To the Editor:

I am writing to express my concern about the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare.” The dismantling of this important health care program has already begun by the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate and by President Trump through executive orders signed his first day in office.

I am a senior citizen, currently enrolled in Medicare. According to a report by CNN, repeal of the ACA will cause Medicare premiums to increase and costs for prescription drugs will also increase. Perhaps more importantly, the currently free preventative care services, such as mammograms and colonoscopies, would no longer be provided. 

President Trump promised to leave Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security alone, but I have no faith this will be possible as the dismantling of the ACA is so complicated and confusing. Why the rush, wreaking this kind of havoc before having a replacement ready? President Trump recently tweeted “insurance for everybody,” which, quite frankly, has a very hollow ring.

What if there is no way to adequately replace the ACA and we’re headed toward a major health care crisis in this country? As it is, the United States ranks 37th in the World Health Organization’s ranking of world health systems. In my opinion, we can do a great deal better.

Nancy Bullock

Canton

To the Editor:

Regarding Scott McLeod’s piece last week about the availability of internet service (www.smokymountainnews.com/opinion/item/19234), it is a big problem.

My husband and I moved to Maggie Valley from Colorado after he retired. The man who sold us his house had DSL. There is a DSL line coming to the house. After we moved in, we were told that AT&T would not give us DSL service because they were “capped out.” 

First they told us that they would contact us. Then we were told that we needed to call them in the winter when they would have lines available. They told us everything except that Santa would give us a DSL line.  

If we had known about not having internet we would not have bought this house. I have warned my friends and family across the country about the internet problem when buying a home. I don’t think we’ll be able to get what we paid for if we sell our home because everything now depends on internet.

We are on a fixed income. I am paying $130 per month for 40 gigs with Sprint. That’s the best I can do. If I go over that, it's $50 per gig. I know because one month we had company and used 52 gigs. That's $600 in overage charges. Luckily, my husband called Sprint and they gave us one month of “forgiveness.” It is absolutely frightening.  

I feel like I am living in the 1800s and I don’t feel like anyone cares.

Carol Rooney

Maggie Valley

“Ignorance and misinformation, if allowed to prevail in foreign policy, handicaps the country’s security. In a world of complex and continuing problems, in a world full of frustrations and irritations, America’s leadership must be guided by the lights of learning and reason or else those who confuse rhetoric with reality and the plausible with the possible, will gain the ascendency with their swift and seemingly simple solutions to every world problem.”

— John Fitzgerald Kennedy, November 22, 1963 

To the Editor,

With the advent of the current executive administration in Washington, I believe that this is a quotation that should be resurrected and remembered. We, as a people, are frustrated with world and domestic events. But we should not, we cannot, allow these frustrations to overrule our reason, logic, and learning to allow “ignorance and misinformation” to become paramount in both our foreign and domestic policy. 

There is no room for “alternative facts” in our political system. We must rely on the truth, the true facts, as proven by evidence, not as accepted by belief only. I realize that people with differing views may interpret the proven facts in far different ways, but that is a difference of opinion, not a difference of the facts.  

If a fact cannot be vetted as true by evidence and empirical examination, then it is either an unfounded rumor or an outright falsehood (let’s define that as a lie). In either case, if not vetted as truth, then it does not belong in governmental policy or in tweets from the Oval Office.  

Mr. Trump, please refrain from lying to the American people and expecting us to accept and believe the lies. Many of us may be smarter than you think.

Luther Jones

Sylva

To the Editor:

The very first section of President Donald Trump’s order banning immigrants from seven nations refers to the plane attacks in 2001 that wreaked havoc in New York City, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania. He writes: “... several of the 19 foreign nationals who went on to murder nearly 3,000 Americans ....” weren't properly vetted by the State Department.

Guess what? Of those 19 terrorists, not one came from the seven countries Trump must have picked out of a hat. No, they came from three of our major “allies” — Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates and Egypt, along with one or more from Lebanon. Ask our President why those three major allies got a pass. Is it because they buy our jets and we buy their oil? George Bush, Barack Obama and now Trump have all refused to even sanction those three nations.

