Better off without him
How utterly repugnant it is to hear the words "rules of engagement" as regards a presidential inauguration. These are words of war, not ones that should be applicable to the instatement of a president duly elected by a majority of the American voters.
We are in strange and uncertain times. Rioters referred to as patriots storm the Capitol and somehow become heroes of a narcissistic person who by some fluke was elected to the presidency. A person who cannot accept defeat and instead incites insurrection. Craziness. The call for these "patriots" to come armed and ready for "protest" is also repugnant and contrary to any concept of a democratic republic.
Donald Trump is a loser in any sense of the word, whether by vote or by intrinsic lack of moral center. He needs to fade away as the worst president in our history and face the consequences of his actions, whether felonious as POTUS or in his personal business dealings.
Our country will be better without him than it was with him as--and I will use the term loosely--our leader.
CHRIS BAKER
Little Rock
The Faustian bargain
There are several issues that brought about the insurrection. Start with the Faustian bargain that the evangelical Christians (soiling the name of Christ and their party) made with Trump and the lemmings who followed him willingly and unquestioningly. He told them what they wanted to hear, and it's always so very easy to convince a person of what they want to believe.
The gross hypocrisy that's always been historically a way of life in this nation was continued. Trump didn't invent racism, white supremacy, forced religious conformity and practices, etc. He just made them seem acceptable to most Republicans. Asa Hutchinson and the rest of the spineless, gutless wonders among us approved Trump by outright support of his ways--and by the silence of the whole crew, from the credulous and corrupt mega-churches to the normal-sized local ones, to the bigots in the local city halls.
Christians? They were told to sound the shofar from atop the walls before the enemy was inside, not to agree that the enemy they welcomed and put in charge of our nation was an evil wretch after they aided and abetted his ruination of so much of what its citizens have revered and protected with our lives, blood and treasure all these many years.
I believe that to have bargained their morals, decency, integrity, and have forsaken Christianity for their Faustian bargain with a serpent is an abomination that stinks in the nostrils of God!
KARL HANSEN
Hensley
The victory is shared
For those who say Kamala Harris' ascension to the vice presidency is an inspiration for young women, for Asians, and for Blacks, please hear me when I say, as an old white man, that for me and all those who have spent a life working, serving and fighting for the ideals of our country, Vice President Kamala Harris is a victory for us all.
STEVE CROFT
North Little Rock
No souls were sold
We are always interested in commentary by Dr. Gitz, especially his take on conservatives and how they seem to blindly support a nonpolitician such as Trump.
His assumptions for his recent electoral critique on Trump's loss are all based on the election's veracity. He fails to understand that over 70 million voters do not believe the election was won fairly by the Democrats. So most of the "soul-searching" Dr. Gitz recommends would fall to those who actually lost said election in the conservatives' very clear eyesight. To them, no souls were sold in defending a man who stood for strong national borders, a strong military, strong law and order, strong economic principles, strong defense of pro-family policies, and strong defense of the unborn.
Once and for all, can we just agree that Americans can think for themselves and that it was his policies that conservatives voted for? Donald Trump may have been hated while in office by many such as Dr. Gitz, but he has great company in the likes of men such as Abraham Lincoln. I guess it was always about saving the ideas that have made us the hope of many who long for freedom of the individual in a world that would seek to rule by the elitist few.
GAYLE BURNS
Jonesboro
Change is hard work
The media and social media have both properly stated our collective outrage and sadness for the attempted insurrection Jan. 6, so I'll not add anything to the heap. Instead, I want to discuss patriotism.
In times like these most of us think of ourselves as patriots. All sides of this conflict think of themselves as "doing right" and saving the country. However, some people seem to have this romantic notion that this is the time for taking the rifle down from the mantel and rushing to Washington, D.C. Many vets feel this way because we were trained to protect the country. However, modern patriots don't do that. Patriots don't create problems; they solve problems. They work within the American political system.
Oh, you say you've tried it, but to no avail? Well, maybe, but perhaps you just didn't work hard enough. Registering voters is hard. Asking people to donate money is hard. Educating people on policy issues is hard. Showing voters where to find the truth is hard. Getting the vote out is hard. Yes, there are many problems with both major parties, but if we don't try to make improvements, the problems will only get worse. So, take down your skills from the mantel and apply your patriotism to making the change that you seek in the system and leave the grumbling to someone else.
MICKEY FREEMAN
Little Rock