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The Highlands Biological Foundation has a new executive director with the hire of Charlotte Muir.
A celebration of the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System Act will kick off at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 30, at the Cradle of Forestry in America near Brevard.
Memorial Day Weekend signals the beginning visitor season on the Blue Ridge Parkway, with all facilities now reopen after winter closures.
A collapsed retaining wall at Chimney Rock State Park has caused the park to be closed since the collapse occurred Saturday, May 26.
To the Editor:
A gun rights rally was held on the historic courthouse lawn in Waynesville on May 19. Jeremy Davis is quoted as saying, “I’m 44 years old and never in my life have I seen somebody march to take rights away. We’re seeing that now, where you’ve got a bunch of misguided youth out marching, begging the government to limit their rights.”
I hope the entire Second Amendment to which Mr. Davis refers was read and displayed: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.”
Few people attempt to support the entire Second Amendment. Many merely want the right to bear arms. Some insist the right has no limits. Some choose to ignore the need for “A well regulated Militia.” Both clauses of the amendment make it the complete law.
Being one of five military veterans in my immediate family, I am grateful for the right to own firearms. However, I do not believe the constitutional writers meant for civilians to sport modern-day assault weapons. We must do all we can to protect innocent civilians while at the same time defending people’s right to own and use conventional firearms.
Dave Waldrop
Webster
To the Editor:
In a recent Smoky Mountain News article, the writer confirmed the Waynesville Town Board overwhelmingly reached a decision last week on the apartment complex proposed for Plott Creek Road. The board chose to side with the developer despite overwhelming opposition to the project, citing a major shortage of rental housing throughout the county as a prime factor in their decision.
My experience with these town meetings has been the same — they appear to listen but typically side with growth regardless of opposition from the existing county residents. I understand the position they are in and realize that they are likely to side with growth every time unless there is some existing law/statute that prohibits it.
Those of us who live near the proposed building site have known for years that some sort of multi-family development would occur there since the property sellers were demanding such a high price for the land. Our biggest concern is the scale of the proposed complex. Our hope was that voicing our concerns openly would prompt some sort of compromise in development scale to be more in line with the Plott Creek community as a whole.
Considering a smaller complex such as less units or even less profile (one-story versus three-story units) or both would not only serve the needs of the town (additional housing) but also show the local residents that their concerns are considered as well. What I see from this town board decision is that there was no indication alternative proposals were even considered. Basically the board members seemed to say “suck it up neighbors, we know better than you what you need.”
I realize the developer would not unilaterally offer alternate plans as his goal is to maximize profits. I look to the town leaders to consider all sides of the proposal when making decisions of this magnitude. I look to the town leaders to help us all meet in the middle. On that, they appear to have failed. Please push the developer to offer alternate, less-invasive proposals to better align with the existing community.
Steven Winchester
Waynesville
To the Editor:
“A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes,” Mark Twain once said. Twain never really said this, but most people believe he did. Attributing this quote to him has become an alternative fact. If you tell a lie often enough it becomes the “truth.”
Dictators, advertisers, phony religious leaders, and politicians have all known that the truth is what they want it to be. All they have to do is keep repeating their alternative fact loud and often enough and it will fly around the world long before the truth ever catches up. We now live in a world of alternative facts.
Donald Trump has spent his whole professional life mastering the art of alternative facts, and he is a master at it. Through his many divorces, adulteries, bankruptcies, failed businesses, and hundreds of lawsuits against him, he always proclaims himself a winner. He calls this twisting of facts “truthful hyperbole.” The real truth never seems to catch up with him.
Here are just a few examples of the truth by Donald Trump: Obama bugged Trump Tower; I had the biggest inauguration crowd; Hillary Clinton won the popular vote because of fraud; Michael Flynn did not do anything wrong; Americans pay the most in taxes; tax reform will cost me a fortune; there is substantial evidence of voter fraud; the FBI spied on my campaign; and I have signed more legislation than any president. Even though every one of these claims have been disproven by actual facts, no one noticed.
We have all heard Trump say that the Russia investigation is a witch hunt, so what are the facts? “In the nine months since Robert S. Mueller III was appointed to oversee the investigation into possible links between the Trump campaign and Russian officials, he has issued more than 100 criminal counts against 19 people and three companies. Of the 19 people, five — including three Trump associates — have pleaded guilty. Thirteen are Russians accused of meddling in the 2016 presidential election.” (nytimes.com/2018/02/23/). If the investigaton is a witch hunt, then there are a lot of witches who speak Russian.
