News-Record.com

The gauntlet has been thrown down. The super rich in Congress and the White House are coming after our Social Security checks. They don't need the money, so why should we? Believe me when I tell you this idea of privatization is a smoke screen. They expect the privatization plan to speed up the demise of Social Security, not slow it down.

I'm only 36, but I still hold out hope that the program that helped my grandparents age gracefully and with respect will still be there when I need it. My mother reaches retirement age in three years. If Bush has his way, her benefits will be reduced and won't allow her to live even a modest lifestyle. She might not be able to keep her house. Where is the good in that?

How can we spread the word that this talk in Congress is disastrous to America? Why won't anybody listen?

Robert Shirley
High Point

I read the letter from Claiborne M. Clark (Jan. 19) regarding U.S. Rep. Howard Coble's thoughts on the subject of us getting out of Iraq. Many agree with Rep. Coble that we should get out of this dangerous situation.

Clark asks two questions: "But why is a Republican taking the lead on this? What has happened to the Democratic Party?" I wonder if perhaps Clark has considered that Rep. Coble may be a Democrat in Republican disguise.

T.N. Causey
Greensboro

Since Sept. 11, 2001, a fear of diversity pervades our nation. The issues of racial and ethnic profiling and police brutality by "the powers that be" in our country today is not unlike that in Nazi Germany in the early and mid-1930s. Sadly, the German people understood too late: Silence is complicity.

Manlin Chee is being targeted for publicly speaking out against the Patriot Act. We must remember that those who stand up for justice often must face opposition but ultimately in the end prevail -- always. The late Robert Kennedy summed it up best: "It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope."

Manlin Chee has given many the gift of hope and a chance for a new life. And like Manlin, we must exercise our right to our freedom of speech and not become complacent. We must stand together to resist attacks on our freedoms from all repressive forces.

Tina Mercado
Reidsville

Regarding Regina Calvert's letter (Jan. 25) about harvesting deer to feed the hungry:

Such programs are already in existence throughout the nation and have donated millions of pounds of meat to the needy.

One such program is dubbed Hunters for the Hungry and is widely promoted by celebrity rocker and sportsman Ted Nugent. This program is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing quality venison to people in need of food. Founded in 1993, the group accepts legally harvested white-tailed deer from hunters. The meat is processed at facilities inspected by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and distributed to needy people through local food banks.

More information, including a statewide list of processors, can be obtained by writing to: N.C. Hunters for the Hungry, P.O. Box 10502, Raleigh, N.C. 27505-0502. You can also visit www.dixiedeerclassic.org and click on the Hunters for the Hungry link near the top of the page.

The bad news is that deer are no longer in season, so meat donations can't be made until fall. However, they do accept cash donations used to pay processors with.

John Dixon
Kernersville

Each week I look forward to reading the Go Triad section of your paper. The insightful stories and profiles of artists and musicians are an inspiration to an up-and-coming musician. It can be difficult to find a venue for a new musician to perform his or her craft, with so many talented people in this area.

I write this letter because I would publicly like to thank the owners of a local public house in downtown Greensboro for giving me the opportunity to perform traditional Irish songs and ballads at their restaurant/bar this past year. I would also like to thank the staff and the many good people I met there for their words of praise, generous tips and many glasses of Guinness.

Downtown Greensboro is alive and well with many businesses offering all sorts of events for all ages. These businesses will continue to give artists and musicians like myself the chance to share their talents as long as the local public supports them.

Thank you, Greensboro, for your support.

Daniel McNeill
Greensboro

Regarding your editorial, "Driver's license rules in need of overhaul" (Jan. 20):

I have to say I had a very irritating experience at the DMV recently while taking my 15-year-old son to get his driver's permit.
In order to obtain a driver's permit, my son completed the driving course at school. Then we took the certificate along with our hospital birth certificate and his Social Security card. In addition to all of his identification, they also had to use my driver's license for proof as well, and also my Social Security number.

While we were there, I was told that the "hospital" copy of a birth certificate was not sufficient, even along with his original Social Security card. Instead, we had to go downtown and pay $10 to get the "original" birth certificate and then bring it back to them.

While we were being told this, I started looking around and I saw other people who were also there to obtain a North Carolina driver's license, some non-English speaking and also some English-speaking immigrants, and they did not even have a Social Security number. They were only asked for a visa or some other type of identification.
This is very disturbing. It seems like those of us who are citizens have to provide more proof than those who are not U.S. citizens. Our state needs to rethink this process.

I asked someone there why this has to be so difficult, and I was told since 9/11, things have become tighter. Which I do agree with, but why not for immigrants? Is that not the purpose -- to prevent a loophole in the system?

I do not have a problem with anyone coming here from other countries, but if I should have to have proper identification to protect against fraud and terrorism, so should everyone else.

Christina Morehead
Greensboro

I am distressed at the number of free pets advertised in your newspaper and on the FREECYCLE.org group. Do people realize what happens to many of the pets obtained through such ads?

Much too frequently, animal control or the SPCA is called in to rescue former "free to good home" pets, if the pets are lucky.

There are sound reasons rescue groups charge for their animals. These small fees in no way begin to cover the cost incurred for medical treatment and upkeep of the pets they adopt out.

