Not beautiful America
I would encourage your readers to look up David Sixbey's letter to the editor on Aug. 5. It is a succinct, insightful, erudite, well-written summary of the tumultuous political events of the last two years.
He ends his letter saying, "We face a hard choice: Preserve the past and remain the same, or address the future and become something different. The rest of the world is moving on."
Congressional Republicans and the Trump administration in Washington are upfront about what they want us to become. It seems they envision a United States dominated by very wealthy, conservative white males bent on accumulating more wealth and power, supported by a new tax law overwhelmingly favoring the rich, enabled by a compliant Supreme Court, and abetted by evangelical Christians aspiring to be their unofficial, exclusive state church. Their domestic policy opposes cultural diversity, religious tolerance, gender and race equality, and imposes protectionist tariffs in place of modernization and globalization. Their nationalistic, isolationist foreign policy rejects America's historic embrace of immigrants fleeing oppression and abandons America's place as the leader of the free world.
Indeed, we do face some "hard choices." However, that vision of the current regime is not us. It is ugly. It is not America the beautiful.
GEORGE BENJAMIN
Siloam Springs
Truth that transforms
High on a wall outside a conference room at the Washington Post building is a quotation from one of the newspaper's previous executive editors: "The truth, no matter how bad, is never as dangerous as the lie in the long run."
And in the early 1970s, Ben Bradlee joined others to characterize Charles Colson, a top adviser to President Richard Nixon, as "a high-profile hatchetman assistant to Nixon." And Colson (in a speech to New England newspaper editors) called Bradlee and his pals "arrogant elitists" who rely on "third-hand information and gossip and rumor," followed by Bradlee firing back that Colson's speech "stands by itself as a monument to lying and general dishonesty."
After such barbs and bewilderment during the Watergate era, Bradlee continued his legendary newspaper career. After spending time in prison, Colson continued to be gripped and grounded by "the truth that transforms," a phrase generally attributed to a top adviser in evangelical circles, Billy Graham.
Wouldn't I like to have been in heaven's newsroom the day that Ben Bradlee (died 2014) interviewed Charles Colson (died 2012) about Colson's book, Born Again: What Really Happened to the White House Hatchet Man (Chosen Books, 1976), as well as Colson's post-prison role as founder and chairman of Prison Fellowship. And I'd like to imagine that Colson, in turn, graciously asked Bradlee about his book, A Good Life: Newspapering and Other Adventures (Simon & Schuster, 1995).
LINDA L. SCISSON
Little Rock
Snakes in the garden
As I read Lary Zeno's letter about memories of snakes from 50 years ago, I too had a memory of a copperhead from 50 years ago.
I was spreading bark chips in a flower garden when I reached into the bag of bark chips and saw/felt a copperhead. Killed it before it could kill me!
LARRY HACKER
Bryant
All those fairy tales
I saw the cartoon in Monday's paper titled "Once upon a time," but I would like to add to it.
Up north we start our bedtime stories with that. But down here in L.A. (lower Arkansas), we start out by saying, "Y'all ain't gonna believe this s***."
AARON R. STRATMAN
Bella Vista
Embarrassing us all
I like everything I've heard and read about our new athletic director and head football coach. But there is one thing I haven't seen discussed: whether or not our young student-athletes are still going to have to wear those god-awful casket gray uniforms this year when our traditional school colors are red and white.
Hopefully, the guy who came up with this idea has been fired. If he hasn't been fired, the new AD should be able to eliminate this embarrassment to our players and fans. Go Hogs!
MITCH LaGRONE
Little Rock
Will fight like it's 1776
He said Mexico would pay for the wall. Let's take him at his word. Open a bank account and, as Mexico puts money into it, build that wall. When money isn't in the account, let's focus on impeachment.
All over the world he is seen as the Ugly American. They see him as a racist, bigot, bully, homophobe, a con artist, someone who hates Muslims; he doesn't pay his personal debts or taxes and they say he's Putin's puppet.
Would you buy a German car if Hitler were still in power? Would you buy Brazilian coffee if the police were gunning blacks down on a near-daily basis? Would you buy anything from any country if the leader of that country were in power due to a fraudulent election that he helped bring about?
Americans stand for democracy, freedom of elections, power for the people, justice for all, including planet earth. That's another thing, he is tearing down environmental safeguards, regulations, standards that it took previous presidents and Congresses decades to put in place. He is also attacking journalists and media daily. Do Americans no longer stand for freedom of speech? Are we going to give up all of our rights and national treasures?
We don't have to give up our rights. We must fight like it's 1776 because it kinda is. If we don't fight for democracy now, we will lose it. We have a freak who praises Putin while denigrating our intelligence agencies. Why? I think because he's deep down inside a fascist. Republicans must admit that they allowed this to happen; they've made a bigly mistake which must be corrected in November. Vote them out, vote the Dems in. Dems won that election. And it's time for you to accept and publicly admit it. Give up praising Putin. Come back to America where you belong. It's not too late but if you don't snap out of your delusion, it soon will be. Help Dems save democracy now. Or your children won't live brave and free.
MARIANNE BEASLEY
Fayetteville
Who needs evidence?
Evidence doesn't always matter. In the court of public opinion, there is no statute of limitations.
JIM LITE
White Hall
Editorial on 08/10/2018