War's not that simple
Tom Cotton recently declared that war with Iran would be an easy go; it would only take four days, he assured us.
Perhaps Mr. Cotton would do well to reflect on words of wisdom from the past.
"Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please."--Niccolo Machiavelli.
"Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events."--Winston Churchill.
ROBERT TOMLINSON
Mena
Protect life, property
This applies to all public leaders. The mayor swore the oath of office, and that includes the protection of life and property, public and private. That mandates pre-planned measures to defeat any act of anarchy, immediately and without hesitation. One can argue First and Second Amendment rights, but I'm sure most can agree an anarchist is not entitled to either.
Riots and mob actions that threaten life or property must be put down instantly. That means lethal means when necessary, period. Law enforcement officers must not have restrictive rules of engagement. They must have freedom to put mob actions down immediately. That means lethal force!
What plan is in place and why is it not published repeatedly so every single person knows what to expect if they allow themselves to be present in any form or act of anarchy? I believe the plan must not only exist but must be published in every way possible and repeatedly. This is the solution, and the only solution. This is what we fought for in all wars.
WILLIAM "BILL" HARRIS
Little Rock
Explain differences
I understand that Arkansas Children's Hospital will no longer employ people who smoke, even at home. That's discrimination! But it is good discrimination. A baker who refuses to provide desserts at a homosexual wedding also is engaging in discrimination, but that's bad discrimination. What's the difference? What is the underlying principle? Is there an underlying principle?
Suppose a photographer in Dearborn, Mich., is asked to take pictures at a Middle Eastern festival where goats are slaughtered. The photographer is a member of PETA and does not wish to see goats slaughtered. He/she refuses. That's discrimination. Is it good or bad discrimination? Is it acceptable?
Discrimination, like beauty, may lie in the eye of the beholder. This seems inconsistent. What is the answer? Somebody out there please help me with this conundrum. Will the Legislature have to pass a law to cover each contingency?
RICHARD CLARK
Little Rock
Care for the animals
My concern is with animals in Arkansas who apparently have been abandoned by members of our Legislature who refuse to pass laws in the best interest of these animals. I understand the Farm Bureau, through financial contributions to legislators, continue to control the fate of these animals.
Not many people know that every weekend hundreds of people personally transport dogs and cats to other areas of the country. They are moved from states like Arkansas where there are no laws outlawing puppy mills, nor laws requiring spay/neuter, to states that have and enforce these laws, resulting in few adoptable animals. Transports are made up totally of volunteers who pay for their own gas and receive no monetary reward.
Therefore, the inability of our legislators to enact state laws has directly affected hundreds of lives (and I am not talking about the animals). I am one of those to volunteer my time and energy to fix a problem that should not exist in Arkansas.
I am tired of doing a job that exists only because it seems we have elected individuals who are more tied to the money than to doing what is right. I will continue doing this because I care about the animals and I care about doing what is right.
LARAINE BORDEN
Jacksonville
Cotton's name-calling
Sen. Tom Cotton has called Iran's foreign minister, Javad Zarif, cowardly for being in the U.S. during Iran's war with Iraq from 1981 to 1988. On a more constructive note, let me point out a parallel between Iran's actions in that war and its current attitude toward nuclear power.
In that war, the U.S. supported Iraq. During that war, Iraq attacked Iranian sites with chemical weapons. Iran felt forced to develop a chemical-weapons capacity as a deterrent but did not retaliate. Then-Ayatollah Khomenei forbade such use as barbaric and therefore not permissible.
More recently, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has made it clear that he regards it as immoral to commit mass killings of innocent civilians using nuclear weapons. This even though he would welcome the end of Israel as it is presently constituted.
I respect both the ayatollah and the foreign minister as gentlemen and believe that they do not advocate the elimination of Israel "by any means necessary." As for Tom Cotton, the more of his utterances I read, the more I look on him as a reincarnation of Doug Neidermeyer.
JOHN R. PIAZZA
Bethel Heights
Editorial on 05/06/2015