LETTERS

— All those darned leeches

So Mitt Romney has revealed his true feelings toward those who are not in the same rarified class as himself.

Those on Social Security and Medicare pay no taxes, so are to be discounted as leeches on society. (Never mind that they paid into the system for many years, and what they are drawing out is what was paid in. Never mind that taxes were paid on this money when they received their paychecks.) Wounded warriors are on his list since they draw veterans benefits from a grateful government and pay no taxes. Those who have lost jobs and rely on welfare and food stamps are to be discounted, as are children (little leeches who pay no taxes and consume Medicaid and aid-to-dependent-children funds), the disabled, and, I presume, the elderly in nursing homes.

I have heard this before. Once those considered discountable were shuttled off to institutions where they conveniently disappeared. I suppose the next step is multiple camps with entrances marked by signs saying “Work Makes You Free.”

Is discounting the most vulnerable among us the only way we think we can pull an economy out of a depression? Do we never learn? Do we always turn like dogs on the weakest when faced with a problem?

All I can say is anyone who is not a multimillionaire and therefore entitled had best keep a bag packed and passport handy. Who is next—anyone who is not “them?”

MARY WILLIAMS

North Little Rock

Segregated memories

The Silas Hunt sculpture dedicated at UA brought back a lot of memories, some of which still disturb me. Silas, a black veteran of World War II, was admitted to the law school while segregation was still alive and well in Arkansas. Officially he did attend as a segregated student; however, the school realized that while it is possible to learn law by oneself, advantages accrue in a group setting. Several white students (I was one) were asked to attend class with Silas, which we did. Silas attended for only a short while before his death, which was, we are now told, from tuberculosis and war injuries.

The second black student at the school was Jackie Shropshire, who was also admitted on the basis that he would be segregated, which was accomplished with a wooden enclosure big enough for one chair placed at the front of the previously all-white classrooms where Jackie could sit. This arrangement lasted only briefly. The fence around Jackie simply disappeared, and from that time on, Jackie attended essentially on a nonsegregated basis. No one knew what happened to the enclosure but it was assumed that Dean Robert Leflar, a practical and pragmatic man, had simply removed it.

Later, when I was on the law school faculty, I had to go into the attic of the old law school building and there it was, just a few rough pieces of lumber, 2-by-4s and 2-by-2s disassembled, hanging loosely together but still recognizable. Is it still there? I have no way to know, but if it still exists, it is an historical artifact.

KEN FORRESTER

Maumelle

Won’t change minds

I believe Barack Obama is guaranteed a second term for numerous reasons. That beloved insane happywarrioring bunch of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson have taught the masses that they were saints, had all the answers, that there were good times for all, a free ride for all. So the Democrats’ hapless foes are sad sacks, mistakenly assuming that the befuddled masses can be persuaded that the great warriors weren’t omnipotent.

Obama’s foes are as fearful as they are hapless and know the FDR message of old shan’t ever fade. ’Tis an eternal message that FDR was more powerful than almighty God.

H.E. HARVEY

Clarksville

Weed’s virtues many

I sincerely hope that people will put away their fear of marijuana long enough to vote to legalize medical marijuana. It is not a drug. It is a healing herb.

The mother of a friend used it to ease the discomfort and mood swings of menopause. When my turn came, I used it, too. It worked for us both and was not habit-forming. It also worked for friends who suffered PMS. Weed made life more comfortable for us all and for those around us.

In the 1970s, I worked with hundreds of Vietnam veterans who used weed to ease their physical and emotional pain and to remain calm in crises.

When pain started making a friend’s life miserable, he discovered that brownies baked with weed made the pain go away. He was not loopy. He could think clearly and move comfortably. But his doctor put him on pain medications to which he is now addicted. They muddle his thinking without ever doing more than reducing some of the pain.

I would very much like to see if weed would lessen my arthritis pains, especially on gray, damp, chilly days. I love those days for the ground and plants after the summer’s drought, but not for my bodily joints. Wet weather and winter are never kind to them. And I am hardly alone in this suffering. Just think how many arthritis sufferers might be helped if we could ingest a healing, nonaddictive weed.

Please, vote to legalize medical marijuana.

NANCY SAUNDERS

Durham

The numbers don’t lie

In clear dialectical terms, President Barack Obama has survived the onslaught of the Republican party leadership. Please recall the public announcements. The only policy left at the beginning of Obama’s first term: Do anything to make Obama fail; to hell with the business of the United States.

