Thursday’s thumbs

Miss America, good deeds and building bridges

With the Bentonville Film Festival ongoing this week, one might think our almost-weekly collection of up and down thumbs on local, state and national happenings has a bit of a Siskel and Ebert feel to it. Well, we always liked those guys’ movie reviews — even if we didn’t always agree. Still, they didn’t corner the market on thumbish gestures — just ask the Romans — so we’ll dive into our non-cinamatic views of the week.

Miss America Savvy Shields of Fayetteville has been a frequent presence at events in Northwest Arkansas, even as she also travels all over the country spreading her advocacy to “eat better, live better.” On Monday, she put that theme to work for Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who named Shields the honorary chairwoman of Healthy Active Arkansas, a relatively new program designed in part to encourage businesses to promote exercise and healthier choices among their workers. Arkansans apparently need the guidance. Their overall condition ranked the state as the most overweight in the country in 2014. We hope Miss Shields’ work and the efforts of the governor can help to reverse such rankings and put Arkansans on the track toward better health.

A gun is a tool. Whether it is used for good or bad relies on the decisions of the person holding one. Likewise, bullets have no minds of their own. They’re indiscriminate in their adherence to the laws of physics. Take, for example, news out of the St. Louis Cardinals’ Busch Stadium, where a fan Tuesday was grazed by a bullet fired into the air perhaps a mile away from the ballpark. What goes up, naturally, must come down. In doing so, it nicked the woman’s elbow as she sat watching the Redbirds’ contest against the Milwaukee Brewers. We also note the death of Little Rock resident Shirley Jackson, who took a bullet last week as she cared for nine children at a daycare. The bullet wasn’t intended for her. Apparently, the gunfire came from a car and the intended target was in a home next door. Again, gunfire claims an innocent bystander, and we have new examples of why guns ought to be used for hunting and target practice, and kept secured in virtually all other instances except personal protection when lives are at stake. In no instances should firearms be discharged into the air, because it’s a form of Russian roulette involving anyone in the general vicinity.

Sometimes, doing a good deed is a true sacrifice. Anil Vannavalli, 34, dropped a backpack containing his laptop, cash and other items as he jumped to help a woman who fell onto the tracks at a train station platform in Edison, N.J., just seconds before a train arrived, only to find when he went back to get his backpack that someone had stolen it. There is no honor among thieves, they say, and we believe them. It’s amazing how dishonest people are so ready to pounce on the misfortunes of others. Vannavalli is to be commended for his bravery and his willingness to help a stranger. It’s the kind of spirit that diminishes the impact of selfish acts such as those committed by Vannavalli’s thief.

It’s not always fun to think about the number of times we’re likely to be videotaped as we go through our daily lives, and it’s about to get more frequent. Smile, drivers in Arkansas, for state Highway Department officials want to watch you more in the future. The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department is busy establishing a statewide traffic management system to collect data and communicate to the public about dangers or congestion. Already, the agency has 42 closed-circuit cameras, 54 dynamic message signs and 11 highway advisory radio stations. Officials hope to grow that by adding more than 200 cameras, doubling the number of radio stations and deploying 100 weather information systems that collect data. Also included is up to 200 bridge de-icing systems that can monitor temperature and spray de-icing materials when needed. Without a doubt, Big Brother is watching when it comes to managing traffic, but it makes sense to use the technology to adjust to changing traffic conditions. One of the chief benefits of efficiently managing traffic is it helps reduce the need to build or expand more highways. And drivers no doubt appreciate getting information that helps them avoid big traffic slowdowns. Why not use the technology available to help?

The chairman of the Democratic National Committee made things awkward for some Arkansas Democrats with this statement: “Every Democrat, like every American, should support a woman’s right to make her own choices about her body and her health. That is not negotiable and should not change city by city or state by state.” That led some folks to suggest the Democrats, perhaps, might not be the party of inclusion it likes to suggest it is. Arkansas Democrats denied such a litmus test exists for membership in the Democratic Party. The GOP asserted the statement meant there’s no room for people in the Democratic Party who are opposed to abortion. Neither party should define a single issue or two that defines what a Democrat or Republican is. They both need some core principals, but also room for people’s differences.

It’s great to hear Benton County is on the verge of starting repairs to the historic War Eagle Bridge. These aren’t related directly to the week’s high waters. Rather, they’re the county’s effort to shore up the structure so it can continue to be used for crossing the creek for years to come. The day will come when a modern bridge will be necessary somewhere in the vicinity, but the War Eagle Bridge is a great part of the fabric of Benton County that hopefully can be preserved for a long time.