Letters

Keep them affordable

I was born in Longview, Ark. However, I currently reside in Tarry, Ark., and I have lived in Tarry for nine years.

I am politically involved. I participated in getting signatures to increase the minimum wage in Arkansas. Also, I am a volunteer for the Red Cross. However, I feel that if the minimum wage here in Arkansas is increased, grocery and gas prices shouldn't increase.

The cost of living is already high enough for those who earn a minimum wage, and it's continuing to go up without a current minimum-wage increase. Also, medical insurance premiums are too high for those earning a minimum wage.

I say that it is time to wake up and smell the coffee and increase the minimum wage. This needs to done with urgency in order to help those earning the minimum wage afford the necessary items, such as groceries and gasoline.

CARL MILLER

Tarry

Of self-determination

The assent of Ukraine to allow an aid mission to their besieged east is good news. Both President Petro Poroshenko and Barack Obama have asserted correctly that any Russian intervention in Ukraine without consent of its government would be a violation of international law.

President Vladimir Putin is rightfully concerned about the welfare of the separatists because they are ethnically Russian and have been threatened by elements of the new government in Ukraine. Nevertheless, I believe the separatists would be wise to lay down their arms and seek autonomy peacefully. Within international law, the self-determination of states takes priority over the self-determination of peoples. Even so, Ukraine must respect the rights of its Russian-speaking minority.

The question of self-determination has been coming up since President Woodrow Wilson raised it after the Armistice. Basque separatists have been seeking separation from Spain or autonomy, either violently or nonviolently, for over 100 years.

Recently, we have seen self-determination activated during transient instabilities in governments. The latest example is the Kurds. Iraq was cobbled together after World War I, enveloping Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis. Now with a destabilized government in Iraq, the Kurds have a chance to break free.

Another recent example is Crimea, annexed by Russia this March while the government in Ukraine was in disarray. Technically, international law may have been violated, but the act was bloodless and justifiable on grounds of history and ethnicity.

JOHN R. PIAZZA

Bethel Heights

Was a pale imitation

I read Karen Martin's "Shooting Stars" in a recent Perspective section.

She needs to wake up. She lists a lot of the great old westerns (and they were). Then she comes up with the 1999 version of Wild Wild West.

What a crock. Has she never seen the original Wild Wild West with, I believe, the greatest James T. West and Artemus Gordon? I'm speaking of the best, Robert Conrad and Ross Martin. No one could come close to them.

Wake up, Karen.

MARILYN JOHNSON

Sherwood

Argument not settled

I want to thank Mr. Fleming Stockton for taking the time to read my letter to the editor. However, he apparently didn't pay too close attention to what he was reading.

I believe Mr. Stockton is right on one point. My argument about democracy was settled many years ago and is therefore a moot point. I can see Mr. Stockton did pay attention in his civics and history classes.

If Mr. Stockton would go back and read my letter, he would see that nowhere did I say that America is a democracy. I said that I was under the impression that we lived in a democracy, a democratic society, where the majority rules.

As for the Arkansas amendment banning same sex-marriage, I believe there is nothing unconstitutional about it.

We all make choices in this life every day. Unfortunately, some of the choices we make have consequences we must live with, or make a different choice. Let's take a look at the choice that a small percentage of Americans have made to live a homosexual lifestyle. Yes, this choice carries with it many consequences. Homosexuals are much more likely to contract the AIDS virus, be ridiculed by their friends and family and in some cases abandoned by them. Another consequence to this choice is that they can't marry someone of the same sex, which I believe they should not be allowed to do. This is not a political issue, it is a moral issue!

That argument, Mr. Stockton, is not moot. The issue of same-sex marriage has not been settled as of yet. I believe God does not approve of the homosexual lifestyle or same-sex marriage.

GAREY SUBLETT

Conway

Goal: A soccer field

Hello, my name is Josh and I'm 12 years old.

I've been playing soccer since I was 5 years old. For every practice and game, my family has had to drive one hour round-trip to the soccer fields in North Little Rock. Many of my friends do the same thing, but also many have quit soccer because the fields are just too far away.

There are a lot of kids and adults that love soccer that live near me. So, I think it would be a great idea to put indoor soccer facilities in west Little Rock. It wouldn't be hot in the summer or cold in the winter. And since it is obviously more convenient to drive to, I think parents would sign their kids and themselves up and it would be full year-round. It would also help the environment by saving gas, making less pollution. Also, giving kids a place to play would help them stay in shape and reduce the obesity problem in Arkansas, the fifth-highest most obese state. It would allow kids to have something they really enjoy after school so that they grow up to be more happy and productive people.

The kids I know that do soccer are hardworking and hard-playing, and I think an indoor facility would really help our community. Please consider this.

JOSH HIATT

Little Rock

Editorial on 08/28/2014

Upcoming Events