Who are we, as a nation, being executive ordered to become? You and I are far more at risk of harm from a family member or friend. Yet we are told to reject oppressed refugees, most of whom are women and children, for what valid reason? Our actions in doing so put even more pressure on nations vastly poorer than ours to open their arms and hearts, or just let people die.

Worse yet is the wrapping of Christianity into this cake of hatred and bigotry. The facts counter Trump's lie that Christians were severely denied entry while Muslims were waved through into this country. I can picture Jesus extending his hand to greet displaced women, children and men who have fled their countries in order to survive. I just don't see Him holding a sign telling “those people” to go back to their temporary tents and shacks.

Bob Clark  

Waynesville

A week of rainy weather put drought on the retreat, with the classification of extreme drought absent from North Carolina for the first time since Oct. 11, 2016. 

A $20,000 Google Field Trip Days grant will help the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont give more kids and school groups access to its immersive environmental education programs.

Wayne Littrell, 72, of the Coleman Mountain community of Haywood County, was arrested Sunday, Jan. 29, and charged with the murder of his wife Mary Littrell, 66, at their home on Hawk Mountain Road.

There will be a meeting of the Indivisible Sylva NC group at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Jackson County Public Library.

To the Editor:

Those job killing North Carolina Republicans are at it again. The Republican General Assembly has cost North Carolina hundreds of jobs with the ill-conceived HB2 bathroom bill. Now 10 Republican legislators are asking the Trump administration to kill a big wind farm project that has been completed in the Atlantic.

A company has built a $400 million wind farm that can produce the equivalent energy for 60,000 homes in accordance with Navy specifications so as to be compatible with flight training and radar instillations. Amazon is planning to use the energy generated from the wind farm for a distribution center they are developing. Is stopping this project how Republicans promote business in North Carolina?

The legislators want the wind farm shut down and presumably dismantled. Their argument is that the turbines pose a threat to Navy pilot training. Apparently they feel that Navy aviators are unable to fly over or around the turbines. They also claim the wind farm was installed due to “ political correctness” imposed by the Obama administration. Both arguments are bogus. We need to develop more alternative energy sources, which currently support more jobs than coal mining.

Maybe the better question concerning the wind farm is how much the Republican legislators got in political contributions from Duke Energy?

Norman Hoffman

Waynesville

Two U.S. Forest Service roads in Madison County have been closed for safety reasons,

A record 149,600 visits were recorded at the Waynesville Recreation Center in 2016, busting the previous record of 149,574 set in 2009.

The increasing number of wildlife requiring aid in Western North Carolina will benefit from a $5,000 grant that the N.C. Veterinary Medical Association awarded to Asheville-based Appalachian Wildlife Refuge.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic condition experienced by some 1 in 5 Americans. IBS affects the large intestine (colon) and is characterized by abdominal pain, cramping, gas, bloating and diarrhea. Often diagnosis of IBS is made after eliminating other possible diseases and causes of these symptoms. (Source: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/irritable-bowel-syndrome/basics/definition/con-20024578 ).

Support Local Food Entrepreneurs at Ingles Markets on Weaver Blvd., Weaverville. January 26th - 3-6 pm

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park reeled in 11.3 million visitors in 2016, a 5.6 percent increase over the previous record of 10.7 million set in 2015.

Fifteen tons of food that would otherwise have gone to waste found their way to hungry mouths in 2016, thanks to volunteers with the Haywood Gleaners.

The Appalachian Mural Trail has developed a long-range plan to include these priceless murals and all future murals into a trail of murals encircling the Blue Ridge Parkway. Each mountain community and downtown area now has opportunities to join the mural trail to create their own outdoor historical mural or showcase what they have already developed.

Although many poets and musicians have won awards, there is only one person who has a world-wide celebration every year from Canada, United States, Europe, South Africa, to Australia. That is Robert Burns, national poet of modern Scotland.   

