News-Record.com

I want to thank our employees, medical staff, volunteers and the public for their help in dealing with the norovirus outbreak in our community.

A few weeks ago, our alert infectious disease staff noticed a small number of patients on a single unit with stomach flu. A test confirmed that it was the highly contagious norovirus. Growing numbers of people with the same symptoms sought treatment at our emergency departments. Because norovirus is so highly contagious, we took additional measures to keep the virus from being transmitted within our hospitals. We notified the Public Health Department and other area hospitals. We also informed the media and the public -- asking visitors to avoid coming to our hospitals if they had been sick recently and to wash their hands when entering or leaving our facilities.

While norovirus itself is not deadly, people fighting illness or recovering from surgery didn't need three days of stomach flu. The informed public, our employees, volunteers and medical staff successfully cooperated to protect these patients.

The number of new cases is now a trickle. We hope the outbreak has burned itself out. Health care is a community responsibility, and we appreciate the help of all involved.

Tim Rice
Greensboro

The writer is president and CEO, Moses Cone Health System.

It appears the political rats are already scrambling to cover their tracks in the wake of Jim Black's scandal.

Take the N.C. Ports Authority and its funky ferry ride. Hell-bent to make sow's ears out of silk, this shadowy bureaucracy reversed its recent glowing financial report, acknowledging substantial losses and announcing salary cuts for N.C. Ports System executives.

The murky alliance between N.C. Ports Authority, the Department of Coastal Management, the Coastal Resources Commission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Council of State and the dredging and mining industry is a bit disconcerting. That industry was prosecuted under RICO statutes as late as 1989. More recently, it had legislation enacted to protect dredging and mining from foreign competition. It was responsible for moving Cape Lookout when less expensive alternatives were on the table. In the past five years, dredging and mining contracts to maintain and deepen Morehead and Wilmington harbors have run into hundreds of millions of dollars.

The irrational exuberance of the Ports Authority may be blamed in its wont to overindulge from time to time. Nonetheless, when you think how far North Carolina chiropractors got on $29,000, it makes you wonder how far you could get with some real money.

Joe Exum
Snow Hill

It seems as if T. Dianne Bellamy-Small does not want to acknowledge her threat to Officer Calvert. She implies her "private life is not up for scrutiny," but she tells Officer Calvert her position while asking for his card. Does this not open up her private life? Who else would have gotten away with only a warning?

I hope Chief Bellamy will support his officer, and the city should censure Bellamy-Small.

Is there any relationship between the Bellamys? I am sure Officer Calvert and the other officers wondered about this.

Wasn't Bellamy-Small the one who refused the lie-detector test? It's obvious she thinks she is above the law because of her political position.

Herman Hunter
High Point

Our country is in a mess.

Also, we don't need to send more troops to Iraq. Enough have been killed already.

There are other issues that need attention, too numerous to mention here.

It wouldn't hurt to pray.

Think on these things.

N.R. Smith
Greensboro

I have to take issue with the Dixie Chicks and the letter appearing in the News & Record (Feb. 21). They admitted they were wrong to say what they did, only to later recant and make even more inflammatory statements. I agree that they are free to speak their minds, and that is welcomed in the United States. Therefore, why is it wrong for people who did not agree with them to exercise their free speech by throwing away their records and boycotting their concerts?

I have never been a Dixie Chicks fan or a fan of country music for that matter. However, if I were, I would have been offended by the Dixie Chicks as they bashed their once-fervent fans for not siding with them over their statements.

Since the Dixie Chicks play country music, how could they upset the conservative-leaning country music crowd and not expect any consequences? If the Dixie Chicks have freedom of speech, then shouldn't the rest of us have the same?

Jason Branch
Colfax

I know that a lot of people thought the British would be on our side through thick and thin. We have to expect them to cut and run since half of our Congress we have elected has turned and run, including the Republicans we used to trust.

I hate to think what would have happened if we had cut and run in 1941 when the Brits had their very existence threatened. We could have said, "It ain't our war," and bowed out to political pressure. We don't have a senator or congressman left who could fill the tracks of that generation.

Political correctness will destroy us. A word to the sorry bunch that will not back our troops: None of you is worth the trust we put in you.

Our soldiers have not lost a war. You lost every war we have ever lost with the help of the liberal press.

Ken Sawyer
High Point

In the Feb. 25 letters to the editor, Frank Delfino complained about being stopped for speeding 15 mph over the speed limit.

I do agree with Delfino about his comments concerning Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Small, our local version of Ex-Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, who, among her other antics, punched out a Capitol policeman.

However, as a senior citizen like myself, Delfino should by now realize that speeding 10 mph or more over the speed limit is an invitation to be picked up by the police.

Although Delfino claims to have been ripped off and cited without any consideration, in reality, he should have thanked the officer for showing compassion.

By ticketing Delfino at 9 miles over the speed limit, Delfino just had to pay the fine of $125.

Had the officer cited him for going 15 mph over the speed limit as charged, not only would he have had to pay the $125 fine, but he would have had points charged to his driving record and would have his auto insurance rates substantially increased for the next three years.

Arthur Klages
Greensboro

Just when it looked as if Anna Nicole had run away with it, Britney stepped up to the plate and hit one out of the park.

