Consequences to be
I understand the financial reasons that the Democrat-Gazette is going digital, but I don't think consequences of the iPad edition have been fully discussed.
There are a lot of middle- and lower-income people who can't afford the $34 per month for the iPad edition of the Democrat-Gazette, let alone the $40- to $100-plus fee per month for WiFi service, if it is even available. With most local newspapers having stopped publishing, that leaves an electorate that doesn't have an available or affordable paper with your core values to be informed of the candidates, the issues, amendments to our Constitution or laws on the ballot. Where and when to vote, the election outcomes statewide: Where will this information be available to lower- and middle-income citizens?
This lack of affordable and available information will have consequences that will affect the elections and our lives for years to come.
GWEN BENNETT
Eureka Springs
Old and new battle
At the technological crossroads, old and new came nose to nose. Instead of a battle to see who would cross the junction first and declare a winner, they cautiously continued arm and arm down a new path.
Such was the scene when days were approaching to end printing the Democrat-Gazette weekday edition and using the provided iPad was to take place. I thoroughly opposed the decision because I liked everything about the paper edition. The feel of the paper, the snap it sounded when opening and straightening the pages. And how was I supposed to get a green rubber band from the darned iPad?
At a local antique mall, I had purchased a vintage table-top newspaper holder. I had regretted letting the family one be sold when closing out my mother's house. A sturdy aluminum tripod design with a red rooster proclaiming, "Morning News" on the front side and "Wife Side" on the back. The treasured purchase brought back memories of my Daddy opening the Commercial Appeal or the Memphis Press-Scimitar with that comforting snap, and reading often aloud the daily news propped on the stand each morning. My safe secure little world could proceed as he blew on the scalding hot coffee he was drinking.
Now what? No paper to put on my new (old) stand! But time passed; the paper stand sat on the table without a paper. The rooster croaked a weak "Morning News." I eventually acquiesced and started using the iPad. OK, I like it now, lots of great features to enhance reading. But the best thing of all is that the iPad fits squarely and securely on the stand. So all is well, I still have memories of paper snapping and coffee blowing. But now it's me blowing on hot coffee and reading what the world has in store for me one more day.
BEVERLY FLORIDA
Cammack Village
Skinheads like Trump
In a letter titled "Commies like him too," Karl Kimball said of the Revolutionary Communist Party of America endorsement of Joe Biden, "They think he will be most amenable to their platform."
In a statement about the endorsement, the chairman of the party, Bob Avakian, stated, "This is not because Biden (and the Democratic Party in general) have suddenly become something other than what they are: representatives and instruments of this exploitative, oppressive, and literally murderous system of capitalism-imperialism." He then added that Biden is not "'better' than Trump, in any meaningful way--except that he is not Trump." Hardly an endorsement of someone who would be amenable to their platform, but rather his choice for what he considers the lesser of two evils.
Meanwhile Donald John Trump has actively embraced some of the most right-wing groups in the country. Among those supporting him: Richard Spencer, who wrote, "With a single tweet, Trump was able to win back the sizeable deluded portion of the Alt-Right, eager to take another trip on the merry-go-round"; Andrew Anglin of The Daily Stormer, who wrote, "This is the kind of white nationalism we elected him for"; and Patrick Casey of the American Identify Movement, who wrote, "My reservations about the administration remain, but Trump escalating his attacks on these four horrid women--women who simply do not belong in America, let alone in our government--is more than a little satisfying."
Other extreme-right individuals who support Trump are Matt Parrott of the Traditionalist Worker Party, Sven Longshanks of the Daily Nationalist, James Edwards of The Political Cesspool, Pamela Geller of the Islamophobic American Freedom Defense Initiative/Stop Islamization of America, and former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke.
Yes, skinheads like him too. They know he will be more amenable to their platform. If you love America, you should be appalled by a man who embraces their support.
KENNETH WEBER
Greenbrier
Focus on Americans
Arkansas has seen a rise in opioid overdoses and deaths since 2013. Over 60 percent of opioid deaths in Arkansas involve fentanyl, a synthetic, lethal opioid which comes from China. Chinese fentanyl is a serious threat to the health of our children and our families.
Fortunately, our Sen. Tom Cotton has been fighting against the influx of illegal drugs like fentanyl. Senator Cotton stood strong and passed the Fentanyl Sanctions Act which put sanctions on fentanyl distributors in China. And he did this while partnering with Democrats. In a time when it's difficult to get Republicans and Democrats to work together, he found common ground. I'm proud that Senator Cotton puts Americans' safety above all else.
Thank you, Senator, for focusing on issues like national security and foreign policy, because issues impact our homes right here in Arkansas.
MINDY McALINDON
Centerton