Test out hypothesis
Conservatives like to call America a Christian nation. I propose a test of that statement for those of you who believe this is or should be a Christian nation.
Tonight before you go to bed, place a notepad and a pen or pencil with it wherever you drink your morning coffee. Tomorrow morning, begin recording how you spend your time. Keep the pad with you until bedtime and use it throughout your day.
At the end of the day, total up the time you spent involved with political media in any form (i.e., listening to pundits on the radio, watching networks that support your political persuasion, visiting sites on the Internet that support your political persuasion, etc.). Be honest and include all the time that the radio or TV is just "background noise" drilling its message into your subconscious mind.
Now, add together the time you spent in prayer and in studying the Holy Bible that day. Compare the two totals.
Jesus said, "No man can serve two masters." Who is first in your life?
JOE MARTIN
Fayetteville
Hurting our citizens
We had already witnessed Tom Cotton's tendency to vote against a bill because he thought the whole system needed reform. Earlier in the year he cast a "no" for the farm bill because of the food-stamp program.
Once again, he has voted against a tax-break extension because of the need for comprehensive reform.
The problem is that these votes hurt struggling Arkansans. Is that the way to approach reform--hurt the people who need help while the system is reconfigured?
Apparently, he is concerned about regulation on the coal industry. Many of these pertain to quality of air in emissions which affect the health of ordinary citizens.
Is this the kind of legislation Arkansas needs?
KAY CARPENTER
Little Rock
Second that emotion
Re the letter by Banah Ghadbian: I thought that letter was not only thought-provoking and accurate, it was also hugely humorous. I choked on my morning coffee laughing at the Arsaga's and Fayettechill remarks.
I hope the letter makes people re-evaluate their thoughts. People should be embraced, not despite their differences, but with their differences.
Bravo!
JANET LYNCH
Fayetteville
Could've been trouble
As Americans, the thing we should be most thankful for is that Barack Obama and what I believe to be his corrupt administration was not in charge during World War II. Otherwise, we would all be speaking Japanese.
Obama apparently doesn't know the difference between an aircraft carrier and a submarine. Because of his lack of leadership abilities, I believe he would never get recommended to take the exam for third-class petty officer in the Navy.
I have been voting longer than Obama has been living and probably longer than he will live, and I believe that never has a more stupid person been elected to office. Hope is high that he will learn to tie his shoes in the next two years.
GRANT GATLIFF
Delight
Is there a soul to sell?
I read, with interest, John Brummett's column, "The price of a soul." His premise involved the Jonesboro City Council electing to not apply for a grant from one of Michael Bloomberg's public-service corporations because 10 of the 12 members of the council had fundamental disagreements with the mission of the corporation. One of the aldermen opined that to accept money from an entity that you disagreed with would be tantamount to selling your soul.
Mr. Brummett's response to this proposition seemed to be that it is perfectly acceptable to sell your soul because he does so on a regular basis by accepting money from a newspaper that has an editorial policy with which he disagrees; presumably then, selling one's soul is no different from telling your mother that you should go on a senior trip to Las Vegas because all the kids are doing it.
The problem with this analysis is that one must first accept the proposition that political columnists have souls at all, let alone souls to sell. St. Thomas Aquinas opined that it is not only humans who have souls; plants and animals have souls as well, albeit on a lower plane. I have searched the literature diligently, however, but I find no evidence in favor of political commentators having any sort of soul, even one that was on the same plane as a raccoon or a sassafras bush.
But, for the sake of argument, one must consider the question of what a political columnist's soul would bring in a Faustian bargain. It would seem to me that laws of supply and demand would dictate that if you found one it would bring a fortune, given their scarcity.
Kudos to Mr. Brummett for clearing this all up for us yet again.
CONNIE M. MESKIMEN
Hot Springs
State should be proud
Charlie Rose recently interviewed Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Wal-Mart. I believe anyone wondering about the future of Wal-Mart needn't look further than McMillon. He was thoughtful, composed, and knowledgeable about every facet of the company and the retail industry in general. He reflected the values that Sam Walton brought to his company.
Throughout my career as a business management professor, I carefully followed Wal-Mart's successes and travails. (I first met Mr. Walton at a business school function in the early 1970s.) McMillon reflects two core values that Sam Walton infused in Wal-Mart: genuine concern for his associates (employees) and a desire to give customers affordable value.
There have been hiccups along the way, and there always will be Wal-Mart naysayers. Nevertheless, if Doug McMillon reflects and exemplifies the true heart of the company, and I sincerely believe he does, Arkansans should be proud of both.
DON WHITE
Fayetteville
Editorial on 12/16/2014