News-Record.com

I do not have time to read all the paper, or listen to all the hype, but I did hear enough about Reza Salami protesting a Christian bumper sticker in a patrol car.

I, too, could be considered a practicing Christian, and I, too, would be offended to be placed in the back of a patrol car with a sticker aimed at me shouting,
"Jesus is your savior."

First off, I think we know not all denominations use this phrase.

Secondly, I feel that my spiritual or religious beliefs are personal, and Bible-thumpers are intrusive.

Lastly, such an evangelical remark really does not belong in a vehicle that was bought with my tax money.

I can't sit in judgment of whether Salami was right or wrong in whatever he was apprehended for, but I can say that as a spiritual person, I am offended at times by what people pass off as being Christian.

Valery Kepley
Oak Ridge

We have had a scandal with the police chief, murders up in our community, sex scandal with officers, etc. I work in manufacturing. If we ran our business like our Police Department is being run, we would not be in business any longer.

Why are the citizens of Greensboro accepting this? Sure, our illustrious City Council, made up of lawyers, real-estate and land developers, says it is concerned. It will
"meet" on the subject!

I run in the downtown area about every day and it is a lawless society while on foot. No one follows any pedestrian right-of-way laws. We had a friend whose house was vandalized. The burglar was still in the house when 911 was called. The police said they were busy and it took more than 20 minutes.

Something is wrong, and the answer is not getting more officers. It is getting the right officers and leadership. Maybe Greensboro should consider getting outside the
"good ol' boy" network and hire someone to run the department who is an accomplished businessman.

I think others would agree the citizens of Greensboro really only want one thing out of the Police Department: customer service in the way of a safe and law-abiding community.

Cary Wren
Greensboro

The following id a Counterpoint

By Susie Barnes

Francie Portnoy was inspired to write "How can Christians be so mean-spirited" (Counterpoint, Dec. 22) after reading a Leonard Pitts column. I'm rarely inspired by Pitts. He'll use anything to bolster his opinion of what is right and wrong with the world, rarely looking beyond his favorite stereotypes. The N&R editorial staff publishes his column probably because it's easier to run it than to ferret out other more worthy material.

The N&R wasn't just lazy when it picked Portnoy's Counterpoint, it was asleep at the switch. Her article was one-dimensional, and she lumped all Christians together under a single umbrella. Since the label "Christian" describes millions of people all over this planet, her generalization is patently untrue and should've been rejected by the N&R as a waste of ink.
Portnoy wants us to believe that this enormous group of people are all prune-faced, judgmental people. A vast percentage of Christians strive to emulate Christ as well as demonstrate his love for others and aren't as judgmental as she thinks we are.

That acquaintance of hers isn't mean-spirited because she's a Christian. She's mean-spirited because she's a butt-head. Butt-heads come in all different stripes, ethnicities, religions, genders and sexual orientations. People who hurt others do so because they don't care about anyone else's feelings. They just want to prove how smart, clever, right or righteous they are. That's what her acquaintance was doing, being a butt-head.

You know what to do when confronted by butt-heads? Ignore them. The more attention these people attract, the stronger they get and the worse you feel. Don't talk to this woman, don't open her e-mails, don't return her calls.

Maybe the next time the N&R gets a letter like Portnoy's, it will consider whether it will add to the free exchange of ideas that typifies a good opinion page. I would also hope that Portnoy opens her eyes and sees how many Christians there are who stretch themselves toward the kindness end of the spectrum. They outnumber the butt-heads tremendously.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

No matter when I read it or how I read it, the Constitution does not contain within it the phrase "separation of church and state." Nor does the Bill of Rights nor the Declaration of Independence. It just isn't there.

It was not intended to be there. If the framers had wanted it in there, they could have written it in just those words. Rosemary Roberts had no trouble writing those words six times in her brief column (Dec. 14). Surely our founding fathers were as skilled in using the English language as she is.

For those who really want to know, the phrase was culled from a private letter from Thomas Jefferson to the Association of Danbury Baptists 11 years after ratification of the First Amendment. Jefferson used his wording, "a wall of separation between church and state," to assure the Baptists that the federal government would not establish a federally recognized "state" religion. That was a private letter, not a federal proclamation.

It has been said that if you repeat something loud enough and long enough, people will come to believe it. Don't believe this repeated falsehood, that the separation of church and state is in the Constitution. It isn't and it never has been.

Harold F. Waldruff
Madison

The prospect of New Hanover County state Rep. Thomas Wright becoming the first legislator expelled from the N.C. General Assembly in nearly a century provides another jolt to citizen confidence in our democracy.

The state legislative ethics committee charged with looking into Wright's legal woes apparently found enough evidence to warrant a hearing - which could lead to a recommendation for Wright's removal from the office.

When that hearing takes place, it will be fully open to the public - a first for North Carolina, as until 2007, all legislative ethics hearings were held in closed session unless the legislator in question requested an open hearing.

The N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform was the primary instigator calling for all state ethics hearings to be open once probable cause is found. We applaud legislators for heeding this call and changing the law to make all state ethics hearings open.

Government works best in full sunshine. More transparency, not less, is how the people's confidence in our democracy will be restored.

Jane B. Pinsky
Raleigh
The writer is director, N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform

I feel compelled to offer a few words in support of capitalism during these holidays. I know most members of the community feel differently.

