Letters

Too liberal a stance

After reading a news story on Sen. Mark Pryor seeking re-election, I'd like to comment on his stand on amnesty and the influx of illegal immigrants into our country. I feel his stand is like President Barack Obama's.

I think these illegals will eventually, when settled, vote Democratic.

Democrats are ignoring the illiteracy illegals bring because they can't speak English. They are ignoring diseases, malnutrition and many more problems we don't even know about yet, particularly with school enrollment.

Obviously, I'm against amnesty, as is Tom Cotton, Pryor's opponent. I'm voting for Cotton this November. Pryor is too liberal!

ED FERREE

Deer

Definition of violent

An 18-year-old man is shot by the police. How sad. But because the man happened to be black, is that sufficient reason to riot and loot businesses in the area? What did these businesses do that caused the police to shoot the man? How are they responsible for what happened?

If the store owners had opened up on the rioters with a shotgun after the rioters had broken the windows and entered the stores, would this be classed as self-defense? After all, breaking and entering isn't how normal, law-abiding people act. Who knows what they were going to do next?

I have no idea what Alderman Antonio French was thinking when he made this statement: "I want to be clear: Police not coming in at this point--even with the looting--was a good thing. It would've gotten very violent."

At what point does the violence, destruction, and theft of someone's property become severe enough that the police have to be called in?

Someone breaks into your business, don't bother to call in the cops, that's not violent enough. They loot your store, but don't call in the cops, those people aren't being violent enough. A Molotov cocktail gets heaved into your store, call the fire department, but not the cops. We wouldn't want things to escalate.

Give me a break.

You can have rule of law or you can have rule of anarchy. But you can't have both. Is tear gas too violent a response? At least let the cops shoot paint balls with permanent dye. Or is that too violent also?

ALLEN VEASMAN

Dover

Thanks for your work

I would like to thank the Arkansas Department of Highway and Transportation for all the good efforts it expends in maintaining our roads.

Earlier this year while traveling up and down Interstate 49 between Fayetteville and Bella Vista, it seemed the grass and weeds were getting out of hand. Then, it seemed like overnight the mowing was started and soon finished so that the roadsides looked neat and clean. I appreciate that. It makes me pleased to be living in Arkansas these few years.

Also, road construction and expansion projects--even though they seem to take a long time, once they are finished, we have a very nice road to drive on. I am sure this is due mostly to the ability of the road-construction firms that do the work.

Wherever praise is due: I thank you.

LEON ESTES

Lowell

Middle East muddle

The transformation of Israeli politics may tend to elude Americans. The terrible tragedy and insufferable grief that now engulfs the Israel-Palestine debate in the United States has transformed the debate, although the present catastrophe will linger and perhaps become even worse in the future.

In 2009, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's father, a darling of the right wing, had asserted that his son would never approve a state the Palestinians could possibly accept. The events of both the battle and the debate have demonstrably proved his father's prophecy.

President Barack Obama's chief Middle East adviser, Philip Gordon, places considerable blame on Israel, perhaps with bluntness unprecedented for American diplomats, citing Israel's refusal to discuss borders, produce maps, end settlement expansion and negotiate many of the big gap issues.

Currently, in one way or another, the entire world is participating in these so-called talks. Public and private statements from officials deeply immersed in these talks, including the United States, suggest that perhaps this Israeli government was never serious about peace.

I believe Netanyahu's pretense to the contrary has been discovered, both by others and himself. Since there is no other sustainable solution, Palestinians have now lost all hope of their God-given right to govern themselves with the dignity humanity demands. History informs us that when that hope is lost, radicalism will ensue. Occupiers lose in the end.

For now, the fight for a two-state solution has failed. Hopefully, another Yitzhak Rabin will emerge before too much more is lost.

JAMES MITCHELL

Little Rock

Don't buy from them

I would like to encourage others who enjoy shooting sports or hunting to not buy ammunition from the goobers that are selling it for profit in the classifieds.

These are the guys that stand in line at the box stores while you and I are working, buy it for market price before it even hits the shelves, then list it for outlandish prices to make a profit.

For going on two years, .22 ammunition has been hard to find, and this has been going on. But I believe buying from these guys will keep the artificially inflated prices high and availability low. As long as they can keep buying it and reselling it, they will.

Use gunbot.net to track mail-order prices. Or go ahead and buy premium ammunition (it's relatively unchanged in price--for premium ammo--and is very accurate). But don't give in and buy from these clowns. It seems they have their hookups at the box stores; they know when it's coming in.

For those still involved in this practice, shame on you--.22 ammunition is the round used by parents and veteran shooters to teach children and new shooters marksmanship fundamentals and firearm safety. You are hurting the sport.

TROY D. ELAM

North Little Rock

Editorial on 08/21/2014

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