Vice President’s words don’t match his actions

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Vice President’s words don’t match his actions

LARRY BRYSON GUEST COLUMNIST

Vice President Mike Pence has stated, “I am a Christian, conservative, and Republican, in that order.” He might want to add politician to his list. I’ll leave it to you to decide its place in the hierarchy.

Jesus, however, reminds us, “By their fruits you shall know them.” When Pence engages in misleading, partisan rhetoric, it is difficult to see Christian principles at work. Generalizations such as, “You won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America,” “President Trump is a truth-teller,” and “President Trump marshalled the full resources of the federal government from the outset of this pandemic,” lack the honesty Pence’s faith calls for.

Further, the Vice President’s lack of environmental sensitivity, his allegiance to the NRA and guns, and his promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act, seem perplexing positions when measured against biblical standards.

The challenge for all of us as Christians is to avoid corrupting our witness by unChristian behavior. A high-profile office like Vice President makes that challenge even more important.

Pence’s alliance with Donald Trump is especially problematic, given that many of the President’s behaviors represent the antithesis of Christian virtues. For example, compulsive lying, demeaning people, the complete absence of humility, bragging about assaulting women, showing no emotional connection to the plight of immigrants, and giving tacit approval to white stolen from the yard of an elderly lady who lives near Howell Mill Road and two town board members in Canton also had their Biden-Harris signs taken from their yards. • Biden-Harris signs placed along roadways are being stolen at an alarming rate.

Some may say the above actions are just simple mischief, but it’s more serious than that. It’s a Class 3 misdemeanor to tamper with, remove or destroy a yard sign and I’m guessing one could also be charged with trespassing to walk onto private property to remove a sign.

In closing, here’s a reminder for the “concerned Republicans of Haywood County:” You are in violation of state election laws requiring you to register your organization with the N.C. State Board of Elections (NCSBE) and file an expenditure report.

I’ve checked the NCSBE website and you’re not listed as a political committee and no expenditure has been submitted for your “law and order” group.

I believe actions speak louder than words, and the above actions reflect the supremacists at Charlottesville. I have written to the Vice President to ask whether he ever witnesses to the President but have yet to receive a response.

Ironically, for all of his silence, Vice President Pence was loud and clear when he told Liberty University graduates in 2019, “You will be asked not just to tolerate things that violate your faith, but to endorse them.”

In Second Corinthians Paul tells us, “Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.” I do not know Trump’s heart, only his actions, but Paul’s main point was the inadvisability of locking yourself into relationships that cause you to compromise your faith.

As an apologist for the president, Mike Pence has willingly assumed a dubious role for a Christian and one which illustrates and fosters the notion of this as the “PostChristian Age.”

Writer Philip Yancey has said, “There are three kinds of Christians that outsiders to the faith respect: artists, pilgrims, and activists. The uncommitted will listen to them far sooner than they will to an evangelist or an apologist.”

Those of us, including Vice President Pence, who profess our faith, should carefully consider St. Francis when he says, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” (Larry Brown lives in Bryson City and is a retired teacher, a musician and songwriter, a moral vegan, and former candidate for state

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representative. larry.brown72643@gmail.com) same lawlessness as the man you support. Perhaps a better heading would be “lawlessness and disorder Trump 2020.” Myrna Campbell

Haywood County Democratic Party Chair

Encouraged by Democratic vandalism

To the Editor:

As a conservative, it is encouraging to see the unprecedented vandalism of campaign signs in the county. Illegal spray painting, taping over, uprooting, and actual stealing of campaign signs for conservative, law and order candidates is occurring more than I have seen in decades of elections.

The despicable opposition doing this is sending a message that they are desperate and do not see their candidates winning in fair competition. It is unfortunate, but encouraging, that those doing the destruction, see that their candidates do not have positive, winning messages. The thieving vandals think the positive messages of those in President F

Trump’s camp can be defeated only by unlawful, destructive actions. They are of the same mentality as those rioting and destroying property in Seattle, Portland, and other cities around this great nation. Ted Carr Bethel

Vote for Jones in 118th District

To the Editor:

As a Waynesville resident, I’m a bystander in the NC House District 118 race, and it’s a shame, because it’s a race I’d like to cast a ballot for. In some ways, the two candidates running share a similar pedigree. Alan Jones and Mark Pless were both raised in Haywood County and both currently reside in Canton. After that, I’d say the similarities end. I wouldn’t chalk this race up to an apocalyptic battle of good versus evil, but I would say that the choice couldn’t be more stark.

The more I come to learn of Alan Jones, the more I find to like. He is a union man, fighting on behalf of the working class. In an era when most of American government bends over backward for corporate power, it is vital to have elected officials who will fight to uplift the working poor. (I use that term deliberately, as many of us are working full-time and are still struggling to support ourselves, let alone build up savings or wealth.) Jones’ platform is centered around boosting the local economy, providing highpaying jobs to local workers. He also believes in boosting our local schools, providing much-need funding, so that we can deliver a high quality of education to our students. He understands that education creates a firm foundation for students as they become adults and join the workforce. The final key issue in his platform is access to healthcare. It goes without saying, but in the time of this pandemic, we know that access to healthcare is an absolute necessity for our community.

