Condiments are “…edible food items added to a dish or a meal…not strictly necessary but serve to enhance the flavor.” Often when we think of condiments we automatically mention mayonnaise, mustard, relish and ketchup but there are so many other condiments that can be used to compliment dishes that you make at home.

Sales of Friends of the Smokies license plates brought in $230,000 over the first half of 2017, a 6 percent increase from last year that brings the plates’ overall fundraising total to $4.3 million since they were first sold in North Carolina.

Three Western North Carolina properties are among those to be protected through $3.28 million in grants recently awarded by the N.C. Agriculture Development and Farmland Preservation Trust.

A recent dam removal on Santeetlah Creek in the Nantahala National Forest is allowing native fish to return to high-quality habitat found in the waterway.

More than 600 pounds of apples wound up in the pantries of people in need thanks to the efforts of 14 Girl Scouts during a Sept. 23 glean at the Waynesville home of John and Nancy Shillinglaw.

To the Editor:

President Trump never ceases to amaze me on his downward spiral to be the worst president in U.S. history.

The potential Nero of American political history, President Trump fiddles on Twitter hill about NFL football players kneeling while 3.5 million Americans on Puerto Rico suffer and die in the aftermath of a major hurricane; while his fifth attempt at an Obamacare repeal bill dies; while he ratchets up a potential nuclear holocaust with North Korea; and while he continues on his general insidious course of dividing an already dangerously polarized country.

It’s particularly amazing that Trump disparages Sen. John McCain, who flew hundreds of combat missions as a Navy pilot in Vietnam before he was shot down, tortured and imprisoned by the communists at the “Hanoi Hilton” during the height of the war.

It should be noted Trump got a deferment from serving in Vietnam due to “bone spurs” in his foot. McCain, by the way, had most of his bones broken during his crash and subsequent torture by the communist in Hanoi.

Trump has bragged about chasing women in the New York City disco scene during the time McCain was imprisoned. Trump, in a radio interview with Howard Stern, said avoiding STDs was “my personal Vietnam.”

Yet, this narcissistic man is our president. The Republic will survive because we are stronger than one sick aberration.

James Budd

Bryson City

To the Editor:

Last week the US Congress failed to reauthorized the Children’s Health Insurance Plan — CHIP — known in North Carolina as Health Choice. Seven million children in the U.S. rely on this plan for their health insurance. Several thousand of these children live in Western North Carolina. I have been a pediatrician in Haywood County for 28 years and have treated many children with serious chronic diseases, including cancer. For hundreds of families in WNC Health Choice is not an option — it is a life or death necessity.

Our Congressman, Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, knows what the tragedy of cancer can do to a family. He lost his sister and father to cancer. We can only offer him our deepest sympathy for those tragedies. Congressman Meadows now must step up and protect those children — many of whom who suffer from serious diseases or need preventive care — and who rely on Health Choice. So far he has NOT done so.

CHIP was passed in the 1990s by an effort of both political parties working together. It is time to put aside useless partisan bickering and stand up for the health of the children of this country. Re-fund CHIP/Health Choice NOW!

Our local state representatives have been absolutely silent on this critical issue. Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, and Rep. Michelle Presnell, R-Burnsville, will you lend your voices to meet the needs of the children of WNC? Speak with Congressman Meadows. I have called his office and alerted his staff to the crisis about to hit hundreds of families in your districts. Failure to act on this would be a moral failure.

Stephen Wall, MD

Waynesville

To the Editor:

All men and women who have served in the armed forces can hold their heads high when they learn the courage of Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, who spoke to the cadets of the Air Force Academy after incidents of racial harassment at the Academy.

