If you like it
Columnist Kathleen Parker has confirmed the fact that once they get inside the Washington beltway, media and politicians become totally out of touch with reality. On the April 26 Op-Ed page you printed her column ("Obama should have the Carolina blues") castigating President Obama and his staff for scheduling a visit to North Carolina while the Edwards trial is going on.
I wonder what she thinks we think about this situation. It is probably one of the few things Democrats and Republicans agree on. Edwards and his aide, Andrew Young, should go to prison forever and share a cell. Other than that, no one associates the president with this sordid affair. While I suspect Republicans may get some pleasure from any discomfort this situation creates, mostly they are just glad it is not their party's involvement. They are certainly not using it as a campaign issue, so I question why Parker thinks it is worthy of a column.
Then again, most of her columns are a little on the light side.
BERT GRISARD
Winston-Salem
Resisting theft
Recently, an article was published about a man who was shot in the leg by a robber when he resisted giving the robber his car keys ("Man shot in attempted car theft," April 20). In my criminology course, we have discussed the correlation between an individual's criminal activity and his need for instant gratification.
After the victim obliged to initial demands by empting his pockets and surrendering the items, the robbers continued by asking the victim for his car keys. However, he did not want the robbers to take his car, so he threw the keys away from where they were standing. His resistance led to him being shot.
The vast majority of individuals who commit robberies don't want to harm their targets, they simply want the valuables. Arguing or showing the slightest resistance to their instructions can lead to injury.
We should remember that valuables can be replaced, but a life cannot. By giving the car keys to the robber, the victim might have escaped uninjured.
KALLAN HOLT
Winston-Salem
Enough
The stories about former Sen. John Edwards have become unbearable to read.
His life is a grotesque display of ethical failure; and I don't want to know, to hear or to read anything else about him. Why must the physical and emotional agony of his late wife, Elizabeth, be expressed to the world through the news in such detail?
KEN BADGETT
Dobson
Distorted concept
Once again, Cal Thomas has lured me into one of his columns ("Give 'em 'L,' Mitt!" May 3) with his bait-and-switch writing. He leads with a reasonable concept and then deftly distorts it.
This time, he used one of my favorite movies, "Dave." He talks about two characters in the movie staying up all night "balancing the federal budget, not by raising taxes but by cutting unnecessary and wasteful spending."
But actually, they weren't simply cutting unnecessary and wasteful spending (something to do with money to boost consumer confidence in the sales of cars that had already been sold), they were trying to make room in the budget to support a daycare shelter for homeless children.
That's the kind of heart that our legislative leaders should be showing today.
JERRY McLEESE
Winston-Salem
Reynolds Building history
Thanks for your fine articles on North Carolina's best example of Art Deco architecture ("The future of the Reynolds Building, April 29–May 1). Shreve & Lamb Architects were definitely forward-thinking back in the late 1920s. The Reynolds Building was recognized as "Building of the Year" in 1929, the American Institute of Architects' highest honor.
In 1983, Reynolds executives decided to embark on a significant renovation to the first floor to provide security and to tell the history of tobacco and the company. Reynolds retained the Winston-Salem firm Hammill-Walter Associates (precursor of today's Walter Robbs Callahan & Pierce Architects) to take on the renovation of the first floor in keeping with the Art Deco style of the original building. At the suggestion of Reynolds architect Marley Carroll, a collaboration was formed with Croxton Collaborative, a New York architectural firm with North Carolina roots experienced with Art Deco project renovation. Randy Croxton was the principal designer and Larry Robbs was the Winston-Salem project architect.
The collaboration was successful, with an absolutely stunning result.
The general public may not be familiar with this unique gem because public access ended when new security was put in place following the renovation. The project was recognized with a national Honor Award by the American Institute of Architects at its 1984 national convention. Since 1929, only 11 projects in the state have been given this distinction. Winston-Salem has the rare honor of having two of these awards, and they both belong to the Reynolds Building.
LLOYD G. WALTER JR.
FELLOW, AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS EMERITUS
My, my, no endorsements, no Amendment Ones, whatever shall we do? Soldier on, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteLTE #1 - Didn't read the column. The President has no connection to the John Edwards case.
LTE #2 - Stupid man, and lucky to be alive. I'm waiting for the gun nuts to tell us how he would have saved the day if he had had a gun. If he had, he would probably be dead now.
Even well trained people screw up in the face of an armed assailant. About 20 years ago, an off duty rookie police officer got caught up in the robbery of a local Food Lion. The guy was waving a gun and threatening to shoot any and all. The cop grabbed a wine bottle and followed the perp outside and swung the bottle at him and the perp shot him dead. Real life is in no way like the movies.
Some years later an off duty fireman tried to interfere in a holdup at an infamous convenience store on Main Street with the same result. In both cases it is fortunate that no innocent bystanders were harmed.
LTE #3 - This one has an easy answer…don't read the stories…I don't. For me, the John Edwards case is just another in a long and continuing series of tragic stories about men (and women) who had it all and threw it away.
LTE #4 - Cal Thomas's columns always contain either made up "facts" or at least one serious logical fallacy.
As to friend McLeese's LTE, we need a daycare center for all homeless, children and adults, wherein they all can receive counseling, training, whatever is necessary to help them live a more productive life.
LTE #5 - Excellent observation from friend Walter. Maybe soon a public tour of the RJR building can be arranged.
Another Art Deco masterpiece, the Durham Life Insurance building in Raleigh, has recently been renovated for government offices. It was built in 1941, based on drawings created in 1925 by Winston-Salem architect Luther Lashmit.
Durham Life Insurance building, late 1940s
Good afternoon folks! Very glad primary election day is finally here. At least we'll be spared the political noise pollution for a couple of months.
ReplyDeleteLTE 1: I also failed to make any connection between the events. NC is an up-for-grabs state, so I would imagine Obama would be making several trips here over the next few months as will Romney. The Edwards trial is irrelevant.
LTE 2: "We should remember that valuables can be replaced, but a life cannot." - this is someone I would trust wholeheartedly with a concealed gun. It can't be emphasized enough that stuff isn't worth getting killed over or killing someone else to defend.
LTE 3: The trial of a former US Senator, VP nominee and Presidential contender involving sex, lies, money, and coverup is going to be front page news. If it's unbearable to read, then I suggest not reading the articles.
LTE 4: Just as the perfect mate one sees in the movies only exists in the minds of the screenwriters, the perfect POTUS one would see in the movies with the perfect plan for balancing the budget also exists only in the minds of the screenwriters. In other words, it's FICTION. We need to deal with reality.
LTE 5: It was a very interesting series. It will be nice to see the building being used again for a high-end hotel or perhaps even some high-end condos.
Thank GOODNESS it's election day! It was hard NOT TO get caught up in many of the LTE's that were completely void of rationality; to me SO MANY of these letters were a virtual lab in the humanity, and IN-humanity, of our microcosmic culture.
ReplyDeleteAin't it the truth.
DeleteThe polls close at 7:30. Results should start coming in shortly thereafter. If you want the stateewide results, just click the link near the top of the page.
ReplyDeleteElection Results