'Blame game' needs to stop
To the Editor:
After reading Mr. Stockton's letter last week, I shook my head with
disbelief over the consistent blame game that has gripped so many good-minded
people.
First, I would agree with him that we can't cut and run. To do so, more
than anything else, would cause a sovereign nation we illegally invaded
to broil into a horrible civil war, turning Iraq into an Afghanistan,
with several factions fighting tooth and nail over the scraps of their
country. We simply aren't allowed to do this under international law,
and to those who say we don't have to follow international law, we do
thanks to the little piece of paper called the Constitution requiring
us to not break any treaties we have signed.
Stockton adds that Bill Clinton is to blame for 9/11. Well, he might
be partially right. If President Clinton hadn't been distracted by that
enormous waste of taxpayer money to explain why he lied about where
his willy had been, maybe he would have done more than simply fire missiles
at Osama's camp, an event to which many conservatives screamed he was
using to distract from his scandal.
As reported by Bill Press of CNN back in October 2001, Bill Clinton
did do several other actions against Osama bin Laden, including proposing
legislation to freeze money from organizations thought to be Al Qaeda
backed. This particular move was stopped by Republican Senator Phil
Gramm of Texas, who had been influenced by the banking industry. Bush
proposed the same law one month after 9/11 and it passed.
Bill Clinton also did not let the inspectors get kicked out of Iraq.
He withdrew them after Saddam accused them of spying for the CIA, which
later turn out to be true. And by the way, chemical and biological weapons
degrade rather quickly, which might explain why we haven't found the
huge quantities Bush preached up and down would come descending on us
any day like the four horseman of the Apocalypse. Saddam didn't have
the stockpiles anymore, and the president and his staff, including the
indubitable Colin Powell, lied to America and the world.
The 9/11 tragedy could have been prevented. FBI agents knew about it,
but they were unable to convince higher-ups to take action. Oddly enough,
with the restructuring of all our agencies, the removal of worker protection
from blowing the whistle will hinder, not aid, similar situations.
Who should we blame? Why don't we stroll through history and find out
why the world is as it is: If Donald Rumsfield hadn't given Saddam the
tools, data and reagents to make those WMDs we feared, he would never
have used them on Kurds or Iranians or theoretically have them now.
If the CIA hadn't helped train Al Quada to fight our then enemies, the
big bad Russians, maybe Osama wouldn't have the skill, manpower or influence
he has today.
Perhaps if we hadn't helped overthrow the democratically-elected ruler
of Iran in 1953 and installed the puppet dictator, the Shah, the fundamentalist
Iranians wouldn't be in power today after they overthrew him for his
cruelties in 1978. Iranians and Muslims hate us for this.
Maybe if we hadn't unconditionally supported Israel for all this time,
including using our vetoes to block 36 Security Council condemnations
of Israeli activities since 1972, or if we didn't still give them so
much military aid despite the 65 UN resolutions they have broken from
1955 to 1992, we wouldn't have every Muslim in the world hating us.
So why don't we blame these administrations of the past 60 years? The
more we play the blame game instead of focusing on the task at hand,
the more the terrorists win.
Are you scared? If so, the terrorists have won. Do you think giving
up our freedoms for a little protection is worth it? If so, the terrorists
have won. They can kill us, but if we give up our freedoms without a
fight, than that is a much, much more tragic loss.
Sorry, Harold, the world is much more complex than simply saying Bill
Clinton's to blame. But we should support our troops; we should write
to them, we should donate time and money to veterans groups, we should
donate blood when we can, and we should tell out representatives in
Washington to stop cutting veterans rights.
Love the warrior, not the war.
Steve Carson
Tampa, Fla.
(Former Sylva resident)
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SCV defends students' inaction
To the Editor:
I would like to thank the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Jackson County
Rangers Co. No. 1917, together with a number of students at Cullowhee
Valley School, for teaching the Jackson County school board and administrators
at Cullowhee Valley School a much-needed lesson in preserving history
and heritage.