“If you cannot treat someone,” he told them, “with respect and dignity, then you don’t need to be here.” He goes on, “if you cannot treat someone from a different race or different skin color with dignity and respect, then you need to get out”

Wouldn’t it be refreshing to hear our president say those bold words?  Instead, he has called some black athletes “sons of bitches” (respect and dignity?). Furthermore, he wraps himself in our flag to attempt to stifle these black athletes’ protests of racial injustice. Protesting, however, is not disrespect; it is actually the reason many young men and women lie in graves in Normandy and other sites in France. They gave their lives to defeat a tyrant who had no respect for people of different religions or different skin color. They gave their lives to preserve the American right to protest

Wouldn’t it also be refreshing to hear such bold words from our white supremacist-oriented AG? Instead, he hides behind some vague notion of ‘national security’ while attempting to deport all the brown-skinned immigrants from our country. Deporting mothers and grandmothers who have lived peacefully in our country for 20-plus years does not make our nation more secure.

The words of Lt. Gen. Silveria are forceful and to the point. He is aware that he can not change national events dealing with bigotry and racial injustice. He mentions Charlottesville, Ferguson, and the NFL protests. But he is saying that racial bigotry and injustice will not be tolerated at the Academy during his watch.

And perhaps that is the best we can all do. We cannot prevent the degradation of people of different colors, races, or genders, or creeds in all parts of the world. We can, however, take action to stop it in our own little corner of the world.

The general shows us the way. Bravo, General!

Paul Strop

Waynesville

To the Editor:

I am completely mystified by a recent letter writer’s response to my letter questioning the legitimacy of requiring English proficiency for legal immigration to the U.S. How do most of his arguments relate to the topic he claims to comment on?

As to being among the 50 percent (and I do wonder how he came upon this specific figure) of those who do not currently pay income tax, yes I am a retiree. I have paid income taxes for the 50 plus years of my working life. Is the letter writer saying that this counts for nothing? So retirees are not to have a say in government policies because our working life is over? So are we now considered irrelevant and of no value?

To imply that I am somehow against the acquisition of English after residency has been established is again another erroneous assumption on the part of this letter writer. As a matter of fact, I have volunteered tutoring English to nonnative speakers while I was a wage earner. I am currently volunteering my time and money, (although I am on a fixed income) to establish an ESL program here in Macon County. I wonder what percentage of their time other useless retirees spend in volunteer activities?

I grant the letter writer that perhaps other terminology would more aptly describe English speakers supporting this prerequisite. However, to assume that the terms “selfish “and “ethnocentric” have racist overtones against white people or to imply that I consider them “evil” is dead wrong. Incidentally, I do happen to be white, although my race should be of no concern to anyone.

Lastly, how do the merits of capitalism relate to English proficiency as a requirement for legal immigration to the U.S.?

Judy Stockinger

Franklin

Spriggly’s Beescaping is a new small business located in Waynesville that offers workshops, products, and services to create environments that support beneficial pollinators.

Swain County officials came together last week to dedicate the Charters of Freedom monument that can now be seen just outside the county’s administrative building.

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced the 2017 National Blue Ribbon Schools, which included Riverbend Elementary School in Haywood County.

It’s September in the hills when Western Carolina University’s fall foliage forecaster Beverly Collins attempts to quantify the quality of the annual color show in Western North Carolina through a scientific-based prediction. And Collins is anticipating a good display across the mountains this year.

To the Editor:

With all the news of DACA and how the changes will affect many people including some family, I have been trying to decide where I stand on the issue. I wanted to write about the people who have lived here their entire lives and how this must seem.

This brings me to “Stranger Things,” the Netflix original hit show. In the show, an adolescent boy, Will, is taken from this world to another, which becomes known as “the upside down.” Will is alone in the “upside down,” leaving his friends and family to search frantically for the friend they know, love and have grown up together. Then a mysterious stranger appears. A girl known only as Eleven. Soon, Eleven demonstrates she possesses supernatural powers and may be the key to getting Will home.

As the mystery unfolds it becomes apparent a secretive government experiment gone awry is behind all the chaos. I won’t completely spoil the ending for those that haven’t seen the show. My point is the people brought here as children and know America as home willingly gave the government their information. And now in an experiment to “make America great again,” their information will be used to send them to another world.

