News-Record.com

Since Sept. 11, 2001, Americans have had to balance bedrock values and principles with harsh new realities. Is freedom being sacrificed for safety? Are we discarding openness for wariness? Do we rush to profile groups of people instead of regarding each person we encounter as an individual? Is our country engaged in a collective crisis of conscience?

That's the topic of an editorial we plan to publish on Monday, Sept. 11. As we gather our thoughts on the topic, we'd like to hear yours. We might even quote you in the editorial.

Please post your comments here. We'd strongly prefer you provide your real name and a valid e-mail address. Thanks.

Where was the D, Coach K?

Greece, with no current NBA players on its roster, beats the American multimillionaires, 101-95.

The U.S. will play for bronze ... again.

My Steve Irwin moment was very tame compared to the death-defying exploits of Australia's Crocodile Hunter.

But crossing a swaying foot bridge over the Grumeti River in Serengeti National Park and patrolling the banks looking for big crocs with my sons and our guide definitely was an adventure I'll always remember.

Naturally, when we spotted one we could almost hear Irwin exclaiming, "Crikey, she's a beaut!"

I mean, who can see a crocodile without thinking of Steve Irwin?

Sadly, his enthusiasm for dangerous encounters with wild creatures finally killed him. I suppose he'd been pushing his luck for years, or that he had to live up to his reputation for daring, but I sure wish he'd been more careful.

Irwin followed in the footsteps of earlier TV wildlife adventurers, like "Wild Kingdom's" Marlin Perkins and Jim Fowler. But he really notched it up. He was manic, exuberant, entertaining and darn good at expressing his passion for all kinds of strange and frightening animals.

He's gone too soon, but crikey, who can ever forget him?

Sunday's editorial expressed our view.

What's yours about the impact of First Horizon Park?

I'm far from convinced that this makes sense, but I'm willing to listen to arguments.

The Triad-to-Boone bus route has failed commercially. It has failed in previous public transportation efforts.

Is this a service without a market? How much taxpayer money has to be spent trying to find out, again, that the demand can't justify the cost?

OK, there are a lot of Appalachian State students from the Triad. But most college students who want to save money on gas are going to pile -- four, five or six of them -- into a car and go, not wait for a slow bus ride.

Anyway, that's my opinion. I'd like to hear yours -- especially if you might use this service.

My column today:

My niece, Erika, recently moved from Brevard to Graham, where she's started her teaching career.

As a young woman interested in politics, she already misses the 11th District congressional campaign. Republican Rep. Charles Taylor and Democrat Heath Shuler are waging a spirited contest up in the mountains. In fact, their race is on national radar screens as one where Democrats might pick up a seat.

Erika now resides on the cusp of another battle, this one between Rep. Brad Miller, a Democrat, and Republican Vernon Robinson in the 13th District. ...

Katie Couric lost me last night when she introduced her "Snapshots" feature on the CBS Evening News with an "exclusive first look" at Vanity Fair's cover photo of Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and their baby. I'm back to ABC until Charles Gibson does something that stupid.

It's good to have an independent state auditor, as the tire retread story demonstrates. Could White's Tire of Wilson have kept all or part of the state's retreading contracts for 30 years without friends in Raleigh? Prompted by Taft Wireback's earlier reporting, State Auditor Les Merritt -- who happens to be independently elected and a Republican -- has exposed gross overcharges.

The discovery of vast oil deposits in the Gulf of Mexico strikes me as nothing but good news. We need more domestic energy supplies (and this should deflate interest in drilling off the North Carolina coast). So, how long before we hear the chorus of complaints from naysayers: environmental disaster; it will just encourage more energy consumption; bigger profits for greedy oil companies; it will only amount to a drop in the bucket? Please, spare me. Let's get the oil.

Adding to Allen's take on our interview yesterday with UNC system president Erskine Bowles, here are some of his notable quotes:

On losing two Senate races then getting his current job:

"Somebody said, 'Would you rather live on Capitol Hill or in Chapel Hill?' Are you kidding? This is like the greatest thing that ever happened to me."

"I am done forever and ever with politics."

On North Carolina's public schools:

"We have a crisis in our public schools today. ... When you're in a crisis, you'd better treat it like one."

On the difference between investment banking and academia:

"I came from an industry that's 'ready, aim, fire' and now I'm in one that's 'ready, aim, aim, aim, aim, aim ...'"

On low passing rates by A&T nursing graduates on licensing exams:

"Totally unacceptable. ... My job is to fix it or take some other action."

On A&T:

"My goals for A&T are far from met ... I want to take A&T to a different level. ... There's no reason it can't have the best engineering school money can buy. ... The engineering program was great and has to be great again. ... I'm going to fight for A&T. A&T is underfunded, if we want it to be a great university."

On the possibility of turning 1,000-student N.C. Wesleyan into UNC-Rocky Mount:

"It's hard to make the arithmetic work. ... (But) we're going to do a study. The legislature has told us to do a study. We're going to do a real study."

On athletics:

"Our first priority is academics. Our second priority is academics. Our third priority is academics. Our fourth priority is academics. ..."

On tuition:

"Tuition should be a secondary source of revenue. ... We have a constitutional and moral responsibility to keep tuition as low as practicable."

On possible autonomy for UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State:

"The autonomy question is over. ... It's a dead issue."

Bowles was a fun interview, probably because he's having fun in his job.

Former senator and possible 2008 presidential candidate John Edwards is in Greensboro today and will sit down with our editorial board at 4.