If you are host of “The Apprentice” or a circus ringmaster, you are expected to create an entertaining world of unreality. If you are the President of the United States, your words have power and consequences.
The president’s need to create his own truth has alarmed our allies and encouraged dictators around the world. I have to believe that his most ardent followers have decided that the end justifies the means and that the truth no longer matters.
Louis Vitale
Franklin
Over the last couple months, there have been some grants made for home repairs to enable veterans, senior citizens, and disabled North Carolinians with very low incomes to continue safely in their homes.
The Haywood County Sheriff’s Office has received several calls from concerned citizens regarding a phone scam that is very specific in nature when it comes to the name of the party soliciting money.
The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen is now taking applications for appointments for both the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Adjustments from both Maggie Valley residents and residents within the Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ).
The Town of Waynesville Board of Aldermen is accepting applications to fill the following vacancies on various community boards and commissions. Applications should be submitted no later than June 15 for consideration. Applications are kept on file for one year. Unless indicated, applicants must be a resident of Waynesville to qualify.
Vacancies are available of the ABC Board, Historic Preservation Commission, Planning Board, Public Art Commission, Recreation Advisory Board, Waynesville Housing Authority and Zoning Board of Adjustment.
The terms for these boards are three years will begin on July 1 and run through June 30, 2021; except for the Waynesville Housing Authority, which carries a five-year term.
Applications are available online at www.waynesvillenc.gov/current-vacancies or can be obtained at the Municipal Building, 16 South Main Street, Waynesville.
Our Summerhouse Pottery, LLC opened its doors in a very familiar location in downtown Waynesville. The former studio of Dane and Mary Etta Burr is now home to Amy Butler Dapore, a children’s art teacher and potter.
Do you have grass-finished beef at Ingles and does that mean that it is organic? What’s the difference Do you have grass-finished beef at Ingles and does that mean that it is organic? What’s the difference between grass-finished and other beef?
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is celebrating 20 years of conducting biodiversity inventories, with the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory and its nonprofit partner Discover Life in America both created in 1998.
A mobile recreation program offering outdoor recreation opportunities in communities throughout Haywood County will begin June 18, and a meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 29, at the Waynesville Recreation Center will gather community members interested in helping make the program a success.
To the Editor:
It would seem that Haywood County has a new growing pain, at least for my small neighborhood. The relative new rental phenomenon of Air B&B’s has landed in our county.
It is true that we have become a very popular destination for visitors and relocation for many but suffer a lack of rental accommodations. Asheville has already attempted to tackle this touchy issue, but get ready Haywood, it’s here, too.
As I write this, there are no county or city ordinances in place to protect us homeowners who cherish our unique mountain lifestyle. I, among others, value my right to peace and quiet by purchasing a home in a private small neighborhood, only to discover that my neighbor has turned his home into a mini motel with no regard for the rest of us. We have a self-maintained private road that is being abused and ruined due to extreme traffic from his guests. No neighborhood association was needed in the past, so now it’s too late. We are being held hostage to intrusive, destructive traffic, loud late-night parties and simple rudeness. Yet, these “Air B&B” hosts advertise themselves as the perfect zen-like dwelling for their guests.
Something has to be done before this gets completely out of hand. As a taxpayer, I should be entitled to some property rights without having to spend a fortune on lawyers and legal costs to enjoy my own backyard. I have researched many avenues so far only to be advised to get a lawyer.
I would like to thank the many nice county personnel and city staff including Mayor Gavin Brown for giving me what they could. But sadly there is very little to protect us homeowners. Wake up Haywood! This is not fair for us that live here full time, work hard and pay taxes. If you are experiencing the same or similar, please speak up and be heard. Our elected politicians need to bone up on this issue soon.
Mylan Sessions
Waynesville
To the Editor:
Draw a Venn diagram. Circle one is morality. Circle two is ethics. Number three is law. As most people know morality is basically voluntary. Morality is the substance of individual and group conscience. Ethics is basically guidelines for certain groups of people who adhere to them voluntarily. Most groups establish some penalty for failure to comply. Neither of the behavioral guidelines listed above permeates all behavior in America. The law does. We are a nation founded on laws.
