Cherokee courts ‘underserve’ the EBCI’s members
My name is Raymond D. Large III, Esq., known to most as Rady [Ray-Dee]. I am an Appalachian-American, an attorney…
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Let’s keep politics and religion separate
To the Editor: This week a friend posted a Will Rogers quote from 1931 that is certainly relevant today. “Ten…
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Registering ‘Unaffiliated’ is a wise choice
To the Editor: I am confused as to why anyone in a state like North Carolina, with semi-closed primaries, would…
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Working together to raise good conversationalists
Recently, I was asked to speak to a leadership class at Tuscola High School and although flattered, I wondered if…
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Let first principles guide us
To the Editor: A Google search reveals this simple concept: First principles thinking (or reasoning from first principles) is a…
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Reflections in an election year
To the Editor: Beginning a new year during a cold winter, and an election year, I find myself soulful and…
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Humans are entirely unworthy of our dogs
We hoped he’d die in his sleep, that we’d find him curled up in the bed in that old, familiar…
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Coming down from the mountain
This past weekend, I served as a cabin leader for Winter Retreat, an annual youth event hosted by First United…
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Mideast deaths spell trouble for U.S.
To the Editor: The British issued the Balfour Declaration in 1917 supporting the “establishment in Palestine of a national home…
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Here’s to being woke rather than a MAGA
Several months ago, I was having lunch with a friend and the topic of politics came up, specifically how bitterly…
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This conservative says it’s OK to disagree
I wish to respond in a general way to the two columns on the Opinion page of the Dec. 27-Jan 2024…
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GOP once knew what honor meant
To the Editor: I recently finished reading Liz Cheney's book “Oath and Honor.” Liz Cheney represented Wyoming in the U.S.…
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Leaning into the momentum of a new year
I love the energy surrounding a new year. Why are beginnings so enchanting? Perhaps it’s the hope and anticipation of the…
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We’re the lucky ones; we live here
As I think ahead to 2024, I can’t help but feel so lucky to live here, in these mountains.
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Editors help us with perspective
To the Editor: Newspaper editors and owners have an important role in our local communities and for us readers.
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What libraries do is so important
To the Editor: Libraries are an important part of any community. In addition to books, they provide numerous other resources…
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A lot to look forward to in 2024
If 2024 were a table laid out before you, how would you imagine it: a beautiful, feast-laden smorgasbord of rich…
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All different, all the same, all over again
Once upon a Christmas, our children came creeping down the stairs before dawn like little burglars.
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Nostalgia’s great, but ditch the rose-colored glasses
Like a lot of middle-aged-to-older Americans during the holiday season, I’m a person with a healthy nostalgic streak.
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We of the pale blue dot never learn
My Christmas wish is that every artificial light on earth gets turned off for 24 hours between Christmas Eve and…
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Christmas – finding beauty in the mess
It’s hard to believe Christmas is less than a week away. With more gifts to buy, a Christmas puzzle partially…
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A sickness in the soul of America
To the Editor: The Eagles rock band has interpreted life in America over the last five decades. Yet, the lines…
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Acts of kindness are always welcome
To the Editor: Believe it or not, there was a time within my life – and I’m 87 years old…
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Adjusting to life in a meat locker
I’m trying my best to get this column out to you, but it’s not as easy as it seems. My…
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It only takes one person to change a life
Many years ago when I was an educator, my school was tasked with reading a book titled “The Cycle of…
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Knife fights over deck chairs
To the Editor: The world as we know it is changing dramatically. We have entered the era of the polycrisis…
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A lesson from First Lady Rosalynn Carter
“Climb the mountain so you can see the world, not so the world can see you.” — David McCullough Jr.
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Important freedoms are under siege
To the Editor: We now live in a free country. We cherished the freedom to worship as we choose; the freedom…
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Can our democracy survive?
It’s clear from numerous reports out of Congress that most, if not all, Republicans think Donald Trump is a buffoon…
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‘If I am still here in 11 more days …’
My birthday is tomorrow. When my dad reached this same age, he had 10 days left to live. I remember…
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Human gratitude runs deep in our DNA
Over 10 years ago, I was part of a cohort at Long’s Chapel United Methodist Church who read a book…
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Simple, meaningful stories often overlooked
I once wrote a story about a couple in Jackson County who had been living off the grid for decades. They…
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Burning bush has a high price
To the Editor: A recent letter gave some very good advice: get outside and enjoy the outdoors. Nature has so…
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Times have changed, and that’s a good thing
As an adolescent male in the 1970s, you didn’t tell your other male friends you loved them, not at that…
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Women are allowed to change their mind, right?
You have been together a month, maybe two. It was whirlwind and all, that electric “getting to know you” phase…
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Israel not helping its cause
To the Editor: Why are Israeli warlords bombing children’s hospitals and killing hundreds of children and babies?
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We need to deal with the bully
To the Editor: “No person shall be a senator or representative in Congress, or elector of president or vice-president, or…
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Wildfires a reminder of Nature’s power
A severe drought. A moderate but steady wind that’s coming from the north and very dry. Parched leaves swirling everywhere.
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America’s founding deserves our gratitude
In her classic novel “Little Women,” Louisa May Alcott has her character Margaret gaze bitterly at the family’s frostbitten garden…
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Finding ways to slow down time
I’ve been wondering lately how to slow down time. If you’re a parent, I’m sure you would agree there’s a…
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Does anyone really like Daylight Savings Time?
I guess they must exist, these people who actually like setting their clocks back an hour for daylight saving time, these…
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Frightening implications of latest Leandro do-over
Imagine the following scenario: In a fit of misguided “get tough on crime” paranoia, state lawmakers enact a broad-based scheme…
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Military leaders need to speak up
To the Editor: It isn’t often that I feel vindicated, but my hat is off to Max Boot at The…
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I’ll be supporting Waynesville incumbents
To the Editor: Regarding the Oct. 25 article, “The heart and soul of Waynesville is on the ballot,” I was…
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How attitude diseases can ruin the good life
My last newspaper column talked of Thomas Aquinas’s four idols — money, power, pleasure and fame, and how they not…
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Vote wisely for Waynesville’s future leaders
Town elections are seldom exciting, but the race in Waynesville is generating a lot of buzz.
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It’s time to grab your hardhat
To the Editor: As yellow falling leaves and cool, dry air are floating into the mountains, it signals to knowledgeable…
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Conservation wins big in 2023 budget
To the Editor: The new 2023 state budget will pump more than $100 million annually into land and water conservation.
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Law officers ignore meeting, and that’s good
Sometimes a quiet no-show can be a really loud statement.
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Sometimes ‘the system’ all seems so unfair
Many years ago, one of the students in my English composition course approached me after class one day as other…
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