Did I really say possible candidate? Let's be serious: He's already running.

I'm guessing he'll have something to say about President Bush's acknowledgment of secret CIA prisons for suspected terrorists overseas. Does he think there was a better way to deal with people like alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed?

I'll also try to get Edwards' take on national security. A lot of Democrats say our country is less secure now than it was before 9/11 five years ago. If that's Edwards' view, I'd like to ask him how he or anyone else knows if we're more or less secure.

Edwards is calling for a pullout of U.S. troops from Iraq, starting now. Would that amount to an abandonment of Iraq to terrorists, or is it simply cutting our losses?

I hope Edwards will candidly size up the 2008 race. What does he think of Hillary's chances? Another try by Kerry? Is Gore really not going to run? What about a new face like Mark Warner?

What would you ask Edwards if you had the chance?

Addendum: John Hood writes in National Review that changes in the 2008 Democratic primary schedule favor Edwards and may be aimed to hurt Hillary Clinton, whom some party insiders consider unelectable.

Every time I see John Edwards, I ask him if he got in his daily run. He always says yes.

See? I told you he's running.

I have to say, the guy really looks fit. He's a couple of years older than I am, and I run myself, but I wouldn't challenge him to a race.

He sounds fit, too.

He's been all over the place: the Middle East, India, London, Brussels. He's on his way to Uganda later this month. He co-chaired a task force on U.S.-Russia relations with Jack Kemp. He met with Tony Blair.

Did anyone say two years ago Edwards lacked foreign policy experience? He's been studying up on the whole wide world.

Oh, yes. "I've been doing some politics," he added.

He was in New Hampshire and Illinois (just across the Mississippi River from Iowa) on Labor Day. Actually, it looks like he's been in Iowa a lot. He's raised millions of dollars for Democratics, mostly state legislative candidates, across the country.

What he won't say is that he's running for president.

He's thinking about it (no kidding), but hasn't made a decision.

All right, fair enough. It's too soon to declare. Things could happen that make it inadvisable for him to run. One never knows.

But the man is so cagey on the point that it's downright frustrating for an inquisitor.

I couldn't get him to handicap the field of potential Democratic candidates. I couldn't get him to say who among those candidates has the right qualities to make a successful president. I couldn't get a single word from him about Hillary. Aaagh!

No matter. Edwards generously gave us an hour or so of his time. He was friendly (it's OK to call him John now, rather than Sen. Edwards). He spoke very forcefully about issues ranging from poverty to America's declining influence in the world.

To address a couple of questions, he said of his vote to authorize the Iraq war:

"I thought I was doing the right thing and I was wrong. ... I wasn't running the war, by the way."

His prescription for Iraq now is to signal the Iraqis that we don't intend to stay forever by withdrawing 40,000 to 50,000 troops quickly, then formulating a plan for removing all or most of the others over a period of 12 to 18 months -- but without a detailed timetable.

On whether the U.S. is more or less secure now than five years ago, he said some positive measures have been taken. Al-Qaida's finances, communications and leadership have been disrupted, making it more difficult for it to mount new attacks. Yet the war in Iraq has made the world more dangerous, he said.

Edwards said terrorist organizations will continue to consist of hardcore "Christian-Jew-America haters." The war in Iraq has made it easier for these groups to recruit others.

He also said we should be very concerned about terrorist cells in this country, although he added he does not have access to the classified information now that he did when he was a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

On immigration, he said stronger border security is essential, but so is finding a path to earn citizenship for illegal immigrants who have been in the country. This is not amnesty, he added, because they should pay a penalty for violating immigration law. But deporting them all is impossible.

On poverty, Edwards is a proponent of higher minimum wages, easier union organizing, the Earned Income Tax Credit, elimination of the marriage penalty in tax law and measures to boost savings.

I was surprised that he hasn't been keeping up with North Carolina politics. He did campaign for Health Shuler, the 11th District congressional candidate, whom he thinks can win, but was unsure who Vernon Robinson is. How can you spend any time around here and miss Vernon Robinson?

But then, his running has mostly been in distant places.

I wasn't planning to watch ABC's 9/11 movie, but it seems a lot more interesting now.

What a surprise that a product of the network's entertainment division might mix fiction with fact.

But Democrats' efforts to censor the broadcast are pathetic. If they have a problem with it, they don't have to watch. They can pull out their DVDs of Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" instead and really enjoy themselves.

More thoughts about John Edwards' take on foreign affairs:

As I noted yesterday, the former senator has been doing quite a bit of globetrotting. He obviously knows a lot about the world -- more than I do -- so I have to respect his views.

But not agree entirely.

He faults Bush administration foreign policy, with plenty of justification of course. The United States isn't providing moral leadership on a number of important issues, Edwards said, listing global warming, AIDS, poverty, assistance to Africa and others. This failure impairs Washington's ability to draw together other countries to solve problems, such as Iran's program to build nuclear weapons. Edwards said he considers that the world's most serious nuclear crisis since the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Frankly, I question whether providing more aid to Africa or abiding by the Kyoto treaty would somehow persuade the Russians to take a harder line toward Iran or China to make the government in Sudan behave better. Other countries have their own agendas, which the United States has never been able to control.

