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Letters to the editor

bwheeler — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:25:35 -0500

Some letters that got overrun by other topics.

Your breathless piece about the start-up game company Autarch (“Local developers say their role-playing game fills a long-standing niche,” Oct. 10) should scare the pants off parents not paying attention to how their children spend their time. Like the infamous Dungeons & Dragons cult, adherents to the Adventurer Conqueror King System (ACKS) can be easily absorbed into an imaginary world populated by evil and bizarre beings.

Likening hardcore D&D followers, and now those of ACKS, to a bowling league is like comparing punk rockers to Mary Poppins. And not antisocial? Why do they call their publication Escapist Games? They retreat into a dark, sinister and macabre world fraught with fantasies of violence, greed and mayhem. Players frequently substitute their own sense of warped reality for real human relationships. There are real dangers in these games.

Having watched youngsters become caught up in their fantasy existence and suffering the consequences, I offer a warning to parents: Be afraid, be very afraid.

Mike Hoyt
Raleigh

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The last paragraph in the Oct. 19 article “Hospital rule changes proposed” was absolutely stunning. I read and re-read it several times to be sure I had not misunderstood it. It concerns how the White House says many rules that apply to hospitals and other health care providers will be rolled back after concluding that the standards were obsolete or overly burdensome to the industry.

The paragraph said that in order to save money, “Other proposals would eliminate requirements for hospitals to keep detailed logs of infection control problems and would relieve certain organ transplant centers of the need to certify the blood type of organs donors.” Can you imagine the horrors that could occur from the elimination of these two procedures? The wonderful standards of U.S. health care would possibly revert to third-world countries’ standards.

The article also says that in order to save money patients could self-administer both hospital-issued medications and the patient’s own medications brought into the hospital. Another situation that could cause a great deal of confusion and medication errors.

Annette Rose
Smithfield

Editor’s note: The quoted paragraph concluded by stating, “Hospitals would still have to investigate outbreaks of infections, and other medical experts would check on donors’ blood type.”

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As reported in Under the Dome Oct. 10, the plan of a group called Americans for Securing the Border to persuade presidential and congressional delegates to pledge to build a double fence the entire length of the U.S.-Mexico border is an ambitious goal. And I mean getting delegates to make the pledge is ambitious. The proposed 1,969-mile double fence, to be completed by the end of 2013, is even more ambitious.

A number of questions come to mind. What materials are they considering to use for the fence? Masonry, metal, wood? How high will it need to be? In the interest of being secure as soon as possible, will one fence be completed first, and then the other? Or will both fences be constructed at the same time?

How much space between the two fences? If someone should by chance get over one fence, would he have to walk to one of the ends to get out, or will there be escape hatches every so many miles? If so, how will the escape hatches be made secure? What is the estimated cost? Has consideration been given to asking Mexico to pay half? Finally, I’m wondering if this is really for our security or if it might be a conservative activist’s idea of job creation.

Dudley Waldner
Chapel Hill

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How can a $60 million cut in Medicaid be made into a $120 million [cut? The North Carolina legislature said it was an “accounting error” (news story, Oct. 27). If an error of that size were made in my classroom when I was teaching, it certainly would have been pointed out and corrected.

My sister, who has severe mental and physical disabilities, depends on the help that Medicaid gives to her caregivers and doctors. Now she can’t even get a new prescription for her eyeglasses. Medicaid also won’t cover the medicine she needs to help her swallow and keep down food. She can’t afford the medicine she needs for her eyes in order to heal a cyst on her lid. She can’t even afford to get her lunch at the care center she attends to help her with daily living. Why can’t someone in that legislature help with the math so that at least the huge cuts in this program aren't doubled by mistake?

Karen Kauffman Fletcher
Retired Wake County school teacher
Raleigh

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9/11: Your letters on how it changed you

bwheeler — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:24:37 -0400

Here are 20 letters from readers commemorating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Some of these you will see in the paper Sunday. Please add your own comments about how the attacks changed you or on what you think the best and worst U.S. responses were.

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Ten years after 9/11, our homeland is safer than it was. Al-Qaida no longer enjoys virtual anonymity or the safe havens of its camps in Afghanistan. American and allied efforts have and continue to decimate al-Qaida’s leadership throughout the world and diminish its ability to mount attacks. A concerted effort has successfully “changed cultures” and engendered real change in how the intelligence community, the military and law enforcement work together and share information.

This cooperative effort, aided by some luck, has resulted in the fact that 9/11 has been the only successful attack by al-Qaida against the U.S. homeland.

If this was the only metric to measure our success or al-Qaida’s failure, we could say unequivocally that the United States is safer. Unfortunately, al-Qaida’s ability to launch attacks was only part of the danger. Al-Qaida was equally dangerous as an inspiration to others and as a purveyor of the “jihadi narrative.”

That narrative begins with fact. Islam once ruled much of the world but in that sense has been in decline for many years. Blame for the decline is attributed to others, specifically the West. At this point a myth begins to take shape.

In it, the West declared war on Islam, took over the pre-eminent position in the world and subjected the Islamic collective to humiliation. Further, the West’s actions constitute an attack on God. It is the religious duty of every Muslim to fight against the West in defense of God and Islam in order to re-establish Islam to its rightful place as the pre-eminent culture and religion.

While most Muslims categorically reject this view, it can and does resonate with some in the Middle East, where shame, honor and a warrior ethos are important. And while the jihadi narrative predates bin Laden and the creation of al-Qaida, the organization was instrumental in spreading it in the contemporary world. This may prove to be the most important part of al-Qaida’s legacy.

The Internet has facilitated the spread of the narrative, and al-Qaida-affiliated or allied groups have proliferated since 9/11. There has also been a rise in the number of self-radicalized or “lone wolf” terrorists.

While it is too soon to judge, the “Arab Spring” could very well produce Islamist-dominated governments. Certainly, not all Islamists embrace the jihadi narrative, but such groups are fertile ground for some who come to accept that ideology.

The deadliest post-9/11 terrorist attack in this country was the 2009 shootings at Fort Hood, Texas, which left 13 people dead. The alleged perpetrator, Nidal Hasan, a U.S.-born psychiatrist and Army officer, had been in contact with Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical, U.S-born Muslim cleric and purported operational commander of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

The self-radicalized or lone wolf is one of the most dangerous situations we face. To date most have been educated, middle class and raised in the West. They pose a very real problem for law enforcement because the smaller the group, the more difficult it is to identify as a danger and to penetrate and neutralize it.

While America has changed and adapted since 9/11, our enemies have changed and adapted too. Although al-Qaida is not the danger it once was, we are still in danger. And while the next attack on the homeland may not be of the same magnitude as 9/11, there will be a next attack.

Stephen C. Miller
RALEIGH
Stephen C. Miller is a retired federal agent who was a member of the FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force in Raleigh from 2001 to 2005. He is currently a consultant/trainer and lecturer.
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I was in Washington on 9/11, participating in a lengthy federal trial. The jury was about to start deliberations on that day. When I got to the courtroom, there was chaos. The court reporter told us we couldn’t leave until the judge told us it was OK. My co-counsel said the White House was being evacuated.

We decided to leave the building without permission from the judge. The drive to the apartment I was renting seemed liked it would never end. There was gridlock everywhere. Finally, a truck driver waved me over to cut in front of him so I could make a left turn and get on the highway. I had to drive past the Pentagon, which was already up in smoke. People were running out of the building: They looked scared and most were barefoot.

Planes were flying literally above my car. I was shaking inside and out thinking bombs were going to drop on me any second and I’d never see my husband again. Cell phones weren’t working.

I made it to the apartment. My husband was working in Alexandria that day but made it home. Together we watched the towers collapsing. I knew one of my best friends had recently switched jobs and was in Tower 2. He finally called me at midnight to say he was OK. He described the ordeal: “It was raining bodies and furniture,” words I’ll never forget.

We visited New York after 9/11. There were pictures all over the city of missing persons. I couldn’t get the faces out of my head. I decided to submit an entry into the memorial competition, which I thought could translate those images on to paper.

My husband and a group of friends helped work on the project. None of us did anything like that before, but by some stroke of luck, a friend’s husband, an architect in Raleigh, decided to help us. We submitted our vision of stone panels with the victims’ faces depicted in bas relief on a wall, overlooking a pool of water.

On 9/11, the water would become turbulent and the faces would disappear. A copy of our project hangs on a wall in my house. It won’t be unveiled on 9/11 in NYC, but maybe someone will build it in N.C.

Diane Savage
Chapel Hill

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I can’t believe what’s happened to my beautiful country in just 10 years due to the handling of this terror attack.

Our country was innovative, patriotic and creative. Ten years ago I had just finished off my millionth mile of air travel. As a cell phone expert, I was in the middle of a technology boom, traveling the world and loving it. Today I live in a police state.

Two years after 9/11, I quit my job and have worked from home since. I’ve worked in at least 62 countries, including numerous communist countries, and I’ve never felt unsafe or unduly limited in my normal activity. I was likely closely watched, but not limited.

Las Vegas hosts millions of people a day walking through casinos with roller bags, backpacks and (gasp) water bottles. They see hundreds of people an hour walk through their doors, all strangers to them. Yet with all that cash, there is rarely a visible problem in Las Vegas – no robberies, no terrorist attacks and even the theft of a single $10 chip is caught by an unknown security system that unobtrusively lets guests have fun and enjoy themselves.

Meanwhile, our national airports see a quarter of that traffic daily from people who have pre-planned to arrive at an appointed time. They have provided their names, credit cards and birthdays to the airlines. There should be no surprise as to who walks into an airport terminal, yet everyone is treated like criminals. No, criminals have rights; travelers don’t.

We need to get our country back with an intelligent approach to security.

Ben Levitan
Raleigh

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I never thought this could ever apply here: “People don’t want war; ... But ... the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and for exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country.” – Hermann Goering. But 9/11 was used by George Bush as pretext to invade Iraq where he could both settle a family grudge and further his family business. Invading Iraq was our worst response to 9/11.

The best, such as they were, were dedicated attempts, in opposition to all the “collateral damage” we brought there, to try to help the impoverished find better lives. Just as surely as some reached out and held hands before they jumped, there were Iraqis, Afghanis and Americans who reached out, hoping to make something better. Sept. 11, 2001, and our response to it showed, glaringly, how politics can be merely war carried on by other means, but those who reached further showed a way around what Ike warned us of, “We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security.”

M.B. Hardy
Raleigh

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For a decade I’ve been troubled by the mantra to “rebuild.” Technically, we can rebuild the Twin Towers rivet for rivet. For that matter we could do the same with the Titanic. But what would we have accomplished? We can never replace the original, much less the lives lost.

My preference is not to dwell on the destruction of the towers but to remember them in the context of the era they occupied. It’s hard to remember now that many considered them an eyesore when they went up. They were out of scale to the skyline and lacked the architectural details that make the Chrysler Building or the Empire State Building iconic after 80 years. They stood largely empty until the Port Authority rented space in them. And they were somehow inhuman – until they were humanized in 1974 by Philippe Petit stringing his tightrope and risking death and arrest to walk in the air between them.

I am thankful for the towers’ having existed, and I am thankful for the new structures now being built. But I don’t want to rebuild what was there. I would rather construct a new environment for our own time.

Everett E. Dodd Jr.
Raleigh

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The perspective of 9/11 started a long time before the real Sept. 11, 2001. Radical Islam orchestrated this event to punish Western society for its social liberty and economic prosperity.

Sept.11 is not an isolated case because there were many more 9/11s in the world even after Sept.11, 2001. One must consider a global perspective of all 9/11s to come to a conclusion.

I got the 9/11 pain (both physical and emotional) once in 1971 when I was in Bangladesh and another pain (mostly emotional) in Sept. 11, 2001 when I was in the United States. In 1971, the Pakistani military took the help of radical Islam (Jamate-Islam) to kill minorities first and then intellectuals to curb democratic movement.

It was with a great sigh of selfish relief when I landed in Canada first in 1972 and then to the United States in 1985, assuming I had escaped the grip of the Radical Islam. I was in a business meeting when news of the plane crash into the Twin Towers was broadcast. I knew then and there it must be the work of Radical Muslims. I was stunned as the story unfolded. It reminded me of my old physical and emotional pain during the Bangladesh episode.

I am glad that my selfish relief became a global issue. I believe:

Religion is influenced by radical ideology. Radicalism causes deaths and harm to humanity.

Civil liberty is at stake due to the religious and terror-paranoid.

Conventional war cannot fight terrorism because it is a conflict of the radical mind, not of materialistic possessions and national boundaries.

Amalendu Chatterjee
Morrisville

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It was a fine fall day. The crisp air was a harbinger of cooler days to come. As I was returning home from a walk with Chaussie, my sweet Golden Retriever, I waved to a neighbor. “Great day, isn't it,” I said.

"You haven't seen a TV, have you?" he solemnly replied. "Go home now and turn it on. Something horrible is happening in New York."

Rushing into my den, I switched on the news. Dazed and confused, I saw the first burning tower; a stricken Peter Jennings described the horrific sight.
Suddenly another plane flew into the second tower, and the world witnessed Armageddon.

At one point I looked down at Chaussie, lying on a rug in front of the TV. The juxtaposition of my beloved dog and the hateful flames and smoke pouring from the collapsing buildings broke something in me. I didn't know then just how much our country and world had been broken, how much we all would pay for the senseless violence of 9/11.

The bravery of the rescue workers and the surge of help from our people inspired us to go on, even as we watched the distraught faces of the hopeful searching for loved ones, praying they were still alive.

Our country's innocence was lost that day. I miss it.

Sylvia White
Raleigh

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On Sept. 11, 2001, our son called and told us to turn on the television because a small plane had crashed into the WTC. And so we watched a passenger jet fly lazily across our television screen and into the second tower. We could not believe what we had just seen; it seemed like the end of the world as we knew it.

In the weeks following that nightmarish day, we witnessed a nation united in grief and in something different, something deeper, a sense of love for one another.

American flags flew everywhere; we ignored our petty differences and clove together, helping each other through our time of mutual grief. It was my proudest moment as an American.

As time passed and America began to fracture over petty political differences and fears, I saw our unity crumble.

Eventually I became embittered about our soldiers’ repeated and dangerous tours of duty in defense of the same freedoms that we willingly sacrificed to “feel” safe.
If we continue living like that, in terror of the next attack, we only ensure that the 9/11 terrorists didn’t die in vain and that the Americans they murdered did!

Maloey E. Jones
Wake Forest

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It is hard to believe that it has been 10 years since 9/11. I was teaching in Arlington, Va., about two miles from The Pentagon. As the news spread throughout the school and I truly grasped what had actually happened, a feeling of uncertainty consumed me. That was when I realized life as we knew it had changed. The last attack on American soil was Pearl Harbor – something I read about in history books, not an attack that I experienced in my backyard. I always remember how my parents’ generation would say they remembered where they were when Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. were shot. Now my generation had a defining moment in their lives.

So has 9/11 really changed me? Yes. Every time I see a plane in the clear blue sky, it reminds me of that horrific day. When I walk through airport security, I am reminded of why we have Homeland Security.

However, I do think it made America stronger as a nation. Many Americans realized that freedom is not free and that, like the greatest generation, we might have to sacrifice to keep our country safe. And on Patriot Day, I will wear my red, white and blue just like I do on Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day. I will continue to be proud of the greatest country and will NEVER forget the heroes and victims of 9/11.

Margaret Feldman
Apex

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Sept. 11, 2001, marked the beginning of a new era characterized by two wars that have been tremendously painful for millions of people. The costs of these wars (costs are virtually impossible to estimate, but $4 trillion is probably reasonable ) has added as much as 25 percent to our national debt. The unborn generations of this nation will have to pay this debt.

Sadly, the wars’ "cost to benefit" has been grossly unfavorable because these wars have negatively changed the social and political landscape of the US and the countries where the wars have been waged and still no "victory" in sight.

Pondering what lessons we have learned, a more prudent approach would have been to choose the alternatives to war. Is it naive to think that there could have been a peaceful solution? With all the brain power of this nation, it’s hard to imagine that we could not have found a solution short of war. Has the "military-industrial complex" prevailed again? Do the powerful war-related lobby groups still control our presidents and Congress? Or did we get caught up in the terror mentality this event spawned? Sadly, I feel the answer is yes to all of these questions.

Allen J. Barwick, Ph.D.
Raleigh

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Ten days after the events of 9/11, I wrote a poem expressing how those brutal acts of murder and terrorism had changed my thinking. The thrust of the poem was that we were all victims of the attacks because they would turn us from the pursuit of peace to the passions of war. Soon my fears were confirmed as we saw our government, through lies and bombast, launching its "shock and awe" invasion of Iraq, a nation that had had nothing to do with the events of 9/11. We became terrorists in order to fight terrorism. That was the worst response.
My poem was eventually set to music and was sung by the choir of my church this morning. If that was not the best moment for me, at least it was a blessing.

Lane Tracy
Cary
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“This can’t be happening!” In the aftermath of Sept. 11, this phrase was repeated over and over again in coffee shops and at dinner tables all across America. In a nation known for its military supremacy, foreign terrorists had flown airplanes into buildings that for many Americans represented national icons. Nearly 3,000 innocent lives were lost.

With the shock came an outpouring of generosity and patriotism far more powerful than the terror. The Red Cross reported a jump in pints of donated blood. Lemonade stands sprang up to benefit first responders and firefighters. Sales of American flags soared. Local newspapers ran stories of a return to civility in crowded parking lots and long grocery store lines. The spirit of goodwill inspired one New Yorker to say: “9-11 changed us forever, but 9-12 changed us just as much.”

Just as that goodwill ebbed, it flowed again when Hurricane Katrina’s floodwaters burst through the levees in New Orleans. Americans watched in disbelief as disturbing images from the Superdome flashed across their television screens: the tired and frightened faces of 20,000 evacuees seeking shelter under the damaged roof of a once-gleaming football stadium; the shortage of fresh drinking water; the overflowing toilets and piled-high trash; the corpses that lay, untouched, for days.

The humanitarian response to the crisis was again inspiring. Thousands of churches and other volunteer groups flocked to New Orleans’ Ninth Ward with helping hands clutching hammers and paint brushes. In a gesture of pay-forward, some of the volunteers were with a group called New York Says Thank You. “I wanted to let people know that New York will never forget what people did for us after 9-11,” said the organization’s founder.

The point is, in the aftermath of 9-11 and Hurricane Katrina, Americans felt called into action. The worst of times brought out the very best in our people. We bridged our differences and rallied together for a common cause.

Six years after Katrina, America is besieged with yet another crisis. It is not as sudden as a plane crash or a burst levee, but it is equally jarring to our national psyche: childhood hunger. According to Feeding America, 1 n 4 children in this “affluent” nation of ours is not getting enough nutritious food to live a healthy, productive life. These hungry children are everywhere and with the economy still weak, the numbers are only growing, experts say.

Sadly, childhood hunger is at its very worst right here at home. North Carolina is tied for No. 1 with Louisiana with the highest percentage of hungry children under the age of 5, says the Food Research and Action Center. In schools all over our state, teachers know the students on free and reduced price meals who walk into the classroom each Monday morning famished from a weekend with little food to eat in the home. They know the students that count the days till school holidays and summer vacation not ineager anticipation but dread. “It is when school is out of session that these students worry the most,” says Chapel Hill-Carrboro social worker Kerry Sherrill. “They are far less certain about just when they are going to eat again.”

Similar to the outpouring of generosity following 9-11 and Katrina, communities everywhere are rising up to the challenge of the hunger crisis. One example of this is in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, where 1 in 6 families live below the poverty level and one-fourth of the school-aged children are eligible for free or reduced price meals. Through a new nonprofit organization called PORCH, or People Offering Relief for Chapel Hill-Carrboro Homes, deep wells of generosity are being tapped in over 100 neighborhoods to get more food into the hands of neighbors going hungry.

Here’s how it works: Neighbors reach into their cupboards once a month, pull out one or two canned goods and plop the donation onto their porches. A neighborhood coordinator then goes porch-to-porch, picks up the canned goods and takes the haul to a nearby garage where it is sorted and delivered to six local food pantries. The pantries then restock their shelves and distribute more free bags of groceries to families in need. For the food to move from one neighbor’s porch to another’s kitchen table can take as little as a few hours. It’s just that simple!

Because of its simplicity, PORCH has spread like wildfire. As an all-volunteer and community-wide effort, over 1,500 neighbors now participate in the monthly food drives. By each of these residents doing a small part (contributing even just one can!), the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community is making big things happen. For the month of August alone, PORCH collected $21,000 in food and cash donations. It is a far cry from a solution, but it is making a dent in local hunger.

This Sept. 11, a day that will always be remembered for destruction and loss, let us look for ways to rebuild and strengthen our communities. It can be as simple as donating a pint of blood to Red Cross, hammering nails for Habitat for Humanity, manning a lemonade stand to benefit victims of Hurricane Irene – or even just plopping down a few cans of food on your porch. As our nation has shown over and over again, we are at our very best when facing the most daunting of challenges.

Susan Romaine
Co-founder of PORCH (www.porchnc.org)

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We all ask each other, “Where were you when it happened?” In light of the 10-year anniversary, I’d like to share a poem that means a lot to me, from the perspective of one of our great symbols of America, The Statue of Liberty. and what she “saw” that fateful day. The original version is with a black and white photo I took of her in the foreground with the poem in front. -

SHE STANDS TALL
She pointed the way to heaven,
For those lost to us that day.
In their dark and gloomy moments,
She sadly showed the way.
She may not have been able,
To redirect those deadly blows.
She wasnt in those buildings,
To fight against our foes.
She could only watch as pure evil,
Flew through our sunny skies.
Im sure she shed her share of tears,
When she heard her childrens cries.
This Ladys seen a plenty,
Shes stood her ground for long.
Recalling those who searched for freedom,
In her ears still rings their songs.
They spoke with tongues of foreign,
Of places she had never seen.
Coming to her land of plenty,
Following their dreams.
For so many things, this Lady stands,
She stands tall, proud and free.
And yet, for what she stand for,
Evil minds refused to see.
So, she just kept on standing,
As she watched her children fall.
Pointing their way to heaven,
And standing strong for us all.

Andrea Legato
Raleigh

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A few days before 9/11, my (now) wife and I flew into Reagan National Airport, returning from her first trip with me to visit my parents in Arkansas and watch the Razorbacks play the Tennessee Vols in Fayetteville. On our outbound trip, my mom met us at the gate when we arrived at the Little Rock airport. That was the last time I ever exited an airplane expecting to see someone I knew.

On Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, I went to work as normal a few miles from the Pentagon in Alexandria, Va. I was at work when my computer screen blipped from when American Flight 77 hit the western side of the Pentagon. Over the next few days, it seemed like we could not escape what happened – F-16 airplanes flying overhead at night and never-ending news coverage during the day. I remember several friends of mine wanting to turn off the TVs and have a quiet dinner out in Georgetown. As we crossed over the Potomac on the Key Bridge and approached M Street, we saw uniformed officers holding M-16s standing next to armored Humvees on every other street corner. The dinner was quiet, but we still couldn’t escape the tragedy.

My most significant memory post-9/11 is seeing American flags appearing everywhere – hanging on front porches and businesses, stickers on cars and lapel pins on suits. I hope we will all commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11 with renewed patriotism and pride in waving the American flag like we did when the memory was still fresh.

Rep. Tom Murry
Raleigh

The writer, a Republican, represents state House District 41.

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How did 9/11 change me?

The effect of the devastation brought to our nation on 9/11 was profoundly personal for me! I lost many friends and co-workers at the Pentagon. I was able to escape. I have a sense of guilt for my survival. I think of my lost and injured friends daily and pray for the families who lost their loved ones. I have a deep sadness for all the military lives lost and injured and their families. I am more keenly aware of my surroundings when out in public. I am more anxious when flying. I’m extremely grateful to have the privilege to live close to my children and their families. They bring me and my husband great joy.

Best responses to 9/11: The first responders, on the street ordinary citizens and those who prevented the United hijackers from completing their mission. Worst responses: Slow action to mobilize fighter jets to intercept the hijacked planes before they hit the WTC and the Pentagon.

Sharon Weaver
Chapel Hill

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As I was sitting at my desk on 9/11, I watched with a mixture of fascination and horror as the World Trade Center tragedy unfolded on live television. After the second aircraft struck the towers, and as I noted the intensity of the flames from full loads of jet fuel, a sudden and dismaying thought came to me.

As an architect, I realized that these buildings were surely going to come down, and soon. I knew that such intense, concentrated heat was sure to soften the steel structure above to the point that it would reach beyond the limits of plasticity and that it would fail dramatically, and that the weight of the floors above would simply “pancake” down and take the remainder of the buildings down to the ground.

What horrified me most was the realization that those folks who were in the building and all those New York police and firemen who rushed into the building with rescue in mind did not know this was likely to happen within the hour and that so many of them would perish.

I suppose the best and the worst responses to this tragedy were, in a way, the same: Rushing to the rescue was a noble effort, which was good, but this seemingly best response was, in the end, the worst because so many additional lives were lost as a result.

This tragedy, and the many others we have experienced since 9/11, have taught us what terrible costs we must sometimes bear due to the machinations of deranged minds.

