News-Record.com

The April 24 story about university housing ("Housing spreads off campus") rubbed me the wrong way. I am a high school senior planning to attend UNCG in the fall. Last time I checked, college-aged students were citizens under the U.S. government as much as anyone else. With that comes the rights enjoyed by all those who call themselves citizens, including the right to equal housing.

I have not seen such a "there goes the neighborhood" mentality since minorities started moving into white areas. The residents of the University Village complex will be expected to adhere to the same noise ordinances as everyone else. I'm sure the police will enforce these laws more strictly given their inherent mistrust of young people.

My point is this: Residents should give young people a chance before you decide to abandon your homes and move.

John Boschini
Greensboro

For a nation that has readily available information on mental illness, there is an extreme lack of awareness.

For some individuals with mental illness, it is a never-ending cycle trying to escape or simply minimize the stigma that creates an invisible leash and restricts their social lives and employment opportunities.

Am I saying employ every applicant with mental illness? No. Just like the rest of the population, there is a wide range of personalities and capabilities. However, individuals with mental illness get lumped into one big, negative category.

Employers, give these individuals a chance. The ones who come to you very likely want to better themselves by being productive and increase their chances of living independently. You'll find some very ambitious individuals who want nothing more than what we take for granted and sometimes even despise: our jobs. For those employers who have opened your doors, thank you.

Social life also can be very difficult. Make an effort to greet these individuals; mental illness is not airborne. You can't contract it through a conversation.

May is Mental Health Awareness month and I challenge you to take a few minutes from your schedule to become more aware.

Vue Yang
Greensboro

Just to point out several omissions regarding Oregon Gov. Kulongoski's attempt to live off of food stamps ($3 a day):

He, as do many, may still buy alcohol and cigarettes with cash. He can still have
satellite TV, as many do.

The article neglects to ask if he could get help from his church, as many churches help.

He can go to soup kitchens and private charities and food outreaches in the area.

Is the food stamp program designed to be temporary or a way of life?

When millions take other people's money by force, should they complain about the
amount?

This isn't about people choosing between feeding the dog or eating, as your article tried to imply. If you can't afford food, don't get a dog and choose carefully how you spend.

The government is not a cure-all. That's one reason churches and charities are important (along with choices). People still steal millions and millions of taxpayers' dollars through fraud, not to mention bureaucratic waste.

The only thing Gov. Kulongoski accomplished was looking foolish, and responsible reporting would have mentioned the above options/issues along with food stamp hardships.

Mark Fisher
Biscoe

If one lives in the Starmount/Westridge areas, he or she, in my opinion, has a 90 percent chance of being ripped off by dishonest contractors who believe that residents of such areas are either stupid or grow dollar bills in trees.

From carpet cleaners to electricians to roofers, many of these "professionals," some having lost jobs and tried self-employment, believe they are smart by overcharging prospective customers. But in fact, they are losing them.

People in Greensboro talk and exchange information with neighbors and friends about "smart contractors."

Small-business associations should do a better job in giving sound advice to such "rip-off" professionals who may be unaware that they are working against themselves.

Helio Salvador
Greensboro

I am writing in response to the April 19 article concerning the proposed rezoning from residential to retail at the corner of Lawndale and Lake Jeanette roads.

The Country Park and Pineburr neighborhoods are low density, park-like and enhanced by proximity to both Country Park and the Natural Science Center. They are not an appropriate location for retail development. The corner in question is not an eyesore, as mentioned in the article. It provides a much-needed green buffer from heavy traffic on Lawndale and Lake Jeanette. Lawndale has a full complement of retail projects, many of which have long-standing vacancies and need tenants.

Greensboro is littered with the bones of retail areas, created by those in pursuit of the next hot intersection and ultimately abandoned by tenants who have learned that maybe it is not location, location, location.

Brassfield Shopping Center, adjacent to high-end residential, will soon be one of those very empty areas. The new, extensive retail locations at North Elm and Pisgah Church are far from being completely leased. We have seen and applaud the success of Food Lion relocating to a former Winn-Dixie location. Any proposed retail projects have many options in existing areas on Lawndale.

Michele van Gobes
Greensboro

"Choice" is an emotionally charged word. In light of the recent Supreme Court ruling, pro-choice advocates are furious about losing their option to perform full-term abortions. The new Democratic majority last week wrote a pro-choice act to make abortion rights a matter of national policy, and they will likely increase current taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood beyond its $265 million a year. This organization, the world's largest abortion provider, doesn't use this money to pay for surgery but for materials and facilities and to fund malpractice challenges and other lawsuits.

What about choice? If abortion "doctors" provide no counsel to young women to help them compare the serious emotional and physical risks of this surgery relative to adoption alternatives, where's their choice? Currently, federal policy protects the rights of minor children to have abortions without obtaining permission; where is our parental choice?

In a country that hallows life and liberty, let's mourn the holocaust-like deaths of 40 million-plus babies under legal abortion, and 30,000-plus each year just in North Carolina. If such distortions of law and personal choice bother you, stand and be counted. Let your representatives know the standards against which you make your choices at the polls.

