Value facts, science

Since the days of Newt Gingrich, the Republican Party has used white male anger and grievance to rile up its base. It has been very effective at this, leading many to do and say things simply because they want to own the libs. Since anger is generally only socially acceptable from white males, the Democratic Party has been slow to use anger as a tactic. Rare incidents of anger from a woman like Hillary Clinton or a Black man like Barack Obama predictably raised eyebrows on the right.

Strident? Uppity? You name it. They were criticized with abandon.

Fast-forward to 2020-21, where white men (and now some women) have picked up the call to anger in refusing masks, ranting about shutdowns and rejecting vaccinations that, according to science, both save lives and decrease the load on healthcare workers. Many proudly call themselves pro-life as they endanger themselves and every person with whom they come in contact. Some sit in school board meetings, chewing gum and smirking, as a young student mourns the death of his grandmother from covid. Some are belligerent physically and verbally when asked to comply with public health guidelines in schools, workplaces and other public arenas. The result? Arkansas recently was shown in the top five states per capita in covid cases.

Perhaps it is time for vaccinated Americans, most of whom are Democrats, to get angry as well. A majority of Arkansas Democrats, independents and even a few Republicans have followed these guidelines. Those who didn’t put all of us at risk. We should get angry! Raise your voices. Take that anger to the polls and only vote for politicians who followed the science. In Arkansas, that would mean a pretty clean sweep. A state government that values facts and science? Priceless. MARY WOHLLEB Little Rock