Eugene W. Brown
Raleigh

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Any time I hear a loud noise or observe an unattended package, my first thoughts turn to that awful day.

The enormity of that tragedy has made me more keenly aware of the evil forces bent on our destruction. I’m also more confident of our ability to overcome great obstacles as evidenced by the untold numbers of people who risked life and limb that day to selflessly help others in dire circumstances.

After the second plane hit the second tower, I felt as though the knees of this giant had buckled. It was a hard blow to the heart of America, but that sleeping giant rose like a phoenix out of the ashes and responded magnificently as we did after Pearl Harbor.

We can both mourn and rejoice in the aftermath of such horror. Mourn for the dead and injured and rejoice in the American spirit second to none on this planet. Like any family we might have differences, but they end at the water’s edge. Sept. 11, 2001, and Pearl Harbor are reminders to those who would do us harm both foreign and domestic.

Before the Stars and Stripes we had a flag that read, “Don’t Tread on Me.”

Bob Gaudier
Knightdale

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How did 9/11 change me? It left a small but indelible scar on my heart. Having been born and raised in New York, part of me will always belong to the Empire State. So when I learned of the tragedy unfolding in New York City that fateful morning, I was there in spirit crying for the victims and their families, praying for the safety of the first responders and, to this day, desperately questioning how and why this could happen. In the days after 9/11, I learned that some former classmates had died in the collapse of the towers. The burden of loss was that much harder to bear.

I believe we all lost some of our innocence that day. We, as a nation, let our guard down and for that suffered terrible consequences. Our faith in the collective good in the world was shaken, and for some it may never return.

For me, time has helped the healing process. Most days, life feels the same as it did before 9/11. But every year as the calendar flips from August to September, I feel the ache of the scar, a reminder that we were forever changed that day.

Janice Horner
Raleigh

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On the evening of 9/11, I went to my church to pray for the victims and their families. I also prayed to understand the reason(s) for the attacks. I left church believing that we must try to gain face-to-face meeting(s) with the terrorists’ leaders to learn why they hated us enough to wage such deadly attacks.

Indeed, I felt such meetings, perhaps including participation of U.S. religious leaders, provided the only opportunity to end the growing terrorist attacks against us – because, despite our military’s great power, it can never end terrorist attacks. I also felt that, if we responded to 9/11 with military force, terrorist attacks would continue until we ultimately engaged the terrorists to discuss the grievances they hold against us.

I was right; despite the unending and costly Afghanistan and Iraq wars/occupations, terrorist attacks continue in both those countries and Americans continue to fear attacks here at home. Yet, during that lengthy period, Americans and our leaders have seemed uninterested in what the terrorists are specifically fighting for.
Waging the unwinnable wars without first attempting to sit down with terrorist leaders to discuss their grievances was the worst 9/11 response.

Richard Huopana
Durham

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As a nation our worst response to 9/11 has been not to seek clarity of understanding and facts surrounding exactly what triggered such a despicable attack upon our homeland. To my knowledge, there has never been a congressional hearing or a Blue Ribbon Commission that dug deeply and chronologized events and circumstances that precipitated such a dastardly attack.

Of paramount importance is for us to understand that the Middle East and Islamic societies have existed for more than 5,000 years in world history – contrast with America’s being a nation less than 300 years old. Up until the mid-1980s, there were few hostilities between American and Islamic nations, other than oil squabbles. What happened? The Bush rationale “they hated our freedom and way of life” just doesn’t do justice to such a profound question.

The news media, academia or government officials have not probed deeply into this question to any degree of serious analysis. While we ponder such a probing question, and if we have the fortitude, let’s just remember that the mastermind for the 9/11 attacks was Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida fighters. Let’s also keep in mind that bin Laden and al-Qaida were once supported financially and with military hardware by the U.S. government over a long period of time when they were fighting the Russians in Afghanistan. Something went terribly wrong, and the question that begs for an answer is what and why?

That much hate does not happen by osmosis.

Bruce Lightner
Raleigh

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What happened to the determination of the American people to prevent this sort of violent outrage from occurring again? For a while, flags flew and people returned to their forefathers’ strong religious beliefs, but that has all passed.

Some say, bring the troops home and get out of the Middle East. Forgotten or ignored are these countries’ acts of violence against America. Complaints about invasion of privacy and abuse of power by Homeland Security abound. Tolerance has become the rallying cry of all politically correct Americans. Better to be tolerant and oppressed by any minority than to speak out and be labeled prejudiced.

Majority of opinion is the one thing above all not to be tolerated. No ID to vote and no waiting period for abortions. Especially no opposition to anything that goes against Judeo-Christian values. Doing the right thing has been replaced by doing the politically correct thing. Continue down this path and see like Rome did what will eventually happen.

Stephen Trexler
Raleigh

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Letters to the editor: Medicare, Mallard and abortion

bwheeler — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:43:36 -0400

We get far more letters than we can print. Here are some that got overrun by other topics:

July 30 marked the 46th anniversary of the Medicare program. Medicare is representative of old age in America to most of those who receive it and disability coverage for others. It now includes health coverage and economic security for seniors and their families. As we celebrate this anniversary, lawmakers in Washington are poised to make deep cuts to the Medicare program as part of an effort to reduce the federal debt.

Few programs have seen the unqualified success that Medicare has. With good reason, Medicare is especially important to vulnerable older patients with multiple chronic conditions. Their care is complex and often expensive. Health reform is only making the Medicare program stronger.

I am active in the Campaign for Better Care, which is recommending that lawmakers look to reduce costs by improving the quality and coordination of care for our oldest and sickest patients. Rather than cutting this essential program in ways that threaten Medicare as we know it, by reducing unnecessary hospital readmissions and hospital-acquired infections, and paying only for high-quality care, we can save billions of dollars.

That’s a much better way. We need to preserve and protect the Medicare program that seniors, the disabled and their families rely on.

Patricia Baker
Knightdale

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Your “Mallard Fillmore” comic strip just keeps getting worse and worse, increasingly and outrageously partisan, and personally smearing of our elected president. It is not funny, especially in this most fractiously partisan time in our nation’s history. The strip’s making up ridiculous “quotes” from President Obama for things he hasn’t actually said is way over the top in lack of fairness. It wouldn’t be quite as bad if you put the strip on the opinion page, but its total lack of subtlety and humor would be a waste of space. I’d like to keep my subscription of 21 years, but this embarrassing partisanship in the funny papers during these frightening times is pushing me to the brink.

Terry Eason
Pittsboro

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Your July 25 Science & Technology section included a nice report on the production of 2.5 million pounds of hybrid bass in North Carolina, worth about $10 million. It was pointed out that the former director of N.C. Sea Grant, Dr. Ron Hodson, was instrumental in initiating the crossing of wild striped bass with the fast-growing white bass that flourishes in deep waters of freshwater lakes. I have known Ron for nearly 30 years and his charisma and devotion to North Carolina freshwater aquaculture research is praiseworthy.

Prof. Craig Sullivan of N.C. State University wisely follows Ron Hodson’s original initiative on hybrid bass genetic studies. However, it is also important to recognize Dr. Howard Kerby of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who first introduced hybrid bass research in North Carolina while stationed at NCSU.

There is substantial promise to enhance hybrid striped bass aquaculture in Falls Lake, Jordan Lake and Kerr Lake, and obviously this dream hinges on restoring the health of these freshwater bodies that are becoming a victim of nutrient overloading. Falls Lake is an umbilical cord for the Triangle community and provides drinking water for half a million people. Let us encourage all stakeholders to remain vigilant to keep Falls Lake healthy.

Robert Y. George, Ph.D.
Wake Forest

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The caption under a July 30 photo said, “Students won’t have to suffer through an extra five days of school this year.” Is that really the message we want to send? That students have to suffer through school? Education is a privilege, and they should be grateful for it.

Joel and Amy Huenemann
Cary

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I would like to commend the state House for their override of the governor’s veto of legislation that would require a woman to receive additional information prior to having an abortion. While categorized as a restriction, the legislation is anything but. While the option of abortion is still law, a final override will allow for a more informed decision about a procedure that will alter two lives. How can anyone argue against education?

Is one’s life not worth a little education, and is a life not worth at least 24 hours? I’m sorry if the life created is an inconvenience and I’m sorry if a little education and a 24-hour waiting period keeps someone from getting their body back or keeps them from getting back to the grand life they had planned. Decisions have consequences.

I am sure that Rep. Alma Adams, D-Guilford, is thankful that her mom didn’t need any further education in her decision to carry the creation in her womb to full term.

I am thankful that Adams’ mother felt that the life she helped create was more important than the other aspects of her life or her body.
Representatives, it’s about personal courage, not politics.

James Wagner
Mount Airy

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The July 15 photo of John Edwards leaving a federal courthouse could have been one of a jocular “Three Amicis.” Yet the article spoke about three of the most skilled legal entities in the entire state of North Carolina and their daunting task to defend one of their own against “complex charges.” They must meet this challenge in a mere few months! Though the charges have been known for months.
Money laundering. Campaign finance violations. Betrayal. Perjury. Not to mention megalomania.

I see two ways to solve their problem without delaying the trial.

1) Hire the lawyers who defended Meg Scott Phipps and/or Jim Black and/or Mike Easley. They were aware of how badly their clients had screwed up. But they didn’t feign challenge overload.

2) Just plea bargain for simple possession of a controlled substance and throw his butt in jail for five to 10.

The residents of North Carolina will be satisfied. And we will have saved a ton of money that can be better allocated to helping the ever-growing number of Part B members of the “Two Americas” who are delinquent on their mortgage payments due to lost jobs. That would be something to smile about.

Mike Webb
Wake Forest

Letters to the editor: John Rosemond, tiny brains and guns

bwheeler — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 17:08:37 -0500

Sometimes we move more of the 1,400 letters we get each month into the publishing pool than we can possibly print, given that we have room for fewer than 280 of them each month. Our over-editing is your gain, however. Here are more than 25 letters that just got overrun by other topics before we could get them into the paper.

I was writing to see if you could get my name and address to the Bank of America CEO, Brian Moynihan. I would like to offer my services in assisting Moynihan in budgeting correctly since he won t be getting a raise from last year’s salary of $950,000 (Feb. 1 news article). A sad story indeed.

The nerve, paying that man only $950,000. I’m in shock! He should at least get his cost of living raise. How can they get away with this? So what if the BofA stock was down. He still has to attend corporate functions. What is he supposed to do for income? No raise? Come on!

Oh wait, I now read where he’ll only have to make it until Feb. 15 and then he gets his stock bonus of $9.05 million. Whew! I was worried there for a minute. Hopefully they’ll reconsider and give that boy a raise next year. Truthfully though, what is this country coming to?

Randy Wilson
Raleigh

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Your Jan. 16 article “Charter schools gain strength” failed to mention the financial pressures that charter schools are facing acutely this year as legislators try to close the multibillion-dollar state budget gap.

Just as district public schools are looking at double-digit cuts in funding, charter schools will see similar cuts. Unlike district schools, however, charter schools are not provided facilities, buses or even chairs and desks. We simply receive an allotment per student – an allotment that is to drop from 5 percent to 15 percent this year.

For the eight years Casa Esperanza has existed, we have found creative ways to save money on essential equipment, have established a strong parent volunteer force and ask all our families to give what they can financially. We concentrate our financial resources on our successful academic program.

This year we found ourselves unable to expand into a larger leased space to accommodate the many families who would like to join our community because of the imminent funding cuts. In addition, our employees are not eligible to join the state health plan, and we receive no education lottery proceeds.

We hope the legislature will consider not only lifting the 100 school cap but also leveling the playing field financially for charter schools.

Elaine Stone
Raleigh

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I enjoyed the Jan. 19 front-page story on food co-ops. My family is like some mentioned in your story – we don’t buy all our food from these co-ops, but we do buy some. We also use some of our great farmers markets as well, and were checking out community-supported farms. Although not actually co-ops, they do have the spirit. And we get good quality local stuff that, well, just tastes better.

I also read with interest the Dec. 12 story on foreclosures and how they have affected a couple of our state’s large credit unions. Not so much. In fact, hardly at all. I have a mortgage with one of these financial co-ops, and despite it being an ARM, it’s a safe, solid product.

We have many issues to face as a community – local, global, whatever you call it, we’ve got issues. Food supply, financial woes, health care issues, increasing child care costs – the list goes on.

Cooperatives can’t solve all the problems in the market place. But they can help. They are an option. They just need a little attention.

Michael Spink
Durham

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The Jan. 18 article on “Saving a tiny brain” was stunning. Former N&O reporter Molly Hennessy-Fiske drew me, as a parent, into the heroic decision that Jeff and Bella Catania faced about the future of their son, Dylan. This is as hard as it gets, and we were there.

As a neuroscientist, I was captured by the complete descent we took into Dylan’s brain step-by-step as Dr. Mathern and his resident dove deeper and deeper. It was an amazing piece of journalism.

Thank you to the Catanias for baring their lives for us, thank you to Hennessy-Fiske for a remarkable piece of journalism and thank you to The N&O for recognizing that and sharing it with us. This is why I buy a newspaper.

Paul Ordronneau
Chapel Hill

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After reading your Jan. 25 article “Blue Cross expects to shrink – and expand,” I am in amazement. On Oct. 12 I wrote a letter to the Blue Cross and Blue Shield CEO, Brad Wilson, with some comments about the fact that he said the company was going to shrink and therefore help people who have BCBS health insurance have lower premiums.

Year before last year I went onto Medicare and as a supplement I took out BCBS to aid me in paying what Medicare did not pay. I have seen the secondary premium go up approximately 15 percent since my starting it. Now I have received a letter and new pamphlet regarding my Medicare Plan D, which is for my medicines, through BCBS go up from $81.20 to $100.50 effective Jan. 1. I have been a lifelong subscriber to BCBS of North Carolina and I feel I deserve better treatment as a dedicated patron.

I used to feel that BCBS did care about their patrons, but at this point I feel they do not care. It is still all about profit and power. We the middle class will still bear the brunt of all this no matter what anyone says.

Jerry D. Narron
Raleigh

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I had to chuckle after reading the Amy Chua article in the Wall Street Journal and John Rosemond’s response regarding the diametric differences between Western and Chinese parenting.

Before some of us jump on the guilt train and begin trying some of Chua’s parenting tips, allow me to describe something I observed while living in Japan. As with many expats, I taught an English class to Japanese women, all of whom spoke and wrote almost perfect English; in fact, these women seemed perfect in every way, and most held several college degrees.

One day I asked them to sit in a circle and I would give a sentence, “Once upon a time,” for example. They were to go around and add a sentence to create a story. Silence. Worried looks. Breathing through the teeth. Finally, the bravest spoke out and said, “We’re so sorry. We cannot because this was never taught to us.”
Creative writing and thinking came hard to them, and I thought how easily most Western children and adults would find this mental exercise.

Three cheers for Rosemond when he states, “I want a child to pretty much – with some coaching and correcting of course – find his or her own way in life.”

Janice A. McKenzie
Raleigh

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Your Jan. 16 article on raising the cap for charter schools failed to point out the substantial risk that wholesale expansion of charters will likely lead to further racial segregation of our public schools.

When state lawmakers passed the charter school law 15 years ago, they feared that charters would become segregated by race. They included a requirement that the enrollment of each charter school reasonably reflect the demographics of the school district it serves. Within just a few years, several charter schools were violating the diversity requirement. That’s still the case today. According to statistics reported on the State Department of Public Instruction’s website, dozens of charter schools, including several in the Triangle, are significantly imbalanced in their racial composition.

Let’s remember that charter schools are public schools. They receive substantial public dollars to educate our children, and they should be held accountable for their operations including meeting the diversity requirement. The benefits of educating students in a diverse environment are substantial.

In coming weeks, lawmakers should move cautiously to ensure that state dollars are not used to move our schools and society further down the road of racial resegregation.

Greg Malhoit
Raleigh

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I am somewhat bemused by the people who believe that having guns will protect them from gun violence. I remember in Vietnam well-trained Marines firing maniacally at the enemy, long after the cease fire order was given. Once the shooting starts even trained police officers and soldiers have a tendency to fall victim to adrenaline-induced overreaction.

Imagine a group of armed civilians being attacked. First, every one dives for cover, and then they draw their weapons and start firing, but at whom? There are no uniforms, no order, no one clearly identified as the initial gunman; only a group of armed and scared people shooting at whomever they perceive to be the initial gunman. They would be safer if they all threw something and charged him at once, but it doesn’t feel that way.

So we are fated to suffer gun tragedies because so many people feel safer with guns. One is reminded of the Saul Bellow quote: A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance, when the need for illusion is deep.

Maloey E Jones
Wake Forest

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With respect to your Jan. 18 front-page article “Rising seas may make N.C. coast unrecognizable,” to put things in perspective, through most of geologic time sea levels on Earth have been 100 to 200 meters higher than they are today. Having said that, the evidence for a full meter rise in the 21st century is still pretty thin.

Your article stated that the seas rose 6.7 inches in the 20th century, or 1.7 mm/year on average. According to the latest data from the University of Colorado, so far in the first decade of the current century, the average rise has been about 1.9 mm/year, including a significant decline in 2006 (2+ mm) and through August of last year, a potentially steeper decline in 2010.

Obviously, to rise 1000 mm by 2100, we would need to see rises averaging 10.7mm/year from here on out. Not saying it’s impossible; during the Meltwater Pulse 14,000 years ago, sea levels rose 30 to 60mm/year for two to five centuries. But a lot of folks are betting the beachfront property against it, and with sea levels falling in two of the last five years, for now that is looking like a pretty safe bet.

Brad Hessel
Raleigh

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Many thanks to The N&O’s Josh Shaffer for his Jan. 12 article about Raleigh sanitation worker Lonnie Lucas Jr. [who wears a necktie to work]. Let’s hope more of the same will be forthcoming about the women and men who get their hands dirty so that Raleigh will continue to be a city we can all be proud of.

Joe Hardesty
Raleigh

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New U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers was ardently opposed to the new health care law passed last year, but she was not reticent about taking advantage of the health plan offered to members of Congress. This plan is partly paid for by you and me. It’s one of the perks that go along with the job.

Her quote in the Jan. 25 Under the Dome defending her acceptance of the free health care plan was: “The benefit is available to me. People need to understand out there, it costs a lot of money to be here in Congress.” Really? Is not the congressional salary of $174,000 a year enough to cover her expenses?

There is something so wrong with this picture. Why are Americans who are struggling to make ends meet every day, put food on the table for their family, find health insurance they can afford and just survive on a daily basis as a family unit not entitled to the same benefits and privileges that our elected representatives enjoy?

I would like to suggest that our lawmakers in Washington repeal their benefits regarding their health care. Perhaps if the men and women who decide our laws were subject to their own decisions, we would all share in the equality that Americans have the right to enjoy.

Mary Ann Fox
Apex

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Your Jan. 24 article “Taxpayers cover costly defense” offers just one more example of wasteful spending ($160 million so far) by the federal government. Providing free legal aid for the indigent makes sense in a democracy that values an individual’s right to a fair trial. Providing free legal aid to executives who made millions while mismanaging their companies and possibly committing fraud in the process makes absolutely no sense. Whether they are found innocent or guilty, they should pay for their own legal defense.

This practice of free legal aid for corporate executives at taxpayers’ expense should stop immediately. Whether involving a public corporation like Fannie and Freddie or a private corporation that can reduce its tax bill by providing perks like this to their top executives, this practice saves wealthy executives millions while costing the federal government millions. I am all for these civil lawsuits by investors against corporate executives; but not at the taxpayers’ expense. Investors and taxpayers have lost billions due to the actions of numerous financial firms. Paying their legal bills is just adding insult to injury.

John F. Bridgers
Fuquay-Varina

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Recent news that the U.S. House voted to reduce federal spending and the deficit by eliminating taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and party conventions raises grave concerns about our electoral process. While the Republican bill, co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, will likely fail in the Senate, any legislation curtailing fair elections must be challenged.

The Congressional Budget Office said the bill would save $617 million over 10 years. This is little comfort since unlimited independent election expenditures by corporations and unions are allowed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in “Citizens United vs. the Federal Election Commission.” In fact, many Americans believe the January 2010 court ruling assaults American democracy.

So it’s time for democracy-loving citizens to reform our electoral process by fostering laws that improve voter-owned elections and create ethical transparency on who’s making campaign contributions. These steps, among others, will restore confidence in our elections.

Regardless of political party affiliation, we must work to establish an authentic process whereby lawmakers represent the people again instead of corporations and unions. It’s our responsibility to protect democracy through our election structure.

Joan Halgren
Apex

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Back in 1972-73, during my 12-month tour of duty with the Third Marine Division as a young artillery lieutenant, I became close friends with several of the eight other lieutenants in our firing battery based on the island of Okinawa. While on the island, we lived in close proximity in Quonset huts, as was the case while training in the jungles of the Philippine Islands, and on the slopes of Mt. Fuji in Japan.
During a five-month deployment aboard ship, we worked, slept and showered in even closer quarters. Looking back, now, I strongly suspect that one of my comrades in the battery may have been gay. Nevertheless, he and I took a two-day trip to the historic city of Kyoto, where we shared a room at an inn during Christmas 1972.

He, like the other members of our unit, served our country with unwavering dedication and was willing to put his life on the line when our Battalion Landing Team was planning to execute Operation Eagle Pull in order to evacuate American Embassy personnel from Phnom Penh, Cambodia in August 1973.

Michael McKinney
Lt. Col., USMCR (Ret.)
Cary

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I read with interest the Dec. 28 story “Homeowner isn’t charged in shooting.”
He successfully defended his home and possibly his life by shooting three intruders. However, the intruders received only one shot each in non-vital parts of their body while his floor, window and armoire were hit five times. While I am glad that he keeps a gun around for self-defense, he really needs to get down to the range and practice, practice, practice.

Fred Schwartz
Raleigh

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What is so confusing today is the difference in the meaning of the terms “liberal” and “conservative.” The difference is whether we are talking about an “extreme” liberal or “extreme” conservative.

I an a conservative. I have a close relative who is a liberal. The interesting thing is that we seldom disagree on most issues. What makes the difference is that neither of us is “extreme.”

You can usually tell the difference. I doubt if many want to be labeled “extreme,” but if it quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck.

Harold Stierhoff
Cary

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I understand that the N.C. Department of Transportation as well as other DOTs in the U.S. are using brine solution to salt the roads to protect from accumulations on the road. In this process we spend millions of dollars annually.

Can we simply get loads of sea water from our shores and spray it on the roads? I am sure this will work and be very cost-effective.

Mohan Palleti
Raleigh
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The writer of the Jan. 16 letter “Natural variances” drew a distinction between equality of opportunity for achievement in Wake County schools and equality of results. I think he wrongly declares equality of opportunity as the primary objective.

Students are not employees of the schools they attend. They are natural resources for the future of our community, state and nation. All of us have a vested interest in seeing those resources developed to a level at which students can fully contribute to the maintenance and improvement of our American democracy. This is not socialism. Like military preparedness, it is vital to national security.

One implication of putting equality of results ahead of equality of opportunity is the necessity of allocating more resources to schools with higher percentages of low-achieving students. The greater the diversity of achievement in our schools, the more equal the distribution of educational resources can be. The more uniform the achievement level among students of each school (for example, in different neighborhoods), the more unequal the distribution of educational resources should be to assure that the overall objective of our educational system, all graduates being competent to participate productively in our society, will be met.

Irv Shiffer
Raleigh
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Adam Kirsch’s Jan. 11 op-ed article (“Going back to the text – or not”) discusses the important issue of sanitizing the past. In particular, how during the reading of the Constitution in the House of Representatives, Article I, Section 2 was read as amended, omitting the references to “free persons” and “three-fifths of all other persons.” However, his thesis gets into another troublesome subject, that of attributing intentions to others.

If the intent of reading the Constitution was to provide a history lesson, yes, it should have been read in its entirety. But if that were the case, “Huckleberry Finn,” which Kirsch also referenced, could have been substituted and also provided an eye-opening glimpse into the way things used to be. Alternatively, if the intention was to state the supreme law of the land, the law which our representatives are sworn to and bound by, then the Constitution, as modified and currently applied, should be read.

While the legislators discuss existing law, the historians have stepped forward admirably to discuss the amended document (which has changes far beyond Article I, Section 2, by the way) and have probably educated millions of people who were previously unaware of the history of the three-fifths rule.

David Skaar
Raleigh

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The above-the-fold placement of the Jan. 14 article “Pitt County ruling clouds ban on smoking in bars” was appropriate, not just because it is a hot-button issue, but because the ruling’s implications are far-reaching. By opening a crack in the door of hard-won legislation that eliminated smoking in bars and restaurants, the implicit risk of further chipping away at it is clear. More important, however, is that this ruling facilitates smoking by the demographic already most adversely affected.
The serious health implications of both first- and second-hand cigarette smoke is clear. The correlation between smoking and economic status, however, often remains unspoken. Also, since access to health insurance also decreases in lock step with decreasing income levels, the very groups whose health is most affected by smoking have the least access to health care.

