A profusion of parties
I had a dream last night. The U.S. had a parliamentary system. The leading parties were: Roman Catholic; Southern Baptist; Orthodox Jew; Sunni Muslim; Shia Muslim; African American; Hispanic; Methodist; Lutheran; Reform Jew; Independence for Texas; Independence for Lost [sic] Angeles; Southern Confeds Will Rise Again; Ultra Orthodox Jews; and Ultra Right Wing Flyers for Jesus.
The election resulted in each party getting 8 percent to 12 percent of the votes. Then the negotiations began. Then I woke up in a sweat.
Then I realized this is somewhat like Israel.
ROBERT JOHNSTON
Little Rock
Embark on a journey
The journey to high school begins in middle school; once you hit the eighth grade in middle school, all they talk about is preparing yourself for high school. They try to teach you high school things, knowing that you want to know.
When you graduate from middle school, you're not going to think about school; you are going to get ready for summer so you can hang with your friends and family. That summer is one of the biggest summers of your life because once school starts back, you're going to forget everything you learn.
The teachers in high school teach so different. On your first day in ninth grade, you're going to be lost because you don't know where your classes are, and all the kids are trying to get to class on time and talk to their friends. They will tell you that high school is where everything counts, so don't waste your time in your classes; do the best you can in each and every class.
High school really isn't that bad; you just have to adjust to the program. It may take a week or two before you are used to it. High school is where most of your memories will come from once you are grown because so much happens there.
JACOBE DAVIS
North Little Rock
How would we know?
With all the gun-toting and shooting across our country, consider this scenario that my friend explains could be in our future. If the following occurred, how would justice handle a case in a state that allows open-carry and stand-your-ground laws?
An open-carry guy walks into a store, carrying his assault rifle over his shoulder. The store proprietor, not knowing whether he's a good guy or a bad guy, is afraid for his safety. He pulls out his gun and shoots the open-carry guy. One person is injured or dead, and the other is feeling badly about what he thought he had to do to protect himself.
It seems neither man did anything illegal under the law.
ELIZABETH FOSTER
Hot Springs Village
No time machine here
Would you really want the King of Jacks as your president? Mike Huckabee used to know he was a jack, barely above a jester, really, but now he believes he should be king, King of Jacks.
What the Huckster wants to do is be president--president of the United States of 1952.
Ike already did that, and while I could not vote, I liked Ike and, knowing Ike, Mike, I can say that you, sir, are no Ike.
Mostly it needs to be said that Ike died having been nicely rewarded for what he did as a five-star general in the U. S. Army and then two terms as president of the United States. The rest of us who didn't die have moved on. That's the way it works, Mike. It's not 1952, Mike, like it's not a laugh that you might think about running against Ike. It would take a time-warp to do it, but that's basically what you're asking us to do if such a time-warp were available. It's not. It's 2016, or near. I know, Mike, that you were not even born in 1952, but you feel that if the time-warp were available you would make a good president for 1952. No, Mike, you wouldn't. Mike instead of Ike? I don't think so!
While there is nothing wrong with 1952 and nothing wrong with a nostalgic look backward at the 1950s, we certainly do not need a president lost in the '50s, lost with either his nostalgia for a time before he was born or his megalomania for 2016. It's a short leap from nostalgia to nausea and I can't help but make the leap each time I see the formerly affable poseur who now wants to be America's Joe Stalin of 1952 in 2016.
You scare me these days, Mike. #notachance
ROBERT L. HUDSON
Mountain Home
Don't let bullies win
Bullying has turned into something terrible in high schools all around, and there isn't much preventing it. People get bullied every day, and whether it's at school or online, there's always somebody that feels threatened, but nobody is doing anything to stop it.
Bullying is making people resort to ending it themselves through suicide. Statistics show that about 16 percent of high school students consider suicide because they feel alone or trapped with nobody to help. Yes, there are posters on the school walls that say "Bullying is wrong," and there are plenty of people that say, "Well, I'm always here." That's not going to save people; we're spending too much time talking about it, and not enough time acting on it.
People are finding a person's worst weakness and feeding on it, saying terrible things to and about that person, making him feel worthless. However, once they finally push that person over the edge, they want to talk about how they feel so terrible and they didn't mean to, and just have a pity party for themselves. It's all fun and games to a bully until someone actually gets hurt.
This generation has grown up with the belief that being rude to others is okay if other people are laughing too. Well, it's not funny. Pushing people to the point where they want to kill themselves is not funny, and we need to quit sitting around and just letting it happen.
KAYLEY RUSHIN
Sherwood
Editorial on 05/18/2015