The president of the United States (whose election is heavily questioned as to its legality) has apparently ignored morality, ethics and the law for his entire lifetime. By virtue of his family’s wealth he has thumbed his nose at morality, ethics and the law with little total financial loss. Acquisition of money seems to be his only priority.
This mode of operation has worked as long as he has been able to isolate “weaker” individuals and businesses. However, he has now entered into a legal disagreement with most Americans. Some will take his side because of party affiliation. Some want earthly power for their religious beliefs. The reality is, though, that most Americans want to see Donald Trump have to operate within the same legal framework as the rest of us. He is no more special than anyone else.
Since Trump should provide moral and ethical leadership befitting the office of the President of the United States but refuses/fails to do so, we may have to tolerate that for a while. We should not have to abide his overt mocking of the legal system that makes America a beacon of democracy, civility, hope and freedom for the rest of the world.
If he is above the law, why do the rest of us have to obey? We have to agree to obey or we might as well shred the Constitution of the United States of America. We will either continue to be a beacon or we will extinguish the flame that Lady Liberty holds for all the world to admire.
Deep down, do you want a president who wants to be above the law?
Dave Waldrop
Webster
To the Editor:
Thank you Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., for your public service, and thank you for your response to my letter requesting your support. I differ with your response, and ask you again to please co-sponsor, sign the discharge petition for, and vote for the resolution of disapproval, under the Congressional Review Act, against the FCC action of December 2017 “Restoring Internet Freedom.”
“… unnecessary control over an entity …” is not what I seek. I’m asking for a level playing field. If so-called “Restoring Internet Freedom” is not reversed by our members of Congress, the big telecom spenders are free to crush their smaller competitors and impose whatever charges they can get away with, with no recourse for any average customer.
Competition should provide success to the best quality effort, not the size of the purse. So-called “Restoring Internet Freedom” takes away the rules of the competition and paves the way for abuse. That would be a disservice to the vast majority of your constituents.
You might argue that it’s a disservice to people who are able to pay more, that they not be allowed to drink the cleanest water, breathe the cleanest air, use the fastest internet. I would not buy that argument. Where will we be in a few years — further along the road to equity, or taking this massive reversal to inequity?
Bil Aylor
Bryson City
To the Editor:
The Cherokee Cancer Support Group is in its 20th year. We couldn’t have progressed without donations from individuals, EBCI Tribal Council, local churches, and fund-raising events. We were fortunate to be a recipient for a grant from the Community Foundation of Western Region.
All proceeds go for the client’s care and needs, as each one differs due to age, gender, and diagnoses.
We offer assistance, but do not persist. On hearing a prognosis, we give clients time to absorb the information, respecting their privacy, resiliency and reservedness.
To justify clients served and show our accountability, assistance is given from information on a referral from Cherokee Indian Hospital or a signed doctor’s treatment plan. All information is kept confidential.
Monthly meetings are held the first Thursday of each month at 5:30 p.m., beginning with a pot luck dinner. We invite a guest speaker from a different profession such a health, finance, etc. Meetings are open to the public.
The executive board consists of 12 members, all volunteers, giving their time, knowledge, and skills to make this group what it is today. They are exceptional. Business meetings are held the last Monday of each month at 10 a.m.
As stated in our mission statement, we provide educational resources to prevent mortality through early detection, strengthen by action, and sustained by community, direct services provided to the clients.
We have overcome barriers that have kept us in our comfort zones by sharing experiences and giving empathy as well as receiving it.
Several clients have attended Camp Bluebird, a retreat in Hendersonville for cancer survivors from throughout the state. Those who have attended have found that to be a part of a communal life setting lessens feelings of social isolation.
Cherokee Cancer Support does not see you as a number, or a name on a piece of paper. Clients are special to us — personally, we are here for you, no matter how long the process. We encourage other support groups to give direct services to their clients because their needs are so great due to loss of job, financial burden and emotional support.
Flora Bradley
Cherokee Cancer Support
Group Facilitator
As the Corporate Dietitian for Ingles Markets I do a variety of things! Here are the “Top 10”:
To the Editor:
In response to an opinion letter published recently, I would like to share how the GOP tax cut bill has affected me. While I realize the effects of this bill will be finalized next year, this is where I am right now.
