LETTERS

He’s not the boss of us

I have a message for Elton Stephen Irby and his ilk.

Listen up: Jesus did not die and leave you in charge. He died in order to create a path back to God for non-Jews (the Jews, of course, having already been chosen).

As for standing in Kathryn Curtin’s shoes, Irby needs to look down quick. I think I smell smoke!

VIRGIE BARFIELD Hot Springs Marry? Quite contrary

Julia Shaw’s article urging millennials to marry young is at best incomplete, and at worst irresponsible.

At its core is an anecdotal tale of two young lovers who were lucky enough to find each other early in their lives and, moreover, didn’t find themselves incompatible after rushing into matrimony by 25. As a persuasive piece, it nearly succeeds in its emotional appeal, but fails to so much as address most logical and reasonable arguments for waiting until couples are sure they can really afford the co-independence the article mentions, that they’re mature enough for that level of commitment, and-most important-that they’re really right for each other.

In the spirit of keeping an open mind about the subject, I was prepared to cut the writer some slack and dismiss the piece as simply incomplete until she seemed to imply that millennials are placing too much value on the importance of making sure two people are actually right for each other before wedding. I realize that the idea that couples grow far closer after being married has some merit, and that the romantically ideal (and, to some, almost fanciful) soul mate status isn’t exactly required fora healthy marriage, but the way the argument is presented comes much closer to encouraging young people to marry any ol’ person.

The idea of persuading couples who might be ready but have cold feet for the wrong reasons is admirable. Trying too hard to do that and ending up pushing couples who are wrong for one another into a commitment like marriage is not.

JAROD DAILY Little Rock But not without U.S. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s very puffy editorial about Margaret Thatcher left much to be desired because it ignored so much historical fact. A case in point is the view of her Falklands War, which you name as her finest hour.

For taking on the Argentine generals, you praised and thanked her and the Royal Navy. Didn’t you forget something? Historians have deemed that much of the British success came from the special relationship with the United States, as seen in the actions of the Department of Defense, especially our Navy, in providing Britain’s ill-equipped and overextended forces with crucial help.

Then-Secretary of the Navy John Lehman said he thought Britain would have had to withdraw from the Falklands without American help. It can’t be just an accident that Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger was given an honorary knighthood after he left office.

You say that it may not be true that there will always be an England, but it will be true as long as there is a special relationship with the United States.

JOHN A. ZIEGLER Conway The hero-fantasy link

Rep. Nate Bell’s comment, “I wonder how many Boston liberals spent the night cowering in their homes wishing they had an AR-15 with a hi-capacity magazine?” was truly moronic not only because of his message and his timing.

There’s something else it points to: the paranoia and “hero fantasies” that link people like him to their guns.

I’m a concealed-carry permit holder myself, and I certainly don’t believe that most gun owners share Bell’s nightmares, his gun fetish or his implication that liberals or anyone else are cowards.

But I do believe this: Carrying a gun makes you more potentially powerful than if you didn’t have one-and that feeling, which is rarely discussed, is a big part of why some people want and worship their weapons.

It’s not about the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment calls for a well-regulated militia. Regulated, as in controlled, meaning not available to just anyone for just any reason regardless of their purpose or mental health.

True, such a minor and benign regulation like a background check won’t end all the tragedies, just like the much-stronger law against murder doesn’t stop all murders-but it would no doubt save some lives and injuries.

And finally, Sen. Mark Pryor-I’m really disappointed in you.

LESLIE SINGER Little RockAnd a dollop of butter

I hope the “jam session” is over soon.

Too much time was spent jamming legislation through that didn’t affect most Arkansas people. There wasn’t enough time left to discuss the most important issues.

VERNA WELLS Malvern Can’t handle the truth

Regarding the liberal furor over Nate Bell’s comment that some Boston liberals were perhaps wishing they were armed during the terror-suspect drama, my friend worked at a Los Angeles gun shop in the 1960s. He said that when the Watts riots erupted, there were scores of rich liberals lined up at the sales counter scrambling to buy guns.

I think the real reason liberals were bent out of shape over Bell’s comment is because it was closer to the truth than they cared to admit.

FRANK LATIMER Little Rock Actions speak louder

For a group that says it is dedicated to limited government, this current session of the Legislature (GOP majority) has busily passed law after law allowing the state to butt into everyone’s business.

They need to shut up and go home now, because it is going to take several years and lots of money to fix the mess they have made in a few short weeks.

They have gone a long way to ignore the U.S. Constitution and some significant content in the state’s Constitution.

ROBERT L. McGEHEE Paris