The heritage we have
Happy Fourth of July to all Arkansans. Celebrate with a prayer for this free land. Have a picnic with all the summer veggies and fruits. Add a hot dog or hamburger on the grill. Propose a toast with ice-cold tea, lemonade or a beer. All goes down easy. Ice cream is a must in a cone, and berries to fill a bowl.
What a heritage we have--all of us here from other places and blending well. Wherever we go we see smiling faces and happy children. Hug one another while you can. Fly high or sail smoothly and drive carefully when vacation begins. Half the fun of the journey is the anticipation.
Lucky us--we have such a wide range to choose--take joy and pack love and give it all away.
ANITA C. GATZKE
Little Rock
Concentrate on safety
Surely the citizens of Little Rock are growing tired of hearing Mayor Mark Stodola's cries for saving the failed policies of the Obama/Clinton administration. I believe sanctuary cities and the Paris Climate Accord represent clear and present dangers to the American citizenry.
Maybe the mayor does this to help veil the truth about the poor job he is doing. Under his leadership, it seems Little Rock has become the murder capital of the South. Stodola had his opportunity to be involved in national politics many years ago and the voters rejected him. He should stop cowering to those who promote such failed liberal policies and start concentrating on the things city leaders are elected to take care of. The first and most important of those is public safety.
BUBBA LLOYD
North Little Rock
Must address violence
I live in Little Rock because I have been assigned as Bishop of the United Methodist Church in Arkansas. It's a wonderful city that I have come to love. But something has happened this past year. Gun violence has exploded. Not only murder, but injuries to innocent bystanders, including children and babies.
So once again I awoke Saturday morning to multiple news stories about gun violence, including one about a shooting at a downtown nightclub that injured two dozen people.
I don't pretend to fully understand the complexity of what is going on. But I do know that what should be greeted by a huge outcry has been greeted with deafening silence. Especially from the Christian community. So let me say it loudly and clearly. We are in a crisis. And the crisis must be addressed. Not used for a partisan political purposes, but addressed. Not manipulated to create greater divide among people, but addressed. Not ignored, but addressed.
Certainly, it may be painful on so many levels to deal honestly with it. But we have no choice.
GARY E. MUELLER
Little Rock
Power is in our hands
"Power to the people," the oft-heard phrase from the '60s, is more relevant today than ever before. Just imagine the reaction of the advertisers in broadcast and print media if the power of the entire American population flipped the switch, dialed them out, pulled the plug, canceled the account, stopped playing childish games with iPhones, Androids and Blackberries. Wow, what a powerful message that would send to the media folks.
It is entirely proper to disagree in a civilized manner, but when anyone gets into the gutter, dialogue cannot be anything but ugly. So, my fellow citizens on both sides of the political and philosophical divide, cut the cord and bring them to heel. A few years back it was called "vote with your feet." Today it is all done with a single finger stroke. You will see an almost immediate change in their behavior. After all, that is what is grossly needed. A change in personal behavior.
For those who attended a journalism school, do you recall the concept of checking your sources, vetting the source, ensuring your copy was actually accurate? The irresponsible media types today do neither. Thus the advent of "fake news." Let's work together and right the ship. We can disagree in a civil manner without all the hate and rancor.
Don't worry, media people, the Pulitzer is still attainable without the anonymous sources or an unnamed high-ranking White House official. Wake up. Dig deep and do the right thing. Flip the switch, turn them off. The net result will be that, when the advertisers find out the American people are not watching or listening anymore, they will apply all of the necessary pressure to bring the media back into line.
Happy Independence Day! Not the same as Happy Fourth. But much better.
LOUIS R. BURNETT
Little Rock
Chilly Fourth of July
When I was a boy, we lived in Chicago. Since it was illegal to shoot off any fireworks (and I do mean any) inside the city limits, we usually went to a nearby park to watch an official fireworks display on the Fourth.
When I was 7, the low temperature the night of the Fourth of July was 40 degrees. Our mother made me and my two younger sisters put on our heavy winter coats before we could leave the house to go and watch the fireworks at the park.
LAURENCE GRAY
North Little Rock
Isn't The Apprentice
The president is putting on a great show to entertain us all. I believe he still thinks he is on The Apprentice. Unfortunately, he is not.
I can't understand why any person who has been (past tense) so successful is so thin-skinned. It appears that his emotional growth has not moved beyond the age of 13.
Considering Steve Bannon as one of his top aides and his good friendship with the editor of the National Enquirer, I believe we can only assume two things. First, his life is a tabloid magazine and second, Breitbart is the new National Enquirer.
Unfortunately, we will have to suffer through this charade for three more years. Good grief!
MICHAEL RADICE
Fayetteville
Editorial on 07/04/2017