Clearly, however, Edwards is right that having better relations with other countries improves opportunities to deal with crises. But that's why his views on North Korea puzzle me. There, he says the U.S. should engage in direct negotiations with the North Koreans over their nuclear weapons program. Instead, the U.S. is working on a multilateral approach with China, Russia, Japan and South Korea -- in other words, developing exactly the same sort of united approach Edwards says is needed in other trouble spots. It seems that Bush's critics fault him for going it alone in some places and for not going it alone in others.

Another problem area is Sudan, where more violence is likely at any time. Edwards said there should be NATO forces in Darfur -- although not American troops, which could cause resentments. I'll say. That's all we need to do now -- send troops to another Muslim country. But what kind of moral leadership would it be to push for NATO intervention in Sudan but say that we, as NATO's largest member, won't participate?

By the way, I doubt NATO would go for that, anyway. Sudan is not like Lebanon, a small country where the government was not only willing to accept NATO forces but provided its own troops to support the mission. In Sudan, the Islamist government would be hostile to the mission -- so much so that it might require a regime change to ensure ultimate success. But Sudan is a huge country that, until 10 years ago, provided sanctuary for Osama bin Laden. NATO intervention would turn it into another Afghanistan, drawing militants eager to fight Westerners. That also would create more domestic troubles for European countries struggling to deal with their increasingly restive Muslim populations. Another war in an Islamic country likely would prompt more terrorism in Europe. Edwards said there's no time to wait for the United Nations to act in Sudan, but the U.N. can send troops from African and Muslim countries to keep the peace in Sudan. That's the better alternative, in my view.

I asked Edwards to cite an historic example of when the United States acted in the way he thinks it should now to address global problems. The Cold War, he said.

Wow. Yes, we won the Cold War. It just took 45 years, trillions of dollars in military expenditures, nuclear brinksmanship and proxy wars all over the world, including Korea and Vietnam. My point is, in a very complex world, it's not easy to get things right, there's a very thin line between success and disaster, and it can take a long, long time to determine the outcome.

I'll give Brad Pitt credit for originality:

"Of course I'll marry you, honey. Just as soon as everyone else in the country who wants to get married is allowed to do so."

Could other men get away with that?

I hope not. It's a self-issued lifetime get-out-of-matrimony pass.

I guess it's intended to make a statement in support of same-sex marriage. Taken literally, however, it also would apply to polygamy, marriages of siblings and whatever other matrimonial arrangements anyone might devise.

Pitt may be a crusader for polygamy for all I know, because same-sex couples that want to marry can go to Massachusetts and do so. So what else is holding up his wedding to Angelina Jolie, the mother of his baby?

It couldn't be he's just a cad, could it?

Hey, Brad, if you really don't want to marry the woman, just say so.

In an early season showdown between "Big" Four powers, Wake Forest held off Duke, 14-13 yesterday.

In other action, North Carolina gave Virginia Tech all the Hokies could handle but dropped a 35-10 heartbreaker. N.C. State, coming off its opening upset of Appalachian State, was disappointed in its effort to post a similar victory over Akron, losing 20-17.

Current "Big" Four standings:

Wake Forest, 1-0.
North Carolina, 0-0.
N.C. State, 0-0.
Duke, 0-1.

Thanks to the inanity of Atlantic Coast Conference scheduling, determining a "Big" Four champion will be difficult again this year. While Wake Forest and North Carolina each plays its three rivals, N.C. State and Duke will not meet this season.

A similar problem created a tie last year at the top of the standings between Wake Forest and North Carolina, both 2-0. A "Big" Four Championship Game, suggested in this forum, did not occur. Of course, it would have provided the only post-season opportunity for either team.

With schools playing 12 games during the regular season, is it really too much to expect that one game should be reserved for nearby rivals like N.C. State and Duke? I imagine both would be happy to drop Miami, Virginia Tech or Boston College.

With ACC championships and even bowl games increasingly remote possibilities for Duke, Wake Forest, N.C. State and North Carolina football teams, a true "Big" Four title would present a chance to claim much-needed moral victories.

We're safer: Fighting the terrorists over there means we don't have to fight them here.

We're less safe: The war in Iraq has created more terrorists than ever and given them more reason to hate the United States.

Talk about simplistic extremes.

Not that I have any answers. I have no way to assess the terrorist threat level, and I don't think I'm more in the dark than most other Americans about that.

I do believe it was a mistake to get into Iraq, which has distracted us from our main mission of crushing al-Qaida and ousting the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. We tend to forget that Afghanistan is still very unstable. We haven't forgotten that Osama bin Laden has not been killed or captured.

Not that we could or would have won the "war on terrorism" if we had stayed out of Iraq. We might have made more progress, but Islamic extremists are busy on many fronts. They certainly didn't need the war in Iraq to motivate them. I mean, why have they targeted countries that aren't even involved in Iraq, like Canada? Canada's prime directive in foreign and domestic affairs is to offend no one. Yet terrorists were plotting massive attacks in Toronto and Ottawa this summer until their plans were arrested.

Islamic terrorism has killed more than 1,700 people in Thailand since 2004, but very little is reported in Western media about it.

Terrorism is a continuing threat in India.

The war in Iraq has nothing to do with that. If the fighting in Iraq suddenly stopped, worldwide terrorism would continue as before -- just as the 9/11 attacks were the result of forces put in motion many, many years before.

We have not been attacked since that day five years ago, but major attacks were perpetrated by al-Qaida operatives in Madrid and London. Our government says it has prevented potential attacks here, just as the Canadians and Brits have thwarted terrorist plots. That does not make us safe. Are we? Who can say? The only thing I know is that we have to keep up our defenses on every level and not fool ourselves into thinking that, if only we pursue a nicer foreign policy (like the Canadians?), our avowed enemies will leave us alone.

