National standards
The time is well overdue for our country to have a national set of standards for the election of our president and congressmen.
For federal elections, all 50 states should have the same rules for early voting, absentee voting (vote by mail), types of voting apparatuses, number of polling places per population/square miles, etc. The federal government should provide funding for this. Your constitutional right to vote should not be restricted because you live in a state or county where the "leaders" (of any political party) have a nefarious agenda. Local elections could be handled differently.
Something to consider: Since I do not foresee term limits being enacted in my lifetime for the Senate or House of Representatives, anyone who believes in term limits should always vote in primaries and only vote for someone who has not served two or more terms. That is what I have done and will continue to do.
JULIA FOSTER
Monticello
Recall good old days
You've always heard the phrase "good old days." Well, to a great extent they were just that. I was fortunate to grow up in the '50s. Things were so different then, we had a life. And words were definitive, not morphed into something else.
For one thing, boys were boys and girls were girls; there was no "confusion" about what we were. The word "sex" identified what you were, not "gender." Sex is binary; you're either male or female. Boys liked girls and vice versa. Just thinking you were an alpaca didn't make you one.
Imagination was in our minds, not in handheld devices. We played outdoors, even in summer. We knew how to have fun. We even played "cowboys and Indians" and no one was offended.
We recognized how to relate to others. "Yes, sir" and "no, sir" or "yes, ma'am" and "no, ma'am" were common, not aberrations. Profanity was seldom heard and if so, it just indicated a lack of vocabulary.
In school, we had to memorize the preamble to the Constitution. There are many students today who can't even spell Constitution, let alone know what it stands for. Today, more emphasis seems to be on shaping the minds of children rather than developing them.
We had families, a father and mother that lived in the home together with us. Going to church on Sunday was just as certain as the fried chicken that followed services.
Race generally had something to do with speed. Who among us were able to select the color of our skin? Then why is anyone expected to apologize for it? Can a leopard change its spots?
Looting meant stealing and was treated accordingly, with prison sentences. Police officers and laws were held in respect.
It was a great time to live.
LES BLEDSOE
North Little Rock
Should be outraged
We should all send an amen for the political cartoon by Michael Ramirez in Wednesday's paper. Where are the demonstrations and outrage from all races and ethnicities over the ambush of the California deputies?
LINDA I. BARRY
Little Rock
Where's the outrage?
Your joking remarks about Donald Trump throwing his opposition into apoplexy in your Saturday editorial did as you intended. It threw this person into apoplexy. No, outrage.
Donald Trump is a result of a failure to educate in the humanities and history. His actions and remarks have evoked a sense of outrage among the "elite" (those who pay attention to something other than Fox and utilize their critical thinking skills).
American deaths will soon eclipse 200,000. This tragedy is not "stuffed with such gorgeous humors" (Mencken from your editorial). Due to the concept of exponential growth, an earlier response to this pandemic when the current president was first made aware of the danger would have saved thousands of lives. Now we have a CDC official who has clear psychopathology directing our response for the next 100-plus days, which would bring even more deaths to our country. Where is your outrage?
Many have lost their lives or limbs in service to our country. Those who paid the ultimate sacrifice so we can enjoy our freedom are not suckers and losers as stated by the president. Those remarks are not "inordinate farce" (Mencken, from your editorial). Many are part of the greatest generation that freed the world of the ultimate Law 'n' Order authoritarian, Hitler. Like John McCain, they served their country. Where is your outrage?
Tom Cotton for Supreme Court, whose only qualification is to reverse Roe v. Wade? Where is your outrage?
None of this is humorous. In 1957, the Arkansas Gazette ran prize-winning editorials because it was outraged at the injustice of segregation. While it cost it subscriptions, it served its community with a moral compass. Our community depends on you to help us understand the context of our politics. Where is your outrage?
R. WHIT HALL
Little Rock
Will take my chances
Arkansas voters have been warned that Joe Biden will become a socialist and ruin America after he is elected. That is hard to believe, since he has never been a socialist in 47 years of public service.
On the other hand, President Trump highly values his close association with communist world leaders Kim Jong Un, Xi Jinping, and Vladimir Putin, and has very little patience with other world leaders. He tells us over and over again how much he respects the communist rulers and enjoys their company and their letters, and I believe him.
So, considering Donald Trump's affection for communist role models, I'll take my chances with Joe Biden.
KATHLYN ROBINETTE
Green Forest