The Pitt County ruling shines a distorted light on the burden placed on lower-income smokers. That burden isn’t a lack of smoking venues; it is the human and economic cost of higher smoking rates. Shouldn’t energies, legislative and otherwise, be focused on ways to reduce smoking rates for people who can’t afford two beers and a cigarette rather than on advocating making smoking easier or more acceptable?

Christine Hayami
Apex

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Your Jan. 14 article “Pitt County ruling clouds ban on smoking in bars” could have used a broader focus. It’s easy to get lost in the excitement and furor of a legal battle, but the bigger issue remains: Cigarette smoke kills.

Instead of trying to make a case that they should be allowed to smoke because of their status as private clubs, these bars should be showing they really care about their customers and employees by honoring the intent of the smoking ban. Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, including hundreds that are toxic and at least 70 that cause cancer. Every exposure to these cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco smoke can damage DNA in a way that leads to cancer.

According to the recent study by the Division of Public Health, air quality in restaurants has improved 89 percent since the smoking ban went into effect. What the renegades in Pitt County are actually doing is banning health in their establishments. They should consider prioritizing customer and employee health over the income they’re hoping to raise from smokers.

Jennifer Park
Raleigh

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Regarding the Jan. 9 article “Conservative scientist disputes climate change deniers”: To imply that there are not scientists who dispute the anthropogenic cause of climate change is very irresponsible. As a matter of fact there are numerous scientists who will argue against the human cause of climate change.

By the way, the political opinions of scientists really should have nothing to do with the conclusions they come to in regards to a scientific problem. If it does their conclusions are flawed.

George Sladky
Wake Forest

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It is a sad day when a Superior Court judge interprets General Statute 14-197 as meaning that an individual has “the right” to use indecent or profane language on any public road or highway. The framers of our constitution would be appalled at our current interpretation of the word “rights.” What about my right and that of others around me to be able to walk the streets or highways without being bombarded with filthy language? Am I wrong in believing my rights have been overlooked and violated?

Soon a person will be able to stand before the judge with “the right” to use the language of his or her choice without being held in contempt. Our morals in America are at an all-time low when we even need a law prohibiting the use of profanity. Wake up, America!

Ed Spence
Siler City
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I am truly distressed about the swirl of controversy and proposed changes for the Wake County Public School System. Having just relocated to the Triangle area from the Midwest where my daughter attended a public school that participated in busing for economic and racial diversity, I was relieved to be moving to an area in the South that also supported diversity in the school system and was also the top ranked school district in North Carolina. I am a strong supporter of children attending diverse schools to better prepare them for living in the real world.

Literally right after we got here, everything apparently fell apart. In our previous school, there was always a lot of fuss about “those kids from THAT neighborhood” being bused to other, wealthier neighborhoods, but at least our school board ignored such bigoted complaints and concentrated on what was best for the school district as a whole and for the families that didn’t have as loud a voice. Instead, the children learned to be part of a classroom family.

In her kindergarten class, there were kids reading chapter books and kids who didn’t know the alphabet – it was a challenge for the teachers, for sure, and the classroom didn’t always run like a well-oiled machine, but every time I visited the class, it was enlightening to see the kids help each other write letters, figure out how to spell words, and cheer one another on for individual accomplishments and success.

School should not be all about the test scores, but also about community building, working together and helping one another to achieve. I hope the Wake County School Board comes to its senses before it ruins a really good thing.

Tracy Clausen
Cary

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Most focus on the Wake County school board majority has been wrapped around their politics, expressed desire to do away with the diversity program and hiring a new superintendent. Commentary has all been from people who either agree or disagree with their intentions.

A more fruitful exercise might be to look at the competence with which they have acted. They have alienated many stakeholders (even their own), failed to engage in dialogue with those whose cooperation they must have and assigned as “architect” of the new community-based directive a man whose management skills apparently failed to recognize that if he quit his day job he might not have any money to pay his bills.

It seems to me that, regardless of your opinion of their goals, the school board majority is the educational equivalent of the Keystone Kops. Even those who agree with the new majority must recognize by now that they’re a disaster for the school system.

Jim Kellock
Raleigh

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The situation with uncertainty of the schools of Wake County is unquestionably confusing at best and perhaps completely out of hand. No matter how children are assigned, it’s going to be unfair to someone.

A letter writer the other day claimed that his Northern friends originally criticized his move to NC and now find further support in the sitution in Wake County –- pointing out Stephen Colbert’s comical criticism of the situation.

I’d challenge the (implicit) premise of the letter writer that the Boston area schools are effectively segregated. I’m not from Raleigh and have lived in five states. In the California bay area, it’s well known that if you live in the better areas, your children can attend the good schools. As far as I’ve heard (admittedly anecdotal, however based on talking to people educated in the Boston area) the Boston area is much the same. Every place I’ve lived you looked at schools to confirm where to buy a house based on the school – even if you didn’t (like I didn’t in Texas), you looked at the school for resale value.

Let’s be fair. Colbert apparently attended private school as a child – where does he send his children?

It’s fair to criticize Wake County even if you don’t live here – but don’t do so from a glass house. I worked in the DC area when Obama was elected - it’s well-known that his children don’t go to the public school of choice.

Jay Miller
Raleigh

Election 2010: letters to the editor

bwheeler — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:37:55 -0400

Some election-related letters to the editor:

I recently attended a candidate forum at Carol Woods Retirement Community in Chapel Hill with our congressman, David Price and his opponent, B.J. Lawson.

Knowing that Lawson opposes comprehensive immigration reform and instead emphasizes sending troops to guard the border, I was struck by his apparently thoughtful response to a question about the DREAM Act, which would offer a path to college education for hardworking immigrant students who were brought to the United States as kids.

Lawson said it gave him heartburn to know the doors of opportunity were being shut to these children because of their immigration status. He said the DREAM Act was worth discussion, and even gave the impression that he would potentially support the bill. (Price is a longtime co-sponsor of the bill.)

To my surprise, the very next day on his website Lawson attacked Price for supporting the DREAM Act, which he disparaged as amnesty for illegal immigrants and a government handout.

The candidate B.J. Lawson at the forum was not the same person who desperately attacked David Price the next day. And the worst part is, Lawson was attacking Price for something Lawson himself appeared to support or at least consider supporting.

Hank Elkins
Chapel Hill
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I am an avid Democrat, and I will be voting Democratic in this year's midterm elections; however, I feel the party has let me and America down. You had such a chance to do something, and instead I received a lot of nothing.

I suppose you would tout health care reform as a major milestone, and I would have too, except it's lacking what most American's asked for, a public option. Your financial reform is weak, the economy is still in shambles, you're spending more than you make, and my only alternative are a bunch of right-wing zealots who would I disagree with on everything, except gay marriage and ending the war (funny that, you promised to end the war and close Gitmo; how's that going for ya.)

All that said, I'm pretty mad. So yes, Democrats, I will be voting for you, but you deserve to lose, and lose badly. Also, please quit asking me for donations; my money could be better spent paying back our national debt.

Eric Page
Cary

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As this year’s non-presidential election cycle rolls around and is just around the corner now, I couldn’t continue to suppress the expression of numerous emotions and thoughts that are stirring within me.

Our nation’s history is seasoned and peppered with the efforts of countless good, decent, and brave men and women. Men and women of every creed, color and religion have sought and fought to make America into the greatest nation on earth and secure her as the last bastion of freedom to the world.

It is with such in mind that I find myself so deeply and greatly disturbed by the erosion that is underway at the hands of the current ruling class to some of our most fundamental and cherished freedoms and liberties.

In an attempt to not be misunderstood, please know that, while I did not vote for Barack Obama, I have been steadfastly hoping beyond hope that he would fulfill his promises to unite and not divide, to run a more transparent government, and to bring us change we could all be proud of. However, the longer he’s at the helm of this nation, with Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi by his side providing the heft and leverage of the legislative branch to literally push through his agenda and policies, the more we witness the erosion and systematic dismantling of freedoms and liberties most Americans consider dear.

This is the frightening part. It has nothing to do with Obama’s color; instead, it’s all about the content of his character. I stated to a friend back during the 2008 campaign/election cycle that, I don’t care if he’s purple, pink, green, yellow, red or orange He’s wrong for America! I continue to hold fast to this belief to this day.

So, with this election cycle being a non-presidential election cycle, we do not have a chance, at this point, of removing Obama from the presidency. However, we have an excellent opportunity of stripping away from him the House of Representatives and the Senate. Provided we’re successful in doing so, he’ll either be forced to govern more from the center rather than from the far left, as he’s been doing since taking the oath of office, or he’ll wrap up the next two years of his presidency as a lame duck president, since the Congress will no longer be completely under his sway and a willing puppet by his side.

Having long been very interested in American politics and, over time, having grown increasingly aware of the depth and breadth of the defining characteristics of our Founding Fathers as men, both those who were known to be very prominent figures and those who were less prominent but equally influential in the shaping and birthing of our nation, this knowledge of our founders begs one to assess our current nation’s leadership against these men who undoubtedly aimed us in the right direction.

Knowing the intent of our founders and their character that fueled that intent, I truly believe that one would be hard pressed to point to any other moment in time, in any other context, whereby men gathered in a collective attempt to unite to benefit the masses. Never before has there been, and perhaps never again will there be, such an impressive array of wisdom and faith, knowledge and talent, leadership and servitude, and love and hope that are both bridled and unleashed for the common good. Most certainly, what we have in Washington now is a far cry from even being a shadow of the men who established our course in history.

It is in light of these good and brave men and the documents they drafted, upon which our nation has rested securely for better than two centuries, and other brave and good men and women who have subsequently embraced all the goodness that is America and forged their most earnest attempts to further her goodness – it is in light of sacrifices made, at home and abroad, of the lives and limbs lost, the cost of blood and treasure through more than two centuries now, that causes our duty as citizens to get up, get out and go vote to seem so inconsequential.

Yet, this is at the very core of what our founders sought to establish and what men and women have fought, bled, and died to defend. If our voices are heard no more frequently than every two years, then I say let them be heard then and let the message they send as we vote be so clear to those in power as to once again cause them to realize that this is, as President Lincoln amply noted in his Gettysburg address, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. This dearest concept is framed in the preamble of our Constitution as it starts out – We the People

Therefore, regardless of your political bearings or party affiliation, I urge you as a Fellow American to take time and go vote this Nov. 2. As you vote, keep the freedoms and liberties you enjoy and wish to have preserved at the forefront of your mind and let’s make sure that the voice of We the People has resounded with clarion clarity the day after. Let’s make sure that all those who grace the halls of power, whether in our nation’s capital or in our state and local governments – let’s step up to the duty that is ours as free citizens in a free society and once again remind them that ours is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people!

Jimmy H. Baker Jr.
Nashville
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I've followed politics all my life. I want a better life for my family and for the citizens of North Carolina. I feel very strongly abut Sen. Richard Burr. I know he can outspend his opponent, Elaine Marshall – that's the advantage of being the incumbent. I simply believe, after listening to his speeches about broken government, that he has already had the opportunity to make changes for the better. He tells us what we want to hear, but he already hasn't delivered. When a thing doesn't work, you must make a change in a new direction.

Elaine Marshall can't compete with his money and his bombardment of expensive advertising. But I feel North Carolina could do better under new leadership and a new plan. If government is broken, what has Burr been doing, as our incumbent senator, to fix it? I believe Marshall has new ideas and a different direction to better our lives. I also believe she is more sincere and dedicated to improving our lives. She's not the status quo. If you decide to take a new direction by voting for Marshall, and she fails, will we be any worse off than voting for Burr – again?

Kyle Simpson
Durham

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President Obama and other Democrats criticize so much outside money in support of GOP candidates getting into this election.

As I sit here in North Carolina’s 8th. Congressional District, I am looking at six glossy political brochures in support of Democratic Party candidate Larry Kissell and/or against Republican Party candidate Harold Johnson. On two separate occasions, two of these six different glossy political brochures came the same days. Additionally, there is probably more of the same to come.

With over 600,000 residents in the 8th District, with each glossy brochure’s production, handling and mailing cost of $3 each, with six mailings, I calculate up to a total of $2,160,000 from the NEA Fund for Children and Public Education, a subsidiary of the teachers union. Why don’t Obama and others criticize these expenditures?

Oscar Y. Harward
Monroe

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The race for the 2nd Congressional District between Rep. Bob Etheridge and Renee Ellmers has certainly been interesting. One of the more controversial parts of this race was the TV ad about the mosque in New York City that ran about a month ago.
Of course this so-called mosque (it is actually a community center) located two blocks from ground zero has nothing to do with the 2nd Congressional District. It fuels the fire of religious hatred and prejudice in this area and this country. We need less of this hatred and prejudice not more. I would have serious concerns about sending a person to Washington who would approve of this ad.

Etheridge is a good man and has served his constituents well. He is a man of honesty and integrity and he deserves reelection.

Marvin Woll
Raleigh

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I understand that there are hard-core voters who will vote the party line regardless of any logic. I am hoping to appeal to the independent voters who will try and ferret out the truth from the emotion that flows so freely in all the current political ads on television.

I am particularly offended by the ads that attack politicians who voted to support the "failed Pelosi and Obama stimulus plan."

To the best of my knowledge there no evidence that the stimulus package failed at all. If fact, this country may now be in a lot worse shape if there had been no stimulus package.

I suspect the stimulus plan actually helped the working people in this country.
Just my 2 cents.

Gary Griffith
Raleigh

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This election season we have been inundated with ads and rhetoric from the Democratic incumbents telling us their GOP opponents are “extreme.” How do they define extreme? Adherence to the Constitution, Extreme. Not spending more than you take in, Extreme. Letting the taxpayer keep more of their own money, Extreme. Not borrowing trillions of dollars, thus leaving our grandkids a life of debt, Extreme. Belief that individuals should make health care decisions, not a government bureaucrat, Extreme. The list goes on.

Based on this definition of “extreme” I am proud to say that I am Extreme as were our founders and millions of other Americans. Based on their definition, I think it will be an “extremely” sad year for the Democrat incumbents.

Tom Imler
Clayton

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In May 2009, our home was broken into in the middle of the night, while our family was home. It was a terrifying situation, and exacerbated by opposition we received from our insurance company in covering the theft of household items.
I contacted my elected officials to look into state insurance regulations regarding theft coverage. Rep. Jennifer Weiss contacted me personally to make sure our family was alright and to offer her staff's assistance in combing through N.C. insurance law and policy. Over several weeks, she and her office provided updates and suggestions and liaised with the N.C. Insurance Department on my behalf.

This is exactly what we need in our state representatives: A good steward who commits to finding solutions to the very real problems we face in our North Carolina communities.

Jennifer Weiss has earned my vote, and my trust that she will represent me and my community well.

Kimberly Yaman
Cary

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Republicans are concerned that government at all levels is living beyond its means. They held the presidency for 20 of the last 30 years and controlled Congress for most of the other 10. Their presidents made deep tax cuts while increasing the sizes of their budgets. Result: over 8 trillion dollars of new debt on their watches and a going-away gift of the TARP program for their banker buddies as the economy they touted came crashing down two years ago.

Now they are shocked, shocked that Democrats haven’t quickly balanced the budget. They promise to do so without changing anything they did before. Are they really that stupid? Are we? Rep. David Price’s legislative record shows that he cares about America’s broad middle class and not just its upper crust. He is smart enough to know Shinola when he sees it. The tired collection of Republican talking points that his opponent uses are not Shinola.

Charles Humble
Chapel Hill

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Unaffiliated voter here. We hardly ever get heard. But here goes. I am supporting B.J. Lawson this election. I have voted for David Price in past elections. So what changed my mind? Price’s consistent support for government control over peoples lives. Think about it, federal control over many functions of my life.

I realize now that my Constitution gave the power to me, gave the power to We the People, not Price and his associates demanding changes to that sacred document. I am willing to give Lawson a chance to defend my Constitution like he promised. If not, I will look for someone next election who will. But for this election I will vote for Lawson for 4th District congressman.

Larry Ballas
Apex

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Recent election-oriented articles in The N&O have sometimes pointed out that various Republican and tea party candidates have been endorsed by Sarah Palin as if winning her support is a guaranteed path to victory. Has this nation already forgotten how blatantly ignorant and stupid this woman proved herself to be during the 2008 presidential campaign? John McCain will draw his last breath regretting his boneheaded decision to put her on the ticket with him.

Palin has no chance of ever being elected to national office of any persuasion. Folks on both sides of the political aisle with common sense and a decent memory will always see to that. If the Republican Party makes the colossal mistake of putting her back on the ticket in 2012, she'll make even the bumbling and incompetent George W. Bush look like a Rhodes Scholar.

No, I'm not a desperate Democrat. I'm an extremely fed-up registered Republican.

Jon Gibson
Raleigh

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It is always disheartening when you publish letters that have no obvious facts behind them and are obviously programmed attack letters. One such letter claims that Rep. David Price has been afraid to meet with his constituents (“Time to retire,” October 25). The letter writer also goes on to make some preposterous statements about Price’s tax policies.

When I retired from the Air Force and moved to the Triangle I immediately looked into the politics of the area and became familiar with my representatives. One of the first I heard speak was David Price. He struck me then, as he still does, as a level-headed, thoughtful person trying to resolve the issues of a diverse society. Price has always been there when I need questions answered both in person and via other forms of communication. Where the letter-writer has been during the more than a decade of my experience with Price is anyone’s guess.

The more baffling claim from the letter-writer, and heard from many on the right now, is the issue of tax raises. What has been more irresponsible than any other act by the right over the last two decades is the villainization of taxes. Claims that Price is raising taxes are absurd. People can take any opinion they want but the facts are the facts. The GOP is responsible for the huge debt we now face through fighting two unfunded wars and giving $1 trillion to the wealthy which resulted in no benefit for society. Like it or not, taxes are the price of admission to a civilized society. It is time for businesses and the wealthy elite to pay for their front-row seats. The time has come to roll back tax rates to pre-Reagan rates.

A final note to the right – hat waste would you cut in government? I have yet to see a rational explanation of the cuts you intend. Maybe we can start with a bloated Pentagon budget and hand-outs for the rich and powerful.

Michael Schore
Major, USAF (Retired)
Apex

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On Friday, Oct. 22, I arrived at the polls to cast my first-time vote in North Carolina. The street leading to the polling place was lined with candidates’ signs. As I walked up the winding pathway to the polling place I saw that every inch of space on both sides of the path was also lined with signs, a candidate was there shaking hands and asking for my vote, and approximately 12-15 people stood on each side of the path thrusting literature at me and asking for my vote for their candidate.

I have voted in every election for thee past 50 years in California and Florida, and I have never had to walk the gauntlet to do so. I have never been subjected to anything remotely like this and I felt quite intimidated.

Since I moved here, I have seen politicians taking bribes in the restroom, two governors investigated, politicians merrily riding the state ferry while taxpayers wait on the shore to get home, and I'm sure I have yet to see it all. I had hoped to see a better brand of politics here than in California where I spent 42 years, but I can see that the "the good old boys" here can make those guys look like beginners, and can one-up them on all fronts.

Shelva Jean Greene
Raleigh

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The tide of politics may be changing direction. The public has voiced their opinion on attack ads. Indications are that they may be having a reverse effect. They underestimate the intelligence of the citizens of North Carolina. Outspending your opponent might not work this time. Richard Burr, at his percent rating, is a shoe-in for the Senate race. Why has he decided to go back on television to discuss politics (when it is in his best interest not to say anything more), and continue bombarding us with his expensive commercials?

The citizens are the employers and the politicians are the employees. Our tax dollars pay for their salaries. We as employers hire them by electing them into office. Sometimes you have to take a calculated risk by changing directions when things aren't going as hoped. Take a calculated risk and place your vote for Elaine Marshall for the next Senator of North Carolina. Think about past history. As Ronald Reagan said, are you any better off than you were four years ago? I wish the best for Richard Burr and North Carolina regardless of the outcome of this election. But maybe it is time for a new direction.

Kyle Simpson
Durham

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As we near Election Day, I am struck by the stark contrast of 2008s Election of Hope to the Anger of 2010. According to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops: Faithful Citizenship; in addition to the right to life, each person also has a right to the conditions of living a decent life faith and family life, food and shelter, education and employment, healthcare and housing. We also have the duty to secure and respect these rights not only for ourselves but for others. We have a duty to fulfill our responsibilities to our family, to each other and to the larger society. To see an immigrant as a brother, the view the earth as our home, to care for the sick and to protect the young are the lessons we hear every Sunday. Perhaps on Tuesday, rather than heading to the polls in selfish anger, we will once again head to the polls with hope and faith.

Joanne Casey
Raleigh

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Congressman David Price says Fourth Congressional District Republican candidate BJ Lawson is “extreme” to suggest eliminating the Department of Education in Washington.

I think it is extremely wasteful to pay $1.83 billion for salaries and expenses to 4,603 people in Washington’s Department of Education. Since President Jimmy Carter set up the department 30 years ago, K through 12 math scores have increased slightly, reading achievement has stagnated and the national drop out rate remains at about 27%. What is extreme in stopping a program that is not working and more importantly, why has Price not stopped wasting our money?

By the way, in addition to the 4,600 education officials in Washington, there are about 1,800 non-teaching central office education officials in North Carolina and our dropout rate is 26%.

Tom Hauck
Pittsboro

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In the days after the passage of Health Care Reform, Republicans in the Senate used procedural tricks to halt the Senate's business. Senator Richard Burr used such a tactic to prevent a meeting of the Armed Services Committee - a meeting for which the Navy's Commander of the Pacific Fleet, the Air Force's Commander of Strategic Command, and the Army's Commander of US forces in Korea had been flown in. These military commanders had come from as far away as Korea to give testimony in review of the Defense Authorization Request for Fiscal Year 2011 and the Future Years Defense Program. In retaliation for the passing of a bill he did not support, Burr put spite and petulance ahead of national security and blocked the meeting in which they were to testify. While making his objection, he said he had no personal objection to the meeting proceeding. This just makes it worse. He did not object to the meeting being held - he was just going to stop it out of spite.

When you vote Tuesday, ask yourself if this is the kind of representation you want in Washington - the kind that puts temper tantrums ahead of national security.

Russ Manzer
Raleigh

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As the old saying goes, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. For decades, North Carolina citizens have been electing Democrats to most state and national offices. And look what we have to show for it.

Will this be the year that the insanity ends? Or will the voters continue to send the same tax and spend, not to mention corrupt Democrats back to Raleigh and to Washington? Lets hope that some semblance of sanity can be restored this time around before our state and our country go bankrupt.

Erv Thompson
Raleigh

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As a newly christened Republican, I will, as my first act, take the blame. I will take the blame for the Great Recession - for the creditors forcing loans on people who can't afford them. I will take the blame for global warming - for the evil, evil companies that belt out toxic wastes unchecked and leave their giant, carbon footprint all over the poor earth. I will take the blame for all of the racism that is currently infecting so many of my comrades and turning them into angry, tea-loving idiots. I will even take the blame for the school board majority that is currently ripping down old policies in favor of ones that work only for the elite, white children of our county. It is an awful burden to bear but I'm sure the left won't mind heaping it on my back, and then some. Anything else I can take the blame for?

Emily Kousis
Raleigh

In the schools: diversity, Barber and 'proxy wars'

bwheeler — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:02:46 -0400

Eight letters on Wake County schools:

Diversity in school enrollment better prepares our children and all children for a global world. People can argue statistics and test scores. People can argue whether the resources should go to the schools or the students go to the resources.

Very few can argue that a diverse environment better prepares our children for a successful future.

We all look at the world around us within our own perspective and our own experiences . Our box is comfortable and easy, but do we want our children to stay there? Studying, playing, interacting within your own neighborhood has great value but it also isolates us and puts us in a nice, neat box.

When students and teachers are able to see diversity as strength it opens doors for our younger generation to an increasingly diverse world. The outcome from children going to a school with children that are all the same creates children who grow up not fully understanding the world around them.

Diversifying enrollment in public schools through socioeconomic integration is believed to have a direct impact on children's attitudes towards those in other ethnic groups.

Rhonda Curtright
Raleigh

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On the Aug. 12 State of Things Radio Address — a roundtable on a Wake Schools conversation so often furthered here in the N&O — a vital point was left incomplete. A "proxy war" is indeed being fought in our schools. But this is simple: The real war to be fought is for an actual response to suburban growth, right families? We who are involved in the Wake County system can't allow a few folks to separate the rest of us, by inapprorpriately identifying diversity as a problem.

Our love for our schools brings us together here: and into the light of day (finally)! We will be careful not to be duped by these few officials, out of touch with their district's actual needs; or by any expensive focus-group tested campaigns to rile up a few people's bigotry ... in place of actual solutions!

Let's all back the diversity policy — as the beginning solution to another problem, which is to jumpstart and maintain our schools' excellence — to be reinstated. That way we can focus together on getting leaders to respond to what we honestly need in school policies, from the suburbs to the city, to the classroom, and our future, which is what actually hangs in the balance.

Marie Garlock
Wake County student 1991-2004

Durham
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We have heard much talk from the Wake County school board majority regarding fulfilling a voter mandate, with the implication that they are honoring the Democratic process. However, true democracy depends on consensus building and compromise. The founders of our country understood this as they negotiated divergent views and framed a constitution and system of government that demands the same. Block voting by a majority, an unwillingness to genuinely consider different viewpoints, diminishing the committee structure (that allows for others to lead) and the truncation of public input run counter to what makes our democracy work (however flawed) and what we value most as Americans.