Fact:

• People value what they pay for. Pets obtained for free are more likely to be abused and/or discarded, because "there are plenty more where that came from."
• So-called "bunchers" gather free pets until they have enough to make a trip to a lab worthwhile, then sell them for $25 a head for experimentation.
• Free animals are taken to "blood" pit-bulls -- to train fighting dogs how to kill, and to enjoy it.

And kittens? How 'bout free dinner for a pet snake?

Some answering the "free to good homes" ads are loving, responsible pet owners. Many are not.

Please don't advertise free pets. Charge at least $25 to discourage sale to research labs. Please do take the time to interview each and every prospective owner. Your SPCA can help you with what types of questions to ask.

And please have Mama spayed as soon as the kittens or puppies are weaned.

For further information, or low-cost spay/neutering, please call 375-6080.

BB Knowles
The writer is president and founder of North Carolina Voters for Animal Welfare based in Greensboro.

Judge Henry Hight used the phrase "arbitrary and capricious" in regard to the maneuver made by the State Board of Elections in its effort to avoid declaring Steve Troxler the winner in the commissioner of agriculture race. The term arbitrary and capricious means that there is an absence of rational connection between the facts found and the decision made.

After Judge Hight, the State Board of Elections made another attempt, one so blatantly partisan that Judge James Spencer called it an illegal end run. He also said that the time for an honest effort was long past due and that the integrity of the electoral system should be restored now.

When is now coming? He made his judgment on Jan. 12. This show has gone on long enough. Steve Troxler should be declared the next commissioner of agriculture.

Meanwhile, we blunder along. Cobb looks more foolish. The Democratic Party loses its moderate members to the Republicans because of the way the Democrats have shown themselves. And because of the way Steve Troxler has been treated, he has gained more favorable free publicity than any candidate could ever have attained commercially.

Don Dillon
Colfax

Since the formative stages of its life, this planet has been in a state of flux, of geological upheavals and chaos. There have been earthquakes, asteroid collisions, erupting volcanoes, violent storms over water and land, flooded rivers, giant mudslides, avalanches and tsunamis. Mountains were and are being raised and eroded at various speeds by human standards. These events have been going on since before the human species evolved and probably will go on after humans no longer exist.

These humans, who have the audacity to call themselves "wise," know that these events are going to happen yet continue to build their homes by the water's edge, on floodplains, on the sides of unstable hills and even in the paths of potential avalanches. They make their ant-like trails around the sides of mountains, across floodplains, build bridges across fault lines, yet when they are caught up in one of these disasters, they call upon their God to come down and save them. The question was asked of God, "What is man that thou are mindful of him?" Perhaps the answer should have been, "not much when you get in my way."
John W. Taylor
Greensboro

Following the Republican National Convention, someone wrote that he "would be disappointed if anger wasn't a part of the convention." Anger is a normal feeling; however, often it is expressed in an inappropriate way. The Bible says, "Be ye angry and sin not." I have read that when anger is turned inward, it can cause major health problems.

A guy told me someone said he was cynical and it made him mad. Do you think he made himself mad by empowering someone to control his emotions?

I suggested to a client whose counseling goal was to improve his anger management that before expressing anger inappropriately he ask himself, "Do I have to do this, or do I choose to do so?" Choice is one freedom that can't be taken away from us (but we cannot choose the consequences). At the next session, he told me about an occasion when he remembered this question.

We should ask ourselves how we can expend our emotional energy in a positive way.

"Anger which is acknowledged and evaluated loses much of its power. Our behavior is a product of our choice -- not the condition" (author unknown).

Nadine Kernodle
Greensboro
The writer is a licensed counselor.

On Jan. 20, seven anti-war organizations were given unprecedented access to the parade route at President Bush's inauguration, even though these groups whined for days in the media about being kept "miles away" from the ceremony.

The demonstrators were generously allowed to gather along Pennsylvania Avenue as the president's motorcade passed by, mere yards away. How do they repay this favor?

The Bush-hating mob resorts to violence by throwing snowballs, fruit and other debris at the passing procession carrying President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. They also try to crash through the police barricades in an attempt to storm onto the street, causing security to use pepper spray and make dozens of arrests. Many critics of the Bush administration have complained about the $40 million price tag for this year's inauguration (we didn't hear such outcry about President Clinton's $42 million inauguration in 1997, by the way).

With these groups of anarchist thugs showing up to "peacefully protest" President Bush, in addition to like-minded al-Qaida types hoping to assassinate our commander-in-chief, I feel that the $40 million was well spent.

Christopher Noell
Mayodan

As a resident of Guilford County, a volunteer in the Guilford County schools, and a fellow taxpayer, I cannot ignore the comments of Martha Blackmon (letter, Jan. 23).

The children who attend school in Guilford County do not "have it made." Just because they are not inhaling asbestos every day and are allowed to attend school in a comfortable environment does not mean that all the educational needs of the children who will be our leaders in the future are currently being met.

When was the last time Blackmon set foot in one of the schools and observed the dedication of the teachers (who are grossly underpaid), or observed the volunteers who perform many of the supplemental duties that are unable to be provided by the district due to budget restrictions?

As far as I am concerned, the revenues from the red light camera offenders should be allotted, without question, to our children and our schools. Childless or not, every person in our community should be concerned about education in Guilford County.

Rosemary Gleason
Greensboro

I would like to know how it is legal to use tax money to bribe private businesses for any reason whatsoever, be it location, number of employees, property tax value, reputation, etc.