Robert Burns is credited with saving the folk music of Scotland. He was born just a few years after England conquered Scotland in 1746. The English were intent on destroying the clan system. Edicts of Proscription were issued forbidding the remaining Scottish people from wearing tartans and speaking Gaelic upon removal or threat of death. Scottish leaders and their families were hunted down. The lucky ones escaped and came to America and Canada. Not many decades passed before the old language, except in the darkest dells of Scotland, was lost.

Robert Burns was a poor farmer in Ayeshire, Scotland, but became an accomplished poet. He began to compose a collection of poems about familiar country characters and legends. To make the subjects more human, he wrote in the Broad Scots dialect that was used for storytelling. He set many of these to old pub ballads.

He performed this repertoire in meeting halls and salons around Scotland, attracted mentors, and became famous. Two hundred and fifty-eight years later, Robert Burns Nights highlighting his poems and songs are bringing people together around the world.  He did not live long enough to gain his popularity. He died at the age of 37.

The Friends of the Scottish Tartans Museum will host its annual Burns Night Dinner on Jan. 21 at Tartan Hall, First Presbyterian Church in Franklin. You do not have to have a Scottish heritage or a certain dress to attend this event. Anyone is welcome. The evening starts with a roll call of clans and districts, moves on to a five course Scottish dinner menu, interspersed with Burns’ poems and songs and concludes with singing “Auld Lang Syne,” perhaps his most famous work. Martha’s Kitchen is the caterer for our night. During the dinner, the Jacobites by Name will provide musical entertainment.

Common practices in all Burns Night celebrations are a calling of the clans, presentation of the Haggis, ode to the haggis, Selkirk grace, a witty toast to the Lads and Lassies, the immortal memory of Robert Burns, a toast to the bard, and “Auld Lang Syne,” which Scots sing to welcome a new year.

There will be a silent auction, door prizes, and a 50/50 raffle. It adds spice to the night to watch competition between friends who try to outbid the other. The silent auction helps us to raise money to fund our projects through the year. There will be a donation jar. Putting on a five course dinner is rather expensive, but the Friends do this night to support our friends and the Scottish community. 

Merrilee Bordeaux

Franklin

To the Editor:

Scott McLeod’s recent editorial “Looking more for ideology, less politics” (www.smokymountainnews.com/opinion/item/19140) truly resonated for me and I hope for this paper’s readers. I grew up in the shadow of this country’s birth near Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts,  and my formative years were spent on Cape Cod. I campaigned for President Kennedy in high school and had the honor of meeting him during my stint in the Navy (1961-65). 

After earning by bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in public administration, I’ve come to personally and professionally know hundreds of city, county, state, and federal officials, both elected and appointed.

Before “retiring” in 2006, my career included time as a political reporter for a South Florida newspaper, Director of Communications and Governmental Affairs for two Chambers of Commerce, and as the first Executive Director of the Broward County (Florida) League of Cities. I actively participated in Florida’s Constitution Revision Commission during the 1970s and ran for Broward County Commission in 1992. I have no affiliation with any political party and consider myself an independent.

As an observer of and participant in governmental affairs for a good portion of my professional career, I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. Unlike North Carolina, Florida has a constitutional requirement coined “the Sunshine Law.” That law requires all elected branches of government from the local to the state level to advertise and conduct all business in public. I believe there are a few minor exceptions such as executive sessions of the legislature, but the press must be present or have a pool reporter in attendance. No secret meetings, no midnight surprises, no deception. It’s a shame the federal government doesn’t have such a requirement.

The only way this country has been able to thrive as a democracy past these 311 years is through healthy, open discourse, unrestricted (in most cases) public access to our government and electors, and the active involvement of its citizenry. Too many people rely on tweets, rumor, innuendo, and “reality TV” for information about their government and our elected leaders. Political parties have so polarized this nation that I will be astounded if the incoming administration will be able to function objectively.

