To the Editor:

For the past month, several hundred people have gathered in front of the Haywood County Courthouse at noon every Friday. We have declared our defiance of the Trump-Musk billionaire takeover of our government and their assault on freedom, justice and the well-being of our nation.

To the Editor:

Whatever happened to honesty and integrity in the United States of America? Lying, cheating and immorality seem to be the acceptable norm these days.

We have a serving President who is a convicted felon from the hush money trail with a porn star.

On Jan. 6, 2021, Nathan Baer stormed the Capitol in Washington, D.C. On April 26, 2023, he was arrested in Asheville and hit with numerous charges. On April 5, 2024, he pleaded guilty to one felony and was sentenced to four months in federal prison. On Jan. 21 of this year, he was pardoned by President Donald Trump and released from incarceration. On March 19, he spoke to the Macon County Republican Women’s Club in Franklin. 

To the Editor:

Every so often, some politician will say something so arrogant and tone-deaf as to be compared to Marie Antoinette, the doomed queen who supposedly said of France’s starving peasants, “Then let them eat cake.”  

To the Editor:

I am a retired military officer (veteran); senior citizen; middle class; have grandchildren that are part of the LBGQ+ community; live in a rural area; have a grandchild still in school; and, I am a female.

To the Editor:

Is it really necessary to make getting Social Security benefits harder, if not impossible, for elderly and disabled beneficiaries? The Trump administration wants to force people to file Social Security claims in person — you won’t be able to do business on-line or on the phone any more. 

To the Editor:

Thank God, most Americans were intelligent enough to see through the sleazy leftist persecution of President Trump and to realize that life was so much better under Trump's leadership.

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. 

Less than a week after a raucous congressional town hall where Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards faced intense criticism over cuts to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — a disabled retired Army veteran was kicked out of the event after causing a disturbance — VA Secretary Doug Collins visited the Charles George Medical Center in Asheville to try to ameliorate some of those concerns. Demonstrators outside weren’t buying it.

To the Editor:

As a woman who is active in Indivisible and has protested the decisions of our government since the inauguration, I find myself waking each day thinking “What can I do? What should I do?”