Define Creep
Dear Editor,
So Hillary Clinton hangs out with Harvey Weinstein and Anthony Weiner but thinks that Donald Trump is a creep because he walked behind her on a debate stage? Well, what can you expect from a woman who’s married to the most famous sexual abuser creep in recent history?
Austin Morris
United in Disrespect
Dear Editor,
I was born in October 1941. In December 1941, my father joined the Marine Corps. He was at Guadalcanal, Saipan, Okinawa and some other god-awful places.
I did not know him until 1945. He was a quiet, serious, unhappy man for the rest of his life and died young.
He, like hundreds of thousands of other men and women, gave their lives in service of this country and what it stood for.
In today’s fishwrap, the headline reads, “United They Stand,” and you can see who is not standing. A similar headline and article appears in USA Today. This country, with all its freedoms that remain, allowed these bores an opportunity to play a game for a living, and make lots of money while they are doing it. It doesn’t matter what the president says, our anthem is a chance to show our respect and admiration of all those who gave of themselves so that we might retain our freedoms, and to the greatest country that has yet to appear on this planet.
I was in sales. If I expressed my political views, I would have lost perhaps half of my customers. Expressing my religious views would further alienate my customers. I would have been a failure.
So these things that disrespect our country can play their games by themselves. I am not watching, or attending, any more NFL games. So the advertisers will have wasted their money on me. Furthermore, I plan to watch a Panthers game and make notes of the national and local sponsors. I have the time to let them know that I will do my best to avoid buying whatever they got.
So if you are fed up with this crud, let your advertisers know. This is the real way to get to them.
E.R. Harris
People Kill People
Dear Editor,
No truer words were ever spoken than this email I just received: “If a mad man wants to kill innocent people he will find a way. Killers don’t need guns to kill people. Timothy McVeigh used fertilizer; 9/11 terrorists used box cutters and planes. The Nazis used cyanide gas. Taking guns from innocent people will not protect innocent people. The problem is not guns. It is a godless society.”
Wake up, you city dwellers. Would you feel comfortable living in the woods surrounded by wild animals and the above without guns? It is time to quit forcing your personal opinions from your personal experiences upon others and really take a walk in the shoes that others have walked in.
Ray Hylton
Hurting Animals
Dear Editor,
I felt compelled to write after reading the article about the Watch page on Facebook.
I would first like to point out the fact that Shawn Henegar is not an “animal welfare advocate.”
Shawn would like all of her followers to believe that the long-time volunteers put our heads in the sand, or worse, backed up the United Animal Coalition when they were running the shelter. The truth is that we knew there was a problem; we also knew there was an investigation going on. Ms. Henegar, by her actions at the time, did nothing but alert the shelter administration that there was an investigation, thereby giving them a “heads up” so they had the time to wipe out records. The rest of us continued doing what we always did, what our passion leads us to do: socialize and exercise the animals, help customers and get these animals a home.
As for the Animal Advisory Board, which the Watch page has nothing but disdain for, they were instrumental in getting the new neuter/spay initiative passed. They have worked long and hard on many issues at the shelter and have presented them to the county commissioners. They deserve applause, not criticism. These people have jobs, rescues and volunteer. The Watch administration sits in their air-conditioned homes and hit the keyboard.
As for Ms. Henegar being “ a cheerleader” for former shelter Director Logan Rustan and and Drew Brinkley. Just, wow! She and Logan had their issues, and the Watch page dragged Drew through the mud every chance it got. They even initiated a “hate mail” campaign against several of the employees during Drew’s administration. Go back and read some of the older posts, if you would like to verify this. This gives you a bit of insight in to what type of character you are actually dealing with here. “Got the County’s Goat”? I think not. Most of the people that truly advocate for the animals in this community view the Watch page as inconsequential, at best. We would find it quite laughable, if it was not hurting the animals so much, by making the public not want to visit the shelter to adopt, volunteer or foster.