We can and must do better.

Thomas Barrie
Raleigh

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The Rev. William Barber was quoted as saying: “The increase in Wake County test scores destroys any argument they thought they had for dismantling the system." If I widen my front door to improve access for a family member in a wheel chair, I am improving and modifying, not dismantling, my home.

Also, a recent letter-writer nailed it with regard to “students’ motivation by their schools." You can teach to a child but you cannot teach a child who is not motivated to learn. Students who drop out were lost, not in the ninth grade, but in the third grade when they had no motivation and began to fall behind.

We can only solve the problem if we understand the problem.

Winston T. Hooker Sr.
Cary

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If all of the points made in the Aug. 7 letter "Busting busing myths" are true; and if the points made by Terry Stoops in his Aug. 7 Point of View "Hold the cheers for Wake scores" column are true, then why are we listening to so much blather from the opponents of the new school board members?

The numbers of students being bused for diversity is miniscule — only 2 percent to 3 percent of the student population. I'd say, based on those numbers, that the Rev. Barber, the editors of the N&O and all of those proponents of "socioeconomic balance" could be better spending their time working toward educational achievement, as is the new school board.

As Stoops opined: "Had they chosen common sense over politics, Norwalk, Wright,
(The Rev.) Barber and their allies would have withheld comment until they could put Wake County's scores into the proper context." Former Gov. Jim Hunt and the N&O editorial staff should probably be included in this group, as well. It would be great if everyone paid attention to the facts.

From what I've seen, heard and read about the new majority of the board members, student achievement is their mission.

Jim Roberts
Cary

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According to Michael Alves’ presentation and handout to the Board of Education, “Controlled choice is a comprehensive, educationally sound, transparent, and equity-driven method of assigning students to public schools. It empowers parents to choose the schools they want for their children in a manner that is fair to all students…”

Listening to Alves’ descriptions of “Controlled Choice Schools” and the imperative that the attendance zones must be “practical, fair, and with a vision or plan,” I realized that it sounded familiar, because those are exactly the kind of schools we have in Wake County, and that could be improved with minor adjustments.

Concerning fairness, Alves stressed the planning principle that the “zones must be equivalent—if some zones are disadvantaged or unequal, the plan will fail.”

I checked the WCPSS website and selected five random nodes in different parts of the county. Parents in each of those nodes have 25-27 choices of schools for their students to attend K-12, including calendar choice and magnet options, with transportation provided!

Under the Controlled Choice model, those choices would be limited to nine or 10 choices for students K-12. What’s better about half the number of choices we have now?

Amy Womble

Cary

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Magnet money is safe for a year, as Wake recently received an extension on a federal grant that had expired. But the school boards Resolution Expressing Board Commitment to Efforts of Voluntary Desegregation, which slipped by last spring with little comment, is a shaky foundation upon which to rest any hope of future federal magnet funding.

The major problem with the board's resolution is that it assumes the work of racial and socioeconomic integration can be accomplished exclusively by the magnet schools. Not only is this impractical, but it sends a disturbing message: that those who care about integration are free to practice it at magnet schools, while the rest of the lucky haves and unlucky have-nots are free to choose their respective neighborhood schools.

In principle, racial integration and tolerance are moral requirements for everyone, not optional choices for a liberal-minded few. Leaving desegregation to voluntary choice sounds nice, but in reality the board's resolution will incentivize a re-segregation of our countys schools.

The bottom line is once the feds realize the school board has no intention of supporting county-ide integration, the magnet funding will stop flowing. Then we really will be left with separate and dramatically unequal schools.

Yevonne Brannon
Raleigh

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I and many others are in agreement with the "Disgusting Display" letter to the editor. Let's stop the uninformed circus at the board meetings that are now costing thousands of tax dollars and not respecting the elected board to properly function and do their job. Let us view the new assignment plan and we just might see how well it is put together and why it was put together in an educated, 2010 fashion.

Parental involvement is a must these days for all to succeed. Proper use of revenue is also. The board is working hard and smart, getting well informed data all over the USA, to draw up the best solution for Wake County.

Robert Shook
Apex

Angels among us

bwheeler — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 09:26:21 -0400

At least three people in the Triangle area have experienced an act of human kindness recently. Enjoy these heart-warming letters. Got anybody you need to thank? Feel free to add yours to the comments.

I recently was knocked down into NW Maynard road by a big black dog while returning from my walk. As I lay in the road, unable to move because of a broken femur, two kind men stopped to protect me from the rush hour traffic, calling 911 and notifying family members of my situation.

I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to these two guardian angels who acted so quickly and kept me from further harm. I would also like to thank the wonderful EMS team who responded so quickly and did such a great job treating my injuries and comforting me.

God bless you all!

Mary Holliday
Cary

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I recently was in the Wal-Mart in Wake Forest, and an angel touched my life. I got sick from my chemotherapy just as I entered the store and the ladies room in the front was closed for cleaning. So I had to rush to the ladies room at the back of the store. Not quite making it soon enough, my slacks, socks and shoes got messed up. Very soon a woman who was a total stranger came to my rescue. She was so kind, offering to buy new slacks or anything that I could wear out of the store. She did buy some wipes to help clean off the mess. She stayed with me until I started feeling better.

In the meantime, I had called my husband to have him bring something for me to wear. When my husband got to the store, he and my mother (who was waiting outside the door for me) offered to give some money to the woman for her trouble, but she refused.

To this woman, I give my thanks, and I know that God will bless you for your kindness to a stranger.

Faye Gryder
Youngsville

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On a recent hot afternoon, we were at the Farmers Market in Raleigh. My husband, an 82-year-old dialysis patient, became ill and lost consciousness at the seafood restaurant. While we waited for the ambulance, this special nurse came forward, affirming my belief in guardian angels. She was a dialysis nurse and knew just what to do. She revived him and kept him in the necessary position until EMS arrived. She gave us her name, but my husband was too ill, and I was too shaken to remember. And so I hope she sees this and knows how grateful we are.

Mary Sneddon
Sanford

Outraged for the elderly, and other letters

bwheeler — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:00:00 -0400

Here is a batch of letters to the editor, some of them simply too long to run and others that have been overrun by other news.

I am shocked, appalled and dismayed to learn of the North Carolina General Assembly’s treatment of the state’s less fortunate elderly. I quote from the Friends of Adult Care website : “The responsibility lies with the State of North Carolina, which has refused for years to provide our homes with adequate funding to deal with aged, disabled and mentally ill residents.” According to the website, funding has not been flowing into adult care even in good times.

I am also angry to read on the website that North Carolina has failed to meet federal financing standards and as a result may have to rob taxpayers of $300 million in federal penalties for its failure to deliver minimal financial care.

I commend Gov. Bev Perdue for her order for state agencies to plan for the large influx of senior citizens who will need care. I hope she will really stay behind this matter and ride hard on the General Assembly for funding.

I know the state has serious budget problems. Who doesn’t? But I think a sign cant measure of society's ethics and moral values is how it treats those who are at the end of their lives in poverty, sickness, suffering and distress. These people are becoming the budgetary throwaways of our society. And decisions about their lack of care and their suffering seem to be made from a cold, analytical, impersonal entry on a budget line – an exercise in financial management.

One has to wonder if it isn't easiest to ignore the growing needs of an expanding universe that either has or will have dementia, mental illness and Alzheimer’s: Included are the bedridden, those afflicted with strokes and other debilitating diseases that render them unable to care for themselves or to be advocates for themselves. I doubt if there is a legislator who needs to worry about a family member or him or herself becoming one of these unfortunates.

I am no bleeding heart liberal, and I think people should make their own way. But with all of the financial stresses upon seniors in our society today with corporate eliminations of health care benefits and their broken promises, many former middle class seniors who thought they had prepared for their future could find themselves thrown away into inadequate facilities with inadequate care.

The North Carolina General Assembly should finally get its planning and financing ahead of a fast growing curve of its elderly who can no longer care for themselves. And North Carolina should certainly not put itself in the position deliberately of being fined by the federal government for deliberate underfunding. If the state is threatened with a $300 million fine, wouldn't it make good sense to spend money for the needy elderly to avoid the fine?

Legislators should put themselves in the position of someone who deals with the unmet needs of these unfortunates daily – someone who has to say we would like to help but there is no money and increases in funding do not come our way; someone on the front line who sees the suffering and knows the increasing needs to care for individuals and flatline budgets that inadequately address this growing population.

Legislators and state administrators should visit these care facilities, learn from talks with their caregivers and legal advocates, speak with family members of the needy, study what's coming with the growing elderly population, and get a plan to be ahead of the curve with funding and facilities.

We live in a throwaway society, and that's bad enough. We should be careful not to add people to the throwaway list.

Roger Bullock
Conover

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I read with interest the news that Wachovia has had a vibrant, cozy relationship with the drug cartels of Mexico (“Drug money flows through U.S. banks,” June 30 front-page article). It seems Wachovia has been laundering the cartels’ drug money over the years. Some wonder how much money Wachovia made from these transactions, while I wonder how many lives were destroyed. I’m thankful I don’t own any Wachovia stock and so have not received blood money in the form of dividends.

Should these banks be prosecuted as accomplices in murder, human trafficking, illegal drug manufacturing and distribution? I believe Arizona could make a case that these banks should cover the cost of securing the borders they’ve helped to make so dangerous.

Daniel Chmielecki
Raleigh

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I was dismayed but not surprised to read that our endangered red wolves are being used for target practice (Red wolves hunted illegally, July 11). Hunters would like to have so many deer that they have to wade through them and any natural predator that might perform its role in the ecosystem just can't be tolerated. I wish our schools taught a little bit of ecology so that people would have an understanding of how nature works.

Hunters, just put out even more corn so you can increase the birth rate, so you can show everyone how overpopulated deer are, so you can shoot them with the public's blessing. That's today's idea of wildlife management, isn't it?

Sherrie Emerine
Raleigh

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Two letters in the July 16 issue of the N&O deserve comment. First, the letter from a psychologist regarding Blue Cross’s cost reduction plans where the writer stated that “Health insurers as a group produce nothing.” The writer apparently does not realize that providing a service is a "productive" economic product. An extension of his logic could lead to the conclusion that psychologists also produce nothing.

Secondly, the "Sinking feeling" letter about the State Ferry Service says, " I resent the locals who chose to live there to live off my tax dollars to go from place to place free ". I guess the rest of us should resent the writer who chose to live in Greenville " to live off our tax dollars" to go from place to place, such as church, the grocery store, and Raleigh free. Who should we blame for this large giveaway of free highway service for voters?

Leigh H Hammond
Raleigh

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Regarding the July 6 article “I’m a Single Mother and by choice”: I am happy that Leigh Dyer and her daughter have a good support network as they embark on their admittedly challenging future. However, I found Dyer’s dismissal of a married couple raising their children as merely an “idealized pop-culture vision” of family both naive and troublesome.

Even as she describes her journey toward motherhood, Dyer admits that the best situation would have been to have a child within a marriage. Should we as a society, then, be pleased that “Choice Moms” who conceive from donor sperm are “going mainstream,” or that “Hollywood has caught on” to and is celebrating this trend in film? Should we dismiss the evidence that children are happier and better equipped to avoid problems in young adulthood when they are raised by good male and female role models in a committed (yes, married) two-parent family?

Dyer explains that she chose an open-identity donor so her child will be able to choose whether to contact her biological father at age 18. Dyer’s comment that “many children are curious to know their genetic history” is a monumental understatement. The questions will go much deeper than wondering why she looks a certain way. Her daughter will be searching for a fundamental part of her identity missing all her life. And will she ever really be comfortable explaining it to other children?

Dyer chose a sperm donor who shares some of her physical traits in order to avoid questions if the baby looked too different from her. Could fielding those questions be more difficult than a young child trying to explain why she and her mother have never known her father?

Marianne Kersey
Raleigh

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The many articles and letters that are railing against BP for befouling the beaches and applauding the enactment of statutes that provide for liability for these possibilities at North Carolina beaches are understandable and in order.

There is a word of caution, or maybe the pot calling the kettle black, however. Another immediate cause of environmental damage at beaches, including North Carolina beaches, is the amount of high-rise development, condo ownership and McMansion beach houses, and all of the above rented out to those of us who cannot afford to own, not to mention golf courses that eat up wetlands, etc. Perhaps they should be included in the applauded statutes as well.

Doug Richmond
Cary

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Our U.S. House and Senate are poised to pass the final version of a 2,000-plus page financial reform act. The health care reform bill signed into law earlier this year was 2,700-plus pages. The 2009 version of the climate change/energy reform/carbon tax (or whatever) act was 1,500-plus pages. I’m tempted to copy a paragraph or two from any of these bills for your personal inspection – it might cure more than a few cases of chronic insomnia – but I might, singlehandedly, cause a snooze-induced second-dip recession. By contrast, the 2009 economic stimulus bill, which spent $787 billion, was only 647 pages long.

Regardless of the merits of the principles these pieces of legislation represent, does anyone believe they are not chock full of power-grabs, political payoffs and self- (or friend) enriching rule-bending? Anyone?

As for me, I will actively campaign against the re-election of any congressional candidate who voted for (or would vote for) any of these three dinosaurs, since no one could possibly have read, much less understood them. That’s any candidate, irrespective of party or philosophy. Please join me.

Gregg Sotack
Raleigh

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On June 26 you published four letters commenting on the displaying of firearms in public. A fifth writer addressed the importance of historical battle reenactments showing the graphic result of the use of firearms en masse.

Maybe letters to the editor should note the zip code of the contributor. A citizen in Five Points has a different paradigm than one living in Southeast Raleigh. Case in point: A home invasion resulting in a murder causes a West Raleigh neighborhood to be secured in crime tape for a week. In Southeast Raleigh the investigation might have been wrapped up before rush hour. Different strokes for different folks

The letter about black powder enthusiasts portraying the “realities of war” brought to mind a most poignant example. It took place at the Wake Forest College birthplace museum a few years ago. While watching a battle scene with my young children, a participant drew his long rifle and fired. Unfortunately for him there was a misfire resulting in a violent flash and subsequent serious injury. He fell to the ground writhing in pain and screaming. As I placed my hands on the shoulders of my kids I thought to myself, “Well? Now you see what war is really like!”

Mike Webb
Wake Forest

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So it seems our legislators are yet again representing big business and not their constituents. The N.C. Pork Council claims they aren’t against puppies, just one of the backers, the Humane Society of the United States (news story, July 3). I guess I missed that we consume canines here in North Carolina.

What a sad and crazy sense of logic! That by providing our companion animals with some much-needed protection, that (wait for the slippery slope here) we will lose our rights to eat meat and be forced to be vegetarians! It is laughable if it weren’t so sad.

I think every one of the opponents should have to see the pictures of the animals seized from their atrocious conditions, and then have the heart to oppose this legislation. Better yet, let’s send the bill for the tens of thousands of dollars that it costs us already to rehabilitate these dogs when seized, and send it to the American Kennel Club and the N.C. Federation of Dog Clubs, who say they police themselves. This cost should be their responsibility.

Tiffany Bair
Cary

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Whereas, the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution deems “a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,” and that regulation is under authority of the state National Guard, or, for posse comitatus, the county sheriff,

Resolved, all firearms capable of inflicting deadly injury must be registered with the state National Guard and county sheriff, where the owner resides. When taking a firearm out of that county, the owner must keep an official paper copy of the registration with the firearm. Such registration requires make, model, serial number, and as many bullets and casings needed for ballistic profile of the firearm, tested by the regulating authority. No firearm may be modified to change its ballistic profile, sold or used as collateral, without reregistration showing the change within 30 days of any physical change in the firearm or its place of safe keeping. No other transfer to someone other than the owner is allowed without the owner being immediately and continuously present. Registrations must be completed within one year of this act becoming law. Failure to abide by it is punishable by 30 days to a year in jail and $1,000 to $10,000 per firearm not registered.

M.B. Hardy
Raleigh

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Most of the investigative reporting in your newspaper is very good. The article on the Animal Welfare Bill being pushed by the Humane Society of the United States was different. You totally dropped the ball, taking the society at face value.

Starving and mistreated puppies have been wonderful buzz words for the group, with great knee-jerk reactions engendered. The real agenda is somewhat darker: No animals kept as pets – that includes your puppies, your watchdogs and your hunting dogs. No animals kept and raised for food purposes – goodbye to pork chops, BBQ, fried chicken and steak.

Maybe the Pork Council had a reason for being against this bill. You think?

Patricia Peters
Youngsville

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Regarding the proposed Currituck mid-county bridge, as mentioned in the governor’s Mobility Fund:

This bridge is for convenience, not necessity. It would make Corolla more easily accessible to the Tidewater area of Virginia, creating a bedroom community.

The non-road accessible northern Currituck County beaches are a unique area that would appeal to a niche market of day trippers (beach drivers, sport fishermen and surfers). This experience would require a four-wheel-drive vehicle and would provide no bathroom or other facilities.

The bridge would put more stress on the Corolla wild horse herd. It would create more problems than it ever solves.
It is supposed to free up traffic congestion. We are talking about weekend traffic for three months out of a year, roughly 30 days out of 365.

As for hurricane evacuation, the National Hurricane Center now will issue warnings 36 hours ahead, not 24 hours. County and state governments have no obligation to protect adults from the consequences of their own unsafe behaviors.

The state has appropriated $15 million to the Turnpike Authority. The private partner consortium is expected to contribute $80 million, approximately 10 percent of the project’s construction cost, leaving the bulk of the remainder to be borne by North Carolina taxpayers. The taxpayers do not need another boondoggle from the Department of Transportation.

Karen Quidley Pierce
Coinjock

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With the recent gulf oil disaster, there are some spooky suggestions floating around, such as looking to the EPA to govern oil and gas explorations and ending the practice of fracing with chemicals, etc.; excellent and legitimate concerns, though less than correct in advice. (Paraphrasing a quote of President Reagan’s: “Do you know what the worst thing a person can say to you is? ‘Hi, I’m from the Government, I’m here to help!’”)

With over a quarter century of experience as an independent oil man, I was involved directly and indirectly with hundreds of exploratory oil and gas wells without ever incurring a disaster, insofar as blowouts are concerned. I can honestly recall fewer than five occasions wherein the reservoir pressures exceeded that of the drilling mud weight in the well bore, and on each occasion, the blowout preventer was dropped with success.

I’m referring to onshore wells now, not offshore. As to freshwater concerns, when fracing with acid or oil to crack a prospective reservoir, same is injected into that zone only and by no means into a freshwater formation. We’ve come a long was since “Spindle Top” baby. Furthermore, the state petroleum geologists who must pass on the issuance of drilling permits are the experts in determining the exact depths of freshwater formations and how best to protect them from contamination. It is essential to the mutual benefit of all parties involved that we rely on their expertise in lieu of the EPA boys, which normally are degreed in an unrelated area.

Please be advised, drilling permits require surface casing to be set clear through the freshwater zones and cemented from bottom to top. It’s as simple as that, folks. And when it comes to a game of knowledge and wits, the Feds are unarmed in comparison to petroleum geologists when dealing with geological science.

Should the tree huggers have their way, we’ll eventually return to heating our homes with firewood and riding bicycles. For those who are truly concerned with the subject matter, I respectfully recommend legitimate and accurate research, which hopefully, leads one to avoid tossing spurs towards those who provide our comforts.

Larry Voorhees
Louisburg

Praise for the Raleigh Police and other letters

bwheeler — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:56:01 -0400

I would like to praise the Raleigh Police Department, Field Operations Division, for its prompt and caring response to an incident on May 24. My laptop was stolen from my vehicle while visiting in Raleigh, and even though this was a minor event in the grand scheme of things, it was still a theft of personal property and important to me. Officers Niemann and Maucher were kind, caring and professional and treated this incident as important. I wish to thank both officers and all police personnel involved for helping to take the sting our of this event for me. I visit Raleigh often and feel comfortable having met some of your finest!

Carolyn Winter

Roxboro

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I recently went to McDonald’s and had a frappe of a different kind. I ordered a hot coffee. The attendant asked whether I would like to sample frappe coffee. I was sort of indecisive. A distinguished-looking man standing next to me said, “Try it, you will like it.” I said OK. Soon the attendant gave me a full glass serving with paid-up receipt. Apparently the gentleman had paid in advance and walked out. That was a delicious frappe filled to the brim with kindness of the stranger. Obviously he was a rich man, not in dollars and cents but in kindness.

There are all sorts of people in this world. Some, like Rep. Bob Etheridge, will scare the daylight out of you if you catch them at the wrong time. Others are like my coffee benefactor who are looking for an excuse to show their love. A little gratitude can go a long way in chipping off the walls of selfishness and loneliness surrounding us.

Ranbir Sodhi

Cary

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Our young sheepdog recently took off from the vet, ran across N.C. 54, down the ramp onto I-40, and up into the woods. Over the next two days many, many strangers went out of their way to help us get her back. They chased, called her name, notified us of sightings, put out food and water, informed their neighbors, and got out of their cars to try and lure her to them. In one case, a man named Kevin followed her onto I-40 where he quickly pulled over and got out of his truck to chase her.

Two days later, upon return from one of our own searches, I had a message waiting that she had run out in front of a car on 54, been hit and had died. We found her right where we had been calling for her. We were devastated, and are missing her dearly. But we were also inspired by the generosity and kindness of so many strangers. So to the many of you who went out of your way to help a dog and her family, I would like to express my deepest appreciation. Thank you so very much.

Meera Kelley

Durham

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I am writing to endorse the Durham Human Relations Commission’s recommendation that Durham officially boycott the state of Arizona. To those who claim this is not a city matter, if we want to know the values of a household, a community, a nation, then look at the budget. Refusing to spend Durham’s tax dollars in Arizona is our opportunity to stand with our neighbor, whether long-time citizen or newly arrived immigrant.

I am the granddaughter of Jewish immigrants forced from their home by pogroms not seen as official city business then, and I am wary of the claim this is not city business now. The Arizona law has been introduced to our legislature, and we will be forced to deal with the frightening rhetoric toward immigrants and black and brown people that this law foments. We need to take a stand now, early in this horrible game, to declare that Durham does not agree with, condone or support this egregious law.

These are dangerous times. I have not seen such public hatefulness directed toward a community of people since I was a teenager. Our City Council needs to show true leadership by supporting the boycott of Arizona.

Tema Okun

Durham

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The word is out that Dorothea Dix Hospital is closing by June of 2011. There is no more money for the patients. We nurses on the Hill find it interesting that once the patients are evacuated from buildings, there seems no end to the resources the state finds to renovate those buildings long left in disrepair.

Where stairs were sagging, a new elevator can be installed. Where lights were never replaced at building entrances, new fixtures are ablaze. Where floors were crumbling, hardwood and carpeting can be installed. New ramps are built to access the disabled. New furniture replaces the leftover broken down chairs and desks. Now there is money for fancier, more comfortable decor.

Even with all the neglect, Dix provided good care and prevailed, a testament to those who truly care. Dix is in the center of our state, in one of the largest counties with the greatest number of patients in need. Yet it is the sacrificial lamb. The reform has never been for the consideration of our patients. Without proper preparation and planning, they will be further neglected.

Jennifer Morris

Clayton

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Dogs will continue to suffer, thanks to the NRA, Farm Bureau, N.C. Pork Council, hunting and sporting dog groups, and the American Kennel Club. The puppy mill bill, which did not make it to the House Finance Committee due to the blocking efforts of these organizations, is dead for this session. Animal advocates reached out to these groups and made several concessions to ensure that hunting and sporting dog owners and legitimate breeders would not be impacted by the bill. The NRA, Farm Bureau and Pork Council? Why do these people even care about this issue? I have never seen a dog that oinks. All they wanted to accomplish was to collapse the bill and call it a success to their membership. And who suffers – the animals who endure these inhumane conditions in the heat and cold, having litter after litter of puppies to sell in unscrupulous pet stores. And end up crowding our animal shelters and costing taxpayers. Our legislators up for re-election had better think twice. Those of us who care about the welfare of our companion animals are getting organized.

Kim Parker

Cary

The 'quite endearing' Etheridge -- and other letters

bwheeler — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:24:14 -0400

Lots of letters, many in support of U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, are pouring in about the congressman's confrontation with two young men with a video camera and a microphone (read the story here). Here is a sampling, including some from out of state. You likely will see several of these letters in print over the next few days. What's your take on the video?

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I am very disappointed with the reporting of the very odd event that focused on Congressman Bob Etheridge this week. I read every word of the report in the June 15 N&O.

The enormous photo and story on the front page above the fold should be a space for real news. At least it should focus on complete news.

Having learned only what TV and N&O have reported, Congressman Etheridge was abruptly stopped on the street by two young men who would not identify themselves armed with a microphone and camera, and who knows what else. I, too, would have been defensive if I asked their intentions and names and received no response. The clip of film shown was surely edited to put the congressman in the worst possible scenario.

I noticed the face of the initiator was blurred and thus his identity protected. What was the reason for that? Do we not deserve to know his identity and intentions? Was this a prank or a plot?

