It's gotten out of hand
I was sitting down to write a "thank you" to Gov. Asa Hutchinson for his excellent April 14 column about C&H Hog Farms, and I opened the paper to see that a certain unnamed columnist had already written another clueless hit piece on the good families that own and operate C&H and the respected scientists and state employees who have studied the issue so thoroughly.
I appreciate the passion for our state's "treasured river," but the offensive rhetoric, conspiracy theories and disregard for facts have gotten way out of hand. Enough is enough.
Instead of focusing on a managed and controlled facility, why not focus attention and resources on the thousands of feral hogs that are "depositing" daily and often in the Buffalo and its tributaries? This may be a case where "you can't see the trees for the forest."
STANLEY TAYLOR
Pelsor
Excellent Easter show
On April 13, First Pentecostal Church--you know the two huge church buildings with a steeple on each--on Calvary Road on the north side of I-40 on the way to Memphis, presented an excellent Easter program, I am. There was a full house.
Before Easter each year they have five performances, Thursday through Sunday. Look forward to next year.
The cast was superb. Everyone involved was helpful, knew what they were doing, and did it well.
Several churches were recognized for being there. We go to Geyer Springs Baptist Church.
W.K. HEARD
Little Rock
Not going swimming
I read with interest the comment of Jack Boles of Hasty. Like Mr. Boles, I have enjoyed the beauty and tranquility of the Buffalo River for many years (60+). I also appreciate any efforts of Governor Hutchinson to protect the river; but there must be more!
It is clear to me and, I think, to anyone who chooses to spend even a short time thinking about it, that the hog farm, and the hog **** it generates has and is damaging the river and will continue to do so.
There is already evidence of changes which will continue, and "extensive testing" would prove the continuing damage if it were allowed. And those changes which have taken literally months to develop cannot be corrected in our lifetimes.
I may take my grandchildren to see the beauty of the mountains, forest, etc., but I will not let them swim in the river as I did 65 years ago.
BLAINE A. JACKSON
Bentonville
The sad truth of war
The recent gassing of civilians in Syria by Bashar al-Assad was an unforgivable atrocity for which he should be punished. Unfortunately, the sad truth is that in war, the innocent usually suffer more than the actual combatants.
In World War II, the U.S., with the noblest of intentions--the defeat of Nazi Germany and Japan--caused many such innocent deaths. In support of D-Day in June of 1944, the U.S. carpet-bombed much of Normandy, France, resulting in 50,000 civilian deaths. In February 1945, the Allies bombed Dresden, Germany, a cultural center with no real strategic value, causing 25,000 civilian deaths. On March 9, 1945, the U.S. firebombed Tokyo. Over 100,000 civilians, mostly women and children, were incinerated.
Historical perspective now finds that none of these actions actually accomplished any great military end, but were considered both justified and successful at the time. Again, what Assad did was despicable, and he must be held accountable for it, but the sad truth is, so long as there are wars, civilians will die.
FREDERICK KING
Mount Vernon
Justice, not revenge
Re Philip Martin's piece equating capital punishment with revenge: "When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers." The death penalty is America's ultimate justice. Further, the death penalty most certainly "brings terror" to some criminal minds.
Police carry sidearms in virtually every country in the world because the threat of deadly force deters crime. And although we may argue the extent to which the death penalty deters crime, it doesn't make any sense to argue that it never does. Capital punishment does not make our world more coarse or brutal. Injustice makes our world more coarse and brutal.
We know that the efforts of organizations such as the Innocence Project in exposing unjust convictions has heightened our judicial system's concern and thus energy to assure that no innocent person be convicted, much less executed. And the automatic appellate process for capital convictions provides a good measure of assurance against that possibility. And where some shadow of doubt or mitigating circumstance may still remain, governors are empowered to grant clemency.
All told, even with its faults, of which the legal system itself is aware and continually attempts to correct, I believe the process of convicting the right person for a capital crime is extremely accurate. And with the execution of the sentence, justice reigns, not revenge.
DAVID PACE
Searcy
Keep the records open
I was surprised to read that Sen. Joyce Elliott tried unsuccessfully to enact legislation to require charter schools to comply with the Freedom of Information Act. Charter schools are taxpayer-supported public schools and thus should be automatically subject to the FOI Act! If some exception has been made, it should be challenged. We taxpayers are entitled to see how and why our money is being spent.
This newspaper has been a fierce and vocal defender of this law and I cannot fathom any reason why charter schools should be exempt from this excellent open-records requirement.
LARRY McNEAL
Waldo
A humble suggestion
Concerning the controversy of the cocktail of lethal drugs for death row inmates: The drug companies object to using their product to end a person's life. The convicted claim their use is painful and inhumane. Possible solution: Another retired physician and I humbly suggest overdosing on heroin as a humane way of completing the death sentence. The poppy growers won't complain, and the convicted die comfortably, maybe even euphorically.
JIM CHERRY
Fayetteville
Editorial on 04/25/2017