Opinion
‘Nought may endure but mutability’
My brain was working overtime this morning, and I woke a little before 5 a.m. That was it, couldn’t get back to sleep. That quote above about change from the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley was on rewind in my brain as I pondered my day. Why, I don’t know.
The moon was bright and lit up a cloud hanging over our mountain, and a light mist greeted me as I slid into my truck.
Duke should find new Needmore route
To the Editor:
When my Needmore neighbors and I began working in 2000 to protect 4,500 acres from development, we never imagined that 26 years later we would be fighting Duke Energy over our own private property.
Duke Energy acquired 4,500 acres along the Little Tennessee River when it bought a local independent utility in 1988. The land had originally been purchased at low prices from residents of Swain and Macon counties for a dam project on the Little Tennessee that was never built.
Trump’s failures are mounting
To the Editor:
Recent election cycles have demonstrated that our country remains deeply divided, with economic factors often determining presidential outcomes. Since President Trump took office, we have seen extreme levels of national hostility, fear and suspicion not experienced since the Civil War. While responsibility for this climate is shared, the current administration’s actions and policies are particularly concerning.
Life lessons learned while shopping
One can learn a lot by shopping at Trader Joe’s, and I’m not talking about the difference between tofu and tempeh or which seasonal items are in stock. I’m referring to life skills and reminders of humanity that shine brightly at this gem of an establishment. Though I live in Haywood County, I’m in Asheville a couple of times each week and on at least one of those occasions, I visit Trader Joe’s.
Voting Rights Act redo is shameful
To the Editor:
I remember proudly going to register to vote when I turned 18 in my hometown of Rome, Georgia. After filling out the forms, I noticed a jar of beans sitting on a shelf. With my usual curiosity, I asked about the jar. The clerk told me very calmly, “If a N-word wants to register to vote, they have to guess the correct number of beans in the jar.” In shock I said, “You didn’t ask me to guess the number of beans in the jar.” Quickly, the clerk said, “Of course not. You are not a N-word.”
The grift goes on for Donny & Co.
To the Editor:
Of course the grift goes on, as GOP actions are steadily ever more unhinged and more difficult to understand unless Trump Derangement Syndrome has one believing the manbaby Trump is truly heaven-sent.
Believers, you got what you voted for: war, racism, greed, the destruction of democracy and government of the many by the few who are completely lacking in any semblance of morality.
Trump is indeed ‘stupid on stilts’
To the Editor:
Congratulations to North Carolina Republican Sen. Tom Tillis, who said on May 21 that this “anti-weaponization” fund of $1,776,000,000 is “stupid on stilts.” Unfortunately there are pretty good people all across this country who keep their head in the dirt by refusing to watch any news, or worse yet, refuse to watch anything but the lying Fox propaganda channel.
Why Hantavirus outbreak deserves our attention
First, let me say that for many reasons, those with experience with Hantavirus outbreaks feel at this time that it is highly unlikely to turn into something like Covid.
Yes, in the aftermath of the pandemic, it’s only reasonable to feel a bit gun shy. But unlike Sars-CoV2, this virus has not appreciably mutated in years. Current specimens are reported to be exactly the same as those seen in Argentina in 1996 and 2018 outbreaks.
Duke rate hike proposal is insulting
To the Editor:
Duke Energy’s request to the Republican-controlled N.C. Utilities Commission (The Smoky Mountain News, April 22) will increase everyone’s monthly power bills by an average of $28 per 1,000 kilowatt hours, a 15% hike. Next year, an average of $6.59 will be added to that. Over the first two years, our higher electricity bills would give Duke about $728.6 million.