As Paul Harvey might say, “Tell us the rest of the story.” That is, if you can learn the details.

I have decided the two young men who set up this event are cowards. They are eager to be in the spotlight and cause unpleasant results and too cowardly to step up and claim responsibility. They might even be proud of their actions. Where is the victory in that?

Your paper stated this “galvanizes the Republicans.” That really is grasping at the last straw. Could this have been a political set up? How desperate are the Republicans?

I have known and supported Etheridge since he served in the N.C. legislature, as N.C. State Superintendent of Public Instruction and all of his numerous terms as a congressman in the U.S. Congress.

I perceive him as a hard-working man of great integrity and ability who was abruptly stopped on the streets of Washington and has been persecuted because of his self-protective behavior.

Back off of Etheridge and let us know who initiated this whole unpleasant mystery and why. Put your investigative reporters to the task. There is more than we have been told so far to be learned.

Etheridge can still count on my continued support in his effort to well serve the people of North Carolina.

Lou Mitchell
Raleigh

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It is and has been long past time for Bob Etheridge to resign, never run for public office again, go home and spend more time with his family. Voters in his district who elected him all these years need to educate themselves about his representation of what is best for them and what it has cost them. If he does not resign, his constituents should vote him out of office. He has cost North Carolinians and indeed all Americans a lot of money voting for all his liberal legislation over the years. Send this arrogant, self-serving congressman home and demand that he be indicted and tried for assault.

Mary Lou Smith
Raleigh

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I’m very proud of the way my congressman, Bob Etheridge, handled being accosted by a pair of video muggers. We have the right to walk the streets in peace, without being accosted by cowardly little men who refuse to identify themselves. It’s good to see that Etheridge has the backbone to stand up for himself.

John Gullion
Lillington

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Bob Etheridge has nothing to apologize for. He was assaulted by two right-wing thugs who refused to identify themselves. He should, however, have called the police and had them arrested.

Steve Bank
Morrisville

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Bobby Etheridge has captured the nation’s imagination. Millions of people have seen the video of his encounter with the two young citizens who had the temerity to ask a simple question. Etheridge has unwittingly united people from sea to shining sea who were reminded of something that we all deeply feel, that is, no one likes a bully.

Gordon Bolin
Raleigh

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In November 2007 following a Veterans Day event, I, too, had the experience of approaching Congressman Bob Etheridge while walking down the street. Unlike the “student,” I extended my hand and told him my name. I shared with him my concerns about the lack of support for children with special needs and for military families when a parent is sent to combat. He got a pen out of his car, took notes and my contact information, we shook hands and parted ways. Two days later, I received a call from his staffer asking for more information in order to find the best avenue to resolve this challenge.

This by no means excuses what happened between Etheridge and the no-named student on that Washington Street. The congressman admitted the mistake and has apologized. I get the sense, though, that the student got what he wanted: a damning video. I got what I wanted in my exchanges as well: a congressman who listens to his constituents and works for the people of North Carolina.

Joanne Casey
Raleigh

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Bob Etheridge was exhausted and walking home. Two boys greeted him, and he politely greeted them back. Suddenly, one stuck something in his face and asked him a loaded question.

No introductions were made by these boys. Nor did they provide credentials validating who they were or what they were about.

Something (we now know a microphone) was thrust into his face. Gun? Knife? Mace?

Dadgum right he had the right to wrestle it away from him and hold it at a safe distance. And cuffing that boy’s neck: If I had been that boy, my parents would have been unhappy that he didn’t wail me out.

Since the boys were nameless, faceless and posted immediately and anonymously, I must conclude, if not literally, then figuratively, they are opponent Renee Ellmers’ children.

And as for Tom Fetzer’s comment (lame), I guarantee you that if young Bob Etheridge had done that to Tommy’s daddy, Bob’s mother would have thanked him for giving him a good whipping.

James Davidson
Lillington

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I am a 66-year-old voting Democrat who just saw Congressman Bob Etheridge assault a student.

I am ashamed of him and vow to work against him in this year’s election. He should be arrested and formally charged with assault. No excuse for his behavior.

John Jones
Raleigh

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As someone who lives in Rep. Bob Etheridge’s district, I am embarrassed for him. I am ashamed that he has forgotten who he really is and what his job is in Washington. Are people not allowed to approach him and ask a question? Regardless of what the gentlemen asked, is it an excuse for assault? That was what it was. If any of his constituents had grabbed him in that manner, is there any doubt that charges would have been pressed?

To me, this is just another glaring example of the double standard that exists between “We the people” and those who are supposed to be making the rules for us. If there is justice, he’ll be booked into the metro DC police station and charged accordingly.

Greg Peterson
Dunn

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Amazing what’s newsworthy. What Bob Etheridge did to a couple of harassing punks would not even have put him in the Stanley Cup penalty box. Etheridge as a member of the party of Jackson knows Jackson regularly lost his cool, even threatened to kill others but is also considered by many as the leader who galvanized democracy for the masses.

Rather than just being a talking head, Etheridge showed a human side that is actually quite endearing. Could it be he can actually empathize with the widespread feelings of anger going around these days?

Bruce Spader
Cary

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Watching the video of Congressman Bob Etheridge’s attack on the student raises some questions. If the roles were reversed, would the student have been arrested? If the student had defended himself and struck the congressman, would he have been arrested? Obviously he would.

The people of our nation lose respect for the law when it is not applied justly. Etheridge states in his “apology” that, “no matter how partisan or difficult things are ... there is no excuse for my bahavior.” He is correct. When a U.S. congressman cannot walk away from a nonthreatening 18-year-old and reacts with a combative, assaultive response, perhaps it is time for that man to seriously consider retirement. Or for his constituents to make the decision for him.

Erick Amthor
Woodbourne, N.Y.

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Bob Etheridge should not resign his seat in Congress over his assault of the harmless college student caught on film and viewed millions of times all over the world.

Instead he should be censured, fined and removed from office by his peers, while he continues to fight.

Only then can Congress assume any moral authority and show the nation that it will not tolerate thuggery and criminal activity in its midst.

He should be punished. Anyone in private industry would be summarily fired and/or jailed for such as act.

Etheridge will assuredly not do the right thing – what criminal does? – but if Congress doesn’t act upon itself that will be the real assault on America.

Andy Martin
Nashville, Tenn.

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I watched the video of Congressman Etheridge knocking the camera out of a student’s hand, then the congressman grabbed him and demanded to know who he was. This happened on public property where the congressman clearly could have just not said a word and walked away but chose to bully a young man. This behavior can never be accepted by a servant of the people. The congressman’s actions show his contempt for the people, free speech and the press. I hope the nice people of North Carolina will find a nice person to represent them in the next election. This guy needs to be retired.

Bill Leone
Jeannette, Pa.

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If Renee Ellmers uses in her campaign the video of Congressman Bob Etheridge’s unfortunate confrontation with the two nameless and faceless men, then she will have joined the ranks of low-road politicians.

It is my hope and prayer that all political campaigns take the high road. Of course, I realize that the high road is the more difficult of the two campaigning trails.

Daniel Jones
Wilson
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Let's not make a mountain out of a mole hill. The idea that anyone is thinking about using this moment in time to run a good man out of public office is ridiculous, yet it's what we've come to expect from Republicans. The only lesson that should come of all this is that these young men learn basic professional decorum if they intend on pursuing careers in journalism.

What is the first thing a professional journalist says when approaching a public figure? "Excuse me. Hello, Ms. Doe. My name is Katie Couric with CBS News." You can change the names and the affiliation, but the basic format is always the same.

Bob Etheridge wanted to know who was approaching him, asking him questions and waving electronic devices much too close to his face. He asked them for identification at least 15 times and still never got an answer. He even prompted them for the name of the school they were from. Still, nothing.

If we all stop and think about what it's like to live a public life knowing how many public figures are accosted, injured and shot, wouldn't it be normal to get defensive in a situation like this? I wonder how many times a day any one public figure is approached, touched, grabbed, cussed at or otherwise harassed. If Etheridge had a body guard who reacted similarly on Etheridge's behalf, would it be all over the Internet? I don't think so.

Susan Darcy
Raleigh

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Thank you for printing the transcript of the words exchanged by Congressman Etheridge and the anonymous "students" who alarmed him. It seemed likely from his wanting to identify them and their constant repetition of "students" and the blurred photos to insure their secret identities that they were provoking him and setting him up, with videocams close at hand. I'm sure the scam fooled a host of gullible voters.

If a pair of strangers shoved a camera in my face and started up with me the way they did, those "students" would be learning about American health care in a Washington hospital's intensive care unit and I would — at worst — have to endure a boring chat with a sympathetic magistrate.

I hope the N&O spares nothing to expose these creeps.

Jake Horwitz
Bynum

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In Bob Etheridge's many years in the public eye, I have never known him to be anything but gentlemanly in his dealings with the public. He is a responsive legislator who continues to be returned to office by a swing district because fair-minded people in that district know he represents them well in Washington.

Throughout 2009, I watched Etheridge hold meeting after meeting in which he was abused, shouted at, ridiculed, berated and threatened by an obnoxious minority, and he never so much as raised his voice. Instead, he took measure of the needs of his district and the input of people who didn't shout at him, and voted his conscience.

One mistake does not erase a lifetime of public service, especially when that mistake is exactly what these anonymous gotcha "journalists" were trying to accomplish. Worse even than paparazzi, these guys are all over Capitol Hill. They stick cameras an inch from a person's face, repeatedly shout questions, and then purport to be surprised when someone tries to shove the camera down their throat. Maybe Bob should have walked on. How many readers would have?

The bottom line is, I'll take Bob Etheridge on his worst day over his opponent, whose rhetoric and ideology do far more harm every day.

John Burns
Raleigh

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I have watched the video of Rep. Bob Etheridge’s encounter with the video sneak attack several times on my computer. My best description of this video is that Rep. Etheridge acted "manly."

I guess that I am a little old-fashioned, but I have always been taught that when someone accosts you on the street, will not provide identification and covers over his face that it must be either The Lone Ranger or a crook. In watching the video, I did not see a faithful companion or a white horse.

Leon Neal
Raleigh

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Clearly, the video segment shows the inappropriate behavior of two "young" men as much as it demonstrated the intolerance of this representative. Those behind the camera were there for cause and effect. As long as people are willing to show up and not say who they are, say where they are from or ask if it is OK to be there in the first place, then they should not be treated with respect.

Dressing someone up in a suit and tie does not make them less of a jerk. Maybe the admonishment should be coming from seasoned news people. Seriously, I doubt if these people are journalists in the first place — probably just bottom feeders. I mean, how difficult is the question, "Who are you?"

I think it is telling that this made front page news. It represents the most exploitative style of news, and your editors, while distancing themselves from the interviewers involved, have no problem with blasting the spoils of war. If that tape shamed Etheridge, making this story front page news should shame you.

Lori Anne Franklin
New Bern

This and that letters: Burr, hate speech, cathedrals

bwheeler — Sat, 08 May 2010 09:30:00 -0400

Another batch of letters that got overrun by other topics before they made it into print.

In your April 26 article “Burr doesn’t foresee easy win,” Sen. Richard Burr commented on his re-election prospects. He said he worries about “being ‘demonized’ with millions of dollars by the Democratic Party, labor unions or other groups.” He went on to say that he is “always looking at how much outside money finds its way into North Carolina.”

Was he being deliberately ironic or does he think North Carolina voters have forgotten that he has been a major beneficiary of huge sums of “outside money” himself? During his campaign against Erskine Bowles in 2004, Burr consistently trailed Bowles in statewide polls until an onslaught of negative ads hit the air across the state. The ads went after Bowles and were paid for by hard-to-trace “outside money.” They had their effect, bringing down Bowles’ support and enabling Burr to win the seat.

In addition, Burr’s campaign reported contributions of $2.8 million from political action committees, more than any other Senate candidate in 2004. So, yes, “outside money” is effective and, yes, if anyone should know that, it would be Burr – and Bowles.

Max Adams
Raleigh

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Why do right-wing conservatives have a double standard regarding hate speech? They are quick to decry a few cherry-picked words of Rev. Jeremiah Wright as un-American and hateful, claiming they wield undue influence over President Obama.

However, words apparently don’t matter when right-wing media personalities and politicians regularly use phrases conjuring images of armed insurrection against the government and violence against politicians. They portray policy disagreements as treasonous threats to our way of life and our freedom. The right wing thinks words don’t matter when this shameful speech is heard day after day, year after year.

Let’s see: the Oklahoma City bombing; the Hutaree and other militia groups; the domestic terrorist who recently flew a plane into an IRS building; the murder of Dr. George Tiller, a large increase in threats against the president and against members of Congress. These are all the actions of lunatics. But they are lunatics who find some justification, encouragement and incitement through the hateful and shameful speech we hear all too often from the right wing in this country. It is time for all Americans to clearly say No to this type of speech.

Brian Baer
Apex

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Wake County, and other counties within the state, are being fiscally responsible through their construction of LEED-certified schools, and need to stay on their present course. The U.S. Green Building Council released a report during 2006 titled “Greening America’s Schools: Costs and Benefits.” The report shows that the national average for school construction is $150 a square foot and that green schools cost an additional $3 a square foot. It also reveals a cost savings of 38 cents a sq. ft. per year for electricity and an additional 6 cents a sq. ft. per year in water saving. If cost is the only concern regarding green schools, then the additional $3 a sq. ft. in upfront cost will be repaid within approximately seven years.

Schools that build green see better student attendance, better test scores, reduced levels of colds, flu, and asthma, and lower operational and maintenance costs. The schools also benefit through lower teacher turn-over and fewer teacher sick days.

Green schools place lower demands on the region’s water and electricity facilities, and result in healthier students and employees.

Jon Barsanti Jr.
Hillsborough

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Our brave elected officials, for camera time, grilled Goldman Sachs executives about their role in the economic collapse, not once mentioning their own culpability in the process. The Community Reinvestment Act initiated under President Carter in 1977 required that banks provide a percentage of their loans to individuals, within a certain distance from each lender location, who basically would not be able to afford one.

President Clinton then increased the size of the percentage of these loans with Attorney General Janet Reno intimidating any that complained. Community organizer Barack Obama trained ACORN operatives on how to use the race card on banks to ensure these loans were given. The Bush administration attempted 21 times to warn Congress of the problem and get regulations in place to curb these abuses. President Bush was stopped by Barney Frank (D) and Chris Dodd (D) filibusters while they both were receiving huge donations from these institutions.

The housing market collapsed with Democrats providing the cover for themselves, their friends and donors. Wall Street may be part of this stink, but the politicians involved need to be held accountable also, if not legally at least by the press.

David Campbell
Raleigh

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The month of April was declared Child Abuse Prevention Month with the hope of decreasing the number of children being abused. Luckily, there is a program in Wake County that helps prevent abuse by providing a place for children to stay during times of crisis or conflict.

Volunteer Families of Easter Seals UCP [United Cerebral Palsy] trains and licenses volunteers to have children of all ages stay in their homes for one to 30 nights, depending on the situation. Parents voluntarily place their children with this program on a temporary basis while maintaining custody of them. This program allows children a safe place to stay and often can be an alternative to foster care.

Not all families have someone to care for their children if an emergency were to occur, such as a parent or sibling being hospitalized, a sudden loss of housing, or stress from parenting a child with special needs. This program is an asset to families in the community, because of generous volunteers who open their homes to children. To learn more about the Volunteer Families program, please call 919-270-8067.

Leslie Kernodle
Placement and Licensing Coordinator
Volunteer Families program, Easter Seals UCP
Raleigh

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I wanted to thank you for the April 19 editorial in support of Governor’s School. I attended in 1975, and I have to say, without hyperbole, the experience changed my life.

I grew up in a small town, just as most of my fellow Governor's School students did. The curriculum introduced me to new ways of thinking, new ways of seeing, new ways of doing things. I came to see my life and how I might contribute to the lives of others in a different way.

There was time to talk about what it meant to be gifted, and how to nourish our gifts. We were the nerds and the geeks in our high schools, and to hear someone not only say it was OK to be the way we were, but that it was a good thing, was a real epiphany for me.

Creating this kind of atmosphere for our state’s brightest students in this way is a very good thing. Charging tuition means the very students who would benefit from the experience the most might never make it to the summer that changes their lives.

Julie Martin
Wilmington

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Fundraising for cathedrals was a milestone for Catholicism in the 1950s. The affluence of an emerging middle class paid the stipend for this statement of religious pride. But religious materialism shames the faithful in the aftermath of financial, political and sexual scandals.

You reported on April 13 that the Archdiocese of Raleigh may build a new cathedral for the 4,200 parishioners who attended Christmas services and to host archdiocesan ecclesiastical rites. Yes, the extant cathedral is small. I have seen perhaps 50 parishioners standing in the aisles during mass. But there is room for 50 more folding chairs in the auditorium where services are also held.

The demand for the church’s ministry comes, in large part, from the devotion of a large and growing Hispanic sub-community. Many of these people are blocked from full participation in most masses at Sacred Heart Cathedral by language limitations. One analysis of the problem might be that Sacred Heart needs another Spanish mass more than it needs more magnificent infrastructure.

I do not accept that materialism and hubris have swallowed my church. I do believe that we need to refocus on charity and surrender infrastructure, and I would honor a church that exercises a vow of poverty.

Edward Donald Ward
Raleigh

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Hmm. Seems strange. First we had John Lewis, the former SNCC chairman, now a Georgia congressman, urging those who are dissatisfied to speak out. Then in the same week we had ex-President Clinton warning that those who are dissatisfied speaking out could cause violence. Strange indeed.

Jim Wheeler
Fuquay-Varina

Wake schools: Project Enlightenment, policies and protocol

bwheeler — Fri, 07 May 2010 15:56:04 -0400

The Wake County school board's drastic cuts to Project Enlightment (detailed in a Point of View here) brought out many pleas to save the program that serves at-risk children. Here are more letters about Project Enlightment (others on the Sunday Forum page Sunday) and about other school issues.

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John Tedesco and the new school board majority have much to say about the past student assignment policy failing to foster a sense of community in schools because students were too far-flung.

My children attend schools with students from the far reaches of Wake County, and in my family’s experience there is a very strong community feeling among families from across the area regardless of color, economic status or neighborhood of residence. When I sign in to volunteer in the classroom, I see the names of parents who live in the north, south, east and west parts or our county.

When my child was practicing with a group for a school program, those of us who live close hosted rehearsals during the week and picked up from carpool. We went the homes farther away on the weekends because that’s what you do when you’re friends and neighbors.

If you drive by our elementary school after the instructional day ends, you will see children and parents gathered on the playground. The children are playing sports and pretend games just like children in a neighborhood. The adults are gathered trading parenting tips and dinner ideas, discussing the difficulties of aging parents and aging ourselves. Together, we have lost and found jobs and family members and worked through school and home improvement projects. We help each other out if someone is running late or needs to go to a conference. Isn’t this what you do for your friends and neighbors?

This school board has promised stability to its political constituents but has only managed to send the entire school community into a sea of uncertainty. When will the school board realize community doesn’t depend on your ZIP code? You create it wherever you are. The bonds are strong. And we will fight to keep them. Because in the end we’re all part of the same community.

Julia Cox
Raleigh

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This is my first letter to the editor, and I am hoping it will help as I am very grateful for the support my family has received over the years through Project Enlightenment. I have three children, ages 7, 6 and 6 who are truly a gift to our lives but did not come with a “how to” guide or instruction manual.

Recently I heard about the budget cuts and the plan to reduce or eliminate this invaluable resource, Project Enlightenment. This organization and its programs have helped our family tremendously through child developmental issues, the Talkline advice resource for educated answers to burning question, free testing for speech and other concerns, bereavement counseling, and many, many life challenges in our families early years.

We have called the Talkline when we did not know where else to turn for child development questions. We have seen former child care providers take classes at PE and bring new teaching methods to their class. We have talked with counselors about life challenges who overachieved our excpectations with knowledge, kindness and resource references. We have attended presentations by PE staff at local churches about child development. My husband and I have taken many positive parenting and discipline classes at PE that were invaluable to our sanity and our family. Looking back, I realize how valuable the people and the resources of Project Enlightenment have been during some of the biggest challenges in our adult life and family life to date.

Please take the time to let the people who want to cut these programs know that Project Enlightenment and its programs are vital for young children and families and the people there are a true gift. They are compassionate, highly educated and underappreciated. Yes, the economy is tough but taking care of families and our children is our future.

Noel and Ed Tucker
Raleigh

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I agree with Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker about stopping the Board of Education from making a huge mistake. We cannot go backward.

From the beginning, the new board members started making major changes without consultation from the school superintendent. I see some of the new members as a self-serving. They came in with a hidden agenda. Diversity is part of life. I believe there are prejudices in almost everything that has taken place.

My question is: Why hasn’t someone from the legal sector not challenged the changes that have occurred? We are allowing someone, outsiders who are promoting their political agenda, to change the status of our county. We have come too far to sit by and watch the devastation of our children and our schools take a left turn.

From the onset, it appeared as if the new members had the blueprints beforehand. Because they are elected officials and they are self-serving, we should look more at resignations than tolerance. We are the people and the parents and grandparents of Wake County. The voice of the people does not carry any weight. They are determined to do as they please. We should not tolerate such behavior.

Clara Lawrence
Raleigh

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I am very disappointed in Gov. Beverly Perdue’s efforts to make a political issue out of the Wake County school board’s actions. She should be encouraging the board to find common ground and work together to solve the very real problems our school systems face.

Sally Stewart Miles
Raleigh

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I attended the May 4 Wake County school board meeting. A few observations. The board talked a lot about modifying the rules for Public Participation at the Board Meetings (stakeholders as Debra Goldman said) to encourage public input. When 16 people asked the board to include social diversity in the Student Assignment policy in the public comments part of the meeting, their pleas were ignored. The majority voted to take the social diversity wording out of the Student Assignment policy. What are we to believe?

Hank Graden
Raleigh

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Tuesday’s article about the Wake County school board trying to set limits on the remarks and behavior of meeting attendees struck a chord.

As a professional speaker I have been amazed by the immature and boorish behavior I’ve seen in seminars. I’ve tried ignoring it, using humor, addressing the behaviors in business-like ways, and even being sarcastic. Nothing worked for long. When I’ve brought the issues to the attention of the organizations who hired me I’ve been told, “That’s just the way some of our members are.” I now decline to do business with organizations that have significant numbers of disrupters.

When I’ve confronted the individuals exhibiting the behaviors they often are unaware that what they are doing is distracting, unprofessional and, too often, immature. Most of the folks who act out won’t change, and, in fact, believe that what they are doing is expressing free speech, and they are entitled to it. Neither the organizations nor those who act out have the courage to address the behaviors. If the school board does not set limits many meeting attendees and school board members will observe none.

To say that we live in a less civil society is a cliché. Unfortunately, in the two foundations of any society, family and (here’s the irony considering the story) schools, the responsible parties are abdicating their responsibilities of helping young people understand the rules and boundaries of civilized discourse and protest. How do you believe the children of meeting attendees and school board members will act as they grow older?

As one of North Carolina’s true heroes, Bill Friday, once said, “You have to find ways to disagree without being disagreeable.”

Mike Collins
Raleigh

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As reported by the N&O, a study of Wake schools shows that they have increasingly failed to meet their declared target: “Less than 40 percent of students at any school will qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.” John Tedesco takes the failure of the schools to comply with this target as evidence that the diversity policy was not working.

The report attributes the failure in part to a sharp increase in the numbers of low-income students in the system. Efforts to meet the target were overwhelmed by a population shift. A reasonable response to this change in the population would be to revise the target. What is Tedesco’s response? Kill the goal of socioeconomic diversity.

C’mon, John. If you’re a reasonable man, change your plan. Move the target, don’t cancel the goal.

Lane Tracy
Cary

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Our Wake County commissioners have the vote, but the public has a say. It’s time to make sure our residents know about Project Enlightenment.

I didn't know much about it myself until recently, except that it had helped my friend deal with her aggressive son and helped my neighbor diagnose her son as autistic. Actual cases. Profound results.

Project Enlightenment is one of the only programs of its kind in the country, having been around for 40 years. If I know of two people personally whose lives it has impacted; imagine the thousands of kids and families over the last four decades who have experienced the same.

I made my first visit to the Resource Center at Project Enlightenment two weeks ago. I was impressed with the staff and the resources and, more importantly, found some much needed guidance for my own family.

On the day of my visit, I discovered there was to be a funding decision made that day regarding the program. Having just discovered this incredible resource, I am dismayed to know it may soon be gone.

I urge the public to get involved. Consider the impact on the future of our county and our children. Read the news. Look around. We need parenting resources now more than ever.

Fadra Nally
Raleigh

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During the recent Policy Committee meeting, Wake County Board of Education members Debra Goldman, Chris Malone, Ron Margiotta and Deborah Prickett repeatedly dismissed the idea that assignment has anything to do with student achievement. I agree – to a point. As 40 years of education research proves, student achievement is negatively affected when a student assignment policy creates schools of high poverty.

