LETTERS

LITTLE ROCK — Comics’ truths universal

I would like to address Philip Martin’s unfavorable view of comic books and the movies based on them.

Comics have ceased to be fodder solely for children, if they ever were to begin with. The majority of comics today are aimed for adults, with storylines, art and writing that adults will appreciate. The artwork is detailed and beautiful, adding to the intricate story.

Upon pondering, I came to the conclusion that the reason many of us love comics and the movies made from them is that they all contain universal truths. Wormholes, parallel Earths and superpowers aside, these characters are dealing with the same problems the rest of us face: Peter Parker trying to make his rent money, Green Arrow and Black Canary having relationship problems and Arsenal grieving over the death of his daughter.

What adds the extra zing is that all the characters have more responsibility, therefore the stakes are higher and the story more interesting. The stories also appeal to our sense of curiosity. We wonder: “Are we alone in the universe? What technological advances are in our future?” While the theories are not always accurate, they do give us something to consider.

This is important because if someone presented an idea and everyone scoffed, saying, “That’s impossible,” this letter would have been written by candlelight and delivered via donkeypulled cart.

Hooray for thinking outside the box!

AVERY ALISE DAVIS West ForkForcing lifestyle on us

Eric Garcia has tried to convince the public that religious people are foolish and prejudiced, hate or distrust women, and are misogynistic homophobes.

Do some religious believers create disrespect for these acts in society? Yes. However, as a heterosexual male, why would I be misogynistic? Why would I fear gay men? A paradox?

It is not about women having free sex or men indulging in unnatural sex; these acts have been around since the beginning of time. It’s forcing us to pay for one and to believe the other is normal human behavior. If God had meant man to lay with man, he would have created Adam and Steve, not Adam and Eve.

Marriage is the union between a man and woman, God’s creation. We are not trying to force anyone to believe in our way of life or to curb the sexual desires of women-keep us out of worn-out dogma.

Abominable behavior is not a 21st Century phenomenon. If you want a special union, create your own-leave God’s creation alone.

These people are trying to force a lifestyle onto us and our children through federal and state laws.

As a Christ follower, I believe the Bible when it says the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, while to Christ followers it is the power of God. Jesus is the doorway to heaven.

HIRAM B. COOPER JR. Bella VistaNew rules could hurt

Numerous news reports have said that the president effectuated new rules for young alien residents by issuing an executive order. Actually, it was only a memo issued by the secretary of Homeland Security to immigration employees, and, in my opinion, under the guise of stating policy instructed them to ignore the law.

The policy may be negated by another such memo, in which case the names of all the young resident aliens who applied to the program will become known, as will the names of their parents, and it appears to me likely that they can all then be deported.

Is this what was intended?

KENNETH J. FORRESTER MaumelleToo many giveaways

I was watching The Honeymooners recently and in the episode, Ralph found a lot of money on his bus-a luxury he treated himself to was a telephone in his apartment. That reminded me of when I had one and two stripes when serving in our military. My family couldn’t afford a phone, either, so we didn’t have one until we could.

Ralph Kramden was an illustration of life in the early 1950s; mine was real life in the early ’70s. Yet during neither of those times was the U.S. gross domestic product in jeopardy of being worthless.

Now, if you can’t afford a telephone, you just fill out a little bit of paperwork and one will be furnished to you, plus minutes. This process is true for more giveaway programs than I have room to list here, many I’m not even aware of-and our GDPjust barely pays the interest on our nation’s debt.

We can’t find ways to cut the federal budget? The problem is that we won’t look. Some would like me to believe that inability to afford some items is a racial issue, but I’ll tell them that my friends, who were not my race, also did not have luxuries they couldn’t afford.

In my opinion, this presidency is just one large giveaway, a veritable free-for-all, and the only method I know to voice my displeasure with it is to write to my newspaper and tell how I feel.

I had a sick feeling when Barack Obama talked of sharing the wealth. And that feeling is still with me.

DAVE KING BlythevilleThey’ll take our jobs

I read with some amusement a recent letter to the editor bemoaning companies that close their U.S. plants and open plants in foreign countries. The writer proclaimed this practice as un-American.

The economics of this practice, and the requirement for this practice for the U.S. companies to stay competitive in the global economy, can be debated. What cannot be debated is the recent decision by President Barack Obama to allow up to 800,000 illegal young men and women to stay in the U.S.A.

