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Mountain heritage is something to be proud of
To the Editor:
I want to respond to the questions brought forth in June 24’s Sylva Herald by Lucinda Babb that concern the kind of heritage I want my child to know.
I am a native of Sylva and am extremely proud of my mountain heritage. This heritage taught me to be tolerant and respectful of others no matter what their social status might be. This heritage taught me to help those less fortunate and not judge them from afar. This same heritage taught me to be an honest, hardworking, independent, intrinsically motivated, well-educated, self-confident, productive citizen.
Many people in Jackson County grew up in an environment where they were considered “white trash” by many outsiders. With the love and support of our parents we grew up to be the teachers, soldiers, preachers, firemen, policemen, doctors, veterinarians, lawyers, writers, musicians, actors, and countless others who make this country great.
We grew up to be wonderful caring individuals who give back to the community. Numerous people in this town care greatly about the children who live in this area. Nurses, social workers, guidance counselors, coaches and church members put in countless hours caring for the children. I want my child to be proud of this kind of community spirit and will teach it to him as often as I can.
I am disappointed that a psychology major would make such a generic assumption about the children and citizens in this community, buying into the old adage of Appalachian fatalism and that everyone on welfare is healthy and able to work. Many of the people in this county grew up in less-than-wealthy circumstances and our parents were our greatest cheerleaders, encouraging us to seek a higher education, always wanting us to do better than they did. They taught us to study hard, work hard and pray hard. They taught us to help our neighbors in times of need.
So, the next time you come to our beautiful mountains and are offended or ashamed of the “white trash,” I hope you, your children, or animals don’t have an injury, an accident, a fire, a flat tire or any other mishap, because most of the people who can help you are a product of that “learned helplessness” you think every citizen in Jackson County suffers from. I am proud of all the wonderful people who make up this town and proud to be from the mountains.
Just remember that some of us passed by the junkyard almost every day and we turned out just fine.
Teresa Sanderson
Fort Benning, Ga.
Working to restore old County Home Cemetery
To the Editor:
Once again the old Jackson County Home Cemetery comes to light. Many of us are trying to restore this very important landmark and preserve a great part of the history of Jackson County.
The matter dates back to promises made by former Jackson County Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Hooper and others that the site would be cleaned up and restored. Those promises were never carried out, and the site remains in bad condition today, except for work done by a few of us who try to go up there and clean out from around the burial plots of our loved ones and place markers on their graves.
Many plans have been discussed among a few of us and a reputable firm. We want to see this site brought back to the attention of our county and our families. We want to clean it up, take it over, restore it and make access to it so that family members can go and pay their respects.
The expense and labor would not be paid with Jackson County tax money, but would be taken care of by the families who want what is right.
Plans have been discussed concerning markers on each grave site that would list the names of each person buried. The cemetery would also be put on the books as a historical site, again without any money from the county.
The site was abandoned by Jackson County many years ago and there has not been any money spent by the county in more than 50 years for its upkeep. At one time, digging by the N.C. Department of Transportation had to be stopped because of a fear that graves would be disrupted.
During a past county commissioners’ meeting, Commissioner Roberta Crawford stated that she had been very interested in the site for a very long time. She also said she was in agreement with having the cemetery cleaned up and restored and that county Manager Ken Westmoreland is to research the land titles and see where the property stands.
All of us working on this matter wish to relieve the county of the property and, at our expense, restore it, preserve it and make it a vital part of our county’s history. We want to pay our respects to those buried there that had an impact on making Jackson County what it is today.
Please contact me if you have family buried there or if you, like me, have family members who were patients at the old Jackson County Home. I am also asking that anyone who has pictures and records dating back to the old county home please contact me.
The property was first surveyed and dated Oct. 17, 1820, and was later sold. On March 18, 1905, it was sold by Daniel Snider and his wife, Rachel, to the Jackson County Board of Commissioners for $4,000.
As far as I understand, based on information from the county commissioners, many land swaps and dealings have taken place concerning the property. No one quite really knows what has transpired or been done.
Therefore, I am asking for everyone’s assistance with the cemetery and the history of the old county home. Contact me so that we can begin to move forward with a most worthwhile cause. We need pictures of those loved ones, pictures of the old county home, and whatever other documents that we can find.
Maybe some of you remember the old Medford Furniture store, where coffins were built upstairs. The chain-gang camp used convicts to go up on the hill to dig the graves. I have a few documents confirming this also.
Please let me know if you can assist and help. Feel free to contact me at 586-0809.
Alvin Frady
Sylva
Connection exists between Iraq and Al Quaida
To the Editor:
The New York Times likes to call itself the “newspaper of record,” with a motto of “all the news that’s fit to print.” But their reputation for recording the news accurately has hit hard times lately, with revelations of a reporter fabricating interviews and editors covering it all up.
The way to repair the damage that has caused to the Times’ reputation would be to prove to its readers that accuracy in reporting is their first order of business. Instead, however, they have in effect changed their motto to “all the views that fit our agenda.”
In the last 10 days of June the Times reported that the 9/11 Commission found no pre-war links between Al Quaida and Iraq. The very day of the report, both the Republican and the Democrat co-chairmen of the committee clearly stated that they had not said that at all, and they didn’t know how the Times could make that statement. Not to be deterred by inaccuracy, the Times repeated the assertion the very next day.
