The Learning Center at PARI has officially launched following a ribbon-cutting ceremony this month.

To the Editor:

In reference to the letter from Lowell Crisp titled, “The whole truth about Red Hen incident,” I must question his sources. He states:

The real truth is that Secretary (Sarah) Sanders’ family went across the street to another restaurant after the Red Hen owner refused service. Well guess what happened?

According newspaper accounts, the Red Hen owner followed the Sanders family and organized a protest. The protestors were yelling and screaming at them outside the other restaurant.”

Mr. Crisp then switches topics to say the editor should have said “at least one little ole piece of information about President Trump that was positive.”

Beyond the fact that the “little ole” comment was irrelevant to the subject of the letter, I would offer the following comment.

The letter writer references newspaper accounts. What accounts? Which publications? Who said it?  

He did not because an account of the owner crossing the street did not happen. It was not reported in accounts on the day of and day after the incident because it did not happen. It was suggest by Mike Huckabee on Fox News but not substantiated. Also, Huckabee was talking about an incident that occurred involving his daughter. 

All Americans should recognize and not traffic in fake news.

Richard Gould

Waynesville

To the Editor:

Here is the news … but it is not new — there is a legal way to enter the USA! 

So much attention is given to illegal entrants that those waiting in line seem to be all but forgotten. It is a shame that those waiting in line see that thousands of people, like the DACA illegals, who spent years in the U.S. illegally, may be allowed in ahead of them.

You often hear “we are a nation of immigrants,” citing the influx of immigrants in the early 1900s and that is true … but they came legally with papers and were allowed in only after health and background checks.

Now we are spending a great deal of time, money and energy on bold illegal entrants and what to do about the DACA individuals instead of perfecting our legal entry process and laws by improving the path for legal entry.

I, and many others I am sure, am sick and tired with those on the left who protest and encourage protesters to march to break our laws. They carry signs with phony phrases, shout, chant and wave their arms in the air … all for law breaking. 

No matter how you cut it, coming to the USA in any way other than through our legal immigration system is against the law. Do Democrats and the left know that? You bet they do, but instead of protecting our country and citizens they want to protect their power in government. No law and order from that crowd.

No illegal entrant should be allowed to set foot on our country period. That is why we need a wall … one with doors of course to allow those who apply for entry at our embassies and consulates in the first country they set foot in. For many this would be Mexico.

If DACA individuals want to become American citizens and vote, they are free to leave and attempt to re-enter the country as legal immigrants.

Something is very wrong with this state of affairs. As a U.S citizen I feel abused, used and pick-pocketed. Finally we have a leader, a president who has plans for solving our immigrant problems that are not mean, cruel or inhumane as described by some leftists who are also Trump haters. The president’s plans protect U.S. citizens, our country and our future. What has been done about immigration so far has developed into the sad situation we have now. Nothing else has worked up to now so let’s give Trump’s ideas a chance.

Most of all let’s demand only legal entry into the United States and let that be known throughout the world.

Let’s keep America great.

Ralph Slaughter

Cashiers

To the Editor:

I would like to express my enthusiastic support for the thoughts expressed in Scott McLeod great article in the past week’s edition of The Smoky Mountain News (www.smokymountainnews.com/opinion/item/25146). 

I have long felt strongly that giving our residents and guests, and especially our younger generation, access to the interchange of intangible cultural heritage that is provided by the presence of performers from around the world in our community is Folkmoot’s most valuable contribution to our society. Obviously, there are tangible benefits as well, which are important to our community; however, the intangible ones are the longest living.   

Two things strike me as especially important. The first is the impact that Folkmoot has had on the lives of many young people in our region, who have served as interns, guides, volunteers, etc., in giving them inspiration as to their future, education, careers, travel opportunities, including visiting their friends from abroad whom they met during the festival, etc.   

The second long-term benefit resides in the fact that the members of visiting groups return to their home countries with experiences in the U.S. and friends in the U.S. that, in  most cases, will insure their favorable view of our country and will never become enemies of our country, thus making a small contribution to the endless struggle for future peace on our planet.  

 The thoughts expressed in your article call attention of your readers to the benefits emanating from Folkmoot beyond pure entertainment, and we are most grateful to you for calling attention to these intangible but important results that accompany each annual edition of our festival.

