Opinion (206)
COLUMN: Homeschoolers: Guilty until proven innocent?
Written by Kerry McDonald
My 8-year-old daughter and I recently read about the Salem Witch Trials. She had heard about Salem from a friend who visited the nearby town during its popular Halloween festivities, and she was curious about the witches. We went to the library to get some books on the topic of how 20 innocent people were put to death for “witchcraft” in 1692, with scores more accused and jailed.
COLUMN: The real emergency isn't about the wall; it's about the separation of powers
Written by Thomas L. Knapp
U.S. President Donald Trump recently declared a "national emergency" under which he intends to divert money from the U.S. Department of Defense's budget and use it to build a wall on the US-Mexico border.
No biggie, Trump said as he announced the "emergency." Happens all the time (59 other times since 1976, to be exact). Purely routine.
COLUMN: Election fraud up close and personal
Written by Thomas Mills
After months of news reports, we finally got a good look at the people in Bladen County involved in the election fraud in the 9th Congressional District. Most seemed unwitting participants in the scheme but they also indicated an effort to cover up their activities led by McCrae Dowless. So far, it’s been a fascinating look at a ploy to rig an election and testimony gave clear evidence that what they did was illegal. I had a bunch of thoughts as I watched the proceedings via twitter.
EDITORIAL: Keep Richmond County clean
Written by The Richmond Observer
Thirteen tons.
It’s not an early version of the classic Tennessee Ernie Ford tune, but how much roadside garbage has been collected in Richmond County over the past two months.
Is it the job of government to make you happy? While it may seem like a straightforward question, there are some important subtleties packed into those few words.
COLUMN: North Carolina needs independent agency to administer elections
Written by Brian Irving
Letting Democrats and Republicans draw electoral districts, effectively selecting their constituents, erodes confidence in our elections. Why then do we place them solely in charge of running our elections as well?
COLUMN: Educational 'progress' is regressing knowledge of basic skills
Written by Joe Weaver
I was talking to my younger daughter on the telephone the other day and she was telling me how she was addressing envelopes for letters and thank you cards.
A lot of people have sent her things since she moved to Alabama and she is just now getting around to formally thanking everyone. She has thanked most everyone on social media or by text message, but she felt that a handwritten thank you would be more appropriate for some folks.
GUEST EDITORIAL: State misfires on safety and takes aim at gunowners
Written by Wilson Times
Under the guise of preventing mass shootings, North Carolina lawmakers tried to chip away at the Second Amendment this week.
COLUMN: Universal background checks are back
Written by Jose Alberto Nino
While everyone was chatting about the 2018-2019 United States government shutdown, House Democrats introduced a universal background check bill H.R. 8 on Jan. 8, 2019.
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The traditional depiction of Lady Justice is a woman wearing a blindfold to demonstrate impartiality. In her right hand she wields a sword (symbolizing swift punishment for the guilty). Her left arm holds aloft a scale to weigh the opposing sides' cases — publicly, for all to see.
There’s an old maxim in American politics, usually attributed to former U.S. Senator and Nixon administration cabinet secretary Daniel Patrick Moynihan, that “Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not to their own facts.” Would that Moynihan were still alive today so that he could direct a reminder of this simple truth toward North Carolina Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger.
If the most important factor determining the welfare of workers is the growth rate of the economy, that has policy implications that free-market conservatives, among others, will welcome.
LETTER: Small-town nostalgia
Written by Letter to the Editor Contributor
To the editor:
In 1966, my family moved to Hamlet, North Carolina. My father was the terminal superintendent there with the Seaboard Airline Railroad. We came from Savannah, Georgia, and had no idea what to expect.
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