A student at Cullowhee was recently reprimanded for drawing a rendition
of the Confederate battle flag on the back of his shirt (the flag with
St. Andrew's Cross - not to be confused with the First National Flag
of the Confederacy, also referred to as the "stars and bars").
After being told by a school administrator it was against the rules
to have the flag on his person, the student was told to cover or turn
his shirt inside out so it could not be seen, which he did. After hearing
about the incident, a number of students arrived at school Friday morning
wearing various T-shirts depicting the battle flag. The students were
told to either cover up the shirts, or turn them inside out.
Out of the approximately 20 students who wore the shirts, four students
refused to cover up the flags. Those four students received in-school
suspension on Friday and out-of-school suspension on Monday, Sept. 22.
The reason given was that the Confederate flag was worn on their shirt
and the students did not remove or cover them after being told to do
so.
Two other students who did not wear the shirts went to both the assistant
principal and principal to find out why the shirts were not permitted.
Simply put, they were told the flag was offensive to some people and
it was against school rules. The girls had the Jackson County Rules
and Policies with them and said they could not find the rule about the
flag. The response was that not all rules could be printed.
After hearing about the suspensions, I discussed the matter with Howard
Alligood, a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. For those of
you who are not familiar with this organization or their function, their
primary purpose is to preserve the history and legacy of the Confederate
soldiers who fought in the War Between the States for Southern Independence
and Freedom, which involves, among other things, serving as caretakers
of the battle flag of the Confederacy.
Howard immediately contacted other members of the SCV, who, after hearing
of the situation at Cullowhee, contacted the Jackson County school board.
A representative of the SCV proceeded to educate the members of the
board during a hastily-called closed-door session as to the legalities
(or in this case, illegalities) of the action of the principal at Cullowhee,
based on a decision made in the Sixth Federal District Court concerning
an identical situation in that district.
The school board has admitted the actions of the school were wrong and
the students will be cleared of the suspensions and their records cleared.
Students at county schools can wear their Confederate flags with pride
and without fear of reprimand.
This type of incident is occurring all over the country and is extremely
troubling in many aspects. Schools are no longer places where our children
can learn without being told they have to be selective about their opinions
and beliefs for fear of offending someone.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans did a terrific job in coming to the
aid of those students who stood up for those beliefs and the right to
wear a symbol of their heritage. The members of this organization are
willing to come to schools or any forum to educate those people who
would like to understand the real history of the flag and what it stood
for instead of the selective, politically-correct way history is now
being taught. Hopefully a few so-called educators will take them up
on the offer.
Carol Coleson
Cullowhee
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Confederate flag is a 'symbol of death'
To the Editor:
As the mother of three teenagers in the Smoky Mountain High School,
I am more than a little concerned about the decision of the Jackson
County school board to OK clothing displaying the Confederate flag in
school.
I am African-American. I have lived in Jackson County for only one year.
However, I was born in North Carolina and lived in the state for the
first 17 years of my life. My great-grandmother was a slave. Therefore,
I am aware of the heritage of the Confederate flag. To me it is a symbol
of death, oppression and genocide for my people as the Swastika is to
the Jewish people.
I also know the meaning of freedom of speech. In the school system African-American
students have been asked to turn shirts inside out. Shirts that displayed
pictures of Dr. Martin Luther King on the front and the wording "I
Have A. Dream" on the back. This is African-American history and
its also freedom of speech.
I was not opposed to this policy by the school system because I realized
it was designed so that it doesn't cause a disturbance, and I believe
to help keep racial tension under control. I realize you can't control
the thinking of people, but this policy appeared to be helpful in controlling
tension.
On Wednesday, Sept. 24, my daughter had a problem at school with another
young lady. My daughter was very upset because the young lady (who is
caucasian) told her "that's why my friend walked between your friends
with his Confederate flag on." My advice to her was ignore the
incident and concentrate on her school work.
On Sept. 26 there was an incident at Smoky Mountain High School pep
rally where several boys ran across the stadium with Confederate flag
shirts on yelling "KKK," as reported by a student.
