Stand up for country
To the Arkansas congressional delegation: I'm one of your white, black, brown, yellow, and red constituents back home. I'm a true independent. For the first time in my political life, I am scared of what's happening to our country. During the past 40 or so years of enduring presidents and congresses, I've liked some, disliked some, but never have I been scared of them ... until now.
President Trump's ability to cogently lead this country both morally and mentally seems to be in doubt. He's alienated just about everyone that counts. Narcissists tend to do that.
You boys need to realize you and your party are playing a "losing hand." If integrity and conscience don't sway you, maybe viewing your political future will. If you think loyalty to Mr. Trump will pay dividends, look around and smell the roses. He's only loyal to himself. Maya Angelo said: "When a person shows you who they are, believe them ..." Duh.
So what to do? Here's an idea: How about a bunch of you getting together with some Democrats and coming to the conclusion that you all may be the last hope in saving this democracy from irreparable damage?
You and the Dems could actually legislate if you would get past the stupid, childish partisanship and do what the founding fathers meant for you to do--be a "citizen representative" working together for the good of the nation. The nation is crying out for you to do this!
Stand up, grow a backbone, take a stand and lead.
Remember, Congress is the only group more unpopular than the president. So what's to lose?
Hope you are listening, if not, you may hear: You're fired.
JIM HARLOW
Hot Springs Village
A war in our streets
I cannot believe a war can be allowed in the streets of our United States.
Why can't people do as older citizens and form a parade that is planned? Carry posters, pictures, anything that is legal, not guns and clubs. The people watching should behave as watchers and paraders as paraders.
Our United States cannot allow a mini war on our streets (Charlottesville, Va., and other places). Of course, President Trump's speech did nothing to help stop instances like this in the future with no mention of the culprits, the white American supremacists
But I suppose we shouldn't expect anything less from this president. It's his style.
SHIRLEY POTTER
Clinton
Guilt of the accusers
Have you ever known a cheating spouse? They will start being suspicious and accusing the other spouse. Where are you and who are you with are just some of the things they'll ask.
So back last October when the Trumpster started saying the election was rigged, I felt like he must have known it was going to be rigged. Just hack in to three states and add enough votes to get him the electoral college and boom, he won. How else could the polls have been so wrong?
The whole thing just makes me sick.
MICKIE LEWIS
Rogers
Not what case's about
I write in response to your "Death loses in court" editorial, in which you discuss a recent court decision involving Planned Parenthood's eligibility to receive Medicaid reimbursements for non-abortion health-care services provided to Arkansans.
Planned Parenthood is a health-care provider and an absolutely essential one for Arkansans, especially those of modest means. Thousands of our neighbors receive basic health care, checkups, screenings, and services from Planned Parenthood that have zero to do with abortion.
Your editorial pays scant mention to a critical fact--"defunding" Planned Parenthood is not at all about stopping a federal budget appropriation. That does not exist. Instead, the issue is whether or not a health-care provider should receive reimbursements for care provided, just like any other doctor who provides health-care services.
To be clear, I support and defend Planned Parenthood's right to provide safe and legal abortion services for Arkansans. However, it's important to note that the court case is only about whether Arkansas Medicaid patients may choose to receive non-abortion health-care from the doctor of their choice.
A newspaper's main job is to illuminate facts and cut through misleading rhetoric. I'm disappointed that the Democrat-Gazette's editorial staff affirmatively chose to further confusion instead of promoting truth.
GLEN HOOKS
North Little Rock
Aiming at covey
Arkansas public schools are once again becoming segregated, not because of race but by readiness for group instruction. The continuing proliferation of public charter schools with their long waiting lists of open-enrollment applicants is siphoning away students from traditional public schools. Students from homes that value, promote, and support education are much more likely to thrive in school than children from homes that do not value education.
This is true regardless of race or socioeconomic status, although these and other factors affect the at-risk status of students. If the flight of motivated students includes a disproportionate number of white students, here come the desegregation lawyers again.
Apparently many parents, regardless of race, socioeconomic status, etc., view charter schools as a better educational opportunity for their children. This drain of motivated students from traditional public schools will only exacerbate the problem they have to keep from being shot down as a "failing school" by the state Department of Education's shotgun blast approach to force school improvement.
Focusing on schools as a whole rather than on specific students is like a bird hunter shooting at the whole covey rather than at specific birds. Any quail hunter can tell you how ineffective that is. All "failing schools" have successful students. Why is the state Department of Education focusing on schools rather than at-risk students?
It has been known for more than 50 years which students are at risk. Every school can identify its at-risk students. Some of these students are making adequate or even excellent academic progress despite their obstacles. You would think that the state Department of Education would like to know what makes a difference in these kids' attitude toward their education.
Let's stop shooting at the covey and start aiming at specific birds! Johnny Key? Governor Hutchinson?
LARRY McNEAL
Waldo
Road to suffering
I believe that to have made the fight against Osama bin Laden and his small cadre of radical Islamic extremists who perpetuated the 9/11 attacks into a conventional war against the Taliban government in Afghanistan was a fundamental and basic strategic error by the U.S., and particularly the George W. Bush administration. And worst of all, it has played right into the hands of those who would try and weaken and emaciate our country.
How many times now have we been led into misguided foreign adventures that, contrary to our naïve expectations, have cost us dearly in terms of lives, treasure and our status as leaders of the free world?
It was not conventional warfare that took out Osama bin Laden; it was a surgical strike of very limited resources carried out in a very precise way. Ironically, the successful operation was directed by Mr. Barack Obama who, as a state senator at the time, had spoken out against the invasion the very day the resolution was introduced in Congress.
Likewise with Iraq, the saner voices of reason and temperance were drowned out by the bandwagon sound of the warmongers and reactionaries who passed around the purple Kool-Aid labeled "weapons of mass destruction." Like in Afghanistan, the Iraqi straw dog turned out to have sharp teeth--at least sharp enough to bleed us dry.
When a country begins to think itself "Boss of the World," history shows that forces fall into place to produce its humiliation and great suffering, like a plague upon the land.
JOHN ROBERT BOMAR
Arkadelphia
Editorial on 08/24/2017