First the head shave and the tattoo, then the double entry into rehab. What a pro.

Seriously, I want to thank the News & Record for the extremely limited coverage given to these very sad young women. I congratulate you on your restraint.

Earle Bower
Greensboro

Thank goodness for our elected officials, tirelessly working to save our reputation and us from our weaknesses. The latest are two bills in the N.C. legislature to prevent a Greensboro company from selling a device that allows one to inhale alcohol vapor.

Sen. Kay Hagan, who is "inclined to support" the bills, says this is not "the kind of business for which Greensboro ought to be known."

First of all, few people ordering the device that vaporizes the alcohol will even bother to think about where the seller is located, or won't care. The company does not sell its products in North Carolina because of an existing law that regulates glue sniffing.

More importantly, why should the state regulate how one chooses to enjoy alcohol? The emphasis should be on enforcement of DWI laws, not on how someone imbibes the alcohol.

Finally, in Greensboro we have several cheesy adult businesses that operate freely, some advertising their product with billboards on our highways, etc. This is OK, I guess, but save our reputation by banning a company that does not even sell to North Carolina residents. I don't get it.

Keith Hoile
Greensboro

Much has been written about building a new $100 million jail to house 1,000 prisoners. There's a much easier, cheaper and sensible way to resolve the problem.

Bring modernization and efficiency to the system so that it would never hold more than a few hundred prisoners at a time.

Operate the court system like a modern efficient business, not the present good old boy and buddy system.

Require lawyers, judges and court personnel to be on the job six hours a day, five days a week and use their time to clear out the jails, and allow no extensions for any reason other than absolute necessities.

An amazing amount of time is wasted while people sit in jail because lawyers are taking care of personal business or playing golf.

Also use house arrest rather than jail for those being held on minor charges. If these suggestions were followed, prisoners would be processed efficiently, justice served better, there would be a surplus of jail space and the public would save $100 million.

It is time to update a system that has not been changed in ages.

Al Myrick
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By R. Todd Shaver

Facts are missing from statewide news coverage of the Jim Black chiropractic co-pay issue, and we want to set the record straight.

Reports implied that this was a new law, snuck in and not subject to normal scrutiny -- all false. The 2005 co-pay legislation didn't create a new statute but was a one-sentence amendment to a 1965 state law enacted to guarantee consumer choice in health care selection.

The amendment simply stated that co-pays for chiropractic visits cannot exceed co-pays for similar M.D. visits -- necessary because unfair discrepancies persisted. Before legislation, chiropractic patients often were charged up to five times more co-pay than M.D. patients with similar conditions.

This amendment was fully discussed with all stakeholders, including Blue Cross Blue Shield, which communicated extensively with chiropractic representatives before the amendment passed.

While BCBS has cited significantly higher insurance costs related to co-pay equity, legislation hasn't even been in effect for one calendar year, so BCBS' increases are based on estimations.

What should be reported is the huge windfall that BCBS and other carriers will enjoy at the expense of health care consumers if co-pay legislation is repealed. Patients already pay increased premiums for co-pay equity that may not stand, and their co-payments will rise if legislation is voided.

I proudly represent the N.C. Chiropractic Association, which had nothing to do with the alleged misconduct of three chiropractors. The purported activities of a few should not reflect on the 1,000 chiropractic physicians providing invaluable health care for North Carolina consumers.

The writer is board of directors president, N.C. Chiropractic Association. He lives in Wilmington.

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Keith Peddie

I believe that the Rev. Mark R. Sills, in his column, "God calls us to care for immigrants" (Feb. 28), tends to overstretch the issue.

Fine, quote the Bible, but, please tell us which version is being used. I find it somewhat dubious to translate "stranger" in the King James version as "immigrant."

True, "stranger" would include "immigrant," but not totally. What about the guy who lives on the other side of town whom we have never bumped into before?

If I could look at the problem a little simpler, I can well see why the average God-fearing North Carolinian is upset about immigrants. It is not some vast xenophobic revolt but a basic problem of communication.

Most people here only understand English. Most of us resent the fact that those serving us or being served by us do not have a basic knowledge of the language. We don't expect immigrants to regale us with Hamlet's soliloquy or to appreciate the finer points of litotes, but surely we can expect them to have a basic vocabulary of English everyday words and be able to pronounce them in a half-decent way.

When immigrants apply to come to this country, it makes perfect sense to me that they should be required to pass a very practical reading, writing and comprehension test of their facility with English. Is this covert racism? No, we just want to be able to understand and be understood by them.

English has absorbed an enormous number of languages and words, and this does give it its peculiar charm. But to leap from this fact to welcoming all those who can barely speak the language is a logical step that I cannot follow.

And if we are quoting the Bible, didn't God tell the Israelites to shun all other peoples lest they pick up bad religious habits? Well, that was certainly true then -- and now.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

As one who was born, raised, educated and married in Greensboro, it shames and repulses me that one such as T. Dianne Bellamy-Small represents my hometown. She is a disgrace to the district she represents.

I am not surprised, however, that there are those serving on the City Council who are afraid to confront Bellamy-Small for her behavior. Let's pass the buck to the voters.

