Assigned reading

It has not been my honor to drop you a few words in many moons and Graham Gordy has inspired these.

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First, let me say that he needs to lighten up a bit, he is too young to be taking himself so seriously. “The A Team” and “Murder She Wrote” were never intended to be video Rembrandts, they were simply plotted, light entertainment for us common folks. The plots are as simple and predictable as old Western movies — and just as delightful. One can go to the bathroom during the show without suffering a break in the plot!

As you may have ascertained already, I was a fan of both shows through many rerun years. I haven’t seen the movie, mostly because the movies are almost never as good as the original TV shows. However, I no longer watch TV because of the despicably poor-quality stuff now pushed off onto the innocent public as entertainment.

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I would suggest that Graham be required to read, for at least 12 hours straight, in a locked room, the columns of Philip Martin to find out how not to write. Graham lacks Martin’s super ego to ever be that bad, but it would be good for him nonetheless. Perhaps you could throw in a few of Mike Masterson’s columns just for a change in pace!

If he wants to inject humor into his column it would do him well to become familiar with Mark Twain’s work, the master of humor. Nostalgia is actually soothing salve for the brain, however, he is not expected to appreciate nostalgia until he lives a few more decades.

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I realize that Graham is young and maybe a bit unsure of just what the flavor of his column should be but he is off on the wrong foot with his first one. I’m not sure myself if it is supposed to be a movie review or critic column, or something else, but it is well written if not a bit stiff.

Also, please pass on to him that nowhere near all the murders occurred in Cabot Cove, many happened in faraway places like NYC, Boston and California!!

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Gus Causbie

Ash Flat

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Reviewer no Arkie

It is obvious your reviewer is not from Arkansas when he/she wrote July 22 that to get to the restaurant you have to “traverse country roads and cow fields.” I find “cow fields” especially interesting. Do they plant cows on the mountain? And if they do, how do they keep them still enough to take root? Just wondering.

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George Gatliff

Little Rock

Hopped up

I was excited to pick up a copy of your paper July 22 and read about the Diamond Bear brewery but was dismayed at the angle that writer Sam Eifling took with the story. It seemed to me that there was a lot of energy spent telling the reader how bad most commercially available beers are. Terms like “wispy American lagers” and “grew up thinking all beers taste like canned piss” took me back a little bit. What if a person likes a good readily available light beer? I think a lot of light beers are good, crisp and refreshing. Coors Light is like pee water? When did one have to drink pee to find out what that tastes like?

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Mr. Eifling made the Meltons seem a little snooty to me. The focus could have been on how good the product is instead. They’re making beer for crying out loud. If there are 1,600 breweries in the United States you could tell me why we need another. I will try the Diamond Bear lager the next time I am in the Little Rock area because I like good beer and I support local businesses when possible. Sometimes I don’t need a beer at all to enjoy a baseball game on television. Thanks for an overall great paper.

Bob Marrs

Eureka Springs

From the Blog

Readers of our Arkansas Blog had much to say recently after only U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder and Sen. Blanche Lincoln among the Arkansas delegation expressed support for legislation repealing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that prevents military service by acknowledged gays and lesbians. Some of the comments:

Would it be fair to turn back the clock to 1948 and vote on black integration in the ranks? Gosh, I wonder what the vote would’ve been then? And what about women getting equality in the military? Should we perhaps put that up for a vote? It never was, you know. It was an order.

— Sistertoldja

Let’s see if I’m getting this right: Some people are saying that the military—the “Pentagon”—should be deciding civil rights policy?! I’ve been under the impression for a long time that it’s the role of congress to establish civil rights policy. Was I asleep when this responsibiilty was passed to the military?

— SkyPilot

What did y’all expect from child Pryor who hangs out with The Family, who coddles those who want to execute suspected gays in Africa?

— Eureka Springs

When it comes to the military, the question first and foremost should be how our military achieves its highest level of success when defending our country.

I can’t help but believe that if women and men were both allowed to serve side by side in an infantry setting, that men might put protecting the women ahead of achieving their objective. I also think men would be more distressed to see women lying dead and injured on the battle field than they would other men. I could very well be mistaken, but I think those are real points to consider.

With regard to DADT, I am not saying that it is right or wrong, but I do think that it could be a real issue for some soldiers. Doesn’t mean that I think that those soldiers are right who discriminate, but it is a real issue. I agree with Senator Pryor and his position to hear what the military has to say on the subject.

— JohnQCitizen

A LGBT person can pull the trigger on a gun just like any other person. I don’t discuss my sexuality at work, and during my time in the Military I never discussed it once, I came to my office in the morning and was gone when it was time to 10-98. Sexual orientation has nothing to do with the tasks and assignments that one has to complete in the military. Nowhere on your dogtags does it list Sexual Orientation. It’s dumb for the military to kick someone out because of sexual orientation, and at the same time it’s stupid for anyone to think that their sexual orientation is of any business to their fellow solider.

— wordonthestreet

It seems to me that the Little Rock Police Department has demonstrated that gays and lesbians can serve well and in harmony with the group as a whole in extreme situations. The notion that fighting men are going to get all bent out of shape about a person who fights when push comes to shove, but is not acceptable because of his or her sexual orientation, is another of those flat earth theories that “everbody knows.”

— williecardnickel

Justice is coming — DADT will be repealed and soon. DADT is discriminatory, un-American, unconstitutional, wasteful of resources and asks our honorable fellow citizens in service to lie.

Change is coming.

— mag

Why do homophobes have such a virulent reaction to homosexuals? Is it a fear of latent homosexuality in themselves?

— dottholliday

I’m not surprised by homophobe novice ham Mike Ross’ vote on DADT. He’s forgotten which party he belongs to. You guys in the 2nd district have it made, a real choice (Joyce Elliot) hopefully after the runoff to oppose The Vote Cager. What are the choices this fall down here in SouthARK: Ro$$ and some redhead ex Miss Arkansas.

— MS-Haley-1965

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