This new board majority campaigned on raising student achievement. Why, then, are they wasting valuable time and resources to create a new student assignment policy via John Tedesco’s community zones vision? When will they stop distracting us with assignment issues (calendar, zones, etc.) and get down to the business of ensuring an equitable, excellent education for all Wake County students?

Maria Mauriello
Raleigh

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School board policies must give each and every child the opportunity for a sound basic education. The question lies in whether grouping poor children gives poor children the same opportunity as their counterparts in the resulting more affluent schools.

If a poor child is sitting at an affluent school with ample resources, a quality teacher, principal and staff, is he not getting the same opportunity as every child? Having such a support system can only improve his or her chances at a sound basic education. Can the reverse be argued successfully? Define “Sound and Basic.” Can it be argued that an affluent school and a poor school provide the same level of sound and basic using the same resources?

Wake County has become accustomed to perks other school systems cannot afford. We do not comprehend what “basic” really means. Are the more affluently located schools willing to have a “basic” education so that we can provide the extra resources to poorer schools at an attempt to equalize the opportunity? I think not. There is a tipping point at which parents will send their child by choice to a poorer school; there is also a tipping point at which parents will allow their tax dollars to leave their more affluent school to help a poorer school. There is also a tipping point at which taxpayers will provide extra funds.

It is the best and most cost effective way to provide the highest level of opportunity for all children that we debate here. Parents need to understand the consequences of creating poorer schools to the more affluent area schools. This has not been discussed.

Amy Lee
Raleigh

This and that letters: atheists, lyme disease and President Grant

bwheeler — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:00:00 -0400

Heavy, heavy, heavy letter flow lately with the votes on health care and the Wake County school system's diversity policy. As such, we've had way more letters than we can possibly run. Here are more than a dozen letters on various topics.

I was pleased to read your March 18 article on Todd Stiefel and his support of atheist and humanist organizations. However, the correct name of one of the organizations listed in your article is the Secular Coalition for America, not “of America.” The choice of the word “for” rather than “of” in the title is deliberate and significant.

The mission of the Secular Coalition for America is to increase the visibility of and respect for nontheistic viewpoints in the United States, and to protect and strengthen the secular character of our government as the best guarantee of freedom for all. The SCA supports the Constitution's separation of church and state. This is something that is “for” America, supporting American values of freedom of expression and non-discrimination. The Ethical

Humanist Society of the Triangle is a member of the SCA through our national organization, the American Ethical Union. I am pleased to have Todd Stiefel as a new neighbor.

Randall Best
Leader, Ethical Humanist Society of the Triangle
Durham

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North Carolina can save lots of money if it follows the example of several other states. Gov. Beverly Purdue should look at ways to simplify and facilitate automobile license renewals, and vehicle inspections.

First, change the system so licenses are good for three years (with a $1 discount on what the three years would cost), and secondly, have auto inspections for a new car after three years, with two-year intervals for all other cars. Of course, this will cause grumbling by the inspection stations and DMV personnel, but would be a boon for all motorists. Just think of the time and effort saved. Despite the Toyota problem, most accidents are caused by poor drivers rather than from defective automobiles.

Bertram J. Marcus
Fuquay-Varina

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I agree with Harvey Schmitt, president of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce: “If we poll people when the economy is doing well, the number one issue is traffic. When the economy is doing poorly, the number one issue is jobs” (“Triangle traffic jams cost less time,” March 2 news article).

So why not kill two birds with one stone? The Transportation for America Coalition has drafted a proposal to do just that. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the proposal would invest $34.3 billion in transportation spending and create 480,000 direct and indirect jobs.

With Congress now considering proposals for the new jobs bill, it is time to get North Carolina on the fast track to more jobs and less Triangle congestion.

Katie Manthey
Program Associate, North Carolina PIRG
Raleigh

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It was great to see the coverage of Gregory Taylor's victory over an unjust system. While Taylor's 6,149 days incarcerated were no doubt painful, I take issue with the conclusion in your Feb. 18 article: “Taylor, 47, wasted more than half his adult life in prison ...”
It is made quite clear from The N&O’s coverage that Taylor's suffering was redemptive, not wasteful. While in prison, Taylor waged a campaign to prove his innocence in a murder case, in the process exposing how deeply flawed the justice system is in our state. Hopefully this will lead to changes for the better in how cases are prosecuted.

My guess is Taylor made lots of friends in prison, he maintained relationships with his family, became drug-free, and now perhaps he’ll join the other exonerees who greeted him upon release, and fight like hell to keep others from being wrongfully convicted.

Along the way, Taylor met his guardian angel, Christine Mumma, who, with a crack team of lawyers and law students, forced the system to own up to its mistakes. This story is about hope and persistence. We owe our thanks to all who played a role in freeing Gregory Taylor. May God continue to bless him and his family from this day forward.

Patrick O'Neill
Garner

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Forget the basic safety considerations.
Forget the long lead time to build a nuke.
Forget the waste problem.
Forget the decommissioning problems.
Forget the potential for terrorist action.
Forget the potential for nuclear weapons proliferation.
Forget the cheaper, more efficient, more quickly reached alternatives.

Nuclear power advocates must, however, answer one or two questions:

If nuclear power is such a great deal, why is it that no one in the private sector will even consider a loan to build a nuke without loan guarantees from Washington, recently granted?

While you take profits every year, will you also be responsible for all the expenses and cleanup in the event of an accident, or will you declare bankruptcy and send the bill to Uncle Sam?

M. David Preston, D.V.M.
Hillsborough

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Regarding the March 18 article “Lyme disease found in Wake”: Patients will have improved access to treatment for Lyme disease now that the state Department of Health and Human Services has acknowledged that Lyme disease is endemic to North Carolina.
Integrative Medical physicians have identified patients who have contracted Lyme disease in North Carolina for more than 10 years. Lyme disease can be difficult to diagnose because the standard blood tests often aren’t conclusive. When undiagnosed or allowed to go untreated, the advanced stages of Lyme disease can be debilitating and very challenging to treat.

Patients we hope can now receive medical attention for this pervasive malady that does not always respond well to the sole treatment by mainstream medical approaches. Chronic Lyme disease has been shown to respond to Integrative Medical approaches that not only treat the disease, but also support the immune system in ways that allow patients to feel and function better while living with chronic Lyme disease.

Janis Ramquist
Executive director, N.C. Integrative Medical Society
Raleigh

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What a picture! Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby makes a final plea to the judges to send Greg Taylor back to prison. The judges unanimously rule to set him free. Willoughby shakes Taylor’s hand and says he’s sorry and says later that “the case was handled like every other case.” In other words, business as usual.

This arrogant display by Willoughby makes me cringe at the thought of the day that will surely come when someone is exonerated from the grave. Business as usual, Mr. Willoughby?

Melvin Stalls
Roper

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There is nothing wrong with stating what you think is wrong with the proposed health care bill, but at least get the facts straight. The March 19 letter “Doesn’t add up” said the proposal would:

Force healthy people to have government-sponsored insurance to pay for those with health problems. It does not. There is a mandate either to get health insurance (pick your insurance company) or pay additional taxes.

Cause the government to borrow money from China and put more of a burden on our children or grandchildren. It does not. The bill pays for itself and helps to reduce the deficit over the years taking the burden off children and grandchildren.
Cut services to older people. It does not. It does cut Medicare costs, reducing the waste, fraud and abuse that the writer complains about in her narrative.

Get the facts straight. State what you disagree with that is actually in the bill, and propose viable alternatives. The proposed health care bill is far from perfect, but it is a good start to providing simple, affordable health care for all.

Gordon Uscier
Raleigh

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There are better qualities of our nature, but below them are fears that can hijack our emotions and thus short-circuit our reason.

Charles Krauthammer (“The only failure is Obama’s,” Feb. 18 column) blames the parent, not the kids, the leader who argues that together we are better than apart. Not Republicans who whine, my way only. When we are called to our best and we give in to our least, we blame the president and not ourselves.

Krauthammer sees a past when Washington worked together. Whose fault the change? Consider: The Republicans vote no even on ideas they themselves have come up with, on the premise that anything President Obama wants is tainted.

Obama is a true conservative leader who understands the values we need to conserve: our economy, our morals, our environment and a future in which our grandchildren are not burdened by our failures. If conservatives can transcend selfishness, we’ll move forward together. Winning elections now is the end, rather than the means to a better world.

Henry Walker
Durham

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The response to The N&O's poll question on driving while using a cell phone had some really good news. Eighty-seven percent of the North Carolina voters surveyed believe that all cell phones or hands-free cell phones should be banned. Now it is time for the legislature to take action on this issue. A logical first step would be to ban drivers’ use of hand-held cell phones.

Until the legislature acts, how many people will lose their lives due to cell phone use while driving? How many people will be seriously injured? How many accidents will occur that will drive up the costs of automobile insurance?

Seven states have already banned the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. In order to reduce deaths and insurance costs it is time for North Carolina to do the same.

Marvin Woll
Raleigh

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Bertram J. Marcus
Fuquay-Varina

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Regarding the March 16 Other Opinion piece on President Grant: Being slow, it took years to disregard my grade school education by ignoramuses. Eventually I realized that it means something that two of President Grant’s most enthusiastic apologists were Abraham Lincoln and Mark Twain. All three were wise men, given to deliberation, humor, unpopular decisions and remarkable writing. Curiosity aroused, I re-evaluated the smarts of my schoolmasters and discovered U.S. Grant, a resolute creature who put the Ku Klux Klan out of business in his first term and prevented his friends Sherman and Sheridan from exterminating the “original Americans” during his second.

President Grant’s reputation was much sullied during and after his lifetime. The principal detractors of his remarkable presidency were men whose opinions held sway for generations among white Americans, racists determined to undermine one of the very champions of the rights and dignity of people of color. Typically, Grant took it like a man and did not bother with these feckless idiots.

President Reagan’s only success was an easy endgame against an impoverished, crumbling Soviet Union. He slept through most of it. The comparison of Grant to the late Ronald Reagan is pitiful and does not merit discussion. Grant was a great man; Reagan was a great politician.

George Horwitz
Bynum

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A March 5 news story succinctly presented the problem causing the outrageous electric rates levied by municipal owned electric utilities.

As any Economics 101 student can tell you, economies of scale are not achieved in electric distribution by using layers of management, as these entities are by their very nature monopolies, and their infrastructures are too extensive and expensive to maintain. Municipally owned electric utilities may have been the way to go 50 or 70 years ago, but in today's economic environment are not feasible.

When you take into account that these utilities are governed by local politicians, who may use them as a revenue source for unrelated expenses, then you just add to the problem.

Clearly, this is an unsustainable situation that must be addressed by the governor and the legislature. Municipal electric utilities must be brought under the control of the N.C. Utilities Commission. It is my opinion that they should be merged into the larger utility from which they are buying electricity.

Our family has dealt with the extraordinary increases levied by our New Bern Electric Department by installing a timer on our hot water heater, drying clothes outdoors and opening the door of the dishwasher after the last rinse cycle. These measures will not counteract these astronomical rate increases, but will add some measure of relief.

DONALD J. TROMBLEY
New Bern

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Leave it to a Princeton, N.J., writer to pen such a glowing review of U.S. Grant (Other Opinion, March 16). To this day, many in the South, where Grant’s legacy is not so admired, still refuse to carry monetary denominations depicting his likeness in their wallets.

The truth about Grant is hidden in your writer’s acclaim. Grant benefitted greatly by being Lincoln’s leader of last resort to guide the mammoth Union Army to eventual victory by winning a war of attrition. His penchant for sacrificing great numbers of his troops to overwhelm Confederate strategic victories is overlooked. It was his great fortune to follow handwringing imbeciles who refused to commit troops to the battle, by being their antithesis and winning Lincoln’s favor.

He also presided over Sherman’s ravaging of the South’s citizenry and the “reconstruction” policies that followed. He should be best known for saving Lincoln politically by bringing an increasingly unpopular war to a close.

A great disparity becomes evident when touting the exploits of Grant versus those of Reagan. While it is true that both followed incompetents, the difference is that Lincoln needed Grant; the world needed Reagan.

Nyle Wadford
Wake Forest

Health care: ode to Obama and boos to Burr

bwheeler — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 11:00:00 -0400

Here's another batch of health care letters.

Agreed. Our country needs health care reform. Both parties do agree on this issue. We need to lower costs associated with health care (both insurance and medicines, doctors, hospitals, diagnostics, etc.). But when one party controls the means and excludes the other, then this is no longer a representative republic. It is a dictatorship.

One party saying that we know what is best for you to the total exclusion of the other. Even with the other major entitlements (Social Security and Medicare) there was support from the other party. Our Founding Fathers would be appalled at the behavior of our government. The government is incapable of running a business.

Just look at Medicare and Social Security. Every expert agrees that they are in trouble. Do we honestly believe that universal healthcare will be any different?

Larry Brieaddy
Rolesville

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We hear about the gap in health care coverage. There is a gap in coverage that must be addressed. This gap is the working poor who have no health insurance and some others, notably those between jobs.

What’s interesting is this subset of individuals falls into gaps in every other aspect of life, not just going without medical insurance. For instance, they live oftentimes in high crime, dangerous areas. Do we provide them with a subsidy to move to another section? I know. Don’t be ridiculous. Another example: They rely on public transportation, which means long waits in cold, wet weather. Do we subsidize them to eliminate this transportation gap? No.

Gaps exist everywhere. The enormity of the problem suggests that little can be done. There are just so many working poor. Due to the recession, the ranks are growing, not declining. Yet medical care is one thing, one area we seize upon to address.
Life for the working poor in this country is very difficult every day. Even so, it’s better than life in Haiti or life in Mexico or other places where the down and out face greater challenges.

Robert Peele
Rocky Mount

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In response to the letter “A day’s free care,” I hope the writer was promoting satire. Unfortunately, I fear not. I have to ask whether the writer is willing to work for free 20 percent of the time to hold on to his job. Unless he also thinks attorneys, accountants, hair stylists, etc. should also provide free services one day a week to hold onto their licenses, he needs to rethink this great idea.

While I agree more focus should be placed on the care provided, a better idea would be to pay providers for improved outcomes. Think of how many people you see on a regular visit to your doctor. Many of those same people would be required to help the uninsured obtain health care. Who pays them?

Forcing people to work for free is indentured servitude at best and slavery, which is no longer legal, at worst. Many health care providers already volunteer their services. Does the writer?

Lesli M. W. Doares
Holly Springs

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I believe that in forcing the beginning of the basis for health care reform, using the process of reconciliation, our president has decided that he will not allow the health care crisis to remain smoldering in the coals of resentment.

As things stand today we, as a nation, are moving forward in the long process of solving what had seemed to be to many of us, an utterly intractable problem. The health care reform legislation that President Obama has signed into law is a start, and it is place to stand and a place upon which to build. Individuals and groups will attempt to sabotage the health care reform legislation that has passed, yet it is my conviction that the opposition cannot succeed.

I say this from my position of seeing what I believe to be reality. The reality I see is Republican sentiment, bent on distorting and destroying any and all progress made by our president and his administration. That Obama is a person of color may have some small part in the issue; however. I do not believe that race is the reason such vitriol is now spilling out.

I believe that the Republican Party has been extremely complacent, and pleased to have had a president who has served the value of the dollar rather than the value of the individual over the past several years. In Obama, the party of opposition sees and senses a real threat. The threat is that of a leader who is thoughtful, articulate and extraordinarily intelligent. Yet, more than Obama’s intellect and his adroit handling of the myriad problems our nation faces, the threat he poses to the Republican Party is who Obama is: an American president who is unafraid.

Obama is not cowed by the false power demonstrated by weak, fearful and aggressive groups and individuals. Americans are blessed to have a President who bows to no false power in the form of person or institution.

I think that what we see today, in the form of the new health care reform legislation, is a beginning. It is a beginning that will be built upon during President Obama’s first term in office, and I pray during his second term as well. I urge all Americans to take heart.

Kristina Fowler
Raleigh

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Is it wise to bring many more onto Medicaid? Medicaid is a poverty-based health insurance. Medicaid beneficiaries must maintain a low level of income and assets in order to continue receiving the benefit. Too many who are currently on Medicaid voice fear of going back to work, accepting inheritance, or even marrying as these may result in loss of vital health care.

Does it really make sense to bring millions more onto Medicaid during a recession? There are many who will curtail work and finances to stay on Medicaid because there is nothing in the new health care bill to check health care premiums in the private sector or health care costs. The unintended consequences of this will be a whole new (and much larger) culture of poverty as real as the one that exists now for anyone on Medicaid.

Benna Thompson
Spring Lake

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I’m writing to voice my displeasure with Sen. Richard Burr’s recent actions and your paper’s handling of the story (“Burr joins health law protest,” March 25). The actions taken by Burr could hardly be described as mere protest, and your headline should have conveyed what he did more accurately. A protest on the senator’s part could have come in the form of a public denunciation of the bill or an endorsement, along with his brethren in the House, to the N.C. attorney general supporting the filing of a legal challenge to the Bill. Disruption of the Senate’s business showed an appalling disrespect to both the service commanders (who had traveled halfway across the globe for the scheduled hearing) and the American taxpayers who end up footing the bill for his misguided buffoonery.

The senator’s explanation for halting the hearing – I have no personal objection to continuing. There is objection on our side of the aisle. Therefore, I would have to object – speaks to the man’s cowardice. If he’s going to disrupt the business of the Senate and waste taxpayer money, he should at least have the courage to stand up for his actions.

Burr should immediately apologize for his childish behavior – to the service commanders, to his North Carolina constituents, and to the American public. He should also consider distancing himself from the lemmings to the sea approach that his party has taken and distinguish himself by doing what he was sent to Washington to do – conduct the people’s business in a professional manner. Holding up progress on something totally unrelated to the issue of his protest serves only to bring shame to the senator and embarrassment to the wonderful people of North Carolina.

Carl Bandolshesr
Henrico

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As I hear the news about the Congressional Budget Office’s preliminary estimate and the gimmickry around the delayed benefits with immediate taxes, I’m struck by the double standard upon which I have to recognize revenue in my business and how the CBO concludes the health care bill reduces the deficit.

I own and operate a small privately held business in Cary. My business, even though it is private, is increasingly burdened by Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) government regulatory compliance.

Sarbanes-Oxley was driven primarily to force uniform and fair disclosure of companies’ financial positions to investors. One of the major reforms is the requirement around revenue recognition. We and other public and private businesses cannot recognize revenue, even though we are paid in advance, until we have delivered the service for which that revenue was received.

So by the government’s own SOX regulations, the CBO would be able to recognize only the years of revenues for which the government has delivered health care services. The rest of those revenues would be recognized as deferred revenues, which are a liability on the balance sheet.

Lee Prevost
Morrisville

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Shame on Sen. Richard Burr and other GOP lawmakers for wasting taxpayer time and money by stalling and preventing committee hearings! At what expense were commanders flown to Washington from South Korea and Hawaii to discuss Pentagon needs for the upcoming year? For that matter, shame on lawmakers who had so little regard for their time. How many more soldiers and civilians will die in Afghanistan because hearings about police trainers were delayed? The great state of North Carolina deserves better representation and manners.

Shame on the nameless thugs who use threats and actual violence in an attempt to sway the opinion of elected leaders! I don’t care which side of the fence you fall on with the health care reform issue, such behavior is disgusting and disrespectful. What sort of message does it send to our troops who are fighting to spread the ideas of peaceful democracy in places where violence is used to quiet the voices of opposition? Are we honoring their memories or sacrifices when we behave like thugs? No, they deserve better, too.

Heidi Swygard
Chapel Hill

Health care: ode to Obama and boos to Burr

bwheeler — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 11:00:00 -0400

Here's another batch of health care letters.

Just look at Medicare and Social Security. Every expert agrees that they are in trouble. Do we honestly believe that universal healthcare will be any different?

Larry Brieaddy
Rolesville

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Robert Peele
Rocky Mount

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Forcing people to work for free is indentured servitude at best and slavery, which is no longer legal, at worst. Many health care providers already volunteer their services. Does the writer?

Lesli M. W. Doares
Holly Springs

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Kristina Fowler
Raleigh

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Benna Thompson
Spring Lake

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Carl Bandolshesr
Henrico

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I own and operate a small privately held business in Cary. My business, even though it is private, is increasingly burdened by Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) government regulatory compliance.

Lee Prevost
Morrisville

Heidi Swygard
Chapel Hill

Wake schools: costs, consequences and parents

bwheeler — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 09:54:51 -0400

Wake County schools are still the topic of the week. Find letters on tomorrow's Other Opinion page and in Sunday Forum on Sunday. Most of the Sunday Forum letters are in response to our piece on John Tedesco last Sunday. Read it here. In the meantime, here are more than 15 other letters on the school system.

As a former Wake County resident I could never bring myself to enroll my son in a government school. However, attending school in one’s neighborhood is not racist! Try forcing North Raleigh parents to shop and eat in Southeast Raleigh. Busing would be curbed immediately. Shame on anyone so insensitive and cruel as to sacrifice small children on the altar of social engineering. You have been sold a p.c. progressive “bill of goods.” Precious children are never to be political pawns.

Neighborhood schools are not a “setback,” as you said in your March 25 editorial. A child getting more sleep and spending more time with family is good, not wrong. Martin Street Baptist Church having a candlelight vigil to keep forced busing in place causes me to think they should get on their knees and ask God, “What is wrong with this picture?”

A duly elected board made a decision following the mandate of the voters and delivered what they campaigned on. Rev. William Barber should use every “legal and moral tool” and have parents take responsibility, seeing to it that students are going to class and completing their assignments. That would be a far better use of his energy. Let’s get back to common sense and stop abusing children.

M. Wayne Denning
Clayton
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I find many of the developments with the Wake County school board troubling. One item that the board recently voted on was quite disturbing – the vote to move several schools from year-round back to a traditional calendar. This is at a proposed cost to the taxpayers of $27 million. In a time of budget cuts I find this to be fiscally irresponsible.

There has been much discussion about how this new majority was voted in by the people. A few years ago the people of Wake County voted a bond referendum of almost $1 billion for school expansion. This was less than the schools wanted and required more year-round schools. I am sorry that some parents do not like year-round schools. Individuals, families and governments must make difficult choices because of financial limitations. The voters of Wake County spoke several years ago – please send this message to the school board.

Mike Shinners
Raleigh

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According to Wake County school board member Chris Malone, “Everybody believes in diversity. We are a very integrated community.” I won't even speak to his first assertion, because it’s so easy to disprove. But I will address his second statement by asking, “Exactly where is he living?” He can’t possibly be describing the same Wake County in which I live. Having a diverse population in no way defines the area as integrated. Just look up and down your street, or up and down the church pews. You’ll probably see quite a few people who look just like you.

Wake CARES founder Kathleen Brennan says, “the time for threats, name calling and dire consequences is over.” Does her definition of name-calling include the labeling of some Wake County parents as “animals”? Just curious. And the “dire consequences" are in fact not over, but she needn’t be personally concerned. Those consequences will be felt by the children who live with the policies this board intends to establish.

Laura Baker Campbell
Apex

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Whenever a school board takes action at a meeting that requires extra police protection, you inherently know it is wrong.

Scarlett Bryant, Ed.D.
Washington, N.C.

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I recently approached my Board of Education representative, Chairman Ron Margiotta (District 8, Southern Wake), in an effort to introduce myself on behalf of my family and three young children. When he learned, through our conversation, that my children currently attend an application school outside of the Apex area, I was told, “So then I don’t actually represent you, you just live in my district.”

Please then, Mr. Margiotta, educate me on our local government as I must have it all wrong. So then do I get to vote in District 4’s election instead? I have spoken with some parents who bus in to Apex (and are happy about it). Do you represent them instead of their Raleigh representative, Keith Sutton? Does Mayor Keith Weatherly not have to represent me as a citizen of Apex since my husband and I work outside of the Town of Apex, my children play soccer in Holly Springs, swim in Cary? Does my priest not need to hear my concerns since I chose to send my children to a preschool at a Baptist church in Cary rather than my parish?

Life goes on outside the city limits of Apex. Our representatives are ethically and legally bound to listen to and represent every one of their constituents, despite the opinion on an issue or an allegiance to a political party.

Teresa Fortner
Apex

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In 1977, my parents agreed to bus me to downtown Raleigh, with secondary students, for a 40-minute ride, because my neighborhood school had fewer educational and artistic opportunities. I did this from fourth grade through graduation, and thereafter so did my sister and brother. We are all thankful for it.

How is changing to a neighborhood plan going to help underperforming students? It seems the school board majority has given the busing problem an unrelated solution. It has brought national attention (and to many of us, embarrassment) and has the possibility of damaging funding opportunities and our nationally acclaimed magnet program. Our economy could suffer; many relocate locally for the jobs, but choose to live in Wake County for the schools.

The board majority should slow down, study, plan and listen. Timelines and price tags were not immediately considered, and studies have not been shared. They were elected by a voter majority, yes, but they should also listen to what the very vocal parents and taxpayers are saying now. We are all losing our heads down here, and it's time to become more dignified, more unified, and talk about what the kids actually need.

Melanie Ray
Cary

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Tony Grimes’ article “Wake businesses depend on good schools” in the March 24 North Raleigh News explained how important diversity is for a good education and for life. His business moved here because the Wake County school system turns out well-rounded students who succeed in diverse classrooms. These students were able to work with a lot of different types of people and made good employees.

