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Allen responds to charge of unprofessionalism
To the Editor:
Normally I would not respond to a newspaper article, but I think that “Mayor asks board members to show ‘professionalism’” in the July 8 Sylva Herald needs a response.
First of all, let me say that I want the people to know that I was elected to represent the majority of the people and not special interest groups, friends, family or the ‘good ole boys.’ I have to put my personal feelings and opinions aside when I am making town decisions.
I want the people to know I have received many complaints on different departments of the Town of Sylva during the past few years and have directed them to the proper people (like the mayor, the town manager, committee chairmen, etc.) with little or no reaction or response. That is one reason I have taken my action to the media.
The people I represent need to know that either something or nothing is being done in reference to their complaints other than that I have passed them to the proper people.
When is going to the media with complaints from the people being unprofessional? If this is not showing professionalism, then I don’t know what is. Mayor, please explain, not only to me, but to the people, too. We would all like to know.
To the police department, I will say it again: I have nothing against the police department personally. It is that some of the complaints are about your department, which gets more attention than any other department. I feel your pain because I am still at heart one of you. I applaud the job that you guys are doing and would like to be more involved in any way possible in the future. Your job is a job that will never – no matter how hard you work, how good you do your job, how long you work – give you the appreciation you deserve. I can say that I do appreciate you, and a lot of others do too, but there are always going to be some that don’t. The job that I have now as a commissioner is, just like yours, never appreciated.
The last word about the issue of take-home police cars: The people have said that the police should not take cars home. I have never said that they should not take them home, but the distance officers must travel to their homes has always been the issue. My last word on this issue is that we, the town, should provide vehicles to all town employees. I believe in equality.
I would like to schedule a meeting with Police Chief Jeff Jamison and Assistant Chief Tammy Hooper within the next week to see how we can assist each other and how we can better serve the people.
Danny Allen
Town board member
(and former police officer)
Sylva
Troops deserve respect
To the Editor:
It seems our country is besieged by attackers both from within and from outside our borders. As a people we get cynical and suspicious due to these constant threats to our well-being. We need to remember that this country was founded by people who were tired of being told how and what to think.
Honoring every person’s right to their opinion is the foundation of this country. Honest disagreement and intelligent conversation is the only way we can understand each other.
As our service men and women put themselves in harm’s way to protect our way of life at home, we need to remember that they do this so we can live free.
The stance you take on this war is your opinion. The support of every serviceperson is your duty and obligation. My contribution to the freedom of this country is my deep and profound respect for the armed forces.
Steve Darby
Cullowhee
New construction is ginseng’s worst enemy
To the Editor:
The biggest threat to the ginseng species is not the people digging the plant but new construction.
Backhoes, trackhoes, dozers and dump trucks are building roads where they never should be .
Destruction of our ridgetops and timber affect our water table, in addition to erosion in our streams.
A true ’sang digger always replants berries, assuring that a plant will re-grow. Gingseng does not come up the first year following dropping or planting its seeds.
(Habitat) destruction is the ginseng plant’s worst enemy, not the mountain person who digs it.
Candler Jones
Whittier
Clarifying ‘white trash’
To the Editor:
I just wanted to respond to the letters of those who are insulted by my statements.
I do not think that the two ladies who were incensed by my letter really have any idea as to what I was referring to when I spoke of “white trash.” The junkyard that both Mrs. Ramey and I were talking about is not a licensed junkyard you would typically go to should you need car parts – not at all!
This is more like a dump. There is not only junk cars dumped there but also garbage dumped in the yard. There are dogs tied to trees with little or no water and without food, and small children walking among the broken bottles and dog droppings.
The junk cars are parked so that it is impossible for two cars to pass on the road. This is not only an eyesore but also dangerous to others who live higher on the mountain. Since those who live beyond this happen to be my family, it angers me that the junk car ordinance is not enforced there.
I would advise before you make any further judgments you should take a drive to Allens Branch Road and don’t stop where the pavement ends.
Now as for my “50-cent” words, I come from Sylva – born and raised there. My family is not wealthy. There were times when the mill closed that we could not afford to have a phone. We did not go out to eat very often.
But my mother and father made sure we were clean, well-fed and, most of all, loved. We were encouraged to do better. The most important thing they taught us was to appreciate and seek further education. Daddy was a deacon of the church, and we were at the church every time the doors opened.
I do know what it is like not to have anything. But being poor does not mean you have to live in filth. Nor does it mean you should not encourage your children to try to have more.