Over time my enthusiasm for Christmas has waxed and waned, often in response to additions and subtractions in my family or bank account. Constant, however, was my belief that civilization needn't grind completely to a halt, whether one celebrates the birth of a savior or a once-a-year chance to gather with family. Separate occurrences this Christmas have reinforced this belief.

A Christmas Eve blood-clot scare sent my girlfriend's mother to the hospital. She's fine, but none of the mega-retailers clamoring for my business all year could fill her important prescriptions at 9 p.m. except one: Walgreens.

Family celebrations completed, Christmas was to be spent experimenting with our present to ourselves, a new all-in-one printer. A USB cable adapter kit from Walgreens, which an incompetent printer salesman twice assured me wouldn't be necessary, rescued the day.

Judging by the volume of business on both occasions, I'm not alone in my beliefs. Society needs more than doctors, policemen and firemen to function, whether Tuesdays or holidays. Walgreens wisely filled a niche and won my business in 2008.

Hank Greeson
High Point

Your article of Dec. 23, "Retire? He's not ready," says a lot about 6th District Congressman Howard Coble. But perhaps the article says even more about Jay Ovittore, an announced Democratic challenger. Ovittore suggested that anyone who has served as long as Coble begins to get cynical and corrupt.

I have known Coble for many years and shared the platform with him at numerous events, especially programs honoring our veterans and ex-POWs. Coble is a man of the people, visible throughout the 6th District. He is constantly meeting with constituent groups, area businesses, speaking to schoolchildren, veterans' groups and listening to the concerns of voters. He has assembled a talented and committed staff that provides perhaps the best constituent service of anyone in Congress.

Coble consistently receives 70 percent voter support. This suggests many Democratic voters appreciate the solid job he delivers in representing them. I commend Ovittore for joining the political discourse, but he should drop the personal attacks and debate the real issues.

Coble has always served the good folks of the 6th District with honor, distinction and dedicated service. I will do all I can to ensure he continues as "Our Congressman."

Bill Wright
Pleasant Garden

The writer is chairman of the Guilford County Republican Party.

I just read the article, "Teachers' pet peeve: Useless gifts."

As an elementary school teacher, I sincerely appreciate any gift a student gives at Christmas.

The best gift I've received was a toy duck. The duck was in poor condition, but the heart and attitude of the student were not.

Teachers who complain that they didn't get something that fits their style should consider the selfless nature of our profession. How unfortunate it is to complain about a gift from a child.

Brian Webb
Greensboro

After reading headlines, "Credit card debts, defaults rising sharply," "Recession on the horizon," "More foreclosures," "Unemployment rises," you would think we need to put any extra money we have in our mattresses.

It is time to report the other side of these headlines. I realize that people have financial burdens, and I know what it feels like. I just wish all the news was reported.

Did you know that in the United States, 96.3 percent of the people are working? Did you know that inflation is under 3 percent? Did you know that the stock market was up approximately 6 percent for 2007? Did you know that more than 97 percent of mortgages are being paid on time?

It is time for those who report the news to report all of it. It is sad that our news outlets don't provide accurate information. By the way, if I have any extra money, I will be investing it, because that is one way to become less dependent on Uncle Sam!

Don Wendelken
Summerfield

I understand that corporations, including insurance corporations, have a responsibility to their shareholders. That does not give them the right to make medical decisions that contribute to a patient's demise. Cigna effectively did that in the case of Nataline Sarkisyan, the California teen who was denied coverage for a liver transplant by Cigna Healthcare.

The insurer was not there by her bedside to make an adequate assessment. Insurers simply have medical directors sitting at desks, rubber-stamping denials for critical patient care. Their subscribers rely on them to approve coverage for medical treatment requested on their behalf by qualified physicians, yet it's so simple to deny coverage if you remove yourself from any emotional attachment to those vulnerable patients.

We have no way to know if the transplant would have given this critically ill teen another chance. Of course, by the time Cigna reversed its decision, Nataline Sarkisyan had absolutely no chance of survival.

The insurance industry has contributed to a very sick health care system in our country. This case is a tragedy. As Cigna Healthcare reaps the benefits of its bottom line, I hope that its employees are ashamed of this decision.

Rita T. White
Greensboro

It's the New Year, and that means resolutions. I'm ready (a survivor of many well-intended and long-forgotten resolves).

With clean slate in hand, I promise to dump the Bah Humbug attitude of looking at things. Forgive and forget is the way to go. No longer will these petty annoyances irritate me:

* Loud, obnoxious and silly advertising (TV and newspaper). Buy one, get one free. $4.99, not $5. Cars on mountain peaks and in the middle of rivers. Head On! (Repeat five times and end with Head On!)

* Bad drivers, it's OK. Pass me full speed ahead, cell phone in hand, no turn signal.

* Technological advances. HD, DVD, LED, MP3, blue teeth, Ipod, digital this and that. No on/off button.

* Extreme politics: Washington, Raleigh, Greensboro, everywhere.

Suggestion: Work together for the common good. Leave religion out of it and check the dictionary for Integrity and Principle.

Hey, I'm feeling better about 2008. Bring it on!

Bill Beerman
Greensboro

In 1996, my husband and I moved from our hometown of Jacksonville, N.C., to Greensboro to start our family. As medical professionals, we are able to find employment virtually anywhere. We chose Greensboro because of its reputation as a thriving center for the arts.

However, I am beginning to regret that decision because of a recent ruling by the Guilford County Board of Education to cut my child's elementary art and music classes by 50 percent.

