LETTERS

Politics in the schools

Our three kids and one granddaughter we raised did not attend schools in the South. Perhaps that’s why I am somewhat confused as to what is a co-valedictorian.

I heard the word from a very bright young man from Louisiana when we moved here. He said he was valedictorian, but on graduation day, he was told there would be a co-valedictorian. It was a young lady who graduated in May and by December, she was pregnant. The young man is a principal at a high school in Texas.

Every day you hear things that make you wonder if they are for real or a joke. When people do underhanded things, God will bring it to light. There are people still thinking they can get away with being mean and hateful. God has a way of dealing with Satan’s people.

Our granddaughter, who was home schooled by our daughter, is graduating from a Christian school in Virginia next month. She has a 4.9 GPA and has been accepted at a top university in Texas. I am thankful to God there are no co-valedictorians at her school.

Politics is moving into our schools. It is bad enough in our communities. When kids have to deal with this grown-up sickness, it is very sad. But no one came on this earth to stay. Your education nor money will save you. Your skin color will not save you, and the doctors surely cannot save you.

JULIA RANDLE Jacksonville Shield rights from evil

If I were the president of these United States, I would draft and sign an executive order declaring the Bill of Rights null and void as well as abolished.

Surely you cannot object to putting to rest a tired, worn-out part of American history. You think I am too crazy to vote for? Yet we continue to re-elect and support presidents, plural, who I believe do the same thing by slowly whittling away at that same Bill of Rights you thought nothing of two minutes ago.

Protect and defend the United States Constitution against, not invasion by an outside force, but the liberal use of the ink pen.

I believe this nation’s founding fathers had a vision of the challenges this generation would face and tried to prepare protections against evil in high places.

Remember, we are citizens of the United States and only residents of the individual states. I claim the U.S. Bill of Rights as mine. Don’t tread on my rights or me.

RON GOODWIN Cave Springs Nope, not seeing that

After reading Lewis T. See’s letter to the editor, I fail to see what Mr. See sees. His vitriolic reaction to Sen. Mark Pryor’s “no” vote on the gun-control issue seems to indicate to me that perhaps he is, as my mother used to warn me, the man so blind as he who will not see.

Sen. Pryor, in my humble opinion, voted with his constituents, verifying our system of government.

While I admire Mr. See’s misguided passion for what he feels is right, I question his vision. Mr. See and his ilk are furiously preparing the pavers to the proverbial “road to hell” again, in my opinion.

I also question his warning that, in 2014, the voters will bring Pryor home.

I doubt it if he continues to stay true to his voters.

GEORGE G. BAKER JR. Arkadelphia Rant deserves apology

Re John Brummett’s verbose, off-target attack on Republicans in general and Rep. Nate Bell in particular, I humbly offer a much more pragmatic perspective. I think such yellow journalism requires a realistic rebuttal.

Brummett’s over-zealous mean spirited criticism illuminates the true character of the real assailant as soon as you recognize it for what it is-a classic case of misdirection. I think the real “mean mound of a man” is obviously Brummett.

His ridiculous rant about Bell’s tweet concerning his understandable curiosity about the mindset of many of our liberal fellow citizens in Boston as the result of one of the marathon bombers still being on the loose is what is truly inexcusable. Bell’s question-“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 actually both timely and appropriate, even though it may have ruffled the feathers of some doves.

I think the fact that Bell was elected by what most folks would consider a super majority of his back-home constituents should really be characterized as a strong indication of his representativeness, instead of being construed as a baseless insult to the voters of his home district, as Brummett so inappropriately did when he characterized that impressive mandate as being tragic.

Bell should not feel forced to be apologetic about either the timing or the content of his question. Brummett and other off-balance liberally biased media types like him are the ones who should be apologizing.

DOUG LEMM Bella VistaDefine terms, please

I read with interest Austin Stewart’s letter wherein he chastised Rep. Tim Griffin, Exxon and the oil industry in general. I want to zero in on his line, “… vulgar profits consistently recorded by that industry.”

Vulgar and obscene are words often loosely thrown about regarding industry profits, but no one ever seems to define those terms.

Big oil is big. It keeps the entire country moving. It spends big bucks and makes big profits. You have to compare profits to expenses or return on investment.

Perhaps Austin or someone else can write in and tell us just what is vulgar.

ALFRED W. KAHLER Alexander Tied up in pretty bow

On the last days of our recent legislative session, the new crowd sent a payment to their benefactors in the form of a tax-free gift: After Jan. 1, 2015, 50 percent of the capital gains are exempt from state income tax, and after the first of next year, 100 percent of gains in excess of $10 million are exempt from state income tax. What a gift to the Arkansas Club for Growth.

Oh, by the way, us regular folks receive a $200 increase in our standard deduction, which takes effect in 2015. Sadly, the Club for Growth gift, which is 50,000 times larger than what us peons get, is probably only a partial payment.

DENNIS RITCHIE Nashville

Editorial, Pages 15 on 04/30/2013

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