“Obama…an Empty Chair? Or an Empty Lectern?”

Which is the “real Obama”? The “empty chair” with Clint Eastwood? Or the “empty lectern” at the debate with Mitt Romney?

I want to add another perspective to those of John Bean (Sept. 22) and Ron Smith (Sept. 29) in calling for everyone to put aside party loyalties and vote to end “intrusions” by the federal government now directed by Obama.

The American people aren't fools. That’s why Romney has surged ahead in most polls.

Obama runs as corrupt an Administration as ever, with wall-to-wall conflicts of interest, cover-ups of terrorist attacks on U.S. interests at home and overseas, bumbling economic policy that only “works” when

Real ‘mistake’ on county vehicle shop was six years ago!

About 20 years ago, I was North Carolina public relations manager for Centel, then the state’s third largest telephone company, headquartered in Hickory. I was in charge of “company identification,” which included the company logo, vehicle colors, advertising, etc.—and I had a hand in vehicle procurement, specification of colors, application of decals and the like.

In that role, I also had an up-close-and-personal experience with the economics of a centralized vehicle maintenance shop. We had over 1,400 employees and more than 500 vehicles scattered across 43

Republicans take care of business, behead 'King Ben'...for now

Neither Dodge nor Ford nor Chevrolet could have engineered a more dramatic shift of power in Caldwell County than that produced by Republicans in their May 8 primary election for county commissioner. Political power moved like an earthquake, but the GOP will maintain its same 5-0 hold on the commission.

Republicans elected two new commissioners—retired Lenoir Fire Chief Randy Church and Sawmills hunting-and-fishing shop owner Jeff Branch. That election effectively breaks the stranglehold that real estate developers Ben Griffin, who was voted out, and Clay Bollinger, who was reelected, have had on county policy the last four years.

Look for ‘Dark Side’ of our leaders

Jim Davidson, the News-Topic’s April 10 columnist, regaled readers with a scholarly timeline titled, “Our nation’s third president,” about many legendary achievements of Thomas Jefferson and how we shouldn’t be “doomed to repeat our mistakes.”

“There is little question that Thomas Jefferson was one of the most brilliant and capable men to ever serve in our nation’s highest office,” the bold type screams. True, all true—but truly deceptive.

I’m not a scholar, but I am a voracious reader, and I’ve read many biographies by acknowledged scholars who wrote directly from original letters and other documents. I’ve read 8-10 biographies of Jefferson, 5-6 of George Washington and more of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton, et al.

King Ben’s ‘Promises Kept?’…Really?

The campaign for Caldwell County commissioner is all about Republicans this year; with no Democrats running, the real decision will be made in the May 8 primary.

First, I salute all candidates who offer themselves for such public service. It’s a thankless, all-consuming job and most sane people, frankly, wouldn’t have it. Ask Rob Bratcher, who’s been a commissioner more than three years and, understandably, wants out.

That said, there are two Republicans I cannot support for reelection—current chairman Ben Griffin, or King Ben I, as I’ve called him before, and his sidekick, Clay Bollinger. King Ben has personally ruled over board decisions since 2008, allowing only the matters he’s already approved behind the scenes on the public agenda.

It's time to end local tyranny

There’s a lot of talk the last few years about “The Founding Fathers” and what they intended for their new nation 235 years ago. It’s a fact they fought tooth-and-nail over just about everything in the early republic, calling each other vile names in public and publishing libelous pamphlets about their opponents’ birth history or illegitimate children.

Alexander Hamilton (on the $10 bill), the first secretary of the treasury, was even killed in a duel with Aaron Burr, a long-time political enemy.

But when real threats were made to the nation, they always came together to protect their joint “project.” Despite their many disagreements, “the” one issue that always united them was their fear of tyranny—the possibility that another King George III might somehow emerge from among them.

Caldwell County should have kept Happy Valley aquifer

August 9, 2011

I have publicly supported the fiscal policies of the current Caldwell County Board of Commissioners, compared to those of the previous board (prior to 2009). But Monday, August 1, was a dark day for Caldwell County as current commissioners voted to sell—or practically give away—396 acres in Happy Valley sitting atop a 1.2-million-gallons-per-day proven aquifer of pristine drinking water.

Thanks to these commissioners, not only will the county not have use of the aquifer, if it’s ever needed, but over $1 million in taxpayers’ money previously spent on the Happy Valley site is now, officially, wasted.

Will Legislature do what voters wouldn't?