Does Greensboro truly value the arts? Do we want to be the kind of city that attracts young professionals and hardworking families?

While studies prove art and music improve test scores and lower dropout rates, don't all children deserve arts education, not just children who attend private school or whose parents can afford private instruction? With climbing dropout rates and gang violence threatening our schools, are we willing to widen the gulf between the privileged and disadvantaged children in our county?

I believe there's hope for all children in the arts. We must pass this gift on to the next generation through strong support of arts education.

If just one generation fails to value the arts, we are in danger of losing them forever.

Catherine Barnette
Greensboro

On behalf of the multiracial team of folk who spearheaded the communitywide effort for a state historical marker in honor of the 1957 sit-in in Durham, we thank you for the wonderfully supportive News & Record editorial that appeared Dec. 27 ("Durham sit-in gets its due").

Throughout the campaign for the Royal Ice Cream Sit-in marker, extreme care was taken to ensure that there was not even the slightest perception of competition with the more famous Woolworth's sit-in in 1960.

Your editorial positively confirms that the Greensboro Four, the Durham Seven and citizens from many other locales had the very same goal, which was to end racial segregation.

Thanks again for the editorial.

Eddie Davis
Durham

The United States starts another year without single-payer, government-funded health care. Europe, Canada and Japan adopted this humane policy decades ago.

American generosity doesn't mean much without a policy that extends to all Americans the health coverage that has worked so well for those older than 65. Oddly enough, a generous plan like single-payer would save us money.

Americans with their profit-driven private insurance are widely reported to spend twice what any other nations do on health care. Yet we rank 37th in quality.

Why the low rating? One in six is uninsured, including Americans working full time. More are poorly served by the coverage they do have.

This lack of health care drives our costs up as health problems worsen without early treatment. This neglect also leads to an estimated 18,000 excess deaths a year.

That means 20 times more Americans died from lack of health coverage this year than died fighting in Iraq.

A single-payer plan would also be simpler and protect us from poverty. Missing or inadequate health coverage is a major reason Americans fall into poverty.

Isn't it time we direct our presidential candidates and representatives to get behind single-payer universal health care?

Anne Cassebaum
Elon

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Mona Shattell

UNC President Erskine Bowles' proposal to allow undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition has fueled a strong anti-immigrant tone in our community. Jennifer Krawiec's Counterpoint, "Helping illegals harms the rest of us" (Dec. 19), is just one example.

Like Krawiec's great-grandparents, many of the undocumented immigrants to which she referred endure poverty. Poverty among the Latino population in the United States is astonishing.

According to the Census Bureau, 22 percent of Latinos live below the federal poverty line, versus 10.6 percent of Caucasians.

The out-of-state tuition requirement is a major barrier to a college education for undocumented immigrants. Only an estimated 5 percent to 10 percent of undocumented immigrants attend college after high school.

Some undocumented immigrants have overcome financial barriers and have enrolled in the UNC higher educational system. Undocumented immigrants enrolled in the UNC system are required to pay out-of-state tuition, even if they have lived in our state for many years (brought to the U.S. by their parents) and were educated in our public schools.

From an economic standpoint, improving the opportunities for a college education makes sense; college graduates have greater earning power and therefore pay more taxes.

According to the Immigration Policy Center, "a 30-year-old Mexican immigrant woman with a college degree will pay $5,300 more in taxes and cost $3,900 less in government expenses each year compared to a high school dropout with similar characteristics."

But it is more than business and economics. It is what is moral and just. The anti-immigrant sentiment evidenced in Krawiec's Counterpoint, in addition to several recent letters to the editor, has made me question, Where is our humanity?

Why aren't we as a community interested in the betterment of everyone?

Where are the compassion, empathy and concern for others?

I am reminded of a poem on display at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.:

"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Socialist.

"Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Trade Unionist.

"Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Jew.

"Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me."

The writer is an assistant professor in the School of Nursing at UNCG.

In reference to your article in the Dec. 29 News & Record and previous articles about the three local police officers who allegedly sexually assaulted a female police officer, I would like to make the following comments.

Your newspaper complained about the lack of information regarding the circumstances of the alleged assault and rightly so. Now that the City Council and Police Department have released more information about the situation, it helps me and others to understand what might have happened.

According to the articles, there was another female (friend of the alleged victim) also picked up. There has been no other information about the friend. Was she a witness to the alleged assault or perhaps also assaulted? If the City Council or Police Department won't say, the News & Record could at least relate that there was no information submitted to the paper about the other female.

So, your paper is just as guilty as the others as far as withholding information.

Bernard L. Zales
Greensboro

Due to exceptional drought, Gov. Easley has mandated citizens and municipalities "tighten their water belts" several more notches. The town of Elon has asked residents to cut back on consumption and curtail unnecessary usage.

The drought indicator well in Gibsonville shows a frightening and continual drop in ground-water levels. Area lakes and ponds are shrinking, and rain that has fallen in the past few months has not changed things one iota.

According to the Burlington Times-News, Elon University is conserving both energy and natural resources. The administration, staff and student body deserve praise. However, the water in its Lake Mary Nell periodically and mysteriously overflows, even in the drought.

We were shocked to learn that the university pumps water into the lake through a 3-inch pipe from a well on its property. It uses this "lake water" for landscape irrigation. Evidently, this is OK because they're important people with lots of money and powerful connections.

