LETTERS

LITTLE ROCK — Warning is still applicable

Fifty years ago, President Dwight Eisenhower warned us of an uncontrolled military/industrial complex. Since then, our brothers and sisters, sons and daughters have paid the ultimate price in places like Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Bosnia, Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan while our nation has plunged deeper and deeper into debt because of the cost of these wars and conflicts and the maintenance of our armed forces.

The military/ industrial complex was created out of necessity in World War II and it grew exponentially during the Cold War and on into the present day. Its manifestation is a false economy predicated by continuous conflict.

In the 2009 film “The International,” a pair of investigators asks an Italian industrialist why would an international bank want to purchase arms. He answers, “This is not about making profits from weapons sales. It’s about control.” One of the investigators asks, “Control the flow of weapons, control the conflict?”

“No, no,” answers the industrialist, “The IBBC is a bank. Their objective isn’t to control the conflict; it’s to control the debt that the conflict produces. You see, the real value of a conflict, the true value, is in the debt that it creates. You control the debt, you control everything. You find this upsetting, yes? But this is the very essence of the banking industry, to make us all, whether we be nations or individuals, slaves of debt.” FLEMING STOCKTON Little Rock

Distribution faulted

First, thank you for dogging and dogging out the Lottery Commission. With the salaries those honchos are pulling in, there should be no “unintentional miscommunication” or failure to update info.

Second, my two sons have been enrolled at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock full time for more than three years and have maintained a grade-point average exceeding 2.5. We believed them to be current achievers. But no, they became non-traditional students because each had dropped a class and went below the previously unmentioned requirement of maintaining 12 hours from admission. As such, they did not receive any lottery money for scholarships.

It appears that awards totaled 61 percent of revenue and scholarships received 22 percent, leaving 17 percent or $63 million for overhead. Sixty-three million dollars for salaries, rent and computers? Really?

I’m no lottery commissioner, but if they had asked me, I would have taken the whole amount and divided that evenly among all qualified applicants. Imagine that lunacy.

BARBARA SATTERFIELD North Little Rock

Nation now leans left

Re Target’s recent donation to a Republican candidate: So much for freedom of choice. If Target had donated money to a Democratic candidate, it would probably go unnoticed. It is almost a sure bet that no one would have objected to the donation because of the left-wing society we live in.

Target will probably have to donate the same amount to the Democratic side so the lefties won’t be picketing their store. I would like to see Target stand its ground and not give in to the liberal left side.

L.K. ROBERSON Sherwood

Vital element absent

No one has asked me for my two cents, but I, too, have an opinion about the proposal to build a Moslem mosque near Ground Zero.

Like many Americans, I’ve formed my own opinion about the beliefs and history of the countries where the Muslim religion dominates. I once heard a person say that “Anyone who believes that should give me 50 cents and I will use that money to distance myself from you and your friends.”

As one grows older you probably hear it all. If you were wise, you probably learned to avoid the hype and utilize extreme caution in your association with any church. Personally, I think our society is far too generous with the people who profess to be ministers.

If I was in charge of which churches were to be located in a city or town, I would require them to own a section of land outside city limits and be surrounded by a wall at least eight feet tall with only one entry and exit.

Churches of any religion may have their place, but they are not Wal-Mart stores or hospitals or businesses vital for the function of the city or community.

LUCIAN SIMMONS JR. Oil Trough

No equality of access

I keep reading that these charter schools now sprouting like mushrooms are open enrollment. They also are touted as not being detrimental to our public schools.

But their advocates refuse to deal honestly with the obvious, namely that transportation is not provided as it is in public schools.

Let’s suppose you’re a single mother of children born before you finished high school. Those children are extremely disadvantaged already because you haven’t the ability to aid in homework. You can’t get a decent paying job with no education. You can’t afford a car or taxi to get your children to any open-enrollment charter school. You live hand-to-mouth. So much for equality of access, huh?

Computer-based homework is often a part of assignments, I’m told. How many of these folks have computers or ready access to them?

While it has become painfully obvious that the big-money interests touting charter schools arise from Republicans, who’ll go to any extreme to kill any union anywhere, why won’t they require transport of all students, charter or otherwise? Could it be that they don’t wish to deal with kids from homes stricken by poverty of intellect as well as finances?

Look for answers in what you’re not being told and in those facets of schooling situations that these lily white, upscale Republican poobahs are not dealing with openly.

KARL HANSEN Hensley

Vote for Democrats

Since I retired to Arkansas over 20 years ago, I have seen the state move from 49th to seventh in student readiness for college. In that time, Arkansas teachers have not seen significant salary increases. The teacher is the reason for the fast rise in students achievement, not the administration or other school staff, although all are worthy of raises.