Marcos Gutierrez

Clyde

To the Editor:

A common sense response is necessary to the foolish arguments in a letter printed in a recent edition of The Smoky Mountain News. One could argue plausibly that being proficient in English prior to migrating to the United states may not always be possible, especially if the immigrant is from a brutal Marxist dictatorship; however, it is inarguable that obtaining that proficiency as soon as possible would be a substantial benefit to both the immigrant as well as U.S. citizens. Furthermore, it is also inarguable that newly arrived immigrants should be required to learn English since it is the language of our country.

As the letter writer well knew, no one fears immigrants who obey our immigration laws and work toward citizenship in order to adopt and accept American culture and traditions.

There is a most definite fear of massive, untraceable illegal immigrants who, especially along our southern border, are overwhelming our infrastructure and generous taxpayer funded social welfare programs.

Many of us who are paying higher and higher taxes are tired of these people taking advantage of our system. We are fed up. That was what was reflected in the election.

Undocumented people are the same as illegal. It’s not just a matter of semantics — illegal is illegal. Making it sound softer does not diminish the effect these people have on our economy. Maybe you are one of the 50 percent of the U.S. citizens that don’t pay a dime income tax. No skin in the game; it doesn’t touch you. But it certainly touches the other half of the population.

While your paternal grandparents assimilated, or tried to fit into the U.S. customs, and learned English, many now do not and will not. We have eased up on requiring immigrants (not through laws) to assimilate and look what it’s getting us: poor school performance from classrooms being forced to teach kids who don’t know English, overburdening our healthcare costs, overcrowding our jails, and so on. I suggest the letter writer do some research on the late writer Ted White. He was no conservative but he spoke out for the vital need for one unifying language so that the U.S. doesn’t become balkanized.

Look at the former Yugoslavia: three separate cultures hated each other so much that the people went on a brutal killing spree in the 1990s? And perhaps you don’t know about the problems continuing to plague the French speaking Quebec. Living here in the beautiful safe mountains gives you no idea of what’s going on in other countries unless you read and research.

Finally, there is nothing “ethnocentric” or “selfish” (meaning those “evil white people,” right?) about believing in and supporting a distinctly American culture that includes capitalism. Capitalism is why America is so great and envied; it also is why you get to enjoy setting up any type of business you care to! This is why people across the globe try there very best to enter our country in the first place!

James Devries

Bryson City

To the Editor:

Regarding the Chimney Tops 2 wildfire review article, my stomach clenched as I read quotes from the report: “no evidence of negligence,” “park employees did the best they could,” and “the fire was not typical of eastern Tennessee.” Then the clincher: Park Superintendent Cassius Cash “embraces” the findings. Oh, I’ll bet he did.

And a young mother, on a mild November evening, “embraced” her little daughters for the last time, as a racing inferno bore down on them in the pitch dark, with nowhere to run. Her name was Constance Reed, and her last act was wrapping herself around 9-year-old Lily and 12-year-old Chloe in an attempt to protect their innocent lives.

Cassius Cash also had the opportunity to protect innocent lives. But he had plans for his Thanksgiving vacation and some pesky little wildfire wasn’t going to interfere. So he didn’t request additional resources and crews early on, when containment or eradication was still feasible. Shocking, considering that the area was in the highest level of drought monitoring by the NOAA: D4-EXCEPTIONAL, or that the nearest point of civilization (Gatlinburg) was a mere five miles from fire origination.

If Emperor Nero fiddled while Rome burned, what was Cash doing while his forestland empire torched up? Probably eating and watching the game, thinking, “If this all goes horribly wrong I’ll just blame it on my Fire Management Officer, he’s on a pretty low rung of the ladder. Oh yeah, and the wind. I’ll say the wind caught us by surprise. That’s a good one.”

This “independent” review team, hand-picked by the NPS, by the way, may have let park management off the proverbial hook, but the souls of the people who perished needlessly that night, (and there were many more than 14), and the traumatized individuals who fled from their burning homes with only the clothes on their backs, demand true accountability and a righteous apology, not more lies and excuses.