Dan Nelson
Summerfield

Recently, CBS's "60 Minutes" portrayed the Duke lacrosse story as if the three young men were choirboys in church. Never did they ask why they brought the young lady to the house in the first place.

The most profound comment was when one of the players said, "The day I die, it will be said one of the Duke lacrosse players who was accused of rape died today." He talked earlier in the week about how he felt for someone who had been falsely accused but did not have the means to seek the counsel necessary. That was brought home when I thought about one young man in Alamance County who spent 20 years in prison for a rape he did not commit.

This was not a time for portraying the real "heroes"; at best, it was a lesson learned. It appears the young man who made the comment above is the one who learned it best.

CBS, help us teach our children that we cannot dress up sin, and being in a place of privilege is not an exception to the rule. There should not be any "atta-boys" around the water cooler today.

Jessie Warren-Vinson
Elon

The following is a Counterpoint:

By B.J. Weatherby

I am outraged by the 5-4 decision of the Supreme Court on April 18 that upholds a ban on the "intact dilation and extraction" type of abortion. (I refuse to call this kind of abortion by its "invented" name -- a vile, gruesome name designed to make everyone shudder.)

In writing the opinion for the five males who made up the majority, Justice Kennedy exhibited appalling paternalistic chauvinism. He wrote that banning this kind of abortion "protected" women from a procedure they "may not understand"!

He wrote: "The government may use its voice and its regulatory authority to show its profound respect for the life within the woman." But those men fail to show any respect for the life and health of the woman.

They effectively overturned Justice Harry A. Blackmun's 1973 statement that "the state does have an important and legitimate interest in preserving and protecting the health of the pregnant woman." Additionally, they show absolutely no sympathy for the pregnant woman as she makes a difficult decision, often based on the ill health of the fetus or the mother.

This ruling is outrageous because the justices ignored or reversed multiple state and federal precedents and discounted or ignored medical evidence. More unbelievably, Justice Kennedy wrote that "moral norms" also can be considered. But whose "moral norms"?

In her dissenting opinion, Judge Ginsburg said this decision was "alarming." I agree. It opens the door to further state and federal restrictions on abortions. Moreover, it suggests that, in the future, the justices can and will consider "moral norms" as they rule on other privacy and individual rights issues. Again, whose norms?

Justice Ginsburg also wrote, "Our obligation is to define the liberty of all, not to mandate our own moral code."

Remember outcries against "judicial activism"? Those outcries came from the same people who approve of this ruling, even though this is blatant "judicial activism." If some Supreme Court justices believe they can apply their "moral norms," who now will protect our individual rights and the individual rights of our neighbor -- who may be of another race, another religion, another sexual orientation, a pregnant woman? Who will show fairness and compassion? Who will define "liberty for all"?

The writer is a wife and mother who lives in Greensboro.

At top is a photo taken on Easter Sunday. Next is a photo taken 10 days later in the same area. It shows the aftermath of a chain saw massacre conducted by Burford's Tree Inc. for Duke Energy on Woodlawn Avenue -- all in the name of "trimming" foliage from power lines. This type of activity needs exposure.
Ben Andrews, Greensboro

The recent Supreme Court decision on abortion takes the most private and personal medical decisions away from doctors and places them in the hands of politicians. That's why the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other leading medical organizations opposed this ban -- because it doesn't serve the best interests of women's health.

Seven years ago, we had a Supreme Court that struck down a similar ban because of its lack of a health exception. Since then, George W. Bush has appointed two justices to the court who voted to uphold this ban with no exception to protect women's health. We simply cannot afford another anti-choice president who will nominate these types of justices.

Elections matter -- and women's health is counting on a pro-choice president in 2008.

Deborah Butler
Greensboro

We have become a world that has forgotten how to be quiet. Unless we have noise in our lives, perpetually every moment in our waking hours, we find something that will add this commodity.

Cell phones while driving, automobile radios/DVD players (both music and video), endless "reality shows." I am aware we have all decided these programs are a necessity. Entertainment, yes.

In my humble opinion, our lack of knowledge is because we are no longer hungry to know more. To most, it's more important to know about "American Idol" or watch the exploitation of young women on "Deal or No Deal."

How many readers know Abraham Lincoln was assassinated only five days after Lee surrendered to Grant?

Until we re-educate ourselves to be quiet and seek knowledge, we will know no more than who is winning
"The Amazing Race." What a pity.

Keith Ebbs
Greensboro

By no means do I condone the remarks Don Imus made about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. The remarks were demeaning, disrespectful, sexist and racist. They should not have been made by anyone, white or black. Those women represent the cream of the crop in Black America. To have them denigrated in such a manner was inexcusable.

Those remarks should serve as a wake-up call to Black America. It is long overdue for us as black men to begin to show more respect to ourselves and especially to our black women. We do not show them the respect they deserve. We degrade them, humiliate, abuse and treat them in a manner that would be illegal in other countries.

You can stop at any traffic light and be exposed to language that even Imus would not use on his radio show. The rap "music" is laden with profanity, sexual innuendo and such outrageous comments about our black women until I am ashamed to be standing next to the vehicle where that "music" is being played.

