LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
To the Editor:
Our local gas stations have done it to us again. A few weeks ago the local (not including Murphy USA at this point) gasoline sellers raised their gas prices to $2.29 a gallon while MUSA was $2.16. This was on a Friday when we left town for the weekend. We try to buy at MUSA stations since they normally have the best price on gas. On our trip we paid no more than $2.16 a gallon and most times much less. On Sunday, we were heading back to El Dorado and, guess what, MUSA had raised their price to $2.26 a gallon. Three cents below the other stations. At that point, the El Dorado station was higher than any other MUSA STATION IN THE STATE.
And guess what happened, in the last few days, most of our local stations raised their price to $2.49 a gallon for regular, while MUSA was at $2.26. Well, what do you know, MUSA raised their price to $2.46 a gallon. A quick check of other stations in the state , and here again, the El Dorado station is much higher than anywhere in the state. We are even higher than the Magnolia station, and we are normally, NEVER higher than them. The price in Flippin is 8 cents lower than we are.
When Murphy USA put a station in El Dorado, I thought it would be independent of El Dorado’s other gasoline sellers. Well, it was good while it lasted, but the other wholesalers and retailers have MURPHY USA figured out, and, once again El Dorado is paying for it.
Respectfully,
John Day
El Dorado
To the Editor:
The Craven 43
We might have thought the one thing that would unite the 48 Democrats, 2 Independents, and 50 “Republicans” in the U.S. Senate would have been the unanimous conviction of the man who incited his invited hoard of murderers and malcontents to storm the United States Capitol. After all, this was an attempted coup d’état to prevent the official counting of the electoral votes which resulted from the certified-free and fair November election. It tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power and to effectively overthrow the U.S. Constitution. All of these represent to us and to the rest of the world the wor
thiness of our 232-year-old constitutional democratic-republic. Sadly, we were wrong.
Our demagogic president repeated his Big Lies about winning the election and told his insurrectionists that he would be with them on their unauthorized march from the Ellipse to the Capitol. However, the pathological liar abandoned them to seek refuge in the White House, far from the madding crowd, to enjoy viewing his handiwork on television.
Watching the incitement and the resulting insurrection on TV, I was reminded of one of those bizarre Christian crusades against the Muslim “infidels.” When the Christians sacked the city of Jerusalem – which was occupied by Christians, Jews, and Muslims – a crusader asked how they were supposed to tell the “infidels” from everyone else. The answer: “Kill them all, and let God sort them out in heaven.”
The president’s mob easily recognized some of those they wanted to kill – Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi in particular – but how were they going to be able to distinguish the difference between the other members of Congress, some of whom were devout Trumpistas? Almost all representatives and senators were in serious danger. Senator Josh Hawley was safe because he had publicly encouraged the rebels, but what about others with his sympathies? Fortunately, none of those who had assembled in the Capitol to do their constitutional duty were physically harmed.
Eleven House Republicans recognized the threat to democracy that was perpetrated by the president’s incitement of the insurrection and voted with the Democrats to impeach the instigator. This should’ve been a unanimous vote, but, because of the large number in their party who were more loyal to the sociopath in the White House and to their party than they were to the Constitution, it took more than common sense to get them to vote to impeach. It took strength of character, moral integrity, and political courage.
In the Senate trial, only 7 of 50 Republicans displayed those traits - 10 fewer than needed to convict. The Craven 43 who voted to acquit were loyal Trumpistas, not loyal Americans. They were scared to raise the ire of “The Former Guy” who still controls their party and, more importantly, he still controls their voting base. The failed wannabe-autocrat personifies today’s GOP. Holding him accountable for his reprehensible conduct was unthinkable. Hence, the Craven 43 displayed having backbones of chocolate éclairs on a hot summer day.
David Offutt
El Dorado
To the Editor:
“LOCK TRUMP UP!”
Former President Donald Trump incited a deadly insurrection against the U.S. government, according to Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell:
“January 6 was a disgrace. American citizens attacked their own government. They used terrorism… Fellow Americans beat and bloodied our own police. They stormed the Senate floor, they tried to hunt down the Speaker of the House. They built a gallows and chanted about murdering the Vice President. They did this because they had been fed wild falsehoods by the most powerful man on earth, because he was angry he had lost an election… There’s no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. No question about it… This was an intensifying crescendo of conspiracy theories, orchestrated by an outgoing President who seemed determined to either overturn the voters’ decision or else torch our institutions on the way out…” Lock Trump up!
Jake Pickering
Arcata, Calif.