LETTERS

LITTLE ROCK — Rockefeller and the GOP

Recently, the opinion pages of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette have discussed Winthrop Rockefeller and his many accomplishments as governor. This has offered the opportunity for some to speculate that Rockefeller would not be a Republican today because of the Tea Party influence in the GOP.

After all, everyone should know that Tea Partiers are far outside the mainstream with regard to political, cultural or economic issues. Additionally, they are considered to be downright mean-spirited.

My firsthand knowledge of the Tea Party is based on attending four meetings leading up to the 2010 elections. These meetings were held in Mountain Home and the attendance exceeded all expectations. So what were the issues that drew these large crowds? Without question the primary concerns were the deficit, debt, taxes and the overreach of the central government.

It is likely, in my opinion, that a strong majority of Tea Partiers believe that our political class has failed, and that they will make the tough decisions necessary to put our country on a path to recovery. The corollary to this belief is that as many as possible of the political old guard need to be replaced.

Back to Rockefeller. I have the answer as to whether he would accommodate the Tea Party. The answer is yes. Old Guard Republicans may not like the Tea Party, but they need our energy and votes.

To resurrect a slogan from the 2010 election season, November is coming.

DAVID L. SUENRAM

Bull Shoals

Darkest days of debt

“These are times that try men’s souls.” Thomas Paine wrote these words in 1776 when our country was in the darkest days of the Revolutionary War.

Paine identified the American Tory who didn’t support the cause as one who shouts, “Give me peace in my day.”

He reported that the American Patriot shouts, “If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace.” Paine added, “Let it be told to the future world . . . that the city and country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet and repulse it.” We now have a new crisis, a national debt that will soon tear our country apart. What would Paine write to us today? How would Paine identify each of us? Paine advised, “Hold up truth to your eyes.” He warned that if anyone failed to meet the crisis, “the blood of his children shall curse his cowardice, who shrink back at a time when a little might have saved the whole.” “These are the times that try men’s souls.” God Bless America.

FREDDIE LOU QUIST Heber Springs

One soul, going cheap

President Barack Obama did what I expected him to do.

He sold his soul for a vote.

HENRY SIMPSON

Jacksonville

In word and in deed

Re Randy McCain’s guest column implying that he is inclined to be homosexual, therefore it must be good and all right: Many people are inclined to molest children, get drunk on alcohol, get high on drugs or kill their fellow humans, so they do those things. Does that make it okay to do those evil deeds because they feel disposed to do them or because it is their natural inclination?

No! It doesn’t make those deeds right because people are inclined to them or because it feels natural to do them.

Homosexuality is a sin and wrong according to the holy word of God and always will be. Jesus really loves Randy and wants him and me to repent of everything that is against his teaching.

Regardless of President Barack Obama or any other person on Earth condoning sin, it is still sin and God will judge.

ALVIN YUTZY

Huntsville

Actions affect others

With all the talk about same-sex marriage, we hear people claiming that it doesn’t affect them or their families if same-sex couples want to marry.

If I had been in the garden with Adam and Eve, I may have said, “God said not to eat from that tree, but go ahead if you want, it won’t affect me.” How wrong I would have been. It not only has affected me but everyone who has ever lived.

The same is true about all sin, whether it is homosexuality, heterosexuality outside of marriage, abortion and even lying. I believe the idea that sin only affects the sinner and maybe a few people close to the sinner is another one of Satan’s lies. I’m sure there are some who don’t believe the Bible, and even more who believe the Bible but don’t agree about what constitutes sin. That doesn’t change the truth. All will suffer from sin, recognized or not.

You can see this in our country today. This is not to say we should hate any group of people. Hate is also a sin. If I have hate in my heart for anyone, God says I have already committed murder. God is love. So we all must pray to recognize the sin in our lives and repent of our sinfulness for the sake of our country.

SABRINA RUDDICK

Garfield

That smells a bit fishy

I was a little surprised to read the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s take on the funding for trout hatcheries in Arkansas. I believe I am qualified to opine on their benefit, as the White River in Flippin was my front yard throughout my youth.

As an adult though, I have always questioned just who should pay for the hatcheries at this point. I understand remediation and its need at the time, but have we passed the point of obligation for the federal government to chip in? As stated in the editorial, the state derives upwards of $160 million in benefits from the fish. Isn’t it time we pick up the tab? That sum seems like a big enough pool to carve out $1.55 million. And just over a week after railing against earmarks? We have to start somewhere on the budget, just like the family turns off the light switch when not in the room. It adds up.