We should not let the Don Imus comments go in vain. We should use those comments as a wake-up call.

Pollard Stanford
Greensboro

In response to the commentary "Death to all rapists" by Solomon Burnette in the Campus Echo at N.C. Central:

The Good Book says, "You reap what you sow." If you have stripper parties or you are the stripper, it can't be good and neither can the outcome.

So, before you plant anymore of this crop of hate and discontent, throttle back and think because the roots in this field run deep and spread like kudzu.

Solomon, it takes a lot of good seed to fix what you are planting because they don't have a 24-hour roundup for attitudes or beliefs.

Check your seeds?

John Neese
Summerfield

As a student in the master's of public health program at UNCG, I am excited that House Bill 259 will be voted on in the N.C. House soon.

HB 259 aims to reduce the air pollution and harmful health effects caused by secondhand tobacco smoke. Thousands of studies reviewed by the U.S. Surgeon General, the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency have conclusively shown that secondhand tobacco smoke has a negative impact on human health, causing, among other ailments, lung cancer and heart disease in adults, asthma and respiratory infections in children and SIDS in infants.

Please let your representative know you support this important legislation.

Sammie Autry
Greensboro

You wanted Democrats? You got Democrats. You wanted surrender to the terrorists in Iraq, you got it. You wanted endless hearings, investigations and political posturing while the people's business goes untouched and ignored, you have that, too.

Congratulations, and God help this great country.

Jim Sartwell
Liberty

As a student at one of our fine local colleges, I have recently partaken of an opportunity to view, at no charge, a tragic movie. It was about a washed-up politician trying to maintain his legacy, stay in the spotlight and find the meaning in life. The name of the movie? "An inconvenient Truth."

Guy Sinclair
Graham

When a stone is dropped in a puddle, ripples make their way across to bounce back and into each other in an endless multiplicity of collisions, ceasing long after the energy of the falling pebble has been expended.

Chai Vang, son of a Hmong general, came to us as a refugee from Laos and the war in Vietnam that had spilled over its borders, killing and displacing millions. In 2004, in a Wisconsin forest, six hunters were shot and killed by Vang.

Consequences from the disaster in Vietnam continue to ripple across the world. In the states, many of our veterans have been treated for symptoms of mental illness stemming from even brief exposures to our 25-year experience in that war. Effects on the children of Vietnam vets began to manifest immediately.

Grandchildren of Vietnam vets now share stories of substance abuse and family violence resulting from the American military experience there.

If there is still a United States in 25 years, its citizens (including our grandchildren) will be paying for our government's current adventures in the Middle East. For those who cannot imagine this, try dropping a pebble into water and watching until the ripples die.

James Quinn
Greensboro

Regarding your editorial on April 14 about the city's dance program: I had seen a documentary about students in all the districts of New York, in the lower-income school areas. I was teaching these youngsters to dance: how to behave in a mannerly way with respect to all, and how to dress properly. While doing all these things, students also received the kind of exercise they really don't have much of these days.

This program was given to the lower-income schools, but I feel all students need such instruction no matter where they grow up. This is a very meaningful program.

I am a senior in this community and have seen many children growing up in all areas. Learning these kinds of skills is important to their growing up and getting ahead in the world.

Harriet Kabat
Greensboro

Recently, two friends and my wife and I attended the Norah Jones concert at the War Memorial Auditorium. She was amazing and we all enjoyed the concert.

My concern is that we had to order tickets through tickets.com and on the day they first became available when ordering opened at, I believe, at 9 a.m.

The first two times I tried to place my order I was advised I was too early. On the third attempt I got through and requested "front row, center section." I was advised that the only center seats available were way in the back, everything else was already taken, including side-row seats. Our best option was "balcony center," which still cost $60 a ticket.

When we got to the auditorium there was a man with a fist full of center section seats going all the way back to row five trying to unload them for $20 each since it was five minutes before the concert.

My problem is I ordered as early as humanly possible and was limited to four tickets. How did this man get so many premium tickets? Complex officials should be concerned with this type of behavior.

I will never attend another complex event. And the people who bought tickets from this person should be ashamed of themselves, since it only promotes this kind of activity.

Michael Walker
Greensboro

In response to Philip Johnson's letter ("Truth Commission: It's over and done; let it go," April 24):

He said former Truth Commissioner Bob Peters' letter of April 11 was self-serving. On the contrary, Mr. Peters' time spent serving the city's citizens on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission gave him the basis from which to speak, not to glorify himself.

The tragedy of Nov. 3, 1979, could have been prevented. The Communist Workers Party had a lawful parade permit.

The plans of the Klan to arrive to antagonize them were known by the Greensboro police because of an informant. The duty of the police is to protect all citizens in the community.

Why weren't they there to carry out their sworn duty?

Our "influential leaders" preferred not to endorse the commission. Why?

Isn't the whole truth better than an incomplete and inaccurate truth?

Barbara P. Walker
Greensboro

The writer was a member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Apologies for slavery? Well, a little research into most of the ethnic groups that make up our country will show that most if not all of them suffered from mistreatment, degradation and prejudice. Many of them came to this country as indentured servants; they were, for all intents and purposes, the property of those who paid their passage.

