Must come together
It amazes me that when African Americans protest and a riot breaks out and looting by a few, the whole group is labeled as terrorists. On the other hand, the KKK and other hate groups have terrorized African Americans since the 1800s (since the abolition of slavery) and no one has called them terrorists. When 9/11 occurred, unless an African American had a relative or close friend in the Twin Towers (unlike the Caucasians who still may be fearful of another 9/11), we got over it because we live in fear every day from hate groups and the police.
The president said, in so many words, that taking down Confederate statues or flags is to forget our history. There is a difference between glorifying history and remembering history. How do you think the Jews would feel if there were statues of Adolf Hitler in their community or if there were statues of General Custer in the American Indian community?
We call this country the United States of America and we use words like "one nation under God." The fact is we have never been united. There has always been a divide: African Americans and Caucasians, rich and poor, Democrats and Republicans, Christians and non-Christians. It is time we come together as one nation under God!
H.D. CLAY
Little Rock
Smart, well-rounded
You can fool some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time, except, apparently, for the Arkansas delegation to Congress. Republicans used to stand for limited government and the market economy. Now they stand for whatever Donald Trump utters in the moment. Did their brains just fall out of their heads?
Arkansas used to have great senators and congressmen. They were admired and respected around the world: J. William Fulbright, John McClellan, Dale Bumpers, David Pryor, and Congressman Wilbur Mills, the longtime chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee where our progressive income tax laws were written.
They brought pride to our state. In 1992, the rest of America elected our five-term governor, Bill Clinton, president of the United States of America. Our hearts swelled with pride as the rabid right went crazy.
The genius of our tax code, until 1981, is that everyone was taxed exactly the same on their taxable income. America became great because of our graduated income tax, not in spite of it!
Our senators and congressmen led our nation and our world through the Cold War. People born after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 probably do not know what the Cold War was about. I was on the front lines of that war as Special Weapons Officer aboard USS Haleakala while deployed with the Seventh Fleet in 1961. What we did was highly classified, but I can tell you that we were prepared for the Cold War to become a hot one at any moment. You youngsters should listen to your elders, especially those with well-rounded educations in the arts and sciences.
RUUD DuVALL
Fayetteville
Need global solution
Right now we are experiencing a turbulent time in our nation's history. People are losing their jobs, college students are dealing with the reality that they may not return to campus this year, and the economy has already tanked. We are concerned about the well-being of our friends and family, which is warranted in such a crisis as this.
What if I told you that next year, over half a billion people around the world will drop below the international poverty line? This translates to an income of $1.90 per day, and the pandemic alone could erase decades of progress. You're probably asking yourself, "Why should this matter to me?" The majority of the world's consumers live outside of the U.S., and if people from developing areas like sub-Saharan Africa are unable to buy our products, then American businesses are losing out on potential revenue.
Investment in these impoverished communities can boost the economies of the developing countries and our own, as both areas are open to new trade and job opportunities. Whether you're economically conservative and like to invest or you're more passionate about the humanitarian side of fighting poverty, the benefits are undeniable.
If you want to make a change, contact your legislators and encourage them to support the International Affairs Budget and/or the Covid-19 Global Response. The International Affairs Budget provides billions of dollars of resources to growing countries (food, water, technology, medicine, etc.) and the Covid-19 Global Response gives $20 billion toward combating covid-19, tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases. If you have less time but enough disposable income, consider donating to The Borgen Project and other organizations that advocate on behalf of fighting poverty. This is a global problem, so it's going to take a global solution with all hands on deck to help!
REILLY O'NEILL
Little Rock
A message to masses
Dear liberals: Don't screw this up.
To the folks that didn't get their choice of Biden's running mate, just swallow and keep moving forward. To the left wing of the Democratic Party who worry that the platform is not progressive enough, remember you have to win first. To the Portland protesters, I support your right to protest, but stop the violence. You're not helping. To the Chicago hoodlums that rioted and trashed stores this week, just go home. You're playing right into the hands of Trump, but with no agenda at all.
This election is a binary choice, Trump/Pence or Biden/Harris. Wake up and vote.
MICKEY FREEMAN
Little Rock