Protection for all
To those of us who occasionally read the Roll Call column (it basically reveals how our members of Congress vote on various bills), I could not help but notice the extraordinary number of House Republicans from our state (one Democrat) who voted in favor of the Violence Against Women Act ("Roll Call," May 20).
At first I thought it was a good thing, but upon further investigation, I see that this bill would exclude protection for battered women who are illegal immigrants, Native American women who are assaulted on reservations by non-Indians, and, most disturbingly, are gay, lesbian or transsexual citizens. These groups of women are being marginalized and deemed undeserving of protection from assault by an overwhelming majority of House Republicans.
GARRETT BROWN
Winston-Salem
Bigotry and hatred
I see the recent vote on Amendment One passed. It seems the voters who voted for this like to see bigotry and hatred written into the state constitution. What a shame.
I have gay friends, and they are some of the most honest and nicest people I've ever met. From my point of view, the Religious Right always has a hidden agenda based on hatred and bigotry.
WILLIAM SAMS
King
A balanced approach
I certainly could not agree more with the comments in the Mary 21 letter "A government diet." But I am sure the writer would agree that a doctor or nutritionist for an overweight person would highly recommend a "balanced" approach over just starving the individual. Funny thing is that as a person becomes more lean and exercises more (spending), his or her nutritional intake (taxes) may increase considerably more than his overweight intake.
My very lean and muscular son requires an excessive amount of nutrition (taxes) to maintain his health. So, according to this writer's analogy, "bring on more taxes."
ROBERT C. DILLON
Clemmons
Laws and personal choices
In reading all the many letters written on the marriage amendment voted on this past week, I feel I must get involved with items no one seems to realize. Yes, I voted for the amendment really for two reasons, neither of which is discrimination. One, my morals would not allow me to vote no. Second, if we had had Adam and Eric as our original parents, how long would the human race have existed?
But laws and personal choices do get in each others' ways. Here are a few I list for all to think of:
- Should incest be considered an individual right?
- Should polygamy be allowed for consenting partners?
- Should teens, say 13 years old, be allowed to marry without permission?
- Why can I not bathe in the nude at a public beach?
- Why can I get a ticket for drinking and driving and not get one for carrying a loaded AK-47?
Laws are based on what we understand at the time they are enacted. In most cases, they are not discriminatory but are created to protect the morality, ethics, and health and welfare of citizens. You may not like the passage of Amendment One, but 61 percent of the voters did.
ROBERT E. FOY JR.
Advance
Good news and bad news
There is some good news and some bad news for the Triad newsprint readers. The good news is that the Winston-Salem Journal has a new owner ("Buffett group buys Journal, MG papers," May 18). Readers would hope to again have a real newspaper. Gone would be the liberal-biased editorial pages. Gone would be the liberal comic strip. Gone would be the high volume of advertisement pages. Gone would be lack of reporting the news in the outlying communities. Gone would be the small 11-by-22-inch page.
The bad news is, the new owner is Berkshire Hathaway, alias Warren Buffett, a liberal-leaning billionaire. A friend of the current occupier of the White House. He advocates that the rich should be taxed at a higher rate than other taxpayers.
Richard Craver's May 18 article, "MG papers' sale 'best vote of confidence,' " stated that Larry King, vice president of news and content for BH Media Group, said there would be "no influence whatsoever, including no mandate on local issues or political endorsements."
If readers believe that, I have a bridge for sale in San Francisco.
B.H. "TINY" SIMPSON
LTE #4... Laws and Personal Choices.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, you assume the existence of an Adam and an Eve which makes your argument unsound. A sound argument must have two qualities: 1. it must be valid, and 2. it must have true premises. The existence of Adam and Eve is based on faith not provable fact. Thus your premise cannot be proven true.
On June 1st, 1942, in Skinner v Oklahoma and on June 12th, 1967 in Loving v Virginia, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled the marriage is a civil right of all citizens.
Incest: is not generally between two committed loving adults and is seldom with consent.
Polygamy: As long as all are consenting adults, I have no problem with it.
Teens: Teens can marry, the age of consent for marriage is 18 everywhere except Mississippi where it is 21, which is odd, since the age of consent for consensual sex is 16 there.
