Farmers must do part
It is shameful that farmers are resorting to gassing chickens, breaking eggs, plowing under crops and dumping milk when so many Americans are going hungry.
Nurses and doctors are working 16-hour shifts and staying in motels to keep from infecting their families. Teachers are preparing and presenting online lessons. Shops are closed. Parents are doing triple duty with parenting, teaching and running the household.
Everyone is staying home and sacrificing.
Restaurants and churches have found a way to create, prepare and serve people in food banks. You would think farmers could find a way to step up rather than plowing under much-needed food.
Everyone else is pulling together. Farmers need to do the same.
DORRIE MECKES
Cabot
Opportunity to thrive
Perhaps you have heard the term school choice, but many may not understand what it really means and what an impact it can have on a family. To me, it means my daughter, who has a speech disability, can go to a school that meets her specific needs.
My daughter Taylor has a disability called speech apraxia, a motor speech disorder that causes her to have problems saying sounds, syllables and words. Having a child with a disability is a unique challenge, but it can be even more of a challenge when it comes to finding a school that will best fit their learning needs. Thanks to our ability to choose the right place for Taylor, she is able to attend a school that offers one-on-one teaching and the therapy she needs to succeed. Before she had this opportunity, Taylor struggled with reading, but now reads to me, which is music to this momma's ears! More than that, I have seen her self-confidence rise tremendously because she has been given an opportunity for success, not set up for failure and frustration.
This incredible opportunity for Taylor and our family is due to the Succeed Scholarship Program. Before receiving the scholarship, we had to either borrow money or choose between paying a bill or paying tuition. The Succeed Scholarship allows us an opportunity to place our daughter in a learning environment where she has teachers who understand her condition and give her what she needs.
This is simple. Parents and guardians are the best voices for their children. If we don't stand up for our children and get them the help they need, who will? We cannot risk allowing them to fall behind in a school that is not right for them. Every child has different needs and every child deserves an educational opportunity to best meet those needs.
BRANDY BILLINGSLEY
Benton
Remember the goal
I know Joe Whalen as a man of science and numbers. So I was a little surprised when I read his letter to the editor Tuesday. Joe seemed to forget what we are doing.
First, covid-19 is not the flu. It is a novel virus that is more deadly and creates more medical complications. Joe understands the bell curve better than most people, but he seems to forget that our social distancing efforts are aimed at flattening the curve so our medical infrastructure is not overwhelmed. We would do the same thing if the flu threatened to overwhelm us, but it has not.
Everyone wants to get back to "normal" (whatever that will be). So let's not push us into a second wave. Stay home or wear a mask. Wash your hands. And try to remember what we are doing.
MICKEY FREEMAN
Little Rock
On proof of existence
Mr. Elsken has stirred the religion pot, and I can't help but respond. I have no expectation of convincing him of God's existence, but I do believe that others may be convinced that his view is not as strong as it may seem. Neither science nor religion can, outside of faith, explain the origin of the universe.
However, I believe history provides convincing proof of the existence of God. Only the most hardened skeptic can deny that Jesus was a historical figure. One who chooses to deny the existence of Jesus can't be convinced of the existence of Plato or any number of historical figures. Jesus claimed to be God revealed in human form. History records that he performed miracles that were convincing to the people of his day. The ultimate miracle was his resurrection from the dead. These miracles are unexplained by science, which was the purpose; only God could do such things. Jesus' followers were so skeptical of his resurrection that when the women who visited the tomb to tend the body returned with the news, they scoffed. Yet, after visiting the empty tomb and experiencing the bodily appearance of Jesus among themselves, those same skeptics were willing to experience martyrdom rather than deny the divinity of Jesus.
Jesus revealed that the creative force of the universe is a God of justice and love. God demands only one thing, that we acknowledge the documented evidence of Jesus' divinity. Revere God and love your neighbor as yourself, and you have all you need to get through the difficulties of life. It's your choice.
DAVID RAULS
Nashville
Beliefs make the man
A few things I believe: 1. I believe it is important to tell the truth. 2. I believe in freedom of the press. 3. I believe that discrimination because of ethnicity, race, gender or sexual orientation is wrong. 4. I believe we are responsible for our actions, past, present and future. 5. I believe basic human decency is an admirable characteristic and that we should try to practice it.
Some think these things make me a Democrat. Others think they make me a never-Trumper.
I believe these things make me an American.
JOHN DUPREE
Fayetteville
Editorial on 04/25/2020