Using Eve
Billboards in southern India advertising overseas study and job opportunities by using the image of the very attractive, but deceased, American Eve Carson raise the question of what this company, Jubeerich Consultancy, actually does ("Slain student shown in ads," March 22). While indeed this must distress her family, the real story is the legitimacy of the offering, and the very sad part is what may happen to those who respond to the billboards.
BETTY WARD
Mocksville
Editor's note: The company in India that erected billboards with the photo of slain UNC Chapel Hill student leader Eve Carson has apologized for the signs and pledged to take them down, according to a report in The Hindu newspaper.
Ambushed
Pattie Curran? Hmm. The name rings a bell. Isn't she the mom with the teen sons who got ambushed at the opera by the twiggy thing bent in the shape of a lady-part ("Opera patron unhappy with art," March 16)? But wait. There's a person named Pattie Curran who organized a protest and spoke to the media in opposition to insurance coverage for reproductive health care ("Rally scheduled to protest birth control rules," March 20).
That's the same Pattie Curran. Hmm. But wouldn't that mean she had political objections to the lady-part art, since its title clearly makes it a comment on the current reproductive health-care controversy? Which in turn would mean that she was not completely honest in her argument for placing notification on the art? Hmm. Seems like maybe it was the art that got ambushed.
RICK MASHBURN
Winston-Salem
No voter ID
Forsyth County Commissioner Gloria Whisenhunt's statements supporting a voter-identification bill illustrate dangerous views dividing this country ("Board to debate voter-ID law Monday," March 23).
First she avers, "Voting is a special privilege." Voting is not a special privilege; it is a right. All adult citizens have the right to vote without condition, except convicted felons (in some states) and anyone adjudicated incompetent to vote.
To characterize voting as a "privilege" draws a contrast with the non-privileged, consistent with her next statement: "I can't understand why you wouldn't be proud to show an ID." She implies something inherently shameful about those who because of age, disability, poverty or by circumstances of birth lack a birth certificate or cannot proudly possess such ID. ("Men at ease have contempt for misfortune," Job 12:5.)
This is the same worldview that causes travesties of justice such as the Trayvon Martin case. The privileged perceive some people, because of race and/or class, as automatically suspicious, unsavory and unworthy of full membership in society. Contrary to Whisenhunt's last assertion that she cannot "see why this is political," what else is it when her political party seeks to bar an entire class of voters from exercising their constitutional right?
Our country has finally, fitfully and at times violently progressed to a place that all of us, in principle, regardless of race, sex, class, education or any other excuse for exclusion, have the right to choose our leaders. Don't let anyone take it away!
AMANDA WARREN
Winston-Salem
Finish the thought
Last Saturday, we asked readers to complete the sentence: "Citizens should only be allowed to use deadly force if ..."
"I will not seek permission from anyone to use deadly force to prevent bodily harm from being inflicted on either my family or myself.
"I shall not seek permission to exercise my endowed rights in using deadly force to repel any threat to my life and liberty, and limb. Be warned that I will not hesitate, if threatened, to exercise any and all of these rights, and use whatever force is necessary to remedy the situation, should it occur."
HARVEY PULLIAM JR.
"... when your life or property is threatened."
WILLIAM SAMS
"Citizens should only be allowed to use deadly force if they are facing possible mortal danger to themselves or their loved ones. If they fear for their lives or anyone else's with them at that time, they should definitely feel justified in using deadly force.
"Protection of one's self, property and/or family to me is high priority."
LOUIS JONES
I imagine if Obama looked at Mr. Pulliam that would be sufficient justification for him to use deadly force.
ReplyDeleteLTEs #2 & 3 - Interesting. Back to back letters about two harridans that would be better off living in Mississippi, or better yet, Teheran.
ReplyDeleteI feel sorry for Curran's three brainwashed home schooled sons. Normal teenaged boys do not spend their Saturday's protesting at abortion clinics.
I'm not one of those persons who goes A-gu-gu-ga-ga over babies. I don't want to hold them. I personally think Sanchez is cuter than any baby.
ReplyDeleteThat said, many people are drawn to the perceived innocence and cuteness of babies. They believe that if a women is forced to have a child they will love and adore it just like they love a adore children. This love may develop in some cases, but in many others the result is neglected children which society at large is forced to support.
Birth control coverage reduces the number of unplanned or/and unwanted children. Why are we still discussing birth control in 2012? Are there not budget deficits, wars, potential local property tax increases and real live children who are hungry, in need of shelter, education and most of all love.
No voter ID. Yep, this is the first showing that I predicted yesterday. Even a link is established.
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon folks!
ReplyDeleteLTE 1: The operation did sound rather shady. I'll give the company the benefit of the doubt and assume Carson's image was selected at random off the internet without any knowledge of her tragic circumstances.
LTE 2: Hmm indeed. The plot does thicken. Perhaps Ms. Curran's objection did have far more to do with the message than the content.
LTE 3: Voter ID laws have nothing to do with preventing fraud. They are all about suppressing votes. There are only a handful of cases across the country of election fraud that are prosecuted following an election. The vast majority of voter fraud that I ever hear about is related to absentee ballots which voter id does nothing to address.