The main difference that I see in all of this is that instead of sitting back and blaming others, they got up off their backsides and went to work and made something of themselves. Some did well. Others did not.

Perhaps those people today who have convinced themselves that they are victims should try that approach and get on with life instead of spending countless hours trying to figure out how to get their fellow Americans to pay for their nonproductive attitudes and lifestyles.

All that aside, this issue is not about slavery; it is about how much money this group can extract from the public trough.

Ian A. Millar
Kernersville

I recall my dismay upon learning that Julianne Malveaux had been selected president of Bennett College, and remarked to my family that it would not take long for her to reveal herself as the far left hater she undeniably is.

The New & Record's April 21 reprimand of her for her racist comments regarding the Duke case, will, unfortunately, be the first of many.

I will never forget her comments regarding Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, to the effect that she "hoped that his wife would feed him lots of eggs and butter so he would die early, as so many black men do, as he was an absolutely reprehensible person."

That Bennett College has selected such an individual to not only lead the college but serve as a role model for impressionable young women was ill advised and will do little to elevate the conversation or the status of Bennett College.

Rayne Brown
Lexington

We need a housecleaning in Washington, D.C. I'm tired of people talking about Alberto Gonzales.

We deserve a decent attorney general who will tell the truth.

There is so much going on I dread seeing the news these days. Take, for instance, that awful tragedy at Virginia Tech. Thirty-two lives gone.

Our nation needs healing. Wake up, America, before it's too late!

N.R. Smith
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Lynda Torgersen

I wanted to thank the whole community in and around Greensboro for the show of support after the tragedy at Virginia Tech.

Friends, neighbors and people whom I had never met went out of their way to offer condolences and prayers to me and my family. My husband and I were both raised in the Blacksburg area with strong ties to Virginia Tech. Our daughter is a sophomore there and our son will be attending in the fall as a freshman. My father-in-law has been teaching at the school for more than 40 years. The Israeli professor who lost his life as he held off the gunman so his students could escape was a next-door neighbor to my in-laws.

In fact, my husband, his father and our daughter were all on campus and were caught in the lockdown during the tragic event.

My place of employment all wore orange and maroon as a show of support April 20. We have received numerous phone calls and cards from people we haven't heard from in years just to let us know they were thinking about us and our daughter. Local news has shown where local universities have also reached out to Virginia Tech. I know there are a lot of Hokies in the Greensboro area, and I am sure they all feel the same way.

The horrific event of April 16 will never be forgotten. But it makes it much easier when you know the whole community is supporting the Virginia Tech family. Thirty-two wonderful people lost their lives and I cannot imagine what those families are going through. I do know they are receiving enormous support from their communities and Virginia Tech. All of our prayers are with them.

The Hokie Nation will become stronger. I do not have any doubt about that. We will prevail.

The writer is a Virginia Tech alumna, Class of '85, who lives in Greensboro.

Scenario No. 1

You're not feeling well. Perhaps lunch was a bit too greasy and indigestion is starting. You pull up behind a garbage truck stopped for a red light. The pickup driver behind you is distracted for a moment and doesn't see you stopped. Within seconds your car folds like an accordion.

By the time paramedics have you on a stretcher, you are bleeding internally and the indigestion is a heart attack.

Want to wait another 20 minutes to get to a hospital?

Scenario No. 2

Up on the roof you've found the loose shingles that caused a leak during last night's storm. Suddenly little Joey from next door who has climbed your ladder is at your side. "What are you doing up here?" you shout. Joey turns, stumbles, falls from the roof to the cement below. The gash on Joey's head is the least of the paramedics' worries.

Will 20 minutes be too long for Joey to get help?

Scenario No. 3

The new hospital in Kernersville is close enough to help you and Joey!

I am a senior who enjoys good health. Lucky me! However, no age group is secure from sickness, accidents or emergencies. We need a hospital here in Kernersville.

Marilyn E. Demaree
Kernersville

Cheney and Bush are both guilty, I believe. They have twisted the intelligence, lied to the press and the American people and manipulated press briefings: far more meaningful violations of the Constitution than Bill Clinton or Andrew Johnson. I ask, again, that you support impeachment proceedings against both the president and vice president.

James Deere
Greensboro

My response to Mary Coyne Wessling's letter (April 16):

Your demand that Rush Limbaugh be taken off air would meet less derision had you included real venom spewers: Air America's Al Franken and Randi Rhodes, and Rosie O'Donnell, whose tirades more suit satellite radio's verbal pornographer Howard Stern than network TV.

Fortunately, no "right" exists in our expansively interpreted Constitution from being "offended/injured" by someone else's "reprehensible speech." The First Amendment says just the opposite.

Feminists pioneered the use of politically correct speech as a club (exemplified by your letter) to successfully silence critics. The subsequent exploitation of PC by other "oppressed minority groups" represents far more danger to this country than any crudity uttered by 10 Imuses, Limbaughs, Frankens or Rosies every day.

In prewar Germany, Nazis banned two things as they consolidated power: private ownership of guns and free speech. Your demand represents precisely the type of thinking and behavior that led Limbaugh to coin the term Femi(nist) Nazi.

