LETTERS

LITTLE ROCK — To the scene of the crime

Cynthia Howell of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette recently wrote of Gov. Mike Beebe urging high school graduates of the class of 2012—some graduating with hopes to pursue pediatric oncology, aerospace engineering, foreign language translation and creative writing—to return to the state. Some must leave Arkansas and attend colleges and universities offering their degrees; many certainly do not return.

To attend the Governor’s Mansion event, the students had to have a cumulative grade-point average of 4.0 in the ninth through the 12th grades or be National Achievement or National Merit semifinalists, or National Hispanic Scholars.

Governor Beebe urges these achievers to come back to our Third World state.

I don’t feel that cyber college educates, but computer science and engineering technology degrees do make for a good salary.

At a recent emeriti faculty luncheon at UALR, no one responded when I asked who wrote, “Good fences make good neighbors.” It was Robert Frost.

In Howell’s story, she concludes with what Frank Scott, the 28-year-old graduate of the University of Memphis and now business development officer of Little Rock’s First Security Bank told the class of 2012: “Don’t just get a degree, get an education.”

I quoted Emily Dickinson: “There’s a certain slant of light, on winter afternoons, that oppresses, like the weight of cathedral tunes.”

No one responded.

RICHARD B. DIXON Little Rock

Republic is in danger

As a citizen of our grand republic, I am dumbfounded that Congress has allowed President Barack Obama to once again trample our Constitution and thumb his nose at our elected officials. The policy change regarding illegal immigrants left me outraged.

As you know, all legislative power is vested in Congress, meaning that it is the only part of the government that can make new laws or change existing laws.

The last I saw, the DREAM Act was not passed and the president’s actions, in my opinion, are nothing less than blatant vote-pandering.

The president of the United States swore an oath to enforce the laws of this country but I believe he is not doing so, Eric Holder and his Justice Department are not doing so, and Congress is twiddling their collective thumbs as our nation moves closer to the Cloward-Piven model of socialism.

I encourage you to stand up and make your voice heard. In my view, those who do not stand up to these ongoing blatant actions will go down as cowards and traitors to our republic.

May God save our great nation.

JOHN RIDDLE

Little Rock

Humans still evolving

I choose the belief of spiritual growth over the fundamentalist.

We will evolve into the loving, exceptional and accepting humanitarians God has planned for us to be. We are still evolving and she will win.

Our understanding of the Bible evolves, also, along with our studies and understanding of human development.

The Bible is influenced by God but was written by men with personal agendas, in my opinion.

It is speculated that Paul was gay. I believe his writing is full of unresolved confused feelings for himself, women and marriage.

I pray we will understand more as we evolve.

CHARLOTTE MAE MOORE

Fayetteville

Label on the offensive

Doesn’t Ben Jealous of the NAACP realize the name of his organization is offensive to the very people he is seeking to advance?

It is apparently so offensive that an editor of our local newspaper refused to print a letter containing the “C” word because, according to him, he would be the recipient of a month’s worth of hate mail if he did.

I suggest immediately changing it to something more acceptable like NAABP or, following the president’s apparent acceptance of the New Black Panther’s “right” to intimidate voters, the NAANBPP. Or he could follow Malcolm X’s lead and call it the NAAXP. Or how about NAAAA, which could be pronounced “N Quad A,” sounding a bit like the Kwanzaa holiday made up in 1966?

If the group would abandon its offensive name, I could adapt it for a new organization called the National Association for the Advancement of Caucasian People and we could use their obsolete NAACP stationery.

After all, Caucasians are becoming the minority in this country and need all the advancement we can get, unless you Bubbas, crackers, honkies and rednecks reading this are highly offended by being called Caucasians.

PHILIP WARNER

Garfield

Take care of our own

There is no way to win a war where the U.S. troops can’t tell the difference between the civilians and the warriors.

The U.S. troops should be brought home. Sure, when they leave the enemy will take over, but who is doing anything about it in reality? That has been going on for thousands of years.

What difference will it make if it is this year or two years from now?

We get the impression that only other people’s lives are meaningful. What about Americans?

The idea that politicians can make democratic or republican countries with war and debt money is a daydream. Only when people’s hearts are changed do they care, and when the government in our own country has no leadership, there is a downward slide in the culture.

I think we need to tend to our own, rebuild the military and have truth in the White House to restore our government.

