Clampitt speaks on Oath Keepers
Editor’s note: Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, has been open about his membership in the right-wing militia group known as…
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Trump is indeed to blame
To the Editor: This is in response to Dennis Ford’s letter from the Jan,. 5 issue of The Smoky Mountain…
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Democracy demands certain rights
To the Editor: Let’s talk about the upcoming elections – not the candidates, but the voting. Regardless of your political…
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Medicaid expansion is badly needed
To the Editor: More than one million North Carolinians (12.9%) have no health insurance.
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Enough is enough with developers
To the Editor: Over the last few years I have read with incredulity article after article about how our town…
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Much to be thankful about
To the Editor: Rolling into the end of this year we have experienced trials and tribulations. From one virus to…
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Do your part, let’s beat this thing
Three tests, two shots, but just let me know if more is needed. That’s a short and very superficial synopsis…
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Don’t blame woes on Trump
To the Editor: This is in response to another Trump hit piece disguised as an opinion letter to the editor.…
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What else can we say about Cawthorn?
To the Editor: Apparently, though he took the sacred vows of marriage in front of a cross, meeting Donald Trump’s…
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Haywood County has dropped the ball
To the Editor: We are in the middle of another wave of Covid and Haywood County has dropped the ball.…
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Medicare changes bad for patients
To the Editor: If you survived the daily bombardment of TV ads for Medicare Advantage plans during Medicare Open Enrollment…
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Universal intelligence and hope for the New Year
I read a quote recently by Charlie “Tremendous” Jones that said, “You will be the same person in five years…
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How valuable is the survival of local news?
“A democracy ceases to be a democracy if its citizens do not participate in its governance. To participate intelligently, they…
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We all have something to give
It was a tight space, but that’s often the deal with parallel parking. There were three bicycles in the bed…
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The problem with Sylva Sam
To the Editor: Recently I decided to take a closer look at the new plaques added to “Sylva Sam,” Jackson…
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Is this how democracy dies?
To the Editor: Mark Meadows (former congressman from North Carolina and President Trump’s White House chief of staff) may very…
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Jim Stevens was a true mountain man
To the Editor: Recently, we lost a true mountain man. You may have known him as Jim Stevens or maybe…
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Meadows an embarrassment to his former state, district
The recent revelations regarding Mark Meadows and his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and the events…
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Creating the holiday meant for me
Glennon Doyle is a favorite writer of mine and currently hosts a powerful podcast called “We Can Do Hard Things.”…
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Peace on earth, good will toward men?
To the Editor: Every faith tradition has special occasions to honor God’s goodness and mankind’s desire for peace on earth.
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Don’t abandon freedom of religion
To the Editor: I see where Michael Flynn, former President Trump’s National Security Advisor, is calling for us to have…
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Can you hear Johnny Cash?
To the Editor: The late, great Johnny Cash wrote: “Don’t take your guns to town, son.” In the song, Billy…
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Here it comes; we better be ready
“Both the median sales price ($325,000) and the average sales price ($379,003) rose 26.5 percent and 20.3 percent year-over-year respectively…
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GOP leaders espouse radical views on education
By Rob Schofield • Guest Columnist | It’s a bedrock principle of American law that average people can vindicate their…
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American democracy is backsliding
To the Editor: By now most Americans (and people around the globe) will have learned that the United States (for…
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Don’t let ‘conservatives’ destroy our ideals
To the Editor: This is in regards to Sen. Thom Tillis email of 3:10 a.m. Saturday morning, Dec 4, “Preventing…
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Disgraceful redistricting commonplace in N.C.
By Gary St. Arnauld • Guest Columnist | North Carolina’s General Assembly has a long and not so honorable history…
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A unique kind of holiday
Every year of our girlhood, my sister and I woke up early on Thanksgiving Day, sat at the kitchen barstools…
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You can’t un-develop land
To the Editor: I grew up in what used to be a small town in New Jersey. Everything was peaceful…
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Thankful we passed infrastructure bill
To the Editor: In the spirit of Thanksgiving and the coming holidays, I’m writing to express my gratitude to Senators…
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We can all learn by listening to each other
Letter to the Editor: I enjoyed reading Dr. Norman Hoffman’s opinion piece in the Friday, November 12, issue. I appreciate…
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Trump remains a danger to the republic
By Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist | Some people may still wonder how the Germany of a century ago could…
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Let’s talk honestly about social programs
To the Editor: Communism, socialism and Democrats are all the same, always bad, all the time. Democratic-leaning relatives, friends, and…
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Cawthorn in line for Pinocchio award
To the Editor: I recently received an email from Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-Hendersonville. If only there was a Pinocchio award, so…
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Thankful for infrastructure bill
To the Editor: At long last after years of inaction, there will be greatly needed improvements to the infrastructure of…
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Inspiration from Mary Oliver, Sadhguru and Ted Lasso
“Sometimes I need / Only to stand / Wherever I am / To be blessed.” — Mary Oliver
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Now we know what the COVID police will do
I’ve had mixed feelings about the “COVID police” since the beginning of the pandemic’s lockdowns.
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Development does not fit Waynesville
To the Editor: I find myself perplexed over the “housing crisis” in Waynesville. It seems all our town does is…
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De-mock-racy and gerrymandering
To the Editor: Folks, it is gerrymandered maps time again.
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History is complicated, let’s teach it that way
There has been a lot of hype about Critical Race Theory (CRT) — most of it false. CRT actually involves…
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Back to near normalcy is a treasured gift
When practice begins each year for the new high school marching band season, summer is still bearing down, the sun…
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Cawthorn’s fears should worry us
To the Editor: As each new report comes to light about Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s concealed weaponry, we should be asking…
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No guarantee the republic will survive
To the Editor: I’ve been giving much thought recently to what the framers had in mind when contemplating the creation…
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