News-Record.com

My mother always said, "You are known by the people you associate with." I am glad to see John Edwards associating with Nelson Johnson, a known and admitted communist.

Coincidence?

Joe Wade
Oak Ridge

Editor’s note: Nelson Johnson calls himself a former communist.

As the July 4 holiday approaches, I would like to remind all Americans what the Independence Day holiday is all about.

Our forefathers, many years ago, with great courage, brought forth a document declaring independence, freedom and a will for peace. It was founded in and by "In God we trust." It was not founded on Buddha, Muhammad, etc.

God gave us America, and God can take it away at any time.

Please, fellow Americans, remember our roots. Take pride in America and don't forget to thank God for America.

William A. Long Jr.
Randleman

In reply to Francine DiMicele's letter (June 26) requesting clarification of requirements when a vaccinated pet encounters a potentially rabid animal, the following is from the North Carolina Manual for Rabies Prevention and Animal Bite Management (April 2007):

When the local health director reasonably suspects that a dog or cat has been exposed to the saliva or nervous tissue of a proven rabid animal or animal reasonably suspected of having rabies that is not available for lab diagnosis, the dog or cat is considered exposed to rabies and shall be destroyed immediately by its owner, the county ACO or a peace officer unless the dog or cat has been vaccinated against rabies in accordance with this Part and the rules of the Commission more than three weeks prior to being exposed and is given a booster dose of rabies vaccine within three days of the exposure. As an alternative to destruction, the dog or cat may be quarantined at a facility approved by the local health director for a period up to six months.

Linda East
Greensboro

The writer is a veterinarian.

Citizens, beware. In a few months you will be asked to pass millions of dollars in bonds. Every individual should ask their state representative to pass a law that requires cities and counties to have a beginning and ending date on all bonds. All bonds have to be used exactly for what they were voted in for, and all cities and counties should be required to reduce taxes equal to the tax increase or greater at the end of the bond. Each department head should be held responsible for seeing the bonds are used properly.

Now is the time to vote no on all bonds until something is done to keep the county commissioners and city council in check. Home and business owners are in the process of having a tax increase to pay for bonds that were passed when we were told a tax increase would not be necessary. Support a business-run government and not a giveaway government.

You work hard all your life and live on a fixed income. Any increase in retirement is eaten up by taxes to pay for excessive spending by the local politicians. Trim the fat.

Buddy Cato
Greensboro

The column by Charles Davenport, "Schools must return to basics to succeed" (June 24), left me questioning several of his points. Accusing public education of being a "failure by any objective standard" is a harsh statement. Further, criticism of Guilford County Schools' budget and their programs is not entirely substantiated.

When meaningfully analyzing Terry Grier's quote, "developing a culture where our employers identify with and understand the feelings of our students and parents and their colleagues," one relevant point needs to be established. Schools are expected to create positive learning environments where all stakeholders, from parents to employees, work toward a common goal. Without the right environment, learning is curtailed.

There is a need to integrate students from various income levels, cultures and backgrounds. Teachers don't control this variable. They adjust to it and accept it as a reality. GCS Connects is a program designed to promote trusting relationships. Students being suspended and repeatedly failing in school contribute to delinquency.

More value placed on programs designed to integrate and not isolate is to everyone's benefit. I firmly believe the majority of citizens value what teachers do to help students be successful.

Jennifer Burnett
Greensboro

Regarding the June 27 column by Joseph R. Bag O'Doughnuts III, anyone writing such a scathing attack on the value of social workers in public schools should have the courage to use his real name.

However, I agree with his point that public schools should not have to provide services that are the responsibility of parents, local governmental social agencies, etc.

Frankly, with tax rates increasing regularly in both the city of Greensboro and Guilford County, at some point we need to step back and examine just what the role of government should be today.

For example, why do we need to expand the zoo section of the Natural Science Center when the fine North Carolina Zoo is only 40 minutes away?

But I do want to say to Mr. O'Doughnuts that the schools need more resources to teach little Johnny to read. Therefore, I encourage him and others to volunteer to assist.

Communities in Schools' Great Leaps Reading Program has been very effective in improving the reading and comprehension ability of primary grade children in our community. So step up and be part of the solution.

Keith Hoile
Greensboro

Leave Lorraine Ahearn wherever she is, Georgia, Florida, Mexico or Canada. The comments relating to the local school system by Joseph R. Bag O'Doughnuts III were the most agreeable piece of writing I've seen in the News & Record ever.

The school system wasn't meant to be a social club but an educational facility. Learning to deal with life is as important as math and English. Forget trying to fit everyone into the same mold and allow the cream to rise to the top. If children don't want to learn, behave and contribute to society, send them home and let them go find a job somewhere.

For years now, the school system has been lowering the standards so everyone can pass and everybody can be happy. Guess what? The real corporate world is a bit different, and the children might as well become acclimated to it in school rather than later.

Bag O'Doughnuts has written more truth in Ahearn's column in one writing than she ever has.