According to Mayor Holliday, to call for Bellamy-Small's resignation is something "we just don't have time to deal with ... and I think it's counterproductive."

Really? Dealing with a troublemaker and blot on the city's name and reputation is considered counterproductive? (I guess that is why the mayor failed to deal with Bellamy-Small when the leaking of a confidential police report was traced to her office.)

It's amazing that after being stopped by a Greensboro police officer (during which she attempts to intimidate him with her "council power"), she later states she had no issues with his manner. A week later, when it becomes apparent that she was the one with the "attitude," she suddenly decides to file a complaint saying he was "rude."

To Councilwoman Florence Gatten: Thank you for stepping up to the plate and facing this challenge with your call for Bellamy-Small to step down.

B.L. Woltz
Greensboro

Billy Yow and Skip Alston have finally decided to act like adults and earn their salaries as county commissioners, not like performers at a sideshow. I was really enjoying this quiet respite.

Then along comes T. Dianne Bellamy-Small (-minded). Instead of focusing on her job as a member of the City Council, which in my opinion should be an honor, she's more concerned about which office space she should occupy. The process of choosing an office was done in a fair and democratic manner.

One person suggested that she be removed from her position. At first, I thought that was a little radical, but now I'm inclined to agree. Let's see ... there's the alleged speeding incident, her refusal to submit to a polygraph test and the office space episode. She seems to be suffering from a disease to displease.

Speaking of corner office space, Bellamy-Small needs to know the difference between cornering people and getting people in her corner. Solution: "Home Office." Some people work better alone.

That way she won't have to compete for attention.

Shirley J. Wright
Greensboro

I would like to add my two cents' worth on the Dianne Bellamy-Small fiasco. She is one of the pack leading the charge against the so-called corruption in the Greensboro Police Department; however, her behavior is just as bad as the alleged behavior she is pointing her finger at. She is using her position to receive preferential treatment by the same department that she accuses of being corrupt -- not to mention the other questionable behavior.

Though we don't expect perfection from our leaders and elected officials, we do expect a higher standard and that they should lead by example. She should have commended the officer who stopped her for speeding for being diligent instead of trying to intimidate him.

Why the voters in her district continue to return her to office is baffling. You can do better.

Keivin Smith
Greensboro

In the article, "Black's plea entered in state court" (Feb. 21), we were exposed to yet another layer of Jim Black's crimes. Yet, focusing just on Black misses the larger story: Our campaign financing system is fundamentally broken.

What Black did was patently illegal. But a system where powerful interests influence legislation while making large campaign donations is still business as usual. Many well-meaning, conscientious legislators are stuck in this system where more and more money has to be raised to stay in office. This creates a vicious cycle for legislators and undermines voters' faith in our political system.

As president of N.C. Voters for Clean Elections, a campaign reform coalition of more than 35 civic organizations, I call upon the legislature to create a public financing alternative to this money chase. By creating a source of "clean," publicly financed campaign money for candidates who satisfy certain public trust conditions, we would reduce moneyed interest influence over our elected officials and improve the integrity of our democracy.

Only a reform that includes public financing gets to the root of our broken system. Until we do that, we can expect a lot more big money fund-raising and a lot more Jim Blacks.

Beth Messersmith
Durham

I want to applaud the Greensboro City Council, which passed a resolution 9-0 on Feb. 6 requesting the N.C. General Assembly to return to local governments the power to regulate public smoking in their jurisdictions. I appreciate the leadership and concern shown by our City Council members.

The current state law, passed in 1993, prevents local governments from passing a local ordinance to control smoking in public buildings, businesses or restaurants. This law was passed without public debate. Greensboro citizens and officials had no voice in the 1993 law. What's wrong with Greensboro having a voice on the secondhand smoke issue? Why can't our citizens debate and decide for themselves if and how public smoking should be handled in our community? Why have we been silenced for the past 15 years by a state law?

Please support our City Council and contact our local state representatives to ask that Greensboro be given a voice and the freedom to decide for itself about the risks of public secondhand smoke.

Mark Dozier
Greensboro

Sometimes, the cost of change is too high. That's the case with the idea to close the U.S. Postal Station at PTI Airport.

Closing the station will make a big difference to the hundreds of customers each week who need access to mailing services outside of other stations' hours. This includes not just business people, but others like us whose work schedules make it impossible to go to a post office during weekday hours.

We have been regular customers at the PTI station for nearly 15 years. Alternatives such as Great Stops or the mall don't offer anywhere near the same service. Great Stops doesn't offer ongoing package service and has untrained workers handling mail. Going to the mall means hauling packages for long distances and walking through unsafe parking lots. Not only that, the mall offers 23 1/2 fewer hours of service each week.

We are writing the local postmaster and our congressman in hopes that the decision can be changed, and we hope others will, too.

Rob and Sue Stevens
Greensboro

After reading about Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Small's run-in with the police and her actions during and after the incident, I think her last name fits her character: "small." Is she not the one who refused to cooperate in the investigation as to who leaked some information a while back?

The police need to protect themselves against arrogant politicians by keeping their cameras and tape recorders on when dealing with these self-appointed petty tyrants.

