Thanks for hard work
I want to send out a great thank you to the lights crew in North Little Rock who got my lights back on. My neighbor and I had been without lights since the 13th of July and they had gone out on the 12th for five hours. We lost all the food in the refrigerator.
The crew got to my house on July 16th, around 11:30 a.m. They climbed up the pole, took out all of the old transformer with the help of a ground crew. They replaced it with a new transformer. The lights came back on at 12:17 p.m.
God bless them and all the hard work they do. They saved me from the heat.
JEANNIE SMITH
North Little Rock
Isn't hurting anyone
I read a letter to the editor in the Democrat-Gazette from Mr. Anthony Lloyd, a concerned citizen. It is true that grown people, teenagers, and children are all interested in this current craze of Pokemon Go. I don't see a problem with it, as long as the players do it safely and don't trespass.
I play it with my wife and kids. It's nostalgic. It gets us out of the house like many other people. I see people around town walking more, visiting each other, and having a blast trying to catch these imaginary creatures. We are even having events that boost downtown presence, which has helped businesses. I don't see how this is hurting anyone.
This is no different than anyone playing any other game app, video game, watching television, watching a movie, reading a book, etc. It is OK to use your imagination. We have too many negative issues in this world today, so bitter people attack the good things.
But how can you assume that all that play are idiots and are wasting the air in our society? They shouldn't vote? Really? I know lawyers, doctors, nurses, bankers, business managers, and college students that all play this game. So if these people stay in bed and leave society like Mr. Lloyd stated, we would be out of luck.
If seeing people play a game hurts that bad, maybe the people offended should shield themselves from the chaos and stay indoors. Team Valor rules.
DAVID TUCKER
Osceola
Of laughter and tears
To the beautiful and talented Leslie Jones: Your comedy makes me laugh. Hatred and abuse from racists makes me cry.
MELISSA J. STRONG
Fayetteville
Won't work as is now
Will no one listen? The current Social Security System cannot be "saved." I believe it is a Ponzi scheme, pure and simple, and as such, is doomed to collapse at some point--more taking out (me included), fewer paying in.
By definition, two politically practical alternatives: (1) abandon it before it bankrupts us and do not replace it with an identical system or (2) honor current obligations (to do otherwise would be political suicide) and start a new identically principled system based on current and expected future economic realities.
EVANS WINTER
Conway
Not life in Mayberry
I read with great amusement and disgust the recent column by Dana Kelley, and his "expert" views on police interaction 101.
I believe his opinions only show how ignorant this white-bread, out-of-touch individual is of how the police force in today's society interacts with the public. I'd bet his only interaction with police is when he kisses their boots at the doughnut shop. I'd bet his interaction with African Americans is even less.
If he truly wants to learn police interaction 101, I can hook him up with some young male African Americans. He can spend a Saturday night "hanging" with these young men and see real life, not the Mayberry RFD this clown dreams up. Having this goober talk about police interaction is like asking Donald Trump to expound on humility. Do us a favor and spare us people living in the real world the insult to our intelligence that this guy projects on us.
I am an elderly white male and even I see the racial bias/the profiling/the danger young black males are subjected to on a daily basis by a military-style police force that is out of control in our country. I urge you to read the book Rise of the Warrior Cop by Radley Balko. I pray there is a revamping and upgrade to the caliber of people being thrust into law enforcement. It may be too late, unfortunately.
ALAN G. DAUGHERTY
Hot Springs
Doesn't sound afraid
Charles Jackson was quoted in John Lynch's recent article saying that he participated in the murder of my husband, Charles Colclasure, because he was afraid of his uncle.
The truth is they went to National Byproducts on Saturday morning and tried to rob the guard, but the gun jammed and he got away. On Sunday they murdered my husband and then went joyriding, and robbed International Business Forms that night. Charles Jackson hid the car in his grandmother's backyard on Sunday and Monday night. They abandoned the car Tuesday morning after the police were looking for it.
On Tuesday night they went to Little Rock Crate & Basket to rob the guard and get his car, but they weren't going to kill him. He returned their fire when they shot at him and they ran, shooting at the guard coming in for the late shift. On Wednesday morning they were arrested chasing Charles Jackson's 16-year-old brother, who had been telling neighbors his brother and uncle had killed my husband.
They both confessed and seemed proud of what they had done. This doesn't sound like someone who was afraid for his life.
ELAINE COLCLASURE
North Little Rock
To define 'plagiarism'
Our Attorney General Leslie Rutledge in an interview with CNN said that Mrs. Trump used common words and phrases.
Really! She used almost literally (verbatim) word-for-word in the sentences what Mrs. Obama said in 2008.
This is scary coming from the attorney general of Arkansas.
ANDRES S. SECUBAN
Little Rock
Editorial on 07/23/2016