Charles C. Lane
McLeansville

Seven years of Bush, five years of war, 19 months of greed, idiocy and mayhem to go (unless martial law extends the Bush-Cheney regime indefinitely).

Stem-cell research was dealt another blow this month. The number of Iraqi dead is unknown but possibly 100 times that of American soldiers and contractors. Any pre-election withdrawal stunt will result in a dramatic rise in civilian deaths.

Remember Nixon's 1972 withdrawal while bombing escalated in North Vietnam? The 14 American soldiers who died in one day last week would have been big news four years ago. As constant violence inures us to this tragedy, the Middle East-Mesopotamia debacle spirals into a bloodbath.

The Democrats lack all conviction -- they will wait on 2008.

Howard Zinn calls for people's impeachment hearings to "bypass Congress and restore power and sanity to our government." Zinn quotes from the Declaration of Independence: "Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends (life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness), it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it and institute new government."

There will be a people's impeachment hearing in Greensboro on July 15.

James Quinn
Greensboro

Recently, Peter Fessel criticized the Vermont secessionists (letter, June 24) and stated that one foundation of his political philosophy is that "our union is indivisible." Reworded, his philosophy is: "We are all enslaved to one another."

Apparently Fessel abhors the American Revolution, which was secession from Great Britain. Or perhaps he admires it but somehow believes, contradictorily, that Vermonters have no right of secession from America as Americans had a right of secession from Great Britain.

In any case, he repudiates some of the founding ideas of this country, which are that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed and that when government becomes destructive of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it.

I ask Mr. Fessel: Of what value is a union held together only by the point of a gun? Would a marriage held together in like manner be desirable? Only tyrants value such unions because it means, for them, power and profit from those whom they shackle to themselves.

Should Vermont actually secede, I hope that Fessel, at least, will not, like Lincoln, demand the murder of those with whom he desires union.

Paul Elledge
Greensboro

Kudos to Jason Hardin for his article concerning the disappearance of trees in Guilford County (June 24).

Let me begin by stating that I'm not a "tree hugger." However, it is sad to drive around this county and see forest and rural areas turned into more unneeded housing developments. I think that corporations should look into the redevelopment of existing unused properties like what Lowe's and Wal-Mart did with the old Kmart and Carolina Circle Mall properties.

Citizens should not look for any help from most of the zoning commission, city council or county commissioners. They are just rubber stamps for any developer that comes before them with a rezoning request.

As a "veteran" of several hearings before these "deities," I am winless. Anyone seeking local political office should think of running on a land conservation platform. I think a lot of frustrated voters would support a candidate who would strike a balance between conservation and development.

Or, if the politicians who are now in office would read Hardin's article or bother to listen at these hearings, maybe they could grow some spines along with some trees.

Keivin Smith
Greensboro

Now that "SICKO," Michael Moore's new "comedy about 45 million people with no health care in the richest country on Earth" has opened, I am more and more convinced that our health care system is truly sick, over-run with profit motives that, like aggressive cancers, are waiting to eat us alive.

I urge all of us to adopt a justice-oriented approach toward the debate on reforming the health care system. Using this lens, our goal is to create a health care system that works for equity in health, not merely creating insurance for the uninsured.

To do this, we must be willing to advocate for change of the for-profit machine that runs our health care system, including not only the industries involved (pharmaceutical, insurance, biotech, device manufacturers), but also the health care workforce (physicians, administrators).

Other solutions, watered down to attack symptoms, to appeal to potential voters, and to appease the corporate interests funding the politicians and feeding the doctors, simply will not do.

Anthony Fleg
Chapel Hill

Guilford County schools administration is proposing to cut 40 of 62 social workers to address next year's budget shortfall. This misguided plan will lessen Guilford County's economic development prospects.

Social worker professionals are essential to our investment in desirable education results. A better workforce requires that our students find identity, meaning, and purpose in life through connections to the community.

School social workers operate as a link between school, the students, their families, and the community's social services. They work with students in their homes and in their schools and focus on family and community factors that influence their performance in school.

If the board of education chooses to eliminate social workers, negative results are guaranteed. Some will likely include: increases in the number of school dropouts, worse coordination of agency services for students and their families, and cutbacks on strategies to prevent school violence.

If we shortchange students from a complete schooling experience, our community's economic development potential is weakened.

H. Nolo Martinez
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint

By Earle Bower

Charles Davenport Jr.'s column, "Schools must return to basics to succeed" (June 24), is right on the mark.

When core values of the school system are diversity, empathy and equality, you know we're in serious trouble. As Davenport suggests, the emphasis should be on reading, writing and arithmetic. I'd suggest geography, history and science as well.

In getting back to basics, computers and cell phones should be sharply restricted in schools. Computer use should be limited to students who have demonstrated proficiency in the basics. It should be a reward for performance, not a substitute teaching aid.

A recent study showed that for high school students, 40–50 calls or text messages daily was considered light usage. Heavy usage was over 120 messages per day. That's over 7 calls per hour or more than one every 10 minutes during the waking hours. Some students text messaged friends across the room in class.

