Thank veterans for it
I believe it is time we brought home our people, troops, factories, foundations and aid from around the world. We are no longer liked or respected as before. Appreciation has diminished everywhere.
Our caring nature motivated us to help everyone. Yes, it was badly needed at times. The countries who controlled territories walked away after many years of greed. We stepped up as the big brother to each one because we saw and heard their anguish. It was the right action.
Now, in our own country, we see and hear of desperate situations. We must strengthen our own citizens with jobs, hope, guidance and policies that are fair to all.
We are still the finest country on earth with great people in all walks of life. Always giving, helping, lifting up and reaching out. Each disaster shows the goodness of our own Americans. Makes me proud to be one of them.
Memorial Day celebrates the honored dead in all battles. Take time to thank a veteran or armed forces person. Go to a national cemetery or the state Capitol and place your hand on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Fly the flag and count your blessings for living in this great land of the USA.
ANITA GATZKE
Little Rock
Saw the power of love
On the morning of the recent Mother's Day, I was traveling home from a fishing trip with friends. It was midmorning, and I planned to lunch with my family on that special day.
As the rain cleared off, I approached an intersection on the two-lane blacktop, way out in the country. There was little traffic, but I noticed an old pickup pulled over across the intersection. A middle-aged man got out. He looked rough, to say the least, with long hair and a scraggly beard. He had the look of someone who just woke up under some honky-tonk pool table. He took no notice of me as I slowly pulled up to the intersection.
He was looking across to the opposite ditch embankment. I followed his gaze while he turned to retrieve something from the back of his pickup. There, across the road, was a small wooden cross, bent over from the stormy weather and surrounded by tattered, dead flowers. I looked back to see the man sadly but purposefully striding toward the small cross.
In his hands was a bouquet of fresh-cut flowers.
SPENCER BAKER
Little Rock
Freedom is not free
Several years ago, I attended a memorial service at Laman Library. As I was leaving, I was approached by a young teacher who asked me if I would accept a red piece of construction paper which contained a note from a little boy named London. I told her that not only would I accept it, but I would keep it on my refrigerator. This is what it said.
"Dear Veteron,
Thank you for proteting our contre for us and fighting for safety. I egpreshat it. Yore great."
I served in the Air Force for 22 years but was never asked to fight. I am no hero, but I thank London and his teacher for taking the time and effort to recognize that freedom is not free. The cost is terrible.
JIM McCLANAHAN
North Little Rock
Vexing development
I don't know if this has anything to do with the development on Rahling Road, but I've rarely seen the level of competition for food at my residence in West Little Rock that is now witnessed. I can't keep feeders filled. The animals are engaging in much more conflict than usual.
What I have noticed of human activity over here is the cutting of every tree in sight. Conservation problems are not limited to other continents.
Is there something the capital city of the Natural State can do about this? I wonder.
KAY CARPENTER
Little Rock
Need to pay attention
The news today is replete with warnings from radical Islamists like Iran, which reportedly intends to wipe Israel off the map, then come after the "Great Satan," America. Yet, these threats are either being ignored, or not being taken seriously by many in our government. Thoughtful pundits assure us these are not idle threats and we should pay attention.
There are others to whom we should pay attention. In Terry Mattingly's recent column, he reports on a recent Hillary Clinton speech before the Women in the World Summit in New York addressing "reproductive health care" issues and laws dealing with "discrimination against gays and the transgendered." Hillary, Mattingly writes, told the summit that in the future, politicians would need to force religious leaders to change ancient teachings to fit modern laws.
To be effective, this would have to include not only cake-bakers and pizza-shop owners who refuse to actively participate in the preparations for same-sex marriage celebrations, but would also impose legal sanctions against all Christians whose "deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed," as she put it.
This signals to me the intent of our government to include monitoring and censoring all messages, including those from our church pulpits. Liberty Counsel says, "the LGBT community has worked to change American culture and opinions about homosexuality, and when necessary--force people who don't agree by use of the courts." This happened recently in Houston.
CLARENCE RICHMOND
Searcy
Support for Sanders
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) recently announced his candidacy for president on the Democratic ticket in the 2016 election. Both he and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) are staunch supporters of re-enacting the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act separating commercial and investment banks.
I think you may be aware I have been advocating the same thing repeatedly since early in 2010 (shortly after the 2008 economic meltdown). I think it is the only way to curtail "boom and bust" cycles in our economy.
Senator Sanders' campaign platform entails deep concern over the extreme concentration of 99 percent of the nation's new income in the hands of the richest 1 percent of the citizens. He plans to correct this by restoring better balance to the salaries of middle- and working-class citizens. Two other issues in his platform are: All high school graduates, with the intelligence and ambition to benefit, could attend any state institute of academic or vocational learning, tuition-free; and he would work toward transforming the current Affordable Health Care Act into a single-payer, universal, "Medicare-for-all" system with no co-pays. This would automatically cut a minimum of 15 percent of current costs.
How's that for a start at restoring our equal-opportunity democratic government? I urge you to speak to your friends and acquaintances in Senator Sanders' behalf.
ROBERT G. HALL
Jacksonville
Editorial on 05/16/2015