And I really mean it
Thank you, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, for your informative and persuasive reporting. Without an honest and unbiased media, most of us would not know how we are supposed to feel about things.
We wouldn't know the rioting, murdering, looting and acts of arson committed by concerned citizens across our nation in the summer of 2020 were merely peaceful protests and were justified. We might even believe the protest at the U.S. Capitol on Jan 6, 2021, was also mostly peaceful but got out of hand. We wouldn't have known it was actually a planned and coordinated deadly insurrection instigated by Donald Trump and supported by millions of hard-core racists and Nazis who infect our citizenry while hiding behind the banner of the Republican Party.
Without the media, many Arkansans would not know one of our senators who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee is a horrible person for questioning the qualifications of an individual nominated to serve on the Supreme Court, even though the nomination was based primarily on race and gender with qualifications being secondary.
I could go on and on, but I know your space is limited. Again, thank you for keeping us informed so we can all be united on what is good and bad and right and wrong.
HERB PORTER
Hot Springs Village
Engage with real life
Get off social media. Pause the game. Put down the device. Turn off the news. Get out of your comfort zone. Meet real people in real places and real situations. Look them in the eye and put yourself in their place. Feel for them. Intentionally put yourself in situations where you'll be around people not like you. Get out of your own head. It's not always about you.
Spend time alone too. As important as it is to be with people, it's just as important to be without them. Do something real. Build something. Get some earth on your hands. Think something real. Think deeper than your likes and shares. Whether or not others accept you is secondary to self-acceptance. Like you and share yourself, and not through a screen.
Go outside. See the light, the real light. Breathe fresh air. Get some exercise. Eat good food and drink more water. Spend time being still too. There's nothing wrong with stillness. You won't lose it all just because you actually do nothing for a while.
Most importantly, don't stop at simply feeling love. Practice it. The word "love" is a verb too.
RL HUTSON
Cabot
Anthem was swingin'
I disagree with Diane Plummer's criticism of the way the national anthem was played at the NCAA national championship game. The presentation was easily recognizable and performed skillfully in the style of one of America's many excellent styles of music: New Orleans jazz.
CAROLYN YOUNG
Little Rock
Going after Big Tech
We the people benefit when companies are allowed to grow and innovate. Today, thanks to what some would call "Big Tech," we can have items delivered in hours and products shipped cross-country in less than 24 hours, all purchased through marketplaces that help us get the products and services we want at lower prices and at greater convenience. Unfortunately, the government feels the need to take authority and decision-making away from these private businesses that have created such innovative technology. Instead, it would give power to un-elected bureaucrats of the Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department who would have the ability to take away many of the conveniences we have come to rely on.
Congress shouldn't be in the business of stifling private-sector innovation. Regrettably, Senate Bill 2992, introduced by Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, could do just that. Titled the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, this bill would ban dominant platforms like Facebook and Google from favoring their own products and services over those of their competitors.
This could also eliminate services and products that make life more convenient and affordable for American shoppers.
Like many of us, when I shop online, I take into consideration several things: initial cost, whether it's a good deal, and if shipping is included in my purchase. Under this bill, Amazon might not be able to offer free Prime shipping as part of its yearly benefit. This bill would let the FTC and the DOJ designate whether someone is covered by the bill, and both would carry out enforcement of said bill.
Why should the government be able to shut down a private business' key consumer offering? To what gain?
I see this for what it is--a huge government power grab.
PAMELA BOYD SHIELDS
Little Rock