No student needs a cell phone in class. They should be left in lockers or turned in to the administrative office each morning. Students who need to make a call could retrieve their phone, make a call from that office, and then return it.

It would also be beneficial for students to do research in a library, as opposed to using Wikipedia. The student would learn a good deal more that way than by clipping an article from an internet source.

If the school system can't deliver on the fundamentals, it must go back to basics.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

Is it any mystery how and why the United States is on the road to destruction? When does logic permit the proposed payment of $1 million to an individual who has been charged with a crime, placed on probation, who has violated this probation, and been sent to jail for this violation, to tell about her "jail experiences"? And this proposed payment to be made to someone who least needs the money.

I would suspect anyone who has committed a crime and been placed in jail would gladly tell their "story" for $1 million. Besides, who cares about Paris Hilton? She would do us all a favor if she would take her money and disappear from the face of the earth. When is enough going to be enough?

I would rather use this money to bring our soldiers home. One more soldier lost is one more too many.

Keith Ebbs
Greensboro

Ann Coulter would benefit from an old fashioned remedy. Many years ago, adults had a dramatic deterrent to manage what came out of the mouths of children. On the occasion of any inappropriate language and utterances, a dose of soap to the mouth quickly got the attention of the offender, indelibly imprinting on the individual's memory that there are consequences for inappropriate language.

For wishing that presidential candidate John Edwards would be killed by terrorists, for making fun of the loss of the Edwards' son in a tragic car accident, and for the myriad tasteless attacks that have emerged from the mouth of this so-often misinformed news-hag, Ann Coulter (and indeed, most of American society) would benefit from a strong organic flush through that vehicle of vehemence she calls her mouth.

Joseph Saldarini
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Dave Holland

Regarding your June 25 Monday Clipper, "The rules of the road":

By using the word "rules" several times before mentioning that these are actually "tips," you mislead the reader into thinking these are rules of law.

Also, your use of the terms "driver" and "bicyclist" are not clarified. Your statement"“while drivers have to share the road" applies to all drivers of every type of vehicle.

Some of the bicycle rules/guides/tips you posted are not the law but an incorrect interpretation of the law.

Your tip No. 1 (the law applies equally to all vehicle drivers) contradicts tips 4 and 5. The idea that a bicyclist should "give way" to a vehicle giving an audible signal is very misleading. The bicyclist isn't required to yield any more than any other vehicle. A passing vehicle is required to signal every vehicle it passes on a two-lane road, and every vehicle being overtaken is required to not impede the passing vehicle.

The N.C. Department of Transportation DMV states the correct information as follows:

"A bicyclist staying to the right in their lane is accommodating the following drivers by making it easier to see when it is safe to pass, and easier to execute the pass. Drivers wishing to pass a bicyclist may do so only when there is abundant clearance and no oncoming traffic is in the opposing lane. When passing a bicyclist, always remember the bicyclist is entitled to the use of the full lane."

Additional laws that may apply are for slow-moving vehicles. Also note that the driver of any vehicle should have a clear view of 500 feet ahead to overtake another vehicle.

For more insight into the problem of misleading information from NCDOT visit http://humantransport.org/bicycledriving/library/lawguide_critique.pdf.

Everyone needs to read, understand and obey the law. The roads are open to many legal forms of vehicular and pedestrian transportation.

The writer lives in Browns Summit.

Shame on the Board of Education for not knowing its own rules and practices and subsequently creating the controversy surrounding the naming of the elementary school in Reedy Fork.

Shame on the board for criticizing citizens who showed up that night to speak.

And shame on everyone who was for or against the name solely because of race.

I am not surprised at the condition of Guilford County schools now that I have observed the condition of the Board of Education.

Justin Pond
Greensboro

Regarding Lorraine Ahearn's column June 28 ("Modest proposal: First, lay off the social workers"):

We need to address the learning needs of the whole child. Consequently, more than classroom instruction is needed to attend to the academic, social, emotional and metal health deficits of our students.

Firing student support staff, school social workers, psychologists, counselors, exceptional children's specialists and nurses will certainly save money, but will it enable Guilford County schools to achieve excellence?

Without this support, the teacher turnover rates in North Carolina schools will remain high; student dropout rates will hover around 30 percent; unmet health and mental health needs, estimated by some to be 10-20 percent of the school population, will seriously inhibit students' ability to "read, write, add and subtract"; and the critical student social skills required to productively join the American labor force after graduation will remain dysfunctional.

Consequently, poverty, prisons, poor health and mental illness win. Children and families lose.
Guilford County Schools' social work program is viewed as a model by many school districts in our state, due in large part to its excellent leadership and the support of its superintendents and school board members. Why dismantle it now?

Gary L. Shaffer, Ph.D.
Chapel Hill

The writer is an associate professor and school social work coordinator, UNC-CH School of Social Work.