Kermit Marion
High Point

Black history records will tell that Yvonne Johnson and Goldie Wells were two of the City Council's sharpest wits and that T. Dianne Bellamy-Small was one of the City Council's dullest twits.

Bill Burnett
Greensboro

In your Savor section (Feb. 21), an item recommended gourmet honey from ArtisanSweets with an article that contained the comment, "If you're worried about the recent threat to local bee colonies ... ." The local honey harvest is not contaminated; it's facing a shortage. Don't beekeepers like the Bowers of Julian, profiled in the paper on Feb. 15, have enough to worry about without misleading comments going out to their customers?

I'm a repeat customer of the Bowers' Honeybee Harvest, and I encourage other area residents to help them out by giving them business at their farmer's market stands on Yanceyville and Sandy Ridge roads.

Britta Waller
Greensboro

Well, Tony Moschetti has done it again. We can always count on him to hit us right in the gut by spewing his hatred and vitriol. His latest letter (Feb. 26), leaves me gasping with dismay and disbelief. How can one person possess so much hatred for another human being?

Of course, the effect of his most recent diatribe against the evil Democrats is heightened by the News & Record's uncanny use of the words "terrorists" and "Democrats" together in the headline of his letter. People who resort to the use of labels (cowards, despicable, treasonous fools, etc.) display a lack of confidence in themselves as well as in their beliefs and positions.

Laura J. Ford
Greensboro

Recent news reports suggested that our county is considering a program to help students with financial aid so that they can graduate debt-free. A worthwhile idea.

Personally, I do not see anything wrong with taking a loan to graduate from college. It teaches you to be careful with your money and motivates some to graduate with fewer loans.

Some students do need help, and we should try to help them. The basis for help should be performance. For example, those who maintain an A average get 100 percent; B average get 50 percent; C average get 25 percent for four years. This should make students work hard and take their college education seriously. It should improve graduation rates.
In return, the county should require them to stay and work in the county for five years. If they do not, they should be required to pay back the loans with interest. This will help more educated people stay here, provide an educated work force for businesses and attract new businesses. It also would enlarge the county's tax base.

Before embarking on a new entitlement, we should consider this or similar ideas.

Shashi Sethi
Greensboro

Regarding the recent column about his role as an Iraq interrogator: Eric Fair, don't deceive yourself. You may get on with your life, but the memory of your failure to speak up when another human was being tortured in the name of our country will not go away.

Don't feel badly; the whole nation, including our Congress, courts and military, did not speak up or act to stop it. Doesn't it strike you as the ultimate farce that we are trying to export our constitutional form of government and moral backbone while at the same time destroying them at home?
Our state prison systems also indulge in torture. If you were reading newspapers a few years ago, you would have learned about Georgia beating shackled inmates and bashing their heads against a wall until it ran with blood.

A female prison officer made this torture public after she reasoned that, "If they can do this in our prisons, they can also do this in our homes." She understood and had the courage to speak up.

Dorothy Oliver
Greensboro

It is no wonder to me that T. Dianne Bellamy-Small didn't succeed as a police officer. She obviously didn't even know the laws that she was supposed to enforce. She should have known that she is required by law to produce a driver's license when requested to do so by an officer.

What bothers this retired police officer the most is her dishonesty as a councilwoman and her intimidating tactics. Those are not traits becoming of someone who was supposed to uphold the law as an officer and as an elected citizen. I am offended by persons such as she who flaunt their stature as being almost untouchable whenever they have committed a wrong.

Greensboro citizens, wake up. You have a cancer among you that will continue to grow if it is not treated right away. I am embarrassed for you. Obviously, placing one's hand on the Bible and swearing an oath doesn't have as much meaning to some as for others.

Monte D. Brooks
Lexington

Despite its more than 110 years' existence, our beloved telephone still is technologically in its infancy. Better systems are under development. Available lines are few for the demand and to businesses of all kinds depending on it. It is a costly burden and becoming more so every year.

The purpose of a telephone is to serve as a fast, practical and succinct — repeat, succinct — means of communication. And here comes my request to our young and beautiful girls, ladies and "senoritas" of this country working for dentists, doctors, hospitals, etc.:
Be brief. Don't talk more than needed. Don't clog the lines with chitchats. Avoid telling on it the history of your life or bragging about your latest boyfriend's sex appeal. Customers and patients are waiting and hate to be burdened by one of your most famous idiosyncrasies — talking too much.

Helio Salvador
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint column.

By John Roberts

Both houses of the Virginia legislature have recently approved a bill offering a formal apology for that state's role in slavery. Hard on the heels of the politically correct bandwagon, North Carolina lawmakers are now pushing bills that would help atone for slavery.
Before this goes any further, I want to get out front and admit my family's small participation in the slave trade before I am pre-empted by some vote-sucking politician.

In mid-1863, with his eldest son already enlisted and being pressed by the Home Guard, my great-great grandfather, Stephen Taylor, reluctantly decided to go to war. As farm life in the mountains of Alleghany County was difficult at best, he decided to buy some help for the wife and young children he left behind. He and a family friend traveled to Salisbury to the slave market and bought a Negro man named Dick Johnson. He paid $2,400 — most likely Confederate currency, but still a great deal of money for a farmer. I'm sure he had no clue that what he was doing was morally wrong.

