A revolving door
Dear editor:
Every day, I read The Sentinel-Record. Every day there are crime stories. Every day those arrested in these crime stories have been arrested numerous times. Every day those arrested have received probation multiple times.
There is no deterrent to crime because there's no accountability. Some of these probation sentences are, or were, for serious crimes, even felonies. The court system appears to be a mere revolving door.
Who's responsible for this? Judges, prosecutors, politicians? Don't expect our crime rate to change when nothing changes. It is so well described with Einstein's definition of insanity: "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." That's insane.
John Jensen
Hot Springs
A banana republic
Dear editor:
I have never considered not living in the United States of America. Life has been pretty good here. My pursuit of Life, Liberty, and Happiness has been successful. As I ate breakfast this morning, I became "woked." We are no longer united as a culture. We are no longer pulling the wagon together as a team. We no longer appear to have the common goals of owning a home, educating our kids, and enjoying the freedoms provided in the United States Constitution -- a document and an ideology that has worked well for 245 years.
Something evil has happened. There is no longer any sense of "decorum" in our government. Dignity and the exchange of ideas have been replaced by character assassinations, lies, and dishonesty. The losers of each presidential election attempt to stack the deck against their opponent -- and they go berserk.
The USA I grew up in has now become a Banana Republic. The FBI and the Justice Department have been used for political purposes by losers. The House of Representatives has been used for political purposes instead of what is right for the citizens. The Senate ain't far behind.
There has been no spirit of cooperation during the past several years from the losers on either side. This once great country has been reduced to one wherein "woke" folks want more entitlements than taxes the working people can pay. They do not care if it bankrupts us or places an undue burden on those who pay taxes.
Thugs roam our streets and create mayhem and death. There are rants about defunding those who keep the peace and protect our citizens. Lawlessness has become the norm in many cities and towns. There is very little respect for authority or authority figures.
As other countries have become Socialist and collapsed, many in the U.S. fail to see the big picture and recognize the dangers. In our large cities, criminals are caught and released to only be caught and released again. Looting has become a sport.
It seems that our values, our morals, and our civility have all disappeared. We allow the killing of innocent babies as a form of birth control. All of us, except the American Indian, came from immigrant families who left their homeland so they could raise their families and enjoy liberty and happiness in a new country. Our forefathers made this country great. Yet, we don't want to allow others into our country when they no longer have a country in which they can safely live without fear from thugs, cartels, and even their own government.
Yep, I have lived in the same house for 20 years but I no longer live in the same country that was here when I moved in. Our country has somehow lasted for 245 years, but it has been overrun by those who want to do away with history, the Electoral College; and they want to politicize the Supreme Court so that it makes laws instead of simply doing what it was intended to do.
Yep, I live in a different country now -- but my address has not changed.
John Grillo
Hot Springs