The infrastructure and resource challenges outlined in "States should plan now for surging population" (letter, Brian A. Roth, June 28) have a root cause:

"Population growth is the primary source of environmental damage." (Jacques Cousteau, French oceanographer)

Moreover:
"U.S. population growth is 95 percent driven by foreign immigration, which is discretionary, chosen by Congress. Cap annual U.S. immigration at about 300,000 and in time the nation's population growth stops. And North Carolina growth problems then become very small, i.e., relocating Americans from a stabilized national population." (Otis L. Graham, immigration historian, professor emeritus, UC-Santa Barbara)

To preserve North Carolina's quality of life, citizens and their representatives must confront the elephant in the environmental room, high rates of immigration: Each year 1 million legal immigrants and 880,000 illegal aliens take up residence in the U.S.
That's because on immigration Congress has for decades heard exclusively from narrow interests — business and ethnic.

NumbersUSA and the Federation for American Immigration Reform are broad-based groups that are helping lawmakers see the elephant.

Tom Shuford
Lenoir

The Peace and Social Concerns Committee of Friendship Friends Meeting concurs with the Parents and Citizens for Truth in Recruiting that high school students and parents need to be made more aware of their rights to withhold personal contact information from military recruiters.

A 30-day period after school starts is a short period to allow for such requests, especially when so few students and parents even know of the requirement in the No Child Left Behind Act.
At a minimum, students and parents should be notified immediately after school starts that their phone numbers and addresses will be made available to military recruiters unless the student or parent requests annually that this information be withheld. Also, the student should be given specific information on how to make such a request.

The commanding officer for recruiting in North Carolina says he is concerned that students will graduate from high school without knowing anything about the military. This seems unlikely when our society is permeated with such news regularly.

If it is becoming necessary to reach into such young ages, a better solution to the recruiting shortage would be to withdraw our troops from places where we are overcommitted.

Marilyn White
Greensboro

I was totally disgusted by the front page story on June 30 concerning scholarships awarded by the N.C. Legislative Black Caucus Foundation. It doesn't take a rocket scientist or multiple committees to figure out that giving scholarships to family members of the officers of an organization is an ethics issue. To hide behind the need to "wait on advice from the legislature's joint ethics committee" is a cop-out, plain and simple. The only reason you need some committee to draft rules is so you can see just how close to the line you can operate.

I'm a proud member of the Summit Rotary Club. We give multiple youth scholarships every year and one of our most basic requirements is that a recipient not be the child of a Rotarian, plain and simple. We also send youth on cultural exchanges to other countries and again, a recipient can't be a Rotarian.

I've got a suggestion for every North Carolina political leader, foundation officer/member or anyone else concerned about ethical behavior; adopt Rotary's four-way test for all you say and do; is it the truth; is it fair to all concerned; will it build good will and better friendships; and will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Ask those four simple questions and you will have gone a long way toward resolving the need for ethics committees and the like.

Steele Smith
Jamestown

Yes, yes and yes! Finally, the subject is being addressed seriously. I know elderly people who are not taking all their meds because they cannot afford it even under the new Medicare "Plan." I know wives who have full time jobs instead of staying home with their children in order to have insurance for their families because their husband is self-employed and cannot afford to buy health for the family. I am on my way to see "Sicko" tonight. Go Dennis Kucinich and Michael Moore!

Mary Mondon
Greensboro

May I congratulate you on the editorial cartoon in the June 28 paper? This cartoon was a stroke of genius. I wonder how many readers picked up on the great similarity between this and one of the first scenes from the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey?"

The difference between us and our understanding of present day technology is as great as the vast gulf between the ape throwing the bone into the air and the rocket it became would have been to the apes of that time. In fact, much of our behavior and understanding is in line with that of the ape's.

John W. Taylor
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint

By Mary McCandless

Thank you, Sen. Burr, for trying to legislate by voting for more debate on the immigration bill.
And thank you for voting against the final bill when it was evident that the power brokers were not going to allow for meaningful amendments to this "compromise" legislation.

The American people have a crisis in confidence, doubting that our leaders -- congressional, judicial and administrative -- will enforce the laws already on the books. Sen. Kennedy's last immigration legislation let in 12 million-plus illegal immigrants.

The administration has prosecuted and imprisoned our border guards for doing their jobs. It "allows" employers to hire illegals. It likes the "extra" money coming into Social Security (when it is paid) that will not be claimed in the future by illegals. The Congress has failed to pay to build the border fences already approved in existing law. The Justice Department fails to deport those illegals it does prosecute.

All this leads to overcrowded schools, collapsing emergency rooms, declining wages, and an American public that is mad and not going to take it anymore.

Which does not excuse those who called and were rude, threatening, and menacing to our elected leaders -- they serve us, but we can't abuse them. I talked with one (unpaid) intern on the Hill who said they cried about the hateful calls they received. There is no excuse for incivility. How will we ever get decent people to serve us if we treat them so?

And why are our religious leaders silent on this issue? I have yet to hear a sermon on how we should proceed on this pressing issue. What would Jesus do about the foreigner in our midst? Forgiveness is another form of "amnesty," and the Good Samaritan in all of us needs to find the compassion (and compromise) needed to solve this problem.