Arkansas has always exported many of its teachers. We need to keep the best teachers in Arkansas by paying a decent wage.

This inequality in pay may be a gender discrimination issue. Most teachers are women. Women in Southern states are not treated as fairly as men. Women, unfortunately, do not earn what men earn in most careers. Women should wake up as to what political party to support. Who ensured them the right to vote?

I met my grandmother eight years before she was allowed the right to vote. She always voted for the party that gave her that right. I encourage women to vote Democratic, the party that protects the underprivileged and will support our teachers.

MAC MacCAMMOND Hot Springs Village

A wide berth is better

Letter writer Gregory Weeks says he was riding a motorcycle “on the inside” going into a curve, as I interpret the statement, when he was “almost clipped” by another machine going the same way (inside or outside unstated).

I am not a motorcyclist, but as an 81-year-old 3,000-pounderist on both pig trails and superslabs, I am totally sympathetic, and for my own safety, as much as theirs, I give all that I see wide berths.

However, I have often-read “always”-wondered how the Jungen decide which lane to cruise in. I see evidence of such a variety of choices that I doubt that it could be in any manual.

EVANS WINTER Conway

Masterson was right

Letter writer Wayne McGinnis stated that Mike Masterson’s comment that conservatives give 18 percent more blood and 30 percent more to charity than liberals do is “unsubstantiated ‘news.’ ”

Masterson’s comments are right on. A study of 10 years of data and scientific surveys by Syracuse University professor Arthur Brooks published in 2006 made these very points. His findings on charitable giving were further supported by data from the nonpartisan Catalogue for Philanthropy. CFP’s study, based on the year2004, ranked states’ charitable giving as a percentage of income to develop a Generosity Index. It found that the top 25 charitable states and 27 of the top 28 were “red” states, those that voted for George W. Bush.

Liberals seem to believe that all charity should come from the government. A perfect example was the disclosure some years ago that multimillionaire Al Gore, then vice president, showed $353 in charitable contributions on his 1997 tax return. Before he started running for president, Barack Obama also was very skimpy on donations. His 2002 tax return showed $1,050 in charitable contributions, a slim 4 percent of his $254,394 income.

Compare to the nearly $8 million that the Dick Cheneys have contributed since 2000. Review of their tax returns showed that the Bushes regularly donated around 18 percent of their income.

JIM LAUX Sherwood

Picture is pretty clear

Things that make me wonder:

Half of my ancestors came by boat. The other half had always lived here. The one half was welcomed with open arms and came through a large secured building on a wonderful island, which helped them become a part of America. Now descendants of the other half want to come for the same freedom and opportunity and the descendants of those who came by boat will not set up anything on our borders to welcome those who want to come here and make it easy for them to come in to our country for the same opportunity their ancestors had.

I read that we don’t want to press 1 for English, yet in the old days communities were set up by which language you spoke. Churches did the same.

It was only necessary for a generation or two, just as it will be for those wanting in now. What is the difference? Well, since I am not black, I will not address slavery. Since I am not Japanese, I will not address why American Japanese were imprisoned during World War II and yet German Americans were not. I won’t go there, but I think I get the picture.

RON STAGER Jacksonville

Fan asks parting gift

Re the increase in football ticket prices: Thanks a lot. (Don’t forget the required donation.)

I have been going to Razorback games for as long as I can remember. I have borrowed money from my parents to take myself and my son to football games for the past few seasons. Administrators have now completely priced me and my son out.

I guess I’m just a “fair-weather fan.” Go, Hogs, go. I just want to enjoy my last year of being able to attend a game. Hogs, make me proud this year. I guess it will be my last.

TRACEY DANIELS Farmington

Feedback It had to be done

Seems a lot of people are still upset about the A bombs used to end our war with Japan. Yes, it was bad, but it did shorten that war by many months or years. How many lives were saved, theirs and ours, compared to theirs lost? Who knows? I saw the destruction in both places. As a Navy vet of that war, I that plus the islands in the Pacific that the Japanese had taken and held. Not nice, as all wars, not nice.

Our ship, the LCFF786, was the port director ship in Tokyo Bay from Aug. 26, 1945, until March 1946. We had many duties-goodwill, carrying troops of all nations from the large ships too big to get close to the docks so that those on board could come ashore to enjoy the sights and sounds of Tokyo. We would take our LCVPs and LCMs out, get a load, bring them in and then about dark sit at the dock to load them up and take them back.

There may be some of you who remember the 25 men and four officers on the 786. We were very busy. There are still four of us left. We stay in touch. I’m the youngest. Our ship logs are at the World War II Museum in Fayetteville. Many of you will understand this: We did what had to be done all across the Pacific, then came home. Stay well.

CARL KNOX Rogers