Gauging the public’s mood by their words

An old sage of the weekly newspaper business, who was personally reading up to four area weekly newspapers and an additional three daily newspapers each and every day for the past half-century, once told me: the true people’s voice is often reflected in the last lines printed.

That has not changed much, in my opinion, even with all these newfangled electronic means of communication that have come onto the political and social scene. The Internet is not printed on paper and there to see day after day, week after week and year after year.

Newspapers and Letters To The Editor are, well, forever.

The real truth of the public’s thinking is not found in the bulk of one’s words, my mentor counseled me as a young newspaper reporter, columnist and editor.

The real truth can be found in the last sentence written.

You know — that last line, right before the name and hometown of the writer is published.

And here are some last lines, taken from Letters To The Editor, in the area daily newspaper over the past week or so.

Some are right to the point.

Others are a little vague and targeting their focus for all of us to see.

All are worthy of thinking about in these final days of one of the most unusual and controversial presidential campaigns of recent memory.

Here we go with little or no commentary on my part. I’ll let the writer’s contributions stand alone and stand anomalously.

• “It is a sorry state of affairs.”

• “Remember, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

• “We are in a sorry state of affairs when you can’t trust any media source.”

• “If so, let us go forth and be love.”

• “As much as I disapprove of Donald Trump, I have no other choice but to vote for him.”

• “If the shoe fits… wear it!”

• “Besides, I think we all know who’s responsible for ISIS, Smart Republicans just want to forget it.”

• “Please present the

whole truth in the future.”

• “Please pray for all the officers in blue and servicemen and women who are serving to protect us and our freedom.”

• “I’m a Republican, it’s my Party and I’ll cry if I want to.”

• “Maybe we should be a little less irrational and look at facts versus allowing others to whip up storms of fear within us.”

• “Carry On.”

• “Nevertheless, I will vote for Hillary because I believe only she has the experience, understanding and knowledge to lead our democracy and the world.”

• “After all, this is about Arkansas’ future.”

• “How can we as a country support a man like Donald Trump with all this hatred, divisiveness and bigotry toward women and minorities?”

• “Grow up and pick up!”

• “Readers of the Democrat-Gazette, consider that the ‘voices’ we hear are often uninformed, ignorant, and what is worse, proud of these attributes.”

• “I urge my fellow citizens to put aside party loyalty and to vote with clarity of thought and sound judgment.”

• “And in these uncertain political times, we should urge the president to sign a ‘No First Use’ agreement to pledge that the United States will never start a nuclear exchange.”

• “She really tries to play up to people and it is all political.”

• “But now he needs to wake up for the sake of our children and grandchildren.”

• “Oh, and football starts soon. Thank God!”

And with that last nugget of wisdom from the Letters, about the upcoming football season, all I can say is “Woo, Pig Sooie.”