NWA letters to the editor

Arkansas needs more

of what Comstock offers

We are living in a time when too much of our conversation, both public and private, is focused on expressing our own views, venting our frustrations and assigning blame for our problems. We must stop screaming long enough to listen.

To this end, we have an opportunity to elect Jon Comstock the next senator from Arkansas District 3. This is not a "throw the bums out" plea. It is a plea to intentionally elect a person who has the ability because of his training and profession to lead us toward listening and problem solving, and the compromise necessary to find effective solutions.

Jon is a former judge who has shifted his law practice to arbitration. This past year, he hosted public forums to address and discuss some of the divisive issues in Northwest Arkansas. They included questions concerning the death penalty in Arkansas, problems faced by people of color in Arkansas, and questions concerning the Confederate soldier statue in the Bentonville Square. At these events I saw exactly what I would love to see more of. Jon assembled excellent expert panels, members of the audience expressed dissenting views and listened and responded respectfully. Solving these problems was not the purpose of the forums, but they clearly demonstrated how the process of finding solutions should begin.

Civil discourse is rarely in abundant supply. It is now seriously overshadowed by fear, anger and frustration. If you are concerned about much of what you see in our state and country, please learn more about Jon Comstock, who he is and what he has accomplished.

Becky Hill

Rogers

Columnist misses mark

on state panel criticisms

As a state senator, I've always had a great appreciation of the reporters in our state. More often than not, they are fair and professional. Unfortunately, after reading his recent commentary on a school safety meeting, I cannot say the same about Doug Thompson.

Thompson failed to show journalistic due diligence about the meeting by getting basic facts wrong. He said there were "a couple of out-of-state experts" doing the talking. There was only one. The rest were Arkansans concerned about their state's safety, including a law enforcement officer with over 30 years' experience and a veteran who taught in public schools.

Next, Mr. Thompson said he would have liked to have heard about putting locks in schools for safety. He would have heard more on that very topic if he had actually come to the meeting, because it was discussed. He also said that the speakers didn't have to defend their arguments. That would be quite a surprise to the speakers, who answered multiple questions from committee members about their positions.

I'm sure I can expect corrections to the original column soon.

More significant than the facts that he got wrong were the bias and unprofessional way he made his comments. He relished playing the role of mouthpiece, rather than concentrating on measured commentary.

The truth is that the committee stuck to its agenda for a reason, and it will hold many other meetings to hear other points of view. The anti-gun forces have had the opportunity to speak on this subject, including public comments given to the Governor's School Safety Commission.

Instead of respecting the process and doing what is necessary to get on the agenda at a future meeting, the anti-gun forces yelled and shouted down legislators. That fact was missing from Mr. Thompson's commentary.

That doesn't seem to matter to Mr. Thompson. He took talking points from a special interest group and regurgitated them as gospel. He failed to mention that the "moms" he cared so much about are part of a national organization bankrolled by former New York Mayor Micheal Bloomberg. Mayor Bloomberg pledged $50 million dollars a year to fight against our constitutional rights, and we see his money in action in Arkansas.

It looks like Mayor Bloomberg's money is well spent, as he has willing partners like Thompson to carry his water.

I'm sure Thompson would have given the same glowing praise to a group of NRA members who showed up and shouted down elected officials.

Sen. Trent Garner

El Dorado

Commentary on 07/23/2018

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