Happy weekend, folks!
Thank you to Wordly for posting the LTE's.
Coming out from the post office on North Point Blvd this AM, I fell in behind a Chevrolet Cruze that sported a personalized plate that reads STINKY B. One must admire the self-confidence of the car's owner.
"Hurting farmworkers"
ReplyDeleteMuch has been made of the Senate and now the House farm bill's effects on farms and growers, but we have not seen enough discussion of the blow new policies will have on those directly responsible for harvesting our crops: farmworkers themselves.
Over a decade, the House farm bill would cut $16 billion worth of food-stamps programs (namely SNAP) for low-income Americans. This is four times the amount of cuts incorporated in last month's Senate bill. The cuts will deprive low-income Americans of nearly 1 billion meals in 2014.
With one hand, then, farm policy — as with the emergency drought plan — seeks to ensure produce and livestock sustainability; and with the other it takes food security away from those farmworkers responsible for our own.
Already, five out of 10 farmworkers here in North Carolina suffer from food insecurity. Farm work is one of the lowest-paying occupations in the U.S., with the average yearly salary being $11,000, and farmworkers do not receive overtime and are exempt from minimum-wage laws.
As is, at least 10 percent of SNAP participants are Latino — Latinos make up the majority of the farmworker population — and will now be at risk for hunger.
As Cesar Chavez once said: "It is ironic that those ... that fill your tables with abundance have nothing left for themselves." It is equally ironic that with the farm bill, we plan to perpetuate this lack.
SHAOLI CHAUDHURI
STUDENT ACTION WITH FARMWORKERS FELLOW
Mount Airy/Dobson
"Orrin's pull"
I never met Chevara Orrin, but I wanted to ("Chevara's wild ride with Winston-Salem," August 5). Reading her columns, I could feel her passion. She and I had a connection and due to my own procrastination, I never got around to telling her about it.
She grew up in the same city that I did, Memphis, Tenn. Over the last few years after I'd read a column she had written, I thought about contacting her, but never did. We could have shared a great conversation, I'm sure.
Even though we are probably years apart in age and backgrounds, when she wrote about her family in Memphis, I felt the pull of home.
Jacksonville is lucky to get her and we are poorer for her loss.
LINDA R. HILL
Winston-Salem
"Gun violence in America"
DeleteThe recent tragedy in Aurora, Colo., contains lessons we should take to heart.
The accused killer, who is almost certainly insane, purchased his assault weapons, thousands of rounds of ammunition and bomb-making material legally on the Internet. Our state legislature has, in its infinite wisdom, seen fit to permit guns (including assault weapons) in parks in our state and county and there are movements afoot to expand the "right to carry" to restaurants and even bars. We should all take a moment to ponder the very clear possibility that the Aurora suspect could have been in one of our local parks on a Sunday afternoon when families were picnicking and relaxing and killed many innocents here in Forsyth County.
An NRA advocate was quoted after the Aurora shooting as saying that had there been armed citizens in the movie theater, there might have been fewer casualties; that the armed citizens would have "taken down" the shooter before he could do as much damage. I speculate that had armed citizens begun firing in a dark movie theater, a gunfight would have ensued with nobody being able to discern the "good guys" from the "bad guys" and there would have been more casualties.
The next time you meet one of our legislators who voted in favor of guns in our parks, ask him or her why they haven't been legalized in government buildings. Could it be that they are afraid, despite their assertions that guns make us all safer?
KENNETH R. OSTBERG
Winston-Salem
"Hilarious"
In reply to the letters "Deal out 'Doonesbury' " (Aug. 4) and "Move 'Doonesbury' " (Aug. 6), meaning move the strip to the editorial pages, in these writers' opinion this should be done because the strip is respectively "simply Democratic propaganda" and "always political commentary."
First of all, not only does "Doonesbury" have political content, but "Non Sequitur" and "Funky Winkerbean" are just as guilty.
"Pearls Before Swine" frequently has political satire sprinkled liberally into its animal cruelty strip, "Beetle Bailey" constantly puts down the U.S. Army, "Zits" is an egregious insult to young adults and the future of our country, and "Lio" features really awful family values.
