/Joaquin-Castro-Lamar-Smith-Lloyd-Doggett-win-U-S-Rep-races/-/2567674/17294152/-/owkg0w/-/index.html
*Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20071226190314/http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html to http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html
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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: Hello fellow Wikipedians,
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*Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20140727071453/http://science.house.gov/press-release/house-approves-four-committee-bills to http://science.house.gov/press-release/house-approves-four-committee-bills
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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: Hello fellow Wikipedians,
I have just modified one external link on Lamar Smith. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
*Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20160306143743/https://enrpages.sos.state.tx.us/public/mar01_273_state.htm?x=0&y=3422&id=220 to https://enrpages.sos.state.tx.us/public/mar01_273_state.htm?x=0&y=3422&id=220
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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: From Rep. Lamar Smith:
I am re-formatting this request from the initial March 8, 2018 edit request. Please see a line from the Wikipedia page below, followed by the requested edit.
Wikipedia: On June 23, 2011, H.R. 2306 was introduced to Congress by Barney Frank and co-signer Ron Paul.[33]
Edit: This sentence should say that the bill was introduced “in” Congress rather than “to” Congress and the correct term is “co-sponsor” not “co-signer,” a term never used. RepSmith (talk) 21:30, 20 April 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: Done L293D (☎ • ✎) 02:33, 21 April 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Semi-protected edit request on 20 April 2018 

message: From Rep. Lamar Smith:
I am re-formatting this request from the initial March 8, 2018 edit request. Please see a line from the Wikipedia page below, followed by the requested edit.
Wikipedia: Smith attended the private high school at TMI — The Episcopal School of Texas and graduated in 1965.[10]
When the congressman attended the high school, it was known as Texas Military Institute. See the “Becoming Texas Military Institute” section of the schools webpage: https://www.tmi-sa.org/page/about/overview.
Edit: The sentence should read, “Smith attended a private high school, then called Texas Military Institute, now known as TMI — The Episcopal School of Texas, and graduated in 1965.” RepSmith (talk) 19:51, 21 April 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: Done Diff of change in wording. OhKayeSierra (talk) 08:10, 23 April 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Semi-protected edit request on 21 April 2018 

message: From Rep. Lamar Smith:
I am re-formatting this request from the initial March 8, 2018 edit request. Please see a line from the Wikipedia page below, followed by the requested edit.
Wikipedia: In 1992, he married Elizabeth Lynn Schaefer,[68] a Christian Science practitioner and teacher, as was his first wife, Jane Shoultz, before her death in 1991.[69]
My first wife's maiden name is misspelled. Her maiden name was Shoults.
Edit: Correct the spelling of Jane Shoults’ maiden name. RepSmith (talk) 21:56, 23 April 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: Done Usually we don't like "I was there and I know it to be true" as that is original research and/or a primary source, but in this case the requested spelling is consistent with the spelling used in the newspaper source that was already on the article. —KuyaBriBriTalk 22:29, 23 April 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: Did you access the image of the page and read the word "Shoults" yourself, or did you rely on the OCR (which may have gotten it wrong)? https://newspaperarchive.com/kerrville-daily-times-jan-06-1991-p-2/ also has the name published in a newspaper, but alas both it and the current source require a subscription to see the actual page. http://thesocietydiaries.com/artful-matrimony/ also says it is "Shoults". --Guy Macon (talk) 08:44, 25 April 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: No answer to the above, but I cannot imagine any conceivable reason for Lamar Smith to post false information about his wife's maiden name. If anyone who owns one of the websites that incorrectly says it was "Shoultz" reads this, please correct your web page. The correct name is "Jane Shoults". --20:55, 2 May 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Semi-protected edit request on 23 April 2018 

message: From Rep. Lamar Smith:
I am re-formatting this request from the initial March 8, 2018 edit request. Please see a line from the Wikipedia page below, followed by the requested edit.
Wikipedia: He was formerly a contributor to Breitbart News.[8]
This claim is inaccurate since the word “contributor” implies that I had some formal connections to the outlet, which is not true. I have written op-eds that were published by Breitbart, see: http://archive.is/UcA3T, as I have for many other outlets. The op-eds listed in the initial requested edit on March 8 (under requested edit #3) were published over the last two years. Breitbart published only two of the 36 op-eds.
Edit: The claim should be removed since it presents an inaccurate description of my relationship with Breitbart News. RepSmith (talk) 22:55, 23 April 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. OhKayeSierra (talk) 04:16, 24 April 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Semi-protected edit request on 23 April 2018 

