Shouldn’t be attacked

Before this recent election cycle began, I had resigned myself to the usual slew of attack ads and mudslinging that has plagued our political system for many decades now. I was willing to accept the fearmongering, the deceptive methods employed by shadowy out-of-state groups, and a complete disinterest in actually confronting the most pressing issues facing our state and the nation. I am finally outraged by one of those many ads on TV.

This particular ad asserted that Clarke Tucker was receiving support from the Hollywood elite. But instead of the usual characters of Pelosi and Schumer, the ad showed a woman that many in Arkansas are familiar with: Mary Steenburgen. Mary Steenburgen is a well-regarded actress who was born and grew up in Arkansas. Throughout her life Mary Steenburgen has done much to make her home state proud. She has received many awards for her acting, including an Academy Award, and has contributed to both national and local philanthropic causes, including the Oxford American, a Southern literary magazine nationally recognized and based right here in Little Rock.

She is not some nebulous outsider attempting to sabotage the state. She is a proud Arkansan who has exercised her right to express her opinion and is being treated in return with baseless contempt. We are fortunate that such an accomplished person can call Arkansas her home.

JACK O’MARA

Little Rock