To clarify my statement further, I am not ashamed of the family I come from. In fact, I am proud of who I am and the family that made me who I am. I am, however, ashamed that the laws are not enforced and children are allowed to suffer for it.
Lucinda Babb
Saint Cloud, Fla.
County should get involved in junkyard clean-up
To the Editor:
Auto graveyards and junk cars are neither beautiful nor pleasing to the eye. They are ugly, unattractive, inherently dangerous and unpleasant to see. I do not believe any person other than one with a small mind could think otherwise. This land was once blessed with a pristine beauty of green mountains, clear rivers and streams, the original heritage of those living here now as well as their ancestors. Unfortunately, it is not the heritage which will be left for the children of today.
I do not advocate putting out of business those folks who own auto graveyards or maintain junk car businesses in the area of their homes, providing this is their livelihood. It is possible, however, to pass ordinances or laws requiring them to hide such unsightly areas, all of which desecrate Jackson County. This could be accomplished by either planting trees or erecting fences. Insofar as existing sites are concerned, the owners could be given a grace period of 12 months to remedy the problem. That would be sufficient time for the owner to find a solution to save his business. Failing to do so, the county should have the ability to haul away all material within the subject area. A new business would be immediately subject to the law without any grace period. If the officials of Jackson County feel inadequate to execute and impose such legislation, perhaps they should be removed from office and replaced with a new group more interested in preserving the dignity of its people.
It would seem that the county missed the boat sometime between the original heritage and the heritage of today, and now it may need to provide help to some of its business owners. I wonder if any official has investigated the possibility of government funds for the purpose of a county beautification program or for small business loans to help owners of the subject businesses.
If something is not done now, this area could become quite well known and even famous for its auto graveyards – the ideal place to come in order to establish such a venture – Jackson, the auto graveyard county. How about that heritage for your children?
I am neither a native of this area nor of Florida, but my grandson was born here. I am from an area in Virginia that was settled by the English in the 1600s, much of which remains as it was in my original heritage. The vindictive inhospitality of being told to take the road back home just because one does not agree with a native of this area is both disenchanting and pitiful. Conversely, the letter by Lucinda Babb in the June 24 edition of the Herald appeared to have been motivated by her care and concern for this area and its children.
Martha Phillips
Cullowhee
WMD ‘well-documented’
To the Editor:
The recent report released by the Senate Intelligence Committee has caused quite a buzz in the media. The report is being treated as proof that America went to war in Iraq based on questionable intelligence.
As a political-minded college student I would like to remind the readers that we did not go to war based on the intelligence in question. The war was caused by Saddam’s refusal to account for the weapons of mass destruction that the United Nations weapons inspectors found in Iraq after the first Gulf War.
The UN passed resolution 1441 in October of 2002 warning Saddam that he would face “severe consequences” if he did not meet the deadline determined by the multilateral UN Security Council. The deadline came and went, and the U.Ss acted in accordance with resolution 1441 and the will of the United Nations.
The war was not fought over shady accounts of “possible” WMDs as alleged by the CIA, but over weapons that were well-documented by both the U.S. and the UN inspectors after the first Gulf War. The new Senate report does not de-legitimize the war in Iraq at all.
Paul Stern
Tuckasegee
Moore’s Fahrenheit 9-11 is exposé
To the Editor:
Despite the huge commercial success of Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 9-11, the film can only be seen at venues in Asheville and Hendersonville at “fine art cinemas.”
It is also apparent there is little discussion of this film in local newspapers. Compare this to the outpouring of opinion on Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.
This is unfortunate. The fact this film has been shown in some (however limited) commercial theatres in North Carolina is a remarkable achievement. I hope there will be support for public showings in our area, once the film is available in a DVD format in October.
Fahrenheit 9-11 has been called by its critics Democratic “propaganda,” as if The Passion was not a vehicle for Mr. Gibson’s self-styled propaganda. What isn’t propaganda these days?
But I hasten to add that Moore notes the failures of both political parties. Some of the most revealing political insights occur early in the film when members of the Congressional Black Caucus are continually gavelled down (by Al Gore in his last act as vice president) in their frustrated attempts to question the results of the 2000 presidential election, due to the fact that not one Democratic Senator is willing to sign on to their “petition.” The footage of this is both damning and revealing.
Fahrenheit 9-11 is a brilliant expose´ of our failed political system and should be seen by anyone interested in the future of our democracy.
Roger Turner
Sylva
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