As a retired teacher of 32 years my Social Security monthly payment has increased by $8. My monthly health insurance payment has also increased by $3. This leaves me with a monthly gain of $5 each month and over a year a whopping $60 additional income. Thanks to Rep. Paul Ryan and the GOP I get $60. More so, millionaires and billionaires and most large corporations get millions in tax breaks.
If you are pleased with the way this tax bill has affected you, then I am happy for you. If you are as upset as I am with the false promises from the current administration about how great this bill is supposed to be, then call your representatives and let them know. Put these numbers in your cell phone as speed dials or near your land line and use them frequently. Remember, they were elected to represent you and you pay their salaries:
• Rep. Mark Meadows, 202.225.6401.
• Sen. Thom Tillis, 202.224.6342.
• Sen. Richard Burr, 202.224.3154.
I would really like to know if a real live person here in Haywood County did indeed receive the windfall they were promised. Please be honest.
Nancy Copeland
Waynesville
To the Editor:
It is encouraging to see more and more letters to the editor noting that our economic and political systems are not working for everyone. My unscientific opinion is that 1 percent of the people in the world are predator/sociopathic, 1 percent care about others and are working for a better world, and 98 percent are just trying to get by. The predatory 1 percent hold power in government and business and make the rules to their advantage. A Concise Economic History of the World, by Cameron/Neal, describes this process.
The American middle class thrived after World War II because there was so much wealth (prosperity) that the rich couldn’t accumulate it fast enough to deprive the working people. This turned around in the 1980s as the wealthy gained more and more leverage.
I am not a socialist, I am just asking for a level playing field, an even break, if you will. I would like to see a coalition of those trying to improve life in various ways, or at least a widespread realization that our current economic and political system is corrupt and works better for some than others, e.g., corporate emphasis today is on the investors, not the customers or the employees.
An example would be the health insurance industry. The system is not broken for everyone. Those with money and power will push back using any means necessary to preserve the status quo. At the least there will be name calling, and at the worst, well, read The Lessons of History, by Will and Ariel Durant.
David Stearns
Otto
To the Editor:
The liberals want Trump out of office because they have someone in there who cares about the people and isn’t paid to play. They can’t control him and are so worried they are going down quickly and are running scared. I am amazed how really corrupt they are.
We thank President Trump for bringing it all out to see how crooked they really are — sad for our country.
Nan Smith
Waynesville
City Lights Café in Sylva has been recognized by the state for its sustainability efforts, earning certification from the N.C. GreenTravel Program.
The Blue Ridge Parkway will resurface more than 65 miles of pavement between Asheville and Cherokee this summer, with work beginning in mid-May and lasting through September.
From mountains to coast, a cadre of land conservation agencies is working to preserve the properties most important to North Carolina’s beauty and environmental health. Two of these agencies are celebrating recent acquisitions in Madison, Buncombe and McDowell Counties.
A new report from the National Park Service shows that 11.3 million visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2017 spent a combined $922.9 million in communities near the park, supporting 13,900 jobs.
The late George Masa, whose photographs were pivotal to the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, will be inducted with the eighth class of Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame honorees Friday, May 4.
Performing at certain venues can be the highlight of a musical career, as if the stage itself shares a star billing, and members of Western Carolina University’s Concert Choir will get that experience this month.
Vaya Health announced it will move its Sylva regional office to a new location in town as part of an administrative consolidation to strengthen the organization and increase cost-effectiveness.
The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen is now taking applications for appointments for both the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Adjustments from both Maggie Valley residents and residents within the Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ).
The District Attorney’s Office recently hired a new prosecutor, Kimberly Hayes Harris.
What's the difference between “vegetarian” and “plant-based”?
The Western Carolina University College of Fine and Performing Arts presents WCU Roadworks, a free outreach program offering experiential arts opportunities throughout the summer to the community.
To the Editor:
The red wolf, which once ranged from Pennsylvania to Texas, is now battling extinction in the wild for a second time. Less than 30 individuals remain, found only in eastern North Carolina.
Like its gray wolf cousin, the red wolf faced mass extermination for hundreds of years thanks to human development and widespread misconceptions.
By the time they were brought into captivity, only a handful of survivors remained. To restore the species to its rightful place, a small population was released within the North Carolina’s Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in 1987. The population increased in size for decades, peaking at around 150 animals.