Nancy Mykins
Endorsement Gripes
Dear Editor,
There were no surprises, but I came away with a number of questions after reading Rhino’s endorsements.
First, why does Rhino generally endorse City Council candidates with the most money?
Second, why does Rhino generally support candidates who have the most to gain from downtown development projects?
Third, why am I called “radical” when (1) truly radical steps are being taken by Trudy Wade and the General Assembly to take away home rule and sovereignty from Greensboro? And (2) my stand on protection of residential neighborhoods in District 4 is clearly more conservative than that of my opponent, Nancy Hoffmann?
But my main complaint regards the reference to my age. At what age does Mr. Hammer think that a person should stop caring about justice or democracy? I exercised my constitutional right of protest (I did no shouting) in the name of transparency and accountability, two values that Rhino often professes to uphold. We cannot allow our elected representatives to deny the public access to information that is lawfully ours, or to do their work behind closed doors. I will stand up against that kind of secrecy and despotism as long as I live.
Gary Kenton
Editor’s Note: Gary Kenton is a District 4 City Council candidate.
Half Pleased
Dear Editor,
Congratulations to the Rhino for printing the information about John Brown that he has been “slippery” with the facts about a host of things regarding himself and the actions of City Council. Good reporting. I just wish the Rhino would use the same standard when writing about Donald Trump, a person I consider even more “slippery” than Mr. Brown.
James Bennett
Candidate Speaks
Dear Editor,
Well, it looks like John did nothing but clown me because I did not ask for money. The founding fathers wanted a government free of corruption and power based politics where the rich decide who runs the government. The sad part that is what we have today, no money, no win and that shifts the power from voter to donor, unlike others I want to be free of lets make a deal because I have no price is right. I will not run again for Greensboro City Council, tired of dealing with trying to get people to vote, 20% of this town votes and 80% just like complaining. I am tired of it all, I will lose the election and that is not lost on me but there is no need for the Rhino to kick me down, you never invited me to speak with you. I still like you John Hammer and enjoy your early days of writing when you were more free to express your viewpoint. I just hope before you trash people on a large scale that you remember what would Jesus do, I need to remember that myself. The endorsements I don’t care about, its the knocking down of others, just endorse who you want and leave it at that, don’t hurt people you don’t have to, are you perfect, if so then go ahead and write. All I got from you is kicks when all I wanted to do is make Greensboro better, but the few voters will and have decided that. And for the record I was at early voting every day, some came and left but the dedicated came every day, that’s Marikay’s husband, Bakie and his people and John Brown and his people, that’s who I saw every day and for hours.
Sal Leone
Editor’s Note: Sal Leone was a candidate in the District 5 City Council primary. His letter is being run unedited.
Columbus Not So Bad
Dear Editor,
It’s Columbus Day, when we celebrate the arrival of Europeans in America, bringing Christianity and civilization to disparate primitive groups of nomadic hunter-gatherers who lived in tents and lived hand to mouth. The transformation of North America into the wealthy free superpower it is today is, incredibly, denigrated by liberals who spit on European-American achievement precisely because it is European-American, or white. That tells us something about them, doesn’t it? If you inform them that the country that abolished the slave trade was Great Britain, they squirm. Telling them that white men were horrified by the practice of slavery they discovered in Africa, but that they ultimately chose to take advantage of it only produces incredulity and outrage.
A member of Parliament from Yorkshire made it his life’s work to mitigate the horrendous African custom and brought about a successful vote in the House of Commons to abolish the slave trade, which Britain then accomplished. But they couldn’t abolish slavery itself, in America or Africa. America at least had the decency to finally abolish the iniquitous institution, at great cost to itself. Africa never did. Nor did most of the Eastern Hemisphere in whose pockets it still exists.
Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why non-white non-Christian people struggle all over the world to reach white Christian societies. Who can blame them?
