LETTERS

LITTLE ROCK — When will we ever learn?

Am I wrong to worry about the state of our country?

As an educator, I toil daily in the fight against ignorance. One of the problems of ignorance is an inability to learn. The firing of Shirley Sherrod from the U.S. Department of Agriculture seems the latest example of our inability to learn.

First we are told by Andrew Breitbart that ACORN is a corrupt organization because he has this video showing some office worker who appeared to have aided a prostitution conspiracy.If aiding a conspiracy includes calling the police as soon as your co-conspirators leave the office, then aid was certainly given.

The whole out-of-context video was later shown to be nothing but a sadly successful attempt by a reactionary organization to discredit an organization that worked for the poor and the disenfranchised.

Now a video comes out-suspiciously timed to coincide with unfounded suggestions that the NAACP is racist just like the tea party-that purports to show reverse racism, whatever that is. The supposed liberal media bite hard on this “scandal” fomented by Breitbart without a thought that they may be being deceived by an organization that is known to have deceived them before.

As Slim Pickens says in “Blazing Saddles,” but without the irony, “I am depressed.” JAY SIMS Little RockPlan before, not after

I am a native New Orleanian and love my state of Louisiana. I currently reside in Fayetteville as a result of Hurricane Katrina and love Fayetteville, too.

I have two simple questions. First, what type of safety and cleanup plan did BP Oil deliver to federal officials for an incident such as this before they obtained the necessary permits needed to drill in the Gulf of Mexico?

That plan should have been at the ready hands of BP officials and implemented shortly after the fire was extinguished from the rig that exploded. The time for exploring what ideas would work for an incident of this magnitude is not after it happens, but before it happens. Now BP is desperate and would even entertain suggestions from Elmer Fudd if he convinced them his plan would work.

The second question is why BP Oil didn’t contain the oil spill right after the fire was out and when it was safe to go back to the site. In my opinion, common sense dictates that the spill was relatively small and much more manageable when it was close to the disaster site rather than letting precious time slip by (for whatever reason) and allowing the spill to grow bigger.

I do pray for relief and comfort to my people of Louisiana and hope that the feds won’t let BP slickly slip away from justice.

KENT JOHNSON FayettevilleGet some education

Left-winger Linda Woodbury will feel better about America if she gets on the Internet or goes to the library to receive an education about this country and its history.

The Great Depression did not have “right-wing deregulation,” it had left-wing socialism from Franklin D. Roosevelt. She states that those pol- i - cies “worked well until the overly expensive Vietnam War,” which was declared a conflict, not a war, by John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.

Re her “truth” that the U.S.A. spent money on the “military/industrial complex.” That complex is part of what gives the citizens of this great nation, indeed much of the world, peace and prosperity. What’s wrong with that?

Her concluding sentence is “Our nation will go the way of Haiti unless Americans receive an education as to what produces prosperity.” Former President Bill Clinton said that Haiti needed to “build back better.” In 1989, President George H.W. Bush established enterprise funds for Poland and Hungary (total repayment) managed privately by bipartisan boards of seasoned professionals. History shows that capitalism produces prosperity and socialism does not.

All that Woodbury has accomplished with her diatribe is to inform us of her “incredible economic illiteracy” and that she “is ignorant of some fundamental truths” about America. Typical left-winger.

R. STEWART TICE Fayetteville A change ill-advised

I strongly disagree with Wendell L. Griffen’s letter supporting homosexuals serving openly in the armedforces. I am a retired U.S. Marine first sergeant and my occupational specialty was infantry. Military service is like no civilian job. In fact, the UniformCode of Military Justice, which governs the services, has some restrictions that are not present in civilian law.

For example, adultery is a crime under the UCMJ. This must be so to ensure the level of trust between service members; consequently, homosexual acts are forbidden. But even more important is the standing of the armed forces before God. Although not every serviceman or woman is chaste and may engage in fornication, the rules that govern the services are pro-marriage and encourage pure living. To all of a sudden proclaim that homosexuality is now permissible

would give approval to any type of

sexual activity.

My fellow Arkansans, our fighting men have been trium

phant in war, especially when the United States faced some of its greatest challenges. This is because,

while not every person serving was

a believer, the principles guiding

our services were biblically sound. Our armed forces are a precious possession and should be cherished as such. Please don’t let our servicemen and women be guinea pigs for social engineers. Let your elected representatives know that allowing open homosexuals to serve will invite failure.

JOHN BAIN Ash FlatFeedback Safer way to help

I have some advice for letter writer Pamela Rush: Please don’t try to single-handedly stop traffic on the highway.

In her well-intentioned effort to save the little kitten, she put herself and many others in great danger. My heart also aches for the little kitten, but at that point nothing could be done to save it.

So how can she help? Consider helping the unwanted animals before they become dinner for wild animals or a spot on the pavement.

Many local animal rescue groups take them in, attend their medical needs, see to it that each animal is spayed or neutered, provide a temporary home with lots of love and find forever homes for them.

She could volunteer at a local shelter or as a foster home. I volunteer at both the Sherwood Humane Shelter and Animal Rescue Fund Arkansas, both of which are dedicated to rescuing as many of these lost or unwanted animals as we can.

It’s heartwarming and not nearly as hazardous as flagging down traffic on the highway.

LARRY ANDERSON North Little Rock