Observer Forum: Letters to the editor 04.19.16

Eric Frazier can hug Cannon; I won’t

Forgiving Patrick Cannon should not be based on some New Testament version of graciousness but on how the vilified mayor illustrates his rehabilitation. Hug all you want, Mr. Frazier. But, as you pointed out, you are embracing somebody whose wanton, bold deception is recorded. Actions speak louder than words.

Cannon’s remorse came too late

Patrick Cannon sealed his fate when he was videotaped stretching out his hand to accept a bribe. Of course he is sorry and asking everyone for forgiveness. He could have just shook the man’s hand and said “No bribes will be accepted in this mayor’s office.” The only reason he is sorry is he got caught.

On HB2, not all Christians think alike

Seeing the term “Christian vote” in the headlines makes me cringe. I am a Christian who is active in a mainstream church. Like many Christians, I oppose HB2 because I believe doing God’s will requires love and compassion for all. I can vote in the Republican primary but, based on their obsession with intolerance instead of issues such as the budget, none of the Republican congressional candidates wants my vote.

McCrory didn’t help himself on ‘MTP’

Once again Pat McCrory has embarrassed himself before the nation. During the governor’s appearance on Meet The Press Sunday, he smiled broadly as he dodged every question without giving a straight answer. McCrory repeated the same stale line about bathroom privacy over and over again without explaining how HB2 would protect anybody from anything. Old Pat just keeps on digging himself into a deeper hole and pulling North Carolina down with him.

Springsteen didn’t keep his word

Bruce Springsteen’s decision to cancel a concert in North Carolina for political reasons was more than just disappointing to longtime fans like myself. It was arrogant and rude.

Springsteen knows full well that fans make expensive travel plans and complicated vacation plans from their jobs to attend shows all over the country. He benefits quite well from this devotion. Yet he canceled his N.C. appearance just two days prior to the show date, leaving thousands of us in difficult situations. I found out just as I was boarding a flight for North Carolina from California.

Springsteen said “some things are bigger than a rock show.” Yes, some things are. Like a man’s word – and the contract he implies with devoted fans when he takes their money and says he will appear in a certain city on a certain date.

They may be rules but they’re not right

Your editorial acknowledges a problem exists but marginalizes its importance. Your argument that both political parties’ rules are undemocratic neither justifies nor legitimizes their rules. In fact, the rules work against a fair, democratic process by allowing politicians to take away the voice of the people as expressed in primary elections. Conventions still convened for that purpose are an anachronism and unjust.

Washburn leveraged word optimization

As a vice president in middle management with Coke Consolidated in the ’70s and early ’80s, I saw the beginnings of this corporate blah-blah double-speak. Mark Washburn hit the nail square on its head. LOL.

Signs to protect deer, so why not raptors?

Editor’s Note: The writer is age 10.

Raptors such as vultures, eagles, and hawks are common and you can see them flying in the sky often. This makes it seem like they cannot be killed by cars and trucks. This is wrong. Many are killed or injured by cars while feeding on roadkill.

People post signs warning of deer on roads because people hit them a lot. If we provide warnings about an animal like deer, why not raptors, an important species? This would decrease raptor injuries and deaths a great deal.

This story was originally published April 18, 2016 at 6:26 PM with the headline "Observer Forum: Letters to the editor 04.19.16."