The writer lives in Winston-Salem.

Photo by H. Scott Hoffmann / News & Record

I refer to the photo of "impalas' in the June 27 edition. Please note that these are in fact Thomson's gazelles.

Erik Tasseron
Ruffin

A visiting South African

I urge my neighbors in Greensboro and the Triad to consider the ramifications if we do not prepare for the "population tsunami" that is coming to North Carolina in the next 25 years. Think about the growing pressure on our schools, transportation systems, sewage systems, and housing -- and most of all, on our water and natural areas.

When I contemplate what makes our state so beautiful and livable, I am immediately drawn to our rivers, streams, forests, farms, scenic vistas, parks, and historic places that are so unique and precious. These places need special protection during this time of unprecedented growth.
It is unthinkable what will become of our state if we do not invest in these places that matter so much to all of us.

I am urging my legislators to allow us all to vote on a bond that pays for this crucial investment, and I hope you will join me. We must encourage them to stay in Raleigh until they have agreed to invest in protecting our water and land, and to get ready for what’s coming.

www.landfortomorrow.org

Carolyn Allen
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint column.

By Paula Pile

My husband and I watched Michael Moore's new movie "Sicko" with some excitement, only to be disappointed for a couple of reasons. I think that his heart was in the right place, but he missed the boat at least twice.

Moore produced a long segment on managed-care companies and their huge compensation packages. What he did not address as adequately was their impact on health care providers. I have been a panel member for several managed health care companies for more than 12 years and none of their reimbursement rates have gone up in over those years.

The N.C. State Employees Health plan decided to offer its members an option of one of two managed health care plans. The amount of reimbursement to the mental health care providers was reduced by roughly one-third. This means my pay for treating these patients was one-third less than it was one year ago. Most people in the private sector would not be happy with no raises in over 12 years and, in fact, a reduction of income due to fewer people with indemnity plans and the need for more secretarial help to do the massive amount of paper work required.
Moore's segment on the Cuban health care system was very inaccurate.

He missed out on an opportunity to deal with how our blockade has hurt the Cubans' access to medications. I have traveled to Cuba six times on mission trips with First Presbyterian Church. We brought much-needed medications to the Cuban citizens. The churches in Cuba gave those medications to citizens in their communities under the supervision of physicians who are church members. Plenty of the dentists and physicians we have met are unable to work due to the lack of medicines and supplies that result from our embargo. We took catheter bags and sterile gloves to a hospital that had none for its doctors and patients.

All I can say is that the ailing 9/11 rescue workers Moore took to Cuba for treatment must have been seen in Fidel's hospital by his personal health care providers. This is not the situation for your typical Cuban.

The writer is a licensed marriage and family therapist who lives in Greensboro.

For the first time in 11 years, I am glad that my daddy is dead. His heart would be broken because the President of the United States has all but admitted that he is in collusion with Lewis "Scooter" Libby, and in contempt of the Congress.

My daddy, as a veteran, would have felt personally betrayed. He would be angry and ready to fight back to recover America's reputation. And, in doing so, would restore our dignity and a world order we could trust. I currently have much pessimism. I'm searching for a leader. Whom may I trust?

The Bush administration has shown itself corrupt and fetid, oozing slime over the people because it can. He is the self-proclaimed "decider" of all and everything, because he says so. We know our emperor is naked, but he parades before us daring us to do anything about his immorality and crimes against our country. Bush has commuted the sentence of his pal "Scooter" because he says it's excessive and Libby's wife has suffered long and much.
My father and uncles laid their lives on the line and also suffered long and much. They would be so ashamed that our country has sunk into this abyss.

Wait, is that fiddling I hear?

Brenda Lowe Stewart
Greensboro

I am appalled that the president has commuted the sentence of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. He is sending the message that if you have friends in high places, then the law does not apply to you. This undermines the credibility of our criminal justice system that promotes a standard of equal justice for all.

I am looking forward to the next national election where I will vote for a party that has a higher standard of integrity. In my opinion, our president has lost his moral direction.

Ann Sullivan
Liberty

So President Bush just commuted Scooter Libby's sentence because it was "too harsh." I'm trying to imagine what the fallout would have been if an active CIA agent had been outed during the Clinton administration, particularly if that outing had blatantly political overtones. The difference in reaction would have been huge.

In spite of the evidence, I had hoped that this administration's subversion of law for politics had limits. I was naive; it apparently extends to treason. Valerie Plame had associates still in the field who could have been (and probably were) exposed as agents due to her outing. Those consequences, of course, remain classified. I pray that none of our agents lost their lives over this.

I guess the cost of treason remains $250,000 and a suspended sentence — at least if you have the right boss.

Steven Taub
Greensboro

I have read your paper for something over seven decades, and even carried the evening paper for awhile. I also served as editor for several years of a civic newspaper with a 2,500 circulation. Thus, I feel fairly qualified to judge the News & Record as excellent.

