Category Archives: U.S. Congress

Cotton goes to war against a virus

By Steve Brawner, © 2020 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Feb. 4, 2020

Sen. Tom Cotton, the ex-combat infantryman, tends to see the world – and describe it – in terms of threats and adversaries: Iran, terrorists, illegal immigrants, legal immigrants who take Americans’ jobs, the Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei, President Obama and other Democrats, etc. He often uses strong, uncompromising language.

Lately, he’s focused on a new, developing threat, the coronavirus that China says has killed more than 400 of its people, and which has started spreading to other countries. As of Monday, there were 11 confirmed cases in the United States.

On Jan. 30, Cotton said in a Senate Armed Services Committee meeting that the coronavirus is “the biggest and most important story in the world” and something that “could result in a global pandemic.” He called for banning all commercial air travel between China and the United States and for a “Manhattan Project-level effort” to develop a vaccine. The Manhattan Project created the atomic bomb in World War II.

Cotton’s remarks are notable because this time the threat he’s talking about isn’t a person or group of people, but a virus.

Viruses are microorganisms that invade the body and reproduce by attaching to cells and reprogramming them to create more viruses. They can mutate, frustrating our efforts to stop them. Continue reading →

Another Senate candidate – maybe

Ricky Harrington is the Libertarian nominee for Senate.

By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Sen. Tom Cotton has another opponent as of Saturday – maybe.

The Libertarian Party of Arkansas held its convention that day and nominated Ricky Harrington, 34, of Pine Bluff to run against Cotton and the only announced Democrat, Josh Mahony.

Libertarians support very limited government. They are to the right of Republicans on tax and spending issues. They are to the left of many Democrats on some other issues, such as opposing the drug war and the use of force in general.

Prison reform is one of Harrington’s biggest concerns. An employee of the prison system, he supports reducing the size of Arkansas’ inmate population, particularly with respect to nonviolent offenders. During a brief interview, he said he supports abolishing the Department of Homeland Security, repealing the Patriot Act, ending “endless” wars, and protecting gun rights.

He says he was inspired to enter the race by several events, including this year’s passage of Act 164. (More on that subject in a few paragraphs.) The Harding University graduate was working as a missionary in China in 2016 and was dismayed by what he saw happening in the U.S. presidential campaign. He’s African American, and when he returned to Arkansas, he said he was stopped by police for driving 35 miles per hour in a 40 mph zone. That was a frustrating moment for someone who had just spent two years in a communist country. Continue reading →

What Crawford, Westerman must consider with Trump

By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

I don’t know the real reasons why people do things, including often myself. This column is about considerations.

Recently, all four U.S. House of Representatives members from Arkansas voted for a resolution criticizing President Trump’s decision to let Turkey attack the Kurds. It passed 354-60 with 225-0 support among Democrats and 129-60 support among Republicans.

That was interesting but not surprising. Republicans and Democrats disagree about much, but there’s a consensus – not unanimous agreement, but consensus – that the United States cannot simply disengage from the world’s hotspots. Trump disrupts that consensus, as he does so many things.

Also interesting – and also not surprising – were the comments made by Arkansas’ House members, as reported by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Continue reading →

Why one ex-con is ‘proud of the man that I have become’

By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Less than a year ago, Terrance Knowlton was in a Wrightsville prison for dealing drugs. Now, he says, “I’m proud of the man that I have become today.”

How did he get from there to here? Partly thanks to Shorter College.

Knowlton, 30, made bad choices in life and ended up selling drugs out of his house. While he was in prison, he met Stormie Cubb, a Shorter College staff member who works with inmates. The North Little Rock-based school is one of 67 institutions nationwide participating in the Second Chance Pell program, which offers government grants to educate prisoners. It teaches classes to 500 inmates in eight locations across Arkansas.

Knowlton enrolled in classes and made good grades. When he was released from prison 11 months ago, he was determined to continue his education.

“First day I came home, I went looking for Miss Stormie,” he said. “She said, ‘Mr. Knowlton, we’re happy to see you. You ready to get started? You ready to be successful? We’ll give you all the tools that you need.’ And she did that. She gave me that opportunity.”

Knowlton made that comment during a meeting Sept. 6 with Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., and representatives of Shorter College, Arkansas Baptist College and Philander Smith College. Continue reading →

Cotton picks Greenland

Tom CottonBy Steve Brawner , © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Sen. Tom Cotton is serious about the United States buying Greenland, so let’s take the idea seriously and examine it from both sides.

President Trump’s interest in purchasing Greenland from Denmark was first reported Aug. 15 by the Wall Street Journal. When Denmark’s prime minister rejected what she called an “absurd” offer, Trump cancelled a planned visit to that country.

He shouldn’t have cancelled the trip.

Offering to buy Greenland? Well, he is big into real estate, and Greenland covers 836,000 square miles. It’s the world’s biggest island, although 80% of it is covered by ice. In fact, the ice sheet is three times the size of Texas. About 58,000 people live there, mostly along the western coast. The island has its own parliament and prime minister but is part of the Danish Kingdom. The United States has an air base there.

During an interview with Roby Brock in Little Rock August 21, Cotton said he had suggested Trump make an offer for Greenland and personally had proposed the idea to the Danish ambassador. Continue reading →