Where have all
the heroes gone?
If there was ever was a time when America needs sound leadership, it is now. Each day brings new dangers to our country because of our president's incompetence, while many of our politicians are waiting for someone who has the backbone to stand up to our president.
The situation reminds me of a person who cries out for help while being assaulted, yet bystanders are hesitant to get involved. They are afraid of being injured if they intervene, and wait for someone else to be a good Samaritan. By the time help arrives the victim is dead. During the police investigation it becomes clear the bystanders are not going to be very helpful. Despite the assault occurring during the daytime, none of them are unable to give a good description of the assailant and make it clear they are not interested in being called as witnesses. They don't have time to appear in court, are reluctant to testify because of fear of retaliation by the criminal, or they don't want to be known as a snitch.
The state of affairs of our country are at an all-time low, and continue to slide, while many of our elected officials are silent. There are many serious problems that need attention now, not one week from now. Some are worried that criticizing Trump might cost them some votes back home, and remaining in office is their first priority. Where is the speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, who seems to have disappeared? Why hasn't the chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, John Roberts Jr., criticized the president's pardon of the Arizona sheriff, which amounts to an assault on our judicial system? He doesn't have to worry about re-election.
It is true that Trump has a reputation for retaliating against anyone who is critical of his performance as president, and there is a risk that he might come after you, yet American History is full of heroes who have stood up in the face of adversity and publicly opposed a government that has gone off the rails. The trick is to get someone of prominence to take the first step, which would allow others to join in with some degree of cover.
In 2012 there was a popular song entitled "Where Have All the Heroes Gone?" that talks about America's problems and contains the words "what has become of our great land?" It names past heroes such as Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Roy Rogers, Joe DiMaggio, President Eisenhower, and Winston Churchill, and wonders where present day heroes have gone. This song describes the feeling of many of our voters today.
I admit that it is easy to complain about inaction when you are on the sidelines, but those who are elected have a duty to speak up when they see mismanagement, even when the president is ready to bully anyone who challenges him.
Bass Trumbo
Fayetteville
Put a monument to slaves
in Bentonville's square
Recently we have heard a lot about the Confederate monuments that were erected during the Jim Crow era. Some will say that these monuments were erected to honor the heroes of the Confederacy. Others will say that these monuments were erected by folks that wanted to let the former slaves know who was in charge.
If the folks who erected these monuments wanted to honor the people responsible for the success of the Confederacy, why don't we find monuments to the slaves who built the South? After all it is the African slaves who were responsible for the economic advancement of the South and many other parts of the U.S. at that time. These brave souls shed their blood and lost their lives for America, yet I haven't seen one statue erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy that honors the slaves that made the lifestyles of the United Daughters possible.
I suggest we remove [the statue] from the Bentonville Square, placing him in the yard of the Peel House. On the Bentonville square, we should erect a monument to the African slaves. As we pass by this monument we can "pause and reflect," remembering all the greatness delivered to our country by African-Americans.
Ken Leonard
Bentonville
Commentary on 09/02/2017