Well, apparently Dick Johnson did not take well to life in the mountains or to taking orders from a scrawny white woman. She must have complained of his indolence as Granddad wrote back and threatened him with a sound whipping when he came home on leave. The battle of Plymouth, N.C., intervened and Granddad's leave was taken in the cemetery at Wilson instead.

While these events are true, they occurred in a world and time as foreign to me as another planet. Any even remotely possible need for an apology for this has been rendered moot by the blood and property of the individuals involved. Before North Carolina legislators feel the need to assuage their conscience or to curry votes by offering an apology, I want them to understand that they are speaking strictly for themselves and not for me. I have absolutely no intention of apologizing for the poor moral, political and financial judgment of my ancestors.

The writer lives in Reidsville.

Congress, senators, opponents of President Bush, have you bothered to listen to our people in the war zones? They are frustrated with you trying to force them home before the job is complete. They need our support.

You are sabotaging us, slamming the door on the brave efforts of our troops, making the efforts of our fallen heroes in vain. They need safer equipment and more support so they can get their job done effectively and come home victorious, having saved our country's soil and people. Do you want them to come home in defeat after all their bravery and hard work? How dare you? Can you imagine their feelings of betrayal?

Some of you missed the point of my last letter. President Bush is a man of faith — a Christian. He seeks guidance through prayer, also seeking prayer from clergy and their guidance. He remains gracious through it all, not barbing back but continues to try to get the point across. He is not in office for self-indulgence.

Iraq bows to Allah, teaching force, hatred, suicide — wanting to rule us and the world. Our God teaches love — the opposite. Please help us keep it that way.

Elizabeth Jones
Greensboro

Many people are aware of the problems that exist at Gateway Plaza at 200 Spring Garden Street; however, this is an urgent request for prayer on behalf of the approximately 200 residents living there on 16 floors.

During the next approximately 17 weeks, there will only be one elevator in service at a time. There are only two elevators normally. And for years, residents have frequently been trapped on the elevators and the fire department had to be called to get them out. Now that they are to be repaired (one at a time), this is an urgent request for prayer that there will be no emergencies.

There are residents without legs, many on oxygen, some with motorized chairs or wheelchairs. This could be most serious. There are two stairwells, but they could not accommodate such needy residents. Their windows only open a few inches. There is a small ladder which goes to the roof. Perhaps we could see rescues in helicopters?

We need prayer.

Virginia K. Petty
Greensboro

I have recently become aware of the topic of fair trade and its many benefits. In researching this topic, I came across articles related to free trade. There seem to be issues with free trade that could be helped by fair trade.

Free trade is supposed to create jobs, but many are being lost to outsourcing. The top business people are making more at the expense of others because of a lack of global standards.

Fair trade is a means of providing a living wage to workers using safe working and environmental standards and promoting self-sufficiency. It not only helps the economic status of the countries where fair trade is being practiced, but it would also help the U.S. economy.

When we pay a living wage for an item, we increase the economic stability of the country it's being purchased from which in turn reduces the need for U.S. help. This increase in economic stability enables that country to take care of its own citizens. Employers can provide jobs in their own country, which may decrease U.S. outsourcing because the price to outsource will increase. Based on today's economy and the unemployment rate, it would behoove politicians to embrace fair trade.

Lauren Doyle
Jamestown

The spurious debate in Congress over sending 20,000 more troops to Iraq continues even while many of the remaining "coalition" nations announce plans to withdraw their troops.

It is often argued that we cannot let the troops already there feel as if they have failed. This argument for the "surge" misses the point: It is the administration's policy that has failed, not the troops. Why should we ask those dedicated service personnel to continue to risk their lives for a failed policy?

Yet, it wasn't until this week that the full hypocrisy of our policy makers was made evident. With the disclosure by The Washington Post of the squalid conditions at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C., just blocks from the White House and the Capitol, the question of who supports the troops came into stark focus.

More than 25,000 American service personnel have been wounded in Iraq. Walter Reed is not providing those injured Americans with the care they deserve. This is a national disgrace. All Americans should be outraged. Mr. Bush and the entire Congress should make the walk to Walter Reed and personally offer to serve these brave Americans.

Chris Webster
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint.

By Shawn Wozniak

March 1 marked the start of Women's History Month. In this historic year for women, in which Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi shattered the marble ceiling, a record number of women were elected to Congress; the first woman president was named at Harvard, and Wimbledon agreed to pay women players the same as men.

Women's History Month serves as an important celebration of the progress that has been made by women as well as a reminder of the obstacles that still exist today. Our elected leaders should take note of these firsts and make policies that will ensure such barriers continue to fall.

More than 40 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act, women still earn only 77 cents on the dollar compared to their male counterparts. Equal pay for equal work is a simple matter of justice for women, and pay equity is essential to the economic security of women and their families. Congress should strengthen the Equal Pay Act, closing loopholes and improving its effectiveness.

Congress must also preserve and enforce Title IX, the law that prohibits sexual discrimination in education. Passed 35 years ago, Title IX's impact goes far beyond sports, making it one of the country's most notable civil rights success stories.