I understand it is politically incorrect to say that these hardworking young men and women should not have this opportunity, but these 800,000 people will take jobs away from U.S. citizens. There is no difference in sending 800,000 U.S. jobs to Mexico and bringing 800,000 Mexican citizens to the U.S. to take U.S. jobs.

STAN WARRICK SherwoodTasteless and trashy

In a recent review of the movie That’s My Boy, Philip Martin stated “anyone who makes a public display of manners these days runs the risk of being thought ‘hoity-toity’” and “I’d have to pretend to be shocked by the general decline of rectitude in American society. And I’m not.” Further, he states, “I understand people are pigs.”

People are not pigs, and manners are how we show respect to others and in turn are accorded respect by others.

The decline of rectitude in society that Martin sees is fostered by sleazy films, tasteless television programs, obscene comedy material and an accepting attitude by reviewers like him. In those productions, bad behavior is acceptable and outrageous behavior is even better.

I won’t buy a ticket to a movie like That’s My Boy and I won’t watch television shows that are offensive to me. If the market for those types of material ended, maybe the production would end, too.

I pay to take out my trash-not to bring it in.

GRACE WATT SpringdaleThat voting dilemma

Lately I’ve read several letters in the newspaper expressing frustration over who to vote for in the election for president in November. Christians especiallyare struggling with the religious aspects of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Many are not particularly impressed with the socalled Christianity of Obama and even believe he could be a Muslim. On the other hand, they may also be having a difficult time supporting Romney since Mormons are not, they say, Christian.

I would never vote for the radical left-wing Obama, and as a Christian and a conservative, I struggled with Romney’s Mormonism also.

The answer to this dilemma came to me recently from a statement made by the pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Robert Jeffress. He stated that he thought that a strong case could be made to vote for the non-Christian Romney, who is at least keeping thecommandments of God, whereas the Christian Obama is not keeping those commandments. (Obama’s support for abortion and same-sex marriage are examples of his disobedience to God.)

I believe that at least Romney is not being a hypocrite in his basic moral beliefs and would be a far better overall choice than the radical deceiver, Barack Obama. For more details on Obama, I recommend a great new book, The Amateur, by Edward Klein. It’s a real eye-opener.

We absolutely must stop Obama before he completely destroys our beloved nation.

Mitt certainly will have my vote.

LLOYD HOFFMAN Hot Springs Get off the high horse

Many people question Mitt Romney’s religion. The Mormons believe in Jesus Christ, and that’s all that counts. I have had friends who were from the Mormon faith. Likewise, I enjoy the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

The question is what kind of president Romney would make. He most likely would be good.

Our leaders are placed here by God. He is still on his throne and in control.

Now, everybody get off your high horse about Mormons.

DONALD L. PUTMAN El Dorado Forgotten servicemen

It is sad that our servicemen, past and present, cannot get the benefits of the commissary unless they are retired (which most of them are not and won’t be for a long, long time) or disabled.

My husband is a Desert Storm veteran, and thank God he is out there every day working his butt off because he wasn’t disabled. He is still a vet. Are those who were not injured just forgotten, can’t even get commissary benefits?

We have tons of them everywhere now, and what can they expect? There are 19- and 20-year-olds with families who, at the least, we could give commissary benefits and help them out.

What is wrong here?

The disabled and wounded deserve everything they receive. But what about those who were lucky enough to not be wounded and not be put in that position?

I guess they are just left out.

S.A. LEE AlexanderFeedback The naked emperor

The U.S. Constitution provides that: “All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.”

Noticeably absent from this passage is the word “president.”

If the mainstream media are to be believed, apparently we should simply abolish Congress and allow the president to issue legislative decrees from the Rose Garden.

To heighten the effect, members of the mainstream media could stand behind the president and repeatedly chant: “The emperor does have clothes. And don’t you dare try to question him on this.” GEORGE P. RITTER Maumelle Restore the dream

When will we the people wake up and realize that the overspending, overtaxing, overborrowing and over-regulating approach doesn’t work? This path that Barack Obama is leading us down will destroy the American dream and end in our destruction, in my opinion.

It’s time for a real change to restore the American dream based on freedom from the big government bureaucracy.

CHARLES R. REID Hot Springs Village