The News & Record is flying its U.S. and North Carolina flags at half staff today.

The flags atop the Lincoln Financial building are flying at normal height.

What are others doing? What's appropriate?

In what other significant ways are individuals and institutions marking the day?

Altogether I watched maybe three hours of ABC's "Path to 9/11" -- enough to make me wonder why Democrats tried so hard to censor it.

Their efforts included a letter-to-the-editor campaign generated by left-wing Web sites. There was a lot of e-mail chatter about that yesterday among members of the National Conference of Editorial Writers. For the most part, editors were deciding to trash these letters, which were demanding some kind of punishment for ABC.

Sure, the film pointed out missed opportunities during the Clinton administration to slow down al-Qaida. What I saw last night didn't spare the Bush administration, either. Big news: For many years, the U.S. government simply failed to take necessary steps to protect this nation and its overseas assets against terrorists.

One of those liberal Web sites, mediamatters.org, routinely calls for censorship of conservative voices in the media.

Moveon.org also was calling for censorship of the 9/11 film.

Are these the same people who complain about the government taking away constitutional rights? But they wanted the government to censor a TV network.

And for what? This movie wasn't worth all the fuss. What an embarrassment for the would-be censors.

I know a very bright young woman from High Point, a N.C. Teaching Fellow, who began teaching math at a Wake County high school last year. It was very rough going at first because she was assigned to classes where many of the students didn't want to learn and were hard to manage. She was severely tested and might have quit during her first semester. To her credit, she stuck it out, finished the year well and is off to a good start this year, her dad tells me.

My point is that it's not enough for teachers to be smart and dedicated to students. Sometimes, they have to survive in a hostile environment.

That's something to keep in mind as Guilford County, backed by Action Greensboro and the University of North Carolina system, takes extraordinary steps to put good teachers in low-performing schools. Those measures include $10,000 annual bonuses for math teachers.

This approach has become necessary because teaching just doesn't pay enough to draw math and science majors from other professions that reward those skills with good salaries -- and pleasant working conditions.

But the additional money for bonuses will be wasted if unruly classroom conditions make it too difficult for teachers to teach.

Face it: Sometimes students fail because they don't try to succeed, not because they have poor teachers. Sometimes the classroom environment, created by undisciplined students, makes it impossible for anyone to learn.

A teacher might be so gifted that he or she can impart the secrets of algebra or geometry to anyone. But that can only happen if a sense of order prevails in the classroom. There's no guarantee that a teacher earning $45,000 will be more successful in maintaining order than a teacher who's paid only $35,000.

If programs like Mission Possible are to pay dividends, school administrators -- who are responsible for the overall learning environment -- must make sure that teachers are allowed to teach. They have to enforce strict discipline throughout the school.

Not every bright teacher will have the fortitude of the young woman from High Point. And none should be tested the way she was, either.

My column today:

If you want to see a judge squirm, ask if he or she is taking donations from lawyers. ...

U.S. House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, speaking of Democratic leaders:

"I wonder if they are more interested in protecting the terrorists than protecting the American people."

Disgusting. Boehner should apologize for making such a revolting remark.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.:

"Rather than try to defend their own failed record, Republicans have resorted to the desperation politics of fear."

Hypocrisy. Most Republicans, from President Bush on down, contend the country is safer now than it was before 9/11. Democrats say it is less safe. So, then, who is trying to frighten the American people?

Even as the nation observed the somber anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Republicans and Democrats continued their war of words. Appalling.

Of course there were exceptions, including Bush himself. His statements Monday, in New York, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon, and his prime-time address to the nation, did not contain partisan political rhetoric.

Yes, Bush defended his policies in Iraq. Many Americans disagree. But disagreement doesn't mean that every statement on the subject is partisan or political. His talk Monday night was not.

Sadly, other politicians of both parties are working as hard as they can to exploit divisions among the American people. Bush sometimes engages in that, too. But not Monday.

This is why the idea of NATO sending troops to Sudan is unrealistic:

NATO won't agree to an increased deployment of only 2,000 to 2,500 troops to Afghanistan, where fighting is increasing.

Afghanistan really and truly has been the place where we have fought terrorists so we would not have to fight them here. Osama bin Laden gave the order to launch the 9/11 attacks from Afghanistan, where al-Qaida maintained training bases under the protection of the Taliban regime. Now, nearly five years after the invasion of Afghanistan, Taliban and al-Qaida forces -- largely integrated, according to some analysts -- are resurging. It is in the national security interest of every NATO member to crush them in Afghanistan, but few of them can muster the will to do it.

Truth to tell, NATO should send a strong military force to Iraq, too. It doesn't matter if most NATO counties didn't approve of the invasion in the first place. They're needed to help stop sectarian murders, insurgent violence and terrorism that threaten to trigger a full-scale civil war, and to protect a legitimate, elected government.

Yes, they can say the Americans and Brits got themselves into this mess and should get themselves out. But that doesn't stop the daily carnage.

Let's not even think of deploying NATO troops to another hornet's nest like Sudan until NATO helps get a handle on Afghanistan and Iraq.

"'This is creating a problem in the Hispanic community because people are driving without licenses,' said Jesus Blanco, an officer on the board of directors for Centro De Accion Latino."

