Letters to the editor: 03/14/02

Self-proclaimed 'Little Person'

To the Editor:

My father, Ralph C. Sutton, was business manager of Western Carolina Teachers College when the tunnel or tunnels were found while excavating for the McKee Building. He said he saw one but was told two others were found in the same area. He also said to his knowledge no one at that time explored these findings. It was a mystery to me why no one did.

Years later he showed me the approximate area of the wall where he had seen the one tunnel. Years after the Indian mound was filled in and became our school playground, I found many arrowheads in its vicinity. When I was 15, I learned to drive our old 1942 two-door, maroon Chevrolet up and over the mound and around the field, well enough to get my driver's license on my 16th birthday.

And yes, in the late 1940s there were a lot of us "little people" who played, roamed, dug caves and tunneled all over Buzzard's Roost. Grady Parker and Ed Stevens may have fallen into some of our handiwork with their bulldozer and backhoe. I can remember two or three areas where I helped dig caves and tunnels, and I'm sure after Clinton Dodson Jr. and I were gone, that Joe Dodson and Nestus Gurley and crew continued to dig and have fun on Buzzard's Roost.

One of our caves was in front of and below to the left of the William Ashbrook home about 20 yards from Betty Jean Ashbrook's swing coming down from a big oak tree limb. That is close to Stedman Mitchell's home where Grady Parker and Ed Stevens almost got gobbled up by the earth. As I recall, Jimmy Moss and Leslie Long and Bill Sutton helped us at times. We played "open range" tag until everyone was caught and tree tag where we could swing from tree to tree without touching the ground for about the 1/2 mile between Professor Clint Dodson's home down to John Hooper's cornfield and golden delicious apple trees.

Once when Joe Dodson and I were practicing our tree tag repertoire, Joe, while standing up about 25 feet above ground in an oak tree said, "I dedicate this jump to the bears," whereupon he took a flying leap toward a hickory tree branch, missed and crashed to the ground, breaking his right arm. Being two years older and feeling partially responsible for his accident, I worried about what I was going to tell Professor Dodson. I told him what happened and said, "and I think the bears lost."

This article brought back some overwhelming nostalgia, and I'm sure some of us still living were a part of the "Little People" lore.

Sincerely,

Edward Sutton, M.D.

Fresno, Calif.

Denton did outstanding job

To the Editor:

For example, there are two people running for office who did everything to boot out Jay Denton. Do we want them to stay in office and commit these same acts again?

No! Let's get new faces in office and see where we can go.

Jay Denton did an outstanding job as county manager. He had very little back-up. He made changes and gave our county a boost.

I say, "Hats off to Jay, who gave so much of his time."

By the way, do we still have a county manager? We never hear from him. It would be nice to hear what he has to say.

Arnold Simpson

Whittier

Keep the Rebel mascot at CVS

To the Editor:

If you look at the mascot, you see a proud colonel holding a cane. He stands with a will to win, which always made me proud to attend CVS and strive to be the best in everything. The Rebel mascot has been around for a long time, and I would like to see it remain as a symbol of strength and pride at CVS and not become a racial issue.

The colonel will always be part of my family history, so I hope it will remain the mascot at Cullowhee Valley School.

Tonya Mathis

Whittier

Time to put mascot battle aside

To the Editor:

I must say that like my daughter, the duly elected secretary of the Cullowhee Valley School Student Council, I have been unable to find any reference to the mascot being discussed openly at a Student Council meeting. Maybe I misunderstood the part concerning the conversations and discussions of this as it was printed.

Anyway, everyone is associating the mascot with the Confederate State of America. I was a student at Cullowhee for 12 years, and I'll be a "Rebel" supporter for life. I was a "Rebel" in the sports program and I graduated as class president of the Class of 1974. In all that time I never and have yet to see any marking of a Confederate soldier on this mascot. I see no medals, no campaign ribbons, no gold braid to signify any rank.