George D. Stanley
High Point

In his Jan. 27 column, George Will chides Harvard President Lawrence Summers for apologizing for his suggestion at a recent conference that the low numbers of tenured female professors in science departments might be due to gender differences in cognition. Then Will equates biology professor Nancy Hopkins' reaction to Summer's musings -- she walked out of the talk -- to getting "the vapors" and "collapsing in a heap of crinolines." I suspect if a man had walked out, Will would have been displaying appropriate moral outrage.

In countries such as Japan and Iceland, girls consistently outperform boys in math. Most researchers believe that gender performance differences in the sciences are due more to culture than cognition. In the last century, a theory that the African American brain was inherently different (read: inferior) was rightly discarded and is now considered beyond the pale of reasonable discourse.

Of course, women's brains are smaller than men's, even adjusting for body mass. But we use a greater portion of ours -- as is evident in George Will's sexist rant.

Quinn Dalton
Greensboro

I cannot fathom why you chose to include the "Magna cum bawdy" piece in the Jan. 23 paper. It isn't newsworthy. Was it to excite "those older guys who hang around high schools, chatting up underage girls" or men "fond of photographing young people who wear no clothes"?

Well, I don't have any of those in my home. I do, however, have two young children who will be exposed to enough filth without it seeping into our home via the newspaper. Your newspaper has been present in our home for many years, and I thought it was a good reading tool for my son. After seeing this article in your paper, I don't believe that anymore. To make matters worse, you placed the article on the page with the registration form for "ACC Hoops for Kids," which increases the likelihood of children seeing it.

I have seen your newspaper in my son's school, presumably through the "Newspapers in Education" program. A book containing this filth would never be allowed in a school library, so how could it be OK to bring it into school by newspapers?

Please rethink your "Newspapers in Education" program and use better judgment.

Michelle Bristow Pierce
Colfax

Editor's note: The Sunday newspaper is not distributed to schools.

The state, the county and nearby cities are welcoming the prospect of a Dell manufacturing facility that will employ maybe 1,500 workers and that we in North Carolina are financing to the tune of $242 million-plus.

In the interest of supporting the new venture to the Piedmont, I recently ordered a new updated Dell computer to replace an outdated system.

In the box were a 17-inch screen made in Malaysia, speakers made in China, a keyboard made in China, a mouse made in China, two power cords made in China, a computer power system made in China, one disc made in Canada and last, but not least, two discs made in the USA.

I believe the emerging Dell plant in our area would best be called a packaging and distribution facility, which is a far cry from a manufacturing plant.

It seems to this writer that Dell has managed a real coup in securing a free ride in North Carolina. Oh, did I forget to say the corrugated box and sleeves were made in the USA?

Just how smart and tough was our negotiating team? Let's let our fellow taxpayers decide; it's their money.

T. Stacy Wood
Burlington

Chancellor James Moeser's change of mind about the Bell Award is an example of whose voices are being heard at UNC-Chapel Hill. After a meeting with Spencer's descendants, who have donated thousands of dollars to UNC-CH, Moeser set up a committee that will consider reinstating the award.

But Moeser never answered a request to meet with the signatories of a letter calling for a moratorium and dialogue on the Bell Award. The signatories included the president and vice chair of the NAACP, the UNC NAACP chapter, the president of the Black Student Movement, the chair of Women's Studies and the director of UNC's Institute of African American Research, among others. No one who signed the letter is a big donor or likely to become one.

Now, we hear that the chair of the committee is a former Bell Award winner, and the committee includes Spencer's great-granddaughter, a member of the Love family who has written passionately about keeping Spencer's name on the award. In addition, the chancellor has publicly stated his preference that Spencer's name be kept, along with the Love family name.

How disappointing to see that the conclusion is written into the process.

Natalia Deeb-Sossa
Chapel Hill

As a US Airways employee, I am tired of the so-called experts calling for our demise and even more tired of the local news reporting on it without being up to date on significant progress on management's effort to turn US Airways around.

Your Jan. 16 article with the sensationalized headline "Now departing" does not take into account that some key financing that needed to take place by Jan. 14 is now in place. Bankruptcy is a complicated, dynamic process. This community is so desperate to be a Jet Blue or Southwest destination. Let's look at the Triad's savior, Air Tran. They didn't make money here, so they left; maybe airfares were too low. US Airways has been there through thick and thin (remember Piedmont?). It provides the Triad with a lot of air travel options worldwide.

This community has a lot of hard-working, dedicated US Airways employees who are working hard to keep their jobs by supplying the traveling public safe and affordable transportation, while at minimum, losing their retirement, taking at least 40 percent pay cuts and working a lot more.

Kevin Prufer
Greensboro

I can just imagine how Galileo must have felt. His church-dominated society threatened him with persecution, just as anti-intellectual Americans led by George W. Bush and conservative churches try to stifle scientific inquiry when it conflicts with their doctrine.

Consider the "evolution" of bacteria to withstand today's antibiotics. Should we research bacterial "evolutionary resistance," or should we assume "evolution is just a theory" and pray harder that these "changed" bugs will go away?

Consider stem cell research. Should we study frozen embryos before they are discarded or simply discard them and pray harder that diseases like Alzheimer's will go away on their own?