That was by far the most interesting statement in today's story by Amy Dominello headlined, "Latinos question law on licenses."

The state of North Carolina -- for many years a prime destination of illegal immigrants who wanted to procure a driver's license with false documents -- finally has tightened its rules. Now a person has to show a Social Security number or a valid unexpired visa to qualify.

In other words, you're supposed to be a legal resident of the United States to gain the privilege of driving and, more importantly, the card that commonly passes for identification in this country.

Tighter restrictions were prompted by the fact that several of the 9/11 hijackers had obtained driver's licenses (though none from North Carolina). But there's a compelling state interest in keeping anyone in this country illegally from gaining a driver's license.

The argument that these people, if denied a license, will drive anyway just doesn't cut it.

Rather than try to blame the state for unlicensed drivers, Mr. Blanco should help get the word out that driving without a license is a serious offense and that anyone caught doing so, and then found to be an illegal immigrant, can be turned over to immigration authorities for deportation.

And should be.

Ideas for maintaining a safe environment in Guilford County middle schools if SROs are removed:

Counselors will break up fights by addressing self-esteem issues.

Require troublesome students to bring their mothers to school.

Let teachers have Tasers.

Have a lockdown area in each school for dangerous kids.

Put board of education members personally in charge of school security.

Other ideas?

One serious question: Will the school board be legally liable if some tragedy occurs at a school after SROs are removed?

Al-Qaida has announced an alliance with an Algerian terrorist group and plans to target France.

France's refusal to participate in the Iraq war hasn't won it any credit with Islamic radicals.

Al-Qaida may see France as an easier target than the United States, said Anne Giudicelli, a former French diplomat specializing in the Middle East who runs the Paris-based consultancy Terrorisc, AP reports.

“The Americans have become harder to target domestically, so they are trying to widen the field of action and strike their allies,” she said.

No Western country can hide from this menace.

If you were going to rate all 100 U.S. senators for integrity, honor, dignity and character, who would be your top choice?

John McCain? Barack Obama? Robert Byrd? Lindsey Graham? John Warner?

Anyone for Ted Kennedy?

Well, believe it or not -- and I'm having a hard time -- he's No. 1 in an online survey by NewPoliticalReview.com, which calls itself a nonpartisian political Web newsletter.

Nonpartisan? The first Republican on the survey is Olympia Snowe at No. 44.

But here's the funny part: No. 100, the senator rated rock bottom for integrity, honor, dignity and character, 99 places below Ted Kennedy, is ...

Joe Lieberman!

Wow. That seems almost backward to me.

Update: John Kerry has just replaced Kennedy at No. 1. Teddy drops to No. 2. But Lieberman's still last, just behind George Allen.

Another update: Just experimenting with this, I gave Richard Burr high ratings on all characteristics and he immediately jumped from No. 73 to 63. See what you can do.

The current issue of Smithsonian magazine includes an article about hurricane activity that covers the subject with a lot less certainty than recent news reports have presented.

In fact, there's quite a bit of scientific disagreement about whether or how much humans have contributed to hurricane intensity and frequency, or how much natural hurricane cycles prevail.

This passage from the Smithsonian article suggests that there has been substantially greater hurricane activity in the relatively recent past:

"Evidence from sediment cores collected by (Jeffrey) Donnelly (a geologist and paleoclimatologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) and others hints that long before industrial activity began pumping the air full of heat-trapping gases, particularly carbon dioxide, naturally occurring climate shifts influenced hurricane activity, either by changing wind patterns that steer hurricanes toward or away from land, or by altering the frequency and intensity of the storms themselves. Cores collected by Louisiana State University geographer Kam-biu Liu from four Gulf Coast lakes and marshes, for example, show that major hurricanes struck that region three to five times more often between 3,500 and 1,000 years ago than in the ten centuries since. Donnelly, for his part, has pieced together a similar record in Vieques, Puerto Rico; there, the active hurricane pattern starts 2,500 years ago and ends 1,500 years later."

The scary news there, of course, is that hurricane activity can get that bad or worse again.

What I don't know or understand about this subject is immense. But I think the same goes for a lot of people who spout doomsday scenarios, including the idea that we're unleashing unprecedented disasters on ourselves through man-made global warming. Yes, pollutants do form greenhouse gases, which do trap heat and cause some warming. Enough to greatly alter the natural fluctuations in earth's climate and trigger all kinds of catastrophes? I'm a skeptic. The earth has been warmer in the not-so-distant past than it is now and humanity actually fared pretty well. If hurricanes are more dangerous now, it's because there's so much more coastal development.

We definitely should reduce pollutants. We also ought to plan more intelligent and more protected development in the known path of hurricanes. I also think we can count on hurricanes to follow historical patterns, which means that cycles of intense activity will be followed by periods of low activity. Even from one year to the next, like last year to this, there can be significant fluctuations. But historic patterns tend to predict the future with margins of error of only a few centuries here or there. The next several generations may live in a warmer, stormier world and the generations after them in a colder, calmer one. And our descendents undoubtedly will understand all this a lot better than we do.

Muslims respond with violence to the pope's perceived statement that Muslims are violent. That will show him.

There is no denying that Pope Benedict XVI has blundered badly, even though it was not his intent to present as his own view the idea that Muhammad had contributed nothing but evil to the world's religious sensibilities. He should have realized ahead of time how easily his words could have been misconstrued. At the least, he should have acted more decisively to clarify his meaning.