You can only imagine my feelings when I picked up a copy of The Sylva
Herald after giving her this advice.
How do you tell your kids it's not about the color of your skin when
racism "slaps" them in the face?
I have met nothing but great, friendly people here in this beautiful
town and county. I am sure there are people that just consider the Confederate
flag their heritage.
There are also those who consider it a weapon for racial insults and
others who use it as a racial statement designed only to hurt and destroy.
My opinion is that the policy should have been left in the hands of
the school principal.
So where do we go from here? We banned prayer from the school, and the
Ten Commandments can no longer be displayed in public buildings. Yet
a racially-insensitive symbol of oppression can be worn and displayed
in our public schools in the area. Does the Jackson County school board
really believe that this decision will not cause a disturbance? I guess
the feelings of Jackson County minorities are not even worth consideration!
Stella Moore
Sylva
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School board's decision saddens reader
To the Editor:
Yes, I know the Civil War was about "states rights." But right
in question was to enslaved black people, so it isn't surprising that
many people of all colors find displays of this war offensive.
Annie McCord was right several years back when she said that Cullowhee
Valley students who are offended, majority or minority, should not have
to live with the "rebel" mascot.
I think Principal Theresa Peters also was right in banning T-shirts
celebrating this war. How inclusive is the so-called student handbook?
If there's no ban on Swastika shirts, can students wear them, and why
can't handbooks be changed?
I do not believe the South was or is any more or less racist than the
North (Lincoln had to explain the war as one to "preserve the union").
I also understand the sensitivity of young people that because the South
lost, their soldiers are disrespected. After all, I haven't witnessed
young Northerners wanting to wear Yankee displays, and, from personal
experience, three close family members enlisted and fought on the front
lines in WWII (one severely injured), but I never had a desire to wear
a G.I. Joe T-shirt.
Nonetheless, a display that is justifiably interpreted as an insult
to black people is insensitive to say the least and gives the impression
of racism. There is racism in the county schools (as there is in Northern
schools), which I can document but won't take the time. But there is
perhaps an "ism" that is insidious because of its general
acceptance.
Based on knowledge obtained through my daughter's five years at Fairview,
describing people as "red necks" (a word I told my daughter
was not acceptable, just as disgusting words to describe minorities,
and she is a child of color, were not acceptable) is considered OK,
despite the efforts of then-Principal Sue Nations, who had done everything
in her power to make Fairview a model of tolerance. At least at Fairview,
students who chose to be accepted by others simply had to dress and
speak in more conventional ways, but, sadly, there remained a "red-neck-and-proud-of-it"
crowd.
On the other hand, based on my daugher's first two years at Cullowhee
Valley and on the impressions of other people, there is a climate condoning
the division of children into two groups, based on geography and parental
status (in second grade my daughter was fortunate enough to be in Mrs.
Burrell's class, which I consider a different school, and I'm sure there
are some other individual teachers who actively try to promote tolerance).
Actually, the most moving and inspiring description of the Cullowhee
Valley climate came from an extremely bright and determined young woman
in my daughter's eighth-grade class (the move had nothing to do with
Fairview), who essentially clawed her way to receiving the kind of educational
opportunities received by what I refer to as the children of the "more
favored class" (and she mentioned receiving support from Mrs. Dougherty).
I'm told that Mr. Yount made some small efforts to change this climate
(e.g., refusing to let parents choose their children's teachers), and
though my daughter only was there for half of her eighth-grade year,
my impression was that Theresa Peters (if she has parent support and
if she remains after the T-shirt issue) has the desire and strength
to change the "climate" at Cullowhee Valley, whether students
like it or not (old habits die hard).
My point is that children should go to schools that encourage them in
recognizing their many options and should not be allowed to wear displays
that result in others classifying them as "red neck" and racist.
I am both saddened and surprised by what I consider a misguided decision
on the part of the school board and Superintendent McCary.