The university should be ashamed. While maintaining one of the most beautiful campuses in the country is admirable, doing so by depleting the water table is not.

Judy Barbour
Elon

As another year closes and an election year begins, it might be good to recap the accomplishments of the Bush administration these past few years:

1. Our schools have been converted from places of learning to places of testing, leaving many children behind. (Farewell, love of learning.)

2. We invented the practice of having a secret panel of oil and gas executives shape energy and climate-change policy. (So long, ice caps.)

3. Free speech has been relegated to approved "zones." (Goodbye, Constitution.)

4. We have learned that simulated drownings are not really torture. It depends on what you mean by torture. (Adios, clarity.)

5. We have revived the Watergate practice of destroying tapes containing incriminating evidence. (Go figure.)

6. We have decided to spy on Americans, just in case they are involved in terror. (Talk about terrifying.)

7. We have continued to spend billions of dollars -- and many young lives -- every day in a made-up war against an enemy who had no WMDs, who did not attack us, and who is long gone. (No goal, no end in sight.)

8. We have reinvented the American language to include new pronunciations like nookyulur and sossel security. (Goodbye, English.)

Christopher Poulos
Greensboro

In his Counterpoint, I found Paul King's comments (Dec. 30) about Marcus Kindley's letter (Dec. 15) somewhat correct for all the wrong reasons.

I agree that keeping church and state separate is necessary, but to imply that "secularism" deserves some kind of over-importance to the spiritual values that can be found within religions is a misstatement.

Truly, we all hold separate "truths," but they are based on our separate impressions. To espouse the idea that "I've found 'The Truth' and you've missed it" would be wrong. Edgar Cayce said it best: "We do not 'go' to heaven, we 'grow' to it."

If "heaven" and "spiritual happiness" equate to the same thing -- and I think they do -- then religion has its place and its limits, which includes a responsibility for not lording separate beliefs over others. Otherwise, all that this country was built on is forever lost.

Ray Hylton
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Glenn D. Dobrogosz

Please visit the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Web site and read the statement released by Jim Maddy, president and CEO. The following is an excerpt:

"AZA accreditation standards contain no specific dimensions for big cat enclosures. Our highly trained inspectors consider many factors when determining if an exhibit meets the standard. They look at the number, nature, and location of barriers; physical terrain; number, age and physical condition of the animals; and the scientifically known physical capabilities of the animals in the exhibit."

The Natural Science Center's new Animal Discovery project has been inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the AZA. Our institution will freely release these recent inspection results.

Both affirm our institution's high standards. USDA inspections are federally mandated, while AZA accreditation is completely voluntary with only 10 percent of the nation's USDA-licensed facilities meeting these rigorous standards.

The Science Center's AZA inspection results listed one major and 11 minor concerns, none of which contained anything to do with the tiger enclosure. In fact, the inspection went so well, our only major concern was to fix an $8 GFCI outlet.

With the outrigger, our tiger exhibit fence is 14 feet tall. Unlike a solid rock barrier, like the alleged escape route in San Francisco, our 9-gauge steel, plastic-coated fence does not provide structure or grip for these big cats. In addition, our professional keepers inspect the exhibit perimeter daily under a strict two-person protocol.

Visitor, animal and keeper safety, as well as meeting AZA standards, were the foundations on which we designed and built Animal Discovery.

The role of the Natural Science Center is to spark interest, inspire curiosity and instill knowledge about science, species conservation and the spectacular diversity of our natural world. We encourage and promote fun, safe and family-focused learning.

The writer is executive director, Natural Science Center of Greensboro.

Francie Portnoy asks why Christians are mean-spirited (Counterpoint, Dec. 22). She alleges narrow-mindedness because we don't accept other ways to heaven except through Christ.

Blaming the messenger rather than the message, her problem is with Jesus, not His followers. She claims Jesus never made exclusionary statements. Really? Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." That's exclusionary.

My problem with her letter is this statement: "While I see Jesus as a very wise prophet, I do not define him as God." The question isn't how Portnoy defines Jesus but how Jesus defined Himself. Scripture shows Jesus claimed Divinity ("Before Abraham was, I AM"). He cannot be a good man by claiming to be God if He isn't; that would make Him a liar. Either He's a liar, or He's God. Isn't God trustworthy?

True Christians aren't mean-spirited. They have a heartfelt concern for a lost and dying world refusing to accept Him as savior.

Read II Corinthians, chapter 3. My wife, born Jewish, came to Christ in her 20s and relates to these verses.

Don Phillips
Reidsville

We have been working on a project to clean up the environment. It surprised us greatly how many recyclable items were thrown on the side of the road. Most of the items were glass and cans.

It would be awesome if everyone would start recycling. It bothers us to see all the damage it is doing to the environment. What many people probably don't understand is how it affects the environment. It harms animals because they might eat glass, a can or paper and choke. It also harms people by contaminating the water they drink.

In the end, it hurts all living things. So, if everyone could start or continue recycling, it would be greatly appreciated. Not only by us humans, but by the animals, too!

Breanna Hunt
Elizabeth Ward
Reece Floyd
The writers are Kernodle Middle School students.

Memo to all federal employees:

Since the federal government, at the insistence of the ACLU, has decreed that God and His Son, Jesus Christ, are no longer recognized as part of the makeup of this country and its citizens, all employees of this government, and especially the Congress who initially issued the decree, will observe Christmas Day as a normal work day. If anyone has scheduled this day as a day off, you will be penalized one day's pay with no appeal, even though you might profess Christianity as your religious belief and claim that the day is the birthday of Jesus Christ and shall be a day of Christian observance.