That said, there's no excuse for murder, arson and threats of more violence. Some Islamic leaders are only too happy to seize any opportunity to promote hostility toward the West. Violence is NOT a tenet of Islam per se, but it is a tool of radical Islamic leaders who will use any means to advance their own social and religious ideology.

Coming up with a brand that speaks to Greensboro's strengths and sets it apart from other cities is back on the city's agenda. To get the ball rolling, political, business and marketing leaders who attended a recent brainstorming session were asked to consider several questions, including the following: "If Volvo stands for 'safety' and Nike stands for 'performance,' what does the Greensboro brand stand for?"

What do you think? What qualities should be capitalized on in creating a branded identity for the city?

We plan to publish an editorial on the topic of branding Greensboro this week. As we gather our thoughts, we'd like to hear yours. We might even quote you in the editorial.

Please post your comments here. We'd strongly prefer you provide your real name and a valid e-mail address. Thanks.

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khomenei, added more hostility Monday to the uproar about the pope's unfortunate recent remarks.

Just so you know: There's been trouble brewing between Pope Benedict XVI and Iran's leaders for a while now.

I'm not suggesting there's moral equivalency here. As far as I know, the pope isn't supporting terrorists, developing nuclear weapons or talking about wiping Israel or any other country off the map.

Hostility toward Muslims in the United States increased last year, the Council on American-Islamic Relations reports.

CAIR's documentation of acts of violence against American Muslims should be taken seriously. The organization itself praises law-enforcement agencies, including the FBI, for doing exactly that.

It's just wrong to direct anger about terrorism at innocent people, whether it takes the form of physical aggression, vandalism, verbal abuse, threats or discrimination. That's not the American way. If these actions are increasing, we have a problem we have to get a handle on in this country.

That said, some of the examples of "discrimination" cited in the report don't seem legitimate. They include a board of education declining to add Muslim holidays to the school calendar and employers not allowing workers to take Muslim holidays or granting them time off for Friday prayers. In those cases, I think sensitivities are misplaced.

CAIR laments that nearly half of Americans have an unfavorable view of Islam, according to surveys. Perhaps that's evidence of bias. I am more inclined to think that's the fault of extremist Muslims outside the United States who have done so much to brand their own religion in negative ways.

Most Americans, it seems to me, have sincerely endeavored to maintain good relations with Muslim Americans. "Hate crimes" have been few. Where there are problems, they are usually addressed openly.

As one example of that, the CAIR report itself was broadcast by government-operated Voice of America to the rest of the world.

Today's news story, "SCAT riders protest increase," by Margaret Moffett Banks shows why it can be so difficult to serve on the City Council.

The council enacted fare changes, going into effect in January, for the Specialized Community Area Transportation system in an effort to bring revenues a little closer to expenditures.

One change was to eliminate the $35 monthly pass, which allowed unlimited rides. The best deal available come January will be a 60-ride pass for $72.

In case you missed them in today's print edition, here are quotes from two SCAT clients speaking to members of the Greensboro Transit Authority task force on bus fares:

"I don't understand how you can lay down at night ... You all know it's going to be impossible for us to afford these passes."

"What you're saying to the disabled community is, 'Your place is in your house. That is where you should be.' No. No."

It's impossible not to sympathize. But, public policymakers have to weigh the interests of this group against the interests of others.

Given the fact that Greensboro is providing the SCAT service far beyond what's required by law, the question is how much more it can and should afford. Is it obliged to charge the LEAST amount that anyone could pay? If so, fares might be nothing at all. But who would have to pay more? Taxpayers? Other GTA customers? Whoever it was, the argument could be made that somebody was being charged too much.

Is someone who can't pay the $1.20 fare ($72/60 rides) for door-to-door transportation service being forced by the city to remain homebound? Only in the same sense that someone else who one morning doesn't have a dollar for a one-way fare on a regular GTA bus is being forced not to go to work. Yes, it's much more difficult for the disabled to find other options, but city government simply cannot make all persons equal in all circumstances.

The city should make a strong effort to accommodate people with special needs. But at the heart of the issue is this: It can't meet every need of every person at all times for a price that every person can afford to pay. It sounds cruel to say that, but city officials have to work with the reality that resources are not boundless.

It seems to me that in this case city leaders are trying their best to do the right thing.

My column today:

The Guilford County commissioners might be the best show on television.

Or the worst.

Should this program be yanked?

I appreciate Edwin L. Bryan's letter today about a recent N.C. Court of Appeals decision in State of North Carolina v. Timothy Stone.

The ruling overturns Stone's drug possession conviction in Mecklenburg County Superior Court because of an illegal search. A Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer found a bottle of crack cocaine inside Stone's underwear.

Bryan asks whether this gives drug dealers a safe place to keep their stash. That's a good question, and I join him in disagreeing with the Court of Appeals' decision.

This was not a unanimous decision by the three-judge panel, so in fairness let me point out that Judge Sanford Steelman dissented from the majority opinion authored by Judge Linda McGee and joined by Judge Rick Elmore.

Let me further state that, like most appellate court decisions I read, this one isn't as cut-and-dried as it first appears. In McGee's view, the crux of the matter is whether Stone understood he was giving police permission to search inside his underwear. For Steelman, the key issue is the definition of a strip search. I'll explain. ...

How safe and easy is it to walk, jog or ride a bicycle throughout the Greensboro urban area?