Consider gay Americans. Should we accept them as they are and treat them as equals like it says in the Declaration of Independence, or should we deny them partnership privileges and pray harder for them to deny their sexuality?

Consider poverty. Should we research its root causes and try to prevent it, or rely exclusively on "faith-based initiatives?"

Thoughtful people don't rely on God to solve problems. They rely on their God-given intelligence to find solutions to problems. Fortunately, for mankind, Galileo and Darwin didn't spend their whole lives praying.

Kurt Lauenstein
Greensboro

Greensboro is a community with incredible compassion, diversity and opportunity. The biggest challenge is finding these resources. Two of the best ways for a new visitor to find out what's happening in the community have disappeared, or could disappear, due to a lack of promotion.

The first source is United Way 2-1-1. By dialing 2-1-1 or visiting www.callunitedway211.org., people in a crisis can find the help they need, or volunteers can find organizations that match their interests. Eventually 2-1-1 could help people across the nation, but only if we demonstrate it's being used in Guilford County.

The second source is GoTriad's Community Guide. This Web site at www.triadneighbors.com allowed visitors to search more than 7,800 local groups for areas of interest. Unfortunately the News & Record closed the site due to lack of Internet traffic, a decision I hope will be reversed.

These sources need to be promoted before they are irreparably lost. It's only Greens-boring if you don't know where to look.

Bernadette Wilson
Greensboro
The writer is a community volunteer.

On Jan. 24, the News & Record ran a front-page article that provided an unflattering snapshot of the state's higher education graduation rates. You don't like your driver's license photo? The picture of Greensboro College was horrid.

The impression was worsened by a Jan. 26 editorial that said one of our officials blamed our 30 percent graduation rate on the football team. The editorial concluded that such a claim "rings as hollow as the idea that poor showings should be expected of athletes."

Consider the following:

That horrible picture of the Greensboro College graduation rates was for one year only, reporting on the students who entered in 1997.

The story of 1997's graduation rates is among the worst that we know of in the 168 years of Greensboro College. Why? Football, yes. But not because football players are athletes (many athletes do very well academically). But because it was the college's first football year.

Your editorial jumped from the newness of the football program to football in general, then to athletes in general. That does not reflect what our spokesperson said.

When high school students around the country learned that we were forming our very first football team, they realized they had a chance to play. We built it; they came. Unfortunately, not everyone made the team. They went home, dejected, after practice the first day. Just packed up and left.

When you have a traditional (not adult) student body of just several hundred, as we did at that time, and 120 of them are there to play football, statistically it does matter when 20 of them leave the first day. Does it speak to what they might have accomplished in the classroom had they stayed? We'll never know.

But we do know that the graduation rate for the entering class of 1996 was 45 percent, and for 1998 it was 44 percent. Our predictions put the six-year rate for the entering class of 1999 at 46 percent.

Finally, and most important, we know that we have to do better. We already have new programs that are helping significantly.

Please know that we're not blaming athletes, that the study showed an anomalous year for Greensboro College and that we will continue to improve.

Mike Clark
The writer is chief information officer for Greensboro College.

I had a friend invite me to the "Eyes Wide Open" exhibit at The Depot. She said there would be a pair of boots representing each service member who died in Iraq. Having served in Iraq, I felt like I really needed to go and pay my respects. I was appalled by what I saw. There was political propaganda everywhere.

After walking through the boots, I entered a room that contained huge banners explaining why the war in Iraq was useless. That is when the first tear dropped from my eye; I couldn't believe that the memories of my fallen brethren were being used to support a political agenda.

Regardless of your political affiliations, I urge anyone who saw that exhibit to take it from someone who has been there: We weren't there for a president, we didn't care about weapons of mass destruction, we were there to make the world a better place, and that is exactly what the troops are still doing there every day. That is what America has always done and will continue to do. We fought and continue to fight and die for the freedom of another country. What could be more humanitarian than that?

Tony Swink
Greensboro

Thank you, Greensboro, for hosting the "Eyes Wide Open" exhibit at The Depot Jan. 23-25, a truly inspired illustration of truth-telling. I will never enter that structure again without seeing the rows upon rows of empty boots and shoes of all shapes and sizes, representing the now more than 1,400 American lives and the tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens' lives lost during the current war.

Although well acquainted with the purpose and general facts of the exhibit prior to working a volunteer shift there, when I entered the main room I was overwhelmed with grief. To look upon tangible evidence of the lives actually lost was almost more than I could bear. As people moved reverently in and around these very personal memorials, we shared a silent understanding that this is not the way things are supposed to be.

This experience strengthens my belief that war, and particularly this pre-emptive war being fought under false assumptions, is a waste of human potential in monumental proportions.

We must end this senseless killing of God's precious children.

Kate Hood
Greensboro

The Jan. 30 election was a huge victory for Iraq, for the concept of Arab democracy and for President Bush. Sixty percent of Iraqis voted despite homicide bombers and mortars that killed 35 Iraqis, many of them in line to vote. It was a huge defeat for Baathists, terrorists and naysayers around the globe.

It was a giant first step for the people of Iraq and indeed in all Arab lands. We in America should be proud at having helped Iraq to this momentous occasion and embarrassed they turned out the same percentage of voters as we did on Nov. 2.

John Kerry, still out of step with history, says we should not hype the election results. I say we should exult in the election results, not only for their immediate impact but for the implications of this election for Iraq and in all pan-Arabia.