Public nude beaches: You can already do that. Black's Beach, CA, Little Beach, HA, Gunnison Beach, NJ, and Mazo Beach, WI to name a few.
Drinking and Guns: what does that have to do with marriage, unless it's a shotgun wedding?
Have visited Blacks and Little (Makena) beaches more than once. Little Makena was a favorite hangout for the Rolling Stones back in the '60s, but today is threatened by resort development. Also on Maui is the Seven Sacred Pools...there are more than 7 and they are not sacred, but very nice...near the end of the road past Heavenly Hana. Charles Lindbergh is buried nearby under a Java Plum tree at the tiny 1857 Palapala Ho'omau Church.
DeleteThat's cool. I've been to a few. The best one was at the Dunes of Maspalomas on the southern coast of Gran Canaria. Lot's of German families there.
DeleteLTE #5.... Good news and bad news.
ReplyDelete"He (Warren Buffett) advocates that the rich should be taxed at a higher rate than other taxpayers." Buffet advocates that the very wealthy should not be paying lower tax rates than their secretaries. How about some truth in news?
For some reason I just can't get these lyrics out of my head this morning:
ReplyDeleteJesus is coming soon
Morning or night or noon
Many will meet their doom
Trumpets will sound.
:) oh no, not the sound of trumpets:
Delete“It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets” voltaire
The Trumpet Shall Sound is my favorite aria from Messiah.
Delete"Why can I get a ticket for drinking and driving and not get one for carrying a loaded AK-47?"
DeleteRobert Foy
__________
You were doing well at the beginning Mr. Foy. Then you imploded with the above statement.
Like I've said before, we 'discriminate' against all kinds of people all of the time, and for good reason too. It's necessary, at least to most people, that we discriminate to run a more ordered and productive society.
By recent events, we've come to realize that homosexuality and its related lifestyle are not going to be confined to two people's bedroom. It's going to be an in your face confrontation on almost a daily basis. That's why I think we should not support the lifestyle through more affirmative laws.
If we do decide to accept the homosexual lifestyle a as 'normal', which I say is highly unlikely even if laws are passed, we need to put in place a whole group of laws to protect people from aggressive gay, lesbian, and transgender behavior. In fact, we should move toward that end now. I've seen more bull-bucks lately than you can shake a stick at!
Disgusting filth from the sub-human Buck-world gutter.
DeleteI marvel that a link could be found between boozing and an AK (a fine weapon, btw) and gay folks, a contortion worthy of Ripley's Believe It Or Not.
DeleteLTE #1 - More disgusting filth from the sub-human gutter of the Tea Party.
ReplyDeleteLTE #2 - More disgusting filth from the sub-human gutter of the religious right.
LTE #3 - A pretty good analogy for an LTE in which the original analogy was deeply flawed.
LTE #4 - Yet another bigot trying to make himself out as not a bigot.
1. If your "morals" force you to vote for bigotry, they are not morals.
2. If you base your life on superstition and myth (i.e. Adam & Eve), your life is based on nothing.
3. Laws regarding incest are based on scientific facts, not superstitious mumbo-jumbo.
4. Laws regarding age of consent are a basic function of government, intended to protect children.
5. Laws involving polygamy and nude sunbathing are based upon nothing.
6. The drunk driving/AK-47 question is yet another false analogy from yet another simple-minded fool. And just try walking down Fourth Street in W-S with an AK-47, loaded or unloaded, and see how quickly you wind up handcuffed in front of the magistrate.
The last statement is the most ridiculous part of the LTE. Laws allowing slavery and laws that deprive anyone of equal rights do not protect the morality, ethics and health and welfare of anyone. They are no different from the dreaded Sharia law that simple-minded fools are always ranting about.
LTE #5 - Yet another rant by someone who thinks he could run a newspaper better than those already doing it.
Here's some "good news" for you, Tiny. You live in a free country. Don't like the current newspaper? Start your own!
ROTFLMAO!!!
Very good,lol, may I relay the message to Tiny?
DeletePlease do!
DeleteIf we all got together, we could make a formidable trivial pursuit team.
ReplyDeleteEspecially if we included Wordly's husband.
DeleteSpouses included.