Local planners hope to make it safer and easier. They’ve drafted a Bicycle, Pedestrian and Greenway (BiPed) Master Plan, which would be implemented over a period of 25 years and add hundreds of miles of sidewalks, trails and bike lanes to the city and county landscapes.

You can read the plan here.

How important is this to you? What suggestions would you make?

We plan to publish an editorial on this topic. As we gather our thoughts, we’d like to hear yours. We might even quote you in our editorial.

Please post your comments here. We’d strongly prefer you use your real name and a valid e-mail address. Thanks.

Hugo Chavez calls George W. Bush "the devil."

Who's he been talking with to get an idea like that?

Update, Sept. 21: Charles Rangel and Nancy Pelosi defend Bush from Chavez's attacks!

Did you-know-where freeze over?

There was a festive atmosphere late yesterday afternoon at the corner of South Hamilton and Commerce in High Point where a crowd gathered for the unveiling of the John Coltrane statue.

The jazz great's recording of "My Favorite Things" was carried by cool breezes as I arrived. A little later, the High Point Youth Jazz Orchestra, led by Wally West, offered its own renditions of the Trane's tunes.

The crowd included business leaders, elected officials, folks from the arts community and even visitors from far off -- such as world-famous Trane fan Yasuhiro Fujioka from Japan.

Also attending was John Morton, senior vice president and general manager for international banking with BB&T in Charlotte. When John lived in High Point during the '90s, his devotion to Coltrane's memory sparked a revival of interest in the city's most accomplished native son.

Aaron Clinard, chairman of High Point's Downtown Improvement Committee, led the ceremony. Excitement built through a series of speakers until Joanna Easter, chairwoman of the Coltrane Statue Committee, signaled the moment had come.

Joined by sculptor Thomas Jay Warren, committee members lifted the covering and revealed a fabulous bronze likeness of the musician and his sax. It's absolutely perfect.

So is the location, on the corner of the municipal building property, across the street from the High Point Market's transportation terminal and High Point Theatre. It will be seen by tens of thousands of furniture market visitors twice each year, and by theater patrons, raising awareness of High Point's Coltrane connection.

The city must build on this. "This is just the beginning of what we can do in the name of John Coltrane," Easter said.

Plans are being formed for a Coltrane jazz festival. With the city purchasing and restoring the Coltrane home on Underhill Street, and displays at the city museum, there is potential to draw tourists.

Coltrane's legacy is strong. Easter read a letter in praise of Trane from musician Carlos Santana, written for the occasion. She recounted a story about two members of Arturo Sandoval's band, after a concert in Winstono-Salem, driving to High Point and sleeping in their car parked in front of the Coltrane house. That's devotion.

Well, nothing matches the St. John Coltrane Church in San Fransisco for devotion.

"You don't know what you've got here," Morton said to me.

High Point is beginning to understand. Coltrane, born 80 years ago Saturday and, sadly, dead since 1967, is still an asset with vast marketing potential.

This beautiful new statue is a tribute to him but also a sign that High Point means to capitalize on its Coltrane connection.

Update, Sept. 25: Here's the link to info about the Coltrane art works referred to in the post from Mike Vanderhurst below.

This looks promising:

The John Locke Foundation launches a Triad blog, Piedmont Publius.

Long-time local blogger Sam Hieb is running it.

This may turn out to be the best source of conservative/libertarian commentary on the local blog scene.

The young people arrested for trespassing at the Armed Forces Recruiting Center could have joined the military with no trouble whatsoever if they really wanted. Just don't tell. Why should they tell? Why should recruiters ask?

HIV testing for everyone ages 13 through 64? I'll pass. The CDC recommendation amounts to a colossal waste of precious health system resources. Most Americans are simply not at risk, thanks to responsible behavior.

Wal-Mart's announcement that it will sell hundreds of generic drugs for $4 per prescription must be confounding its critics. But it's another example of the giant retailer's business model driving down prices for the benefit of consumers. But don't worry, the critics will come up with something -- like charges of predatory pricing.

Members of the Coalition Against Intolerable Racism again demanded that David McNeill, the county's interim manager, not be given the permanent job. They say McNeill conspired with white commissioners to fire manager Willie Best, who is black. Proof? Who needs proof? I wonder if this kind of unfounded harassment of a county employee would be "tolerable" if McNeill were black and his accusers were white.

Jubilee Park, where we'd take our gang of kids one night during our family beach weeks, is long gone.

And the kids are grown up, anyway.

So I'm a new fan of Carolina Beach State Park.

Margaret and I walked the Flytrap Trail yesterday afternoon but somehow didn't spot any of the bug-chomping little plants. But I was impressed enough by this pleasant oasis in the Pleasure Island hyperdevelopment that I returned today for my morning run.

The park is just over a mile jog from the center of Carolina Beach. Once there, I had my choice of sandy, pine needle-coated paths to follow. I took the Sugarloaf, starting at the marina. It hugs the Cape Fear River for a while and climbs the Sugarloaf Dune, then turns inland through pine forests, past a pond where you can look for waterbirds (no gators) and eventually returns to the main road.

The one hazard I encountered were some monstrous spiders, one of which had slung its web across the path. Warning to the uninitiated: If you think you may be the first person on the trail in the morning, carry a stick to break the webs.

I was reminded of my favorite Far Side cartoon by Gary Larson:

Two spiders string their web across the bottom of a slide. A fat kid sits at the top getting set to go. One spider says to the other, "If we pull this off, we'll eat like kings."