Mike Crouch
Greensboro

Thank you so much for sharing how RF Micro executives are spending their money on mansions. Obviously, their investments are doing better than their stockholders' as RF Micro stock value has gone down 80 percent in the last four years.

Kim Jones
Greensboro

A recent "quick vote" on the CNN Web site asked the question, "Could the holocaust happen again?" Yes or no.

They should have offered a third option: "It already is" because of the slaughter of the 40 million unborn since Roe vs. Wade.

Interestingly, I caught a glimpse of a news story the other night that showed some 1,300-plus shoes displayed to bring attention to the lost Americans in the Iraq war. I grieve for the families and men and women represented by the shoe display as well as the many more brave Iraqis struggling for freedom, but how about 40 million pairs of baby shoes (could we fill the Super Bowl?), or teenage athletic shoes that will never be filled?

How about we put out 4,000 shoes for the 15-24-year-olds who committed suicide in 2002 and another 5,000 for the 25-34-year-olds who did likewise? Do we dare look at the deaths caused by drunken drivers?

Wake up, America. We are sick with delusion and denial and, like the passengers on the Titanic, are unaware of the impending danger. Read Isaiah 6:9-11.

Ed Stoner
Greensboro

Just about on a daily basis, I see that more of our brave troops are being killed in Iraq. Sadly, many are under the age of 21. I think of how they are courageously carrying out their duty and at the same time think about how we are a nation of hypocrites. We feel that these young men and women are ready to fight and, most importantly, to give up their lives for this country at the young age of 18, but simultaneously we do not believe they are responsible enough to have a beer.

Quite frankly, I am tired of the hypocritical puritan actions of the American people. We glorify violence and demonize sex. We state we value integrity but then we hold in esteem those who directly lie to us. We complain about losing our manufacturing jobs but continue to purchase goods made abroad. We claim to bring freedom to the world while at the same time are ready to amend our Constitution to remove rights from our own citizens.

We willingly send our young off to war but refuse them the right to consume alcohol. When will we stop being a nation of hypocrites?

Steve Tanis
Greensboro

Regarding the editorial, "Now's the time to assess future firefighting needs," (Jan. 19): I've worked with city and county governments as a consultant in evaluating fire and rescue services.

You have a unique situation in Guilford County with fire departments adjacent to the cities of Greensboro and High Point. You have county and city fire departments already sharing fire stations. Merger has already occurred in some areas.

Citizens that reside and work in these sections cannot tell one department from the other. You have firefighters from city and county working medical calls and fighting fires together.

Average response times in any county or city fire department are very similar unless it is a rural area requiring longer travel distance.

Most volunteer departments have paid firefighters in the stations during daytime weekday hours to supplement the volunteers. I believe the money paid for fire protection in the county fire districts is the best service received for the tax dollars in Guilford County.

Merger would be very expensive. The departments (city and county) are doing a great job of providing the best service possible for our citizens.

Richard Trexler
Colfax
The writer is retired chief, Colfax Fire Department.

An article in the News & Record, "Bush says troops will leave when mission is complete" (Jan. 17), contains a statement and a direct quote that, for me, are the epitome of arrogance. I quote:

"Bush said the public ratified his approach toward Iraq when they re-elected him. He said there is no reason to hold any administration official accountable for mistakes or misjudgments in the planning or conduction of the war. 'We had an accountability moment, and that's called the 2004 elections.' "

Bush has totally discounted the millions of "the public" who passionately continue to protest the war in Iraq. Would that every American could have experienced the impressive exhibition put in place by the American Friends Service Committee at The Depot in Greensboro. This exhibition, "Eyes Wide Open," was an unutterably sad commentary on the human costs of the Iraq war.

Furthermore, I am convinced that a great many Americans who re-elected Bush did so because of this administration's conservative stand on abortion and homosexuality rather than "ratifying" Bush's tragically mismanaged war.

Barbara B. Whitener
Greensboro

Regarding your stance on the tobacco tax (Jan. 26):

I wonder when the Fish Wrap is going to address alcohol consumption in the same manner it does tobacco?

Well, anyway, I'd like to say, I'm a proud tobacco worker at Lorillard Tobacco Co. It amuses me the way my company is treated in your opinion columns. But what amazes me more is every year, agencies like the United Way and the Red Cross are at our plant pleading for help. Well, just so you know, I (1) do not subscribe to this paper, (2) spend the money this tobacco company pays me every chance I get in Randolph County, not Guilford, and (3) I challenge all tobacco workers to do the same.

Everyone has it in for the tobacco industry, which produces a legal product, but I wonder who would cry the loudest if the companies moved and took their tax dollars with them?

Jeff Marshall
Greensboro

It was heartening on Jan. 30 to see the Iraqi people voting for the future of their country, dancing in the streets and proudly waving their purple ink-stained fingers into the air. Early estimates show 60 percent of eligible voters showed up despite the threats from terrorists who are losing their grip of fear on the populace.

The leftist naysayers said the election should be postponed, there would be thousands of deaths, no one would show up to vote, etc. Sen. Edward Kennedy said our troops were part of the problem in Iraq. Newsweek's cover choice was "The Insurgents -- Who they are and why the elections won't stop them." Sen. John Kerry doubted the legitimacy of the election and claimed that the world is less safe. The left is on the wrong side of history again.

