Thanksgiving is behind us, and although our thumbs might have put on a few pounds since last Thursday, they're still able to get up and down. And so they will:
[THUMBS UP] This old world of ours can be filled with challenges that seem overwhelming, so much so it's easy for the size of problems to lead to inaction. The holiday season is a good time to dislodge ourselves from such thinking, and the example of Woodland Junior High seventh-grader Gable Sloan is a lesson in making an impact wherever and however one can. Gable has created a Christmas tree covered in socks to dramatize the realities and impact of poverty on academic achievement. The socks and any money raised will go toward helping fellow students in Fayetteville Public Schools whose families face difficult times. The 12-year-old has been raising money by baking and selling treats for a couple of years and has a goal of earning $25,000 to establish the Gable Sloan Fund for Increased Academic Opportunity with the Fayetteville Public Education Foundation. She already has $7,000 earned. Will that solve all the world's ills? Not at all, but she's doing what she can where she can, and that makes a difference. There's no reason everyone can't approach philanthropy in the same way, i.e., it doesn't require being a multi-millionaire to give of one's time, energy and resources.
Give’em a thumb
Want to give some brief feedback on news? Someone who deserves a pat on the back? An idea that needs a dose of common sense? Recommend a “Thursday thumb” by calling Greg Harton at (479) 872-5026 or by email at [email protected].
[THUMBS DOWN] The court-ordered secrecy in the federal government's case against former state Sen. Jon Woods of Springdale and two other men accused in allegations of a kickback scheme is troubling. In all trials, it's vital that justice is carried out in a transparent way, and that's even more true when the allegations include claims of government corruption. As the trial of these men approach, more will likely be revealed. Regardless of the outcome -- the men are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law -- and despite the ongoing concerns about transparency, our hope is the secrecy is at least an indication federal officials have dug deeply into potential corruption in Arkansas state government and followed wherever the leads have taken them. When a violation of the public's trust is uncovered, its full nature must be ferreted out. Does the secrecy make that more likely? Only the investigators and prosecutors, and apparently the judge, know for now.
[THUMBS UP] It's a little unnerving to think about people suffering from mental illness facing an inability to get a face-to-face, in-person meeting with a doctor, but that's a reality given the shortage of mental health professionals in Arkansas. Let's not call it a solution, but advocates for treatment praise the availability of "telemedicine" as an approach that helps. Patients can access a video system through which they can speak privately with a physician and receive medication, if needed. It's not perfect, but as one advocate said, the option boils down sometimes to getting help through telemedicine and not getting help at all.
[THUMBS UP] We hate to think about Darren McFadden not playing football because he was such a spectacular athlete as an Arkansas Razorback and created so many memories for fans. His NFL stats weren't what he or anyone else thought they would be based on his outstanding play as a Hog, but he lasted a decade as a running back in a sport that typically chews up such players in less than three years. On Tuesday, he announced his retirement from the game at age 30. Best wishes, No. 5.
[THUMBS DOWN] The political gamesmanship was in full force this week as Democrats U.S. Rep. Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi decided to bail on a meeting with President Trump about the tax bill after the president again demonstrated his enormous capacity to wreck any potential for constructive conversations in Washington, D.C. On the day of the meeting, Trump used Twitter to say he didn't see hope for a deal between the GOP and Democrats. Why go to a meeting if he's declaring as much, the Democrats reasoned. So they didn't. Then Trump staged his meeting so that Schumer's and Pelosi's empty but prominently labeled chairs were to his right and left. Did that image do damage to the Democrats or did it just look like three empty chairs, even with Trump sitting in the middle one? If this is Trump's "art" of the deal, he must be an abstract painter. One might assume these folks would be among the best leaders in the nation given their ascendancy to the top positions in the nation's capital. Let's not assume anything.
Commentary on 11/30/2017