The Family and Medical Leave Act has ensured since 1993 that America has productive and successful workers and healthy and secure families. The FMLA was a monumental step toward our goal of being a nation that values families.

But it was only a first step. Millions of Americans do not have access to the act's protections, and millions more cannot afford to take advantage of them. FMLA should be expanded to cover more workers, as well as making paid family and medical leave and paid sick days available to everyone.

This year, the American Association of University Women, one of the oldest and most respected women's organizations, celebrates 125 years of influencing the social, political and economic status of women. I am proud to join with them in recognizing March as Women's History Month, because equity is still an issue.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

Two words sum up what is wrong with our schools — Terry Grier.

1. Terry suggests that the taxpayers send qualified graduating seniors to GTCC for two years. What is the definition of "qualified," and why should I pay for someone else's child to go to college? It's shocking that most of the school board agreed about sending seniors to GTCC, funded by a tax increase or a bond referendum.

2. Schools are not meeting yearly AYPs, so Terry decides to send administrative staff in teams to the struggling schools. Who is doing the staff jobs while they handle another assignment from Terry?

3. Math scores are dow,n so Terry decides to add math departments to the elementary schools.

Terry, it is time for you to leave our school system. Once that occurs, we can attempt to clean up your many toxic waste sites.

Susan Hayworth
High Point

The statement below was written 400 years before the birth of Christ. In light of the present situation in Iraq, I think it will be of interest to readers.

"In joining battle, seek the quick victory. If battle is protracted, your weapons will be blunted and your troops demoralized. If your armies are kept in the field for a long time, your national resources will not suffice.

"When you have blunted your weapons, demoralized your troops, exhausted your strength, and depleted all available resources, the neighboring rulers will take advantage of your adversity to strike. And even with the wisest council, you will not be able to turn the ensuing consequences to the good."

Source: Sun-Tzu (453-221 BC). "The art of warfare." New York. Modern Library. Translated 1993 by Roger T. Ames. p. 75.

William Watson Purkey
Greensboro

Is it just me or have others also noticed and felt sadness, anger, or even outright disgust due to the flagrant violence done to nature?

I am referring to the trimming of bushes and trees along Pleasant Ridge and nearby roads by "monster" pieces of machinery that don't just cut off tree branches and bushes but literally rip them off like limbs from a body, leaving behind stretches of devastation on and above the ground.

It's not that I don't understand the need for efficiency and keeping the roads open. What I don't understand is the total disrespect for nature, which seems to be symptomatic of the ways in which we relate to it in Guilford County.

Michael H. Hoppe
Greensboro

I read Janet Howard's letter ("Pet cat cruelly taken away for no good reason," Jan. 16) with great dismay.

Some blog comments that appeared in response to this letter were also distressing.
Howard's properly cared for cat was apparently trapped in one of three cat traps set by her neighbors, and it has not been seen since. Various readers blogged in, calling Howard a law breaker and irresponsible.

According to the law in Guilford County: "The Animal Control ordinance does not mandate a leash for cats. Therefore, cats can run at large..." There are exceptions for animals that are nuisances, in which case Animal Control investigates. Cats aren't territorial toward humans, as dogs are. Unless the cat is rabid, it poses no harm. It seems most likely that some of Howard's neighbors were not raised responsibly.

A neighbor of mine complained that a cat ate one of her birds. I also love nature, but it is natural for cats to hunt rodents, birds, etc. Her request that my cat be leashed when outdoors is absurd. Her birds relieve themselves on my car, by the way, which damages the paint. Is she liable for the damage?

Let's all be reasonable and live by the law. Cats don't require leashes.

Bill Dawson
Greensboro

Gov. Easley is scheduled to visit Hampton Leadership Academy. Hampton is supposed to be teaching leadership using Covey's "7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens."

Habit one states "be proactive not reactive." Is it not reactive to clean a stage that has been so filthy for the past two years that children could not have their choral performance on it because of its condition, or to clean bathrooms that, on any given day, are unsanitary but are now being thoroughly cleaned in anticipation of the governor's visit?

Are the children not as important as the governor? Do they not deserve cleanliness, order and sound leadership? What type of adult leader allows a school to become filthy and only cleans it to provide a dog and pony show for state government?

It is great for the children to meet Gov. Easley, but should we lead by the principal's example or the example of our proactive governor?

Donna Brown
Greensboro

The writer is a former PTA president.

The following is a Counterpoint column:

BY ROBERT HUDSON

I don't get the point of Mark Bowden's column about Dante Freeman, a slain Philadelphia street tough ("A teenage boy's reckless pride has fatal ending," Feb. 22).

Are we supposed to feel sorrow for Dante? For his mother and sisters? I suppose that the reaction of many will be that we need more gun control laws, but I'll bet that neither Dante's gun nor the guns used to shoot and finally kill him were legally purchased.

The article [from the Philadelphia Inquirer] was more notable for what it didn't say than for what it did. It made no mention of the medical costs or who paid them. Having been through the experience of having a loved one in intensive care for about 30 days, I'm sure that his total expenses were somewhere around a million dollars, give or take. And, I'll be willing to bet that neither Dante nor his loving mother paid a dime. So who paid it? You and I paid it, in the form of higher medical costs. And there are millions more Dantes all over the country, shooting each other and being patched up at our expense.

