An apology is owed
I have read the Voices section of this paper for many years and have contemplated sending in my views on certain subjects, but never felt truly compelled to do so until now. I would like to know if Jack Schmedeman was standing ideally by and watching as my daughter drove her 14-year-old 4-Runner off to college and marched into the dorm with bedding, clothes, one laptop and her phone. Oh wait, I forgot, she took her philodendron plant.
I will assure you, Mr. Schmedeman, that the dorm she moved into was not an elaborate facility. She ate in the cafeteria and drank her fair share of coffee as she studied late into the night. She wasn't the only one in the library till two in the morning; she had plenty of company.
Speaking of studying, did I mention that her freshman year the college decided to try something new and they picked all of her classes for her? She had no say whatsoever in the matter; they simply handed her an envelope.
My daughter started her junior year last week and I couldn't be prouder. She has made the dean's list, kept her scholarship, is completing a minor and will soon apply to radiology school. She is not a geek, by the way. Did I mention she has a job?
She would really rather have moved to California and worked in the movie industry doing extreme makeup, but she didn't want to be one of those college kids who took the easy classes and moved back home. You owe an apology to a lot of young adults.
LUCINDA JOHNSON BALL
Sherwood
Betwixt and between
It seems that most problems and issues of the day call for comprehensive reform. Comprehensive reform seems to be a phrase used by politicians as a euphemism for, "We aren't going to do anything."
Success whets the appetite for more. Let's solve a problem. Just a little one. A small addition to the core curriculum might do the trick.
The scope and magnitude of the challenge calls for a total mastery of choosing "me" after the word "between."
Given 45 seconds of air time, it seems almost every talking head manages to utter "between he and ...". The problem has reached saturation level in broadcast news, weather, sports, reality shows, etc. The erroneous utterance seems to have gained momentum in the last four or five years.
Stop it.
Don't ever say "between he and ...". You will always be wrong. Always use "between him and ...". You will always be right.
And every English teacher in the country will have slightly lower blood pressure. Thanks ever so much for your kind attention.
Live long and prosper.
JOHN FIELDS
Little Rock
Call it what it really is
Recent TV coverage of the "uprising" in Ferguson, Mo., is, I believe, images of anarchy.
Not calling the action what it is gives cover to the participants. Protest and peaceful in this context are oxymorons. It seems "peaceful protest" is a term used only in recent years as a cover term while breaking the law.
DERREL THOMAS
Searcy
Worries of veterans
I have been a part-time volunteer at the Veterans Hospital in Fayetteville for a long time. Most of my work has been in the primary-care section where I meet and visit with a lot of veterans.
It's interesting to note that many of them are very concerned about what our government is and is not doing. They say Barack Obama is an egomaniac who goes where the TV cameras are, and that he won't follow our Constitution. They also mention that Congress won't do anything for fear it will cost them votes. This is especially true regarding immigration.
The immigration problem seems to anger some of our veterans (including me). They wonder why we still have thousands of troops guarding Korea's border but don't control our own. Some have mentioned that allowing nobody into our country unless they speak English would save taxpayers lots of money. (We have never officially declared English as our official language but some other countries have.) And some veterans have indicated a reluctance to vote for a congressional incumbent until this illegal immigration problem is properly dealt with.
On a lighter note, lots of our veterans expressed their gratitude for our nice hospital. I remember one gentleman who came all the way from Moore, Okla., bypassing the VA Hospital in Oklahoma City and the one in Muskogee in order to use ours. We have the dedicated people who run ours to thank for that.
ELMO PATTON
Bethel Heights
Bring aliens to state
It makes no sense for the Department of Health and Human Services to charter expensive flights to transport captured Central American alien children to distant states when a short bus ride could bring them to the nearby states of Arkansas and Louisiana. Both have large military bases capable of housing thousands in a secure environment. Little Rock Air Force Base and Camp Robinson would be ideal. A simple waiver would allow them to receive medical care at our VA hospital.
Education would be provided at the excellent schools in Jacksonville and Little Rock. The good teachers there should have no significant problems incorporating several thousand Spanish-speaking students into their regular K-12 classes. Overflows could go to schools at Hazen, Cabot and Conway.
As these refugees move into our local communities, perhaps they would be welcomed in the hills of Pulaski Heights where they could be near the scenic Little Rock Country Club. The Heights community would benefit from the re-invigoration of this cultural diversity.
A few calls from Democratic candidates Mark Pryor and Mike Ross to party leaders Senator Reid and Nancy Pelosi could make this happen. All Democrat candidates should show their support for this plan, and we voters could demonstrate our support for them in the fall election.
Naysayers may point to the trouble then-Gov. Bill Clinton had when the government sent Cuban refugees to be housed at Fort Chaffee. Critics may even ask if Hillary is listening now or remembering then, when an election was surprisingly lost. That's old news. I say bring these immigrant children and families here, and do it now.
DAVID BRYANT
Lonoke
From both sides now
Although there were many things I could disagree with in Dana Kelley's column "Riot and wrong," there are at least two that I wholeheartedly agree with.
First, he says "restoring respect among minorities for police should be a social priority." I agree with that statement, but would add that restoring mutual respect between police and all citizens they are sworn to serve and protect should be the social priority. It is only through this mutual respect that trust will be established.
Secondly, Mr. Kelley says "narrow, one-sided arguments full of sensational half-truths and flat-out wrongs don't help. They incite racial discord." I too agree with this statement and say to Mr. Kelley that the rhetoric in his column falls in that category and could indeed add to the racial discord that has once again risen to the surface in our country.
Mr. Kelley suggests "balanced discussions that acknowledge uncomfortable realities." I add that these discussions must also include acknowledgement of uncomfortable realities that are present on both sides of the issue and that leave no group of citizens from having their reality validated.
JAN CHAPARRO
Little Rock
Editorial on 08/29/2014