 Rolf Kaufman

Folkmoot USA Board of Directors

Waynesville

To the Editor:

Some of you may have read my red wolf letter to the editor published in early May. So, I will keep this simple. 

The last red wolf population in the wild exists solely in eastern North Carolina. The red wolf has faced increasing political pressure in the last few years from landowners in the red wolf range and the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission. Pressure from these sources led the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to passively watch as gunshot mortalities became the main cause of death during the last several years. The red wolf population dropped from more than 130 wolves to less than 30 known individuals in less than four years. 

Instead of rectifying their agency’s apathetic approach to red wolves by helping them regrow their population, the USFWS has instead moved forward with a proposal that will effectively doom the red wolf. The proposal includes shrinking the population by 90 percent, pulling many red wolves into captivity, and allowing any remaining red wolves who wander off federal lands to be shot. Scientists have already stated that the red wolf will go extinct in the wild within a decade under this plan.

As North Carolinians, we deserve better than to have the rarest canine go extinct in the wild in our state. Please voice your opposition to the USFWS proposal by submitting a comment by July 30 to HYPERLINK “http://regulations.gov/”regulations.gov using the red wolf docket number FWS-R4-ES-2018-0035.

Christopher Lile

Waynesville

To the Editor:

The Waynesville Watershed has a Water Supply 1 (WS-1) classification, which is the most strict in North Carolina. When looking at the watershed regulations, they show how strict a WS-1 classification really is. This property has to be the entire drainage basin and in ownership of the public. Residential development and sewer lines are prohibited. 

While researching deeds, I learned that the Town of Waynesville allowed private owners to retain 18 acres inside the drainage basin of the watershed. Consent to construct three houses on two parts of this property was also given.

At a town board meeting on April 27, 2004, I raised the question of the 18 acres.

It appeared that former Mayor Henry Foy and three of the town board members were unaware of this property. Former Town Manager Lee Galloway stated that  to keep a WS-1, the watershed property would have to be in public ownership.

When I asked the board if the town received a variance on restrictions of this property, Manager Galloway replied yes. Further saying an approval was received from the N.C. Division of Environmental Management and also the three houses could be built with septic systems diverted to the other side of the ridge.

When I wrote Dr. David H. Moreau, chairman of the N.C. Environmental Management Commission, the reply was that no variance was given that allowed private property in the watershed. This letter also said the Division of Water Quality was very involved in the limitations placed on the development in our watershed.

If private property, houses, and sewer lines are allowed in a WS-1 watershed, what is the use for the classifications?

Newspaper articles from 1993-2007 told us repeatedly that all the property had to be in public ownership, no construction was allowed, and Waynesville was in full ownership. 

Does the DWQ or Waynesville have the authority to ignore or alter Haywood County ordinance 151.31 that prohibits residential uses in our watershed?

Can code 15A NCAC 02B.0212 be brushed aside? This code affirms to have a WS-1 watershed the property must be natural, undeveloped and in public ownership.

Charles Miller

Waynesville

Folkmoot International Festival is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year by introducing some new events during the 10-day cultural exchange and revamping its much-loved traditions. 

• Bringing the world to Western NC
• Folkmoot guides play critical role
• Meet the groups of Folkmoot
• Sunday Soiree brings flavor to Folkmoot
• Schedule of events

Seedlings are available for sale from the N.C. Forest Service Nursery Program, with specimens offering superior growth, form and disease resistance due to solid nursery research and production experience. 

A $3,500 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation will help support the school outreach program at Highlands Nature Center. 

This summer’s Folkmoot Festival is just around the corner and the 2018 lineup is sure to be one to remember. 

To the Editor:

It is not hard to find a lot of things to detest about what President Donald Trump says when he attacks the news media, women, Muslims, immigrants, Sen. John McCain, etc., but I was particularly struck by his attack on George H.W. Bush at his speech in Montana. It really hit a nerve for me.

What is it that POTUS does not understand about the former President’s Thousand Points of Light program? It is about volunteerism, a completely apolitical thing that we ALL should support. I actively volunteer in my community and I don’t think that my fellow volunteers care about my politics nor do I care about theirs. We do it because we can and because there is a need for the work that we do.

I can only surmise that POTUS doesn’t get it because he can’t understand why anyone would do anything from which they receive no personal benefit. Americans have historically cared about others, but clearly there is no room in Donald J. Trump’s agenda for volunteerism or generosity.