Diversity is good for many reasons. This total reworking of the school system is like taking the car apart because the tire was flat. It makes me sad and makes me question my future in education. I have learned many things at Hunter GT Magnet. I have learned about religions and cultures different from mine that make learning interesting. Wake County is large and lots of thought should go into making any major changes.

I hope that the school board tries to remember the big picture. This issue is not just black and white, but is colorful and full of children who make up all the pieces of the puzzle.

Locke Rosser
5th grader, Hunter Elementary
Raleigh

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Much has been said lately about saving schools money. Recently changing the time for the school day has been a hot topic. Let’s save some money in another way by doing just that. Maybe some of your readers are not aware of the fact that the county runs three separate bus systems to serve one school system. If the time for the beginning and ending of the school day could be properly scheduled, one bus system would suffice. If high schools started later and dismissed earlier than middle schools and elementary schools then one set of buses could carry all the students that attended school to their respective schools without segregating the bus riders by age. This would lend itself to the teaching of greater social skills since students would need to know how to get along with all age groups.

Since it has been done in the past quite successfully, why did the schools ever cease to do so? Is it because parents have abdicated their responsibility to train their children in proper social behavior or simply because it is easier to control a group of children of similar ages. Since the neighborhood school concept is being touted so fervently, why not have buses that serve all the children in the neighborhood instead of segregation by age. We of all ages live in the world together. Shouldn't our children be taught how to get along with all ages?

Stephen Trexler
Raleigh

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Both sides of the diversity debate in Wake County have failed to communicate effectively, concisely and consistently the facts (and sources) in support of their positions. A fact sheet from The N&O presenting data for both sides of the debate would be helpful in educating the public.

However, as informed citizens, we should be educating ourselves. Here is a start. Other data, of course, is welcome.

For the years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, graduation rates for Wake's Free and Reduced Lunch population were: 59.7%, 63.3%, 56.5%, 54.2% in that order.
For 2009, the graduation rate for our low-income students was 54.2%, which happens to be the same as the national percentage for low-income kids as reported by EdWeek, at 54%.

The 2009 graduation rate for the state for this group was 61.8%. Wake County is doing nothing special in regard to helping its most vulnerable children. We are on par with the national average and can't even best the state average.

A 54% is a failing grade, no matter how you look at it. I learned that first as a Raleigh native who graduated from the Wake County Public School System.

Andi Woolard Walker
Raleigh

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With all of the angst and protestations over the direction of the new school board, if it is so important, why don't people who object explore then initiate a recall campaign of the members with whom they object rather than wait four years to vote them out?

Tom Waring
Raleigh

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I have been following the very complex school situation in Wake County with interest. While I believe diversity is good for the country and for business, I must strongly disagree with the following comment in one of your editorials: “It seems clear that, other things being equal, disadvantaged students will struggle even more to do well in school if most of their classmates face the same obstacles related to poverty.”

In my judgment, it is not differences in economic conditions or race that determine success, but the presence of a two-parent home where both parents value education and discipline, and set and enforce expectations. It is impossible for any school to overcome big gaps in parenting – ask any teacher how much valuable time is wasted on discipline! So until parents of challenged children pick up a mitt and get in the game, the location of the school makes no difference.

Robert A. Williams
Oxford

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The letters to the editor and the education blogs are filled with passionate postings supporting one side or another. People of faith are focused upon the proposed scrapping of the diversity policy based on socioeconomic status (SES) used in Wake County schools. The present school board policy appears to be discounting solid data on SES and student achievement.

Documented educational research tells educators that there are two top predictors in student achievement. They are the SES level of parents, followed closely by the SES level of the school that the student attends. It is easy to make fun of folks who don’t agree with your point of view. It is easy to call them names, and label things you do not or care not to understand ( planning time for collaboration to improve student achievement becomes Wacky Wednesday).

The supporters of the diversity policy do not claim that everything is going well in the Wake school system or that improvements can’t be made. They are saying that diversity provides an avenue for students to learn and experience educational equity.

Harry Moncelle
Apex

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Is anyone on the Wake County school board willing to admit there was no data or meaningful discussion to support converting the Leesville schools’ calendar? More discussion was spent on meeting times than this conversion topic. Was that more important than the facts as presented by Growth and Planning/surveys and keeping children in their current school? Not to mention the resulting economic impacts to the current budget shortfall.

Ask yourselves: Did board member Deborah Prickett provide concrete evidence to overturn the will of the majority of parents, or the status quo? Did you hear it would improve education? Or did you just defer to her opinion without investigating the facts?

Show some humbleness and re-open the discussion. Show Wake County you want to do the right thing, and that the majority of parents’ and teachers’ voices mean something.

You have proven you move quickly. Final school head counts are not in. If you ran for office to listen to what parents want and do what’s best for the kids, open up the Leesville discussion. Our children deserve more than a few minutes of your time for a decision that will affect them for years to come.

Laura Hurley
Raleigh

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Re:Wake set to eclipse Mecklenburg as No. 1 county: As the population of Wake County soars, one is forced to question at what cost it does so.

In the 1990s, I grew up in the suburbs of Wake County, attending a public school system that received notice as the best school district in the country. Shortly thereafter, Money Magazine noted that the Triangle was the best place in the country to live, a distinction that brings further attention to the area. I attended university in the Triangle, but have subsequently chosen to leave the area. My parents have also left Wake County, choosing to retire elsewhere. The ever expanding population is largely the cause.

Traffic congestion, inadequately funded public services and decreased satisfaction with public schools are all results of this condition that Wake County has brought upon itself in its continual pursuit of growth. Even the most remote areas of the county have been paved over with subdivision expansion. Open space and quality of life have been sacrificed in favor of keeping taxes low and encouraging further development of commerce.

Let us hope that other North Carolina communities do not make similar mistakes.

Jeff Rose
Salt Lake City, Utah

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On Tuesday, March 23, the Wake County school bard made a landmark decision to reverse measures intended to desegregate the school system and to make quality education available to all children under its sphere of influence. Before the clock struck midnight, almost 56 years after the passage of Brown v. Board of Education, the dream of equal education had been rendered a dream deferred once again. Likely to the surprise of many of the school board members, this pending decision had gained national and international attention through coverage by the New York Times.

As much as we’d like to forget it, the rest of the world has never forgotten our racist past. For more than 200 years the world has stood in awe of America’s principles and ideas just as much as it has marveled at her people’s inability to live up to them. On that Tuesday night, the Wake County school board proved exactly what the rest of the world already knows – America is not ready to live up to its potential still.

Just weeks prior, then Superintendent Del Burns stood in objection to the board's policies and resigned after his five-year effort to make real the idea of equal education for children of all economic strata. I neither condone nor condemn Burns’ decision. He is a conscientious objector who fought the good fight for over 30 years. He knows just as I do that every child yearns to learn.

Albertina Smith
Raleigh

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My children are among those that were redistricted to Mills Park. We were very excited because we have heard so many good things. That was until we found out that the school board, in a vacuum, decided to change it to a traditional calendar.

We love the year round option – my kids have excelled. Since transferring from traditional, their grades have improved tremendously. Plus for those families where both parents work, spending money on trackout camps throughout the year makes the expenditure manageable.

Since the school board only gave us five days to register to keep our kids in year-round and because we needed to weigh our options, I was unable to get my application in on time. Now I am fighting to keep my kids in the year-round program.

Once again another show of arrogance on the part of this ridiculous and ignorant school board who completely disregards the taxpayers who elected them.

Karen Yarussi-Mello
Cary

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The demographics of Wake County have changed since I attended public school in Raleigh in a legally segregated school system. The changes have not been significant enough to think that the proposed zones/neighborhood/community-based schools will not automatically create high-poverty schools. I've seen estimates of at least 25 to 30. To support those schools additional resources and taxes will be needed, and with the economic state we are in, that will be hard to swallow.

I have not heard or read where high-poverty schools have been successful even with added resources and money. The present Wake County school system was established by previous school boards to keep this from happening and they seem to have done a good job – so much so that it has gained very favorable national recognition. This national attention should not be taken lightly by the present school board. Changes to the present system might be needed but the basic concept should remain the same.

Harold Johnson
Raleigh

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Perhaps it was the timing, but somehow Michael Moore clarified what has been so aggravating about the Wake County school board. I had just finished reading Rick Martinez’s defense of the new members’ uncivil behavior (basically, Might Makes Right) and was considering his claim of their election victory at healthy margins (Really? With the turnout at decidedly unhealthy margins?) when I heard an interview with Moore. There are times when he can put his finger squarely on the problem.

Moore, speaking about D.C. Republicans, said: “When they come into power, they barrel down Pennsylvania Ave in their Hummer and knock everybody out of their way, guns blazing, and they say, ‘This is what we’re gonna do. These are the laws we’re gonna pass’ and ‘Get outta my way.’ ”

Perhaps there’s a Republican Roberts Rules of Order, passed out with the backing finances to those like the new officers to the nonpartisan school board, the same people who immediately announced their party allegiance and now stonewall opposing ideas. More likely there is not. The uncivil behavior constantly exhibited by those who govern the education of our young people is their own idea of decorum.

I wonder if Moore would enjoy a visit to Raleigh?

Andrea Gomez
Raleigh

Wake schools: one third-grader's take on diversity

bwheeler — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:23:05 -0400

Offering up the illustrated version of a letter that will appear in print one day soon:

Wake schools: busing, kindergartners and Clay

bwheeler — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:43:49 -0400

More letters about Wake County schools and the diversity policy coming Sunday in Sunday Forum. In the meantime, here are 10 more about the school system.

I have recently read several articles and letters on the Wake School System diversity policy and the plans to change it. The proponents all seem to believe that the diversity policy improves the performance of the lower level achievers on test scores and graduation rates. The opponents say this has not worked.

I have not seen one article or letter that addresses what the diversity policy does to the high achievers. Why does no one care about the top performers? This is where our future engineers, lawyers, scientists, etc. will come from. I’m not a professional educator, but it doesn’t take a genius to know that a high achiever in a class that covers all 25 chapters of the text will do better than one in a class that covers 20 chapters because they are slowed down by the slow learners or underachievers.

I think more emphasis should be placed on getting the best education for the students who will make the most of it, i.e. the high performers. The small gain, if any, you will get by bringing up the lowest performers will not make much difference in our battle to stay competitive with China, Japan, South Korea, etc. in the new world economy. Unless our current high achievers come up with new ideas, businesses and solutions to problems; you can be sure that the rest of the students will not be gainfully employed doing the more routine tasks it takes to keep those new businesses going.

With gasoline approaching $3 a gallon and going higher, it is sad that a bus full of half asleep children is being driven across the county so they sit next to a wealthy child. It would make much more sense if they were being driven to a school that would challenge them to achieve at their individual capability level. The price we pay for political correctness!

Bill Mannheim
Cary

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Clay Aiken, a former teacher in the Wake County schools, might have led the charge in calling newly elected board members “selfish idiots,” but he will not be the last to weigh in on this troublesome issue of neighborhood schools vs. student diversity. When highly respected Superintendent Del Burns announced his decision to step down for reasons of conscience, he opened the floodgates for other Wake County citizens to question the viability and morality of the initiatives of the board’s current majority. His untimely dismissal by the school board has added fuel to the fire.

There is another ominous cloud on the horizon that board members should take very seriously: a probable lawsuit against the board for not following its own policies and devising a devious strategy that will result in the re-segregation of the schools.

When our family moved to Fayetteville in the ’70s, we discovered the sad reality of de facto segregation. Neighborhood schools had prevailed – some for poor and ethnic minority children and others for affluent and middle class whites. I believe Cumberland County and Fayetteville have made progress in resolving this dilemma.

When we moved to Petersburg, Va., in the ’90s, we witnessed the economic decline of a once great city that had evaded the challenge of ethnic and economic diversity, partially by a white flight to neighboring towns and also by creating private schools for privileged whites.

It may be tempting for parents to turn back the calendar to the cozy neighborhood concept that served them so well in another place and time, but I do not believe this choice is socially or morally responsible. Your children will not benefit from this cloistered and homogeneous environment. They will not be prepared to live in the real world of the 21st century.

Thomas K. Spence Jr.
Sanford

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I was privileged recently to visit in an impressive Wake County kindergarten classroom. The lesson I observed reminded me of the basic elements of behavior that assure positive outcomes. What a difference it would make if the Wake school board would adhere to such five simple, yet powerful golden rules as follows:

Eyes Watching
Ears Listening
Hands Still
Brains Thinking
Hearts Caring

Valerie B. Brown-Schild, Ph.D.
Apex

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As a parent, I am concerned about the proposed policies of the new school board majority. Further, as a taxpayer, I am concerned about a school board that rejects information about how such policies will affect the financial stability of our schools and Wake County.

Our schools are already $21 million over budget; logic dictates focusing on measures that maximize each tax dollar. Every taxpayer should access the Wake Education Partnership, a nonprofit proffering an independent review of the current policy proposals, to view how the neighborhood assignment plan will affect the effective utilization of our current educational resources. How will the proposed policies of the school board not cost us more in taxes long-term with a lower aggregate educational outcome?

Except for Debra Goldman, none of the new school board members has addressed his accountability to offer quality education that most efficiently uses our taxes to educate all Wake County children. We should focus attention on the upcoming Wake County commissioner elections to seek oversight that will inform the remainder of the new school board majority about addressing financial realities and their accountability to all taxpayers and children in Wake County.

Kara Allen-Eckard
Raleigh

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As an American of Italian descent whose grandfathers were legal immigrants to this country, I would be justified in demanding an apology from Rev. William Barber for his public ethnic slur comparing the Wake County school board’s contentious meeting to a “Mafia meeting” (“Schools debate sinks to insults,” March 5). His disparaging comment qualifies as hate speech.

But I will not seek an apology for two reasons. First, because Rev. Barber has the right to say whatever he thinks regardless of how ignorant and biased he sounds – as long as he is willing to accept the consequences. And secondly, because I doubt he would have the class to recognize the offensiveness of his statement and apologize to Italian-Americans for it.

Rev. Barber can always prove me wrong by issuing a public apology.

Bob Miglarese
Raleigh

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As a product of Wake County Public Schools and as an employee of a large public school district in a neighboring state, I can say with heartfelt certainty that some of my core beliefs were shaped by the education provided to me in the public school system of my beloved hometown.

To say that attending a neighborhood school somehow assures that a child receives a quality education illustrates a limited viewpoint as to the true value and purpose of education. Riding on a bus did not damage me. Going to school with students from other parts of Raleigh did not place me in harm’s way. In fact, it made me realize that the world I live in is complex and that the people across town are valuable to the fabric of this wonderful city.

As Thomas Friedman has told us, the world is flat. As the clock ticks, Haitians suffer and soldiers in the Middle East die or are injured. Simply put, how can we teach children to be citizens of the world, if they never even learn to work with and respect the citizens of their own city?

Art Raymond
Richmond

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On behalf of our magnet school members across the country, and especially in Wake County, we were extremely disappointed to learn of Superintendent Del Burns’ resignation. We were more deeply concerned to learn that Burns’ resignation was in response to the school board’s sweeping proposed policy changes that include embracing a neighborhood schools model as opposed to the diversified magnet schools that have flourished in your district over the past several years and doing away with the district’s long-standing socioeconomic diversity policy.

Given magnet programs’ proven and prominent history in our nation’s schools as well as in your district, MSA is concerned about the board’s new direction and urges the board to reconsider its proposed plans that favor neighborhood schools over the established magnet schools, which have a proven and successful track record.

Instead of eliminating the district’s socioeconomic diversity plan and the magnet schools and programs supported by that plan, we urge the board to embrace them, and we offer our assistance to develop a plan that is in the best interest of the students and parents.

Dr. Robert Brooks
Magnet Schools of America
Washington

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Attending Carnage Magnet Middle School as a student, I enjoy meeting people of different races and backgrounds. We are lucky enough to have wonderful principals, teachers and students. Teachers at Carnage are always helpful and know what they are talking about.

If the majority of the school board continues with its plans, I am afraid Wake County will become a less than desirable place. I understand that many people think we need change in our schools, but neighborhood schools are not the answer. I do not agree with neighborhood schools because they will keep our economy low by causing:

Property values to decrease.

Teachers and other staff (like bus drivers) to lose their jobs

Teachers and other staff not to want to teach in high poverty schools that would be formed

Wake County to lose grants that we currently get for the magnets

Segregation that would cause parents to change their minds about moving to Wake County because there would be poor and rich schools.

Overall, it would be a tragedy if our schools went down the drain. The school board needs to listen to all the public, no matter what side they are on.

Joseph Womble
Cary

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One of the primary catalysts for our economic mess was the unrestrained promotion of complex mortgages within a price-inflated housing market. Driven by short-term bonuses, mortgage sellers encouraged too many people to purchase houses they couldn’t really afford – by offering low-entry-cost mortgages with high fine-print factors. Both sides operated from a basis of limited factual analysis in order to affirm desires for short-term gains.

I see a parallel here with what’s happening in the Wake County school system under its new board leadership. The fine print on the intended conversion to neighborhood schools suggests that there may be significant unanticipated cost-per-pupil escalation if we dismantle the existing system. Despite the overwhelming support of parents for the current system, as evidenced by a 94 percent positive response rate on the recent survey, the board majority seems determined to ignore facts (such as that Wake County enjoys one of the lowest cost-per-student ratios in the state) in order to affirm its own desire for the short-term satisfaction of fulfilling an ideology-driven agenda.

The “Ignore the Facts and Trust Me” approach hasn’t worked out too well for holders of sub-prime mortgages or for our overall economy. Do we need a repeat in the local educational system?

Christina Stableford
Raleigh

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After having lunch with five other retired Wake County teachers (each had 25+ years experience,) we used terms like "tragedy" and travesty" to describe the actions of the Wake County school board. We had all raised our own children in this system and several teachers had taught in segregated or inner city schools in the past. Our tones fluctuated between fury and sadness to see this misguided and uninformed turn of events. Did anyone poll the educators of Wake County? The very people who work 7+ hours daily with our children?

Wake County stands to lose billions in federal funds and the respect of numerous urban systems around the US that have so admired our current structure. How can we let this happen?

Karen Brown James
Cary

Wake schools: Anti-Barber and anti-politics

bwheeler — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:00:43 -0500

Yep. More school letters. Twenty-seven of ’em. Find others on tomorrow’s Editorial and Other Opinion pages and in Sunday Forum this Sunday.

I did not know you could actually fire somebody after they have resigned! The newly elected Wake school board is truly a piece of work, and the sad thing is the kids continue to lose in all this political fingerpointing.

Lisa Baker
Raleigh

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Actions of the Wake County school board majority exemplify the best leadership money can buy! I fear we can expect similar leadership qualities from future elected representatives with the recent Supreme Court campaign finance decision.

Victor Winkler
Chapel Hill

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If Rev. William Barber & Co. would put the same amount of energy into improving low income/minority academic achievement and graduation rates as they do whining about the direction the elected Wake County school board is taking, imagine the kind of schools we would have!

Did Barber and his supporters ever have to catch a bus at 6:30 a.m. (or earlier), ride 60 minutes to sit in a staging area for another 30 minutes before class started? Have they been unable to stay after school to play a sport or learn to drive because the bus left before the activity ended? Have them been made to change schools and graduate from a different high school after attending a high school for three years? Have their parents been unable to attend open houses, PTA meetings and related events because they had no transportation?

These are the issues that low-income/minority students face in our high schools because they are bused for diversity. This is the treatment that proponents of the diversity policy are fighting to keep for minority and low-income students.

Low income/minority students have been scattered around the county and placed in a pool where their achievement gap is diluted and easy to overlook. How is it that these same groups, who are so adamantly opposed to a change now, have been silent during the brain drain of the last decade?

The challenge to improve academic achievement for our low-income/minority youth is enormous, even with everyone on the same page. It is impossible when community leaders spend their talents fighting those that are trying to make a positive change. If a 55 percent graduation rate among minority students is what has been happening in the past, then we need to be open to another approach.

Michael McDonnell
Cary

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Parents want to know more than what goes on in the classroom. They also want to know what takes place in the swarm, in the unsupervised school society outside the classroom. They know that children learn from their peers, they want their children to learn from their peers, but they also want reassurance that what they learn from their peers does not conflict too much with what they learn at home.

This kind of reassurance is hard to come by in a society like ours that celebrates pluralism. Our diversity is not just a diversity of heritage, it is also a diversity of ethical commitments. It is hard to teach a child to be unselfish when other voices, with no less authority, or a different kind of authority, are teaching the opposite.

That is why parents can reasonably prefer that their children be raised and schooled in neighborhoods of like-minded people. Jokingly, we say that parents who place a higher value on obedience to the Ten Commandments than on observation of public smoking bans will prefer to live in Raleigh than in Chapel Hill. But the joke contains the hard seed of truth. People choose to live near those who by and large share their beliefs. Race or class need not be a factor.

Most parents believe that raising their children is the most important thing they will ever do. At the same time, they are people of good will, who, despite the certainties of American elites, want the best for all, regardless of race or class, if only because they realize that other parents feel as they do. They do not regard responsibility to their children as necessarily being at cross purposes with compassionate understanding.

But they will not lend their children to social engineering, either, unless they can be assured that standards like the ones in place in their homes also obtain in the society being engineered.

When that is impossible in principle, as it is in contemporary America, in no small part because of our elites – when pluralism decrees that Americans may no longer make demands on other Americans, when standards of conduct are regarded as inherently oppressive, when hard work, sobriety, punctuality and self-improvement are mocked as petit bourgeois – then these parents will come down on the side of responsibility to their children. As well they might. Because the shared cultural understanding for which they long was until recently the norm throughout Western society.

If Professors Korstad and Leloudis (“Poverty’s place in the school debate,” March 5) truly mean that we should make good Governor Sanford’s vision, they first need to recognize the error of supposing that a just society can exist without shared cultural expectations.

Nick Cariello
Chapel Hill

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Wake County’s nationally recognized socioeconomic diversity program has led to important educational and socially conscious gains for students of all races. Unfortunately, these achievements will be single-handedly dismantled by five members of the school board.

They have ignored research that clearly indicates the benefits of desegregated schools and have discounted the benefits of creating a diverse learning environment for all students. These actions have shown that these five members have little understanding to the value of diversity and how it benefits all of us. In addition it shows that they have no regard for the welfare of students and their families.

There are no winners in this scenario. Other far less disruptive and destructive measures are available to address some of the residual effects of the diversity program. However, these five members have chosen otherwise.

Years from now, these board members will have come and gone. But unless this poor and reckless decision is reversed, these members will have to live with the legacy of what they have done to students, families and residents of Wake County and North Carolina. And, unfortunately, we all will also have to endure and live with this sad legacy.

Benjamin Duncan
Roswell, Ga.

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In 2006, Robert Luddy won an entrepreneurship award given by the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Alabama. The Institute promotes doing away with public schools.

In August 2007, Luddy wanted the cap raised on charter schools because of his plan to open another two dozen private schools in the Wake County area over the next decade (www.wral.com/news/local/story/1723376).

In that report, school board member Ron Margiotta’s view was given thusly: “Although he supports more choice for parents, ... he sees Luddy’s idea of dozens of private schools as a threat to the district. ‘These private schools are a concern because it’s just a matter of time before they bring down the Wake County Public School System as we know it,’ Margiotta said.”

In 2008, Margiotta became a trustee at Luddy’s Thales Academy in Apex.

In 2009, Margiotta (with the assistance of newly elected board members) ousted Keith Hill as school board chair and took over the reins of the Wake County school board.

If Margiotta believed Luddy’s private schools were a threat to our public schools, why is he now a trustee at one of them? Who does he serve those who want to dismantle public education or the students in the WCPSS?

Ann Farmer
Raleigh

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If John Tedesco truly does live an integrated life (as he said in Saturday’s article “NAACP lodges a complaint”) then he must be acutely aware of the crushing racial inequality that persists in every area of our society, from income and education levels to access to health care and housing.

Indeed, as vice president for development at Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Tedesco must know the reality of inequality well (he surely talks about it when soliciting donations). After all, the program is based on the premise that low-income kids benefit from being around middle- and upper-income mentors; and that inequality can best be overcome through socio-economic diversity.

Ironically, that sounds a lot like the purpose of the Wake County socioeconomic diversity program, which Tedesco is leading the charge against. What is one to make of this contradiction? Is Tedesco incapable of seeing that a program he takes part in could also benefit the 140,000 students in the Wake County school system? Is he a pawn for an infamous, segregationist agenda? Or is he just a hypocrite?

Chase Foster
Raleigh

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In response to some of the opponents of neighborhood schools, I think it’s important to remember that the new school board is doing exactly what it promised to do when the new members were voted into office, which is unusual and refreshing in these current times. There’s no need to have an online poll regarding support of neighborhood schools, as the parents and citizens of this county already spoke at the polls during elections.

Going to neighborhood schools is not segregation; it’s giving back the power to choose where children go to school to parents where it belongs. It puts an end to ridiculously long bus routes and endless reassignments in the name of maintaining ratios. It provides choice and stability to families.