What I see is a Kentucky colonel, as was discussed when I was in school. This is the very same mascot used at universities across the U.S. and at least 175 high schools across the nation. This is the same Kentucky colonel as Colonel Harlan Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame. Are we now going to boycott and write articles about KFC and their mascot. I seriously doubt it.

A "Kentucky colonel" is an honorary title still bestowed on individuals today. This might bear some researching by individuals who only see the "Confederacy" in him.

Who is narrow-minded in this case? His swagger, as it is referred to in articles, represents a man of pride, leaning on a cane. He is an elderly gentleman, with white/gray hair, a mustache and beard. Again, he is not in military dress, but that of a Southern gentleman of past times.

To come to the conclusion that by leaning on his cane he appears arrogant, is itself a sensitive remark. This gentleman is aged, and the cane may be for his assistance in walking. Could this be construed as an attack on people who walk with canes? You decide that one.

"Rebel," since everyone is using the word today, means the following from the 2001 Merriman-Webster Dictionary: "Rebel, noun, one who rebels or participates in a rebellion. Rebel, intransitive verb, to oppose or disobey one in authority or control; to renounce and resist by force the authority of one's government; to act in or show opposition or disobedience; to feel or exhibit anger or revulsion."

Nowhere is the Confederacy mentioned. As a matter of act, with the above 14th-century definition, weren't our forefathers from the Revolutionary War "rebels?" Where would we be today if our forefathers were not "rebels?" Do we not hear on the news each and every day of the "rebels" in Afghanistan aiding our cause of freedom for the peoples of that country? You decide that one.

If the "Rebel" is under attack, then why not the Smoky Mountain "Tar Heels." Where does "Tar Heel" come from? It refers to the Confederate troops engaged in battle with the North Carolina troops. The North Carolinians supposedly threatened to put tar on the heels of the other Confederate soldiers so they would "stick better in the next fight." There is your mentioning of the Confederacy, so why not write letters to Smokey Mountain Elementary and the University of North Carolina? You decide that one.

How about the "Cardinal" at Scotts Creek School? Is the "Cardinal" not the state bird of North Carolina? Was the cardinal not the state bird during North Carolina's period in the Confederacy? Why not write letters to Scotts Creek Elementary ? You decide that one.

How about the Fairview Eagles? Is the eagle not the nation's symbol of freedom? To obtain that freedom, did our forefathers not revolt against England? Were they not "rebels." Why not write letters to Fairview School? You decide that one.

This may sound petty, but my point is that people perceive things differently, and if perceived badly, then only negativity will grow from it. There are many generations of "Cullowhee Rebels" in this area who were here many, many years before the families of the letters to the editors. We were the ones who made the football fields in the 1970s, had raffles and car washes to support our "Rebel" athletic programs and "Rebel" academics. We have our roots and history in that school - whether it be at McKee, Camp Laboratory or Cullowhee Valley - and those roots go back much further than 10 or 15 years.

We fought this battle when we were moved from Camp Laboratory. It was overwhelmingly decided to keep the "Rebel" mascot, as I was PTO president at the time.

I, for one, am growing tired of fighting this battle over and over at the whim of a few.

Michael Clark

Cullowhee

Let's get healthy air bill passed this time

To the Editor:

Starting the 2002 legislative session, the only thing left standing is the original bill, as it passed in the Senate, with its standards intact. This provides the opportunity for a fresh start with the original coalition united again around the bill as it was first agreed to last April.

It needs to be recognized that S1078 is already a considerable compromise of the public health and that lowering the standards further is non-productive. The terms of S1078 were hammered out as an agreement between the environmental community, the utilities and lawmakers last year before it was introduced as a bill. While readily available emission control technology is capable of achieving reductions of 90-95% in NOx, SO2 and mercury, S1078 mandates reductions of only 78% for NOx, and 73% for SO2. The 78% NOx figure is important because scientific models estimate that it will take an 80% reduction in NOx throughout this geographical region to have a significant impact on ground-level ozone reduction. Since power plants are not the only source of nitrogen oxide in the region, a 78% reduction is borderline as a remedy. 95% would be much better. But, as a compromise, S1078 is a strong bill that represents a good start toward addressing the air quality crisis in our region.