With that truth in mind, Obama steered the country clear of a second depression, struggled with unemployment over 8 percent, wound down two wars, sent bombers to Libya, ordered the death of Osama bin Laden, rewrote banking rules and pushed through the largest new entitlement program since 1965.

Conversely, Willard Mitt Romney disposed of 47 percent of the American people in fundraising among his peers, some very rich people with the country’s population reaching pi times 100 million on August 14. How many citizens does that constitute?

As I write this, our current population is 314,162,406. So, 47 percent would be 147,656,331. In that case, Romney would need 90 percentplus of what’s left to win the election, which is rationally impossible.

ROBERT HYMER

Little Rock

No loyalty seen there

The saddest scenes during the Razorback game with Alabama were the once-known Razorback fans leaving the stadium. No, it wasn’t the rain. If victory were on the scoreboard, they would have remained during a thunderstorm.

Of all times, when encouragement and gratitude are needed for trying under the most difficult of circumstances—the loss of a coach, injured players and facing the No. 1 team.

Shame! Does loyalty need to be redefined?

SARAH HAGGARD

Crossett

What’s best for nation

I’m amazed at what spews out of people’s mouths. I think “ignorance is bliss” applies to a lot of these people.

When you discuss politics, it is much better to be informed on your subject matter—it is personal opinions that have this country in the shape it is in. When you make statements like “America is doing great, we need another four years,” where have you been the last four or the last eight years?

America definitely needs a strong third party—not left-wing liberals or right-wing conservatives—with the right ideals for what America needs, not what politicians need. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, health care need reforms. The budget deficit cannot continue at present pace. Armed conflicts in various parts of the world that the U.S. feels the need to intervene in—America is not the world police.

Number one priority needs to be to protect America’s borders—if the Mexican people can slip across the border undetected, who else comes across? You would have to be naive to believe that terrorist networks don’t know this. You may wake up some day to a scene from the movie Red Dawn.

Americans need to pull together for what is best for our country. Don’t expect any help from the current Democratic and Republican parties; find the right people to lead America, from the president on down, or you may not have America anymore as we know it.

PAUL BOLNER

Springdale

Beware its nasty bite

In the last few articles I have read about the West Nile virus, all failed to state that a vector (or carrier) is the Aedes albopictus, a dangerous mosquito, one of the 100 world’s worst and dangerous invasive species.

When I worked for a state agency a few years back in west Little Rock, I was sitting on a lawn chair reading on my lunch break when I noticed a mosquito land on my shirt. I swatted it and it fell onto my hand and jumped; I hit it once again, killing it. This particular mosquito was a tough little guy, rather larger than average, and had strange white-and-black-striped legs. It was identified as an Asian tiger mosquito, a vector of the West Nile virus now prevalent in Arkansas and other Southern states.

This mosquito originally came from Southeast Asia. In 1966, it reached other parts of Asia, India and Pacific Ocean islands; it has since spread to Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East. This mosquito can also spread St. Louis encephalitis, dengue fever and Yellow fever.

Each of us should spray an insect repellent containing DEET (diethyltoluamide), which has been proved to be most effective against most mosquitoes.

So when outdoors, beware of this species you might discover buzzing around you. If you kill one that has striped legs, you might want to call the Health Department and let them know they are in your area.

Remember, West Nile virus can be deadly to the younger and older generations.

THOMAS F. KNIGHT

Little Rock

Feedback

Part of the problem

There is a lot of talk, with no solutions, concerning the quality of education in Arkansas. No one can come up with a reason for any problems. Below is a test I designed to determine where the problems are:

  1. Name the head football coach at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

  2. Name the head basketball coach at UA-Fayetteville.

  3. Name the chancellor of UAFayetteville.

  4. Name the president of UAFayetteville.

If you could correctly answer the first two questions, but could not correctly answer questions three and four, then you are a major part of any problems with education in Arkansas.

MIKE VOWELL Little Rock

Fans did not give up

What many critics of Razorback fans may not know is that we didn’t give up on the young men on our team.

We quickly realized what matters is that the quality of their lives and futures are protected and that we make the best of the rest of the season. So, go Hogs! And I like Alabama for the national championship. Roll, Tide, roll.

KAY CARPENTER Little Rock

Editorial, Pages 17 on 09/26/2012

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