Jan. 30 was a proud day for the Iraqis, the U.S. and our military. Like Reagan, President Bush understands that the natural yearning of the human spirit is freedom and that free countries are not a threat to the world. There are still obstacles ahead, but Bush's wisdom and the courage of our armed forces made this day possible.

Tom Imbus
Browns Summit

How disappointing to read in the Jan. 25 paper that the Piedmont Triad Freecycle.org chapter offers animals for free. What happens to free animals? People use them as bait to train fighting animals; people collect kittens, puppies, dogs and cats and sell them to research, not to mention the people who just want something to abuse.

This practice is banned in many states. Wilmington does not allow this practice on their Freecycle.org site; e-bay does not allow animals to be sold on its site.

Animals, given and traded for free, for the most part, do not stand a chance at survival. If you don't believe me, do some research.

The citizens of Guilford County need to speak up because your tax dollars are at stake. Do you really think people who get these animals for free will get veterinary care for these animals, much less have them spayed or neutered?

Brenda M. Overman
Greensboro
The writer is president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of the Triad Inc.

A new ACC museum in Greensboro? Great idea. And what better city in which to build such an edifice? Rumor has it that the whole concept for the conference was hatched over hot toddies at the Sedgefield Country Club just down the road. Such a museum would certainly be a hit if done well, drawing scores of "rabid" fans from all over the Southeast and introducing these otherwise reluctant travelers to our fair city.

But here's one problem that for some reason gets overlooked by most everyone: The main gateway for these scores of happy (though frothing) ACC-ites would be the Lee Street/High Point Road corridor.

What a truly scenic and welcoming gateway it is! When my wife and I have visitors from out of town, the first thing we love to do is rush them back into the car for a nice, leisurely drive down High Point Road (or "Le Boulevarde") as we like to put it. Cruising along, we take in the sights -- the tranquil seas of aged asphalt, abandoned or scarcely occupied big boxes, the occasional tree or scrubby bush, the mish-mash of dated signage and the not-to-be-missed "retro" overhead utilities, just to name a few.

Even now, in my mind's eye I can conjure up those misty visions. Ahh.

For thousands of visitors this corridor is their only contact with Greensboro. No wonder the city can't attract more big business when urban blight is what the high rollers see when they come to town via this corridor. Across the state, other communities have recognized the need to better "package their wares" to present a more inviting and welcoming atmosphere to both visitor and prospective business leaders.

In Raleigh, most notably, a sizable stretch of Glenwood Avenue was revitalized by burying utilities, removing and revamping dated signage and adding sidewalk amenities such as street plantings and decorative surface treatments. Instant success. Glenwood Avenue is now one of the most happening places in downtown Raleigh.

Winston-Salem has recently completed another phase of its street beautification efforts and interestingly enough, the particular street was one of the corridors leading to its coliseum.

So, what are you waiting on, Greensboro? For Winston or Chapel Hill to steal away the museum idea like the Dell facility or other lost opportunities?

I believe that many citizens would love to see Greensboro's image improve. Monies spent with such a goal in mind would be well worth it.

Timothy L. Daniel
The writer is a Greensboro resident and an N.C. State fan.

Is our planet warming, cooling or neither? Ask around and you'll get a convincing argument for each scenario.

Whom should we believe? More importantly, are we responsible? Should we even worry about it?

Here are a few things I feel we should worry about:

1. Some of Greensboro's streams and lakes have never been more threatened.

2. Greensboro's wooded areas and wetlands are being destroyed, and city officials are doing almost nothing about it. (I have documentation.)

3. Outdoor burning of refuse is permitted in our city with official city approval. (I have photographs.)

I must say I've had trouble understanding why federal, state and local governments hire talented individuals in ecology, biology and the environment, then seem to ignore their scientific findings in favor of real-estate developers, their eloquent legal staff and indiscriminate bulldozers.

Some will disagree with what I've said here. All I ask of you is to walk along Cypress Park Road in south Greensboro. Look at (and smell) what "progress" has brought to Twin Lakes Park, the Pinecroft Natural Area and Willow Lake.

I don't know about global warming, but our neighborhood has been getting a "snow job" for some time now from those who should know better.

Jim Farley
Greensboro

I am strongly against what Bush is trying to do to our Social Security. I have been paying my part for more than 30 years now, and I don't feel that it should be taken away from me. On the other hand, our government was never supposed to start a retirement plan of any kind, according to our Constitution.

The government was wrong by starting Social Security in the first place, but now I feel it will be hard for them to take it away since it has been in force for so long. What the government needs to do is stop taking money out of the funds for Social Security and using it for other things. We have all been paying our part for our retirement and deserve all that is due us.

I am a Republican who is concerned about the way those whom I helped to put into office are running things. I only pray that they will do the right thing and leave our retirement alone.

David Linnabery
Eden

I'm impressed with the "new" U.S. dietary guidelines that increase the recommended fruits and vegetables in the American diet. It's good to see that modern science is finally catching up with the ideal diet our Creator gave humankind 6,000 years ago in the Garden of Eden. Of course, Eden's fare was completely vegetarian, which is still considered a bit radical by many today; but, thank God, we're getting closer.

Gary Moyer
High Point
The writer is pastor, Greensboro SDA Church.

