Davis’ gain is public education’s loss
To the Editor: At the county and state government levels budgets are about choices, and those choices have moral implications,…
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Giving bears a second chance
To the Editor: The inflexibility of the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission (NCWRC) is alarming. The killing of a three-legged…
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N.C. Wildlife Commission sets the record straight on euthanization as last resort
To the Editor: A letter was recently circulated regarding the euthanizing of a black bear in the Mountain Aire community…
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Barack Obama and his debate debacle
To the Editor: So, here we had it. Live TV for all the world to see. In one corner was…
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McCrory and our gems from Western Carolina
To the Editor: I am concerned about North Carolina’s unemployment rate of 9.7 percent and the country as a whole.…
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Make the right choice: Hayden Rogers
To the Editor: We in the mountains are known to be suspicious of outsiders who want to tell us how…
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Backcountry fees a bad idea
To the Editor: The Great Smoky Mountains National Park plans to begin charging fees for backcountry camping and implement a…
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HART’s Stage II is a ticket to the future
I’ve always believed in the adage that success builds success. It’s one of life’s truisms that anyone with eyes wide…
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Don’t be fooled again by Sen. Jim Davis
To the Editor: One of the most important decisions we will have to make on Nov. 6 is who to…
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Bernanke is killing the working class
To the Editor: It is really quite amazing that anybody would believe anything that emanates from the mouth of Federal…
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This election, let’s make a clean sweep
To the Editor: During this election the main question seems to be economical. We are a debtor nation. We are…
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Americans are too easily deceived
To the Editor: Why are the American people so easily deceived? It seems as if they want to be deceived. …
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GOP attack on women is real and continuing
To the Editor: The letter about women’s rights by Margery Abel in last week’s Smoky Mountain News says it very…
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Independent thinkers are key to future
To the Editor: Kurt Vonnegut, a prophetic fiction writer of the 1960s, wrote an amusing, disturbing and satirical short story…
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Sen. Davis’ comments were insulting
To the Editor: Much has been said this election year on the Republican “War on Women.” Some believe it exists…
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The tragedy of mass shootings, gun control
Hardly a week goes by without hearing about another tragic shooting, in a movie theater, a grocery store, a Washington,…
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Support Ghost Town and other local projects
To the Editor: This is really not an “either-or” situation. Maggie Valley should definitely support Ghost Town as an investment…
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Invest in nature, not Ghost Town
To the Editor: I have no problem with Ghost Town, and I wish them well in their efforts. But I…
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Neither candidate is going to get the job done
To the Editor: It appears Mitt Romney has committed the unpardonable sin — he told the truth and now must…
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A different kind of freedom in the Middle East
Could you imagine how different it might feel to be an American today if the ideas of individual freedom and…
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Life in the GOP fact-free bubble
To the Editor: I just don’t get it. Many Republicans think that Obama is a Kenyan socialist out to destroy the…
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Conservatives take us down the wrong path
To the Editor: Webster’s dictionary defines the following terms as stated below: • Conservative: “of or relating to a philosophy of…
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Jim Davis living in Alice in Wonderland world?
To the Editor: Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, is apparently living in a world in where up is down, less is…
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Don’t legitimize hate and violence
To the Editor: From U.S. media coverage we get the impression that the Muslim world is burning with anti-Western anger over…
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Thanks to the GOP communications chair
To The Editor: In Carol Adams’ reply to my column (“Proud to be an American … sort of,” SMN Sept.…
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Video archives useful in combatting lies
To the Editor: I noticed that last week some of Mitt Romney’s defenders tried to claim that the video from…
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Women’s rights, the unfinished struggle
To the Editor: Throughout America’s history courageous women have struggled to achieve social and political freedom and equality. They have…
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Obama’s record needs closer look
To the Editor: Carol Adams in her Letter to the Editor (SMN, Sept. 12) asserts that Obama’s record is “not…
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History has been altered by victors
To the Editor: Mr. McLeod, instead of being upset over a Confederate flag flying in the South, perhaps you should…
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Is journalism dead or just very biased?
To the Editor: Mark Twain once said “If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed. If you read the…
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Proposals could harm bear, deer populations
To the Editor: According to David Whitmire’s recent letters sent to the media in WNC, two pending bills for 2013-14…
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PetSmart will help animal rescue groups
To the Editor: PetSmart, which is known for not carrying puppy mill dogs or cats, also holds on-site adoptions for…
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Get the facts about state education funding
To the Editor: The Macon County Democrat Headquarters got my attention with their sign. For those that haven’t seen it,…
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In Democratic convention’s wake, 44 owes 42 – big time
By Savannah Bell and Don Livingston In his re-election campaign, President Barack Obama cannot count on the support of many…
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The end is nigh, but too few will admit it
By Kenn Jacobine • Guest Columnist According to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, we are about to…
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The GOP’s message of Social Darwinism
To the Editor: The 2012 campaign illustrates two oft-quoted maxims: that war is a continuation of politics by other means,…
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Alderman replacement process should be open
To the Editor: As a full-time resident of Maggie Valley, I am shocked at the shenanigans taking place in our…
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Some things should not be on public property
To the Editor: While I support the display of the Confederate flag or the Ten Commandments as a means of individual personal…
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Columnist misguided in supporting Obama
To the Editor: You printed an interesting, however misguided, guest column in the Sept. 5 issue. John Beckman (“Proud to…
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We must protect religious freedoms
To the Editor: Some like to claim that ours is a Christian nation. But this was not the intent of…
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An open door makes for a great elementary school
A trusted friend surprised me the other day. At his child’s elementary school, it had been decided parents should not…
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GOP war on women is a real problem
To the Editor: Believing in the power of women’s votes, here are some facts that we are facing in November.…
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Those who make most noise aren’t from here
To the Editor: I find nothing wrong with your article, “Confederates in the attic” (Aug. 29 edition, www.smokymountainnews.com/opinion) unlike certain…
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Progressive is just new word for traitor
To the Editor: In regards to your column last week, let me make some points. You wrote: “If someone gets…
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Proud to be an American ... sort of
Since I was old enough to talk, I’ve been told that being an American was something special, something I could…
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I don’t share Romney-Ryan vision
To the Editor: This letter is in defense of the work and research done at the Bent Creek Southeastern Forest…
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We need a conservative leader at this time
To the Editor: I acknowledge Martin Dyckman’s well-written letter in the Aug. 15 issue. He challenged my letter (8/8/12) by…
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Battle flag display should be allowed
To the Editor: For many years, it has been the tradition in Haywood County and other Western North Carolina counties…
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We need dialogue, not accusations
To the Editor: I can’t hardly stand to read the letters to the editor anymore. Civil discourse, the backbone of any…
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I’ve got Confederates in my attic, but let’s get over it
Even though there’s little room for compromise, I’m going to step into the fray. Haywood County commissioners are trying to…
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