Letters

Adored by everyone

Re Cliff Fannin Baker: I was heartened to read both a letter-to-the-editor and a tribute by Philip Martin in Sunday's paper. Cliff was my brother-in-law and loved his married-into family. And we adored him, too, as everyone who knew him did.

I hope The Rep will keep his vision growing and even name something after him. I've sent in a contribution to the theater in Cliff's memory. If you have been meaning to do the same, this is a good time to do it.

PAT LASTER

Benton

On tone and phrasing

If your editors were familiar with tone, I believe they would not criticize NARAL and Chelsea Clinton as "unseemly." Nor would they suggest their own likeness to The Onion, whose subtlety makes theirs seem a wrecking ball.

Item: The phrase "abortion-inspired ice cream" is not simply misleading in context. The phrasing is disingenuous and tone nasty.

Item: The remark about NARAL, "The acronym stands for something forgettable, but mostly it stands for abortion on demand," is also disingenuous, since you know very well what the acronym stands for and that the term "abortion on demand" is nowhere to be found in it but "reproductive rights" (equally encompassing birth control, fertility therapy, and pregnancy counseling, etc.) is. You think the key word is "abortion." I think the key word is "rights." You address the one term exclusively but not the other. NARAL is honest in presenting both.

Item: The observation that "a good many Americans ... don't believe abortion is just the removal of an unwanted growth, like a skin tag, but the taking of a human life" is an unwarranted dismissal and grossly insensitive, since you cannot say with certainty how any woman feels about it or what any woman "believes" about it, as if belief were a point of fact, much less law. The tone is nasty.

Item: Do not get me started about puritans and bear-baiting. Suffice it to ask, what has pleasure to do with this topic or your point? You imply something you dare not come out and say.

Are you actually acquainted with any so-called "pro-abortion types at NARAL"? I doubt it profoundly, because I read how you call them names.

You might get a blood-pressure cuff and heed its readings daily. The way your emotions drown your reason, at least on this topic, may be as harmful to your physical health as it is to your composing.

SHEARLE FURNISH

Little Rock

Need to be smarter

French Hill is smart. French Hill is a nice person. Without a doubt. Very intelligent and much admired. His name sounds like some place in France. Who doesn't love France?

French Hill wants to be re-elected. He wants you and me to be scared of a woman so that we will elect him. Has he given us a reason to be scared of women in general or in particular? Why we should be afraid of women, or of a particular woman, he doesn't explain. He just thinks we ought to be, and so we'll vote for him instead of his opponent who appears neither to be afraid of women in general nor in particular. Are you afraid of females in general or in particular? Is that what will get you out to vote? Please don't let it.

French Hill is smart. For sure. But let's vote smarter.

WAYNE WAGGONER

Little Rock

Walk in from shadow

Steve Straessle, the principal of Little Rock Catholic High School for Boys, wrote in his column "Dear Parents" that: "To allow our children to own their education, to own their school experience, to walk into the light from the shadow of well-meaning parents and guardians helps in that growth."

So, Steve, you encourage boys in your Catholic school to walk from the shadow of well-meaning parents into what light? The light of well-meaning Catholic priests? I believe recent events indicate they would be better off and safer listening to their parents.

PHIL WARNER

Garfield

Are we really better?

Facebook and other social media brain-blockers continue to displace our newspapers. Television opinion-pushers continue to eliminate the need to consider all sides of vital national discussions. Our political leaders are demonized and vilified from left and right. This all leads this old Republican to doubt President Obama's message that "we are better than this." Are we?

Consider the sewage that flowed about Hillary Clinton--she was accused of everything from sexual deviation to child molestation to helping cover up a White House murder during Bill's presidency. We loyal, patriotic Americans happily passed this filth along to our unknown friends and their unknown friends. We knew we were dealing in lies, but smelled the awful corruption and called it the sweet smell of success. Are we better than this?

Consider the unreasoned and pointless demonization of Nancy Pelosi--guilty only of doing everything she can to advance the policies of her party and her president, exactly as the Republican Congress is doing for President Trump, yet we nod in mock wisdom as candidates for state and local office are "tagged" for somehow supporting the wicked witch Pelosi. Are we better than this?

And yet ... and yet ... President Obama is still measured by all polls as the most popular and successful president in modern times. President Trump's White House and personal staff (ex and existing) keep lining up to plead guilty or to be found guilty under the relentless pressure of Mr. Mueller's investigation. Candidates for local, state, and national office, across the country, are more diversified in gender, race, and religion than ever before.

All we can do is to wait, watch, wonder, and think. Are we better than this? We may well be. Yes! We just might be, after all, a lot better than this. Meet you at the polls?

CLIFF HARRISON

Hot Springs Village

Editorial on 09/12/2018

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