So, third of all, I think the editors should honor my opinions and relegate all these comic strips to the editorial pages as well. I'm sure the above letter writers will agree it would be a fair return for these moves if the editors also would relegate columnists John Hood, Kathleen Parker and Cal Thomas to the comic-strip pages because their columns are always hilarious.
To clear up any confusion, it should be noted that I am also non-affiliated ... with the GOP.
PAUL LUNDRIGAN
Lexington
"Out of touch"
DeleteMaya Angelou is entitled to her opinion of law-enforcement officers, and we have a right to our opinion of her ("Angelou at town hall with Martin's family" July 26). I suggest she make a trip to Washington, D.C., and visit the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and get a better understanding of the sacrifices made by law enforcement.
When law-enforcement officers get an assignment from the communication center, they don't ask if it is for a Trayvon or Trayvette or a Mark or Marla, they respond to do their job without hesitation, be they red, yellow, black or white.
As I understand it, George Zimmerman was not in law enforcement but in a community watch program. He deserves a fair trial in a court of law, not in a town-hall meeting.
I hope Ms. Angelou will read this poem:
A wise old owl lived in an oak,
the more he saw, the less he spoke;
the less he spoke, the more he heard;
Why can't she be like that wise old bird?
BILLY BAKER
CAPTAIN, N.C. HIGHWAY PATROL (RET.)
Winston-Salem
"Finish the Thought"
Briefly complete the sentence below and send it to us at letters@wsjournal.com. We'll print some of the results in a few days. Only signed entries, please — no anonymous ones.
"The 2012 voting process will be smooth and fair if ..."
LTE #1: I realize that in the microcosmic world of SELF the reader of this letter will formulate in their microcosmic mind that Latino farm-worker = illegal immigrant; this assumption is FAR from fact. Much like Cesar Chavez, many migrant farm-workers are AMERICANS of Hispanic (not JUST Mexican) ancestry. I was once a migrant farm-worker.
ReplyDeleteMany instead CHOOSE to believe the "illegal voter" agenda.
It's a mighty hard row that my poor hands have hoed
DeleteMy poor feet have traveled a hot dusty road
Out of your Dust Bowl and Westward we rolled
And your deserts were hot and your mountains were cold
I worked in your orchards of peaches and prunes
I slept on the ground in the light of the moon
On the edge of the city you'll see us and then
We come with the dust and we go with the wind
California, Arizona, I harvest your crops
Well its North up to Oregon to gather your hops
Dig the beets from your ground, cut the grapes from your vine
To set on your table your light sparkling wine
Green pastures of plenty from dry desert ground
From the Grand Coulee Dam where the waters run down
Every state in the Union us migrants have been
We'll work in this fight and we'll fight till we win
It's always we rambled, that river and I
All along your green valley, I will work till I die
My land I'll defend with my life if it be
Cause my pastures of plenty must always be free.
Pastures of Plenty
Woody Guthrie
FACTS FOR BIGOTS
DeleteThe latest estimate of the number of illegal aliens residing in the US is about 11.5 million. Since about 72% of illegal aliens are of Latin descent, that means that there are about 8.3 million illegal aliens of Latin descent.
There is a total of about 55 million residents of Latin origin in the US. So if you meet a person of Latin origin, six out of seven times they will be legal citizens of the US.
"Coming out from the post office on North Point Blvd this AM, I fell in behind a Chevrolet Cruze that sported a personalized plate that reads STINKY B. One must admire the self-confidence of the car's owner". Or his car is a rolling confessional?
ReplyDeleteThat was Dunce's car.
DeleteHah!
Delete"The 2012 voting process will be smooth and fair if ..." hell freezes over.
ReplyDeleteThe 2012 voting process will be smooth and fair if....The dead are still allowed to vote where they are needed, if they are needed.
ReplyDeletewhitewall: I just know you were being sarcastic.
DeleteRight?
:=D
Of course.....How is full time work suiting you?