DeleteYes, it would have to be him and not me as I could contribute little. He being a five time Jeopardy Champion (from when there was a 5 game limit) could contribute much. I often told him that I might be assembling a Foothills trivia team for him join. Anyone interested this summer after schools out? He has said he is interested.
DeleteWhen?
DeleteWOW!!!, Count me in. I'm full of useless trivia.
DeleteWhen I'm bored, I read the CIA World Factbook. When I am really bored, I go downtown, find the best parking place, sit and count how many people stop to see if I am leaving.
Deletehttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
DeleteIt's a great site to have on tab for reference when participating in online forums.
Time permitting, I'm quite open to it as well.
DeleteTrivia is on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Foothills I think. Maybe sometime in June. O.T. may know a better place, but Ron (my husband) has been to Foothills before. Has to be a night when he doesn't have to be at school the next day at 7 am. Also, may need to find someone smart and young to come too as some of the questions seem to favor the younger topics.
DeleteCount me in if y'all do it, but I'm not as good as I used to be. Regular Jeopardy's too tough for me now, but I do well when they dumb it down on celebrity week.
Deleteyoung and smart? The 3 step-Stabs fit that to a T.
DeleteYes they are. I missed 3 questions on the 50-question Jeopardy test when I took it at Sony Studios. 2 was the max. My downfall was country music, about which I know next to nothing. But, count me in, schedule permitting.
DeleteOh my, Trivial Pursuit at Foothills.
DeleteThere is a legendary moment there...a few years ago my friend who works at the library was sitting at the bar minding his own business when the bartender asked him if he wanted to play in the game that was getting ready to start. They put him on a team with three Salem College girls...Gramps and the Chicks.
Everybody was teasing them that they were going to get blown out by the regular powerhouse teams, mostly Wake students with a scattering of townies.
My friend answered most of the history, geography and science questions, but those brilliant Salem girls gobbled up all the rest. Guess who won...and it wasn't even close. Free drinks for all!
And my friend acquired three new granddaughters.
Ron said to count him in. His previous trivia group has disbanded as they no longer work at the same place. The first date available is Thursday June 7, and after that he should be free most Tuesdays and Thursdays. He said it would be helpful to have someone who knows something about rap music too.
DeleteArthur, you definitely count as young. I thought you were in Chapel Hill. Glad to see you are back in Winston Salem.
DeleteGood afternoon folks!
ReplyDeleteLTE 1: Indian reservations are their own enntity, so I'm not sure there is any conflict with how Native Americans deal with violence against women, but the other exceptions don't make any sense. Why have a protection bill at all if you're going to exclude certain groups simply because you don't like them? Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail in the Senate.
LTE 2: Those who think people can be legislated into becoming "good Christians" are going be very disappointed.
LTE 3: A nice rebuttal pointing out the fallacies of originally posted analogy. Anyone who has studied economics knows how complicated a subject it is and how ridiculous many of the simplistic analogies and solutions presented are.
LTE 4: Laws are restrictions on behavior in order to permit a society to function efficiently without chaos. In order for a law to be effective, it needs to be applied equally to all citizens and treat all citizens as being equal. A law that permits a certain behavior or action for everyone except one group of people will not be well received by the affected group and will likely give rise to civil disobedience. As for the mentioned instances, laws prohibiting incest are to protect the potential harm to any children that may result from the union due to the mixing of close-relative DNA. Polygamy has been around as long as marriage itself and still exists. I have no problem with it. 13 used to be the typical age of marriage for girls prior to the 20th century when an education for women didn't matter since they had no place in the workforce. Today, it is far more important for girls to finish their education than to start pumping out babies at 14. Nude beaches exist, but I'd rather not see Mr. Foy bathe nude. You should get locked up for both D-n-D and carrying a loaded AK-47 on the streets.
LTE 5: It is very good news for the Journal. BH has the resources to enable its newspapers to flourish without having to watch every single penny. If Mr. Simpson is interested in a newspaper that only contains a conservative viewpoint, he should try the WSJ, or IBD or similar publications that serve a far more concentrated core of readers than a county which has diverse views.
Forsyth County is full of intolerant, radical liberals. It seems that the gay activists and the aethists are the worst. Most people in urban places don't have time to worry about such foolishness because they are too busy working their butts off.