However, over the past few years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, facing political pressure, has lost sight of its mission and turned its back on the red wolf. By eliminating the strategies that allowed them to grow the population, the red wolf population has plummeted. Recently, the agency proposed throwing in the towel and sending most of the last wolves off to zoos.
North Carolinians should be outraged. The red wolf is part of our state’s natural legacy and deserves one last place in the wild, where it can hunt and howl as it has for thousands of years.
If you care about North Carolina’s wildlife and heritage, please do your part to reverse the decline of this species. Call or email USFWS Acting Regional Director, Michael Oetker and urge him to recommit to red wolf recovery. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 404.679.4000
Christopher Lile
Waynesville
To the Editor:
As with most newly proposed developments everywhere, all the standard comments come out in newspapers and town meetings, pro and con: “meets community needs;” “NIMBY (not in my back yard);” “increased tax revenue;” “increased traffic and safety issues;” “school overload;” “we can do what we want with our land;” etc. And the list goes on and on.
Then after all that, the town/county leaders appear to ignore all comments and do what they want — typically siding with the developer presumably because the potential increased tax revenue seems too sweet to pass up.
In the case of the proposed apartment complex on Plott Creek Road, there is a real risk that project will go the same path at the expense of the neighboring properties and Hazelwood as a whole. Practically all residents near the proposed development do not support this business venture simply because it is not in concert with the community as a whole.
Towns like Charleston have enacted ordnances that limit the height of buildings in the city; homeowner associations all over the U.S. limit residents from erecting structures that do not fit the neighborhood — all in an effort to maintain a sense of community where a relatively high density of neighbors exist.
Hazelwood and the neighboring streets are essentially single-family dwellings (typically one story) and in the case of the Plott Creek community, relatively low-density. For the land where the three-story apartment complex is proposed, low-density single-family housing (houses with acreage) would probably be welcomed by the neighboring residents and would fit the community needs. A multi-story, multi-building complex does not fit that mold. The single-family home option is most likely less appealing to developers, but in the end what we get should be more about community needs than lining developers’ pockets.
Those near the proposed project hope the community leaders will look beyond the potential tax revenue and develop the area more in line with the needs/wishes of the community as a whole. We highly recommend not approving this apartment complex as proposed and counter with something that is more in line with the Hazelwood and Plott Creek communities. The residents in and around the area will appreciate it and the community-friendly precedent will be set for all other proposals going forward.
Steven Winchester
Waynesville
To the Editor:
I am a 59-year-old disabled veteran and lifelong Christian conservative. And I am appalled at what I see happening in the leadership of the Republican Party.
Even here in sleepy little Haywood County the attacks on grassroots conservatism by the establishment GOP leaders is unsettling to say the least. Over the course of the last few years, these grassroots conservatives in Haywood have spent over $10,000 in legal fees to fight false allegations by GOP leadership.
Charges range from cyberstalking (case dismissed), assault charges (acquitted), and more cease and desist letters than I can count. Numerous Haywood citizens were served “no trespass orders” without trial or jury by North Carolina Republican Party Chief Legal Counsel Thomas H. Stark, preventing these Republicans from attending GOP events in our own county.
Then, in a kangaroo court held down east at the NCGOP State Convention, a group of at least five Haywood Republicans were charged with party disloyalty! This resulted in several being banned from the Republican Party for five years. The vice chair of the North Carolina Republican Party in a very public Facebook post even called the Haywood Republican Alliance (a group of Christian conservatives made up mostly of veterans and our families) “terrorists.”
Now a civil suit asking for more than $75,000 has been brought by a Haywood GOP official against the conservative Political Action Committee “Haywood Republican Alliance” and several of its members, including six John Does. Grassroots conservatives in Haywood County have had to resort to a “Go Fund Me” page just to fight off the vicious attacks of the progressive establishment GOP. These are the kind of attacks one would expect from far left radicals, not the Republican Party.
The establishment NCGOP bureaucrats down in Raleigh have had their nose in Haywood County politics trying to control us for far too long. It’s high time the NCGOP learns to stay out of our lives and let the people of Haywood County run our own county.
My question, is when are these attacks going to end? Why does the NCGOP not follow the Republican Party platform? Why does the NCGOP leadership not value their hard-working grassroots conservative volunteers?
My suggestion is get back to your Christian values, support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, and do the job you were elected to do: support our president, our veterans and stand up for America. Long live the Republic.
