Chief Justice Newby sure offered some tortured logic on NC voting maps

Judge Newby

North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby seems confused. In a tortured example of odd legal logic, he dissented against a common-sense ruling to send voting district maps back to the N.C. General Assembly for a re-draw. He complained that the ruling “violates separation of powers” and “lacked judicial restraint.”

Wait. What?

First off, the ruling clearly upheld separation of powers. The court (judicial branch) tasked the legislative branch (NCGA) with making fair maps — plain and simple and separate.

Based on the Jan. 13, 2021 photo showing Newby having some fist-bumping fun with one of his Republican pals in the General Assembly, he hardly qualifies as a legitimate voice on the matter of “judicial restraint.”

Terry Taylor-Allen, Charlotte

A questionable hire

Regarding “New Charlotte equity leader oversaw Ohio agency with massive unemployment fraud, audit says,” (Feb. 6):

With the tremendous numbers of well qualified candidates available to fill this position, the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance placed itself and our citizens in a most compromised position in the hiring of Kimberly Henderson as executive director of the Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative.

She formerly headed Ohio’s Job and Family Services Department, which is now under scrutiny by the Ohio attorney general for its handling of massive fraud in its unemployment program. Enough said.

Frank Harrington, Charlotte

Dems too passive

Maybe a criminal indictment or two or three will quiet Donald Trump’s sails. Maybe Democrats are trying to take the high road above the outrages of Republican rhetoric. But, somebody, besides Bernie Sanders, needs to get mad and speak forcefully. Do Democrats believe that a clear-cut case against Trump and associates for Jan. 6 will make a difference?

At least some Democrats must get mad, call out the madness, and show they care about this genuine threat to our democracy. The Democrat bully pulpit is sadly empty.

Sam Roberson, Fort Mill

UNC mission

To accomplish its mission, UNC requires freedom of inquiry and an atmosphere of open, respectful dialogue, even when that includes unpopular views and uncomfortable questions.

Today, our legislatures are not the greatest threat to academic freedom, rather we see students and faculties denouncing or “cancelling” speakers who present viewpoints that are out of step with “progressive” tenets.

To test this premise, I suggest that UNC Chapel Hill invite Dr. Charles Murray to speak about his book, “Facing Reality: Two Truths About Race in America.” We can learn how serious the UNC-CH community is about protecting the expression of views and questions that many of them may find unpopular and uncomfortable. We can learn where lies the heaviest hand of political interference with freedom of inquiry in Chapel Hill.

Ed Stone, Charlotte

Rep. Dan Bishop

U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop has done it again, impinging on the safety of Americans by joining Sen. Ted Cruz in opposing vaccine passports for in-person voting. Bishop claims it is a voting restriction, while it is really the opposite. Who wants to vote in a line of potentially unvaccinated voters? People who are unvaccinated can vote by mail, so their vote is not prevented. With current Republican thinking, we would never have conquered smallpox.

Larry Bennett, Matthews

A painful metaphor

As read the Feb. 6 Forum letter “Man bites dog?” I was shocked to see the sentence “More blood was shed with those ‘safety razors’ than in the Grenada war.”

My childhood friend, Jeb Seagle was killed in that war. He and 18 other American troops died during the U.S. invasion of Grenada on Oct. 25, 1983.

Jeb grew up in Lincolnton. As a Marine captain, he was posthumously decorated with the Navy Cross. Reading the Forum letter brought back pain and sadness of a terrific young man gone much too soon. When using metaphors like this one, more thought should be used when trying to make a humorous comment. There is nothing funny about war.

Kathy M. Bumgardner, Denver