DeleteThe WS Journal doesn't represent the majority of the people of Forsyth County. That was made clear after the results for the vote 'for' the 'Marriage Protection Admendment' were in.
Even in the Journal's hard news there are reflections of liberalism front and center. That's why I no longer subscribe.
It's okay if the Journal continues down it current course if it desires. However, it's little more a 'funny' paper to most well- informed and well-read citizens of Forsyth County. Its destiny is perceptual ruin, and financial collapse.
Wow, I'm doubly bad, the worst of the worst. No wonder I get invited to all the good parties.
DeleteNo doubt about it, Bob, you are definitely Public Enemy Number 1 around here, you evil, intolerant bigot you.
DeleteAs to the parties, this is an area that many are unaware of. As a moderate, heterosexual, agnostic I should be in the unaware group, but if I listed the 10 best parties that I have ever attended, 9 of them would be those thrown by gays and/or atheist/agnostics.
The 10th was the best ever, a wedding reception held on a thoroughbred horse farm in Virginia involving a gourmet buffet dinner for over a thousand people, followed by dancing to three different bands in three tents on loan from Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey.
Since I didn't actually know the people who paid for it, I could not testify as to their political, sexual or religious persuasions, but we might get a hint from one of the highlights of the day when a helicopter landed in one of the pastures and out stepped the governor of the state, accompanied not by the first lady, but by his mistress.
The only beverage available that day other than water or coffee was Dom Perignon, which at the time went for well over $100 per bottle.
It wasn't Chuck Robb, was it?
DeleteI went to a party in Upperville once...that is some high-end territory.
You nailed it, Arthur. The "lady" was Tai Collins, a former Miss Virginia. At the time, the dalliance was not known to the general public, but was apparently OK among the big deals at this event, Republicans and Democrats alike. Tai later did a Playboy "spread".
DeleteThe party was at a 1,000 acre horse farm just outside Charlottesville. I had a long conversation with a guy who sat at my table. This was a pretty formal event, but he was wearing a blazer, slacks and Weejuns without socks. He knew everybody there, introduced me to Governor Robb and filled me in on all the latest scandals.
He also introduced me to a gorgeous woman who I danced with several times...fabulous legs. A few years later, having been divorced by her high rolling husband and consigned to the political ash heap, she was one of the late breaking women who accused Bill Clinton of harassing her.
I would like to thank my friends who invited me to this party. My wife had a great time as well.
It was only a month ago gas prices were predicted to hit $5/gallon by Memorial Day. I'm so glad they were wrong.
ReplyDeleteGood job, Dotnet, ;). Wilco-Hess $3.38 at corner of Peters Creek and Silas Creek Parkways.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteGas is $3.33 at Sam's if you're a member. We thought we were doing good until my husband came home from work last night and told me gas is $3.17 at the NC/SC border.
DeleteThe national average is down 25 cents from last year at this time.
DeleteI do try! I actually created the app used to generate a daily report for the profit margin for each station which factors into the pricing strategy. The refineries are back on-line with the summertime blends and oil is down to just over $90 a barrel. Perhaps we could pull our resources and buy lots of puts on oil to drive it down even further :)
DeleteThe margin on gasoline is actually very small, but because there is a L-O-T of gasoline sold each day, each penny per gallon makes an enormous difference to the bottom line.
DeleteHere is the price breakdown for a gallon of gas in the US as of April 30, 2012:
DeleteCrude oil cost: $2.85
Refinery cost & profit: 0.41
Distribution cost & profit: 0.27
Underground storage fee: 0.02
State/local taxes: 0.09
State excise tax: 0.36
Federal excise tax: 0.18
Total retail price: 4.19
Somewhere in there is a retailer's average gross profit of $ .05 per gallon, based on quantity discounts. The actual profit margin for a given retailer may be less than $ .01 per gallon.
That is why we no longer see independent gas stations, because the cost is based on quantity discounts. And it is also why almost all gas is sold at so-called convenience stores, because the retailer is counting on sales of high markup drinks, candy and other junk foods when the purchaser comes inside to pay. Most NC retailers gain a significant amount of revenue from sales of lottery tickets.
Sheetz, based in Pennsylvania, and Wilco (Williams Oil Company), based in Winston-Salem, are among those which probably make more profit off their convenience store business than off of gas sales.