The whole tone of your paper is straightforward, fair-minded and constantly improving. I am amazed sometimes about how good — even great — your captions and headlines are. The format and make-up are pleasing to the eye and well-organized. Your special features and extra sections are much appreciated.

Though I don't agree with all of them, your op-ed columns are topical and well-chosen, with pertinent comments on the city and world in which we live. Your staff writers are excellent. I particularly like your sportswriters. Ed Hardin can be flamboyant and dogmatic, but he can really write. I marvel sometimes at how well they all write on deadline.

On a more personal note, I greatly appreciate your policy of placing the paper at the front door of handicapped persons. I then begin each day by reading it pretty much beginning to end. Starting the day off right.

Dan W. Maddox
Greensboro

I would like to thank the News & Record for the affirming feature story about our mayor (July 1). It has been my privilege to be with Mayor Keith Holliday on a few occasions and have always found him to be gracious and engaging. I am sorry his schedule does not allow him to continue in this role.

I do not know anyone who loves Greensboro more than Mayor Holliday. The people of Greensboro have been very blessed these years by his leadership.

I trust many will join me in saying thank you for a job well done.

Don Miller
Greensboro

The writer is the senior pastor, Westover Church.

As a graduate student in historic preservation at UNCG, I have found the news regarding the Guilford commissioners' dismissal of the county's historic preservation specialist disturbing, to say the least.

While every local government faces difficult budgetary decisions, the action taken by the commissioners will no doubt negatively impact Guilford County's ability to protect and promote its valuable historic resources. Study after study has shown the value of historic properties in enhancing property values and sustaining local tourism, ingredients for a healthy economy.

The commissioners' action once again reinforces Guilford County's already damaged reputation among preservationists because of its callous approach to historic preservation. And while the dismissal may seem minimal or insignificant compared to other budgetary decisions, the action undermines the public's confidence in the commissioners as proper stewards of our local cultural resources.

Perhaps when elected officials finally see the obvious direct correlation historic preservation has on creating a vibrant community, more consideration will be made when making future budget cuts.

Adam Ronan
Burlington

To quote the letter of Joe Wade (July 2), "My mother always said, ‘You are known by the people you associate with.' I am glad to see John Edwards associating with Nelson Johnson, a known and admitted communist. Coincidence?"

And here's another "coincidence," Joe: George Bush invited Vladimir Putin to his family's Maine compound. Seems like more than one American is fraternizing with the enem ... er ... communists!

‘merica, beware! The communists are taking over our politicians.

Mary Coyne Wessling
Greensboro

Did you know that on our city lakes/water sheds, the City Council has decided for us that we cannot properly supervise our children under 16 in our own single person paddle boats? They have taken away our right to teach our children how to kayak/canoe independently.

Who learns how to ride a bike independently if restricted to a tandem bike until they are 16 years old? The same is true with boats. Can we look forward to no single person bikes allowed on public property (which by the way means our streets)? After all, biking is responsible for more accidents per year than kayaking.

Oh, then all of a sudden, 16-year-olds can go out with no supervision on the lakes in a boat. I'd rather supervise my kids for years -- somehow I think that's a little safer.

Karen Hanf
Summerfield

Michael Moore's movie, "Sicko," about our health care system, is excellent. I saw it. Everyone should see it. You might just want to move to Canada, England, France or Cuba afterwards.

It may seem like a dry, boring subject, but it is not. Moore did a fantastic job with this film. He is to be greatly commended. Go see it! You'll be glad you did.

Arden Kirkman
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Fran Pearson, Ellen Jones and Billie M. Pierce

On behalf of mental health and substance abuse consumers across Guilford County, we would like to thank the News & Record for the outstanding editorial on state mental health parity legislation which appeared in the June 29 edition. The author's thorough analysis of the Proposed Committee Substitute (PCS) for House Bill 973, passed by the Senate Health Committee on Wednesday, June 27, offered readers a clear understanding of the need for equity in physical health/mental health insurance along with a broader perspective on the bill's shortcomings and anticipated outcomes.

As was pointed out in the editorial, substance abuse and certain other treatment areas are slighted by the proposed policy and will present a complex set of challenges for providers in treating consumers with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. The article also noted a controversial exclusion in the requirement for small businesses to comply with the legislation.

We agree wholeheartedly with your conclusion: Although PCS House Bill 973 is not a perfect piece of legislation, it is imperative that it is enacted. Your point that "fine tuning"can take place once it is passed is well taken.

Those of us working in the mental health field appreciate your newspaper staff's efforts in promoting public awareness on policy-making decisions related to behavioral health care. Mental health parity encourages consumers to seek and maintain treatment so that they can lead happier, more productive lives. This, in turn, has a positive impact on the quality of life for all Guilford County residents.

Pearson is executive director, the Mental Health Association in Greensboro; Jones is executive director, the Mental Health Association in High Point; and Pierce is director, the Guilford Center.

I am writing regarding a cover story, "Fountain frolic" (June 28) by Donald W. Patterson, photo by H. Scott Hoffmann) regarding the sanctity of Center City Park.

