Letter to the Editor

Latest Submission to the Sentinel  Record

Dear Editor,

The last time you published my letter I received an anonymous call from someone who did not identify himself. In the usual cowardly way he told me I was a 'frigging moron'. I would put his phone number here but it would probably be removed.

His name calling didn't bother me because I realize there are a lot of cowards in the world. They don't all live in and around Hot Springs either. 

Yesterday his ilk proved it in the worst possible manner; someone set off 2 bombs with the distinct purpose to wreak havoc amongst the gathering of celebrants and contestants of Boston.

My caller did no real damage to me or my ego. He didn't make me afraid to send my opinions into your newspaper. It just showed me that cowards are everywhere. There are just degrees under which they operate.

Judy Ladd

(address available elsewhere)

I was going to go on about what an idiot he was when I decided to respond to his phone call but Boston happened and put him in a whole new context.

I guess I just don't give a shit whether anyone likes my opinions or not. I lived under threats most of my life and I learned you can't run from them or turn your back on them. You have to face them out in the open and in the light of day.

I hope everyone is doing well and that we can survive this too. Terrorists only succeed when we let them terrorize us. It's a game of cowards.

We're Off to see the Wizard

A Day at the Capitol

This is an observation of my day at the 'legislature'. 

On Monday, April 8, 2013, Barbara Butler, Melinda Nobel and I went to Little Rock to confront our legislators on the latest effort to screw up "Obamacare'. We met with Philip Adams, liaison for Health and Human Services, at the office of Governor Mike Beebe. We had a long discussion about why the health care bill currently under consideration, is a bad idea. It lets the insurance companies 'cherry pick' the healthiest people to insure while the state picked up the uninsurable, disabled, aged and sick. 

He explained that as the situation was today Blue Cross-Blue Shield had a 'monopoly' on health care in Arkansas. You either used their insurance or pretty much went without. As a compromise, it was determined that in the interests of 25,000 Arkansans that are currently NOT insured, it would be best to let other competitors into the market. This plan will be in effect for 3 years only (at which time I'm hoping Arkansans have wised up and voted these imbeciles out of office). Philip said it was better to settle for 'good' rather than hold out for 'perfect'. With that information, we went on the attack. 

I met with Bruce Cozart who has maintained the sleezy personality that he expressed when he first ran for Representative of my district. The NAACP asked both Cozart and Jerry Rephan to debate their positions to those interested in the 2 candidates running in District 24. In the course of questioning I asked him if he was for the ERA. His response was he knew nothing about it but would get back with me. When I could get my jaw off the floor, the 'debate' went pretty much as you would expect. Jerry well informed, Bruce hedging and 'how religious he was' and that his business experience as a contractor gave him the edge when it came to running government. FYI, government is NOT a business. Anybody need help, get out your dictionary.

Meanwhile back at the Capitol, I asked Bruce if he'd figured out what the ERA was. He responded with (as near as I can remember, a direct quote): " I realized I was in a set up situation so I decided it's best to play ignorant and just say I knew nothing about it".

I'm sure that the NAACP would love to know that. They are a non-partisan, non-profit group dedicated to the improvement of race relations and to give its members an opportunity to learn first hand from the candidates the issues and their positions without partisanship or bias. Everyone is welcome to express their opinion and make their case.

Well done, Mr. Cozart. You're a typical Republican who will never understand why minorities don't buy into your ideology.

Back to our reason for approaching Mr. Cozart. I asked him if he was for the health care bill and he said he was still undecided. I think that meant he was not going to discuss it with me. I explained my position and though it had changed after talking to Philip Adams, I hoped he would support it.

Later, after all of us had hit the halls of 'higher echelons of governance', we went to John Boozman's office. He doesn't have a sign saying the door you enter is 'John Boozman's office'. You have to ask unless you've been there before.

We presented our individual cases to his emissary ( I can't find the card he gave me with his name on it. Maybe Barbara or Melinda can update this blog if they like) for what we wanted Boozman to support and asked if his position on gun control was in keeping with the majority of Americans. I told his liaison that if Congress was not going to restrict or limit guns and magazines for them then tax the bullets. He laughed at me. Barbara pointed out to him (which took the smile off his face) that that was how Al Capone was brought down.