In the end, Ms. Wessling, your alternative remedy offers the solution most consistent with our country's values. No one compels you to listen. Simply turn off your radio (and tune in "The View").

Readers beware Democrats' attempt to re-implement the "Fairness Doctrine." It's nothing but political censorship.

J. Michael Crouch
Greensboro

Referring to Joyce Krawiec (letter, April 21), she is absolutely correct about the need to reform our convoluted and incomprehensible income tax code. The flat tax is not the answer. The main problem with the flat tax is that you still have to file a tax return.

Why not a tax code that doesn't require you to file a return or keep any records? Get your full paycheck, then pay your taxes as you spend it.

A bill before Congress, HR25/S1025, the Fair Tax Bill, would eliminate the IRS and income tax. It would replace more than 67,000 pages with only 61 pages and generate the same amount of revenue, but in a more simple and fair way. It has more co-sponsors (58) than any tax reform bill ever proposed. Rep. Sue Myrick is the only cosponsor from North Carolina, but I'm sure more will be signing on.

There are many more reasons why this bill should be passed now or become a campaign issue in the next election.

For more information about HR25, go to the Web site at www.fairtax.org. I am a Fair Tax volunteer and can be reached at bbtidwell@yahoo.com or (336) 656-3992.

Bill Tidwell
Browns Summit

Twice the Second Amendment has come before the Supreme Court. In both cases, the decision was the same. The Second Amendment is not about hunting or protecting yourself. It is about having a militia.

In 1939, Justice James C. McReynolds wrote in a unanimous decision that "the Second Amendment does not guarantee the right to keep and bear arms that does not have some reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a well-regulated militia."

In 1972, Justice William O. Douglas wrote, "A powerful lobby dins in the ears of our citizenry that these gun purchases are constitutional rights protected by the Second Amendment, but ... the Second Amendment was simply designed to keep alive the militia."

Who is right: The National Rifle Association or the Supreme Court? You decide.

E.F. Anderson
Greensboro

Bennett College has a fine leader in retiring President Johnnetta Cole. She is a refined and smart lady with elegance who will be badly missed. Her replacement, Julianne Malveaux, is anything but that. She is a nasty, foul-mouthed ultra-liberal and leftist who never has anything good to say, just continues to cut individuals and groups down. She is like a mean-spirited black Molly Ivins.

Although Malveaux doesn't start work at Bennett until June 1, her pronouncement preceded her appearance. She said that the Duke University students accused in the rape case were hooligans and did not deserve any apologies at all.

The News & Record said it well when reporting her comments and noted, "She ought to choose how she expresses those views a lot more thoughtfully and carefully." Leopards don't change their spots, nor will she change her foul mouth. I have read her columns for years and know what to expect.

Bennett College, you deserved another great leader. You could have done much better. Could you have done worse? I doubt it.

Al Myrick
Greensboro

I had to read the whole article written by Mona Charen ("Food stamp gimmick misses point," News & Record, April 28) hoping that I would find a complaint about the more than $500 billion we have spent on the Iraq war.

Well, it seems that she does not mind spending the taxpayers' money killing and maiming our young men and women (and thousands of Iraqis in the process). The money is well spent because it's lining the pockets of the oil industry and not the stomachs of our poor.

Lucia De Ratmiroff
Greensboro

Recently on PBS, Bill Moyers did a terrific show detailing some of the outright lies by the president to the American people to justify starting a war in Iraq. Moyers also showed how poorly the press performed. It simply failed to do its job, which is to find the real facts and give us the truth.

Moyers showed that on the rare occasion when the press did print a story that contradicted what the president was saying, it was printed inside the paper. And so, when I read my News & Record this morning, I was not surprised to find a story on page seven about how the tally of the civilian deaths in Baghdad did not include the many deaths from car bombs and other explosive devices. In other words, the surge is working because violence is lower in Baghdad -- but only if you don't count violence inflicted by IEDs.

The story was a good one. But why not on page one with a headline such as: "Violence really increases since surge began"? Come on, press people, it's time to give the truth prominence in our paper.

Ellen W. Gerber
High Point

If anyone doubts the hypocrisy of the Democrats, the last few weeks have shown them for what they are.

First, Congress spends weeks passing a budget bill with troop withdrawal (surrender) dates and billions in pork projects, knowing that it will be vetoed. If they really want to stop the war, instead of using it as political fodder, they can withhold the funds. They do not have the conviction to do this, as then they would be responsible for the aftermath.

Then there is (the man of the people) John Edwards with his $5.3 million house and $400 haircuts. He also participated in the debate in South Carolina on April 26 where all eight candidates arrived on private jets. These are people lecturing the public about global warming and carbon footprints.

John Corzine travels at 90 mph not wearing a seat belt and crashes, endangering many people. The speed limits and seat-belt laws don't apply to him.

Democrats think they know what is best for us as long as it doesn't apply to them personally.

Richard Langdon
Greensboro

By Steve Gorden

Michael Northuis' Counterpoint (April 27), "Good reasons for Democrats' sweep," tries to take Thomas Sowell to task for telling the truth about the last election cycle, which produced a pitifully small victory margin for our country's leftists. I am sure Northuis, like all good liberals, was so proud of himself for dutifully spouting the party line with Democrats and socialists.

