Get busy living, or get busy dying

During the 1970s, my dad spent some time in prison. For over three years, he taught GED prep classes at…
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Civil War monuments don’t stand a chance

“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” — Nobel prize winning author William Faulkner This oft-trotted out line from…
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Government prayer has limitations
 

Government prayer has limitations

To the Editor: I appreciate and agree with your well-expressed thoughts on government meetings and prayer. Thank you for taking…
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Honor the dead, not the cause
 

Honor the dead, not the cause

To the Editor: In a recent spate of Confederacy hype, much has been racist and much has been misleading. However,…
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Mission is merely seeking its fair share
 

Mission is merely seeking its fair share

Responding to Jeanne Dupois Editorial: We read with great interest the editorial from Jeanne Dupois regarding the many challenges that…
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There’s somethin’ happenin’ here
 

There’s somethin’ happenin’ here

To the Editor: Donald Trump has vowed to build a wall between the U.S.A. and Mexico. He even claims that…
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Robert E. Lee deserves respect
 

Robert E. Lee deserves respect

To the Editor: There was a man who was born at Stratford Hall, Virginia, and his boyhood home was in…
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Don’t let mobs distort history
 

Don’t let mobs distort history

To the Editor: How many times have we heard or said “history repeats itself?” I’d say often regarding everything from…
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Get insurance out of health care
 

Get insurance out of health care

To the Editor: Can we please stop referring to access to health care insurance as “access to health care” and…
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Christians will not be silenced
 

Christians will not be silenced

To the Editor: In response to Editor Scott McLeod’s column about public prayers (www.smokymountainnews.com/archives/item/20540), secular society would like nothing better…
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Eclipse reveals glimmer of unity, and it feels good

I can admit now that by the time the day of the eclipse finally arrived, I was so tired of…
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In the words of Belushi, ‘I hate Illinois Nazis’

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”…
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Striking a balance between praying and politics

Prayer as part of government meetings has a long — and often contentious — history in this country, and a…
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Mission’s plea falls on deaf ears
 

Mission’s plea falls on deaf ears

To the Editor: Dear Mission Health, I saw your full page ad in the July 19 issue of The Smoky…
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High-speed enforcement too dangerous
 

High-speed enforcement too dangerous

To the Editor: The recent accident involving a state trooper and the elderly couple near Balsam was a tragedy for…
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Franklin 4th of July a huge success
 

Franklin 4th of July a huge success

To the Editor: On behalf of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce, I would like to thank those who helped to…
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Immigration laws need enforcing
 

Immigration laws need enforcing

To the Editor: This is in response to Mr. Paul Strop’s letter from the June 7 issue. There is a…
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Reckless hikers should pay for rescue
 

Reckless hikers should pay for rescue

To the Editor: I read about the rescue at Yellowstone Falls in the July 26 edition of The Smoky Mountain…
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Trump could learn from Boy Scouts
 

Trump could learn from Boy Scouts

To the Editor:     On July 4, the President of the United States addressed the quadrennial Jamboree of the…
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At what age does nostalgia set in?

When I was just about the same age my son is now, my dad took me to Atlanta to see…
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Thanks to Franklin, Macon leaders
 

Thanks to Franklin, Macon leaders

To the Editor: As a proud Great Lakes kid, I am so pleased that Franklin Town Council and Macon County…
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Rep. Meadows is doing us no favors
 

Rep. Meadows is doing us no favors

To the Editor: Scott McLeod hit the proverbial nail directly on its head July 12th in his assessment of our…
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Is this a teachable moment?
 

Is this a teachable moment?

To the Editor: We all wish Sen. John McCain a speedy recovery. Sen. Mitch McConnell kindly delayed the vote on…
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Supermarket flowers

My mom loved fresh flowers. It was a fun routine for my dad, sister and I to pick up a…
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Finding your beach

Edisto Beach, South Carolina – I will never forget the pictures. The day after Hurricane Matthew plowed through — and…
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We have to decide: turn left or right?