Therefore, I want to see all government employees at work on Christmas Day, carrying on business as usual.

Your Employer,

An Irritated Taxpayer and Practicing Christian

As a Christian, I am offended that our government is eliminating all references to God and Jesus Christ everywhere.

Note to non-Christians: Celebrate the holiday your own way, but don't tell Christians how to celebrate the birthday of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Cecil Livengood
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By David K. Rice

Regarding the editorial, "Agenda for 2008: Promote One Guilford" (Dec. 30), and John Robinson's column, "Council's action a good first step toward healing" (Dec. 30):

You talk of a united Guilford for 2008. You point to many diverse interests. Need a rallying point?

Our history teems with patriotism, from Gen. Greene to the Overseas Replacement Depot here during World War II to the troop support stickers on every other auto. We have young people yearning for direction in the high school and college ROTC programs. We have returning Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans. Let's go all out on the front page for our history and our returning veterans. Let's turn out the mayors, commissioners, bands and floats and make a big deal of it. We are at war, guys, and the nation needs our support. Let's be the heart of it.

Put aside our petty self-complaints. Get the governments, hospitals, schools, colleges and tech colleges on board. Promote special jobs and education for the veterans, especially in the nanotech and jet fields.

Celebrate their returns. Develop special local tax and education benefits.

Be proud of our young aspirants, our prospective military leaders, including our service academy appointees. Energize our veterans' groups. Recognize our local heroes: Gen. Hugh Shelton, who led the famous "All-American" 82nd Airborne Division; Charlie Myers, who lied about his age to get into the military, was bombed by the Japanese in the Aleutians and flew C-47s (remember the Berlin Airlift?). And what about the in-flight refuelers, flown over the Atlantic by Lee Richmond? And/or the Navy P-3Es guarding our skies and seas over the Aleutians, flown by Larry Phillips? And then there are the wives who kept the home fires burning. The returning veteran, Spc. Ann Bowen, should have been on the front page.

Stand up, be proud, Guilford.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

Forsyth County commissioners Chairwoman Gloria Whisenhunt and her board enhanced citizen involvement in the Heart of the Triad's planning process. Heeding Commissioner Walter Marshall's concern that business and development interests could hijack the residents' positions of the committee, they clarified the resolution by noting that the Forsyth County residents serving as property owners on the advisory board cannot be qualified to serve in another capacity.

In a separate action, commissioners resolved not to use eminent domain to aid development in that area.

The Winston-Salem City Council validated landowner concerns by unanimously changing the resolution to state that the "city does not endorse any specific plan" for development. Citizens are pleased with the added language.

Perhaps other governing bodies will follow Forsyth County and Winston-Salem leadership. Adding language that requires clear, reasonable goals by which the work of the HOT committees' success may be measured and seating agricultural, environmental and historic preservation experts on the committees would be invaluable.

After all, active listening is what endears officials in the hearts of their constituents and celebrates the wisdom of all the community.

Donna Bonds
Kernersville

The past 12 months have indeed been the year of eating dangerously.

Consumer Reports got things rolling by reporting that 83 percent of all raw chickens harbor campylobacter or salmonella, leading causes of food-borne disease. Spring and summer brought 20 recalls of 30 million pounds of ground beef contaminated with lethal E. coli.

All through the year, two dozen scientific reports, including a mammoth one by the World Cancer Research Fund, linked meat and dairy consumption with elevated risk of colon, stomach, pancreatic, prostate, breast, uterine and ovarian cancers.

A dozen more reports linked meat and dairy with obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. A survey of 30,000 children by the National Center for Health Statistics indicated an alarming rise in high blood pressure, a precursor to heart attack and stroke.

Leonardo DiCaprio's documentary, "The 11th Hour," reminded us that, according to the U.N., animal agriculture accounts for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions — more than automobiles.

The national uproar over Michael Vick's brutal dogfighting operation made us wonder why we tolerate the brutal treatment and slaughter of billions of cows, pigs and other innocent, sentient animals for our dinner tables.

Glenn Gustafson
Greensboro

The article on the Army wanting to set up light-infantry training grounds at the Savannah River Site and National Laboratory ("Army looks to S.C. nuclear site for training in total darkness," Dec. 24, page B4) suggested that the reservation occupies only 310 acres in South Carolina. In fact, the Savannah River Site is spread out over 310 square miles and encompasses portions of Aiken, Allendale and Barnwell counties. The site was built during the 1950s to generate and refine nuclear materials for deployment in nuclear weapons.

As the Associated Press story indicated, the original production facilities, such as reactors and heavy-water separations, waste storage tanks and analytical laboratories for nuclear materials, occupy about 10 percent of the area, leaving the majority of the land available for alternative uses. However, given the highly sensitive and secure nature of this site, the uses are extremely restricted. It is debatable whether the Army should be allowed to conduct training operations under such conditions.

Continued research into alternative forms of energy (e.g., hydrogen), safe disposal of radioactive waste and the ecological effects of ionizing radiation and heavy elements seem to be more desirable uses of this unusual chunk of land.

James L. Wilmer
Stokesdale

Most Americans know who said, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country."

I would like to modify that saying a bit: "Ask what you can do for your pocketbook and for your country."

