Editor, The Commercial:
I spotted a couple of TV ads recently, running back to back. Both had local ties, but neither mentioned it, other than a reference to "South Arkansas." That was the one for gaming; the one for the politician didn't even go that far.
It brought back memories of a preacher who ran weekly ads in this paper picturing him with his clan. He might have claimed to be one of the people, but his kids were too good to attend any of our public schools.
He had greater ambitions, though; I'd never heard of a triple-wide trailer until he herded his bunch into one.
Deriding our state as a "banana republic," the preacher tried to ride coattails to which he had no access. He eventually turned up in Florida, yelling at bounders to get off his beach and landing some off-brand TV gig.
Time passed, and one of his brood hooked up with some poor schmuck with no name recognition. Politics make for strange bedfellows, and surely none were stranger than a copper-top kook.
Politicians rely on publicity to spread their words, and shave the cost of reaching constituents and potential supporters. It makes little sense, then, that they would openly, repeatedly, display unbridled disdain for the underpaid journalists who relay their words, and double-check their claims against known facts.
Please note that the only name mentioned herein appears below, with the name of our town.
D.H. Ridgway,
Pine Bluff