Hedy White
Cullowhee
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Concerned for the neighborhood's future
To the Editor:
A woman walked into the Speedwell General Store and had a conversation
with the only other person in the store, a relative of her soon-to-be
neighbor.
She had read about the new 500-bedroom complex going up on Speedwell
Road and wanted to talk with her neighbor because she respected him
and wanted to know what he thought. She was concerned that if a complex
of this size came onto the road she shared with her neighbors, it would
change the whole character of the neighborhood. She was moving to this
neighborhood because she like what she saw: the people; the farms and
gorgeous gardens; the quiet, residential road.
She was surprised to see her private conversation in a letter to the
editor in The Sylva Herald last week. She was even more surprised to
see the letter was from someone she did not know and had never met.
That woman was me.
Wendy LeMay
Dillsboro
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School board's 'non-discriminatory intent' is actually 'passive'
To the Editor:
I write this letter in hopes that everyone back home is well and in
commendation of Cullowhee Valley Principal Theresa Peters for her actions
last week.
It's incredible to me how this remains an issue in Jackson County -
one that causes controversy every time someone is bold enough to shine
a light on it. I was born in California, raised in the South, and I'm
not African-American or caucasian, but I am a minority. Personally,
when I see the Confederate flag, I instinctively feel a wall go up between
the object it's being reflected from and myself. If this is the effect
that one's sign of pride or honor has on me, someone who is totally
uninvolved in the history of it, then what kind of an effect must it
have on those whose histories it has influenced?
I understand the flag is said to be a symbol of pride, heritage and
history - not hate. I know when it is worn or flown, the people wearing
or flying it insist it has nothing to do with discrimination or prejudice.
I've heard all of it on several occasions.
The opinions I haven't heard so frequently are from those who feel differently
about the Confederate flag. These are the opinions that aren't readily
given unless asked for because they are the minority, and sometimes
it's easier to just accept things that you don't think will change.
There are plenty of people, right in Jackson County, who would echo
my sentiments about this controversial figure of pride - if they were
asked.
Being open-minded individuals and knowledgeable citizens, it is unfair
for any of us to jump to conclusions about what one's intent is when
he/she displays the Confederate flag. After all, who am I to make assumptions
about someone's heritage?
But then again, who is Superintendent McCary for making assumptions
that "the evidence of any disruption of learning is missing"
when clothing printed with the Confederate flag is worn in public schools?
Why would there even be an "unwritten rule" about clothing
with the Confederate Flag at Cullowhee Valley if there weren't any evidence
of disruption? More importantly, what kind of evidence is necessary?
If this has come down to a matter of "free speech," how are
you planning on distinguishing what material is appropriate and what
is not?
This isn't so much a plea to ban Confederate paraphernalia as it is
to simply understand. We're all entitled to our own opinions, and the
freedom to dress how we please is a liberty we shouldn't take lightly.
I'm sure if those of you who flaunt the Confederate flag with such honor
could feel how some of us do when we actually see it, then you would
probably think twice about where, when and in whose company you present
your admiration.
I'm not saying we need to gather up all the bits and pieces of this
history and discard them. It is necessary to remember the past. But
it is not necessary to preserve it, especially within public schools,
and especially if it means we are putting even one student in an uncomfortable
position.
The assumptions the school board is making in facilitating its decisions
are passive, regardless of their non-discriminatory intent. Unless the
school board plans to take an active role in this situation, it is difficult
for me to believe that everything is being done to provide an environment
that is equally learning-friendly for all of its students.
Sincerely,
Manisha Patel
Carrboro
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Confederate flag cannot be separated from slavery
To the Editor:
I was completely shocked when the school board overturned a principal's
decision to suspend four teens because their clothing displayed the
Confederate flag. Since Cullowhee Valley Principal Theresa Peters wasn't
in town to defend her decision, I find it even ridiculous that the board
acted upon the situation.
However, as an African-American and social studies teacher in the school
system, I find the Confederate flag is really not a part of the heritage
of the United States of America, but a disinherited part since the South
lost the Civil War. It is beyond my comprehension why the United States
allowed the Confederate flat to never be displayed after its defeat.