On a recent trip to New Jersey, I set the cruise control on our 2001 Dodge Stratus to five miles below the speed limit. The average miles per gallon at the end of the trip was 38.7.

Driving the local roads, I try to stay also at five miles below the speed limit. The miles per gallon range about 24 to 26 miles. Frequently, on local roads, I catch up to those who have passed me at the next traffic light.

The point being, if we all drove at a lower speed, the miles per gallon would increase with less demand for imported oil, less demand on the refineries and a surplus of gasoline with a drop in price.

Raymond G. Brandes
Colfax

If the point of the letter by the Rev. Harold Waldruff (Jan. 1) is that there is no constitutional wall preventing religious arguments in our current political discussion, I quite agree. But if his meaning exceeds this, and even slightly suggests that this is a Muslim, Jewish, Christian or even a godly nation, then he implies a religious test for office.

The position is a clear rejection of our right to the free exercise of religion under Article VI of our federal Constitution.

May we never forget that we broke away from the awesome power of His Britannic Majesty George III, designated so by the grace of God and who was by law an Anglican Christian. We adopted a constitution, a government, simply by "We the people ..."

Leigh Rodenbough
Greensboro

You move here illegally from a foreign country at 18 months old with your parents. They work hard, pay taxes and make sure you go to school. You graduate from high school third in your class, with many of your peers going to top colleges. But what about you? It does not matter how smart you are or how much savings you have. The best you can do is get a job as an illegal alien. There is no college for you.

Looking at the bigger picture, if we do not grant guest worker passes to those who are already here, what will happen? We will have a huge population of "Americanized" kids only allowed low-income jobs. Crackdowns on hiring illegals will result in more of what we saw in Texas on Nov. 14.

There are half a million illegal immigrants in North Carolina. Let's allow them to continue their education. Education has proven to reduce crime and create "good citizens." Since most Latinos already have fantastic family values, a real sense of responsibility and the desire to achieve their goals, I think making them legal, contributing visitors is more important than how many seats their children are taking. Let's treat them with the respect they deserve.

Tracy Lamothe
Greensboro

With the exception of bonafide employers, most all U.S. citizens (including politicians) have absolutely no knowledge of capitalism even though they support and participate in it daily. No matter man's attempt at regulation, capitalism will always have its way of mandating the best product at the least price.

We citizens are indeed capitalism, and therefore encourage and invite undocumented Latino migration into our great country. There are no exceptions, none.

Prove it by asking yourself some simple purchase questions. We could have reasonable immigration reform if we could accept ourselves as we truly are.

Richard Lloyd
Thomasville

Environmental safety. What does it mean? The environment is very important. As students and citizens of Guilford County, we are concerned about what is going on in our environment. Our group went to Bur-Mil Park and picked up trash.

This was a project that all students on the Murphy/Craven team at Kernodle Middle School did. We were sent into groups and had to choose something that had an effect on the environment. We found that we mostly picked up trash that was soda cans and plastic bottles. Altogether, we picked up 85 items.

While we were at Bur-Mil Park, we went on Big Loop Trail (which was near the pool entrance). Overall, we had a pretty good time helping our environment.

Tiesha Lea
Zoe Schulze
Amelia Fuqua
Hunter Nunley
Aaron DiMattia

The writers are students at Kernodle Middle School.

Elon University shares the concerns of a newspaper reader about the ongoing drought affecting North Carolina. Her recent letter, "Elon should explain use of lake water to irrigate" (Jan. 4) misses an important aspect of our conservation efforts.

Elon uses campus lakes to collect rainwater for irrigation. The university routinely transfers water between lakes using a 3-inch pipe to maximize water retention. Because the lakes collect runoff from surrounding neighborhoods, even a small amount of rain can quickly raise water levels. Maintaining optimum lake levels allows us to make the most of environmental conditions without depleting natural resources.

Unfortunately, the reader may have mistaken that water transfer as evidence that the university was pumping water from a well. While we typically do pump from a well when needed to maintain an irrigation supply, Elon chose to stop the practice this fall because of dry conditions.

Elon supports the sentiment of this reader, who is concerned about water conservation in a time of shortage. The university has initiated many water conservation projects over the years. As a result, per-capita water usage by the students who live on campus is 35 percent lower than the average per-capita indoor consumption for families nationwide.

Tom Flood
Elon

The writer is superintendent of landscaping and grounds, Elon University.

Thank you for reminding readers about opportunities to donate used items to area nonprofits ("Donate Do's," Dec. 27).

The Barnabas Network, a nonprofit not listed in the article, is an interfaith collaborative effort to help significantly disadvantaged families and families experiencing major crises. This includes mothers and children fleeing domestic violence, families moving from homelessness, and families whose homes have been damaged or destroyed by fire or other disaster.

The Barnabas Network takes donations of gently used furniture and gives to people in need. Drivers receiving donated furniture are prompt and courteous and will gladly remove pieces from attics and basements. Barnabas uses warehouse space, donated by business owner Jim Rucker, where clients may "shop" for free items.

Unlike other area nonprofits, Barnabas will accept box springs and mattresses in good condition. In fact, Barnabas has a great need for beds, especially for children, hundreds of whom sleep on the floor every night in the Triad.

The holiday season is over, but the need for used furniture exists year round. When someone donates furniture to The Barnabas Network, there are at least three good outcomes: The donor gets a tax credit, furniture is kept out of landfills and a family in need receives help.