DeleteI don't know, WW. You might be onto something.
DeleteI was visiting my mother's grave the other day. There was a guy with a clipboard going from grave to grave writing stuff down. He was wearing a Romney button.
"Genealogy?" I asked.
"Voter registration," he replied.
Many in my family will appreciate the genealogy reference including Mrs WW. Many avid players. On the R side, we try not to encourage the dead as they have a hygiene challenge and no sense of fashion.
DeleteThanks for asking about the job, ww. I was working part-time evenings for so long, and using daytime for job hunting full-time work, that I now have to get used to working full-time days and relaxing evenings. I've doubled down on the relaxing part, though. O.T.: L-u-v the voter registration at the graveyard reference!!!
DeleteThe graveyard voter registrar joke would be more appropriate to a Chicago or Philly pol of the D persuasion.
DeleteActually, the Philly machine was GOP led.
DeleteThe PA Republican Party has done it's best to live up to its heritage of dirty tricks with the recent voter ID law. The state house party leader bragged about how it would help Romney in November...as you know, I'm sure.
I agree, Stab.
DeleteI agree, Arthur.
DeleteNeither the voter ID law nor the Philly Dem machine ghost voting are right. If you criticize one, criticize the other. On the bright side, perhaps the 2 wrongs cancel each other.
DeleteAs I said, the Philadelphia machine was led by the Republican Party for most of the 20th century; it's a very interesting history actually. Good gravy Mike...you so love the false equivalency argument.
DeleteIf you have solid proof of systemic voter fraud today, I'll certainly condemn it -- but I haven't seen any such proof yet. Voter ID is just a ploy.
I agree, Arthur. This has been my argument all along. The voter ID issue, linked to the illegal immigration power struggle, has been a hard one to shake but NO ONE YET has been able to prove that the miniscule votes cast improperly or mistakenly is a local, state, or nationwide attempt at shaking up or defrauding our voting system as we know it to benefit ANY political faction.
DeleteEquivalencies seem to be frequently declared false when it is suggested that saintly Dems and their patrons are less than saintly. IIRC, Philly has has been run by Dems for decades, also. Chicago has been in Dem/union/Mafia hands for decades. Elsewhere, there ballot shenanigans in MN that gave us the awful Al Franken. Yah, we sure forgot about that ballot box in the car trunk until the recount, you betcha.
DeleteHey, I made a mistake. On closer examination, it turns out that the guy who was doing graveyard registration was wearing a button that said "Romney for President...of the Cayman Islands".
DeleteThe only serious instance of dead people voting in US history occurred not in Philly or Chicago, but in Madison County, NC (1950 pop 20,000) on the Tennessee border. Madison had been ruled by the GOP since the Civil War. In the late 1940s, Democrats began registering dead people. The Republicans didn't like it, but saw the advantage, so dead Republicans began registering as well.
In the elections of 1950 and 1952, the dead folks may have outvoted the living. Finally, things got so bad that the State Board of Elections sent the SBI on a mountain vacation to investigate.
Somebody told me that the new rules up there are that if you've been dead for over 100 years, you cannot register. And that there must be equality...if one dead Democrat registers, then one dead Republican also gets to register. That's fair, isn't it?
All this fuss over voter fraud is just that, bullshit attempts by one party to gain an advantage over the other. Is "voter ID" new? Hardly. It has always been around and always aimed at disenfranchising the poor and ethnic minorities. But it pales by comparison with some of the other stunts pulled by Democrats, Republicans, Whigs, Know Nothings, Dixiecrats and others throughout US history.
You can read all about it here, in an 18 page condensation of a full length book Campbell, Tracy (2005). Deliver the Vote: A History of Election Fraud, an American Political Tradition--
1742-2004. New York: Carroll & Graf. Condensation by James Allison,May 5, 2006.
Fascinating stuff.
Excellent paper.
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ReplyDeleteCapt. Baker:
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, thank you for your service to the State of North Carolina.