Kent Stewart

Waynesville

To the Editor:

Just a note to let you know that I did not like your Opinion editorial about the Red Hen restaurant incident. Maybe you did not intend for the article to be completely negative about President Trump, but it was. In my opinion you wanted your readers to think that you were really trying to be honest and sincere in what was good for the country; however, honest writing did not happen. In your writing you said that: 

“… the owner asked her into a relatively private area before asking her to leave. There was no heckling, no loud showing off, no tweeting to millions about the incident or insulting to anyone.”

You were telling the public readers what a kind, and thoughtful person this owner was. But you did not tell us the rest of the story. 

The real truth is that Secretary Sanders’ family went across the street to another restaurant after the Red Hen owner refused service. Well guess what happened? According newspaper accounts, the Red Hen owner followed the Sanders family and organized a protest. The protesters were yelling and screaming at them from outside the other restaurant.  

Your Opinion piece would have been so much better if you could have said at least one little ole piece of information about President Trump that was positive. But you did not! 

I certainly agree that the President Trump has used language that I would not use; however, a lot of Americans, including your readers, think highly of the accomplishments of our president. President Trump has a good chance of being reelected because the citizens of our great nation know that changes must be made in the way we govern. You would have to agree that for the past 20 years before President Trump, our country has not handled its problems very well.  

Your Opinion piece would have been better if you had told us the whole truth about he actions of the Red Hen owner.

Lowell Crisp

Graham County

To the Editor:

I am appalled that Sens. Thom Tillis and Richard Burr want to rush through any nominee for a Supreme Court position that this president puts forth under the current circumstances. I think it is an unconstitutional conflict of interest for a person who is under investigation for possible collusion with a foreign government (Russia) to influence his election and for other impeachable offenses to appoint the possible deciding vote in Supreme Court cases that can influence the ongoing investigation. There should be no confirmation hearing for any nominee, however “qualified”, until the investigations of Trump are over.

There will likely be several cases from the investigation that will test the very core of our democratic system of government and will decide whether “We The People” maintain our values of equal liberty and equal justice for all or we become a plutocracy of the wealthy, by the wealthy, for the wealthy. Critical cases on whether the president is above the law or not, worker’s rights, voting rights, religious freedom, access to free and equal education, healthcare, a clean environment and immigration policies that match our espoused values or promote ethnic cleansing. 

All of this is in addition to maintaining women’s rights to choose. Overturning Roe v Wade should not be the main litmus test of a seat on the Supreme Court when so many of our core democratic principles are at stake because there is nothing in Roe v Wade that prevents anti-abortion advocates from exercising their First Amendment rights to practice their beliefs.

I also find it appallingly undemocratic and a violation of our basic value of fairness that Republicans will use one set of rules when Democrats are making judicial nominations but use a different set of rules when it is Republicans doing the nominating. You know what I am talking about — blue slips honored vs. eliminated, 60 votes vs. 51 votes.

Of course Trump lost the popular election by 3 million plus votes and only won the electoral vote because of probably unconstitutional gerrymandering and voter suppression (something this nominee will help decide) in key Republican-controlled states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.  The fact that all of the potential nominees were selected by the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society means that they are ultra conservative or extremely conservative and not reflective of where America needs to be in the 21st Century. It will be a violation of your oath of office and a violation of your job description if you move forward with a vote on this nominee before the Mueller investigation is complete. Your constituents are watching whether you put country first or you vote for plutocracy and party power over “equality and justice for all.”

 Jane Harrison

Waynesville

Taste of Local Ingles in West Waynesville • 1678 Brown Ave #1. Thursday, July 26 • 3-6 p.m.

By Will Studenc 

Dakota Curtis of Sumpter, South Carolina, was sworn in as a new Swain County wildlife law enforcement officer with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission last week. 

A long-awaited proposal for future management of the imperiled red wolf population was released last week, drawing ire from environmental groups that have been engaged in the issue. 

Heavy rains and rising rivers prompted the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to evacuate campers at Elkmont Campground last week, beginning the process around 9 a.m. Thursday, June 28, and reopening the area a few hours later. 

To the Editor:

Thank you so much for so eloquently stating your opinion in this article about “not much room left in gutter.” There are many of us that just want to see our political leaders act like adults and not be so far to the left that it destroys any credibility the United States has in this world. 