Rosalyn Orr
Greensboro

Having recently read an article in the News & Record, I am struck by three thoughts.

First, I find it inconceivable that Jesus, who advised his followers to "render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's," would have any problem with the concept of separation of church and state.

Legal scholars have specifically stated that posting religious slogans of any sort in a publicly owned vehicle is in violation of the law. Why do we continue to debate this dead issue?

Second, the Ninth Amendment clearly states that "the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."

As such, Harold Waldruff's assertion (letter, Jan. 1) that such separation does not exist because it is not mentioned in the Constitution is without foundation. The concept repeatedly has been upheld by the nation's courts.

Finally, Susie Barnes (Counterpoint, Jan. 1) urges us to "see how many Christians there are who "outnumber the butt-heads tremendously." She might do well toward convincing us of that by refraining from the use of puerile insults.

I've searched my Bible and I can't find a single instance of Jesus calling anyone "butt-head."

Charles W. Ward
Greensboro

Regarding the article, "Clubs climb aboard carousel project" (Jan. 3) where it is explained that the Greensboro Rotary Clubs want to raise $2 million plus for a carousel for children downtown, I say this is absurd.

Greensboro has long struggled to fund and finish the International Civil Rights Center & Museum downtown. This museum will bring adults and children from all over to learn about the courageous act that fueled the Civil Rights Movement. This is the most important thing that can be done in downtown.

Get on board, Rotarians!

Bob Plain
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By Judy Godfrey

Elizabeth Edwards wasn't the only one trying to purchase Christmas gifts made in America. I found this a most daunting task. One store employee even told me I was in the wrong store. They were an import business.

We can forget the notion of quality control. Think the American toy companies got what they paid for? Maybe so at 50 cents an hour.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, since 2001 our trade agreement with China has cost American workers 1.8 million jobs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. North Carolina was second on the hardest-hit list, losing 77,200 jobs or 2 percent of our total state employment. Virtually all of these jobs were in manufacturing. Do textiles and furniture ring a bell?

Additionally, the U.S. Census Bureau reports a trade deficit with China of more than $25.9 billion as of Oct. 31, 2007. This cannot be considered a healthy situation for our economy.

Next time you are shopping for clothes, household goods or even pet accessories, read the label.

The icing on the cake was a bed I purchased for my dog. She refused to have anything to do with it. After her reaction, I sniffed it to find a heavy petroleum/chemical odor. Sure enough, it was made in China. After I aired it in the sun for a day and dried the cover with six dryer sheets, it was still offensive. Needless to say, I returned it.

Washington, wake up and smell the coffee, or tea in this case. What were you thinking? Rethink and repair this misguided and unfair practice. Foreign trade, in this case, has gone to the dogs.

The writer lives in Greensboro.

A carousel that goes round and round on the taxpayers. I don't know if I am the only one who has a problem with organizations in Greensboro that decide that they are going to build something and then give it to the city of Greensboro to be supported in perpetuity ("Clubs climb aboard carousel project," Jan. 3).

A good example of this is the carousel the Rotary Club and others want to purchase and then give to Greensboro. I am not sure that they understand that many of the taxpayers in Greensboro do not want gifts that we will have to support through our tax base for the rest of our lives.

A carousel and Center City Park and other projects are great for Greensboro, but why does the taxpayer always have to bear the burden of upkeep? If these projects are so vital to Greensboro, then let the organization that builds them keep them up.

You will notice that when the new baseball stadium was built, it was not given to Greensboro. That's because it makes a profit.

I wonder if I can donate my house to Greensboro and the city will keep it up, assume taxes for the property and let me live in it until I die? I don't think so.

Then why does the city accept these gifts, which the taxpayer has to support, and the gifts are removed from the tax books?

Max Madrin
Greensboro

Your Jan. 4 editorial supporting the new helmet law for motorcyclists is a head start toward the "stinkin' protection" motorcyclists need. We enlightened bicyclists would welcome such a law for all of us, not just bicyclists below age 16.

Meanwhile, it would be helpful for your future comments on the motorcycle helmet law to make a clear distinction between "bikers" (motorcyclists) and "cyclists" (bicyclists). Technically the terms are interchangeable; however, in common parlance there is a clear distinction between a "cyclist" and a "biker" and a clear difference in perspective on helmet use. No serious cyclist is so headstrong as to ignore the need for proper head protection; a serious biker should have a similar attitude.

Phyllis Shaw
Greensboro

"Wall of separation" isn't in the Constitution. Thanks for your letter (Harold Waldruff, Jan. 1). I shall sleep better tonight! God bless.

Jane Dunlap
Mayodan

Regarding Harold Waldruff's letter, "Wall of separation isn't in the Constitution" (Jan. 1): Our founders ensured secular government, writing separation of church and state directly into our Constitution. They wove a path keeping freedom difficult to unravel.

Many states refused to ratify our Constitution without its First Amendment. Weary from a war against overwhelming odds, many were concerned the Constitution as written left us vulnerable again.

Madison wrote the Bill of Rights during this time, pacifying criticism from Jefferson and others. It is absurd poppycock to now claim and pretend our founders did not put in the separation clause specifically to avoid another fate caused by a state/church.

Perhaps even more absurd is the balderdash claiming our Constitution has no separation clause. Our Constitution contains the phrase that amendments "shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as part of this Constitution." This phrase, combined with the wording of our First Amendment, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," gives us the freedom and power of separation of church and state — even though the exact phrase will not be found anywhere in the Constitution.