Mary-Frances Keefe

Bryson City (formerly of Gatlinburg)

Records continue to fall by the wayside at Western Carolina University, as total student enrollment has surpassed 11,000 for the first time in the institution’s history and as the GPA of the entering freshman class has hit an all-time high.

By Julia Hartbarger • SCC Public Relations

A little time has passed since the Great American Solar Eclipse on Aug. 21, but the memory will always be there for myself and millions of others who were fortunate enough to witness the celestial event of a lifetime.

The Swain County Board of Education has named Janet Clapsaddle as interim superintendent of schools after the retirement of Superintendent Sam Pattillo.

The Lake Junaluska Columbarium and Garden of Memory was recently dedicated during a worship service in Memorial Chapel.

On Sept. 7, the Waynesville Police Department’s TAC Unit along with Haywood County’s Multi-jurisdictional Drug Task Force, the U.N.I.T., executed a search warrant at 252 Camelot Street in Waynesville.

By Kurt J. Volker • Contributing writer

In cooperation with the seven Veteran Services offices in the WNC region, the Macon County Veterans Services Office will host the fourth annual Veterans Stand Down from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, at the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building, 1288 Georgia Road, in Franklin.

The Jackson County Genealogical Society, winner of Western Carolina University’s 2012 “Mountain Heritage Award,” will host its annual Cruise-In fundraiser from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1, at the Sylva Plaza.

The Pinnacle Park Foundation and Friends of Panthertown Valley got some help with trail maintenance this month, thanks to a pair of donations from the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority.

This year’s autumn display is likely to be a colorful one, according to Western Carolina University fall foliage forecaster Beverly Collins.

To the Editor:

I read reporter Cory Vaillancourt’s account of the Mike Clampitt Town Hall on Sept. 8 with astonishment. While I have a high regard for Vaillancourt’s skills as a journalist and I don’t usually take issue with his writing, I totally disagree with him on two points: I viewed the story Clampitt told that Vaillancourt described as “heartfelt” to be contrived and unprofessional; at no time during the two hour session was Clampitt “on the verge of tears.”

In his story to dispel a racist perception, Clampitt actually portrayed his former supervisor in the Charlotte fire department as a racist and described himself as the only person in a supervisory role to stand up for a black fire fighter who was being unfairly disciplined. Although he didn’t mention specifics, talking about a sensitive personnel matter in a public meeting demonstrates a lack of integrity. I believe that’s why the woman in the audience felt compelled to tell him that the story did nothing to change the perception she had of him.

Following her comment, Clampitt did cross his arms and lower his head (as Vaillancourt reported), but I viewed that action as an effort to overcome his anger before responding. There were no tears because he quickly turned to Vaillancourt and The Mountaineer reporter to say, “Get her name and put this in the paper.” Then, he replied to the woman in a forceful, defensive manner, shutting down any further dialogue by saying, “I’m done talking to you.”

I’m still puzzled as to what Vaillancourt saw that made him describe Clampitt as tearful. I was sitting right in front of Clampitt with a clear view of his face and I saw no sign of tears. From where Vaillancourt was sitting, he only had a side view of Clampitt’s face.  Consequently, it would’ve been hard for him to see tears even if they had been shed!

In closing, I want to point out that there was substantive dialogue reported in the article, but I’m concerned that issues like Medicaid expansion, the opioid crisis and teacher pay are not the ones that will grab the attention of your readers. Perhaps it’s just a sign of the times, but it’s unfortunate that topics like the Confederate flag and racism tend to be what many people choose as their focus.

Myrna Campbell

Chair, Haywood County

Democratic Party

To the Editor:

Following is the letter former Sen. Gordon Humphrey (R-N.H., 1978-1990) sent to both New Hampshire U.S. senators and representatives. This letter was printed in the Concord (N.H.) Monitor and the New Hampshire Gazette. I think your readers will find it of interest.

