Growing up, my family spent every July Fourth at Ocean Lakes Campground in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We had a little blue and white camper on a permanent lot. It wasn’t much, but it was ours, and years of special memories were made on that little piece of property.

Whether you’re Black, Hispanic, Indigenous or White — LGBTQ+ or cisgender — if you’re thinking about promoting equity and inclusion in historically marginalized communities by combating institutionalized discrimination, racism and sexism, congratulations! You just committed thoughtcrime, because some words are more equal than others. 

To the Editor:

Despite what MAGA Republicans say, our esteemed president inherited a robust economy from President Biden (except for egg prices, apparently). The stock market was booming, unemployment was low and inflation was going down. 

To the Editor:

It seems many have talked about the three branches of government and their separation and nonelected personnel. I don’t know why people don’t realize that the President is the head of the Executive Branch and can control hiring and firing in his 15 departments.

To the Editor:

I realize by the time this is printed that the Oval Office meeting with President Zelensky (Friday, Feb 28) will be old news. But it should never become old news. We saw what we saw, and it has given us clarity about who our leaders are.

To the Editor:

When Bill Clinton was President, we had a balanced federal budget. Now we have trillions of dollars in deficit spending. We have a serious spending problem. Let the President complete his job. If he fails, you can vote Democrat in 2028.

To the Editor:

It has been hard to keep up with the news cycles during the first week of President Trump’s administration, but a few things deserve public ridicule. In his infinite wisdom, Trump pardoned and released about 1,500 January 6 criminal defendants into our communities to do violence and organize their militias.

To the Editor:

In January 2021, Daniel Rodriques travelled to Washington, D.C., to take part in a gathering of supporters of the incoming president of the United States.

Editor’s note: This story originally ran in The Smoky Mountain News in November 2018 following Politics Editor Cory Vaillancourt’s trip to Georgia to meet President Jimmy Carter.  The former president died Dec. 29, 2024.

There, in Sumter County, Georgia, not far from the Alabama line lies the tiny town of Plains (pop. 784), a most unremarkable place home to a most remarkable man. 

To the Editor:

Not being particularly tearful yesterday (Dec. 29) was a terrible moment for me. It was the day that marked the passing of President Carter, a man of unsurpassed moral integrity.