Information not safe
As we know, the current administration is under multiple investigations, especially regarding potential collusion with a foreign power to influence our election. One of the strengths of our electoral and voter registration system is that it's currently decentralized, which makes hacking and manipulation more difficult. Arkansas Secretary of State Mark Martin, on the other hand, apparently has made hacking, identity theft, voter suppression and voter intimidation far easier.
I'm horrified and outraged that Martin has made a neatly compiled database of Arkansas voter information accessible to hostile powers. His associate, Kris Kobach, is known for his work in voter suppression. They may argue that much of our information is already publicly available, but our secretary of state had no right to disclose it, especially not by unsecured email(!), whether through ignorance or in full knowledge of what he did.
I join many others in expressing my outrage and demanding Mark Martin's resignation. He should have protected us.
JANA COLLINS BUNDY
North Little Rock
Summed it up neatly
The headlines in a recent paper summed up the situation. In the top story, the headline said the Senate failed to repeal Obamacare. In the story directly below, the headline said that one insurer wants another 7.8 percent increase.
I do not understand how anyone can still defend Obamacare. I believe it was a Ponzi scheme rammed down our throats, and is crumbling faster than a house of cards in a hurricane. But the GOP-led Senate, despite seven years of promises to do so, refuses to repeal this terrible law.
FRANK LATIMER
Sherwood
Symbol of community
I drove by the new eStem High School. Very handsome, indeed! Of course, it does not approach the freestanding majesty of Central High School. My junior high was like Central High School. It had been the high school until about 1958 when the new high school was built.
"... the new eStem high school construction does not include a cafeteria ... a library, an auditorium ..."
I enjoyed school. So did everybody else. We took our classes seriously. Those of us in band went off to second period energized after having rehearsed Shostakovich and Persichetti. Some of us returned fourth period to rehearse Beethoven and Franck with the orchestra. The cafeteria was a place we gathered every day for lunch and a review of events academic and social. The old high school library was nearly a sacred place and was not so much a place to study, but rather to contemplate and explore. The auditorium was literally a concert hall with magnificent art deco trimmings, a massive balcony, and breathtaking upward expanse.
"Nor does ... construction include ... gym, football stadium, track, or fields" for various games.
The gym was a spectacular place and, during the winter, the scene of Friday night tilts with the Springfield Senators, the Collinsville Kahoks or the fiercely fought contests with traditional sectional rival Silver Streaks of Galesburg. Football was also a festive spectacle with the lights, cheerleaders, band, and community gathered.
One last observation. At a recent class reunion, my sister spoke at length with the All-State star of the basketball team. She wasn't sure he would remember her, but was surprised that he never forgot her performance as Maria in the school's production of The Sound of Music.
The new high school did not survive the test of time. The old school still stands, as does Central. Each school a proud symbol of their community. So happy days are here?
JAMES HATCH
Little Rock
Over morning coffee
While surfing these pages recently for my morning chuckle, I hit paydirt when I got to John B's offering. After cleaning up little Benji from spewing coffee all over him, I began to analyze what I had just read. It seems that one of our largest/leading critics of the "tweeter in chief" has himself gone to tweetin' on us. Moreover, it seems highly likely that he tweeted out some "fake news" since he had to message the governor's office after the fact to confirm or deny his original tweet. Since he had not received a reply at the time, I guess John assumed he was off the hook not to have to tweet a correction.
Isn't this the way "fake news" gets started? I was surprised that John B would put himself in the position of possibly having to say "pass the crow, please."
But hold on; I have to give John credit for actually complimenting three Republican women senators by saying they were "leaders rather than followers," that Senator Portman was a "decent man" and John Kasich was a "great governor" (but not so much when he was running for the Republican nomination) all because they did or said something with which he finally agreed. Disappointing is the fact that he can't find a single decent thing to say about our Senators Boozman and Cotton, although they obviously speak for the majority of Arkansas voters.
Another disappointment is that John would quote that clown on MSNBC who can't even decide which side he is on. It is more than obvious to me that Morning Joe is trying to dance to the liberal music since his job depends on ratings.
Oh well, Benji hopes from now on that I finish my coffee before I read John B's column, but at least I had enough chuckles to last a couple of weeks.
Deus existo nobis.
HOWARD D. HUGHES
Maumelle
What is newsworthy?
We have been readers of your newspaper for many years and until recently thought you reported news that was both relevant and current. But the failure to report on the tragic death of a 32-year-old disabled man in Cocoa, Fla., has caused me to question what the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette considers "newsworthy."
This man in Florida drowned in a pond in a park while a group of teenagers nearby watched and did nothing to help the drowning man. They recorded his death and mocked him from a distance, using all sorts of unspeakably foul language. One of the teens, when questioned by the police later, showed no remorse for his actions, even smirking about it. These teens will not be prosecuted because they did not violate any laws despite their cruelty.
Yet the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette apparently did not find this a newsworthy story. It seems it didn't appear once in the newspaper. I am compelled to ask: Why?
LAURA BLACK
Jacksonville
Editorial on 07/30/2017