Eddie Cabe
Canton
To the Editor:
Yes, we do need a wall to protect ourselves.
A couple weeks ago a contingent of Guatemalan men and women escaping from violence stormed our southern border. They arrived accompanied by dozens of crying children armed with teddy bears. This dangerous contingent took no prisoners, except, apparently, our president, who has been ranting ever since: “We need a wall and we need it now; our southern border is under siege.”
So, if you are as tired as I am of hearing his constant whining about a wall, may I suggest we all send in our contributions so we can make the multi-billion-dollar wall a reality. This will protect him from teddy bear brigades, and it will protect us from further whining.
Just a reminder, one billion equals one thousand millions. So, please be generous.
Paul Strop
Waynesville
To the Editor:
In 1804 a Republican-dominated House of Representatives voted impeachment charges against a sitting Supreme Court judge. The Senate had the wisdom to vote this down. This event is considered a landmark victory for the independence of the judiciary and for the separation of powers of the federal government. Up until the present there has not been another serious effort to attack these cornerstones of our democracy. This may have changed.
Rep. Mark Meadows is our Republican congressman from Asheville who represents North Carolina’s 11th District. He is the leader of the Freedom Caucus, the Tea Party faction of the House of Representatives. Under his leadership this group is threatening to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rob Rosenstein for refusing to turn over classified information relating to the Muller investigation. It is established law that investigators are not required to turn over classified information critical to an ongoing investigation. This principle was reaffirmed by a Supreme Court decision in the early 1940s.
Meadows and his Tea Party supporters are seeking the names of individuals currently under investigation by the justice department. Meadows is a close ally of Donald Trump. It is reasonable to assume that he is seeking this information to give to Trump.
Rob Rosenstein has refused to release this information. He has taken an oath to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law. Meadows took an oath to support and protect the Constitution when he entered Congress. If our government leaders betray their oath to uphold our Constitutional democracy, it will be destroyed.
Meadows and his Freedom Caucus may push the country into a constitutional crisis if they continue this path. The founders of our Constitution showed great wisdom in creating a government where the executive, legislative and judicial branches are separate. In this way no one person or group of people could seize power and destroy our democracy.
Meadows and his supporters are threatening to erase the separation between our branches of government. I am ashamed to think he is representing the great state of North Carolina and the district I live in.
Margery Abel
Franklin
The Oconaluftee Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center is increasing its partnerships and training options, providing more opportunities for the students it works with.
The Haywood Community College student chapter of The Wildlife Society finished fifth place overall against 24 other schools at the 2018 Wildlife Society Conclave.
A five-year red wolf status review, released April 24, showed that only about 40 red wolves are left in the wild with only three known breeding pairs remaining.
Jackson County’s request for a no wake zone on Lake Glenville has been denied following an April 26 vote from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, but the commission’s law enforcement division will increase boating safety patrols this summer to promote public safety.
After 35 years of service — 30 of them in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park — Chief Ranger Steve Kloster has retired.
By Nick Breedlove • Guest Columnist
On May 6-12 we celebrate National Tourism Week, and this year’s theme from the U.S. Travel Association is “Then and Now.”
In my role as Director of the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority, my goal is to create awareness about what a special place this area is and to inspire others to travel here and spend a night, or two or three.
By Evan Boyer • Guest Columnist
A few months ago, some legal trouble loomed over me, and I was told that it would be in my best interest to start doing community service. My mom mentioned Haywood Waterways. I contacted Christine O’Brian, and she told me about Howell Mill Road, the trash surrounding it and how it was increasing her blood pressure day by day. I needed hours, she needed help. So I donned a vest, grabbed a grabber, and set out to clean Howell Mill.
To the Editor:
Are we a nation governed by the rule of law or by Trump’s fantasy lies? Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, and his Tea Party Republican colleagues seem to favor lies over law. They persist in attacking the rule of law and making excuses for Trump via lies and misrepresentations on Fox “News” propaganda.
Meadows introduced a bill to “investigate the investigators” that actually attacks hard-working FBI agents who are trying to do their job in the face of constant spurious accusations. What we need is legislation that would provide resources to learn all we can about the Russian meddling in the past election and finding ways of preventing such attacks on our republic. Instead Meadows and fellow Republicans are doing all they can to hinder any and all investigations instead of protecting our elections.