We got to the stop sign at the bottom of our mountain in our fully loaded truck — bikes, camping…
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GOP turmoil continues, but facts do matter

I’ve known Ted Carr many years, and he is not a liar. That charge has been leveled against him by…
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Look before you leap!
 

Look before you leap!

To the Editor: Now that the Republican Party has temporary political control over America a strong push is being made…
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Voters are treated poorly by gross gerrymandering
 

Voters are treated poorly by gross gerrymandering

Speaking to his son’s graduating class, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts told them this: “From time to time in…
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Story on party disloyalty had inaccuracies
 

Story on party disloyalty had inaccuracies

To the Editor: The disloyalty resolution article in the previous edition of The Smoky Mountain News (www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/20275) was correct in…
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Dispelling myths about indigent defense
 

Dispelling myths about indigent defense

To the Editor: Thank you for dispelling the myth that indigent defense attorneys don’t get paid (http://www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/20283). They might not…
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Trump, Meadows just don’t care
 

Trump, Meadows just don’t care

To the Editor: President Trump’s campaign staff met with a Russian attorney in Trump Tower to discuss inside “dirt” about…
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Single-payer system is badly needed
 

Single-payer system is badly needed

To the Editor: Conservative business owners are realizing that our dysfunctional health care system, driven by private health insurance, is…
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Finding the light in an RV

Since my mom’s passing almost a year ago, my dad and I have become very close. Without her here as…
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Meadows once again fighting the wrong fight

The chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus says there could be a government shutdown if money isn’t included in…
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Trumpcare debacle means health care woes will remain

Half a year into his presidency, it seems pretty clear that Donald Trump would rather continue campaigning — or golfing,…
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Trump pushes boundaries of legality
 

Trump pushes boundaries of legality

To the Editor: On Sunday morning, July 2, Donald Trump tweeted a short doctored video clip of him attacking an…
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Health bill critics ignore facts
 

Health bill critics ignore facts

To the Editor: Last week’s letters to the editor were critical of the proposed healthcare reform. HRMC executives write, “Without…
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Was this all a dream?
 

Was this all a dream?

The other night while channel-surfing I stumbled upon an online Sunday School class sponsored by a host of Baptist churches…
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Finding daily adventure in a place I love

I call myself an adventurer. While I do love to travel, adventuring isn’t just about experiencing new places and seeing…
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Politics may fail us, but our ideals endure

As I sit to write a day before Independence Day, it seems I keep hearing voices questioning whether the shared…
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Long may they sing

It’s a Saturday night in Sparta, and the three sisters — all of them widows — are heading off to…
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People need to take back the power
 

People need to take back the power

To the Editor: Editor Scott McLeod’s thoughtful analysis (May 24 edition, www.smokymountainnews.com/archives/item/20019) described the formidable marketplace corporate control that permeates…
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Wrong vision for Haywood libraries
 

Wrong vision for Haywood libraries

To the Editor: As an inveterate library user, a long-time volunteer at the Haywood Public Library, a former Board member…
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Here come the tax cuts — again
 

Here come the tax cuts — again

To the Editor: Republicans are again touting the critical need for tax cuts for the upper economic classes.  This is…
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Voting issues not hard to solve
 

Voting issues not hard to solve

To the Editor: The mere length and involved reasoning of your editorial reveals a level of nuance that makes issues…
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A grand vision for Central Elementary
 

A grand vision for Central Elementary

To the Editor: Now that the Haywood County School Board is keeping Central Elementary, it’s a good time to consider…
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Support clean energy and coal country
 

Support clean energy and coal country

To the Editor: Coal has played an enormous role in the history of our country, and the infamous black rock…
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Price campaign visits Haywood
 

Price campaign visits Haywood

To the Editor: We had the great pleasure of visiting Haywood County on Saturday, June 17, as we attended the…
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A plea for fairness from D.C.
 

A plea for fairness from D.C.

To the Editor: A wise good man once said, approximately, “politics is about making people’s lives better.”  I don’t believe…
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