The truth of the matter is that Americans were not so much against the war in Iraq as they were stupid enough to believe what was told to them by a liberal media that controls the majority of what people see, read and hear in this country.

Shame on us for being too lazy to check the facts instead of relying on what we are told by an agenda-driven media and their owners on the left. Like most leftists, Northuis can't help himself from blaming the Republican Party for everything from the earth being round to the sun rising in the east.

He so casually uses inflated speech such as "lies, the incompetence, the financial irresponsibility, the flagrant disregard for the constitution …" etc., while throwing in the liberal laundry list of free health care, the oil companies, the environment, the war, and so on. This from the party that brags about its sole grip on tolerance.

On top of it all, Northuis has the audacity to put a claim on morality by the Democrats by wailing about innocent people being killed in Iraq. This from a party that has no problem at all when it comes to killing our own children through abortion.

Moral guidance from the party whose last president disgraced the office of president so casually. But as usual, the Democrats always find criticism a worthwhile endeavor, so long as it is not guided in their direction.

I will agree about two things the Democrats are good at: surrender and lying.

The writer lives in Kernersville.

It has been more than six weeks since my first letter (March 15) regarding the escalation of gas prices. On March 5, a barrel of light crude was approximately $60. The day I am writing this, light crude closed at $63.59 a barrel, a 5.98 percent increase. A gallon of regular unleaded averages $2.83, a 38 percent increase in less than 10 weeks.

Major oil companies use the excuse of supply and demand for partial justification. They also use the conversion from winter to summer formulas and plant shutdowns for maintenance as additional justifications. If supplies are short, why have I not seen any closed pumps? This is how major oil companies manipulate the market.

I am a firm advocate of the free-market system until it is misused. Mergers in the oil industry and lack of government monitoring have allowed major gas producers to increase prices anytime a perceived market adjustment is identified. What's going to happen when there is a real shortage or a refining plant is out of service? What will the cost be if there is another Katrina?

Where is the outrage? Where is our government oversight? Now that Democrats control, why do they continue to turn a blind eye to this important issue?

Tommy Hunter
Greensboro

The year 1861 was tumultuous for North Carolina. The 1860 presidential election had produced a radical Republican in a minority vote (the Democrats had split three ways). For decades, there had been increasing conflict between the industrial North and agrarian South. Southern influence in Congress deteriorated, as the powerful North promised increased federal powers, including punitive tariffs on Southern imports.

Facing this intolerable situation, seven Southern states withdrew from the Union and formed a new nation, the Confederate States of America. Most North Carolinians opposed secession, but when President Lincoln assumed dictatorial powers and ordered a military invasion of the seceding states to force them back into the Union, North Carolina, Virginia and other border states joined their sister states in defense against the federal invaders.

For the next four bloody years, North Carolina courageously fought this relentless onslaught, providing more soldiers and supplies to the Southern armies than any other state. This brutal, illegal war resulted in 620,000 military deaths and the near total destruction of the Southern states. The brave men and women of North Carolina sacrificed everything in defense of their new nation and native soil. We honor their memory on Confederate Memorial Day, May 10.

William K. Oden Jr.
Greensboro

On April 26, my e-mail brought news I had been eagerly awaiting: Articles of impeachment against Vice President Cheney have finally been introduced by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, in the House of Representatives. With his abysmal approval ratings, hypocrisies and steering the country in the wrong direction for six years, Cheney's doom seems sealed.

As this basic constitutional principle plays out, it could turn out to be the political fight of the decade. I expect the News & Record to cover the impeachment debate in detail on the front page. What could be more relevant to the American people than a struggle between the executive and legislative branches of government?

I hope Cheney can read the writing all over the walls and save us the torture of a long, drawn-out proceeding by resigning. President Bush should follow suit so this country can begin healing from the terrible wounds they have inflicted.

Valerie Putney
Greensboro

I'd like to thank all the business and community leaders who have helped revitalize our downtown. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. Center City Park, First Horizon Park, YMCA, the downtown library, Triad Stage, the Children's Museum, Elon Law School ... the list goes on and is truly impressive.

I'm glad to see portions of the city growing in such smart, community-oriented ways. Action Greensboro's proposed downtown greenway and the good work of the Guilford County Open Space Committee are things to be proud of as well.

With these projects in mind, perhaps updated laws could provide incentives to suburban developers, encouraging them to protect and take care of as many acres as they pave. And perhaps there are reasonable ways to reward developers who, for example, might be willing to renovate an existing building instead of creating yet another generic strip mall.

In the end, I suppose I am both excited and concerned about how Greensboro is evolving. But I am also hopeful and ask that our business and community leaders continue to make sound civic decisions with the health of the entire community in mind.

Brian Crean
Greensboro

There have been recent newspaper articles about moving the Wyndham Golf Tournament in future years to Sedgefield Country Club. Why?