The problem is that in all likelihood the bill will run into the same roadblock in this session that it did in the last session. In an effort to gain needed House votes, lawmakers will be looking for ways to cut the cost to ratepayers. There are two ways this can be done. The first option is the one that failed in the last session; that is: lowering emission control standards still further. This option is both morally wrong and politically disastrous. It will meet both environmental and industrial opposition, as it did in the last session. The natural course of pursuing this option is that the standards and costs will be negotiated lower and lower until ratepaying industry won't bother to oppose it any longer and the bill will pass in a vastly weaker form. The second option is to leave emission control standards intact but change the cost recovery provision of S1078 so that the power companies themselves share the cost of upgrading their equipment with ratepayers. This can be coupled with an extended financing program to ease the monthly burden on all parties involved. This is the only fair and politically practical solution to the stalemate on S1078.

There are pitfalls along this path as well, however. Utilities will have to be convinced to swallow this pill. It's no secret that power companies wield enormous political clout in the state government; but, this may not be as insurmountable a problem as it first seems. Some key lawmakers are indicating that they may be in the right mood to make changes to the cost recovery provisions of the bill. In light of a recent federal court settlement in New Jersey, even if Duke Energy and Progress Energy had to share half the cost of implementation with ratepayers, it would still be a good deal for them. The federal court in New Jersey ordered PSEG Power to pay the entire cost for cleaning up its grandfathered power plants. An additional benefit for North Carolina's utilities is that, under S1078, they would be permitted to raise rates for the consumer's share without going through the process of a rate case review. Neither Duke Energy nor Progress Energy wants a rate case review right now. So, it makes sense for them to yield at this point.

Passing S1078, with emission control standards intact, is going to be heavily dependent on a display of strong public support before and during the coming session. The sponsors of the bill will have to take political risks to introduce the cost recovery changes, if it comes to that. They will only be willing to take these risks if they know the public is backing them up. They deserve our support and we should give it to them. Write or call key state representatives and the Governor's office and tell them you want S1078 to pass with emission control standards kept intact. If changes need to be made to lower ratepayer costs, tell them to mandate that the power companies pay their share. It's the utilities' turn to compromise. Our children's health has been compromised enough.

For more information visit the Canary Coalition website www.canarycoalition.org or call toll free 866-4CANARY.

Avram Friedman

Executive Director

Canary Coalition

Mural, museum project is meant to preserve our culture

To the Editor:

In so doing, we have begun a monumental project called the "Majesty of Mountain Heritage." The vision of this project includes orchestrating a mural heritage trail of the settling of our area that would create a cultural alliance between the Cherokee and descendants of settling peoples by honoring our diverse cultures and letting us share our strengths and pride as citizens of these mountains; these murals would eventually span the region.

The project includes having a definite historical hub that would house miniature murals of each larger outside mural, with a "trail book" containing the story of each mural. Our vision is to encourage all who visit the "hub" to travel throughout the area to view the larger ones in their own environment and community. Thus, the success of such a program would warrant that the potential "hub" should be a definite historical grand museum that would house our own local history.

Why not the historic Jackson County Courthouse in Sylva, and why not designate it as an affiliate of the Smithsonian Museum and have our works of art returned to us from the "bank" where they are stored for all peoples to actually view and honor? The historic Jackson County Courthouse is near and dear to its citizens. No greater "hub," no greater Smithsonian affiliate could we choose than this landmark of Jackson County. We could not honor our heritage more!

We knew of the magnitude of such a project (in the first article released on Feb. 14 about our project, The Herald reported of our "10-year" plan). Thus, before we even began, we discussed our vision with a prominent member of the Cherokee tribe and received our first funding.

