Try talking to Trump
As long as this insurrection against the POTUS continues, so will the symptoms that come along with it. If you insist on this hateful path you can expect days full of stress, headaches, insomnia, depression, etc. It is unhealthy and could even shorten your life.
Why not take a break and try talking to him? I believe he’s proven he’ll listen. If you will, you’ll be happier and healthier for it.
As President Trump would say to all Americans, “Live long and prosper!”
B.E. SPURGEON
North Little Rock
Rethink death penalty
Now that four of the scheduled executions have taken place, perhaps we can take time to contemplate what we want to do about the death penalty.
According to polls, most Arkansans support the death penalty, although the percentage of supporters has dropped considerably in recent years. The embarrassing scenario of hurried mass executions to use up a drug that was about to expire, essentially sneaking another “donated” drug into an official’s car trunk in the middle of the night, one condemned man getting a reprieve when another in the same situation is denied, many last-minute appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court, the governor saying everything went smoothly when witnesses say otherwise—all adds up to a system that isn’t working.
The death penalty is becoming increasingly difficult to carry out, even if it is supported in principle. It’s hard to find a humane way to deliberately kill a healthy person.
Is it time to change the ultimate sentence to life without parole? Apparently, many people think that eliminating the death penalty means a killer goes free, but spending the rest of your life in prison is a horrible way to live. Some death row prisoners have asked to be killed instead.
I’d like to see an in-depth discussion of how to meet the objectives of the death penalty without killing people. There must be a way.
MAYA PORTER
Johnson
The new drug pusher
My image of a drug pusher has shifted over the past decade from a velvet-cloaked, gold-choked dandy driving a lime-colored Cadillac convertible with spinner hubs all the way (and it’s a long, long way) to a Fortune 100 company.
That’s a huge shift.
It’s clear we’re a drug-addicted culture regardless of your source.
My unofficial assessment is a full half of all TV ad time is purchased by large, global pharmaceutical companies to “push” drugs that treat a wide variety of health conditions. The majority of all other drug-centered ads are dominated by lawyers promulgating class-action lawsuits covering a range of unfortunate consequences suffered by persons using these drugs. Said effects range from boys developing breasts to the ultimate consequence: Death. Then there’s that “oily discharge” I still can’t get out of my mind.
HARRY HERGET
Little Rock
Auto-industry agony
If power is measured by the degree of pain and misery it inflicts, then the auto industry is in complete control.
Although it seems everyone associated with this foul industry is universally recognized as the lowest form of human life, I believe it is those responsible for auto repairs who are the most vile and contemptible. Each day, like lambs to the slaughter, thousands of drivers entrust their ailing vehicles to the mercy of motor-repair establishments in the certain knowledge that their trust will be betrayed at every turn.
Unfortunately, with no one to turn to for protection, motorists have little choice but to yield to their tormentors.
Not content with a fair and reasonable profit for their frequently inferior ministrations, the avowed intent of these worthless parasites is to extract the life’s blood from each hapless victim. I believe it is no exaggeration to state that auto repairers would gladly sell their parents into slavery for the promise of a fast buck. That it seems they are actually permitted to act above and beyond the law defies belief. In more civilized countries I’m sure they would be serving jail time.
Where does the government stand on this matter? By failing to condemn these home-wrecking spoilers of dreams, one is forced to conclude that politicians approve of their sharp practices. In my view, a thorough cleanup of the entire auto industry is long overdue.
WILLIAM G. CARLYLE
North Little Rock
Deserving of respect
I read the Democrat-Gazette editorials every day. Even though I often disagree with the positions they take, I have always respected their tone and thoughtful approach.
But I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read the editorial titled “Absolute personal responsibility” in the paper. “Hillary Clinton was heard from this week. After months of not saying much publicly, she appeared at some outfit called Women for Women (we’re not kidding) to explain how we have President Trump.”
Sir (I can’t believe that a woman editor would use such a mocking tone), if you’d done your research you’d know that Women for Women International is a respected organization that has helped more than 462,000 marginalized women in eight countries who’ve been affected by war and conflict. They bring women together in a safe space to learn life, business and vocational skills to enable them to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency.
Hillary has worked tirelessly for decades to help marginalized women everywhere and has led the global fight for women’s rights. At the 1995 World Conference on Women in Beijing, she famously stated, “Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights.”
It was entirely appropriate that she would meet with leaders from Women for Women. They both have earned and deserve your extreme respect, not the derogatory way you made fun of both of them in your editorial.
BARBARA BURKS HANLEY
Little Rock