Dear Rep. Kuster:

President Trump’s threat to rain down “fire and fury” on North Korea is like pouring gasoline on a fire. It’s crazy. Donald Trump is impaired by a seriously sick psyche. His sick mind and reckless conduct could consume the lives of millions. The threat of nuclear war is steeply on the rise.

You must not take comfort in the system of checks and balances.  The president alone has the authority to launch nuclear weapons, the only restraint being the advice of senior advisers who might be present at the time of crisis, and Donald Trump has shown repeated contempt for informed and wise counsel. He is sick of mind, impetuous, arrogant, belligerent and dangerous. Donald Trump should be relieved of the powers of the presidency at the earliest date.

I urge you to support HR 1987, the Oversight Commission on Presidential Capacity Act, which, would establish a commission to determine whether the president is mentally fit. I have asked Rep. Shea-Porter to do the same and have asked Sens. Shaheen and Hassan to lead an effort in the Senate.

HR 1987 is consistent with the intent and the wording of the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Either the Cabinet or a body created by Congress, may find the president unfit for reasons of health, whereupon his powers are transferred to the vice president.

Serious crises are bearing down on us. We cannot leave our national security and our families’ safety in the hands of a president whose poor judgment, belligerence, vindictiveness and reckless impetuosity constitute an indictment of his mental health.

Donald Trump is seriously sick. He is dangerous. As a citizen, a former U.S. Senator and 12-year member of the Armed Services Committee, I urge you to act at once. This is an emergency.

David L. Snell   

Franklin

To the Editor:

I have seen very little in the corporate media connecting Hurricane Harvey with human-caused climate change. Wonder why? Yet the cause-and--effect relationship is “as plain as the nose on your face.”

Here are some contributing factors:

• Rising sea levels. Due to increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere caused by the burning of fossil fuels, oceans have risen by more than a foot since 1960 in the Gulf off the Texas coast, increasing Harvey’s storm surge that washed into homes and communities.

• A warmer ocean leading to more rain. The Gulf of Mexico was 2 to 7 degrees hotter than usual this August, above 80 degrees. Thus, more water evaporated into the storm, and more rain was dumped on the people of Houston.

• A warmer ocean also leads to stronger storms. Harvey grew from a tropical storm to a category 4 hurricane with winds of 235-plus mph in 48 hours. A hotter planet creates a hotter ocean creates such rapid intensification.

Many climate change deniers live in both Houston and Washington, DC. Such denial of climate science and resulting political decisions make us unprepared for such “unnatural” disasters. Isn’t it interesting that Exxon, whose officials publicly pooh-poohed global warming for 30 years while their own research confirmed it, suffered damage to one of their Houston refineries!

Here are some examples of what current actions in Washington are doing to guarantee that other disasters like Harvey will occur:

• Deregulating “Big Oil’s” toxic pollution and the proposed shutdown of the EPA, whose purpose is to protect vulnerable communities adjacent to oil refineries and chemical plants.

• Persecuting immigrant communities. As the storm threatened, ICE was busy rounding up undocumented immigrants seeking safety from the approaching devastation. Its aggressive policing had generated a climate of fear that kept families from seeking shelter.

• Building in the path of the storm. Trump has now signed an executive order instructing the government to ignore climate change when constructing new infrastructure — which means putting more of us in the path of destruction from future storms.

While powerful and well-heeled executives and politicians deceive and manipulate in order to line their pockets, ordinary people like those in Texas we’ve seen on TV lose their homes, livelihoods, health, and sometimes their lives. Yet it’s the votes of “we the people” that have put them in place. Harvey is (another) wake-up call. Unless we take steps to keep fossil fuels in the ground, invest in renewables, drive these (mis)leaders out of office, and plan for a drastically changed world, more people will lose their homes, their hopes, and their lives.

Will we pay attention this time and act for change, or will we once again be lulled into complacency by a veneer of prosperity, the football season, a favorite sitcom, or going shopping?

