Letters

Hard time accepting

It seems Hillary Clinton has left us with one more lie to remember her by. Remember how "appalled" she was to hear that Trump would have to look at the election results--if he lost--before he would accept the legitimacy?

Well, now she has joined with the Green Party candidate, another crackpot, to contest election results in states where she lost by the least amount of 10,000 votes.

It seems that poor Hillary is having a hard time accepting the fact that the American people are ready to "drain the swamp" and get rid of all the corrupt and crooked politicians in Washington and, yes, I believe we know there aren't any more crooked than Hillary.

GARY LEMON

Cabot

Just more of the same

We Americans endured the longest, most bruising and divisive election of our lifetimes. One person set the tone from the beginning: Donald Trump. He filled the air daily with insults, vulgarity, hate, and lies.

PolitiFact kept score. They found that Trump told the truth 4 percent of the time. Most of his utterances fell into other categories: mostly false (19 percent), false (33 percent), and pants on fire (18 percent). This means that 70 percent of the time he was lying to us. When the press noted his lies, he got mad, called them "extremely dishonest and unfair," and continued to repeat his whoppers. The press was dishonest?!

Also, The Donald has held different positions on nearly every issue. Stacks of videos confirm this, but he invariably denies it. How can we know what he believes on any given day? He's always playing to an audience and is obeying impulses of the moment.

It turns our that we humans aren't very rational creatures. We're governed much less by our brains than by our guts. Our brains serve our guts, not the other way around. All of the things that drive us are lodged in our guts: hate, fear, prejudice, resentment, racism, xenophobia, and the like. We're extremely attached to our visceral impulses. We constantly feed them; they make us feel good. We aren't about to let facts change them.

So it was an easy choice for millions of Americans. They preferred the showman who appealed to their basest hates, fears, and resentments. The Donald is a perfect match for our post-fact, post-truth nation.

Expect lots more acrimony, division, and lies. Trump's middle-of-the night Twitter fits will never end. It's who he is: the Great Prevaricator.

SANDY WYLIE

Bella Vista

Congrats to winners

Now that the electoral smoke has cleared and our president has been chosen, I would like, as the candidate (and sole member) of the Grill Party, to congratulate all the winners of the various positions, whether it be local, state, or national. The Grill Party did not receive a single vote, but we fought a wonderful, very tasty campaign.

I would also like to remind those winners that the scrutiny you will now face is incredible, even more intense than getting steaks for 15 tailgating buddies done to order. Yes, elected persons, you are on the clock. Enjoy your little respite before the fun actually begins and accountability rears its ugly head. Remember, those who voted you in can just as easily vote you out. And voters, I would say this to you--be careful what you ask for. You just might get it.

As always, slow down and grill.

DAVID KELLEY

Fort Smith

Convenience, or jobs

I was watching the Today Show recently, and I saw something that grabbed my attention. It was a story about a new kind of shopping that's being rolled out by Amazon in Seattle; you know, that high-tech mecca of the Northwest. Apparently, this new way of shopping called Amazon Go will allow shoppers to walk into a store, swipe their cell phone's Amazon Go app, stroll through the aisles, pick up merchandise as they go, walk out the door free as a bird, and receive a receipt on their phone afterwards.

On the surface, this third-millennial approach to personal convenience seems intriguing. However, the Today Show report also said that retail store checkout cashiers comprise the second-largest number of jobs in the U.S. These hardworking folks just might disappear from our shopping experience.

That begs the question: Do I have a responsibility to my friends, relatives and neighbors to ensure they have jobs? Furthermore, should I forgo the convenience and the sheer awesomeness of new technology in my personal life so they will?

New Mr. President-elect, you appealed to Carrier to stay in the country so American jobs would stay. Do I see a field trip to Amazon in the near future?

HOSEA LONG

Little Rock

Sends wrong message

I am very disappointed to read that the University of Arkansas has accepted an invitation to the Belk Bowl to take on Virginia Tech at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. In spite of the NCAA boycott, which involved moving seven 2016-2017 championship events out of North Carolina due to the state's controversial HB2 bill that discriminates against the LGBT community.

Once again the University of Arkansas sends the message that money is more important than sending the right message to its students and fans.

PAT SNYDER

Maumelle

Replacement bridge

Am I the only one who is perturbed that there have been millions spent on the replacement of the Broadway Bridge, and they were delayed because the old bridge was built too well? Stupid, stupid, stupid!

DON BORCHERT

Hot Springs

Editorial on 12/07/2016

Upcoming Events