Many of us have seen, especially us baby boomers, how other nations abuse their citizens by not allowing them to have a say in their government. You can see this in Russia and China and many other nations. We as United States citizens have the right to be able to speak our minds and make our politicians uphold our values by voting for those we think can do their job for our best interests and not for their gain. 

I hope that civility does return to this great nation. Let’s hope everyone comes out and votes in 2018 and 2020 to accomplish this end. 

And, thank you for reporting the news in a civil way. Many of us do appreciate what our reporters and news people do. 

Eileen Janowski

Waynesville

To the Editor:

Children are being shipped around the nation with no records and officials are either lying about their whereabouts or ignorant of what is transpiring. Small children are crying and are traumatized from being roughly separated from their parents. More lies from this administration.

A nonprofit is attempting to put the pieces together while administration officials are at play. I don’t know about you but it is becoming more and more difficult to even watch the news or read about what is going on. 

However, ignoring reality in the early 1930s was disastrous for Germany and Europe. I will do whatever I can to prevent the same fate in our country. 

Something we can all do is remember Rep. Mark Meadows, our Republican congressman. He has pledged loyalty to our reigning czar and has been silent during this whole mess. As we have all learned, silence is complicity. If you want to really drain the swamp, send Rep. Mark Meadows back to his million dollar home with his expensive suits, imported shoes and fancy haircuts. Let’s elect Phillip Price to bring common sense back to Washington. Phillip is a family man and is campaigning to support our hard-working families and the working poor. We need him representing all of us!

Ron Robinson

Sylva

To the Editor:

Troubling times? Very troubling times! Is America the beacon of liberty we claim to be? Is America a Christian nation? Is America a nation of laws? With the Trump administration what is the moral code? The ethical code? Are we in a race to the bottom? What unites us? What divides us?

What would Jesus do? What would wise King Solomon advise us to do? Do people have any obligation to protect others? Is any individual more important than the entire human race? Are we strong as individuals? Do we gain strength by union of spirit, mind and heart? 

Are people who yearn for the opportunity to live a safe, decent life in America worthy of protection under our laws? If they are not what moral/ethical safety net could Americans provide? What should we provide? Is there any justification for separating children from their mothers/ fathers/guardians? Is Trump’s insistence on a border wall more important than promoting human rights? Did Jesus remind us of the difference between His teachings and man-made laws?

What example will America choose to set for a troubled world? Is the bond between mother and child still sacred to Americans?

Glen Campbell sang, “There oughta be a Hall of Fame for mammas. Creation’s most unique and precious pearls. And, heaven help us always to remember that the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” Is that true? If so, what do mothers rule with?

Troubling times? Very troubling times!

Dave Waldrop 

Webster

The academic unit that is home to Western Carolina University’s programs in music, stage, screen, art and design will be known as the David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts in honor of the late WCU chancellor, who died June 17 at the age of 60 after battling brain cancer for more than two years.

Maggie Valley will be the next town to join the Appalachian Quilt Trail once a mural is completed inside local landmark Joey’s Pancake House on Soco Road. 

The United States is and has been for some time embroiled in a great discussion about its role in the world based on its military and political alliances as well as its economic interests. 

In addition to several referenda as well as federal, state and local legislative candidates that will appear on Haywood County’s General Election ballots this November, a number of other candidates will also seek to gain or retain elected positions within the state’s judiciary. 

Ingles Markets puts a priority on supporting local farmers and vendors by purchasing produce, grocery and meat items from local and regional growers and producers. Recently I interviewed Marlowe Vaughan the Executive Director of  Feed the Dialogue NC.  This non-profit group seeks to help North Carolina residents understand more about farming and agriculture in the state of North Carolina by interviewing farmers and featuring those videos and stories on their website and blog as well as coordinating tours of farms for food, nutrition and culinary experts and bloggers who can carry that information to their audiences. Check out Feed the Dialogue NC's website https://feedthedialoguenc.com/about, Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube channel to learn more about agriculture in North Carolina and get your questions answered about hot topics like antibiotics, hormones, genetic engineering, animal welfare and more.

Did you know these facts about NC agriculture?

• North Carolina's agricultural industry, including food, fiber and forestry, contributes $84 billion to the state's economy.

North Carolina produces more sweet potatoes than any other state.

