Such great role model
Way to go, Hot Springs Village Tea Party, for inviting "Duke" Cunningham to speak at its meeting last Tuesday. Apparently his hero status in the Vietnam War makes him an expert on tax reform, immigration and trade deals. His background info somehow omitted his guilty plea in 2005 to mail fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bribery and tax evasion. He was sentenced to 100 months in federal prison. He admitted accepting numerous bribes in the millions from military contractors when he was a member of the House of Representatives. Contracts were awarded not by merit, but by how much he could receive in bribes potentially supplying our military with inferior equipment, putting our soldiers as well as our country in possible danger.
What an American!
LYN GRIMES
Hot Springs Village
U.S. starkly divided
Kneeling is now the biggest thing since Tim Tebow did it before a game. Now in 2017, teams or players choose to take a knee in order for them to make their opinion on racial discrimination heard about what is going on in America. I believe this is just complete disrespect to America and its flag. I do not think it is right.
There are soldiers dying for the country, and these so-called underprivileged players who make on average $2 million a year can't stand for two minutes. That is disrespect. On the other side, I can see they are giving a voice to the people that don't have one. It has brought topics up that people were afraid to talk about because they don't know how the audience is going to react.
One of my biggest fears is when athletes get involved with politics. I feel like the two should be completely different and never cross. One is an athlete who got everything silver-spoon-fed to him, then on the other hand, someone who has worked his whole life to get there.
Regardless of political pressure and inequality in our country, we must stand to support and recognize past, present, and future American troops. There may not be another controversy where the entire United States is so starkly divided.
COREY THOMAS FLANAGAN
Houston
Captive to big lobbies
Prescription drug prices are absurdly high--but the drug industry's lobby is too powerful to allow change.
The people want gun control--but the NRA is too powerful to allow change.
The bond bail system is unfair--but the bail bondsmen's lobby is too powerful to allow change.
The nation's illegal-drug laws are not working--but the prosecuting attorneys' lobby is too powerful to allow change.
The list could go on. How did this happen? How did we become captive to the lobbyists? What would it take to elect senators and representatives who don't need the millions of dollars they get from these special interests?
The lawmakers claim that if they don't get re-elected, they won't be in a position to make better laws, and the only way they can get re-elected is to take the lobbyists' money and do their bidding. Who wins in this system? Not you and me.
It's up to "we the people" to break the chain. How can we do that? Any ideas out there?
MAYA PORTER
Johnson
Time for stalling done
I was blown away when I read the attorney general's reasoning for her rejection of the marijuana ballot proposal for 2018. While the anti-marijuana stance of the attorney general's office isn't new, its recent statement on the plant-count issue is preposterous.
At this point in time it seems the attorney general's office is simply shooting the Arkansas voter in the fiscal foot. Money from recreational marijuana users will continue to go into the pockets of criminals instead of our state's small-business owners, schools, scholarship funds and law enforcement.
Arkansas voters have shown on the medical marijuana vote in 2016 that they are ready to resolve this issue. It is time that the Legislature and attorney general's office gave the voters that chance. I feel the Legislature has done its duty here, and while I agree the attorney general's office has a responsibility to ensure the law is enforceable, its stonewalling for silly reasons such as the mature plant count is a real shame.
Colorado voters okayed the sale and regulation of recreational marijuana and it appears none of the negative statistics touted by naysayers have come to fruition. Colorado injected $200 million from marijuana tax revenue last year alone; imagine what we could do for our state with a similar number.
It's time the voters let the attorney general's office know they want to vote on marijuana legalization, and the time for stalling is passed. Regardless of your feelings on the issue, I urge my fellow Arkansans to let the attorney general's office know you are ready to vote.
STEVEN VANWINKLE
Benton
Conveying a message
Disrespect? Or exercising their constitutional right to protest? Kneeling during the national anthem has sprouted many arguments toward the NFL. People say it is a needed message toward America, while some think it shows disrespect to the national flag and people. President Trump's tweet has also sparked confusion toward the reason of protest. Although it increased America's temper, I stand with the NFL.
Although the protest displayed disrespect, the NFL players were only conveying a powerful message relating to racism and police brutality. Showing disrespect wasn't their intention, but minorities need America to wake up to and address racial and unfair treatment toward minorities in America. Kneeling is a way of grabbing attention and exercising their constitutional right to protest.
Reading CNN news about President Trump's tweet about the kneeling issue not being about race confused me. First of all, this whole act of protest started with Colin Kaepernick, due to police brutality and racism. As a concerned minority, I clearly see President Trump does not understand the message these athletes are conveying, resulting in nothing being fixed, and the ongoing protest.
It's understandable to think it's disrespectful, but we need to tackle both sides of the issue safely and fairly. If President Trump wants this fixed, understanding and addressing their reason of protest is a step further to solving this issue.
JEREMIAH JARED LUBATON
Jacksonville
Editorial on 10/17/2017