EDITORIALS : Ever lower she goes . . .

HILLARY CLINTON has come a far piece in this campaign. - Wednesday, May 14, 2008

We’re against this

THE STORY caught our eye. Like a fishhook. Those who are paid to know these things say the South could be overrun with snakes in the notso-distant future. And not just snakes. (Plain ol’ snakes we can deal with, and do.) No, we’re talking giant pythons. - Wednesday, May 14, 2008

MIA: Grass

The call came in: A buddy who knew a guy who went to school with this other fellow had come into some Grade-A, premium Zoysia sod. And he had to unload it. Quick. - Wednesday, May 14, 2008

COLUMNISTS : Interview with Confucius

Paul Greenberg

It was definitely time to see the old man again. Things were starting to get to me. I found myself replying to the day’s crank letters. I was even opening my irate e-mails, a sure sign things had gotten out of control. I needed a cup of hot tea and a long talk with a wise elder. - Wednesday, May 14, 2008

The diversity of the black church

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

The Reverend Jeremiah Wright Jr. made a lot of outlandish charges during his recent get-toknow-me speaking tour. One was the notion that criticism of his inflammatory statements amounts to “an attack on the black church.” That’s a stretch. The Reverend Wright might easily have passed quietly into his recent retirement, had he not been Senator Barack Obama’s pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ for 20 years. Now Obama’s presidential bid is haunted by the prospect of the reverend’s red-hot sound bites in future attack ads. - Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Guide to the Editorial Page

Only the editorials express the opinion of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. They almost always appear on the left side of the editorial page. The editorial writing staff includes Paul Greenberg, George Arnold, David Barham and Jake Bleed. - Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Clinton navigates ‘perfect storm’ of naysayers

Gene Lyons

It’s long been my opinion that if Hillary Clinton could be appointed president, nobody could do the job better. - Wednesday, May 14, 2008

LETTERS

Healthy forests don’t need large burns The recent news story on prescribed burning of our national forests stated that “forest fires that [historically] occurred every three to five years maintained the forest’s health, they say.” In fact, the research on pre-settlement fire occurrences shows that large-scale burns were very infrequent prior to man’s intervention. Fires ignited by nature were small and infrequent. - Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Mine those nuggets

Meredith Oakley

Think for a minute: Does the name Sylvander Dewberry Martin mean anything to you? On the other hand, if you have to think about it. . . . - Wednesday, May 14, 2008

What’s on your mind, Northwest Arkansas?

The Democrat-Gazette welcomes your opinions, Northwest Arkansas. Unfortunately, not all letters received can be published in the space available. Clarity, brevity and originality are particularly valued. Send letters of preferably no more than 250 words to Voices, Democrat-Gazette, 515 Enterprise Drive, Suite 106, Lowell AR 72745, by FAX at 479-770-8484 or via an e-mail form found at our Web site, www2.arkansasonline.com/contact/voicesform/. - Wednesday, May 14, 2008

EDITORIALS : History lesson

FROM THE bluebirds-are-blue department : Some voters in Indiana who usually vote Republican cast a ballot in the white-hot Democratic presidential primary instead. After all, the Republican nomination has been settled for what seems like years now, while the two Democrats (Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, they’re practically one by now) are still slugging it out in the late rounds. Who wouldn’t want to play in that sandbox? - Tuesday, May 13, 2008

One more example

NEWS FLASH: A long-time secretary for the Pine Bluff School District was arrested last week and charged with 1,127 counts of felony forgery and theft. What? One thousand, one hundred twenty-seven ? Yep, she’s accused of stealing $884,712—How much?—over seven years. (How long?) One investigator called the scheme “brazen.” No kidding. A state auditor says the employee might have been caught much earlier, but that the safeguards in place didn’t prevent the theft because the school district was lax about enforcing them. . . . - Tuesday, May 13, 2008

You don’t say?

Headline on a recent news story about a famous film producer’s take on the life and times of President George W. Bush: “Biographers say Oliver Stone’s ‘W’ script inaccurate.” That’s news? Wake us when Oliver Stone puts out a movie that gets its facts straight. That’d be worth the front page. - Tuesday, May 13, 2008

COLUMNISTS : Effects of a faraway ruling

George Arnold

You might have overlooked a story in last Thursday’s edition of this newspaper. The New York Times article related how a court of appeals in London had decided the British government was wrong to have included an Iranian resistance group on a list of banned terrorist organizations. It was a victory for the group, the Mujahedeen-e-Khalk, also known as the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran. The MEK has been fighting the terrorist designation in Britain for seven years. The ruling could lead the British government to remove the MEK from its terrorist list. - Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Freedom is just another empty word

BY LEONARD PITTS JR. MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

I’d like to think it was the sangria talking. - Tuesday, May 13, 2008

LETTERS

EU may herald U.S. future In the summer of 1948, I went to London, England, to teach for a year. In the boarding house where I lived was a young man of about 25 from Australia who was making weekly trips to Brussels, Belgium. - Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Opinions on the Ward case

