To the Editor:

Recently, President Trump said, “I don’t know how a person of faith can vote for a Democrat,” at the National Prayer Breakfast. This may surely make the Top 10 of his ridiculous statements. Likewise, if anyone stated they didn’t know how a person of faith could vote for a Republican or Independent, they too would be equally ridiculous. I must add that such an unbelievable statement coming from a sitting president is far from the expectation we should have for one in the highest office of the land. 

To the Editor:

In response to guest columnist Walter Cook’s recent article, “Don’t expect better results with the same choices,” (Dec. 31 edition of SMN) Mr. Cook accurately describes a political reality in Western North Carolina: for far too long, many voters have cast ballots strictly along party lines — then wondered why so little changes, or why things get worse. 

The first thing is to tame the rage so that you do not live in it all the time. Or worse, repressing it so often and so much that it calcifies into all-consuming despair. That won’t do. 

The next thing is to cultivate joy stubbornly and aggressively. You know, that “pursuit of happiness” business. It is not easy to do it in our madhouse of a country. You know it and I know it. 

To the Editor:

For nearly 100 years, the Fontana Regional Library System has reflected the traditional mountain values of literacy, truth and community responsibility. These values guided our grandparents who built the first libraries in these mountains. They guided our parents who supported them. And they guide many of us today. Yet these long-held values are now at risk. 

To the Editor:

It is not about policy. It is not about politics. It is not about being a Democrat, Republican or independent. It is not about being progressive, conservative or moderate. It is about faith.

To the Editor:

Western Carolina University is only one of many public institutions being infected with the disease of Trumpism. Single-handedly Trump has mandated that diversity can no longer be promoted in hiring, curriculum, and even in student populations.

At odd hours of the day and night, Maggie Valley resident David Crane grabs a cup of coffee, meanders to the basement of his mountain cabin and speaks with the members of the high-level international workgroup he chairs. The aim: Establish a court through which to try Vladimir Putin and others for crimes of aggression against Ukraine. 

To The Editor:

On April 5 over 1,000 American citizens showed up at the Haywood County historic courthouse to stand up for democracy and our Constitution. We were not “bussed” in and we most certainly weren’t paid to be there. Some folks would like you to believe that all the citi-zens that were there were not locals — hate to be the bearer of bad news, many were Haywood County natives.

To the Editor:

Acknowledging the fact that, yes, all Americans have a right to have and express an opinion, and that the press has a prerogative to print those (as well as its own) opinions, I feel compelled to take exception to The Smoky Mountain News providing an admitted participant of Jan. 6 (a man tried, convicted, sentenced and then wrongly pardoned by the very person who incited the riot) a platform from which to proliferate the blatant untruth that the 2020 election was stolen (“Jan.6 participant speaks,” SMN April 2). 

To the Editor:

In response to a letter from David Lawson, MD, (SMN, Feb. 26 issue) I would like to point out that even a simple Google search reveals that the writer is just another angry Republican parroting the lies that MAGA has been spewing for eight years.