We explained that the ERA was an important issue that needed to be resolved, women will always stay under the gun until they reach parity with men. Until that happens, we will always be used as a political football. Each of us gave examples of why it was not government's role to restrict or regulate abortions. He said he was against abortions, period. I asked him how many babies he'd had? Since he hadn't had any I didn't give a damn what his opinion was. Barbara gave him a card to Foster care volunteers since he said he wasn't even involved in the care of those children he insisted women give birth to. It will be interesting to see how many in Boozman's office take up Barbara's offer to foster care these children he feels so attached to. I told him 24,000 children went to bed hungry every day in Arkansas, why wasn't he concerned about that.

All in all, a very interesting day with nothing to show for it except exhaustion and the knowledge that we had done our best to participate in our Republic and its politics; good, bad and very ugly. Damn its hard being a woman sometimes. I realized that after all the hard work, politicking and picketing I had done for most of my adult life, I was further from equal rights with my male counterpart than I was at 20. At 20, I had youth and good looks on my side. It's a bitch being a 2nd class citizen and old.

Latest and Greatest

Letter to the Editor

Here is the latest effort to get a letter published. You can read it here in all its entirety. The Sentinel Record has a habit of editting some of my more colorful comments:

Dear Editor,


President Obama signed into law the reinstatement of the Violence Against Women Act. This was a landmark act considering that it was up for renewal last Fall. It took this long to get reinstated due to the efforts of the Republicans in the House trying to remove the changes made to the original document to correct those women denied protection under the original bill.

We elect the people to represent us that are supposedly of higher moral character and who will best represent us in Washington. Unfortunately, that isn't true for the residents of Arkansas. We have some people that still believe there should be 2 sets of laws protecting our citizenry, those that meet their views of what is proper and good and those that need to be castigated and relegated to the sidelines to be treated as worthless or 2nd class citizens. Our representatives from the Republican party supported that view by voting against VAWA, Representative Tom Cotton from District 4 and Senator John Boozman. Instead of doing the 'right' and noble thing by voting for the protection of ALL women, they chose to take the low side of the debate and voted to deny every woman protection under the law. For whatever their personal reasons, they have no business representing anyone in Washington. They have already proven they only want to represent those that share their prejudices and animosity. Our country is moving forward into the 21st century and we don't need 18th century representation.

I hope that every woman that was ever hit, beat, raped or molested at any time in their life will consider that when they go to the polls in 2014. We need people of moral character and high ethics to represent us, not some backward misogynist trying to reverse the clock and move women back into male domination and servility.   As you can see, my opinion of most voters here in Arkansas will get me censored. Just bear with me and you can read it here in all its vainglorious prose.

Still Fighting the Good Fight

My latest letter to the editor of the Sentinel Record follows:

Dear Editor,
President Obama signed into law the reinstatement of the Violence Against Women Act. This was a landmark act considering that it was up for renewal last Fall. It took this long to get reinstated due to the efforts of the Republicans in the House trying to remove the changes made to the original document to correct those women denied protection under the original bill.
We elect the people to represent us that are supposedly of higher moral character and who will best represent us in Washington. Unfortunately, that isn't true for the residents of Arkansas. We have some people that still believe there should be 2 sets of laws protecting our citizenry, those that meet their views of what is proper and good and those that need to be castigated and relegated to the sidelines to be treated as worthless or 2nd class citizens. Our representatives from the Republican party supported that view by voting against VAWA, Representative Tom Cotton from District 4 and Senator John Boozman. Instead of doing the 'right' and noble thing by voting for the protection of ALL women, they chose to take the low side of the debate and voted to deny every woman protection under the law. For whatever their personal reasons, they have no business representing anyone in Washington. They have already proven they only want to represent those that share their prejudices and animosity. Our country is moving forward into the 21st century and we don't need 18th century representation.
I hope that every woman that was ever hit, beat, raped or molested at any time in their life will consider that when they go to the polls in 2014. We need people of moral character and high ethics to represent us, not some backward misogynist trying to reverse the clock and move women back into male domination and servility.



I don't know if it was published, I rather doubt it since I 'disrespected' the citizens of Arkansas and the idiots they elected to office in the 4th District. I call every day to Washington to remind them that some of us really do care when they vote against our best interests such as Social Security and Medicaid. As many people that live here that are dependent on these programs you would believe they would be strong advocates for their protection. NOT!

Politicking ala Hot Springs

I put out there on the web that I needed people to join me to campaign against assault rifles and large magazines.We have had too many people die needlessly from these types of guns. The toll is at over 1000 since Newtown, Connecticut. 

