Neighborhood shots
Bill Schaumleffel, neighbor of James Hodgkinson (the congressional baseball team shooting suspect), said he yelled at his Illinois neighbor when he repeatedly fired his rifle in a residential neighborhood. This sounds a lot like my neighborhood.
We've become accustomed to hearing gunshots in all directions.
When I'm working in my garden and I hear gunfire, I yell, "Stop shooting; I'm in my yard." Pop pop pop. Again, "Stop shooting; I'm in my yard." Pop pop pop. Pop pop pop. Pop pop pop. I've shared this experience with Mike Masterson in response to one of his columns.
What's to be done? James Hodg-kinson wasn't charged in Illinois, even though his rounds could travel up to a mile. I suppose it's just the times we live in.
Whatever happened to "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"?
BETTY HUNT
North Little Rock
Accountability counts
I know I'm not alone ... many of you are also wondering how in the world our nation got to the point where the House speaker, Paul Ryan, is making excuses for our president regarding his inexperience with politics.
Is that not, alone, enough to disqualify one to such a position of power?
I want to encourage anyone concerned by this type of language (along with President Trump's lack of civility, untruths and outright tantrums) to contact Senators Boozman and Cotton, and Congressman Hill on a regular basis. It's easy to call, write or email and only takes a few minutes. Contact info is readily available online.
It's your right as a voter--and now is not the time to get complacent about your role in our future as a nation.
Accountability should still matter!
RHONDA PATTON
Roland
Who pulled trigger?
I guess all the liberals are really happy at the shooting in Virginia, as I've heard only one has come out and spoken against it.
It seems they do not speak out about the threats that their supporters have said in rap music and also in public that they want to harm the president. You know if this kind of action had been taken when Barack Obama was president you all would be up in arms and want an apology from all the Republicans.
You liberals have two set of rules, one for you all to go by where you can do whatever you want to the opposite party, but you had better not do it to us.
Get a life and tell your followers that violence is not the way to handle anything, which it seems that is what your party is doing by not speaking up and condemning the violence.
You all did not pull the trigger on this attack, but not speaking out about violence is the same as saying it is OK to do this. This is just my opinion.
CLARA ERICKSON
Bryant
I'm fully awake now
With eyes wide open, I watch as our white-skinned, mostly male, mostly Republican leaders lead the stampede to join forces with our likely mentally ill sociopathic president, salivating their grotesquely evil greed at every step.
With eyes wide open, I watch their vile and contemptible immoral actions they legislate against each and every one of us in their race to the altar of Most Despicable Human Beings on Earth.
With eyes wide open, I watch the unconscionable and obvious attitudes of disrespect and contempt displayed toward women, other countries, and our planet.
With ears wide open, I listen to the disgusting words that incite violence at every turn. With my heart wide open, I sense the pain and suffering being inflicted upon my fellow human beings and my four-legged brothers and sisters.
Sick to my stomach, I watch their sense of entitlement to steal, lie, cheat and manipulate, anything in order to feed their insatiable greed. With tears running down my face, I witness their complete and total disregard of our sacred traditions.
They say you never appreciate what you have until you face losing it. I am awake now and I am heartbroken as I watch my beloved country being destroyed at the hands of these evil people. With all my senses I condemn the actions of this entire administration, and especially those of Tom Cotton, John Boozman, and Steve Womack.
You have betrayed us. Congratulations. Your families must be incredibly ashamed of you. I know I am.
KATHY MARTONE
Eureka Springs
Birds, bees ... seaweed
Possibly only doctors who specialize in allergies think about this, but pollen produced by the stamen of plants and certain trees assumes it has landed on the pistil of those plants and trees when it gets in your nose and tries to fertilize you. Just don't worry. There is absolutely nothing conjugal about this attempt. You're not going to produce almonds or pinenuts or oranges or little skunk cabbages, or whatever kind of pollen you inhaled.
Welcome to being part of Mother Nature's playground.
I learned more about being her playground when I took a summer course in cryptogamic botany to get lab hours out of the way so I could play football come autumn. Cryptogamic botany was (and is) a detailed study of the sexual and asexual techniques of seaweed reproduction.
But if you've never thought of seaweed being tricky, how about this? When you surf in the Pacific, millions of male and female gametes are busy doing it in every centimeter of ocean that covers your body or gets in your eyes, nose, ears, or mouth.
Talk about your body being Mother Nature's playground!
ROD J. PARKER
Arkadelphia
Editorial on 06/16/2017