In his role as a union representative, Mr. Jones has learned to negotiate between corporate and workers’ interests. He is a person who knows how to compromise, while fighting for the rights of hardworking citizens. That is exactly the sensibility we need in a House representative. Progress does not happen without a healthy dose of negotiation, and Mr. Jones has proven himself to be adept at bridging that divide. He is the candidate we need fighting for us.

What is there to say about Mark Pless? There couldn’t be a more incompetent candidate for leadership. In his role as Haywood County commissioner, he is obstinate, and not in the good way, like firm in his resolve. I mean obstinate, in the not-sogood way, like deliberately pig-headed. Beyond the allegations of domestic assault and sexual harassment that plague his personal life, his performance on the board of commissioners isn’t very savory either. He routinely harasses community members, both at board meetings and on Facebook, often using sexist language and rhetoric to intimidate female constituents.

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It’s not just the public that he can’t seem to develop a working relationship with. His rapport with his co-workers seems fraught at best. Sometimes I get the feeling that the other commissioners simply can’t stand him. Pless doesn’t work well with others, and it’s obvious in the way he routinely casts dissenting votes, even for projects that would obviously benefit the community. Haywood County knows what kind of man he is, though I wonder if Madison and Yancey counties are aware of his shoddy character. Mark Pless can’t even do his current job as county commissioner well. I’d hate to see him flop around and fail District 118 at the state level.

In the House District 118 race, we need to choose the candidate who will fight for our community. We need the candidate who has a heart for working class folks, and who has a clear objective to represent them when they reach the General Assembly. Politics is so often messy and gray, leaving voters unsure whether either candidate would really fight for the people they say they’d serve. Every once in a while though, the choice is black and white. Abby Ahlberg Frog Level

Forney a great choice for school board

To the Editor:

I support the candidacy of Tausha Forney for a position on the Haywood County Board of Education. I retired recently after 15 years as a professor of social studies education. Prior to that I began as a Title One math teacher and then taught a self-contained sixth-grade classroom.

I am a member of the Down Home NC committee which interviewed Ms. Forney. I was impressed with her thoughtful responses to the questions we asked. Her answers were neither reactionary nor impractical. Ms. Forney listed three priorities which led her to see herself to “be a voice for the voiceless:” • Improve and develop communication with the board between parents and the greater community. • Attend to an inclusive curriculum (from earliest grades through high school) which integrates diversity, especially Black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC). • Concentrate on increasing numbers of school personnel of color, especially teachers, recognizing how important it is for children of color to see and relate to professionals who may more closely represent their identities.

In addition, Ms. Forney related other concerns. She stressed the importance of both physical and mental health supports; supporting teachers who stand for equity and fairness; providing meaningful districtwide training for active anti-racism; and advocating strong policies to make bullying for any reason widely unacceptable.

I believe that electing Tausha Forney is an ethical and enlightened response to the times we are in. Her work as co-director and teacher at the Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center further equips her for this position. Her educational background in sociology as well as her passion for service and her own life experience growing up in Haywood County schools magnify her qualifications.

On a personal note, as a former public school teacher, I would have been so grateful knowing that a school board member had my back as I tried to foster academic rigor, critical thinking, democracy, kindness and equality in my classroom. Dr. Russell Binkley Waynesville

Herd immunity would be deadly

To the Editor:

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage throughout the U.S. as people continue to contract the illness, require hospitalization and die. Rates of infection are rampant in many states, predominately those with Republican governors and/or legislatures that are following Trump’s insistence on not taking appropriate steps to curb the spread of infections.

Having totally failed to exercise any leadership in addressing the virus, Trump and his administration simply declared that the problem is over. The policy is to go for herd immunity, a concept that has been denounced as ineffective and dangerous.

What is rarely noted by the media is the fact that COVID-19 is not just a respiratory disease; it is also a blood and blood vessel disease. According to some reports as many as 30 percent of those infected have other medical and/or mental problems after recovering from the respiratory phase. Continuing fatigue and “brain fog” are common complaints. Some of the medical problems are debilitating and persist for months if not forever.

The problem with the herd immunity concept is that it will not only result in the deaths of millions, it will result in continuing conditions among tens of millions of US citizens. Check the numbers.

There are approximately 330 million Americans. Herd immunity would require at least 70 percent, or 231 million, to contract COVID-19. If the death rate drops from the current 3 to 2 percent due to better treatment, the virus will kill more than 4.6 million Americans. Another 99 million will have persistent medical conditions of which some may be permanent. Talk about preexisting conditions.

This is the “plan” that the Trump administration has adopted. The only way to change that is to elect Biden president. Norman Hoffman Waynesville

To answer all of those who would say “I can’t believe you would vote for

Trump.” Well folks listen up! I’m not just voting for him. I’m voting for the Second Amendment. I’m voting for the next Supreme Court justice. I’m voting for the Electoral College, and the republic we live in. I’m voting for the police, and law and order. I’m voting for the military, and the veterans who fought for and died for this country. I’m voting for the flag that is always missing from the Democratic background. I’m voting for the right to speak my opinion and not be censored. I’m voting for secure borders. I’m voting for the right to praise my God without fear. I’m voting for every unborn soul the Democrats want to murder. I’m voting for freedom and the American Dream. I’m voting for good and against evil. I’m not just voting for one person, I’m voting for the future of my country!

What are you voting for?