Another thing not mentioned was anything about Dante's father. Mama and sisters got tattoos but no mention of Dad. I wonder if Dante even knew who his father was. Probably not, and he sure wasn't around to apply his belt to Dante's backside when he needed it, not around to make a man out of him. So Dante became an animal.

Dante Freeman is a perfect example of what you can buy for $3 trillion dollars. That's what we've spent in the "War on Poverty," and that's what we get for our money. Not just Dante, mind you, but him and millions more just like him. By replacing the black father with a welfare check, we are running them off the assembly line at full production speed, with no end in sight.

In fact, we're going to have to add another line, just to keep up with the demand. We haven't reduced poverty, we haven't accomplished a single thing except the creation of Dantes. I think it's time to withdraw or at least re-deploy.

The writer lives in Pelham.

Recently, the WFMY Good Morning Show presented an interview of an 18-year-old who was arrested for breaking into a High Point school. He later confessed to the police that he was homeless, had aged out of the custody of the Department of Social Services and was sleeping in the school.

Unfortunately, he is just one of 20,000 young adults who age out of the foster-care system each year, 25 percent of whom end up homeless. DSS will extend foster-care services to children past their 18th birthday, but this does not work for all teens.

Some of these teens experience multiple moves, unstable school history and mental health problems that make their transition to adulthood more difficult.

Being in DSS custody should not be a precursor to having a difficult adult life; everyone needs equal opportunities. A common thread for those who succeed is the presence of a supportive adult. While the state is working to establish a long-term solution to this problem, more citizens can take it upon themselves to, whenever possible, mentor and support teens as they transition out of care and educate others about the increasing needs of youth in foster care.

Lena Pinnix
Browns Summit

I am responding to the article, " 'Recall Small' initiative begins with committee" (Feb. 28): Tony Wilkins, not so fast with your information about a petition to oust our City Council member for District 1. Have we not learned anything from history?

This is still a democratic society. Let's not try Dianne Bellamy-Small in the media. I believe there are two sides to all of these issues.

Bellamy-Small is a very strong leader in District 1. Let's give her a chance to explain her views in District 1.

Dot Lassiter
Greensboro

In his letter, "Global warming theory warrants skepticism" (Feb. 22), Paul Daniels suggests reasons to doubt that global warming is occurring. The evidence is all against his view.

Practically every physical, chemical and biological process operating on the surface of the earth is subject to temperature and moisture conditions. If global temperatures are warming, evidence should be readily available from all quarters of the globe, and it is.

Here are a few examples:

1. Actual measurements of temperature over the entire planet are rising.

2. Mountain glaciers are melting on all of the continents. Even the famed snows of Kilimanjaro near the equator are all but gone.

3. Ice sheets on the Antarctic and Greenland are melting rapidly.

4. Ice cover on the Arctic Sea has declined 40 percent in the last century.

5. Coral reefs around the world are dying largely due to warmer water.

6. Global wind systems are changing.

7. The intensity and paths taken by severe storms are changing.

8. Tropical plants and animals are migrating to higher latitudes and higher altitudes. This includes tropical diseases.

These are facts, not hypotheses or theories. The overwhelming evidence indicates global warming is taking place and is increasing rapidly.

John J. Hidore
Greensboro

The Dianne Bellamy-Small issue has gone on long enough. It is time for Bellamy-Small to resign from her position on the Greensboro City Council. Now that she has been "called out" by council member Florence Gatten for the sake of the city and City Council, as well as the people whom she represents in District 1, if she really cares about this city she should step down.

She is a distraction to the City Council. She is confrontational and opposes most council actions.

Up until now, it might be said that no one spoke out against Bellamy-Small for fear of backlash from the black community with charges of racism. Her behavior reflects on the black community in a negative light. The black community, even her constituency, is not proud of the manner in which she conducts herself as an elected public official. I, as an Afro-American, am not proud of her.

Apparently, she has become obsessed with the power of her position and continues to flaunt that power in and out of the council chambers. Bellamy-Small has had her 15 minutes of fame. For the sake of all concerned, it is time for her to resign, ASAP.

Pollard Stanford
Greensboro

This responds to Charles Hawes' letter, "Liberal Democrats are Roman Catholics, too" (Feb. 25).

All those Hawes mentioned are ardent supporters of abortion on demand. They remain Catholics in good standing because the Roman Church won't follow the scriptures on excommunication.

In 1 Corinthians 5:1-8, Paul orders the immediate excommunication of a man having an affair with his stepmother. What's worse, having an affair with stepmom, or supporting the American holocaust?

The Roman Church won't excommunicate elected officials who support the unfettered slaughter of millions of innocents. But, according to a Fox News Channel story a few months ago, it recently excommunicated an African archbishop. What was his crime? Appointing four married men as bishops. (Paul requires a bishop to be a married man; see 1 Timothy 3:2 and Titus 1:6.)