The national PGA golf tournament has been held at Forest Oaks Country Club since 1977 and is proudly supported by a large majority of its members. The Greensboro Jaycees and the tournament's many sponsors are to be commended for their leadership for this national event. The golf course, at PGA request, has been redesigned twice at great expense.

Forest Oaks has many advantages over Sedgefield, including location, parking, traffic flow and cost. Forest Oaks has a long-term contract that should be honored.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Tom Gilmore
Greensboro

My heart goes out to the families of the shooting victims at Virginia Tech. Reading the News & Record list of persons who have committed the worst gun-related mass killings in world history, it is notable that all are males.

Does it occur to anyone that as a world community, and the United States in particular, we are not taking responsibility for teaching males how to effectively manage anger and stress? These men are dealing with their rage or grief through murderous outbursts.

There are several ways we could help males deal with emotions effectively. We can start by demanding that our leaders at the highest levels cease "shock and awe" violence as a way of dealing with their blocked ambitions. Leaders create followers. Businesses can offer stress management to teach adults options for responding to stressful situations, as well as ways of dealing with anger, frustration, anxiety and depression.

And proactively, we can support school counselors by increasing their numbers and releasing them from superfluous duties. They could then offer counseling and teach the interpersonal skills to cope with emotions and stress. We could do something before more innocents are lost.

Suzanne Hidore
McLeansville

The massacre at Virginia Tech reopens many devastating and unhealed wounds: the endless media discourse about how these horrors should have been prevented, the desperate need to place blame on someone, perhaps everyone but the man pulling the trigger, and the exacerbation of the fear and stigma associated with mental illness.

In the wake of such disasters as Columbine, Sept. 11, Oklahoma City and now Virginia Tech, we must concentrate our efforts on coping with the aftermath and healing as a whole. No progress can come from denying the unfortunate reality that sometimes the face of evil rears its ugly head, and no amount of finger-pointing, guilt and blame can ever ease our pain. If a madman is so consumed with hatred and hell-bent on killing, he inevitably will find the ways and means to do so.

Our only hope for healing the wounds that threaten us all must come from within our own humanity: how we treat one another, with respect and tolerance and understanding.

What percentage of college students has been treated for mental-health issues and prescribed medication? As a society, we are quick to put a Band-Aid on the problem and cash in on the cure. Perhaps we should all look a little deeper within ourselves and get to know the people around us.

Debra Getty
Greensboro

I took the opportunity to walk around downtown the morning of the anti-war rally to see what was going on. After walking the block of the governmental plaza, I got curious and walked it again.

The perimeter of the rally area was protected by 40 to 50 uniformed police, mobile command center, SWAT team, fire department hazmat unit, a couple of fire station units with tents prepared, ATV stretcher units, EMS units, and assorted corners and entry points into downtown protected with police units. This was the perimeter.

I assume there were plainclothes police, other uniformed police, building-top surveillance and security that I couldn't and did not see. This to make sure that the 300 to 500 protesters and anti-protesters were able to freely and safely assemble. I remember thinking, "Wow" but couldn't get a real grip on the meaning.

Last week I got it from a bumper sticker on a car I got behind at a stoplight:

"Freedom ... it is not free."

Andy Nelson
Greensboro

"Sticks and stone may break my bones but words will never hurt me."

We've all heard that sentence before. Of course, we also know that is not always the case. Broken bones can heal over a period of time. Unkind words can last a lifetime.

I remember as a child being cursed and how much those words hurt me. I vowed at an early age that when I married and had children, I would never use those horrible words toward my children. Luckily, I married a man who felt the same way. Although our three sons are adults, we never have broken that vow.

The words spoken by Don Imus and so many others must stop. That includes African Americans. The hip-hop culture defines what it does as art. I call it filth. We, as African Americans, must take some responsibility for our own actions.

I realize the n-word hurts more when other races use it. We need to respect ourselves even if others don't. Sometimes the way people look at you depends on how you look at yourself.

We came from greatness. If you allow others to define you, they can also confine.

Shirley J. Wright
Greensboro

I grieve for the dead at Virginia Tech. I grieve for the long road of pain and trauma yet to be walked by the living. I can even grieve for the twisted, tormented life and death of the shooter. But I cannot close my eyes to the ugly truth about our culture that lies beneath these terrible events.

Virginia Tech was not an aberration. In this country, eight children and teenagers die every day from gun violence. Do the math. That's a Virginia Tech every four days, week after week, year after year.

According to the Children's Defense Fund, since 1968, the year that Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. were shot, more than a million people have been killed by firearms in this country. That's more than all the combat deaths in all the wars in American history -- in just 39 years.

And that number does not count all those who, by luck or by the grace of God, survive being shot but live out their lives with costly, permanent, disabling harm to body, mind and spirit.

When will Americans wake up to the sad reality of what our beloved nation has become and say "enough"?

Jennifer Angyal
Gibsonville

Though not in harmony with the area, Ricky Proehl's sports facility, to be built at the intersection of Jessup Grove Road/Horse Pen Creek Road, was granted the necessary "special permit" by county commissioners.

The site includes parking for 370 vehicles. Traffic must funnel onto a narrow road, increasing hazardous traffic conditions in an area that has exploded because of overwhelming development.