• In 2017 the top 5 crops in NC in terms of value in production dollars were: tobacco, soybeans, corn, sweet potatoes and cotton - North Carolina is the #2 producing state for Christmas trees, hogs and turkeys Some of the other key agricultural crops in NC are: winter wheat, melons, pumpkins, and tomatoes.

Sources:

2017 State Agricultural Overview: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/Ag_Overview/stateOverview.php?state=NORTH%20CAROLINA

State Agricultural Overview: http://www.ncagr.gov/stats/general/overview.htm

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN

Ingles Markets Corporate Dietitian

twitter.com/InglesDietitian

facebook.com/LeahMcgrathDietitian

800-334-4936

Southeast Tourism Society has Cashiers Plein Air Festival one of the STS Top 20 Events in the Southeast for July 2018.

In today's marketing world we often see "free-from" claims that may lead us to believe that whatever a product is "free-from" is somehow a bad ingredient. Over the years you probably recall seeing: fat-free, sugar-free, and gluten-free items, right?  Unfortunately many times these "free-from" claims are just capitalizing on the latest fad diet that eliminates food groups.

The Pigeon River flows a little healthier thanks to several riverbank improvements made at BearWaters Brewing in Canton. 

It has been about eight months since my stepfather died. My mother has been talking about getting her house in order for a while, but now she has reached the point of putting her thoughts into action. The question is what to keep, what to sell, what to pass on to the kin, what to donate, what to burn, and what to take to the landfill. We are outside, taking a brief and informal inventory. Plus, it’s the second day of summer and nice out, so it is just good to walk off a breakfast of pancakes and bacon with a little time in the sun.

To the Editor:

All of us who rely upon the local news as a monitor on morality have heard and borne witness to the fault lines in our great nation. Core values, common decency, and social mores have been set spinning. The causes — multitudinous and complex — demonstrate divisions not seen since the Civil War. Citizens are out of sync with one another and there is a gross lack of social consensus. The nation and communities are undergoing trial if not tribulation.

A while before the sexual harassment allegation epidemic began becoming daily news, I, a male, experienced sexual harassment by a female employee at a regional hospital in a small town in Western North Carolina. What was yelled at me and actions following, without any provocation, constituted assault, premeditated discrimination, infliction of intentional pain and suffering, and sexual harassment by this hospital’s employee on a patient. 

At the top of her lungs, in a waiting room, full of patients, she screamed at me, “you are a male sexist chauvinist pig.” Within one minute, hospital security was compelling me to depart. The party was deaf to my physical suffering and assumed I was responsible as patient where the power lay with the employee.

Now these were fighting words, not only heard in bars but in a hospital and to a patient. Odds are one in 50 million. But at a small subsidiary hospital of a nationally top-ranked health system, this was unbelievable. 

Upon review by hospital CEO and subsidiary ethics unit, after initial misrepresentation, it was determined that this employee called me, before a host of waiting patients, a “male sexist chauvinist pig.” Required to immediately depart, I left physically suffering, slandered, humiliated and in a state of shock and profound disheartenment. 

Needless to say, my attempts to obtain an apology were ignored by the leadership of the hospital 

My purpose to the public is not to grieve before it, but cite an example of how terribly torn we are as a society, as a culture, as a people, and as a country. Fragmented, fractured, and in chaos, I hope and pray that we can mend our way before the problems in motion overwhelm us.

Paul Blank

Franklin

To the Editor:

One question that keeps going over and over in my mind is, will there be an environmental movement soon? Who is out there to lead the charge? It seems to me to be more urgent now than ever with the current government and the state of our country. 

Dave Foreman, co-founder of Earth First and the Wildland Project, in his 1991 book Confessions Of An Eco-Warrior states: “The crisis we now face calls for passion. Along with passion, we need vision. Passion and vision are essential, but without action they are empty.”

In the 1800s we had Thoreau, Muir, Jefferson and Pinchot, the founding of the Sierra Club and National Audubon Society. In the 1900s we had Carson, Peterson, Leopold, Teddy Roosevelt, Ansel Adams and E.O. Wilson, the passing of the Wilderness Act and the Clean Air Act and the establishment of the EPA and Wilderness Society. 

I googled “21st century environmentalists” and “21st century conservationists.” The only entries that came up were listings of events or rulings that have taken place, most of which have negatively affected the earth.

Who is there today? There is no one person who stands out, no one who is rallying the country to fight together for the sake of the environment. There are many who are taking on single projects. But there is no one who stands out or who has stepped up like John Muir or Rachel Carson.