The latest distraction was for House Republicans to demand access to the memos James Comey used to document his interactions with President Trump. The memos were delivered to the Republicans, and within hours the entire trove of documents was leaked to the press. Compare this to the persecution of Andrew McCabe, whom Republicans are trying to prosecute for releasing information he had the authority to release. McCabe’s biggest “crime” is having a wife who ran for office as a Democrat.
As the special prosecutor’s investigation gathers more and more evidence and gets confessions and indictments, both House and Senate leaders refuse to take steps to guarantee that the investigation will not be stopped by Trump. Instead they have people in charge of committees to supposedly also investigate the Russian hacking of our elections who seem committed to covering up as much as they can.
For example, Paul Ryan kept Rep. Nunes as head of the House Intelligence Committee even though Nunes as a member of the Trump transition had a clear conflict of interest. Nunes would not require witnesses to testify before the committee and terminated its investigation before the might have discovered something. This is the same Nunes who had endless investigations of Hillary Clinton without ever getting sound evidence of any wrongdoing.
Republicans have long claimed to be the “Law and Order” party. Apparently that only applies if your skin color is other than white or your party affiliation is something other than Republican. It is high time that Rep. Meadows and his fellow Republicans in Congress start looking after the public’s business and our national security. Russian hackers tried to influence the last election and are likely to do so again this year. This is a clear attack on our system of government. It would seem that Republicans feel that since the Russians favored Trump in 2016 that means the meddling is OK. Maybe they think the Russian hackers will also help Republicans seeking office in the House and Senate this year.
It is high time that Republicans and so-called conservatives start putting country over ideology and petty partisanship. Republicans used to be a party with high integrity. Sadly, Republicans currently in Congress do not seem to share that trait.
Norman Hoffmann
Waynesville
To the Editor:
Last week, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Asheville, took center stage with several others to interfere with the work of the Justice Department and to assist President Trump in his effort to obstruct justice in the Mueller probe. Their spurious demand for Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein to release a vast amount of documents was a thinly veiled attempt to gin up an excuse to charge him with Contempt of Congress, thus providing the groundwork for Trump to fire Rosenstein and close or impede the Mueller probe. Such reckless politicizing made a mockery of Congress’ oversight function.
Throughout the Trump presidency, Rep. Meadows has shown a pattern of blind allegiance to Trump regardless of his bullying behavior, his undermining of our democratic norms, or his refusal to protect our country from Russian meddling.
In November, let’s choose a representative who will uphold the values of our exceptional democracy, not one who shields his party leader at any cost. We can start now by voting for one of the three good congressional candidates in the Democratic primary.
Fred Schmidt
Waynesville
At Dillsboro Elementary School (1950) we played dodge-a-ball during recess. The game was set up kind of like this: a large circle was etched in the playground with a stick. Students rushed inside the circle to play. Their goal? Avoid being hit by a soft rubber ball that two players outside the circle hurled back and forth at them from opposite sides of the circle. Many of you will recall this inexpensive game. It was great fun and took our minds off the affairs of our childhood world. But the end of recess meant the end of that fun for that day.
Fast forward to 2018. A dodge-a-ball game is now being played at an increasingly faster pace. Those inside the circle are adults who have paid to play: Donald, Paul, Rick, Michael, Michael, George, Carter, Sean, Steve and a few others whose names don’t come to mind at the moment. There is some possibility that players from Russia will soon get in this game (most likely outside the circle, throwing balls).
The ball is larger and harder in the adult game. The circle is much bigger, but is re-drawn steadily smaller with the passage of time. The original attackers were: Robert, Stormy, Karen and Michael. When a player gets hit he/she may become an attacker, adding yet another ball for those inside the circle to dodge. Needless to say some of the players have grown weary with the pace of the game. Some have merely taken the hit and joined the attackers, complicating the strategies for those within. The difference most noteworthy is that there is no recess to free the players up. Like the Eagles sang in “Hotel California:” “… they can check out any time they like, but they can never leave.”
Rather than airing on ESPN, this historic game is being played day and night on several news channels. Things have gotten really hectic recently as the circle grows smaller and more people become attackers. This question looms across America: who will be the last one standing? Some have wondered aloud to friends and spectators — why did I choose to play this game in the first place?
As famous singer/songwriter Joe South observed: “Oh, the games people play now every night and every day now, never meanin’ what they say now and never saying what they mean.”
Dave Waldrop
Webster