Then, surprisingly, within a week, the New York Times ran a front-page story telling about discovered Iraqi documents relating to discussions as long as 10 years ago between top-level Iraqis, including a recently-deceased Hussein son, and Al Quaida. Obviously, Vice President Dick Cheney was correct when he said such a relation existed, and he knew of that evidence when he said it.
With this information in the public domain, it was surprising to see that the June 24 Sylva Herald had four editorial cartoons on the subject. Three were ridiculing Cheney for making the statement and the fourth depicted the New York Times as a ballistic missile about to hit the White House.
With the evidence now known, I have to wonder why the Sylva Herald would publish these cartoons when concurrent news showed them to be wrong in their implication.
But we don’t have to wonder why the New York Times did what they did. Their admitted agenda these days is the defeat of George W. Bush.
The Times should be called to account for their actions. They may say that it is just political spin, but another word is more appropriate. That word is “deceit.”
M.B. Adams
Webster
Smart Roads Coalition continues to work for alternative solutions
To the Editor:
Although it has not been in the media spotlight recently, the Smart Roads Coalition is alive and well. Smart Roads continues to work on behalf of concerned Jackson County citizens in finding alternatives to building large expressways which destroy our mountains, pollute our air, and negatively affect our quality of life. Thanks to strong community support, the DOT’s proposed Southern Loop bypass was put on hold last year and has become a part of a larger community discussion about county growth and transportation alternatives. This discussion is taking place in monthly meetings of the Transportation Study Group. Thanks to citizen support and activism, Smart Roads was given a seat on Transportation Study Group where it can continue to advocate for improvements in transportation that will enhance rather than destroy the quality of life in Jackson County.
Smart Roads is represented by Susan Leveille and Jeanette Evans. The April 20 meeting was run by Beverly Williams from the N.C. Department of Transportation and largely focused on the DOT process of gathering traffic data to support road building. Although it is early, it seemed to the Smart Roads representatives attending that the Study Group is not yet incorporating the priorities Jackson County citizens so strongly expressed in the Smart Growth meetings of 2000. These include preserving the rural, small-town atmosphere of our county and its clean air, water, and beautiful mountains. The April meeting had a disappointingly low community turnout. It is critical that all concerned citizens attend the next Transportation Study Group meeting on Monday, July 12, at 6 p.m. at the Justice Center to ensure transportation outcomes the community desires.
Smart Roads has sponsored a number of activities in the last 6 months.
At a Smart Roads community meeting in February, Jim Aust of the town of Sylva described creative ways to connect existing roads for travel within and outside of the county which could decrease traffic on N.C. 107. Aust also noted high traffic loads on 107 seemed dependent on school and work schedules and there were many times of the day when traffic was light. His descriptive maps and other renderings are available for view by the public at Sylva City Hall. In January Lydia Aydlett and Leveille spoke to the Chamber of Commerce about alternatives to the proposed Southern Loop.
As part of Earth Day at Western Carolina University, Smart Roads sponsored a transportation forum. Panel members held a thought-provoking discussion on possible solutions to traffic congestion and growth. Representatives from Appalachian State University, University of North Carolina-Asheville, and Warren Wilson College described solutions used in other communities where university growth has contributed to traffic problems. On several campuses satellite parking and free shuttle buses to campus has significantly decreased traffic. These public transportation systems are paid for by student fees, an idea WCU students in attendance supported enthusiastically. Despite noticeable growth on and around campus with new apartment buildings, dormitories, and fraternity and sorority housing, WCU Planner Clive Barksdale assured the audience that the projected growth would have minimal impact on Jackson County traffic. He explained most of the increased student growth would be from students registered in off-campus and distance learning programs. Eva Ritchey from Citizens for Transportation Alternatives in Henderson County shared the experience her organization had with the DOT and its proposed widening of I-26.
In the coming year Smart Roads proposes to use the mandate it received from hundreds of Jackson County citizens to continue to involve the public in coming up with citizen-generated solutions to traffic problems. These meetings will address quality of life issues rather than quantity of traffic. Speakers will include Ritchey, who will talk about the success her group had in changing DOT plans for I-26 in Henderson County; Ben Brown, who will speak on his vision of WCU as a “Smart Growth Campus;” and Bob Houghton, who will discuss making the newly paved South River Road a safe place for people including walkers, bikers, and fishermen.
Suzanne Fullar
Sylva
Citizens should attend Transportation Task Force meeting
To the Editor:
The Jackson County Transportation Task Force will meet Monday, July 12, at 6 p.m. in the Jackson County Justice Center.
This is a very important meeting for those who live in Jackson County. This Task Force is an outgrowth of the Smart Roads citizens’ initiative begun last year when the N.C. Department of Transportation announced that it was developing a feasibility study for a Southern Loop bypass around Sylva and Dillsboro. The DOT is facilitating this process, and without a large public presence substantial public input, a new road will almost certainly be put high on the agenda. This means more cars, more sprawl-type development, more air pollution.
If you live in Jackson County and are concerned about the road issue or its alternatives, please plan to attend.
Avram Friedman
Dillsboro
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