We need someone who is a combination of John Muir and Charles Kuralt. Someone who knows the land and someone who knows the people. Muir, a conservationist, was passionate about nature, wilderness, and the interconnectedness between the flora, fauna and humans. Kuralt, a journalist, was passionate about the people of America’s back roads who are ordinary and often unnoticed, giving their stories and their lives meaning. 

Today, if there would come forward a person with both passions, for nature and people, that is what this country needs. There is power in numbers. If the common people are rallied together to bring about change, to help everyone understand the meaning of ecology, then species can be saved, ecosystems can continue to survive, there would be a decline in the extinction rate. All things have intrinsic value and inherent worth. John Muir believed “that all things are connected, interrelated, that human beings are merely one of the millions of species that have been shaped by the process of evolution” for 4.5 billion years. We humans do not have the right to control and use all of earth. As Edward Abbey the, author of Desert Solitare said, “We have a right to be here, yes, but not everywhere, all at once.”

Today there is a lack of compassion. There is no regard for the mother bear who is hunted and killed leaving her young abandoned in the woods. There is no regard for the last trillium under the canopy of the forest that will not be able to continue to grow once it is picked. 

As David Brower, past director of the Sierra Club once stated, “You cannot imprison a California Condor in the San Diego Zoo and still have a condor. The being of a condor does not end at the tips of the black feathers on its wings. The condor is place as well; it is the thermals rising over the Coast Range, the outcroppings on which it lays its eggs, the carrion on which it feeds.” 

This applies to all wild animals. It applies to native plants. Once dug up and placed in a pot it is not able to thrive and multiply as it once did in its natural environment. 

In college there was a buzzword, NIMBY. This stood for Not In My Backyard. If the destruction was not done in my backyard, neighborhood or city then it was of no concern to me. We need to take care of what is affecting our backyard, neighborhood and city, but also see the bigger picture. This is where vision comes in. What happens here effects what happens there. And what happens there, whether it is in the U.S. or Europe or Africa, it affects what happens here.

Where are the visionaries of the 21st century?  Dave Foreman’s vision in 1991 was, “to challenge the government and the people with a vision … of humans living modestly in a community that also includes bears and rattlesnakes and salmon and oaks and sagebrush and mosquitoes and algae and streams and rocks and clouds.”

Mary Olson

Canton

To the Editor:

Oh my goodness! What an amazing bunch of nonsense from anti-Trump letter writers in the June 20 issue of the Smoky Mountain News. Fueling the vitriol is the separation of illegal entrant children from parents as the epitome and proof of the hatefulness of the Trump administration and supporters who by the way are not those with “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” 

Those with the “syndrome” are the ones who cannot accept the fact that their favored candidate lost the election so they conjure up exaggerated accusations about President Trump. Forget the fact most of the children are accompanied by those other than family and should be housed away from those individuals. Forget the fact that spokespeople involved at the border for years report that the food, shelter and medical services are far better now than under the Obama administration. You won’t hear that from the media.

You also will not hear from or see in the media that in a year and a half our “terrible” President led (led is the key word here for we have a proven leader now heading our federal government) Congress to pass and sign the largest tax cut in 37 years, benefitting virtually every American and all levels of businesses, sent the stock market on a streak surging 31 percent, authorized record-setting rollbacks of restrictive regulations and bureaucratic red tape that unleashed economic advantages gaining 3 percent  economic growth. We have overall employment and rising wage growth, GDP increases over the final three quarters of 2017 continue in 2018, manufacturing, mining, energy, and service sectors all up in percentage growth as well as technical services, and healthcare. Pensions of working and retired people have soared and millions of Americans were paid bonuses which are sneeringly deemed “crumbs” by multi-millionaire Democrat House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi. Consumer confidence climbed to levels unseen since 2000, and at Trump urging Congress ended the Obamacare mandate that forced everyone to obtain health insurance or pay a fine that escalated every year.

Beyond economic records our military generals now decide how to destroy ISIS and the terrorist group is on the ropes, cities are offered federal support to crack down on violent crime and war is declared on the opioid epidemic. The USA advanced in standing throughout the world as Trump engaged China, brought nuclear threat North Korea to the negotiating table  and re-established warm relations with our international friends and allies while forcing ISIS into retreat.

