Justice Bob Edmunds abides by the rule of law

We four former chief justices of the Supreme Court of North Carolina, two Democrats and two Republicans, are writing to express our support for the re-election of Senior Associate Justice Robert H. “Bob” Edmunds in November.

We know from experience the importance of each member of the court. We have seen Justice Edmunds’ work. He has demonstrated in his years on the court that he is an independent justice who understands and abides by the rule of law. His opinions are legally sound.

Moreover, the work of the court is highly collaborative. The justices constantly consult as they reach their results and draft their opinions. Justice Edmunds has shown that he is a respected, hard-working and reliable member of the court team.

Justice Edmunds’ contributions to the legal profession have received national recognition. In August, he was named chair-elect of the Appellate Judges Conference, a national organization of over 1,100 state and federal judges and practitioners. He is active in bar and other civic organizations.

In sum, Justice Edmunds has proven himself to be an invaluable public servant. We hope others will join us in voting for Justice Robert H. “Bob” Edmunds for re-election.

—Rhoda Billings, Jim Exum,
Burley Mitchell and Beverly Lake

Former chief justices,
N.C. Supreme Court

Known vs. unknown

Well, the election is almost here, and some people are still trying to decide for whom to vote. I agree we could have two better choices, but Clinton or Trump will be the president of the United States.

What we have here is the Known and the Unknown.

We know what Clinton has done (space does not permit me to iterate all of her past actions) and will probably do in the future — continue Obama’s agenda.

Trump, with no political experience, is the unknown, and we only can hope his actions will be better than what we have now. I shudder to think if they are any worse. They say that a new broom sweeps clean, so maybe we should give him a chance.

If you had to decide between being thrown into a man-eating lion’s cage or into a cage with an unknown animal, which would you choose? You could be pretty sure of the outcome in a lion’s cage, but you would have some modicum of hope with the unknown animal. I would choose the unknown.

Clinton has two groups of supporters — those who do not care what she has done politically, or otherwise, in the past, and the ones with their heads stuck in the sand.

On the other hand, Trump supporters are of one accord — they want America returned to its prior greatness. This means in the economy, the prowess of the military and the opportunity for everyone to succeed. If this makes me a “deplorable,” then I plead guilty.

Do you want the government to continue trying to control your life in all aspects? If so, vote for Clinton. If you want stronger involvement by the people, vote for Trump. It’s your choice. It’s your vote. Use it wisely!

— Billie H. Bean

Woodleaf

McCrory not to blame

If you have seen Roy Cooper’s campaign ads for N.C. governor, he seems to be insinuating that the state’s problems are linked to our Republican governor, Pat McCrory. Cooper states that when he became state attorney general in 2001, he had to straighten out a huge backlog of criminal cases. I don’t think that he can pin that on McCrory.

Let’s do the math. The attorney general’s office has been held by Democrats since 1975, when Rufus Edmisten became attorney general. Democrats were governor from 1993 to 2013. Pat McCrory has been governor for less than four years.

We have had 40+ years of Democrat attorney-general control and 20 years of Democrat governor control. I vote that we give Pat McCrory four more years to try to straighten out the mess the Democrats have left us in.

— Danny Benfield

China Grove

How about a write-in?

Since there is no choice among the presidential candidates to vote for in good conscience, I am going to write in Michael Bloomberg’s name. He did think of running, and I’m sure if he stayed in he would have been elected. He is a former New York mayor.

Please vote for what is right, not for what you want, as our lawmakers and lobbyists have done.

— DeLores McAllister

Salisbury

Moving to Sweden

One more thing about Trump and Clinton putting themselves out there — we see what evil and greed are all about.

These two people are the devils of what the world is becoming.

Trump: I am your daddy?

Clinton: I am your grandmom?

We are going to take care of you?

No. We are going to take care of ourselves and show you how.

If either of these two people get in, I am moving to Sweden, where I can get medicine for five crushed nerves without being put out or half-killed by U.S. doctors and insurance.

— Joyce Orphanoudakis

Salisbury

Do something, Congress

Trump has his fraudulent Trump University, his outrageous accusations and divisive doom-and-gloom rhetoric, plus the sexual assault charges brought against him. Clinton has her lies and same old promises that will never be kept, the email mess that won’t go away, the Benghazi mess, plus the prospect of Bill even near the White House.

I would say these two are evenly matched.

My question is: Why are these miscreants running for president of the United States? How could this happen and why isn’t Congress being held accountable as well as the Democrat and Republican parties? It’s a nightmare that’s become all too real.

— Herb Stark

Mooresville

Not another Clinton

I loved Ty Cobb’s letter (“Once upon a time, when secret meant secret,” Oct. 8). My husband is a retired military man. We do not need another Clinton in office. How about Condoleezza Rice? This is such a mess. Hillary is such a liar and people believe her. How about the truth?

— Catherine A. Sommers

Kannapolis