In the words of the late Sir Winston Churchill, “Democracy is the worst form of government ... except for all the rest.” So a word to those of you out there who have an opinion about a particular candidate, issue, or position on the state of our government. Stop whining. Educate yourselves on the people and the issues. And above all get involved. The framers of our constitution created the greatest republic on the face of the earth. You owe it to them and yourselves to continue that tradition.

 Kurt J. Volker

Otto

To the Editor:

When you write “Looking for more ideology, less politics,” what exactly does that imply? And when you talk about “the fight for equal rights for blacks, women, gays, and the LGBTQ community” is something you “support wholeheartedly,” will you please explain to me why whites and males are always left off that list?

David L. Snell 

Franklin

To the Editor:

I am writing this letter in hopes that people walking their pets will be more considerate to people like me.  

I am talking about the owners who do not leash their dogs at Lake Junaluska and other public area parks here in town, even though many posted signs say that a leash is required at all times. 

Again yesterday I was walking my dogs back to our parked car when another vehicle pulls up right next to mine sees me across the way with my hands full, opens his door and let's his dog jump out with no leash. I loudly ask him to leash his dog, he and others with him rudely ignored me. I am disabled so I have to be very careful when out with my pets. 

My little male will be very protective when a strange dog appears to close by. Just because you think your dog will be friends with mine or obey your commands does not mean that me, my dogs or your dog cannot get hurt. I would much prefer to be able to walk my dogs near my home but we have a large free roaming Shepherd whom is allowed do as he pleases. Neither his owners or Animal Control will assist with this problem either. So after years of trying to make them enforce the law I have no choice but to go to the lake or college or recreation area.  

So please, if you want to let your dog free range, we have hundreds of miles of national parks and trails for you to do so.  Let us seniors be safe.

Mylan Sessions 

Clyde

To the Editor:

Mr. McLeod, am writing to commend your timely Opinion piece. You made a number of excellent points. It's so hard though, with the constant drumbeat of news, headlines, tweets, blogs, posts, etc., in your face. I am trying to chill out and talk about something else. Probably good for us all. 

David Goodrow, 

Scaly Mountain

A Clyde man who has been missing since Jan. 3 has been found deceased.

Starting this week, The Smoky Mountain News will begin issuing a steady stream of coverage from the nation’s capital as the world awaits the swearing in of the United States’ 45th President, Republican Donald J. Trump.

Still looking for coconut and sea salt flavored chocolate bars, popcorn, or beverages? You are SO last year…while those flavors are still around,  it looks like this year’s flavor will be GINGER.

My wife was stranded in Mississippi. She was supposed to get home late on Friday night, but then the big snowstorm came. We ended up with 4-6 inches, which in the North would be considered a flurry. In the South, it means we have to shut her down for a spell.

While I was in the Food Lion — which felt like Times Square on New Year’s Eve, except with people clutching gallons of milk instead of glasses of cheap champagne — my wife was getting the terrible news that her flight to Charlotte had been canceled and the kids were getting the awesome news that school was closing early.

To the Editor:

Is it just me? Or are any of your readers just a wee bit concerned about (this is hard to say) President-elect Trump’s continuous barrage of incomprehensible tweets, pronouncements and otherwise just plain ignorant takes on world affairs.  Kind of reminds me of the old Reese Witherspoon movie “Clueless.”

And for all you Trump supporters out there ... you’ve been snookered. What we’re stuck with, at least for the next four years, is a pompous, self-absorbed reality TV star who has absolutely no idea about what it takes to be president. He has denigrated the FBI, CIA, NSA and every intelligence agency to the point that he will have zero credibility upon taking office. Not to mention the plethora of honest, hard-working citizens of this country, regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation or political party.

He recently claims “to know a lot about hacking” and suggests we go back to courier and snail mail to communicate with the world rather than use computers. Donald ... do you realize you have tweeted yourself into infamy? Do you understand our entire civilization including our nuclear defense system and our entire city, county, state and federal support systems are run by computer? Maybe we should go back to the pony express, horse and buggies and manual labor.