I am an Arkansan who uses the fishery, and I am willing to pay to do so.

And please don’t try to apply logic when speaking of the U.S. Corps of Engineers . . . it’s insulting to all of us.

ROBERT M. “RO” ARRINGTON

Little Rock

Insanity marching on

Barack Obama and Joe Biden have cost themselves and the Democratic Party millions of votes by supporting marriage between a man and a man, in my opinion.

Marriage was never intended or dreamed of being between a man and a man, a woman and a woman or a man and his goat. I think the only thing the president or Biden could have done to cost the party more votes is to stomp a puppy to death on television.

On the Republican side, we have Mitt Romney, who would have us believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he was given golden plates by an angel with the truth written on them. Mitt has got to be lying to us. He cannot possibly believe this.

I have always voted Democratic. This year I think I will just stay home.

We should all stay home and let the insanity march on. There is no one worthy of even a single vote.

JOHN H. NELSON

Horatio

Toward destruction?

In keeping with the American cultural goal of sinful ways and selfdestructive behavior, we are now moving from individual destruction to the destruction of society and the boundaries of integrity and self-respect.

The political debates on subjects like same-sex marriage, abortion as well as other ways and means of selfdestruction are being discussed as though they were Republican or Democratic and the voters will line up on one side or the other at the general election.

In my opinion, the logic behind these political schemes is to destroy our society and morality by making marriage between a man and woman something required by religious rites of Christianity and therefore unconstitutional and in the place of this void recognize same-sex unions of both men and women. After all, marriage between men and women usually results in divorce, in which case, the men are stuck with alimony and child support payments. The main cause of divorce is marriage.

When marriage has been eliminated and same-sex unions are the “in” thing, abortions will be a thing of the past because same-sex unions do not produce babies and any that are produced are bastards by definition. The results desired are a culture of bastards and a society without morality or integrity. When this has evolved, bastards can be manipulated, abused and dominated to achieve a dependent population.

When this occurs, we will live happily ever after.

LUCIAN SIMMONS

Oil Trough

The D.C. do-nothings

I recently read that the United States Senate has been described as being the “laziest in the last 20 years” after a study by the secretary of the Senate showed that the august body has reduced its hours in session and has passed fewer bills.

This is on top of the fact that it has been over 1,000 days since the Senate has passed a budget. I ask my fellow Arkansans: Can you go that long shirking your duties like that?

I have two points: 1. Sen. Mark Pryor needs to get off his seat and tell his fellow Democratic Sen. Harry Reid to get to work, and 2. I want to extend my appreciation to my congressman, Tim Griffin—he’s the one actually working for me in Washington.

POLLY SWEET

Maumelle

Take wheel and steer

Over the years, I have become aware that either Social Security or Medicare—or both—might run out of money in my lifetime. In fact, my retirement plans do not include either.

However, I have come to realize they may both run out of money in my parents’ lifetimes. My parents are both in their 70s and they depend on both Social Security and Medicare to survive, like many of their fellow Americans.

It seems to me that Social Security and Medicare are both passengers in the back seat of a car headed toward a cliff at a high rate of speed. Someone has to get in the driver’s seat and either hit the brakes or take the wheel and steer in another direction before the car goes over that cliff, taking Social Security, Medicare and millions of innocent Americans with it.

RANDY WILLISON

Batesville

Feedback

No one is blameless

I am so tired of all the little folk who think they are blameless, so they can cast stones at Bill Clinton. Bill is not the only great leader with clay feet.

The news media, in my opinion, used to conspire to keep the peccadilloes of the president in office out of the media. Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy come to mind without even researching.

William J. Clinton is someone to be proud of: Small-town local boy becomes world leader for eight years.

Let’s stop nitpicking and get busy calling Little Rock Airport the William J./Hillary Clinton Airport. That is his name and should make it easier to drop the Hill-Billy word.

FRANCES MUNSON

Fayetteville

Card is played again

Re Suzie Ridgley’s comment on Joyce Elliott: Here we go again, playing the race card. I thought we got enough of that in the 2008 presidential election.

If we are to be equal, let’s quit making excuses. Elliott had to know she was in the wrong. Did she not resign after the report in the newspaper?

JAMES LEE

Bryant