Happy Independence Day to those fighting for theirs

Inspirational

By Steve Brawner

© 2023 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Americans don’t do a good job of celebrating their holidays, including the one happening today.

Christmas has become less about remembering Christ’s birth and more about buying and busyness. Memorial Day is less about honoring the fallen and more about backyard barbecues. Thanksgiving’s purpose is included in its name. We instead often call it “Turkey Day” because of what we might eat.

In all of these holidays, we often become so focused on activities and consumption that we neglect to reflect on what we’re actually celebrating.

Now comes Independence Day, which like Thanksgiving is popularly called another name, the Fourth of July, that obscures the holiday’s purpose. A first-time visitor probably would think Americans shoot fireworks this time of year for some vague patriotic reason. Continue reading Happy Independence Day to those fighting for theirs →

College sports: Pay’s the American way

Uncategorized

By Steve Brawner, © 2023 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

“Congressional “ and “action” are two words that aren’t used together much these days, but that’s what University of Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek was hoping to help make happen June 7.

Yurachek was scheduled to travel to Washington, D.C., as part of a group of Southeastern Conference leaders seeking to create a uniform NIL national standard. 

For non-sports fans, NIL is the newfound reality where college athletes can be compensated for the use of their name, image and likeness, although that compensation can’t come from the university. It has opened the doors for college athletes to be paid big bucks to endorse products and engage in other activities.

How big? The website On3 calculates the valuation of Bronny James, son of LeBron James, at $6.8 million. That doesn’t mean the incoming University of Southern California freshman basketball player is being paid exactly that, but that’s what the site says he’s worth. The second highest valued athlete is LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne, who is valued at $3.4 million. Third is incoming University of Texas quarterback Arch Manning, nephew of Peyton and Eli. He’s valued at $2.8 million. 

The top ranking Razorback is running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, who is 48th with a value of $750,000.  Continue reading College sports: Pay’s the American way →

Looks like LEARNS, everything else can be an emergency

State government

By Steve Brawner, © 2023 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

We can assume two things following the recent Arkansas Supreme Court ruling on the LEARNS Act lawsuit. 

First, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ education reform legislation will be the law of the land sooner rather than later. 

Second, the Legislature will continue voting on emergency clauses simultaneously with bills – even though the state Constitution requires two votes “upon separate roll call.”

We may need a constitutional amendment so clear no one can argue it. One might be cooking. We’ll get to that shortly.

For background, the Supreme Court’s 5-2 ruling June 15 lifted a temporary restraining order issued by Circuit Court Judge Herbert Wright. Some Marvell-Elaine School District residents had sued the state after it entered into a “transformation contract” with a charter school organization to manage the district under the LEARNS Act. Continue reading Looks like LEARNS, everything else can be an emergency →

Arkansas GOP on Trump: Supportive, opposing, and silent

Politics

By Steve Brawner

© 2023 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

What have Arkansas’ leading Republicans been saying about former President Trump’s indictment? It varies from quite a bit to not much at all.

Sen. Tom Cotton, the combat veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and also is an attorney, told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt Tuesday that he was disappointed with the indictments. 

Trump is accused of taking classified documents, including highly sensitive ones related to national security, showing them off a little, refusing to turn them over and then taking steps to hide them. 

Cotton said that’s not as serious as what Hillary Clinton did while secretary of state, which was conduct a lot of official business using her private, unsecured email server that included sending classified information, though not documents marked as classified. He said what Clinton did was worse and that it compromised national security, and he criticized the Justice Department for its inconsistency in indicting Trump but not her.

“Indicting the opposition party’s leading candidate is a step that’s more reminiscent of Third World banana republics than the greatest republic known in the history of mankind, and it’s not something that should be done on edge cases or stretching legal theories,” he said. “Only on ironclad serious matters in which the law has been applied equally in a fair-handed manner.” Continue reading Arkansas GOP on Trump: Supportive, opposing, and silent →