Trump’s “bromance” with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is equally puzzling. He questions whether Russia could possibly be behind the hacking of our election system and, recently, an utility system in New England. I can only imagine Putin chomping at the bit, waiting for the village idiot to take office. Let the puppet show begin.

 Even members of the top Republican leadership have questioned Trump’s worldviews. Is the President-elect really ready to assume leadership of the greatest nation on earth? And I emphasize the fact that it is, and has been great, long before Trump was conceived.

I think not. God help us see this through. Our future depends on it.

Kurt Volker

Otto

To the Editor:

The Oxford Dictionary of the English Language defines ethics as: “moral principles or code.” The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) was established in 2008 to be a non-partisan organization that looks into complaints as to ethics violations of the rules of Congress. The complaints can come from other members of Congress, from the executive branch of government, or indeed, from the public. It is the OCE’s job to investigate these complaints to determine if they have merit and then report them to the Congressional Ethics Committee. 

It is then up to this bi-partisan committee of Congress to determine if any congressional rules have been violated and if any disciplinary action should be taken. The findings of the Office of Congressional Ethics are open to the public. There’s the rub. No congressman wants his constituents to be aware that he may have violated the “moral principles or code” of his job or of society as a whole.

Last Monday, Jan. 2, the Republican House of Representatives members met in private session and voted to basically gut the OCE of most of its duties and power. It was a closed meeting not open to the total members of the House of Representatives. I have several concerns with this action. 

First, the exclusion of the Democratic representatives from the discussion shows that there was no intention of allowing open debate of the issue. I realize that the Republicans have the power to ram items like this through the Congress by virtue of control of both the House and the Senate, but any vote that affects the governance of the country, and thereby, the people, should be open for debate and an exchange of opinions and ideas.  

Secondly, because this was a closed meeting, our congressional representatives are not required to inform the public as to how they voted. Rep. Pat McHenry, R-Gastonia, was quite willing to announce that he voted against the proposal in that he believed that any changes to the OCE should be subject to open debate.  

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, has refused to let his constituents know how he voted on this issue. He says that it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the issue because he is currently under investigation by the OCE. Notice that he has not stated that he abstained from voting, only that he will not tell the public how he stands on the issue. This implies that he did, indeed, vote.

This is the third point. Rep. Meadows is currently under investigation for paying his former chief of staff $58,125.00 for performing no duties. The OCE report stated: “There is substantial reason to believe that Rep. Meadows retained an employee who did not perform duties commensurate with the compensation the employee received and certified that the compensation met applicable House standards, in violation of House rules and standards of conduct ….” As Rep. Meadows is under investigation by the OCE, the ethical thing to do in this situation was to recuse himself from the closed debate and abstain from voting. He obviously did not do so, and is therefore in violation of “moral principles or code.” The problem, Mr. Meadows, is not how you voted, but that you voted on this issue at all.

Luther Jones

Sylva

To the Editor:

Given the recent suggestion in The Sylva Herald that the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority possibly fund a downtown director for Sylva, we appreciate the opportunity to clarify the function of the TDA and correct inaccurate perceptions and information that has been presented.

We also would like to note that no one from the town of Sylva has reached out to the TDA to make any request regarding such a position or to discuss such a position with the TDA.  

While we applaud the idea of a Main Street director/downtown director for Sylva, that responsibility does not rest with the TDA. The Jackson County TDA was created specifically to promote travel and tourism and to serve as the marketing organization for the entire county, which also includes the communities of Cashiers, Cullowhee and Dillsboro. 

The goal of our efforts is to drive the economy through tourism, not just in Sylva, but across Jackson County as a whole. Tourism is one of the top economic engines for Jackson County, and the program of work we have put in place has seen double-digit occupancy tax increases. What this translates into at the end of the day is more jobs for the people in our community as businesses gear up and open in our county to serve needs created by increased visitation. 

More people dining in our restaurants, shopping in our stores, and buying chocolates and coffee, that is where the more than $176 million in tourism spending annually comes to life. Our river outfitters, our restaurants, our gas stations, our grocery stores, boat rental facilities, guide services — all of these livelihoods and more are supported by tourism. Tourism touches every industry, directly supporting more than 1,700 jobs in our communities.

