Leave that to the pros
Thank you to Dr. Marvin Singleton for his thoughtful column on May 12 in which he protested the legislative action dictating medical terminology involving reproduction.
This ruling from the party that protests governmental “over-reach”? Over-reach is over-reach, whether from the state level or the federal.
This ruling from the party extolling originalism in constitutional interpretation? This ruling seems to be in direct conflict with the First Amendment on two counts: “abridging the freedom of speech” and “no law respecting an establishment of religion.”
Let medical terminology be left to its practitioners without interference designed to fit a particular religious view. Rulings such as the one on medical terminology are prime examples of attempts of government establishment of a particular religion—the type of rulings we have seen too often recently.
GEORGIA ROSS
Fayetteville
Her immortal legacy
Re the 60 Minutes report on the study to inject the polio virus into a woman’s brain at Duke University to help her tumor, several years ago my book club read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
True story. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer working the fields as her slave ancestors did. She got sick, went into Johns Hopkins hospital in the ’50s. Her cells were taken without her knowledge, and became one of the most important tools in medicine. Her “HeLa” cells became vital for developing the polio vaccine, just to list one. Her family did not know about this until 20 years later.
Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave until only recently. She has been dead for over 60 years, but lives on because of what her cells have done to help with all kinds of medicine to keep us alive. It would be extremely nice for her to be acknowledged with her place in what her cells, which still live on in multitudes, have enabled medicine to continue on.
VICKI SPRANZA
Farmington
Motivating incivility
This letter is meant to be fair and balanced and honest as I follow the philosophy of a favorite politician who said when you buy me off, I’ll stay bought off, but it’s the first time in my four-score years that I’ve witnessed a politician insult himself to a presidential nomination.
Donald Trump says he’ll change, but if his success continues, will we see speakers motivate us on how to insult, and new best-selling books with titles like Insult and Grow Rich, The Art of the Insult, The Power of Positive Insults, and a tome about how to insult women, Latinos, Muslims, military heroes and the handicapped?
The seeds of political speeches fertilized with insults have been sown in our land. Will this create a cultural change in the way we Americans communicate, or will the people vote for a crop failure?
WILLIAM C. KRAMER
North Little Rock
None of your business
Mr. Donald Trump’s favorite phrase seems to be “I can tell you this.”
Well, except when it concerns his tax returns.
MARY N. WATERS
Little Rock
Deserving of coverage
I read a letter in the paper in which the writer wanted to know why former President Bill Clinton was on the front page of last Monday’s paper. I thought I’d save the Voices editor some time by answering this question. Former President Clinton was in town to speak to the 10th graduating class of the Clinton School of Public Service.
I was honored to attend the graduation and was inspired by his speech. He talked about how the students since the school’s beginning to the present have participated in 660 public service projects in 78 countries. Think of how many people have been affected by students of this school that bears the president’s name.
I believe a former president of the United States and former governor of Arkansas who not only speaks at a graduation but also speaks with each graduate deserves some press, and I’m not going to begrudge him frontpage, top-of-the-fold coverage.
I’m not sure how the letter-writer concludes that Donald Trump is a better example of the “standards and principles our country was founded on” as he promotes building a wall on the Mexican border and banning all Muslims. I don’t believe Donald Trump is fit to carry Bill Clinton’s jacket.
I didn’t vote for Bill Clinton, but I’m a fan now. His legacy will continue through the past, current, and future graduates of the Clinton School of Public Service.
SARAH RICARD
Little Rock
Not economic genius
Hillary Clinton has announced that she will appoint her beloved spouse Bill to be in charge of reviving the economy when she becomes president, because supposedly he knows how to fix it.
It is true that we had a booming economy during the last six years of the Clinton administration but I believe that was not because of Bill Clinton, it was in spite of him.
Bill Clinton was elected president in 1992 and his first two years were a disaster. He was so inept in his first two years that the GOP took over the House and Senate in the ’94 election for the first time in 40 years. The Republicans then went to work on their “Contract with America,” a pledge to the American people of what they would accomplish if elected.
The GOP finally got welfare reform passed after Clinton vetoed it twice and they got the budget balanced with a surplus after they had to shut down the government twice. So spare me this stuff about Bill Clinton being an economic genius.
GARY LEMON
Cabot
I’m gonna tell on you!
Re the actions verbally between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, it sounds more like the playground retorts—“Are too!” “Are not!”
Should restrict their comments as to what they will do in office.
THAD OSTROWSKI
Little Rock