I was dismayed when I read the Jan. 24 article (online only), "Pizza deliverer suffers chemical burns during robbery." As an officer of the Association of Pizza Delivery Drivers (APDD), I was already upset to hear of a sadly unique way of robbing one of our own, as safety in our occupation is already in a critical state. What upset me even more was finding the victim's home address at the end of the article.

Considering the criminals who perpetrated this attack have not yet been caught, we feel that the publication of this information was very irresponsible on the part of the News & Record. It's bad enough that the attackers know where he works; now they know his name and where he lives, leaving him open to another assault while he attempts to recover from his injuries.

A revision of certain editorial policies at the News & Record concerning the publication of victims' names and addresses needs to be made to prevent double victimization.

Tim Lockwood
Hendersonville, Tenn.

The Democrats can't seem to figure out why they do so badly in elections.

Think of these recent events. We have Bruce Davis, who is chairman of the Board of County Commissioners and was on the Board of Health. In the last few weeks he:

1. Planned a getaway meeting in Chapel Hill at an added cost to the taxpayers. (Get away from what, the people he represents?)

2. Supported the (not-voted-on) settlement between the Board of Health and Dr. Krishnaraj.

3. Owed $11,233 in unpaid taxes as of Jan. 24. Before he votes to spend our money like a drunken sailor, he should pay his taxes and see how it feels.

Davis should resign. If he is voted out of office, maybe he and the other Democrats will understand that people want to be represented equally and with a degree of intelligence.

I am a registered Democrat, but if I lived in Davis' district, there is no possible way I could vote for him.

Paul Johnston
Whitsett

I felt compelled to write in and commiserate with Craig Knight (letter to editor, "Lawyer's musical ad hits wrong notes," Jan. 16).

As a captive audience of sorts, I have had to endure more than 40 years of listening to my father's harmonica. Over that same period, I came to respect and admire him first as a father and then as a professional and colleague. However, I never came to appreciate that infernal harmonica.

Much as I share Knight's musical sensibilities, however, my advice to my father is somewhat different: Don't give up your day job.

L. Pierce Egerton
Greensboro

I think building an ACC Hall of Champions in Greensboro is a terrific idea. But how should we raise the funds? Why not approach Dell Inc. about putting up the $23 million? They must know what a high level of resentment the Triad feels about the deal they pried out of the state and Forsyth County. Funding the ACC hall would be a big first step toward overcoming the resentment and showing the Triad that they are good corporate citizens. Why not give them naming rights? Call it the Dell ACC Hall of Champions.

This is not meant to be sarcastic or facetious. I sincerely feel we should approach Dell. They should be very concerned about their corporate image in the area where they are going to have a major facility. At this point, we think of Michael Dell as a contemporary Attila the Hun who has sacked and pillaged the Triad. He may very well be interested in reversing that opinion.

Earle Bower
Greensboro

I attended the "Eyes Wide Open" exhibit, and seeing the room filled with combat boots representing U.S. soldiers who have died in the Iraq war and rows of shoes representing the civilian deaths filled me with overwhelming grief for the loss of so many lives.

The News & Record had three articles about the exhibit, all of which focused on the boots. However, the paper did not report on the part of the exhibit that was equally important and moving in a different way. There was panel after panel of information dating back to the first Gulf War of what our government did that got us into this situation and the lies and deception that led us into war. There were also statistics about the financial cost of the war and how that is draining money from other programs, including health care and education.

No one could see the boots and not be deeply moved, but that is not enough. I think people should be filled with outrage at the way our government has handled this situation and be moved to speak up and pay attention to what is being done in our name.

Sue Jezorek
Greensboro

At Mass recently, we had prayers of the congregation, which included, as usual, prayer that God direct our president, Congress and other elected leaders to do what is best for America and all of us. I suddenly thought that if I were so elected, I might have to avoid any mention of my belief in God or that I ever prayed for direction.

Polls say that most Americans believe in God and sometimes pray for guidance. Our Constitution says the government may not favor any religion; it does not say an elected American must renounce all religious beliefs.

To be politically correct these days, we must avoid offending a handful of atheists and the American Civil Liberties Union. Have we really come to that?

Some of my Democrat friends believe anything President Bush says or does is automatically wrong, and his worst sin is his professed belief in God and that he prays for guidance. He has joined the Religious Right, whatever that is.

He is their president, like it or not. I suggest they ask God to direct him, and if they hope God will straighten him out, that is all right with me.

Dick Douglas
Greensboro

After reading the first few letters to the editor complaining about the phone calls from Guilford County Schools, I thought it absurd that people actually spent their valuable time complaining about something so ridiculous. Now, after reading the fourth letter on this issue, I feel the need to respond.

These people are all forgetting about the homes with power outages that cannot check the news, radio or Web site. To those who complained, I suggest they get a life, go back to sleep and find something real to complain about. I suppose these people would be the same ones to complain if their power were out and they did not get a call, therefore getting out of bed (oh, no) and taking their child to school, risking their very lives. Please.

Betsy Lamb
Greensboro

I found attorney Richard C. Forman's column (Jan. 9), "Cap on lawsuits unfair to victims," interesting.