Mike Parris called it "a heritage thing." I see it as a thing
of hate. He says he supports banning shirts that promote tobacco, which
the schools' code of conduct bans, but isn't tobacco our heritage? North
Carolina is one of the leading states in the production of tobacco and
tobacco products. I will let the issue of tobacco be and direct myself
to the Confederate flag.
When students with a Confederate flag delicately try to incite trouble
by walking among (instead of around) African-American students talking
in the corridor of the school, I call that hate.
I can recall that African-American students couldn't wear a shirt that
displaced Martin Luther King or Malcolm X's. Isn't that a heritage thing
to the African-Americans? What's good for the goose should be good for
the gander.
Superintended McCary said the displays of the Confederate flag came
down to a "free speech" issue. So does displaying Martin Luther
King's and Malcolm X's image on a shirt. Not "free speech."
Remember that we celebrate Martin Luther King Day as a national holiday,
but Confederate flag is not celebrated nationally.
Some people will argue that the Civil War wasn't fought over the slave
issue, but the way of life for the Southerners. I firmly believe that
slavery was the issue because slaves were a part of the Southerners'
way of life.
You cannot separate the Confederate flag from slavery; therefore, I
find the approval of the school board to allow the Confederate flag
to be worn by any American as un-American. We want to be united, not
separated.
Victoria Casey-McDonald
Sylva
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Hired for family connections, not experience
To the Editor:
In response to Mr. Bumgarner's letter about a position recently filled
by the school board, I found it disturbing that someone was able to
gain employment without any college education if the job description
called for a "bachelor's or an associate degree with experience."
Does that not apply to everyone? Is this just for everyone outside who
does not have pull with the school board?
We hear commercials on the radio trying to keep graduates of Western
Carolina University and Southwestern Community College in the area.
With this kind of game being played, who would want to stay? There is
no change for those of us who finished high school and went on to better
our lives with education.
It seems to me I would want someone with at least some experience in
accounting and business writing my paycheck. Is it a fair use of taxpayers
money to hire someone who did not meet the criteria given for the job?
Do we really need this or do we need to vote in a new school board?
I ask you, Mr. Roper, can we look forward to seeing your son coach football?
I will be graduating in May 2004 with a bachelor's degree in business
administration. I guess finding employment in this area is out of the
question!
Yours truly,
Carolina Washington
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County ordinances, policies are hurting us
To the Editor:
I have 56 acres above the Western Carolina University. Cell phones will
not work in my area due to the extremely high cost a cell phone company
must pay to put a tower where it is needed.
Hundred of students at Western Carolina University cannot use cell phones
due to the same regulation, which was put into operation by the previous
commission. Since the current commission has done nothing to correct
the situation, if and when a student at WCU dies from injuries from
speeding autos, the present county commission will share the blame for
the student's death. Are you prepared to share this blame?
Second, the idea of restarting the subdivision ordinance is plain poor
business. The section requiring wide roads into the subdivided will
prevent hundreds of property owners from making available their property
for housing in the future.
I have been advised this is not only a club over the head of present
acreage owners, but it will cause the price to increase. Jackson County
commissioners are already highly in debt for their "credit card"
type operation of spending more than we could afford. This is poor business
and planning.
Also, you need to read the fifth amendment to the U.S. Constitution,
and you will find this is no doubt unconstitutional. But the price to
upset these kind of laws is so high that it is cheaper to abandon your
land than hire lawyers to protect your rights.
Third, the Southern Bypass, which the entire planning section of our
N.C. Department of Transportation has surveyed and established a need
for, is being fought by people who do not want their property disturbed.
They do not realize that when their roads were established, their roads
went through someone else's properties, and the previous owners did
not like such a road to be built, but it was built anyway. No one is
pleased with progress and growth except the sellers of the property
involved.
As a taxpayer, I represent those who need to be listened to. Good, sound
business practices must be applied when you spend our money.
Frank Young
Cullowhee
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Back to Archive: 10/02/03.
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