Hank Wilkinson
Greensboro

I found it interesting that the day Don Wendelken's letter was published pointing to the lack of optimistic financial news (Jan. 2), oil prices topped $100 a barrel and the Dow-Jones Industrial Average had its biggest first yearly business-day loss in history.

I can't share Wendelken's optimism. Like calling someone "the world's tallest midget," numbers can be manipulated to look like good or bad news. The statement that "the stock market went up 6 percent in 2007" is technically true, for only the 30 stocks comprising the Dow. The S&P 500 increased 3.5 percent, showing the disparate impact of a few stocks in the Dow.
Quoting inflation at 3 percent may also be technically correct, but when you look at items that most consider necessities, you get a different picture: energy +21.4 percent; food +4.8 percent; transportation +9.6 percent; medical care +5.0 percent.

Mortgage defaults and foreclosures have hit levels unseen since the Great Depression. Trade deficits, a weak dollar, Chinese funding of our economy and slowing growth of GDP are only a few of the arguments to be made against a rosy economic outlook.

L.F. Rappaport
Greensboro

The following is a Counterpoint:

By KELLY KENNEDY

I am concerned that the National Animal ID system is too invasive into people's lives. If the real purpose of NAIS is to track the food supply in certain instances — for example, an outbreak of mad cow disease — then:

l NAIS is not necessary for horses, donkeys, guardian animals, dogs or other non-food animals. These animals are not going to enter the human food chain in our country and should not be tracked by the government.

l NAIS is not necessary for sales direct to the consumer from the farm. In these cases there is already far better tracking of the food chain. I breed and raise my own pigs and chickens. I sell directly to the consumer. The consumer, my customer, knows me. I know the consumer.
I know my animals. My customer knows exactly where their food came from -- me.

l NAIS should not be at all involved with people who are raising livestock for their own family consumption. They know exactly where the food came from -- they raised it. There is no need to have any government involved in our own kitchens and backyard food raising.

The NAIS program is being implemented too broadly. To include the above groups suggests the government has ulterior motives and is trying to invade people's privacy.

Something needs to be done. Big Brother was in "1984," a book -- not my life.
If totally implemented, NAIS will cause many people who raise their own animals or buy from small, local producers to submit to the government surveillance or to stop raising their own food.
There should be voluntary exemptions that allow small producers to opt out of compliance.

The writer lives in Madison.

In regard to your editorial, "Hats off to safe helmets for bikers" (Jan. 4), you gave me the impression that you didn't know this was a "Freedom Ride." All we bikers are requesting is our right to decide.

A little more time researching and you will find that the state of North Carolina may be guilty of many of the motorcycle fatalities mentioned in your editorial. As a biker for 35 years, I can tell you that a person taking the state motorcycle course (without any previous experience) may not be qualified to be on the state's roads. These people are trained on a bike weighing less than 500 pounds, get their license, purchase a motorcycle weighing almost twice as much and hit the streets.

Check the number of fatalities involving people with two years or less of experience after being issued a motorcycle license by the state. I had the misfortune of witnessing a couple of these fatalities, and no helmet in the world could have saved them.

As for being "cool," ask anyone driving a convertible how they would feel wearing a helmet. Say the car flips. What is protecting the driver's head?

Steve Morris
Reidsville

In considering the proposal to offer in-state college tuition to North Carolina-resident undocumented immigrant applicants, I am moved by Mona Shattel's call for "compassion, empathy and concern for others" (Counterpoint, Jan. 3).

She presents well-thought-out defenses of her position, both factual and ideological.

She does not in any way demean the position of those opposed to this policy, and I am moved by her concern for her fellow human beings.

Unfortunately, the News & Record headline calls opposing views "mean, shortsighted." While at heart I agree with the headline's opinion, I deplore what I see as a possibly unintended result: The reader who has "anti-immigrant ... mean, shortsighted" views simply won't bother to read the opinion piece.

I don't think the writer wanted to exclude those opponents from considering her well-expressed opinion.

Kit Ravenel
Greensboro

It was so refreshing to open my newspaper Jan. 7 and read such an uplifting positive article by Jason Hardin concerning the poor, unfortunate dog and the angel of mercy who rescued him.

Laura Gonzo is a wonderful person to have shown such compassion and concern for this animal. It was a really nice experience to read about her and Benny on this particular Monday morning. It reminded me that all the news fit to print does not have to be negative.

How about printing more stories like this one -- the kind of story that impresses rather than depresses?

Van Flowers
Asheboro

Some say religion has no place in politics. I disagree. I am not concerned with a particular denomination or dogma, but I want a president with a strong moral code of right or wrong.

I believe that such morals come from a belief in some supernatural being, not from a subjective decision of someone who creates his own morality in each situation. Most of us have ideas of right or wrong, maybe unexplainable, but deep in our minds. We had some earlier religious training, with rules determined by a higher power. We were taught certain things were good or bad objectively, and we could not change one to the other for momentary convenience.

My president must have executive experience in government or business, where important decisions have an ethical side, based on some kind of spiritual belief, even if not self-admitted. I would not vote for an atheist or an agnostic, who doubts everything.

Our Constitution forbids any religious test for political office, but I can consider it when I vote.

Our forefathers would not have voted for a candidate denouncing religion, declaring his morals would be self-decided.

Each candidate should tell us what he believes.

Dick Douglas
Greensboro