Finish the thought: Of the three responses, Jones is the only one I would give any consideration for granting concealed carry, or owning a gun period to tell the truth. I don't know if psychological tests are required for concealed carry, but they should be. Deadly force should be a last-resort, your life or mine/innocent bystander decision. Property isn't worth killing someone over. There are no take-backs, oops didn't mean to, or second guessing whether an alternative exists when it comes to taking a life. Once done, it's done and you have to spend the rest of your life dealing with the consequences.
All this fuss over voter ID is silly...as dotnet points out, it is simply a gimmick dreamed up by fat little Carl Rove to suppress certain voters.
ReplyDeleteWe have been voting under the US Constitution now for well over 200 years without voter ID and it is not something that we need now. The real problem is encouraging more people to turn out.
It reminds me that some years ago the state legislature was voting on a bill to make it easier to register to vote. The vote in the Senate was 90 something to 1 in favor.
The lone nay vote was cast by Senator Ann Bagnal of Winston-Salem. When a reporter asked her why she had voted no, she said "I'm just against making it easier for people to vote." Her pitiful mind was right in line with the voter ID nuts of today.
She ran against Steve Neal when I was a kid...can't remember if it was in 1980 or '82. It's weird I even remember that.
DeleteSomeone once said she was very antichoice, but it was rumored that one of children terminated a pregnancy.
DeleteNot just once. I dated the girl for a while in high school. A very sweet person.
DeleteI had always wondered about the rumor. I thought since you mentioned Anne Bagnal you might have heard it too.
DeleteAs to the elections, Arthur was right on both.
DeleteAnn surprised Steve in 1980, losing by just 2%, 51-49.
In 1982, he was prepared and got 60% to Ann's 39%. The rest was split by the Libertarian party candidate and Meryl Lynn Farber, the Socialist Worker's party candidate, who got 174 votes.
We've come a long way downhill in the 5th District from Steve Neal to yet another harridan, Virginia Foxx.
Speaking of Meryl Lynn Farber led me to look her up.
DeleteI was living and teaching in Chicago in the 1980s, but my sister and friends kept me informed of what was going on locally.
In the wake of the incident in 1979 in Greensboro in which the KKK/NAZIS provoked a gun battle and killed 5 members of the Communist Workers Party, the CWP attempted to reorganize as the Socialist Workers Party.
In 1982 Meryl Lynn Farber, a 25 year old production line worker at Gilbarco in Greensboro led a drive to obtain 5,000 signatures on a petition to put the SWP on the ballot for 5th District Congress.
She got 5,063 signatures, but her petition was thrown out because of a new NC law which said that anyone signing such a petition had to change their registration to that party, clearly unconstitutional, as a judge so ruled. As previously mentioned, she got 174 votes in the general election.
In 1984 the SWP was back, fielding candidates in three state races, for governor, US Senate and 6th District Congress. Kate Dahler came in a distant third in the Senate race between Jesse Helms and Jim Hunt.
And in the 6th District, Howard Coble barely beat Robin Britt 50.58% to 49.28%. Farber received 285 votes, a big improvement over 1982.
In that election, the SWP was unable to pay the filing fees. Since the Democratic & Republican parties had filing fees routinely waived, the SWP appealed to the state Attorney General. In the sort of sane ruling that would never happen today, the AG ruled that the SWP need not pay the fee either.
After the election, Farber moved to New York and helped found the Pathfinder Press, which published a wide array of leftist books. In 1988, they attempted to paint a mural, The Pathfinder Mural, containing images of leftist heros, on their seven story building in Greenwich Village.
Mayor Ed Koch and others tried to stop them. 1st Amendment anyone? At one point, they were fined $3,500 for unauthorized posting of handbills promoting one of the artists involved. Unauthorized handbills in NYC? Give me a break.
As people used to testify during the congressional witchhunts of the 1950s "I am not now, nor have I ever been, a member of the Communist Party." Nor have I ever even sympathized with the Communist Party. I am, however, an American citizen and combat veteran who believes in free speech. The fascists never give up.
Later, Farber ran for NY City Council, coming in third in a field of four.
In 1989, Pathfinder got involved in an international incident in which Reagan's puppet right wing government in Grenada seized a shipment of their books. Among the books seized was Farber's personal copy of Graham Greene's terrific novel Our Man In Havana. Seven years later the international court of the OAS found that Grenada had violated the OAS charter, but I don't think that Ms. Farber got her book back.
Last I heard, Meryl Lynn Farber was living in Roanoke, VA. Probably still stirring up trouble. If so, bless her.
All in all, a tiny footnote to local political history, but a footnote that shines light on how the Dems and GOPs use their power to stifle any attempt to compete with them. No wonder we're in the fix we're in.
Wordly, I apologize for overlooking your 5:15 post.
DeleteI guess my 2:05 was not clear enough. I knew the daughter...as I said, a sweet girl. I still see her now and then...a sweet woman.
I feel sorry for her for having to grow up with such a mean and domineering mother, as with the poor sons of Pattie Curran.
My teenaged sons spent their weekends working at useful jobs, hanging out with their friends and trying to sweet talk girls. I would have been appalled if they had instead spent their time promoting my political agenda, demonstrating at abortion clinics and otherwise behaving like fools.
Ann Bagnal and Pattie Curran are excellent examples of bad parents and a very good reason to abolish home schooling.