Those moving here threaten our lifestyle

To the Editor: I read with understanding and sadness the article about people leaving the cities and moving to Western…
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Partnership provided valuable COVID data

To the Editor: Like government and business leaders across the country, I am continually looking for ways to help prevent…
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Prior elections had mail-in ballots

To the Editor: To counter the recent assertions from some suggesting that this past election was fraudulent and illegitimate, I…
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Be smart, and things don’t have to get worse

Let me wish each and every one of you a Happy Thanksgiving. Each year at the Passover celebration, there is…
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I am trying to understand

By Steve Wall • Guest Columnist | On Sept. 10, 2020, Donald Trump greeted a cheering crowd in Freeland, Michigan,…
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Shop local, be safe

I’m semi-quarantining in the week leading up to Thanksgiving due to a potential exposure to COVID. At this very moment…
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No time to let down our guard

If you’re feeling COVID fatigue, it’s no wonder.  It seems this all started “a long time ago in a galaxy…
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The bright spots of a pandemic holiday

I’ve started listening to Christmas music and it’s not even Thanksgiving, but you know what? It’s 2020 and anything goes.…
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GOP ignorance is staggering

To the Editor: Joe Biden won, period. Biden won by the same “landslide” of 306 electoral votes as Trump declared…
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GOP leadership is sickening

To the Editor: It sickens me — a 72-year-old, seven-year U.S. Air Force and Vietnam veteran — the depths to…
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The USA is on a downhill slide

To the Editor: I hope all the idiots who voted for Biden are happy. Our country is going down the…
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Finding a way past the divide

Can we bridge the divide? That’s the most fundamental question facing us as Americans as we sort out the post-mortem…
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Is a $16.4 million jail a good idea?

The Haywood County Commissioners have decided to move forward with a long-term plan to expand the existing jail at the…
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Editors Note

The number of political letters we have received from readers in our coverage area (Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties,…
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Is it OK to just be satisfied, even happy?

As the sun began its descent on Monday —  the eve of Election Day — I sat down to write this…
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Remembering the ‘good’ old days

To the Editor: Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark Supreme Court decision on women’s reproductive rights, has been in the…
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Research says women’s tactics work better than men’s

When the terms “systemic patriarchy” and “systemic racism” became common rhetoric in our society, they made my brow furrow. I…
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Native American Culture is Not a Costume

By the Officers of Digali’i As enrolled members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the officers of Digali’i,…
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Greens think your vote does matter

To the Editor: Do you believe that your vote doesn’t matter? Your vote doesn’t matter to the Democrats. Here’s an…
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The world needs the U.S.

To the Editor: Of all the childhood films I can still bear to watch as an adult, I love “Superman.”…
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Experience makes Greene a better choice

To the Editor: In most professions work experience is a major factor as to whether you get the job or…
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Trump has failed to keep America safe

To the Editor: I’m writing in response to Ted Carr’s letter in the October 21 edition of your paper. Unlawful,…
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McDowell great choice for school board

To the Editor: I support Randy McDowell for a seat on the Haywood County Board of Education.
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Moe Davis is the qualified candidate

To the Editor: There were 8,820 bills and joint resolutions submitted to Congress in 2019. Two-thirds were submitted in the…
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Filling High Court seat now is wrong

To the Editor: Filling a Supreme Court vacancy a week before the election is wrong. Spray as much rose water…
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Pull together and win this war

To the Editor: Don’t you get it? Mask (keep your germs to yourself), socially distance (don’t stand close to each…
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Take your faith into voting booth

To the Editor: In my faith tradition when someone is baptized, everyone in the congregation renews their promises to God…
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No need for more fighters in Congress

To the Editor: Madison Cawthorn’s website states: “Send a fighter to Congress.” 
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Sad to feel unsafe in America

To the Editor: I keep hearing conservatives say that the Democratic Party is the party of hate and divisiveness. However,…
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To those who are undecided

To the Editor: If you believe permanent one-party rule is desirable; big cities should always determine who becomes President; the…
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Be safe, but be sure to vote

To the Editor: I must have been 7 or 8 years old when I first realized my grandma hung out…
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Let’s get back to normalcy

To the Editor: In normal times, we are not unduly impacted by the actions of our elected officials, whether they…
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This is why I will vote for Trump

To the Editor: I am not a big Donald Trump fan. However, this man is the one who proved in…
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For better health care, vote Democrat

To the Editor: It’s so past time we shared health care with all North Carolinians
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Vote Democrat and support all Americans

To the Editor: I have a tendency to speak my mind. I have intentionally not done so during this election…
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Trump is the President we deserve

To the Editor: How insulting Joe Biden is to the American public … us the voters, the ones who deserve…
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Tillis should refuse to confirm High Court nominee

By Terri Henry • Guest Columnist | When President Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to replace the late Justice Ruth…
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Holding a family together

They say when a mom dies a family can fall apart.  I’d heard this before, in movies and in real…
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Vice President’s words don’t match his actions

By Larry Bryson • Guest Columnist | Vice President Mike Pence has stated, “I am a Christian, conservative, and Republican, in that…
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Herd immunity would be deadly

To the Editor: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage throughout the U.S. as people continue to contract the illness, require…
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Forney a great choice for school board

To the Editor: I support the candidacy of Tausha Forney for a position on the Haywood County Board of Education.…
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Vote for Jones in 118th District

To the Editor: As a Waynesville resident, I’m a bystander in the NC House District 118 race, and it’s a…
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Encouraged by Democratic vandalism

To the Editor: As a conservative, it is encouraging to see the unprecedented vandalism of campaign signs in the county.…
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Stealing political signs is illegal

To the Editor: Here’s a message to the “concerned Republicans of Haywood County” who have paid for the “Law and…
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A champion of our mountain way of life

To the Editor: How do we decide whom to vote for? As a recent letter to the Smoky Mountain News…
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Separating news and facts from opinions

A message came back to me from an advertiser via one of our ad reps. He said we needed to…
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Socialist America has done pretty well

To the Editor: Recent letters have railed against a Democratic plan to make America into a “socialist country.” History shows…
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Do you really want Biden?

To the Editor: On a full-page ad in the October 7 edition of The Smoky Mountain News, Joe Biden supporters…
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