We, as a growing city, cannot afford to underestimate the importance of public spaces. The photo of youngsters cooling off in the spray of Action Greensboro's precious fountains reminded me of Chicago's Millennium Park, where Anish Kapoor's "Cloud Gate" is designed to be touched, where Jaume Plensa's fountains are designed to be frolicked in -- and where hundreds of Chicagoans do so. Should not all public art be accessible?

While kids in the Center City fountains present developers with a "real headache," their use is foremost an encouraging interaction between the fabric of the city itself -- concrete, bricks, water -- and its population. Is this not the point of public art? A place of congregation is something to be cultivated, not chained off.

Save stifling restrictions for the false jungles of corporate lobbies; our parks belong to all Greensborians.

Travis Diehl
Greensboro

There used to be a time when a jihadist was proud to stand tall for his religion and was not afraid to show his face in battle. Today's jihadist skulks in the shadows and wears a ski mask.

Daniel J. Flak
Greensboro

Recently, at a gas station in Greensboro, a gentleman in his late 40s or early 50s asked for a pack of cigarettes. The attendant inquired about his date of birth before he accepted payment.

As I was paying for my gas, I (who am also decades older than 21) asked the attendant whether he would have asked me for my date of birth as well before selling me cigarettes. His response: "Yes, it's company policy," and he would not have sold me any if I hadn't told him.

I walked away, shaking my head in disbelief. Is common sense completely disappearing from our daily lives? Do companies, in their attempt to cover their "legal behinds," rule what we can or cannot buy in clear view of the obvious?

Societies seldom explode or implode upon themselves all of a sudden. There tend to be many small, seemingly innocuous, rules, policies, and/or practices that make us numb and unaware that something is going increasingly wrong with our state of affairs. Could this senseless request for our date of birth be one of those little rules?

Michael H. Hoppe
Greensboro

Recently, someone ran a stop sign in our area into the passenger side of a small car carrying an 8-month old baby boy. Thankfully, his mother escaped with minor injuries. However, paramedics had to perform CPR on the baby, who was flown to Brenner's Children’s Hospital, where he was placed on life support.

Daily we see a growing pattern of traffic violations around us. Yet, I know of a major city in another state where it's awesome to drive. There are hardly any tailgaters and most drivers stay within the speed limit. Either the people there are better drivers or their roads are better patrolled.

North Carolina is one of the fastest-growing states in the nation. We have to make accommodations for this growth, especially on our roads and highways. Some of the most repeated violations in our area are tailgating, not signaling, speeding and running stop signs. More highway patrols could help curb problems and save lives.

As the grandmother of the baby who was in the wreck, I pray that our roads are made safer so others don't have to share the same experience.

Mary Underwood
Asheboro

The story on July 1, "700 rally to put 'Jesus' in [High Point] council meetings," ended with this quote from an attendee: "We feel the ACLU is trying to deny us our rights." It is just the opposite. The ACLU is trying to protect my right -- and the right of every citizen of High Point -- to a City Council that respects our Constitution.

The First Amendment requires every government entity to remain neutral with respect to religion. Nobody's rights to pray are violated when the City Council acts in accord with our Constitution. But everyone's right to a government that does not favor any religion would be violated if those who demand that a Christian prayer be offered were to be successful.

I thank the ACLU, of which I am a proud member, for its efforts to protect all of our rights.

Ellen W. Gerber
High Point

"Readin', 'Rite-in' and 'Rithmetic." There it was in Charles Davenport's column -- that century-old phrase as a refrain throughout. The sounds of my grandfather's voice echoed. Yes, the newspaper's banner read June 24. Yet, Davenport reiterated views of someone born in the 19th century when local schools served students whose futures were much the same as parents and parents' parents.

Today, we live in an information-driven, globally connected world where economies of developing nations impact and alter markets and employment patterns.

Considering it's impossible to imagine the next five years of innovation, a narrow emphasis on readin', 'rite-in' and 'rithmetic is shortsighted and potentially crippling to youth.

The 3 R's are tools for supporting the mind's work and need repeated drill and practice throughout K-12. Diversity, empathy, equality, innovation, and integrity are states of mind that enable the future and hopefully become habits of mind.

The challenge is to do it all. Our youth need to be taught tools of thinking and multiple ways to think so they will lead the future, not mop it up. If they learn how to think they'll go beyond what they know, or their parents know, or their parents' parents know.

Patricia Gray
Jamestown

As a retired Navy man, I was happy to spend 20 years helping to keep our country free and providing the legal immigrants an opportunity to come to my country and enjoy freedom and the chance to improve.

Now with all the political correctness going on, and because we can't call illegal immigrants what they really are, criminals, I find that I have to declare if I want to use English or Spanish to withdraw money or use my credit card. Is it too much to ask that an immigrant learn our language?

