New commissioners vote like old ones

It’s discouraging to vote for Republicans who appear to be moderate and progressive only to have them become, after the election, almost indistinguishable from the far right-wing they replaced. I have learned one thing from politics. Ignore what folks say and watch what they do.

Greg Edds summed it up. “The fact is one day a Jewish Commissioner will sit in this seat,” Edds said. “Regardless of what cynics say, I will rise and respectfully honor and support my Jewish commissioner as they offer up their Jewish prayers.” If you want your religion’s beliefs established in Rowan, you have to elect a commissioner of your faith.

The message is clear. Christians are in the majority in the county. The commission and taxpayers and visitors of different faiths must be reminded of this at every meeting. There will be no chance for other religions to take a turn, no moment of silence for folks to pray to the deity of their choice. Other religions “need not apply.”

Commissioners have effectively established Christianity as the official county religion. The prayers offered reflect their religious beliefs — as if they were elected to tell us how, and to whom, to pray.

A similar suit involving Forsyth County resulted in a $300,000.00 ACLU legal fee award. Evidently, there is no agreement with any religious group to pay this if we lose, though Edds is going to seek some out. This, after the Sides commission said this suit would cost taxpayers nothing. How irresponsible not to establish this commitment before we went down this path.

Here’s the rub. Barring the arrival of a good Samaritan to cover a loss, taxpayers of all faiths, and non-believers as well, will pay for five individuals to impose their religious beliefs on the rest of us. That’s not fair, not fair at all.

— Todd Paris

Salisbury

Another way

While our county’s neighbors continue to enjoy good growth, most recently with a few hundred jobs at Amazon in Cabarrus and 340 at Ashley Furniture and DEX in Davie, Rowan commissioners are still charging at windmills put in place by their predecessors.

Our commissioners voted Monday to put OUR tax dollars at risk. In the Joyner v. Forsyth County case, Forsyth ended up responsible for $248,000 in lawyer’s fees owed to the ACLU. No one has offered to pay those fees for us. Why didn’t we end this foolhardy venture and invest in our schools instead? How many teachers’ assistants or early intervention tutors could Dr. Moody put back in our schools with, say, $248,000 when (not if) we lose this appeal?

I am a Christian. I don’t pretend to be able to see the world through the eyes of someone who hasn’t ever been. Hypothetically, let’s say a Muslim is elected and performs a traditional prayer to Allah for the invocation. They pull out a prayer rug and go through their 7-8 minute prayer ritual. Would seem a bit out of place for a government official, while acting in their official capacity to do all of that, wouldn’t it? Wouldn’t you, as a bystander in this meeting, feel out of place? I believe most folks would.

That is exactly why our commissioners should not be offering a sectarian invocation. Why not either honor God with a non-sectarian prayer, or just offer up a moment of silence in which you silently offer a personal prayer instead?

I’m disappointed. I hoped we were over the petty stuff, and had moved on the REAL issues of education and economic growth, but we seem to have taken the business of scaring off development back up instead.

Can we get back on track, please?

— Roy Bentley

Salisbury

Why offend others?

I strongly agree with Richard Brisbin (“Don’t spend our tax money on prayer lawsuit,” Thursday letters) that I do not wish my tax dollars or the county commissioners with private pay to appeal the prayer decision.

Why not just have a few moments of silence to let each person reflect and/or pray their choice. Why would you want to offend persons of another faith? And I am  Christian.  To each his own.

— Pat Bullard

China Grove

Poor reflection

I am writing this to express my profound disappointment in the recent vote by the county commission to appeal the issue surrounding the invocation at the meetings.

It is fairly plain that what is trying to be achieved by the request is to produce an environment in which the many religious practices feel equally honored and respected in the rituals of county commission meetings.

It speaks very poorly of the commission and is a poor reflection on the county as a whole. We have provided a picture of a place of closed-minded intolerance. I wonder how attractive that will be to new business in this day and age.

Bad form all around.

— Kent Smith

Spencer

They are government

In response to Mr. Leroy Earnhardt’s letter about the First Amendment (May 27, “The rest of the amendment”), I agree that the “government should keep its nose out of religion.” The problem is that the county commissioners are the government, meeting in a government building to conduct government business. Therefore, when they enter religion into the process, they are in violation of both parts of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

If they feel the need to pray in order to make a decision, then let it be a personal thing done in private, as recommended in the Bible, not grandstanding for political reasons.

— James P. Williams

Salisbury

Top 10 on tobacco

About 10 years ago we started walking the trails at Dan Nicholas Park. Shortly after that we fired up a campaign to ban smoking and tobacco products at the park.

Our first contact was with the park staff and our last was with the county manager (Gary Page) and the park manager. In between, we met with or talked to two county commissioners and three other politicians in Raleigh.

We are still at Square One, unless you count all those ridiculous and confusing signs posted all around the park.

During the last meeting (which lasted about an hour), we challenged Mr. Page and the park manager to come up with just one good reason to allow tobacco in the parks. Then we would come up with 10 to ban it. Well, they couldn’t and didn’t in that hour, and now years later they still haven’t. Gary is gone, but the challenge is still on for the new leaders.

We turned our Top 10 list in that day but will list them here for the thousands of readers (print and online) that weren’t in the meeting.

1. For everyone’s health.

2. The litter it causes.

3. Fire hazard.

4. Leaving a cup of tobacco juice sitting out for a child to pick up.

5. Dropping cigarettes into strollers.

6. Butts flipped into the lake for fish to eat and kill them.

7. Spitting tobacco juice on the ground for the little children to step in.

8. It’s a very big burden on taxpayers to buy butt cans and butt sand and then have to pay someone to keep them up.

9. It (smoking, chewing or dipping tobacco) is a very, very bad influence on children.

10. They stink!

Here’s a new one we added:

11. If it’s not soon stopped, there won’t be any place left to hang signs.

— The Hillbilly Hiking Club

Whitey Harwood, CEO

Rockwell

Smoke elsewhere

I have a business in downtown Salisbury. One of my greatest pet peeves is that people going to a close by restaurant seem to migrate in front of my shop and light up their cigarettes.

I also have seen this in other parts of downtown with other businesses involved. This is very rude, and people that come to town to shop don’t want to be assailed by your stinking cigarette smoke.

If you must smoke, please do it elsewhere other than in front of our downtown businesses. This goes for those that are employed downtown as well. You should know better.

— Robin Hager

Salisbury