Mike Masterson

Many readers have offered thoughts about the recent meeting between Janie Ward’s parents, Special Prosecutor Tim Williamson and Williamson’s medical expert, retired Indiana pathologist John E. Pless. - Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Express your opinions, Northwest Arkansas

The Democrat-Gazette welcomes your opinions, Northwest Arkansas. Unfortunately, not all letters received can be published in the space available. Clarity, brevity and originality are particularly valued. Send letters of preferably no more than 250 words to Voices, Democrat-Gazette, 515 Enterprise Drive, Suite 106, Lowell AR 72745, by FAX at 479-770-8484 or via an e-mail form found at our Web site, www2.arkansasonline.com/contact/voicesform/. - Tuesday, May 13, 2008

EDITORIALS : For Dave Bisbee

BENTON COUNTY is to have a new county judge next year. Gary Black’s decision to retire after this term has brought out a large field of candidates to succeed him—five in the Republican primary alone. Happily for the county’s voters, there’s an obvious choice in the GOP race: Dave Bisbee, the term-limited state senator from Rogers. - Monday, May 12, 2008

For Tim Summers

TIM SUMMERS brings 20 years of experience in elected public office to his race for the Legislature in House District 99. His résumé is impressive, all the more so because of his mastery of the complicated budget of Benton County, which he’s helped oversee through seven terms as a justice of the peace. - Monday, May 12, 2008

For Mary Lou Slinkard

BENTON COUNTY is fortunate in this year’s primaries. Candidates seeking office have a lot of solid, relevant experience on their résumés. There’s three-term incumbent Keith Ferguson running again for sheriff. There’s Dave Bisbee, the long-time state legislator, running for county judge. There’s Tim Summers, the seven-term justice of the peace and master of the county budget, running for the Legislature. - Monday, May 12, 2008

COLUMNISTS : Too left, too late

Charles Krauthammer

By the time Hillary Clinton figured out how to beat Barack Obama, it was too late. When she began the race in 2007 thinking she was in for a coronation, she claimed the center in order to position herself for the real fight, the general election. She simply assumed the party activists and loony left would fall in behind her. - Monday, May 12, 2008

Freedom Project instills lofty dreams

BY LEONARD PITTS JR. MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

SUNFLOWER, Miss. Joaquin Burse wants to go to Harvard and be a laser tech. - Monday, May 12, 2008

LETTERS

PETA’s complaint ludicrous Concerning animal rights legislation, I’d be more inclined to agree to its usefulness if it wasn’t for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the radical organization that put a monastery and 30 monks out of the egg production business in South Carolina. It was their means of support. - Monday, May 12, 2008

Let’s get a few things done

Pat Lynch

Deep down in a recent feature story was an interesting bit of reconnaissance. Over the past year, average daily ridership on Central Arkansas Transit buses has increased by about 600. - Monday, May 12, 2008

Share your views, Northwest Arkansas

The Democrat-Gazette welcomes your opinions, Northwest Arkansas. - Monday, May 12, 2008

COLUMNISTS : Bloodline lust

Kane Webb

Of all the post-race blather about the death of Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby, the most insightful story and comment appeared the day before the race. And it should be read by anyone connected to thoroughbred racing—not to mention all the suddenly expert sportswriters and gum-flappers on radio and TV who wouldn’t know a blinker from a bit. - Sunday, May 11, 2008

EDITORIALS : Testing, one, two, three

WHEN WE first heard the term Mad Cow Disease years ago, we called a cattle rancher we know in South Arkansas and picked his brain. What does it do to cows? What does it do to humans? Can you get it eating the No. 1 burger at Sonic? One of our last questions was: “Are you for or against testing for Mad Cow? ’Cause, after all, if a cow tests positive for it in Washington State, it’s bound to hurt business at the sale barn, even in Arkansas.” His response: Test, test, test. After all, this affects the cattle industry’s whole reason for being. If a diseased cow gets through the cracks in the system, somebody is going to get sick, and the next day, nobody’s eating the No. 1 burger at Sonic. - Sunday, May 11, 2008

Harry Truman’s way

YOU KNOW you’ve spent way too much time watching campaign coverage this presidential election year when you find yourself up at midnight waiting for the votes to come in from Lake County, Ind. - Sunday, May 11, 2008

Be a boy

BY ROBERT KELLY-GOSS COX NEWS SERVICE

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. Iwant to talk about being a boy because it’s something I know a little bit about; at least that’s what I’ve heard over the years. There’s this book, The Dangerous Book for Boys, by Hal Iggulden and when it first came out I wanted to scoff. I wanted to scoff because on the back cover of the book it entreats the potential reader to “Recapture Sunday afternoons and long summer days” as if we had lost those somewhere along the line. - Sunday, May 11, 2008