Dear editor:
As I write this, the dust of Tuesday's election has not yet settled. Either our nation's lurch toward full-blown fascism continues unabated, replete with swastikas and flag-waving, cross-burning white supremacy, and out-in-the-open Christianist, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant bigotry. Or perhaps -- and hope springs eternal -- reasonable voters have turned out in numbers that shout "our rights shall not be denied!"
My friend Mike Nunn is fond of reminding us we live in strange times. Indeed we do. Ever vigilant George is startled to learn that Arkansas' brightest teachers and students are mostly liberals. Surely, a conspiracy is afoot! Mary is, as always, fixated on Benghazi and the sins of Democrats long gone and now inconsequential. But God Bless President Trump, nevertheless. Meanwhile, Billy Graham wannabe Lloyd offers us yet another altar call. Just as we are, if only we weren't. ...
To arms! To arms! A ragtag caravan of impoverished refugees slowly approaches our southern border, bearing gifts "perhaps" of polio, drug sales, and even possible gang affiliations. An invasion! Where is Ellis Island when America really needs her? A Villager pleads for civility in our national discourse, and then abandons the moral high road for a few shekels in arms sales (after all, Khashoggi wasn't even an American citizen ... ).
Our very own local Donald warns us that only the 1611 KJV is flawless, and anything else is a fast fox trot down the path to perdition. And of course, there's the always verbose Bradley R. Glitz from Batesville, Arkansas, who appears about twice a week on these hallowed pages. I swear he must be paid by the word, or at least for every time he refers to Democrats as socialists and communists. According to his erudite rationale, if you dare vote for anything but Republicans, you are nothing but a slave to orthodoxy.
Indeed, we live in strange times. Sign me a slave to orthodoxy,
John Ragland
Hot Springs
Editorial on 11/11/2018