James Hamilton
Greensboro

In response to Mike Pugh's quest to put prayers to Jesus back in City Council meetings ("700 Rally to put 'Jesus' in Council Meetings," July 1), Pugh and others seeking to put Jesus in a public forum should consider the words of Matthew:

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:1, 5-7, NIV)

Richard Samul
Nampa, Idaho

The dropout problem you write about is certainly not unique to North Carolina. It is a national problem, one hidden by school districts everywhere.

If not hidden, then why isn't every district publishing online its annual enrollment numbers by grade going back 20 years? Such a report, with the number of diplomas given out each year, gives the most easily available image of dropout rates.

Such a report makes it impossible to claim a 2 percent dropout rate while the number of diplomas is only half the number of ninth-grade students.

If you Google "dropout cure," the first hit is the Middle School Archive Project at www.StudentMotivation.org. This "rotating" time-capsule project encourages students to plan for their own futures.

They write a letter to themselves the last week of eighth grade about their history and their plans. They place this letter into the School Archive, a 350-pound vault bolted to the floor in the school lobby.

They know they will be invited back in 10 years to retrieve their letter and speak with the current eighth-grade class. What will they have learned in 10 years? Would they do anything differently if they were 13 again?

Bill Betzen
Dallas, Texas

Here's my question: Why do the hard working, taxpaying citizens of North Carolina have to subsidize all of the other 49 states? Could it be that all of the other states have better representation in Washington than we do? It certainly seems so to me.

According to the latest figures available, North Carolina ranks last in receiving money from Washington for pet projects. Alaska, which has about the same population as the Triad, received $l,044 per resident and North Carolina received barely $25.

Our state, which ranks among the 10 most heavily populated states, and which is growing at about 475 new people each day, deserves better. In fact, North Carolina, one of the premier states in our country, doesn't deserve to be last in anything.

So, the next time you vote for someone to represent us in Washington, let's select a person who thinks of us as first, or certainly in the top 10, not dead last.

James H. Pate
Greensboro

Just last week, while watching the national news, a big story broke on the bald eagle and its removal from the endangered species list. The story went on to warn, however, that killing the bird or tampering with its eggs still carries stiff federal penalties.

Fine. Great! So be it, whether it's the bird or some obscure mudskipper in a swamp somewhere, the cause is noble. Why then, is not the same stiff federal penalty imposed on the wholesale disposal of human eggs/fetuses through the completely immoral act of abortion?

Approximately 4,000 babies per day are killed or "tampered with," with no more forethought or afterthought than disposing of a used handkerchief. The stench of such an act reaches all the way to heaven, you can be sure, and the eternal price for murder will come due and be paid.

As a nation, we need to follow the advice of the Apostle John. Repent. Now.

Joe Hughes
Oak Ridge

This is in regard to the article, "700 rally to put Jesus in council meetings" (July 1). I think that the world would be a better place if Christians were to practice what Jesus preached. It bothers me when people twist (or ignore) his words to promote their particular agenda.

According to Matthew, Jesus said that people who pray in public are hypocrites and that when people pray they should go home, shut the door, and pray to the Father in secret.

Jesus also said, "Render unto Caesar (the government) what is Caesar's," and he warned about serving two masters.

High Point City Council member Mike Pugh says he answers to a higher power. If he really wants to follow Jesus, but not leave the government, then the first thing he should do is give his money to charity. Then he should spend the rest of his political career trying to help the poor, sick and dispossessed, and standing against war. He should also stand against the death penalty. I am pretty sure that Jesus was against torture and executions. We need separation of church and state, not public prayers.

Chuck Mann
Greensboro

After Sept. 11, rather than defeat our enemies in Afghanistan with the full force of our military power, the support of allies and world opinion, this administration chose to initiate an ill-advised, ill-planned war in Iraq. The divisiveness this created in our country can only be compared to Vietnam.

If any citizen dared question the wisdom of that war, his patriotism was "suspect" in order to stifle dissent. This can only be likened to the McCarthy era -- a shameful period in our history.

Now we are confronted with another "Watergate." This secretive, arrogant administration believes that it is above the law and accountable to no one. "Scooter" Libby will not be "Deep Throat" in this saga as his silence has been guaranteed with the president's commutation of his jail sentence. We can only hope that all the secrets of the president's men will eventually be revealed to us.

For now, I find inspiration in our history this Independence Day. Have we not yet learned our lessons from Bush/Cheney, or do we wait for a constitutional crisis before we say enough?

Carol P. Stevens
Greensboro

Slow down, please. I do not expect you to creep, just do the speed limit of 35 mph. Jefferson Road is heavily traveled with bikes, motorcycles, cars, about any kind of truck you can name (beer, soda, pickup, dump, grocery, etc.), trailers with large pieces of equipment and lawn supplies being hauled, moving vans, runners and babies being pushed in strollers.

On the straightaway going south from Friendly Road to New Garden Road, there have been auto accidents (one speeder passed the car in front of him on the right of the driver because he was going so fast he could not stop), dogs killed and injured, and the daylights scared out of me as I step off the curb to open my mailbox.

From my driveway, I have observed drivers going south down Jefferson Road run right b