These accomplishments are due to the strategic marketing efforts that have been implemented over the past several years — development of a website, e-newsletter, visitors guide, branding, advertising, public relations and social media campaigns — all marketing efforts carefully created, implemented and continuously monitored for effectiveness, to promote the entirety of Jackson County. 

This also includes significant funds to promote festivals and events, in Sylva and throughout Jackson County, across all marketing channels to draw overnight and day visitors to the County. In addition to providing logistical support to the entities planning these events, the TDA reinvests in our communities through a grant program in which we have given more than $90,000 to local events.

The Jackson County TDA has one of the most robust marketing programs in the region, operating on a budget less than that of many other counties. The fact that we can achieve double-digit growth speaks volumes to the ability of the TDA and our partners to get the absolute best return on any marketing investment. November occupancy tax collections were up 34 percent over the same period last year, and Website traffic is up 1,100 percent over the same time last year. Every available dollar is reinvested back into marketing. Diverting any of these dollars from the TDA budget would have a significant impact on the TDA’s mission to position Jackson County as premier tourist destination

Sylva has a vibrant downtown that is thriving, and our Jackson County Chamber of Commerce does an excellent job at event creation, promotion and support. We have some new events rolling out this year they’ve created that we’re excited to share soon. They are an excellent partner with the TDA in creating a visitor experience in Jackson County and we look forward to continuing to work with them to attract visitors to Sylva and all of Jackson County.

Nick Breedlove, Director

Jackson County Tourism 

Development Authority

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort earned recognition for reducing its environmental impact when Green Key Global bestowed it a 4-Key rating last month. 

Wet weather over the past week has put a dent in the severity of drought in Western North Carolina. 

A public hearing seeking input on this year’s round of proposals from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will be held 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, at the Haywood Community College auditorium, with written comments accepted through Feb. 1.

A day hike in the Shining Rock Wilderness Area of the Pisgah National Forest turned into a days-long ordeal culminating with a massive rescue effort when two hikers got lost off-trail Thursday, Jan. 5.

Downtown Franklin will be undergoing plenty of changes in 2017 and for the next few years as the town works to improve sidewalks and traffic patterns and the state begins new road projects.

Citizens recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day since it was established in 1986, are encouraged to volunteer on the third Monday every January to honor King’s vision of service.

Haywood Habitat for Humanity is seeking qualified homeowners for homes located in Haywood County.

Haywood County Special Olympics officials are forming a Local Program Committee so that the program can reach more potential athletes and volunteers.

Western Carolina University’s Ben Steere, assistant professor of anthropology and co-director of Cherokee Studies Programs, is recipient of the Principal Chief Leon D. Jones Award for Archaeological Excellence, presented by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. 

Swain Community Hospital is looking for small groups of residents to be part of ongoing focus groups to discuss changes occurring in the hospital emergency department.

Embezzling nearly $1 million from The Sequoyah Fund in Cherokee will land the organization’s former executive director in federal prison for more than two years, U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger decided at a Dec. 15 sentencing hearing.

Two hikers lost in the Shining Rock Wilderness area in Haywood County were rescued Saturday evening thanks to the efforts of helicopter crews and nearly 100 ground based rescuers from over two dozen local, state, and federal agencies.

Throughout my entire life, I’ve awoken on New Year’s Day energized to be more, do more, see more. This year was very different. I woke up wanting to do less, to simplify everything. I woke up feeling steadfast, reflective. 

My mom’s been by my side for 36 holiday seasons, so the first one without her felt strange and melancholy. Thinking back on the last couple of months, there are some bright spots like snuggling on the couch watching movies under the glow of the Christmas tree, making gingerbread houses with the whole family, and visiting my sister and niece in D.C. for a mommy and kid weekend. 

To the Editor:

I very much appreciated your comments about Castro and Cuba, particularly your childhood experience at Guantanamo. I too have had some firsthand experience in Cuba, but have come away with a somewhat different take.