Commissioners were swayed by the shrewd presentation of the developer portraying this as a gift to children, when, in fact, it is a business venture charging $100 monthly per child.

Proehl could be a real hero to all involved by accepting the win-win offer made at the hearing. It was proposed that he trade his tract for a nearby tract of comparable acreage across from Caldwell Academy. The school would use Proehl's tract for needed facilities, eliminating the necessity for students to cross a dangerous road.

Jessup Grove Road would not be turned into a traffic nightmare; surrounding homes would not be subjected to noise and lights generated by Proehl's facility.

In turn, Proehl would have graded property ready for construction.

Why did Proehl and the commissioners reject the simple solution to a safety problem that the win-win proposal would have accomplished?

Alice Watkins Corey
Greensboro

I have several questions regarding Sheriff BJ Barnes' plan to detain unauthorized aliens who are witnesses to crimes.

Am I still living in the United States? Does this mean that if Luis Hernandez sees John Smith assault Betty Jones, Luis will be imprisoned if he reports that he has witnessed the crime? Is it likely then that Luis would report any such crime?

What effect does it have if the criminal element has knowledge that a certain segment of our population will not report crimes against them (or others) for fear of being detained, or possibly unprotected? Doesn't that increase the likelihood that more crimes will be committed in the community?

Shouldn't the work of the Sheriff's Office be about reducing crime for the entire community?

Janet Johnson
Greensboro

I would like to say that I was surprised when I read the article on the Duke University graduate students who were caught cheating; however, I was not.

During my 12 years as an educator in the public school system, I have had to remind students to do their own work and to not share answers on countless occasions. Recently, I had a student who told me that sharing answers on a homework assignment is not the same as cheating. I asked him what the difference was between sharing answers on a take-home assignment and sharing answers on a test. He responded with, "I see your point."

The heart of the matter is that cheating is apparently not something that is viewed as morally reprehensible. It is being viewed as something that is OK, as long as you are not caught.

So, how do we clear up this misconception? Do we punish by wielding the red pen and awarding zeroes? Or do we instill in our students the virtues of integrity, truth and honesty? I don't know for certain, but I do think a little of both may be the answer.

Terri Fletcher-Herring
Greensboro

Has Mark Fisher of Biscoe (letter, May 1) ever been without food? His narrow-minded tirade against poor people confuses poverty and sin. There are many poor people in genuine need due to job loss, illness, incapacity, etc., and there are many people with material advantages who steal cable, cheat the government, treat others badly, etc.

Why do some smug, self-satisfied morons equate poverty with lack of character? Does Fisher really think he's righteous simply because he is healthy and was born into a certain life situation? I hope he never loses his job, has a serious accident or has a child born disabled. Poor man.

Iris Kirkman
Greensboro

Oppression, you say? In other countries, you say? Glad that's not happening here.

Well, let's see if we can find a common use of the word "oppression" in Wikipedia: "Oppression is the negative outcome experienced by people targeted by the cruel exercise of power in a society or social group. It is particularly closely associated with nationalism and derived social systems, wherein identity is built by antagonism to the other." Wait a second. That sounds very familiar.

BJ Barnes, by having the power to detain witnesses to a crime, who could be the very people we depend on to eliminate the next crime, isn't that getting oppressive? Wait, let's refer back to the definition: "people targeted by the cruel exercise of power …" Let's get this very clear. We are not talking about criminals, people who have abused their freedoms. We are talking about witnesses, and I suppose victims fall into that category as well. So, lock up all the rape victims, and victims of child molestation as well. We need no age limit.

Living within U.S. borders, illegally, is not a criminal offense.

Tony Rouse
Jamestown

Recently, I traveled from Wilmington to attend the anti-war rally sponsored by The World Can't Wait. After the peaceful gathering of peace "mongers," I was able to read your front-page article (April 20) regarding this event.

I was humored to read that Charles Gant expected 500 to 1,000 counter-protesters. I am sure he must have been disappointed that only about 75 showed up. After having attended three of these events -- in Fayetteville in March, Wilmington in March and Greensboro this April -- it is very clear that the counter-protesters are low in numbers (reflecting America's view), very angry and rude.

At all three events, when the military families spoke and when the names of America's fallen soldiers were read (in Wilmington), this is when they were the rudest. Now I ask Mr. Gant, do you really support the troops? It does not come across as if you, in fact, do.

Terri Parham
Wilmington

I read with regret Julianne Malveaux's comments in Summary Judgment (April 21). The article quoted comments made by the new Bennett College president on an NPR radio show in which she stated that the Duke students did not deserve an apology from anyone.

My first thought was, if these students had been African American and accused by a Caucasian young woman, and all the other circumstances were the same (from inviting a stripper in to the fact that no DNA of the students was found on the accuser), would Malveaux's comments have been the same? I watched the press conference given by the attorney general. Clearly, these allegations were false, and it is a shame when we cannot admit when a wrong has been done no matter what the race or socioeconomic standing of the accused.

What message do we send, especially to young people, when we don't stand against injustices perpetrated upon all people? No past injustice done to anyone makes a present injustice justifiable.

I am an African American, and I am sorry that these young men and their families h