Several years ago, I had cause to use his firm. On numerous occasions, I would call and leave a detailed message asking a specific question, as well as when I would be leaving my office. When the attorney called back, usually after I said I would be leaving the office, he would say, "I am returning your call," but give no answer to my question, then bill me for 15 minutes when his call took no more than a minute, including dialing. His firm is not alone in this practice. If another business did this, how long would it be until lawyers lined up and took out ads offering to seek damages?

I don't know anyone who wants to limit those "seriously injured." Neither do I know anyone who feels that people should be able to sue McDonald's because they chose to eat a supersized meal every day or that the Greensboro woman's chubby daughter who sat down on an escalator deserved to be compensated because her bottom got pinched. (But she was.) Frivolous lawsuits are driving more jobs from our country than lower wages.

Mark Whitehouse
Greensboro

While I am no longer local to Greensboro, I still enjoy reading the paper online and was very interested by the letter Regina Calvert wrote about feeding the needy with deer meat. There is such an organization to give to, called Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry. I do not know if there is a chapter local to Greensboro, but the Web address is www.fhfh.org. The site has a wealth of information, including processors in Guilford and surrounding counties where meat can be donated. I hope many people killing pest deer will consider donating the meat rather than letting it go to waste.

Audra Sheffield
Canton

The editorial, "Driver's license rules in need of overhaul" (Jan. 20), was most interesting to me, as I have for many years been concerned about DMV policies concerning driver's license issuance.

About a month ago, the News & Record (Amy Dominello) reported the creation of the Regional Transportation Council "to address rural road safety issues." Suddenly, someone seems interested in the number of traffic accidents and deaths on local rural roads.

Though I totally agree with your concern about the ease with which illegal immigrants and potential terrorists can acquire a North Carolina driver's license, my concern was the ease with which anyone can.

Ignoring driver's license applicants' national origin, race, gender, sexual preferences, political agenda, etc., every applicant should be required to demonstrate a reasonable level of intelligence and to possess a reasonable amount of common sense and demonstrate an ability to drive a motor vehicle before being granted a license to drive, for the sake of everyone else's (and their own) safety.

This is not the way it is presently done. Visit the DMV facility and observe for a couple of hours.

Clyde L. Hunt Jr.
Greensboro

Exxon Mobil Corp., the world's largest publicly traded oil company, said it earned a record $8.42 billion in the fourth quarter and $25.33 billion for all of 2004, as higher prices for oil and natural gas offset a slight decline in production. This statement was taken from an AP report, "Do you think the price of gas might be a little high?"

All companies are entitled to make a profit, but this seems a little much. I know I don't have to drive or buy gas if I don't want to, so I guess I should buy their stock and be happy.

Donald W. Black
Summerfield

I'm not the only one who thinks Social Security reform is a good idea. Edward Prescott, an economist at Arizona State University, believes that IRAs should be part of the program.

Prescott is not just any economist. He won the most recent Nobel Prize for economics; thus he probably knows almost as much about economics as Molly Ivins claims to know.

The Cato Institute has a Web site, www.socialsecurity.org, which allows you to check the numbers. For instance, a 22-year-old making $25,000 a year can retire with almost three times the current benefits ($44,036 vs. $16,199) by investing half of his Social Security money in an individual account. Sounds good to me, even if it is George Bush's idea.

Robert Hudson
Pelham

Regarding an Associated Press article in the News & Record Jan. 29 about how the recent train wreck in California shows a certain vulnerability of rails:

I'm wondering if anyone is considering the use of scout vehicles running a little ahead of trains' stopping distance, equipped with cameras, infrared and other sensors that would detect vehicles, people, etc. on the tracks, confirm switch settings, check for planted explosives and other terrorist activity, etc., and if needed, signal the engineer or even automatically stop the train in time.

Such a device might have paid for its nationwide use several times over by preventing the California and South Carolina accidents recently (depending on what methods are used to calculate costs and benefits).

Mechanically it could be very simple, and the instrumentation is probably almost available off-the-shelf.

If the railroads complain about the cost, they can consider the benefits of lower legal fees and judgments, and be assured that many consumers would be willing to have the remaining cost difference, if any, allocated to the costs of the goods transported in return for a safer transportation system.

Because many of these accidents involve water (and air) pollution, environmentalists, hunters, fishers, campers, farmers and ranchers, as well as those who live near urban railroad tracks, could agree on the need.

I hope to hear that it's already under serious consideration, although it wasn't mentioned in the article I read.

Tom Duckwall
The writer is coordinator, Deep River Project, T.G. Pearson Audubon Society. He lives in Greensboro.

There is no humor in drinking to death or near-death.

I am appalled by the lack of judgment of this paper for running the Washington Post article, "For 'drunk shamers,' no gutter is sacred" (Jan. 28). The writer, while attempting to be humorous, makes this behavior sound like wholesome fun or a common rite of passage. There are even promotional information and highlighted links to Web sites, to encourage more of this fun.

Each year, approximately 1,400 students die in alcohol-related accidents, a number higher than the total enrollment of Guilford College. Many of these college students die with clever markings on their face written by other drunken students -- who should have called 911. No one is laughing in this case, as parents, friends and roommates mourn a young person's senseless death -- and what they might have done to stop it.

Now tell us what is so funny about this? Please take responsibility for irresponsible journalism and provide readers with information on what to do with someone in this state of intoxication.

I am fearful that the next article that we read on this subject will not be in your "Life" section but instead in "obituaries."

Alan Neely
Oak Ridge