I first went there in 1978 with a delegation of religious journalists, sponsored by the Christian Century magazine, not long after the abortive Bay of Pigs invasion. We visited schools, hospitals, small “family doctor centers” where doctors lived and served their constituencies, neighborhood watch committees, museums, private homes, churches and the ecumenical seminary, and had several long dialogues with church leaders and members. We were left free to arrange these visits on our own with no government direction or surveillance.

Everywhere we went we heard widespread support for Fidel Castro, appreciation for and commitment to the “gains of the Revolution,” resentment against the U.S. embargo and invasion, a sense of alienation from the Cubans who had gone to Miami, and disappointment with the missionaries and pastors who had fled (“the pastors deserting their sheep”). 

Then, in the late 80s and early 90s, while our son Philip was serving a six-year stint there as a United Methodist missionary, I went several times. We traveled across the island, had meetings in churches, distributed medical supplies and bicycles, giving lectures in the seminary, and carrying on conversations with a whole range of people. This was during the “special period” after the collapse of the Soviet Union and withdrawal of its subsidies.

At that time there was economic hardship. It was blamed on Russia, government mismanagement, and especially the U.S. embargo. This had engendered experimentation in organic agriculture, a whole range of inventive “make-dos” (dubbed “resolver”), such as preservation of 1950s U.S. autos, and a bus called “the camel” because of its odd shape. The country operated under a dual economy under which those who had access to U.S. dollars were better off than those limited to Cuban pesos and there was an increased desire to migrate to the U.S. Also, there was a remarkable spurt of church growth (the Methodist Church has more than doubled in recent years).

Some takeaways:

• An Afro-Cuban Ph.D. in biochemistry in a new 11-story science lab doing research on developing new medications. Her father was a cane-cutter, and her potential would never have been developed without the “gains of the Revolution” in providing free universal education from nursery to grad school.

• A black Russian Orthodox priest who had shed his cassock and taken up a rifle to defend his country against the Bay of Pigs invasion.

• A Methodist bishop who had early been required to do forced labor but later, with 30 other church leaders, was invited to meet with Fidel and gained from him permission to invite a missionary (our son), recruit U.S. mission teams and acquire building materials to repair the churches.

• An elderly laywoman who had taken a pulpit to replace a departed pastor (“The shepherds deserted the sheep,” she said), and asserted that, as a Christian, she supported the “gains of the Revolution” in free health care, education and social services.

• A dedicated Cuban doctor who treated me for shingles that developed while I was there would accept no payment, and told me she was satisfied with her monthly salary of U.S. $500, because her life purpose was to “serve the people,” not to make a lot of money.

• An island-wide network of “family doctor centers,” each serving 250 families, where doctors lived, held clinic in the mornings, and made house calls in the afternoon.

• An 8-year-old boy who invited us to see the “museum” in his village, which turned out to be a one-room, dirt-floor, thatched roof hovel where his family had lived before the Revolution, then invited us to their modern three-room apartment with electric lights, refrigerator and TV.

• A museum depicting — among aspects of the armed struggle led by Fidel and Che to oust the dictator Batista — a display of the 60-some attempts by the CIA to assassinate Fidel.

• A seaside nature reserve designed to protect from tourists the giant turtles who come up to lay their eggs — one result of a constitutional amendment requiring environmental protections.

• A layman in our son’s church who had just been released from an eight-month prison term assessed for criticizing the government, where he said he was treated well and saw no signs of torture.

• Church people — some supportive, some critical of Fidel and the government — who shared worship and fellowship together in the same congregations. 

Of course, there were the abuses alluded to in your editorial — killings, corruption, confiscation, persecution — such as have been reported by refugees and the U.S. media. But I saw another side to the story, which readers need to know as well.

Doug Wingeier

Waynesville

New cattle working equipment will soon be available for community use in Swain and Jackson counties.

A reward of $5,000 is being offered in the case of a red wolf that was shot and killed around Dec. 19 in Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, located east of Greenville.