Can think for myself
When did it happen that a person cannot listen to a speech or a program, or read it in the paper without a chorus of others trying to tell us what was said or how we should feel about it? I know that the reason for an editorial section is so other opinions can be heard. But today every news action has to have an editorial, or a panel of talking heads to re-discuss what has been said or what is happening.
Did the public suddenly get so ignorant that they cannot be trusted to think for themselves? I am all for lots of different opinions, but what is going on today seems to be an attempt on both sides to dumb us down and tell us that we can't think for ourselves. A lot of op-eds sound like "you can't decide for yourself what has happened and you need my expert opinion to help you think straight."
I believe that we are capable of some intelligent thoughts, of forming some well-thought-out opinions, and deciding what to do about world events. What would be helpful is to just point out other ways of looking at a problem by giving facts and data to help me see both sides. Anyone can have an opinion and some can access ways to get those opinions into media every day, but when you write or give your opinion, remember that there are two sides and respect the persons you are giving your opinion to. We will respect you more for it.
GAIL SHIELDS
Mount Ida
Our common foibles
One admonition given to slow the effects of aging memory is to learn something new each day. One bit of knowledge recently gleaned from "The Seven Sins of Memory" by Daniel L. Schacter is that forgetting names is a common human condition. Schacter calls it "proper-name anomia." Names are harder to remember than other things because they are specific to one person. If you are trying to remember the name of a particular item of living room furniture and the word sofa will not surface, you can substitute others names such as divan, settee, couch, etc., but a person's name has to be specific, making it more difficult to recall. Admittedly, some have better control of the problem than others.
Another "sin" he identifies is absent-mindedness. A common ailment, not limited to college professors. Countless times I have driven away from my house, gone a block or so and wondered if I closed my garage door. I either backtrack or circle the block to check. Not once have I found it open. Things we do automatically are quickly forgotten or never register at all, as in my punching the button to close my garage door without being conscious of it.
He also reports an anecdote that is encouraging to me. It concerns the winner of the National Memory Championship, The winner, who beat out 16 other gifted contestants in rigorous memory exercises, later admitted that she had to often resort to Post-it note reminders to make it through the day.
Another condition is called tip-of-the tongue (TOT) state of mind; the feeling that a blocked word or name is on the tip of one's tongue but simply won't emerge. A near universal sensation, it seems. I love it when experts give fancy names to common human foibles while declaring their universality.
JOHN McPHERSON
Searcy
Solemn oath ignored
When Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, my two biggest concerns about his coming presidency were about foreign policy and the political process, given his total lack of experience or understanding in either area. Sadly, the past 3½-plus years have shown that my concerns were well-founded. This letter will deal with just political process--the ways in which national policies and resulting decisions are made, guided by the Constitution.
President Trump has consistently shown his disdain for our key political institutions by attacking federal judges, the FBI, the entire intelligence community, our top military leaders, the military justice system, Supreme Court justices, and members of Congress, including Republicans with whom he disagreed, such as Senators Mitt Romney and the late John McCain. He has also assaulted our entire legal order, most recently by commuting the jail sentence of his former political operative Roger Stone without even waiting for a possible appeal. Stone had been convicted by a jury of his peers of seven felony charges. Presidential interference in the case led to the resignation in protest of the entire team of Justice Department prosecutors who had brought the successful case against Stone.
This abuse of presidential power and other actions by President Trump led me to the conclusion that he treats the solemn presidential oath of office he made (to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution) just like he has treated his business contracts and his marriage vows. That is, they are all things which can be ignored whenever he decides that they are inconvenient. We, the people of the United States, deserve better in a president.
CHARLES HARTWIG
Jonesboro
Hey, you, move over!
OK, drivers of Arkansas--for the 'leventy-'leventh time: When driving on a multilane highway, the left lane is for passing only. This is not a suggestion; it is the law of the great state of Arkansas.
If you are in the left lane and cars are piling up behind you, move over to the right lane. Got it?
While we are at it, do not tailgate, and use your turn signal. We have enough to worry about these days--don't need scofflaws on the highways.
DAVID DICKEY
Sherwood