Then we gathered those we felt could hold the vision, have the capabilities and belief that we could accomplish this mission - positive people who value the project. These people were invited to our first informational planning meeting. The planning board, made up of any and all interested community members, will be the entity to plan what each historical-story mural will be, who will paint them, and where they will be placed.

We then set out to encourage the acquisition of the "hub," the historic Jackson County Courthouse (for we cannot submit to the Smithsonian until we have a definite historical place) and to procure the first mural site. We spoke successfully to many foundations about the value and funding of our project, and asked for and received conformation from the Smithsonian Institution that they would definitely be interested in our project; in fact, they were excited about the vision enough to say that they would follow our progress with the idea that it could serve as a model for other such ventures in throughout the country.

We, the board of directors for Catch the Spirit of Appalachia, because of our personal dedication to presenting and honoring our vanishing heritage for our children, wish to provide an opportunity for all to invest in projects of regional significance that will add valuable contributions now and for years to come. We believe that the significance of a project should be measured by excellence and inventiveness, not solely by budget size of institutional statue.

We will continue to spearhead visionary projects, holding dear our sense of people and place. We encourage all peoples to join us in our efforts. Our second planning committee meeting will be Monday, March 18, at noon in the Sylva Town Hall meeting room. Guest speaker will be Becky Anderson of Handmade in America.

Gail Stillwell Cooper

Board of Directors

Catch the Spirit

of Appalachia

Miles for Smiles brings smiles

To the Editor:

That's how it was the other day when I took my daughter to the Miles for Smiles dental care bus, the mobile office of the Jackson County Dental Team.

Dr. Jerry Batten was very professional, yet he had something more - he seemed to really care! He took the time to talk to us in an unhurried way, praising my daughter's dental hygiene and emphasizing the importance of good nutrition.

I have never been so impressed with a dentist. The dental assistant, Linda Extine, was also super nice and didn't make me feel like a nuisance when I asked her about the abrasiveness of the tooth polish. Even the woman who scheduled the appointment, office coordinator Elaine Ashe, was unusually helpful.

What a great group of people! Our kids are lucky to have them!

Sincerely,

Sarah High

Sylva

We live in a wonderful place

To the Editor:

This town does not consist mostly of students, nor does it survive on students. What this town does is provide for the students. What we provide is a campus for you and many others to obtain an education. This town also provides its residents with a safe place to live, which is a blessing these days. I know; I lived in Seattle for almost a year and couldn't wait to get home. I am 28 years old and a student myself. But I am also a mother, wife and a member of this community. I think that any improvement to this town is a wonderful thing. I also wish Mr. Lunn good wishes in the opening of his new business. I hope it does well.

What I would like Miss Swenson to understand is this. Sylva, my home, is a wonderful place to live. We have great schools, a variety of places to eat, lots of history, including our courthouse. We are surrounded by beautiful mountains and we recently received a bowling alley, which I hope will open soon.

Must we be reminded that Rome wasn't built in a day?

Miss Swenson is a student here. We choose to live here. We do not have to cater to her, and we do not have to tolerate establishments that breed drunk drivers. We have this choice because God granted us the privilege to live here.

I have a question for you, Miss Swenson. Do you intend to put the eduction you are receiving to use in this community? Many of our Western and Southwester residents have, and we appreciate them. And, although at the time, they may have hated this town for being so small, as I did when I was a teenager growing up here.

But you have to ask yourself, what keeps us here? If you are bored in this town, it may be that you just haven't looked for anything to fulfill your time. But I must say this: When this place opens and at 2 a.m. when they close, there may be some of your fellow college students who are too drunk to drive. Are you going to stay sober and make sure that they get home safely? Is it wrong to want to try and keep our families safe? Isn't that why we chose to live here? Again, I'd like to wish Mr. Lunn the best of luck in his new business, even if he is from Florida. Something attracted him to our town. I wonder if it was the college or maybe the hospitality of the community.

Sincerely,

Natasha DeHart

Whittier

Letters Welcome

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