message: I wish to change the intro bio to this (fully sourced):
Lamar Seeligson Smith (born November 19, 1947) is an American politician in the Republican Party who has served in the United States House of Representatives for Texas's 21st congressional district since 1987. The district includes most of the wealthier sections of San Antonio and Austin, as well as some of the Texas Hill Country. He sponsored the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), and the Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act (PCIP). He also co-sponsored the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act.[1]
In 2009, Smith formed the Media Fairness Caucus to combat bias in media and fake news[2]. He has remained the Caucus's chairman since its inception[3]. As the Head of the House Science Committee, Smith has been a vocal climate change skeptic, arguing the links between carbon emissions and extreme global temperature shifts have been overstated.[4][5][6][7][8][9] He was formerly a contributor to Breitbart News.[10]
In November 2017, Smith announced that he would retire from Congress at the end of his current term, and not seek re-election in 2018.[11]
The Media Fairness Caucus is an important part of Smith's record, and should be mentioned in his opening bio.  Similarly, I have changed the wording of the climate change part, as the current version contains both opinions and uses vague descriptors ("has been criticized")  — Preceding unsigned comment added by MarcusAquila99 (talk • contribs) 00:51, 14 May 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: The lead section per WP:LEAD is a summary of the article. The Lead doesn't even need to be sourced because it is assumed the facts are taken from the article where the sources are contained (unless there is some very contentious statement then a source is helpful - see WP:LEAD). That Smith has received significant climate criticism is a summary, and an accurate one, as supported further down in the article / sources. Your version smooths over and buries what amounts to a highly unpopular and scientifically unsound policy position, which is a significant part of Smith's legacy as the many sources attest.  -- GreenC 01:32, 14 May 2018 (UTC)
thread_title:  Changing into bio 

message: I will be unwatching this page in a day or so with my opinion that this article violates WP:NPOV unchanged. Some here might want to ponder why it is that a twelve-year veteran editor with 40,000 edits to 15,000 pages and zero blocks who has consistently and strongly criticized Lamar Smith over climate change and SOPA came to such a conclusion. On reflection, I see that it was a mistake to edit anything related to politics and am returning to the science and technology pages. I will read (but most likely will not respond to) any responses to this, but please don't ping me or message me. I don't want to have anything to do with this from now on. --Guy Macon (talk) 17:07, 16 May 2018 (UTC)
replies: text: I belatedly notice and agree with your NPOV concern, but sympathize with your reluctance to pursue it now. No response is expected. Peter Gulutzan (talk) 15:03, 31 May 2018 (UTC)

text: The above comments have no relevance to the article and don't belong on this page ... they should be moved to your own talk page. If you want to contribute, do so. If you don't want to, don't ... but don't play petty personal politics here with silly GBCW declarations. -- Jibal (talk) 23:39, 7 September 2018 (UTC)
thread_title: Unwatching this page

message: Can this be done, if those who worked on the article know it? It seems like useful public knowledge.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:246:102:E4D0:D8F0:AF19:976E:7A66 (talk) 12:48, 23 October 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  Adding an address to the summary box 

message: The article states:
"As of 2015, Smith has received more than $600,000 from the fossil fuel industry during his career in Congress.[56] In 2014, Smith got more money from fossil fuels than he did from any other industry.[57] Smith publicly denies global warming.[58][59][60] Under his leadership, the House Science committee has held hearings that feature the views of climate change deniers,[61] subpoenaed the records and communications of scientists who published papers that Smith disapproved of,[58] and attempted to cut NASA's earth sciences budget.[62] He has been criticized for conducting "witch hunts" against climate scientists.[57] In his capacity as chair of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Smith issued more subpoenas in his first three years than the committee had for its entire 54-year history.[57] In a June 2016 response letter to the Union of Concerned Scientists, Mr. Smith cited the work of the House Un-American Activities Committee in the 1950s as valid legal precedent for his investigation.[63][64]"
Climate change is not just his opinion. This man is the McCarthy of our times (he "cited the work of the House Un-American Activities Committee", so he obviously embraces that comparison), and he is paid well by the industry that gains from those activities. If the rules say he does not beloing in Category:Climate change denial, there is something badly wrong with the rules. --Hob Gadling (talk) 08:19, 4 June 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Category:Climate change denial 

message: I am surprised Lamar Smith's view on immigration does not seem to be mentioned on this page. For years, he was one of the main anti-immigrant voices in Congress; see for example https://www.vox.com/2016/4/28/11515132/iirira-clinton-immigration. Stian (talk) 03:40, 31 December 2020 (UTC)
thread_title:  Immigration