LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Story unconscionable; As your president ...; Migrating butterflies

Story unconscionable

Sunday's edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette contained a story which deeply disturbed me about the legal hunting of large game animals in Africa. I have followed Bryan Hendricks for a long time and cannot believe he would sanction writing a story about the legal slaughter of these beautiful animals by a Maumelle man.

The death of one animal is bad enough, but five is unconscionable. Shame on you, Mr. Hendricks.

NANCY FREDENBURGH

Maumelle

As your president ...

This is my platform.

  1. Income Inequality. Tax rates on marginal (tippy-top of their money piles) income from 60 percent for "absurd" to 90 percent for "obscene," aka "you gotta be kidding me." 1a. Details by a committee of Warren Buffett, his secretary, John Brummett, Bradley Gitz, a panhandler, and others at each income level. Committee meets at center court in Bud Walton Arena with play-by-play and commentary by Bill Walton and Dick Vitale. 1b. Proceeds help fund my, or President Warren's, priorities.
  2. Health Care. Bring back Barack and his crew, plus Michelle. Ask Canada.
  3. Climate Change. It's happening, people. Get your heads out. Al Gore, Al Gore, Al Gore. And, duh ... Ralph Nader. He's only 85.
  4. Immigration. Put AOC in charge of ICE. Ask Canada. 4a. Seriously, an American Confederation for our hemisphere similar to the European Union. You heard it here first. Probably why I won't win. But it's out there now. Think about it.
  5. Foreign Policy. Less shootin', bombin' and embargoin'; more kissin' and huggin'. Secretary of State Fareed Zakaria. Bill and Hillary? Oprah? Ellen? Ask Canada.
  6. Nukes in Iran, North Korea and anybody that wants them and has money to burn. There are no bad nukes, just bad people with nukes. So everybody should have them. Might as well let our military industrial complex (Eisenhower, 1961) get a bigger piece of that action than it already has. 6a. Not!

This is hard. I'm taking a break now.

HOWELL MEDDERS

Fayetteville

Migrating butterflies

Re Mike Masterson's piece on migrating butterflies being in trouble and declining numbers: As I see problems that insects and birds are having, the following comes to my mind. Lawnmowers, Roundup herbicides (and herbicides in general) deforestation, and the killing of vegetation on hundreds of thousands of acres annually, some being national forest; even the state of Arkansas and counties are using these chemicals. These chemicals used on forest lands, roads, and highways will run off into streams and rivers.

JOSEPH BERRY

Redfield

We're paying for this

It was revealed Sept. 6 that an Air Force C-17 on its way from Alaska to Kuwait to deliver military supplies was told to land at a small private airport in Scotland. Normally this flight lands at a military base in Germany, Spain or Italy, so no wonder it came as a surprise to the C-17 to land in Scotland. Apparently this airport is struggling and is less than 30 miles from President Trump's struggling golf course. From what the crew reported, they didn't have the money or proper clothes to stay at this property.

It was revealed that taxpayers' money is being used to financially support these two businesses. Since 2017 the military has spent $11 million on fuel at a higher rate at the airport than what it cost at a military base, not to mention the cost of lodging at an exclusive golf course.

Why is Congress, especially our senators and representatives, not doing something about this? I thought they went to D.C. to stop the waste. Instead they allow Vice President Mike Pence to stay at a Trump property in Ireland and commute 180 miles one way for a meeting, and the president is now wanting to have a G-7 summit at one of his properties in Florida, thus lining his pockets with millions of foreign money, which violates the emoluments clause of the Constitution.

How long is this man going to be allowed to financially and environmentally destroy this great country?

CHARLES MAYS

Rogers

Possum Poot update

With all the gratitude we can muster, we give thanks to President Trump for turning Hurricane Dorian away from us. Just a couple inches of rain floods the church basement and puts a bunch of cranky women back at home to nag their spouses.

Through exclusive back channels and use of a Sharpie we were told that The Donald had flown above the hurricane and used a loudspeaker to order the hurricane to "turn north or I will nuke you," thereby saving Alabama and Possum Poot from bad happenings.

Meanwhile, since we cannot get any supplies for our mimeograph machine, we have had to suspend publication of the Omnibus Herald Chronicle Reporter Advocate Picayune paper. Immediately talk of building our wall resumed with vigor. I pointed out that the new bypass was working well, but several folks still want a wall. Gated community was what they called it, saying they wanted to be one, too.

Other than that, it's been too hot for anything but hanging out at the local watering hole and talking. Professor Phineas Phogbottom makes an appearance on occasion to speak his mind. Last time it was his belief that Sarah Huckabee Sanders should be forced to wear a body burka in public. Some folks objected, some did not. Oh well; come visit the Poot and get downright righteous with us!

STEVE GIBSON

Little Rock

Awash with cousins

Re Brummett's column "Sane policy in crossfire": "The bill exempts from those expanded checks any selling or lending to family members up to cousins ... ." According to ancestry.com, based on its analysis of my DNA, as of this morning I have more than 103,000 cousins, of which over 4,000 are fourth cousins or closer--hardly an exclusionary criterion.

Pearls Before Swine was a real kick Tuesday morning!

CHARLES W. TAUNTON

Fayetteville

Editorial on 09/12/2019

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