Will have lost nothing
I am 79 years old and have been married to my wife 60 years. I have three kids, five grandkids and seven great-grandkids.
It seems to me Christians are taking a hit from the public today, that there is no place for Christianity in life today; but Christianity is a very big part of life for me and my family.
I believe there is everything to gain and nothing to lose by living a Christian life. If, at the time of my death, there is no God, I have not lost anything. A Christian life is a great life to live; it teaches love, respect and forgiveness, which are great qualities to live by, but if we live as atheists and there is a God, then we have lost everything.
My belief is there is a God and heaven, and me and my family will continue to live as Christians.
LES WILLIAMS
Jacksonville
Get thee to thesaurus
Many thanks for the clever and insightful letter from Mr. Donald Denny in last Sunday's post. The tartuffery of President Barack Obama! How classic is that?
Of course it drove me straight to the thesaurus (online, of course) to confirm what I knew was an obscure yet almost intuitive definition of what I believe to be the glib and sanctimonious unctuousness of our current chief executive.
Hang on, America, only two more years, ugh.
ROBERT McGAHEE
Little Rock
Should be deported
I think immigration is a simple answer: All Muslims must be deported. Doctors, lawyers, everybody. Let the Pan-Americans replace the Muslims.
I have been to the border at Columbus, N.M., and Naco, Ariz. While going through checkpoints on Interstate 10 I was asked to "state my country of origin." I am very Caucasian.
I think the way Hispanics are treated is shameful. I was in the Southwest in 2010. I believe if Border Patrol were laid off, unemployment would have been 20 percent. Since I was in Naco, a Border Patrol officer mistakenly shot and killed another officer. The border is militarized. There are checkpoints everywhere.
To re-cap: Mexicans in, Muslims and Ebola out.
DOUG RICHEY
Booneville
Scheduling was poor
The Race for the Cure has been scheduled for October 4th. This date is Yom Kippur, the holiest of days for the Jewish people. Although I am a Methodist, we are all sisters of faith and I can certainly understand any shock within the Jewish community of this scheduling.
I'm sure the Susan G. Komen Foundation would never have opted to run this race on Easter Sunday or Christmas. I am saddened that such a worthwhile cause will now be held on a date that many people will be unable to show their support.
SALLY GOSS
Little Rock
On police shootings
I was asking myself why it seemed that police always shoot to kill rather than stop or deter when it popped into my head: Four shots to the arm before two fatal, albeit not necessarily deliberate, shots.
Hmmmmmm.
WILLIAM D. VOIERS
Eureka Springs
Uncomfortable truths
I'm trying to wrap my head around Mike Masterson's verbose, logical fallacy-laden brief published Tuesday in response to Fayetteville Alderman Matthew Petty's proposed ordinance.
Because "dozens" of the town's near-77,000 population protested for "three consecutive afternoons," I'm supposed to cede their argument that local businesses should be able to deny employment to someone based on how "inappropriate" they consider his or her age, race, gender or sexual orientation?
I'm sure someone who graduated from high school in the civil-rights frontier of progress that was Harrison, Ark., in 1965 doesn't need reminding that, indeed, laws are often needed to confront discriminatory behavior. But not everyone was lucky enough to have come of age in a town synonymous with prejudice and hate.
Why don't you just say what you really think, Mike? It seems you're uncomfortable with the prospect of anyone living outside the norms you've arbitrarily established as good and American, and you're willing to devote column inches to convince others to oppose well-meaning and entirely appropriate legislation because apparently the LGBT community gives you the willies.
Mike, you're a child. Good day, sir.
SPENCER CAMPBELL
Little Rock
Make a compromise
Much has been written lately of the hog farms built near the Buffalo River, with hog manure eventually flowing into the river. Consistent with present-day thinking, perhaps the state of Arkansas should require the farms to reduce the amount of hog manure flowing into the Buffalo River by 30 percent by 2030.
But maybe not. Some may consider this requirement to be an onerous burden on the hog farmers, requiring them to lay off workers and raise the price of bacon. Perhaps as a compromise, the state of Arkansas should require the farms to reduce the amount of hog manure flowing into the Buffalo River by 5 percent by 2050. There would, of course, be no charge on the 95 percent still flowing into the river.
ALLAN WALKER
Hot Springs Village
It's not meaningless
Re Malcolm Hayward's letter: I would like for him to answer the following question.
Would you think Benghazi was a tired and meaningless ploy if it had been your son who was murdered by those scumbags and lied to by our government?
By the way, if you should run into Hillary, tell her for me that it does make a difference!
ROBERT CAMP
Springdale
Editorial on 08/23/2014