Since much of the scorn against Trump has to do with immigration, here are some facts ignored by anti-Trumpers. Illegal border crossings dropped 73 percent and ICE has targeted the violent MS-13 gang members for arrest and deportation. 

Besides the misdirected anti-Trump letters, we are told in the SMN Opinion column that political correctness is a mode of an “accepting/open/respectful society. In truth PC has no respect, acceptance or openness for the ideas of anyone other than the PC police. Those who do not abide by the PC “rule” are vilified, attacked and intimidated. Recently the PC police had the colossal nerve to enter restaurants and demand Trump staff leave. No respect there for any other point of view. Political correctness is a misguided scheme but that topic is for another day.

Carol Adams

Glenville

Bryan Whitner, 1998 Haywood Community College criminal justice graduate, was named Outstanding Alumni of the Year Award recipient for 2018. 

A student in the Substance Abuse Treatment program at Southwestern Community College, Stephen Steen recently paired his passion for helping those in recovery, with his dream of a career in talk radio to launch his new podcast called NC Recovery All Ways (NC RAW).

For the son of a small-town Baptist preacher who studied to become a classically trained pianist — only to find his professional career take an unexpected change of tempo into academia — the Saturday, June 23, memorial service for Western Carolina University Chancellor David O. Belcher hit all the right notes.

Cartoogechaye Creek will become a little healthier thanks to a $100,000 grant that Mainspring Conservation Trust landed from Duke Energy’s Water Resources Fund. 

A new playground designed for kids with mental and physical disabilities is now open in Waynesville. 

Recycling is on the rise in North Carolina according to a recently released report showing numbers for all 100 counties and municipalities. 

To the Editor:

Based on available evidence, how would we describe the American population? The answer would seem to be that we are a self-centered, angry, and very fearful people who have no respect for truth or facts. Let’s take these descriptions in order.

A large number of us are concerned primarily with our own possessions. We don’t want to pay taxes lest some pennies might be used to benefit those whom we deem unworthy. That would include those people who need healthcare but cannot afford the high premiums charged by insurance companies. We also definitely would not want any funding for those we think should fend for themselves, such as single mothers and anyone we feel should be able to work any menial job even if that job does not pay a living wage.

On the other hand, we feel angry because we don’t think that we have gotten our due as part of the Great American Dream. This was a large component of the folks who voted for Trump. He promised to get the angry people, who felt left out, their fair share of wealth. The anger is that others are getting advantages not available for those of us who feel left out.

Most of all, we are a fearful people. We fear anyone who looks different or who has a religion we don’t understand. For white folks, this would be anyone who is brown to black in skin color. Anyone who does not speak English as a native speaker is suspected of not belonging in the United States. Most of all, we don’t want anyone from a s_ _ _ _hole country to get any where near our borders.

That brings us to the fact that we will do anything to keep people from crossing our borders. We will allow, if not support, implementing all kinds of inhuman policies to discourage anyone from coming close to our borders. We will tear nursing babies from their mother’s arms and put kids into concentration camps apart from their parents and siblings of the opposite sex. We will make people afraid to ask for asylum or even consider seeking citizenship in this country. We will justify this with quotes from the Bible so that our Christian consciences will not be bothered.

To do all this, we need to suspend our reliance on truth and facts. We have started to do this by electing a president who lies on a daily basis and has installed the most corrupt administration in history. We will tolerate any and all immoral and illegal behavior so long as it protects us form the “others.” We can deny that our actions are influencing the climate or that all people are really created equal. Obviously brown and black people are not equal to white ones.

You might claim that “this is not who we are.” It may not be who we were, but the sad truth is that this is indeed who we have become. Even if some individuals differ from this description, they are allowing those who do fit the description to continue to act in accordance with the aforementioned descriptions. Other nations and history will judge us as a people.

Norman Hoffmann 

Waynesville

To the Editor:

In a news article (Swain sheriff suspends mutual aid to town, opponent claims the move is purely political), it was stated Chris Dudley, the K-9 Officer for the Bryson City Police Department, wrote a letter to Sheriff Cochran following the suspension of the mutual aid agreement expressing his disappointment and tendering his resignation as an auxiliary Deputy for Swain County. SMN misinterpreted my letter and said I was disappointed in the sheriff but that is not the case. My resignation letter had nothing to do with the mutual aid agreement.