So, the Roman Church considers having married men as bishops to be a worse crime than our abortion plague. And is it really pro-life when it lets abortiaholic politicians remain members in good standing, including Ted Kennedy, who is a member of the Knights of Columbus?

Al Shumard
Greensboro

I want to express thanks and congratulations to state Reps. Laura Wiley, Nelson Cole and Pat Hurley for their support of a bill that would repeal the law that allows in-state tuition and fees for nonresidents of North Carolina.

This law that allows in-state tuition for nonresidents has cost the taxpayers of North Carolina more than $5.2 million. There is no justification for this special law that benefits booster clubs for our victory-starved state universities. The repeal of this law will allow more recruiting of North Carolinians and fewer of out-of-state students.

I hope those legislators who vote against the repeal of this bill will be exposed and defeated in their re-election campaigns. The governor should have vetoed the bill when the trustees and administrators of the UNC system did not support or want this legislation, which currently remains a heavy burden to the residents and taxpayers of North Carolina.

Shirley R. Webster
Madison

Let's all 'fess up: We're all racists ("Racism behind council feud, ministers say," News & Record, Mar. 2). That's right. We're all intolerant, each and every one of us, of anyone who is not exactly like we are. We're bigots and xenophobes, and anyone who doesn't like it can go back where they (or their ancestors) came from.

There. Everyone feel better now? Good. Then please explain to me how being a victim of racism or any other intolerance excuses bad, rude, incompetent, impolitic and childish behavior on the part of the City Council, the city manager, the county commissioners, or any other public figure.

Mark Gottsegen
Climax

Almost every day, I read the total of your opinion and editorial pages and I always try to give thought and consideration to the writings and motives of your various columnists.

Today, I am not writing to comment on a subject one of your columnists has opined on; rather, I am writing to comment on an issue one of your regular columnists appears to have avoided.

To wit: Have I missed something or has Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Leonard Pitts failed to weigh in on the Duke University lacrosse case?

Do you think we might have heard more from Leonard if the race of the accuser and the race of the defendants had been reversed? Might he be just a one-trick pony?

Guy Sinclair
Graham

Editor's note: Pitts has written at least one column on the case.

Dianne Bellamy-Small brings thoughts of general lack of respect for her office as a council member. Her district should be wary of her as a representative.

She is absorbed in self-gratification such as bullying police out of a ticket or bullying council for office space she wants.

It can't be proven with pictures and fingerprints but evidence leans toward her copy of the confidential police report being leaked to the press.

She thinks people are stupid when she refuses to answer to the press concerning suggested abuse of power, or about being the only council member not participating in the leak investigation.

With her attitude of being above reproach, she bullied the young policeman who stopped her for speeding. Wouldn't we all like to bully ourselves out of a ticket or not be held accountable for rudeness and negative attitudes of being above reproach?

If she has done any good on City Council it's overshadowed by belligerence. I hope her constituents are aware of her actions and show her at election time they are not stupid, blind, deaf and dumb. I hope they see she isn't the victim but they are.

Peggy Willis
Greensboro

Thank goodness someone decided to do something about the 1995 ordinance on pets. Just think how the population at the animal shelter would go down. I have three pets and all have been fixed. They have always been at the top of my list. Please do something soon.

I have been very upset since 1995 that the law was not carried out. What happened to the 1995 ordinance? I have asked everyone I know. These backyard breeders need to realize they can't make money without giving a little.

Please don't let this fall through the cracks this time.

Ruth Dillman
Greensboro

News & Record, you made my day Feb. 21. The entire Op-Ed page deserved a Pulitzer (yes, I agreed with all four columnists).

Top of the page: "Stan Bingham goes his own way in state Senate." Doug Clark introduced us to the state senator from Denton, a Republican who calls the shots as he sees them. Bingham, says Republican Phil Berger, "is about getting things done and solving problems."

And Bingham says, "If being a legislator means lining up with your party all the time, you might as well get a monkey to do it."

Next, local columnist Sarah Jones wrote on the "forced mediocrity" of public school education and lack of emphasis on critical thinking.

Then Guilford College student Malcolm Kenton tackled tough issues with insight and common sense: campus fight, stereotyping, taxpayer money for business.

Finally, Bob Hall of Democracy North Carolina on Jim Black and corrupt politics: "the
money chase ... clearly threatens the integrity of fair elections."

For dessert, no Maureen Dowd.

Bill Beerman
Greensboro

Racism, regardless of its source, black or white, is putrid. Unfortunately, the white-black race issues in Greensboro, as well as any other city in America, are totally predictable. The time for a new day is long past due.

Is this revolutionary? Let's suppose some group of white leaders said to the black community, regardless of who sold who to whom, we are sorry for the part our race played in slavery.

Then suppose a group of leaders in the black community said we forgive you regardless, and hold no grudge against you for any part your heritage played or didn't play in the travesty of slavery.

I believe there are plenty of white people who want to extend the hand of reconciliation. I believe there are many black people who want to do the same. If this be true, then a group of leaders will emerge in our community who want to bury racism for good. It is too good a town to let race issues taint, smudge and divide a community that has the capacity to be great if there are leaders who will rise to the challenge and lead.

Edwin R. Lyon Jr.
Greensboro