Unconcerned with us
It seems President Trump has used his first year in office to wage war against our planet. This was evident when he withdrew from the Paris Climate Accord. His disregard for the health of our United States was demonstrated when he permitted the construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota pipelines that are already showing problems with leakage; when he froze and repealed Obama regulations that safeguarded our food, clean air and water; when he allowed drilling to continue; when he allowed coal companies to dump debris in rivers and streams; when he refused to be part of the Russia/U.S. treaty that capped nuclear stockpiles, and escalated tensions with North Korea, which makes the world closer to nuclear fallout than any other time in history; and when he removed the Cardin-Lugar Rule that curtails corruption of the oil and gas industry. (This allows the oil and gas companies to be transparent.)
Can someone who disregards the health and well-being of the home for 7.6 billion people be concerned with the health and well-being of 323.1 million Americans?
PEG COFFEY
Fayetteville
Song remains same
In 1633 Galileo was charged with heresy by the church because, based on his scientific observations, he explained that the earth revolved around the sun. The church insisted, with the promise of torture and worse, that the sun revolved around the earth. Galileo was prohibited from presenting his scientific evidence and conclusions.
Now, 385 years later, I read in the Nov. 5, 2017, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that, "Despite the scientific consensus presented in the report, the Environmental Protection Agency has scrubbed references to climate change from its website and barred its scientists from presenting scientific reports on the subject."
I sit sadly and wonder, how could this be happening in the United States in 2018?
ADAM T. BRAZAS JR.
Lakeview
Discrimination-based
Anthony Lloyd's bringing up the swastika, which has become stigmatized in the West by its association with ideas of racism and hatred, while discussing the refusal of a baker to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple makes for an excellent comparison. The baker's treatment of the gay couple is an example of the hatred portrayed by a swastika. I believe hate, not religion, and not a business decision, is what motivates these types of behavior.
According to our laws, business decisions cannot be based on discrimination. Gay marriages are just as legal as any other marriage. If the baker can bake a cake for a straight couple, then he must bake a cake for a gay couple. If he refuses only because the couple is gay, and not straight, this is discrimination and it is against the law.
SALLY J. MAYS
Roland
Body ruins everything
When I was a kid, I used to love to wake up to a blanket of snow on the ground. Yea, no school! Leave it to the Arkansas state Legislature to ruin a snow day.
JERRE L. GEORGE
Hot Springs
Just taken for granted
Lee Child's fictional character Jack Reacher travels about the country righting wrongs and generally courting trouble with only a fold-up toothbrush for luggage. This got me to thinking about some small things we usually take for granted but really have not been around very long.
First: The aforementioned toothbrush. Prior to the mid-1800s most people, if they cleaned their teeth at all, used a chew stick, which was a green twig with a frayed end. Mass-produced toothbrushes appeared in Europe and Japan about 1840. Less expensive ones were made from pig bristles while the more costly ones were made from badger bristles. Hooray for synthetic bristles!
Ballpoint pens: The first patent was issued in 1888. In October of 1945, Gimbels in New York City sold a model called Reynolds Rocket for $12.50, which amounts to about $166 in current dollars. Before that an ink pen was a prized possession that sometimes leaked. Some leaks became "ink blots" that were deemed useful by psychologists.
Safety razor: Patented in 1880. In 1904 King Gillette came out with a double-edged disposable blade. (Remember the slots that used to be in medicine cabinets.) Safety razors were issued to U.S. soldiers during World War I so they wouldn't injure themselves using a straight razor. Injuries should be left to enemy soldiers.
Nail clippers: Several patents for various models were issued in the late 1800s. The "Trim" brand we see today first appeared in 1947. I have watched people trim their nails using a pocketknife. I view that as being akin to using a straight razor to shave--dangerous.
So brush, shave, clip and write--and be grateful. Gratitude, like common sense, is becoming too rare a commodity. I'm grateful as well to Wikipedia.
JOHN McPHERSON
Searcy
Lesson on airline fees
Jason Rapert's column arguing against an increase in the passenger facility charge (PFC) on airline tickets states that businesses using air travel could see "a significant increase to their bottom line." A business' "bottom line" is the last line on a financial statement, usually referring to net income. What Mr. Rapert should have said is that the ticket charge would increase total expenses, therefore decreasing their bottom line.
As to the fee itself, it was first authorized during the George H.W. Bush administration with bipartisan (remember that?) congressional support. The cap on the fee ($4.50 per segment) has not increased since 2000, so the revenue has been significantly eroded by inflation. Anyone who flies is conscious of the need for additional airport improvements. And anyone who flies would probably gladly pay the PFC instead of the private enterprise-imposed $25 baggage fee for each flight.
MIKE WATTS
Little Rock
Editorial on 01/19/2018