GOP should be scared
Donald Trump announces third presidential run. Hmmm. Shocking! Harold Stassen lives. Who knew? Of course, poor old Harold bore the curse of honesty, so he never got very far. Mr. Trump is not so afflicted.
Democrats should be lining up to help His Trumpness get the nomination. And Republicans should be very afraid. Maybe the legal system will solve their problem. Otherwise, they face two years of conspiracy theories, victimhood claims and lots of other lies. And many down-ballot mediocrities who look good but bring little else to the dance. Of course, the potential good news is that Trump might choose unfailingly loyal Sarah Sanders for veep, thus saving Arkansas from her eight-year on-the-job learning exercise. We can only hope.
If nothing else, the recent elections should prove that the coattails that help bring nominations from partisans don't ensure success when non-base voters are involved. We'll see if the GOP can actually figure that out. Don't bet on it. It will take a brave Republican to openly defy Trump in 2024. After that we'll see.
DENNIS BARRY
Little Rock
Disqualified by law
It would seem Section 3 of the 14th Amendment clearly disqualifies Donald Trump from becoming president: "No person shall ... hold any office ... under the United States ... who, having previously taken an oath ... to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same."
It should also have disqualified at least six Republican members of the House or Senate that we know of, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene.
The media is slacking at doing its job of keeping the voters "well informed" when it ignores the constitutional requirements to hold any position in the federal government. Clearly there are very few people, even those we elected and who swore an oath to protect and uphold the Constitution, who bother reading it, or if they do read it, ignore the parts that don't favor their political positions.
JUDITH ZITKO
Hot Springs Village
They deserve better
I think our hardworking employees of the Arkansas Department of Transportation who keep our highway shoulders and medians mowed should have all the safety and comfort we all enjoy. The tractors they use should have cabs and air conditioners to keep the drivers from heat, cold, dust, smoke, wasps, bees and waste bottles being thrown out.
JOHN NANCE
Newport