Barbara Butler was the only one to join me January 17, 2013. We did get a response from a 'guy' that thought we were a couple of nuts who didn't know what we were talking about because I put on my poster >>>CLIPS

He said clips did not fit in assault rifles. I explained 'magazines' didn't fit on my sign but I was sure everyone would know what I was talking about particularly since the people in Congress used the two names interchangeably.

Saturday, January 19, she and I joined Planned Parenthood on the steps of the Capitol in Little Rock for a rally there  St. Senator Joyce Elliot and Dr. Jocelyn Elders (former Surgeon General) were guest speakers. If you ever get a chance to meet Dr. Elders I recommend you do so. She is an honor to our sex and a wonderful humanist.

I will be having more gun rallies if anyone would like to join me. I usually will have them at Reserve and Central in downtown Hot Springs. The time will probably be Wednesday at 12 noon. If I get enough interest the time can be adjusted to meet the needs and desires of those wishing to join me.

Here is my latest submission to the Sentinel Record for those that may not get the paper. This is by no means a proof of publishing. Submitted 1-21-2013:

With the passage of time it has become more apparent than ever that the corporate agenda for America is its Africanization of resources and its population. Corporations are not held liable for environmental damages they incur through their business practices of raping and pillaging to get to our resources. Mountain top removal is the most ambitious and destructive of these practices. 

The processing of tar sands in Canada shows that the practice has moved beyond our borders to Canada where the indigenous people's lands are systematically being stripped and ravaged at no little cost to the environment. Illness and health issues that they had never experienced before have become the norm.  As these caustic oils are removed from the ground, we are being used as the pipeline to move these tar sand oils across our 'bread basket' of the plains states to the refineries on the Gulf Coast. The fact that the shortest pipeline already completed through Michigan had ruptured and contaminated the water supply there is not to be concerned with. It won't happen with the pipeline being built now, because We have rules and laws to prevent that from happening.

We have fracking across the US that has proven to be so destructive that Europe has banned the practice. Water supplies are being contaminated, people and animals are dying. Yet the practice goes on. We are told it's for our use to make us less dependent on foreign oil and yet these petroleum products are being exported to Europe and China. The coal fields of the Dakotas and Montana need a railroad to the west coast to ship OUR coal to China.

The broader issue is not so much that the Keystone pipeline, coal mining and mountain top removal are dangerous and hazardous at best, it's what it means to us, the people of the United States. The wealth being 'taken' is not being shared with the people most impacted by the destruction of these areas. We are now becoming just another inconvenience to the taking of our natural resources from the earth that we are told is public property. Our representatives in Washington take money for their election coffers from these companies and then write legislation that makes it easier and less painful to extract this wealth.

For the truth about the consequences of environmental disasters, check out how much Exxon has paid out for the Valdez incident. Look at BP's compliance with environmental law and how much they have compensated the residents of the Gulf Coast. 

Wages have been flat ever since the mid 1970's. This has been planned and when states like Michigan and Wisconsin enact 'right to work' legislation those wages will go even lower while the corporations make off with the spoils. This is 'Africanization'. The people work and receive a pittance while the rich get richer at our expense. If there is an environmental disaster, OUR government will step in and with OUR tax dollars, clean the mess up.

In Africa, it was called 'colonialization', what will we call it here but the Africanization' of the United States.

Thanksgiving Weekend Update

What to do when the world doesn't give a crap and it scares the crap out of you

My letter to the editor was published last Friday according to a friend. That is good news because I felt really strongly about the mess in the Gaza Strip. You can't hold people hostage and harass them and then expect them to sit down and like and do whatever you ask.

Politics in Hot Springs are starting to get interesting. Barbara Thexton got a discussion group going to see what can be done to take back the legislature. We don't need to lose the governor's office in 2014 either. Dustin McDaniels is going to have the ride of a lifetime if we don't get something happening here soon. Arkansas has one of the lowest voter turnouts in the US. We don't need voter suppression here, we need people to take voting seriously. When I moved here in the mid 50's, we had a poll tax to suppress voters. It was declared unconstitutional and now people just don't vote. No one seems to mind sending our troops over seas to support and democratize the Middle East and Africa but as far as voting here, you've got to be kidding, they just don't have the time or won't take it.