Fortunately, that spider didn't turn me into breakfast.

If you don't mind sharing the place with ambitious arachnids, you might find Carolina Beach State Park a relaxing respite from the busy beach towns.

Proponents of dog licensing might be barking up the wrong tree.

If the main idea is to raise money for animal control efforts or shelter operations, why not just allocate enough through general taxation to meet shortfalls?

Sure, you can say those are dog problems and dog owners ought to pay.

But not all dog owners are part of the problem. If you control your dog and have it spayed or neutered, you are not in any way contributing to the problem of unwanted or dangerous dogs.

If you want to collect money from irresponsible dog owners, then double, triple or quadruple fines for violations of animal ordinances.

Licenses tend to be purchased by the most responsible dog owners anyway. Making others pay up is more trouble than it's worth.

The argument for general taxation is that everyone has an interest in protecting the public from sick or dangerous animals and in reducing the population of unwanted animals.

I could change my mind about licensing if there were an effective plan for linking dog licensing to rabies vaccinations or spaying/neutering. But you don't want the cost of a license to dissuade owners from getting their dogs vaccinated or spayed/neutered.

Until then, I view this as an idea that is less fair and practical than proponents claim.

Count me in on the "light" cigarette class-action lawsuit. I'm sure I remember buying a pack back in 1973. Along with tens of millions of other victims, I demand my share of damages. Fortunately, I won't have to provide evidence of any actual damage or even prove that I ever smoked a cigarette. Of course, after billions in attorneys' fees are skimmed off the top, none of us would collect anything to speak of anyway.

Pope Benedict XVI politely took the offensive in meeting with Muslim leaders yesterday. His message, in so many words: Don't tolerate violence in the name of religion, and allow Christians the freedom to worship in your countries. Well said.

Sen. George Allen of Virginia is sinking into deep, deep trouble with new allegations of racist attitudes. Stuffing a severed deer's head into a black family's mailbox? That's vile. Maybe it happened long ago, when Allen was a college student. He wasn't exactly a kid then. If it did happen, he should admit it and renounce it and his use of racist language. If it didn't happen? There's an awful lot of smoke without a fire.

Brad Miller is trying to stay as far away from Vernon Robinson as he can, Mark Binker reports. I would, too, if I were him. Robinson is running a sensationalistic, tawdry, in-your-face campaign -- and on one of his main issues, illegal immigration, he probably could twist Miller into knots.

Add Maggie Jeffus to the Democratic legislators who are sticking with Speaker Jim Black, for now. In an interview with our editorial board yesterday, she spoke up for "due process," pointing out that Black has not been indicted for anything. Is that an acceptable standard for leadership in North Carolina these days -- not indicted?

Her opponent, Jim Rumley, endorsed school vouchers, even for private religious schools. How about Islamic schools? I asked. Any schools parents want to choose, he said. That should produce a lively debate.

My column today:

"That takes care of your checkup, Doug. Looks like you'll live another year."

"Thanks, Doc. But haven't you forgotten something?"

"Forgotten what?"

"My HIV test."

This is sad. Joseph Barrino is suing the publisher of his daughter's autobiography claiming it shows him in a bad light. He used the words "false, exaggerated, sensational, intentional and malicious untruths."

He's not naming his daughter, Fantasia Barrino, as a defendant.

Is it wrong to assume that Fantasia approved the contents of her own autobiography? Wasn't she the source of its information? It's her story, right?

From a review of "Life is Not a Fairy Tale" by the African American Literature Book Club: "Since no co-author or ghost-writer is credited as having contributed to the memoir, Fantasia deserves the highest of accolades for having crafted such an honest, heartfelt, insightful and well-written book."

Simon & Schuster's response to Joseph Barrino should be: "Sue your daughter, pal. We just printed her book."

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education last night gave final approval to its ambitious and aggressive High School Challenge plan.

When it goes into effect next year, it will provide 15 percent salary bonuses for certified and noncertified staff at four poor-performing high schools. But accountability standards will be high -- and staff who don't measure up this year won't be there next year.

Outstanding teachers will be recruited, with some offered signing bonuses of $15,000. If enough highly qualified teachers don't sign on, some will be transferred to the schools -- Garringer, West Charlotte, West Mecklenburg and Waddell.

Six program components for academic success have been identified. They are:

1. Academic support

2. Academic rigor

3. Student support and connectedness

4. Student management

5. High quality leadership and staff

6. Family and community involvement

The plan will shake up these schools. Current principals and many teachers may be removed by next year. The schools could be restructured, perhaps broken down into several smaller academies on each campus. Much more money will be committed. Tougher measures will be employed to maintain discipline.

These high schools are very similar to several here in Guilford County, where some similar steps are being taken, such as the "Mission Possible" bonus pay plan for some teachers.

At schools where half the students don't pass state tests, drastic changes have to be made.

Add Alma Adams to the list of local Democratic state representatives (with Maggie Jeffus and Earl Jones) who are deep into Jim Black denial.

When we asked her about Black during our editorial board interview yesterday, Adams' first response was that the scandals whirling around the House speaker are a "Republican ploy" to draw people's attention away from President Bush.

She added that, during her time in the legislature, she's seen Republicans do "irregular things," too.

She also embraced the fact that Black has not been charged with a crime and she doesn't intend to "pass judgment until the verdict is in."

I followed up on this line, asserting that we pass judgments about people all the time. For example, I said when I was a kid my mother encourag