A lot of people, including at least one LTE, forum, participant, do not have a clue about the concept of 'self-defense'. And quite frankly, they don't really give a damn about it in respect to the Zimmerman case. All they want to do is whip up a racial turmoil, and political sentiment against guns.
Do you know what these people are called? Liberals. They are some of the most devious people on earth. They will lie, cheat, and spit on your mother's grave to get what they want.
Sadly, Maya Angelou is a member of that group by her recent comments.
I'm glad to see at least one person that knows what they are talking about speak out about the Zimmerman case. Let's let the courts do their job, and see what they say about Zimmerman's self-defense claim, and not allow a bunch of liberal 'hood'ligans to take over the responsibility of conducting the 'trial'.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMr. Ostberg:
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy it when people start chatting away, running their mouths, and helping me prove some of my life-long points that I try to make to people. That is, you can be smart enough to go to wonderful colleges, like Columbia University, like you did. And still make boneheaded statements, and comments. Don't feel bad, AG Holder went to the same school, and he does the same thing everyday.
In your analogy-you compared public parks to government buildings in respect to allowing people to possess guns in those areas. Did you ever think of one thing when you were thinking up that stupid comparison? There you go. That's right, government buildings have courts in them. And accused murderers, terrorists, and other violent criminals have to into those buildings when they are caught and arrested, along with their friends. And....judges sometimes put those people in jail for a long, long time. And they don't like it. And when people don't like something, they do violent things to judges.
Oh, and by the way, enjoy your 'walk-in-the-park' this afternoon, hope you don't 'need' a..... uh, gun to protect yourself from one of those violent 'criminals'.
Pathetic
Obama's favorability rating is down to 43%.
ReplyDeleteRomney picks Rep Paul Ryan for VP. Romney is going to have to get it going, or he's toast, along with America's economy and future.
Anyone care to take a shot at translating the second paragraph above into something approaching English?
ReplyDeleteReads like one of Caniac's tortured rants.
Did you rewrite that sentence you wrote improperly like I told you to? No. So don't come in here, with your head up your Democrat, barking off critical remarks.
DeleteAnybody got a light? I think my cigarette is going out.
DeleteI wonder where Arthur is today? I need some fresh, liberal meat.
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ReplyDeleteEmployee's lawsuit accuses Napolitano’s DHS of humiliating men, favoring women
ReplyDeleteFoxNews Headline
___________
Some of these BD like women get their jollies off humiliating men when they get in positions of power. The pure bred BDs are the worst (The ones with hairy legs, and butch haircuts).
It's a known fact, at least to most sane people, that have worked a day or two in their lives
A remembrance on the 150th anniversary of one of the deadliest anti-immigrant riots in American history, the Bloody Monday Massacre of August 6, 1855 was held in Louisville Kentucky on Saturday, August 6th, 2005. The instigators of the massacre were the Know Nothings, a Nativist political party who were fearful of losing control of the Louisville City Council. They were driven by an anti-immigrant vitriolic press to attack and slaughter as many as 150 German and Irish immigrants who lived in the poorest sections of Louisville.
ReplyDeleteand as far as politics and the media, one of the more interesting and powerful figures in US history is Thurlow Weed
ReplyDeleteAnd Chicago? politics there started out fraudulent:
ReplyDelete1860 First GOP convention that nominated a winning presidential candidate.
William H. Seward of New York (Thurlow Weed's candidate) was the Republican front-runner as the convention began in Chicago. Abraham Lincoln had other ideas, but few outside of Illinois gave him a chance. Republicans built a convention center called the Wigwam, which could hold 10,000 people at a time when Chicago had 100,000 residents. There were no primaries, so the convention would pick the candidate. Seward failed to win on the first ballot, and the intrigue began. Lincoln's supporters printed fake tickets and stuffed the Wigwam with their supporters. They also kept Seward's supporters isolated from other delegations. Momentum shifted after the first ballot. On the third ballot, Lincoln won.
There have been 14 Republican and 11 Democratic nominating conventions in Chicago, more than any other town by far, Baltimore is second with 10..
Political Conventions hmm, cool website
ReplyDelete