Observer Forum: Letters to the editor 12.25.15

Glad to see Franklin give up on GOP

So, Franklin Graham has resigned from the Republican Party. He has also expressed that he has no hope for the Democratic Party or Tea Party.

Maybe now he can get back to strictly doing God’s work and leave the business of politics to the politicians.

All his public political positions, past and present, validate why separation of church and state is more than just a good idea. It’s the law!

Law grads had good reason to celebrate

The writer is president of the Charlotte School of Law Alumni Association.

Forum writer Keith Sutton’s comments were insulting to the excitement of the graduating class, the hard work of their professors, and the legacy of our law school’s alumni.

Yes, it is true that our graduates and their families are excited about their accomplishments, as well they should be.

The ceremony was not like a “neighborhood pick-up basketball game.” It was a graduation in which I was proud to participate.

What’s with all the debris, Charlotte?

Never have I seen a city so disengaged in keeping its storm drains, curbs and intersections clear of debris. Major intersections I travel each day have had the same large debris piles for more than a year.

And, since when is it OK for every landscaper from Queens Road and all points outward to blow leaves and grass clippings into the street, only to have them land in curbs and in drains?

The city should map out priority zones where major thoroughfares and intersections are checked weekly or monthly.

Much of the disconnect is the result of state- vs city-maintained roads, where a seemingly different protocol is in place.

This needs to be corrected and a more proactive plan put in place as soon as possible.

Let’s work together to end death penalty

The writer is on the board of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.

Why do we keep on killing people who kill people to show that killing people is wrong?

Like Texans, I know that North Carolinians like getting rid of failed government programs.

This whole execution thing costs too much, kills people of color disproportionately, runs the risk of killing the innocent, is not applied fairly, is against our core religious and moral beliefs, and is just flat-out nasty.

In 2016, let’s join forces and fix government. Let’s abolish the death penalty.

N.C. must protect frozen embryos

I would like the government of North Carolina to create a law that would declare frozen embryos are human beings that can’t be destroyed if their parents get divorced.

This is something that both liberals and conservatives should be able to agree on.

If you think frozen embryos should have some basic human rights, contact your state legislators.

Monuments teach us about our mistakes

So we have become ISIS, removing all objectionable monuments from our past because they are now offensive.

I’d rather see us add a memorial to slavery if it serves to engage and encourage all Americans to study and understand our collective history.

We as a people only grow when we understand the mistakes of our past and the struggles many have made to overcome injustice.

There is nobility in the struggles mankind has made to make the world better. It is folly to forget.

This story was originally published December 24, 2015 at 11:34 AM with the headline "Observer Forum: Letters to the editor 12.25.15."