If you look at test results over the past few years, you’ll see that busing children to new schools to maintain diversity levels has done nothing to improve education for our children. It just looks nice on paper.

Michelle Henderson
Cary

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I am a product of both neighborhood and magnet schools. I was bused for over two hours every day to go to a specialized school. While I am grateful for the opportunity to get the education, I lost out on activities and friends locally.

What happened to the days of community schools and neighbors who care? If we would just come together as local neighborhoods and work to better our community, there would be fewer problems with our schools.

It all starts at home. Take responsibility for your child, her homework and behavior. Have your child know right from wrong, good manners and respect. She will make a better neighbor, student, citizen, making the schools better in the neighborhood one student at a time. Neighborhood schools make lifelong friends and partners in education.

Jeffrey Muller
Fuquay-Varina

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As a resident of Raleigh for more than 35 years, I would like to voice my disapproval of the Wake County School Board’s stance on diversity. Growing up I had many friends from many different neighborhoods throughout the city. I never would have been able to meet them and they meet me in neighborhood schools.

I understand that times have changed, but the movement of WCPSS is not positive. Less diversity leads to less understanding and more divisiveness. Since I live in Southeast Raleigh, I did not have a chance to vote my approval on the past board’s stance on diversity. I wish I could have.

Jonathan Hinton
Raleigh

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Your March 9 editorial “To a boil?” shows your slanted opinion toward the current Wake County school board’s new direction. Your statement “This majority, put together when four new district members won seats reflecting dissatisfaction on the part of some parents in their districts” is a misguided attempt at stating the facts, which are that the four new members were elected by a majority of parents who supported them by voting for them, knowing full well the direction that they were planning to take. Until you understand that elected officials represent the will of the people, editorials such as this will continue to be irrelevant.

Johnny Grindstaff
Garner

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Here is one story you missed on the March 2 school board meeting – the enormous groundswell of support for the diversity policy. The passionate speakers – old, young, black and white – outnumbered the opposition supporters as much as 8:1.

The group included speakers delivering multiple resolutions in support of diversity from many PTAs; a former 16-year school board member and two-term chair; Department of Public Instruction and State Board of Education leaders; teachers, students and Wake County clergy from denominations as varied as Disciples of Christ, Unitarian Universalist, Presbyterian and Methodist.

Many speakers had done their homework, referencing studies of the impact of high poverty on student achievement and teacher retention, addressing dangerous comparisons of Wake County demographics with other districts made by board members in support of school zones, and repeatedly asking the board members – sometimes by name – to pay attention to them.

Are you paying attention?

Ticie Rhodes
Raleigh

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Today there seem to be many directions one can take with regard to the Wake County public schools. Be that as it may, children/students are foremost on the minds of many parents and educators each and every day. Finances and/or the lack of funds always affect our students. Cutting back or eliminating valuable programs such as Project Enlightenment would be nothing short of a tragedy! Having been involved in different aspects of teaching (public and private) it distresses me to think that such a fine program is thought to be insignificant.

In its beginning, Project Enlightenment was funded by private dollars and individual gifts. It proved to be such a success that Wake County began sharing the expenses with like funds. Project Enlightenment has proven to be an extremely valuable resource for educators, parents and their children. At present it seems unspeakable to even suggest curtailing that aspect of “meeting the needs” of our children. Early childhood education is the sound beginning of every student’s success.

L. Jean Schilawski
Cary

The writer is a former member of the Wake County school board.

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My virtual fortune cookie says: “If neighborhoods are diverse, kids will go to their neighborhood schools where excellent teachers will teach.”

Eve Shy
Efland

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The News & Observer on March 11 published four letters to the editor that I interpreted as being in support of the new Wake County school board, although none of them attempted to argue the merits of the new policies.

One contended that public schools are worthless because they are run by government, which is inherently incompetent. This reflects thinking along the lines of Ron Margiotta’s supporter and private school owner Bob Luddy. I expect that the people of Chile, whose government had the foresight to impose very strict building codes for earthquake resistance and who came through an earthquake of far greater magnitude than the one that hit Haiti with much less damage, might disagree with him as to the inherently ineffectual nature of government.

Another letter suggested that we should write off our lower-SES brethren since, given the marital status of many of their parents, they can’t be expected to perform well. Naturally, no one raised primarily by a parent on her own could ever become, say, president of the United States.

And a third contended that the school majority had majority support in the county, because two board members have 0 support because they were appointed, despite coming from densely populated districts and representing a continuation of the policies of their elected predecessors. Therefore, if anyone wrote in “Mickey Mouse” on his school board ballot, then Mickey Mouse has more support than Dr. Carolyn Morrison or Keith Sutton. Does the writer respond to her property tax notice by saying she inherited her house, therefore it is worth $0?

And finally someone gleefully observed hypocrisy in those who wish to slow down the new school board majority but who also criticize the Senate Republican minority for obstructing health care reform – but somehow failed to note the obvious flip side to that argument.

If supporters of the board are bringing their “A” game to this discussion, then they are a living illustration of the importance of a quality education, including critical thinking skills, for all.

Jennifer Boyer
Raleigh

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Unless the members of the NAACP are Wake County taxpayers, they need to keep their big mouths shut because how the Wake school board conducts its business is none of their business. The time for folks to have a voice concerning the school board was during the election. If folks sat back on their blessed assurances and didn’t vote for the school board members, then they have no right to bellyache now! I did vote and got the changes we have needed for decades. The new school board members are the ONLY politicians I know that have actually been elected and did what they promised during their campaigns. I will vote for them again!

Bill Finch
Wendell

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The recent ethnic remark against all Italian -Americans and toward Ron Margiotta and John Tedesco infuriates me. If that is not a blatant ethnic and racial remark, I don’t know what is. If state NAACP leader William Barber has a problem with the word “animals,” well, let’s just clarify that it was behavior Margiotta was referring to.

On the other hand, Barber is just a big bully trying to keep himself in the lime-light trying to profess his allegiance to low-income families. If he really wanted to help, he would get out there and start promoting education from within the family unit. Instead, he chooses to bully everyone and gets away with racist remarks.

Let’s all face it: You can bus kids all over town, but what they really need is someone to help the kids in their own homes. That would be in the form of parental support and involvement. That is the only thing that is going to make a school system successful.
Shame on the NAACP for bullying Margiotta. I now know who the real racist is, and so do the people of North Carolina. Consider this my formal complaint. I was verbally assaulted along with my family by Barber calling my heritage the Mafia. Shame on all who support this hurtful and nonproductive rhetoric.

Michele Gianni
Apex

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As a Latino, I must point out that not all minorities are in favor of reinstating the Wake County school system’s diversity policy as the NAACP would lead residents to believe.

My wife and I took the time to research school test scores (a matter of public record) prior to purchasing our home. We were pleased with the schools in our neighborhood zone and would be unhappy if our child were bused miles away in the name of balancing economic diversity as he would likely be sent to a lower performing school when he could attend a great school just a mile away.

The voters spoke at the polls; the majority wanted an end to the forced busing and resulting home and neighborhood instability that it brought. We wanted to be assured that our child would attend schools in our neighborhood so it is easy to be present for school functions and activities. For the NAACP to cry racism and demand that Chairman Ron Margiotta be removed over his comments defending a black speaker against a crowd that was not allowing him to be heard is juvenile and creates less of an opportunity for meaningful dialogue as it further polarizes those on both sides of the issue.

If the NAACP devoted the same time and talent currently focused on fighting the school board and used it to focus on ways to foster and enhance parental involvement at schools and in the community, this would serve to really benefit the children of Wake County.

Reyes Soto
Raleigh

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Regardless of whether you are for or against the ideas of community schools and year-round schools (separate issues), one has to be terrified by way the current Wake County school board is operating.

We have one of the better school systems in the country, and as a parent of two students in the WCPSS, I have been pleased with the quality of instruction my kids have received. The reason I am terrified is because the school board has decided to alter both the diversity policy on student assignments and year-round schools while offering absolutely no analysis of the effect on the quality of education delivered or the cost to make such a transition.

What I know for a fact is that the Wake County Board of Commissioners cannot be relied on for any additional money, so whatever was received from the last bond offering is all that we have. The core mission of the school board is to facilitate the best teaching and learning possible. If the board makes a mistake, we will have no money to fix the ensuing problem or to return to how we are now.

Additionally, having a noncollege graduate who has no knowledge of adolescent academic development or of pedagogy leading the school board does nothing to allay my terror. He is clearly on the school board to be a politician, not a leader.

Dr. Peter Pediaditakis
Raleigh

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The newly elected school board cannot do its job of creating a paradigm shift to a 21st century world-class, globally competitive school system while trying to fend off the seven deadly sins against public opinion: hatred, intolerance, suspicion, bigotry, secrecy, fear and lying brought upon them by the NAACP.

They deserve the right to carry forward with the promises they made to the voters without the divisive rhetoric of past politics. The voters did not elect a Lester Maddox or a George Wallace. Those are characters of a past generation who should not be brought from the darkness of the closed closet of racial despair. They elected bright and talented school board members who intend to discard failed policies of the past and move forward with a constitutionally sound 21st century school system that intends to focus on the needs of the individual student, their families, and their communities.

Racially insensitive comments by the Reverend Barber, such as “the use of code words like neighborhood schools and busing is the old N-word politics cleaned up with euphemisms taken directly out of Richard Nixon’s Southern strategy play book,” serve no purpose toward promoting quality civil debate by our parents, educators, business leaders and elected officials. Indeed that kind of vitriolic language has no place in today’s public discourse at all and should be wholeheartedly rejected by all those concerned with the education of our children.

It was clear before the election, in Barber’s own words “Be prepared to litigate. We will challenge every policy” that the voters’ concerns were not his or the NAACP’s concerns. Now they threaten to intimidate the rightful majority of the board with lawsuits that have no founding in our constitutions or our law. These tactics will only be wasteful of the taxpayers’ precious dollars in these extreme economic conditions. Make no mistake, as the financial belt is tightened around this school board and tough economic decisions are made to face those realities, the same name calling and spewing of racially insensitive rhetoric will be used again and again against this board.

Everyone in this community should be comforted that we live in a great country founded upon the principle that freedom of the individual is the foundation of our law and our law will not allow us to destroy that very freedom. The supreme law of our land is clear in regard to our school systems and all we need do, is be respectful of the same.

Let’s bring an end to this political divide and show our children that as adults we can discuss our different opinions, bring new ideas to old problems and provide them with a vision of a school district from which all students will graduate with a keen awareness of the world they are entering regardless of whether they are enrolling in college or headed directly into the workforce. They need our leadership to show them there is a better day ahead when students will see themselves as individuals, not as members of a class of society. Individuals who are in a school system that will provide them the skills they deserve to understand, appreciate and remain globally competitive regardless of what the 21st century brings. Let’s move on!

Dale Cooke
Apex

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I cringe when the new board majority says we are diversified in our communities and will, therefore, be diversified in our schools with community-based assignment. I cringe when the new board majority reports believing in diversity. As sad as it is, Wake County is still not diversified in its communities in 2010. We are not racially or economically diversified.

The board majority tells us that diversity does not matter in terms of academic achievement. Have we completely closed the achievement gap with diversity? No, but how can we close the achievement gap without closing the gap between affluent and impoverished communities? The sad reality is that community-based school assignment will result in a number of segregated schools in economically disadvantaged communities. Teachers will leave, magnet families will leave, and children will be left behind. Economics matters. Even if you do not believe in diversity, you will have to admit that economics is a big divider in our society.

And, you know what? Diversity does matter for diversity’s sake. Research suggests that we tend to fear what is unfamiliar. Diversity enriches every child's life and enriches our society.

Cynthia D'Amico-Graham
Raleigh

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I am totally for neighborhood schools, year-round schools and basically giving parents a choice. I agree that the diversity policy is out of hand with moving students around every year to fill spots, but I also think most neighborhoods are now racially diverse. The “poorer schools” who are academically behind need the suburban kids to level it out. My thought is to give more of those schools magnet programs to attract the kids from other areas. Do not take away magnets from the existing schools that have it and add more to even out the socio-economic ratio. The busing will be down, and kids can go to their neighborhood schools without parents worrying about what’s missing.

Marlene Langsam
Raleigh

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The current Wake County school controversy finds many fingers of blame pointed at the five conservative school board members. But, are they the root cause?

The root cause is our failure as a society to assimilate into the majority a large black minority freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. If assimilation (which means everyone has a free and equal shot at education, earnings, housing, health, etc.) had occurred there would be no problem.

If fingers must be pointed, they should be pointed at ourselves. An awareness of this truth would hopefully lead all our school board members to work cooperatively with each other until a just and peaceful path can be found out of this dilemma.

Donald P. Bickel
Raleigh

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The call by the state NAACP leader for Wake school board Chairman Ron Margiotta to resign was uncalled for and distracting. Margiotta’s recent comments regarding the tense political atmosphere during a recent board meeting were poor and regrettable, but his sentiments were not far from the truth.

As a student at UNC-CH and former Wake County student, I have been following the developments regarding this student busing policy closely and must say it is quickly becoming a political zoo. This county has serious issues to tackle regarding education, and that is where our attention should be, on the issues.

No one speaks of the facts on the ground regarding education; be it the fact that Wake County is graduating 6.5 percent fewer African-American and 6.6. percent fewer Hispanic students than it did 2006 or that the overall graduation rate has fallen from 82.6 percent to 78.4 percent. All over this county, education is slipping, and it’s not the politicians who are losing because of it – it’s students like my sisters and brother.

Wake needs its leaders focused on the job at hand, increasing the quality of education provided, not playing petty politics. Public education is a treasure; let’s start treating it as such.

Ian Lee
Chapel Hill

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The possible actions by the Wake County Board of Education could result in a downturn in attracting new businesses to the area. Companies in the other sections of the U.S. look for many features in making the decision to relocate a plant or headquarters. One factor is education. How can a company justify moving to the Raleigh area when it appears that local education is in a turmoil? Corporate America seeks stability and what’s taking place here shows otherwise.

Robert Otterbourg
Durham

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The school board voted to switch Mills Park Middle School back to a traditional calendar. My daughter was reassigned there for the 2010-11 school year. When we learned of this, we were advised we could remain on a traditional calendar by completing a form by Feb. 28. We heard horror stories about the traditional school where she would be assigned if we chose to remain on a traditional calendar. We decided year-round was best and did not complete the form.

On March 3, we needed to register our kids for summer camp. It was bad enough not knowing what track they would be on in a year-round school; now they may end up back in a traditional school. A refund for canceled camp weeks is not guaranteed, but more than money is at stake. If we underbook them, there will be no place for them if they end up back on the traditional calendar.

The new board members said they would end uncertainty in school assignments. Assigning and then reassigning schools to different calendars does not accomplish that. The current board may yet match the old board in its lack of forethought and careful planning.

Kenneth A. Sack
Morrisville

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The decision to transition Leesville Elementary School to a traditional calendar is unjust, not well-thought-out and inconsiderate to the parents, the children and the teachers at the school. In making this decision, the school board is displacing children, cutting teachers’ salaries and upsetting parents who were relying on a year-round calendar. The school board needs to listen to the results of the survey which noted that 78 percent of Leesville parents support a year-round calendar. I don’t understand why the board is not listening to the parents on this issue.

Allison Weinzapfel
Raleigh

More this and that letters to the editor

bwheeler — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 06:00:00 -0500

We get more than 1,400 letters a month and have room to print fewer than 280. Sometimes we move letters to run, and they get overrun by other things. Here are a dozen letters on topics ranging from health care to salt.

Health care does not fit the free market model. Health care is, in economic terms, inelastic. Our health or sickness does not change as a result of the rise or fall of health care prices. If a doctor lowers the price of an office visit, we don't suddenly become ill more often so that we can take advantage of a lower price. If the price of a doctor’s office visit goes up, we do not suddenly get sick less in order to avoid higher priced medical services.

By comparison, the electronics market is elastic. If the price of a TV goes up, fewer people will buy it. If the price goes down, more people will want it.

Again, the price of basic and essential medical services has absolutely no effect on the demand nor need for such services. If we’re sick, we need medical services regardless of the cost. So to all of those who think the unrestrained free market is a god to be blindly worshiped, the free market model simply doesn’t fit the health care market.

Brian Baer
Apex

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Kudos to the writer of the Feb. 13 letter “Right call.” We should all wholeheartedly agree with the writer and stop the abuse and high cost of health insurance by limiting coverage for health issues that we do not elect to have and denying coverage for health issues that are within our control.

Health insurance should be similar to (but not limited to) other warranties where the coverage is valid only if the damage is beyond one’s control; when it comes to elective abortion the situation is or was preventable. If one chooses to get pregnant, she should take the responsibility for her action. Most taxpayers will be happy to pay for therapeutic abortion that may be necessary as it is necessary to pay for health conditions that we do not elect to get.

Our society should smarten up and make people accountable for their actions and focus on what is important in life versus what our whims direct us to do.

Ranjana Banerjee
Cary

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In Ruth Sheehan’s Feb. 17 column, the question was asked, “What was the DA thinking?” Of course, I have no way of knowing exactly why the district attorney objected to the creation of a study commission to review cases that show signs of problems. I suspect that a lot of DAs around the country do not want anyone looking over their shoulders while they are trying their cases or after the cases are over. After all, almost any study after the fact will show weaknesses of procedure and agency personnel faults.

In Greg Taylor’s case, it was the process used by the SBI in reporting test results as well as the general investigation procedures used by the police. Heads of these agencies do not want these faults to come to light. This same attitude also will not let them admit mistakes that were made during the process. Jobs and retirement are at risk.

That is why it is so important for citizens to be involved in government. The people who run these government agencies make decisions every day that affect the lives of ordinary citizens; they should be questioned and called to task. People do not always act responsibly and deal honestly with other people.

William R. Burchette
Sharpsburg

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Reading the headlines it seems as if we continue to lose jobs in North Carolina at the same rate that politicians in Washington roll out new plans to save them. Half the time, our problems start in our nation’s capital.

A prime example is how home medical equipment businesses like mine are getting hammered with new Medicare rules. Officials are saying that even though we’ve been running a successful, reputable business, we are now going to have to step aside and hand over our patients to out-of-state vendors for their oxygen systems, walkers, wheelchairs and hospital beds simply because we can’t compete with their ridiculously low-ball bids.

Several of our congressmen such as Brad Miller and Bob Etheridge support new bipartisan legislation, H.R. 3790, that gets rid of this devastating, unfair bidding program, saves taxpayers’ money, allows reputable businesses to continue to serve our customers and protects patient access to quality care.

I urge all our congressional representatives who have not yet signed on to this legislation to do so before I and 500 of my fellow North Carolina home medical equipment service providers are forced to close our doors.

Ed Dressen
Owner, Dressen Medical Supply
Holly Springs

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I enjoyed the Feb. 21 article on ChurchRater.com. This type of service has been around at least since 1998, though, when Ship of Fools, a British magazine of religious satire, began sending what it calls Mystery Worshippers into churches worldwide.

According to the magazine’s Web site (www.shipoffools.com), Mystery Worshippers ask those questions that go to the heart of church life: How long was the sermon? How hard the pew? How cold was the coffee? How warm the welcome?

Editor Simon Jenkins says on the site, “Our aim is to help Christians be self-critical and honest about the failings of Christianity, as we believe honesty can only strengthen faith.” By the way, Jenkins has a master’s degree in theology from King’s College London.

There is a template used that tends to weed out truly foul comments in order to arrive at a sincere evaluation. Rather than the sight of their whipping out laptops during church, the site notes, the only clue they have been there at all is the Mystery Worshipper calling card, dropped discreetly into the collection plate.

Anthony Hatcher
Durham

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Regarding your Feb. 14 front-page article “The trains riders want: More, better, faster”: It was wonderful to hear about how $545 million will benefit some people by reducing their train ride by an hour.

Since it is the taxpayers’ money, I would rather have been told about the business model (if there is one) – the reason the $545 million will be spent. I would like to know how many riders are currently using Amtrak in North Carolina. What are the current operating expenses, revenues and liabilities/debt? What is the projected increase in riders after this money is spent, including the operating costs and revenue? What is the timeframe for payback?

This is just a hunch, but I would guess the answer to my question about payback is never. The Associated Press reported, on Oct. 27, that Amtrak loses about $32 per passenger, or just shy of $1 billion per year (I verified at www.amtrak.com). Which means the government (replace government with you, the taxpayer) will continue to throw good money after bad. We need to take responsibility to pay for our own transportation without depending on the government to provide for us.

Ken Kalloway
Raleigh

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Two Feb. 16 articles illustrated two very different ways of dealing with wildlife. The Governors Club Property Owners Association resorted to the cruel violence of bowhunting to kill deer that were eating their flowers. It is sad when people who chose to live in a wooded area start complaining about and seek to destroy the wildlife that lived there.

Columnist Ruth Sheehan, on the other hand, reported using non-lethal means to rid her chimney of raccoons and also corrected the problems that caused them access to her home in the first place, such as capping her chimney. The Humane Society of the United States publishes an excellent guidebook on non-lethal ways to deal with all kinds of wildlife problems titled “Wild Neighbors – The Humane Approach to Living with Wildlife.”

Terry Korab
Apex

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It sounds so good and so simple: We can just cut the salt in our diet and we'll all have much lower blood pressure, fewer heart attacks and strokes.

Not so fast. Responses to low-salt diets vary. It would be madness to put the entire population on a low-salt diet without doing very serious studies to show what the full results might be.

As with the low-fat initiative, which didn't distinguish between good and bad fats, no distinction has been made between table salt – an industrial product full of sand and other chemical additives that don't appear on the label – and unrefined sea salt, which has not only iodine but other minerals including the potassium and magnesium required to absorb the iodine.

When Elizabeth Puckett says in her Feb. 14 Point of View piece that salt has been labeled by “many” as “ ‘white poison’,, a sneaky killer,” the implication is that conscientious readers should ban all salt from their kitchens and dining tables.

Instead, they might want to fill their salt containers with unrefined sea salt and start eating a little dark chocolate every day. There are good studies showing that’s beneficial for lowering blood pressure and general heart health.

Fran McCullough
Author of “Good Fat”
Hillsborough

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So now Durham is getting the high profile bookings. I can’t say I’m surprised. Downtown Durham isn’t set up to support outdoor events with high-power PA systems that creep into its performing arts center, interfering with the audience’s ability to hear and enjoy what they paid to attend.

The Durham Performing Arts Center won’t have an outdoor amphitheatre near it. It’s not likely that outdoor celebrations/festivals would take place near there. Durham has other locations much more suited to that kind of activity.

I don’t understand why there seems to be no communication in Raleigh between planners for outdoor events and events booked for the Progress Energy Center. Has no one ever complained about the interference? And now there will be an outdoor amphitheatre! Something more to intrude on performances indoors. Wow!

On the other hand, maybe now more local arts organizations (that have been shut out from booking the Progress Energy Center for performances) will have a fighting chance to use this facility and become more visible to the general public. If they’re lucky in their timing, they won’t have an outdoor festival/celebration/performance interfering with what they are presenting on stage.

Julianne G. Sauvageot
Garner

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Harvey Schmitt, president of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, is way off the mark when he says the Lightner Public Safety Center must proceed now (Feb. 27 letter, “Build now, save money”). Perhaps he hasn’t noticed, but the current recession is very different from those that have dissipated after only 24 months. The commercial real estate sector and the commercial construction industry are flat on their backs and will take years to recover. Meanwhile, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke indicates that interest rates will remain low for a long time. There’s no reason to rush.

The truth is that pro-downtown interests see the sheep coming off the hill on the Lightner Center, so they want to rush it before support deteriorates further and especially before it becomes a campaign issue in 2011.

As designed, the Lightner Center is obviously ill-conceived. Let’s rethink the solution to a clear need, before we throw good money after bad.

Chuck Till
Raleigh

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Regarding the Feb. 12 article “Muslims told to avoid body scans”:
Since 9/11 Muslim-Americans have complained about prejudice and hostility toward them. Unfortunately, at times they seem to go out of their way to encourage the distrust many feel toward them. Now, some Muslim groups are balking at the idea of Muslims submitting to airport body scans.

The option of being patted down in lieu of a scan will also likely offend some individuals. Then what? If a pat-down is to be effective, it must be thorough. Immediately after the Christmas bombing attempt, my wife and I flew within Europe and back to the United States. Twice we were patted down in a very cursory manner that would have missed contraband objects.

There is an oft-heard comment that if Muslims don’t like our rules, they should go back to where they came from. This is not a solution. If Muslim-Americans want to no longer seen as potential threats to American society, they need to accept the occasional inconvenience just like the rest of us.

Submitting to a body scan is a minor inconvenience designed to ensure airline and passenger security. National and personal security should trump the potential to offend someone.

Robert A. Schiffman
Raleigh

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What a picture! Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby makes a final plea to the judges to send Greg Taylor back to prison. The judges unanimously rule to set him free. Willoughby shakes Taylor’s hand and says he’s sorry and says later that “the case was handled like every other case.” In other words, business as usual.
This arrogant display by Willoughby makes me cringe at the thought of the day that will surely come when someone is exonerated from the grave. Business as usual, Mr. Willoughby?

Melvin Stalls
Roper