Christopher Rees
Conspiracy Alert
Dear Editor,
I’ve been wondering for a while why nobody has looked into the Imran Awan/Debbie Wasserman Schultz connection to the hacking of the DNCs servers. After all, he and his family had access to not only her accounts while she was chairperson of the DNC but also access to many individual Democrat representatives and senators’ accounts. Suddenly, Julian Assange is stepping up offering to exchange the name of his sources for a pardon. Up until now, he has defiantly refused to offer up names. Now that it appears an investigation into the Awan/DWS connections is starting he’s willing to spill the beans.
Could it be that he sees his possible ticket out is about to be invalidated? In addition, there is the fact that the DNC refused to allow the FBI to look at their servers for possible hacking, wanting a private company they can control to be the one to “investigate.” Add to all this how Shultz is beside herself trying to get back a laptop that is currently being held by Capitol police. I can’t help but wonder if maybe it has gone down like this …
Awan and family weaseled their way into the DNC thru Schultz, began siphoning off data, discovered the mother lode of political dirt, began blackmailing the DNC thru Schultz, then got greedy and sold what they had to Assange. The DNC, realizing the truth was going to come out, began planting the idea of Russian hacking in an attempt to deflect what was happening and cause problems for the incoming Trump administration. It all seems too coincidental that this guy was working for the DNC at the same time the Russians were supposedly hacking the DNC. Now the feds are investigating him and are starting to look at the relationship he had with Schultz and the level of access he had to the DNC when suddenly Assange does a 180 and now wants to tell who gave him his information.
This whole thing should scare the living daylights out of the average American. We’re talking about foreign operatives manipulating very high-level governmental leaders and nobody on that level is taking it seriously. They pay the whole thing lip service without taking any substantive action. Action that’s painfully obvious to anybody capable of independent thought.
Maybe that’s the problem. There aren’t enough of us that think independently.
Go Galt and save the republic.
Alan Marshall
Lord of All
Dear Editor,
Psalms 22, 23, 24. We group these three messianic psalms together since they form a trinity in unity. Reading them without a break, we have a three-fold view of Christ as savior; the cross, the crook and the crown are combined. What the Lord has done, is doing and will yet do are the three glimpses we gather of his work. Again, taken together, these psalms present a progressive experience. We first of all come to know Christ as the savior (Psalm 22). Our eyes are open to see him hanging on a tree for our sins. Receiving him, we come to know him as the shepherd able to meet our every need (Psalms 23). Yielding to his fuller claims we crown him as lord over all, knowing that if he is not lord of all, he is not lord at all.
Rev. Ernest Scoggin
DACA Family Values
Dear Editor,
There are 800,000 DACA recipients who live in this country; and earlier this month, the president rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program leaving it to Congress to address the matter by April or all these children and young adults stand to be deported.
It is vital that Congress craft a bill giving DACA recipients without serious criminal records permanent legal status and a path to citizenship, thus allowing them to remain here.
They came to the US through no choice of their own, but they have made a life here and America is the only country they’ve ever known. Deporting them from their country and in the process separating families is inhumane and certainly doesn’t promote family values.
Those concerned need appeal to their senators and representatives to have the heart to care and uphold a country where we open our doors to the “huddled masses.” DACA recipients are striving for a better life and in so doing, strengthen the very foundation that makes the United States, the special country it is for all those who have found its shores.
Bob Kollar
Simplify Taxes
Dear Editor,
Now that the conservatives that run the federal government have “taken care” of Obamacare, the government debt and aid to Puerto Rico, they want tax reform.
I have no problem with three tax rates for citizens. There should be a 20 percent income tax on billionaires, a 15 percent tax on millionaires, and a 10 percent tax for everyone else. But you have to get rid of all deductions and exemptions. If you don’t like three different tax rates we could have one 10 percent tax rate for all citizens.
I’m not sure what the corporate tax rate should be, but the government should get rid of all corporate tax breaks, credits, deferments, subsidies, write-offs and loopholes. The feds also need to cut spending and borrowing, otherwise the government debt will continue to grow.
Chuck Mann
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