May 26, 2011

Will the Republican-controlled General Assembly of North Carolina end up doing something that about one-third of the voters in three 10th Congressional District primary elections couldn’t do? Will his fellow Republicans in North Carolina be the ones to finally rid Caldwell, Burke, Mitchell and Avery counties of representation in the U.S. Congress by Patrick McHenry?

Where's common sense in blaming AZ shooting on 'discourse'?

January 18, 2011

Since January 8th, I’ve been watching the talking heads and reading the wisdom of the political pundits, along with every straight news story about the events that day at a Tucson, AZ, grocery store, trying to make sense of why Jared Loughner apparently planned and carried out the shootings that killed six people and wounded 13 more.

Josey editorial does little to advance “proper direction”

August 16, 2010


Mr. Josey’s Friday the 13th editorial certainly explains why he interfaces with his “Republican friends” online rather than in person. Face to face, if he comes on the same way as he does in print, I don’t imagine he really has many “friends” in the GOP.

“Taking back America”? Not with 14%…

May 5, 2010


All this loud bluster by Tea Party folks and everybody else about “taking back America” is just a bunch of baloney as long as we can get only 14% of the electorate to the polls to vote in important primary elections.

The other 86% ought to be ashamed that they felt an election wasn’t important enough to take 15 minutes of their time.

What’s Wrong with the Health Care System?

July 30, 2009


I sat in the dermatologist’s office the other day waiting for 56 minutes to get to a treatment room, where I waited another 25 minutes. The next day, I waited over 1½ hours to see my internist. So I’ve had lots of time to think about what’s wrong with the health care system.

McHenry hired gun misses the mark

November 16, 2009


Patrick McHenry has his hired guns out early, as Carlton Huffman—“it is never easy to criticize a fellow Republican”—took a Friday the 13th shot at me, three months before the primary filing period. Huffman signs his letters “Granite Falls,” but he’s been a Washington, DC, political hack for years and has forgotten his Caldwell County values.

Response to William Lenoir PTA ‘statistics’

June 29, 2010

This is to respond to Maleah Haas and Celeste Brantolino of the William Lenoir Middle School PTA (June 26):

My old Scoutmaster would have read your letter and huffed, “Figures lie and liars figure.” I won’t go that far.

First, you accuse me of arguing that “senior adults…are not interested in…quality…education…” I didn’t say that at all. I said that “few” older citizens who DON’T have child

H1N1 vaccine farce good example of government health care

December 15, 2009


If you save back issues of the News-Topic, please go back and reread the article at the top of page 7A from Sunday, Dec. 13 (“Gripes about swine flu vaccine abound”). If you need further proof that any kind of large-scale healthcare system managed by the federal government would be a disaster waiting to happen, then I’m sure you haven’t been paying attention during the debate this year.

National church policy divides Lutherans on scripture, homosexuals in ministry

February 10, 2010

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly voted on Aug. 19, 2009, in Minneapolis to allow non-celibate gays and lesbians in “publicly accountable,” same-sex relationships to have unrestricted access to the pulpits of ELCA churches.

Thomas Jefferson had a novel idea about government

February 21, 2010

Occasionally, even an old journalism major comes across a new word. It’s “usufruct,” a legal term dating back to the Romans that jumped out from one of Thomas Jefferson’s letters to his neighbor and political confidant, James Madison.

McHenry Spending Habits 'Not Conservative'...

April  29, 2009

How is it that a man who advertises himself as “conservative” can look so “liberal” in his own spending? It’s well-documented that 10th District Rep. Patrick McHenry has issued emails, newspaper columns and phone calls recently to convince everyday constituents to help him with some $265,500 in campaign debt.

There's a "Silver Lining" in Current Economic Mess...

March 24, 2009

Remember when your mother used to tell you that “every cloud has a silver lining”?

If you’re conservative, too, the “cloud” hanging over us is that we don’t run things any more—while big-spending liberals do. Democrats in charge of Congress, along with their smiling lets-go-make-fun-of-Special-Olympics-on-Jay-Leno President Obama, have spent trillions in just two months. Congress is being stampeded by its liberal leaders into passing the biggest spending bills in history—too big even to read before voting—and most of the money won’t have the effect they want.

Wouldn't McCain Be More Effective Without McHenry?

September 30, 2008

This letter is for Rep. Patrick McHenry and his gunslingers who attack me in print whenever I point out his partisan sniping and bickering with fellow members of Congress, along with his consistent, obstructive “no” votes on heavily bipartisan bills. It’s why he’s so ineffective on behalf of the economically challenged middle class of the 10th District.