Claudia Reynolds LeBlanc and I picketed Walmart on Black Friday at the Albert Pike store here in Hot Springs. There were very few customers going through the light where we stood. They must have all gone to the store on Central since it may be the bigger store here. I put some sandwich boards on Tigger so he could earn his keep. He's a great little campaigner. If you need him at your function, he works cheap. Several people had told Claudia they would show up to help. Apathy extends beyond the voting booth here.

Here is my letter to the editor for those that wish to read it:


The attacks on the Gaza Strip by Israel requires a close examination of the cause and effect of this 'military action'. At first blush it looks like Israel is completely in the right in defending its country against the Hamas.

This is the simplistic view that the politicians would like you to believe and not examine any further. We are pro-Israel without a doubt. Anything they say or do we are in complete agreement with. The question is; should we be?

The Gaza Strip was given to the Palestinians as a surrogate country until an agreement could be reached satisfying both sides of the argument establishing statehood for Palestine. Israel sent in settlers and essentially confiscated the lands designated Palestinian. Israel then set up road blocks, check points, boycotts and other extreme measures restricting movement into and out of Gaza vital supplies such as food and medical supplies. Given these conditions, the Hamas resisted and is now almost completely annihilated by the technology sold to them by the USA.. Today the missiles Israel is firing into the Gaza Strip are nothing more than target practice.

Now let's take a look at a world view and not just the myopic one being peddled by the pro-Israeli faction.

What will happen if Israel can justify in the way it is currently headed, an attack on Iran? We keep hearing they are Israel's biggest threat. Secondly, Egypt is sitting by not doing much more than obfuscating to appease the US.  Israel's biggest fear is Arab retaliation to its aggressive behavior against Iran.

Now to the serious business of a war between Israel and Iran. This is Obama's second term and what if it were possible to lay at the feet of his administration the ultimate war in the Middle East? I do not see a peaceful solution when China, Russia, and the Arab Emirates chooses sides in this unwinnable war. His administration will be known to be more inept even than George W. Bush's.

We are asked daily to honor our military and yet the military establishment squanders the personnel aka soldiers like so much toilet paper. Do you really believe we have the concerned population that will continue to fight for a global war that they didn't start and have no way of winning? Only 1% of the population is in the military. That means 99% of us sit on the sidelines wondering what Kate Moss' latest tatoo looks like and where it may be located.

It is time we got our heads out of the sand and demanded from our leaders a solution to the Middle East crisis and I don't mean more bombs and missiles.

Judy Ladd
x

It's been awhile since I was here. It seems I was so involved in getting my friends elected I forgot about this page.

Well, Arkansas did its stupid thing again,and voted for the 'rich' guy. I was a poll watcher and I was not surprised to see the majority of voters were old white men and women. Considering many were retirees from up North you'd think they would have voted more progressively. NOT!

Romney took the electoral college votes and for the first time in 138 years, we have the Republicans in control of our state legislature. This next session will be a thing to behold as we turn the clock back and start teaching biblical 'evolution' or is it called Divine intervention?

Our state rates 3rd from the bottom in education and after having had former governor Huckabee push ignorance in our schools we are sure to drop even lower on that scale when this legislature comes to order.

Sex education will be demonized and the teen pregnancy numbers will climb and more children will be raising children without benefit of a good paying job or an education. Of course, we have ARKids to support them but I wonder where the taxes will come from to keep those services afloat when all those white retirees don't want their little IRAs taxed anymore. All their capital gains can't be taxed either.

David Reagan got elected to JP District 1. Congratulations, Dave. He said going door to door is what won the election and the help from all his sign holding friends at the polls put him over the top. Maybe the other candidates could take a hint from his success.

Many people worked the phone lines from the Democratic Headquarters here. They did more out of state calling than here local as I understand. Maybe they shouldn't have given up on Arkansas so quickly. We might have saved some of the state from the complete takeover by the Republicans. The Tea Party didn't do as well as they thought they would but then we're still living here in the 19th century so who knows.

 I joined the Arts Advisory Council here in Hot Springs. I believe that the only way to change the future is change our kids' attitude towards their city or community. Making them a member of their society or community will instill pride of ownership. Art is an easy step in that direction. We have many public buildings that are just terrible looking and if the kids were given a paintbrush and the freedom to express themselves they may take pride in where they live.

Well, live long and prosper. We can still kick ass by calling the village idiots in Washington on a regular basis to make sure they understand that we may be down but we ain't out. Don't forget Little Rock. Those guys need to hear LOUDLY from us too.