I am shocked that SMN would be misleading the public by printing (Dudley said he was disappointed in the sheriff for his decision after so many years of working his K-9 for the sheriff’s office when in fact I have never spoke to the Smoky Mountain News until the misleading article was printed and posted and I have not worked a K-9 for the Swain County Sheriffs Office for so many year, I have only been living in Swain County for little over a year and a half.  So, if the Smoky Mountain News wants to be a reputable news outlet it needs to print the facts. As for Sheriff Cochran goes I feel he and his deputies have done a great job and I look forward to giving a helping hand anytime Sheriff Cochran Needs me or my K-9.                       

Chris Dudley

Bryson City

To the Editor:

As the Mayor of Franklin, I agree with the efforts of the three Buncombe County legislators who have introduced a local bill to allow Asheville City Council to view police body cam videos. I have to say that this needs to be statewide for all city councils, not just the City of Asheville. 

I do not understand the reluctance of some in the General Assembly who are so against this. The Town of Franklin, was among the first in Western North Carolina to have body cams. As a retired law enforcement officer, and as the mayor, I fully supported the town employing these body cameras but was appalled when the legislature stepped in and made it sound as though municipal officials could not be trusted to view the actions of the officers we employ.

I do see the argument that the videos should not be open to anyone who just has a curiosity of what may be on the videos. That could get out of hand. There does need to be a system to keep prurient or frivolous viewing out of the picture. I believe any municipality could come up with a policy to negate casual, frivolous viewing by someone with no interest in the situation but who is just plain nosy. Of course, defining nosy in such a policy would be interesting and challenging. Sort of like defining pornography. 

I will be the first to admit that there are situations, such as those involving children or domestic crises, that should be of no concern to the general public unless they are of extraordinary circumstances. In those cases, there must be a guard against an unreasonable invasion of privacy.

Those also do not need to be a concern of the city council as well, unless there are allegations of misbehavior or improper handling of the situation by the officers. I question why a city official or citizen has to take the time of a busy judicial official to make a body cam video public when the judicial system is already swamped with overflowing dockets.

Any legitimate reason to review the videos by a member of the public or media will result in transparency and public trust of our officers. The North Carolina Public Records law allows for the release of law enforcement incident reports — unless there is some investigative or compelling reason not to release the report. Body cam videos should be treated similarly. 

The videos also protect the officer from false accusations of improper actions.

Many times when, as an officer, the first thing someone nearly always said to me when I stopped them was, “Why are you picking on me? I haven’t done anything?” Well, with body cams there is about a 90 percent chance to show visually how that person acted and what they said. And probably what they did. A perpetrator would have trouble arguing against such a visual record.

Mayor Bob Scott

Franklin

To the Editor:

In response to Dennis Ford’s letter, “The standard today is a double standard,” which appeared in the June 13 issue, let me offer this.

I want to thank you for what you referred to as the “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” I couldn’t have named it better, the affliction borne by Trump supporters.

Lying is the standard today. Anyone who will take the time to research the matter comes quickly to a clear understanding that our President is in fact the Liar-in-Chief. In his own words, for one example, “at a closed-door fund-raiser,” Trump bragged about this tactic, gleefully recounting a White House meeting with Trudeau in which he insisted, against Trudeau’s protestations, that American had a trade deficit with Canada. “I didn’t even know,” Trump told the crowd. “I had no idea.”

President Trump accidentally told the truth there. “I had no idea.” That’s just the way he rolls. His lies are constant, purposeful and shameful. America is better than this, for the most part.

All of the above holds for the EPA administrator. He lies to benefit his cronies at the expense of America’s natural resources, and his lust for power has been an ongoing saga, an open book.

Let’s all work for the betterment of America, whether or not our “leaders” care to.

Bil Aylor

Bryson City

To the Editor:

Sunday morning in America (Father’s Day).

Politicians eat steak, plump and happy, while playing political games.

Immigrant children separated from parents, anxious and afraid.

A disgrace to America

Surely, we can do better than that.

Paul Strop

Waynesville

When you think of North Carolina hot sauces, the first one that comes to mind may not be Texas Pete®. The first time I saw Texas Pete® at a North Carolina food show I was perplexed and remember thinking, “Wait a minute, that’s a North Carolina company?”

Ingles in Candler, NC. 1572 Sand Hill Road. Thursday, June 14 • 3-6 p.m.