The yellow-brick road
One reader was so proud to have voted with the "senator with a spine." Having a spine but still being the Scarecrow or the Lion in this production doesn't help a bit.
It seems that at least the Iranian government understood right away that the infamous letter was written not for them, but for the Republican voters at home, from the senator with a spine willing to undermine our president at any cost.
Ironically, it appears the Iranians understand the nuances of American constitutional government better than the Harvard-educated Scarecrow.
Harvard probably wishes it could find some deniability.
J.W. HALL
Little Rock
Disrespect's meaning
I am amazed by the recent surge of letters repudiating the letter to Iran's leaders authored by Sen. Tom Cotton and signed by 46 other GOP senators. The intent of the letter from the senators is to advise the Iranian leaders that any deal made with the Obama administration concerning their nuclear program might not be honored by the next administration.
Senator Cotton has repeatedly informed the media and the public that a deal allowing Iran to obtain nuclear weapons is not acceptable, and he follows up by advising that no deal is better than a bad deal. It concerns many Americans that we have a president who is apparently blind to Iran's involvement in terrorist activities around the world, and who seems to refuse to connect the words "Islamic" and "terrorist."
My amazement is that you allowed multiple letters from writers who claim to be Republicans ... yeah, seriously! One writer claims the senator disrespected the president and desperately wants to eliminate the many social programs and entitlements, and then calls Tom Cotton Howdy Doody. What do these giveaway programs have to do with a nuclear arms treaty? Talk about disrespect, where is the real Howdy Doody?
If Arkansas voters had wanted to put emphasis on the so-called social programs and entitlements, they would have given Mark Pryor more than 39 percent in the recent midterm election. President Obama didn't even get 39 percent from Arkansans in 2008 or 2012.
JAMES GARRETT
Russellville
Worms on the carport
Subject change! Has there been any head scratching by the Highway Department about why the striping on our freeways and service roads look like the worms on my carport? That is, dried-up squiggly piles that are not where they are supposed to be. New stripes will have to be applied, but will they be the same kind? What about that?
CAROL MOSELEY
Mabelvale
Simple rule of thumb
The rule for the usage of "fewer" and "less" is very simple, but, sadly, generally ignored.
"Fewer" refers to number. "Fewer than 20 persons attended."
"Less" refers to value, degree or amount. "The suit costs less than the overcoat."
Got it?
YVONNE SAMONS
Little Rock
He probably laughed
Negative comments in response to a recent Wumo comic strip surprised me. A recent edition depicted Jesus wearing swim goggles and related snorkel gear in order to build up confidence to walk on water. Some remarked that this was a distasteful, sacrilegious attack on Christianity.
Irreverent? Certainly. An attack on my Christian values? Hardly. As for me, I just laughed.
As a cradle Catholic, I am the first to admit that my knowledge of scripture is lacking. That being said, my favorite scripture verse in length and content is simply, “Jesus wept.” These two words sum up my faith and belief that Jesus was both God and man. As man, he wept at learning of the news of the death of Lazarus. As God, he brought him back to life.
I believe in all certainty that this God-man has a keen sense of humor. For me, it is without a doubt one of his greatest gifts to us all.
For evidence of this gift, one needs to look no further than the orangutan, the duck-billed platypus or photographs of me as a preteen (or any other photo of me for that matter).
The comic strip Wumo brings a smile to me daily. And with all the pain, strife and suffering in the world today, I certainly enjoy that recurring gift. My guess is that if the writers of his day were to chronicle his reaction upon reading that particular comic strip, they may have simply written, “Jesus laughed.”
PAUL STRACK
Maumelle
Much ado about nada
There recently appeared in the letters section of the Democrat-Gazette several letters from individuals upset over the content of the Wumo cartoon strip. I do not know what the fuss is about, because I’ve never read that comic strip.
It seems that some people are upset over the depiction of Jesus in diving goggles and snorkel. If this offended God, I figure he is fully capable of dealing with the offenders.
I would suggest that those individuals who are offended by Wumo no longer read that comic strip, and say a prayer for the people who draw the offending comic strip. If they are upset because the Democrat-Gazette carries a comic strip they deem offensive, they should quit reading the paper.
This is the United States of America, still (just barely) the bastion of free speech. I would suggest that people should be more concerned about how we treat our fellow human beings. Do we treat them in a manner that would please God?
JAMES M. O’CAIN
Benton
Editorial on 03/25/2015