WILLIE N. GRAFF

Pea Ridge

Research, then speak

I find that I am unable to understand the controversy surrounding the religion referred to as Mormon (a nickname from history). The actual name is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I belong to this church, and I am blessed to have been led to this church in my youth.

We, the Mormon people, read the Bible (King James Version) and the Book of Mormon, which is further scriptures written by prophets of old, same as we read in the Bible.

We worship God and his son Jesus Christ as does every Christian church in the world.

Yes, we have differences in beliefs, but doesn’t every church differ? All have their own doctrine.

At present we have about 14 million members worldwide, and we continue to grow. I believe we are one of the top five in size in the U.S.

Too often, we judge and base bias on words spoken by another whose limited knowledge of a subject equals our own.

It would seem research should come before we speak.

SHARON PHILLIPS Redfield

Football not for sissies

We are talkin’ football here, and there are so many memories, so many storied moments. My daddy grew up in Rector in Clay County. He loved football. He played football all of his young life, even into college. He cherished the count, the snap, the visceral sound of bony knees and elbows orchestrated with involuntary voice of effort, the crash of the play.

Those were days of the leather helmet. I recall “Hammer Head” Greer. He never wore a hat, didn’t need one. On the same Arkansas high school team, “St. Louis” Gains wore his hip pads outside his pants. They flapped menacingly as he thundered at you. “Tough” is an understatement. “Contact sport” is a gross understatement.

I’ve enjoyed football all my life. I played some early, enough to learn it’s not for sissies. Football—with all its facets, even the politics—has and still does infuriate and fascinate me. I love the game. Now, all of a sudden as though a flash of breaking news, the word is out: People are being hit. People are being hurt. Horrors.

As a grade-school quarterback in Fayetteville, my grandson told his offensive linemen, “I’m buyin’ the candy if you keep those guys off of me!” How do those fledgling beseechments compare to million-dollar NFL contracts, dedicated to the same end?

The whistle blew on some of our New Orleans Saints recently, and that’s a shame. They’re not criminals; these are Saints. This is football. They love it. We love it. Let ’em play!

TOM COCHRAN

Springdale

Craziness is rampant

Re Kevin Keough’s recent letter: Atheism—the belief that there was nothing and nothing happened to nothing, and then nothing magically exploded for no reason, creating everything, and then a bunch of everything magically rearranged itself for no reason, which then turned into dinosaurs.

And he thinks my Christianity is crazy!

Re Ilse Smith’s letter: According to Speaker John Boehner, the Republicanled House has sent numerous jobs bills to the Democrat-led Senate, and Sen. Harry Reid refuses to even let them come up for a vote.

Please get the facts straight before coming to someone’s indefensible defense.

ERNEST HESTERLY

Sherwood

Couldn’t say it better

Kevin Keough of Cherokee Village wrote a great letter. I couldn’t agree with him more.

He conveyed my thoughts about beliefs and biases perfectly. I’ve wondered how people can believe that they are going to go to an invisible place called heaven where they will have a mansion of gold and walk on streets of gold. Where is all this gold coming from and who is building these mansions and paving these streets with gold?

It would take a lot of mansions to house the people who have died for thousands of years and who are still dying every day.

As for the guy that said marriage is primarily for procreation: Then why do they have so many means of birth control?

DON DAVIS

Horseshoe Bend

Feedback

On an endless cycle

John Brummett wrote a column about a recent court decision concerning the state’s public school-choice law from 1989—interesting litigants and issues and a complex decision, certain to be appealed to a higher court.

Brummett also shared some insights about current policies and philosophies.

What he did not say, that I believe to be a truth of the matter, is this: Many parents today continue to teach prejudice, bigotry, intolerance, hatred and false pride to their offspring. Until we can overcome this type of behavior and treat each other with dignity and respect, the hateful cycle will continue.

RICH ROY

Little Rock

Deserves a column

Hire Mark Harb as a regular writer, please. His recent letter proclaiming “don’t talk to me about paying my fair share until such time as government waste is eliminated” is right on spot.

In my opinion, Harb made more sense in less than 250 words than Gene Lyons and John Brummett have ever collectively made in their careers of “let’s never think this issue through” drivel.

Way to go, Mr. Harb.

Give the man a column.

GIFF JORDON

Springdale