Doug Wingeier

Waynesville

Two projects deemed by Western Carolina University officials as necessary to meet the demands of a rapidly increasing student enrollment moved forward as the WCU Board of Trustees selected firms to design a new lower campus residence hall and the university’s first parking deck.

Councilmember Alan “B” Ensley, of Yellowhill has been sworn in as Vice Chief following a veto from Principal Chief Richard Sneed on a resolution that would have filled the office through a special election.

The Western Carolina University Foundation recently welcomed six new members to its board of directors following approval of the full slate of nominees by the WCU Board of Trustees.

With a steady stream of hungry students filing by in search of dinner, members of one of Western Carolina University’s founding families gathered Thursday (Sept. 14) to take part in the official rededication of a renovated campus building originally named for one of their kinfolk.

What defines bluegrass music would have to be the banjo played “The Earl Scruggs Way” with the three-finger roll. If it’s played clawhammer style, it would have to be classified “Old Time.” Now, bluegrass music, as a genre, grew out of this. As to musicianship, the chief — Bill Monroe — said if you could play bluegrass music right you could play anything else. What I’ve found is that bluegrass music, like jazz, is built around tight timing. It’s not loose. If you understand that, you can apply it to other types of music.

September is #FamilyMealsMonth – a good time to remind ourselves that enjoying a meal together as a family has many benefits, such as:

A rare case of rabies in a deceased deer has been confirmed in Cherokee County.

A new agreement will allow students from three area schools to co-enroll at the Oconaluftee Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center, giving them training and certifications in high-demand vocational jobs.

Few presidential decisions have been as unjust, unwise and cruel as Donald Trump's threat to deport nearly 700,000 young Americans if Congress can't come together within six months to save them.

For comparison, consider Andrew Jackson and the Trail of Tears, Woodrow Wilson segregating the federal workforce and Franklin D. Roosevelt ordering Japanese Americans into concentration camps. The underlying factor in all four instances is racism. To deny that is to be part of the problem. If the “sanctity of borders” isn’t naked hypocrisy, why isn’t there a clamor over the nearly 100,000 Canadians who are estimated to have overstayed visas?

By the faculty of Western Carolina University’s Department of Anthropology and Sociology

Recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia, demonstrate the inability and unwillingness of the U.S. to deal with issues of race and racism. When neo-Confederates, neo-Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups freely assemble to promote not free speech but violence in the face of a Confederate statue being removed, we must question the purpose of these monuments in our communities.

The Balsam Mountain Preserve Endowment for Jackson County, a local committee created by the residents of Balsam Mountain Preserve, raised more than $15,000 during a recent “Social Hour for Good” fundraising event.

MANNA FoodBank and Haywood Christian Ministry will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 23 for its refrigerated produce pod, the first of its kind in North Carolina.

Before deciding whether to adopt a new statewide law allowing for earlier Sunday alcohol sales, the Franklin Town Council wants to have more input from the community.

With a boost in state appropriations, the North Carolina Arts Council will launch two new programs this year and provide additional support for arts programs in all 100 N.C. counties with more than $6.5 million in grants.

Certain foods may be considered “anti-inflammatory” if they help lessen the effects of some diseases and problems linked to chronic (long-term) inflammation in the body like arthritis, joint pain, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, migraines, diabetes and even certain types of cancer.  If we were to group these foods under one meal plan it would be what is commonly referred to as the “Mediterranean Diet.’

People displaced by flooding in Texas and neighboring states will be able to stay in U.S. Forest Service campgrounds for free following a decision of the Southern Region of the USDA Forest Service.

Friends of the Smokies’ 23rd annual telethon Aug. 23 raised $208,321 in donations to support the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, bringing the total raised since the first telethon in 1995 to more than $3.7 million.

Volunteers are needed to help with efforts to overhaul the Rainbow Falls Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every Wednesday.

By JoAnna Swanson • Guest Columnist

There are all kinds of signs — signs of the times; signs of the future (omens); traffic signs; stop signs and, of course, the ubiquitous election signs!