One wall topples, but another goes up
When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, I watched with tears of joy on my face. Freedom won! Now I write with a broken heart because my country is building a wall.
This wall is supposed to keep terrorists out. But I see it as an excuse to keep Mexicans out. Latinos who only want to provide for their families back home are denied opportunity to make a decent wage. And for the most part, they are doing work that most Americans refuse too. If this wall is to protect America, why not wrap the whole country from Canada, to the ocean states and down to Mexico? Don’t forget Alaska and Hawaii.
We can never prove that we are keeping terrorists out, but we can keep the Mexicans out. I am now afraid of what might become of our country someday. Will we start deporting the legal Latinos just to be on the safe side? Maybe we will put them in camps out in the desert?
President Reagan once said about the Berlin Wall, “Tear this wall down.” Now I say to America, “Tear this wall down!”
ó Victor Jenrette
Spencer
Article captured drama of the gameI just read Mike London’s Jan. 10 article on the Salisbury-Ledford basketball game in the online edition of the Post. I am the father of Ledford player Sam Hopkins.
I may be a little bit biased, but I would like to congratulate Mike on what I consider to be a great article. It is a true pleasure to read an article about a basketball game by a true sportswriter. All we get in our local papers are a couple of sentences in a game summary. You told the story of the game, and that is a good part of what is missing in today’s newspapers.
Please note that I am a dedicated, lifelong newspaper reader, and I subscribe to both the Greensboro News-Record and the High Point Enterprise. I sincerely wish you would come to work for one of the two. Please!
As for the “unorthodox” shot, please note that Sam was five of six from behind the arc in the game at Salisbury last year and was team high in points. (Unfortunately for Ledford, the Salisbury center scored about 30 points by himself!) Sam has always been a “shooter” since he started playing organized basketball at age 5. He played AAU basketball for several seasons and was coached by Greg McKenzie, who is now the coach at East Rowan. Greg told him “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and Sam continues to shoot the ball the same way today. As your article stated, “His 3-pointer swished” ó which certainly proves it ain’t broke!
Thanks again for a very enjoyable, well written piece, and keep up the good work.
ó Larry Hopkins
High Point
Job-search process full of frustrationsIs there anyone really hiring in Rowan County? I see all these ads for jobs, but all I ever hear when I turn in an application is, “Thank you. We’ll be in touch.” I’m still waiting to hear from somebody.
I’m pretty sure that I am not the only one. Why is it so hard to land a job around here just because you were laid off by Freightliner? Oh, never mind the whole story about them calling back workers when business picks up. What about those of us who can’t afford to rely on a future call back? I have been trying for months to find any kind of job and have managed to come up with very little in the job market.
I found one part-time job that barely gives me 10 or 20 hours a week. And don’t even get me started on all of the places that I have applied to only to hear nothing and then see the same ad for employment in the paper just a couple of weeks later. I don’t understand why anyone would be overlooked if the applicant had the qualifications and skills to do the job in question.
Why would employers overlook hardworking people just because they worked for Freightliner? If you think it is because we will ask for too much money, that is not the case. Many of us are just looking for jobs to support our families, and that is hard to do when companies won’t hire you because of where you used to work.
All I am asking is for employers to start looking at the applications instead of using them to line your file cabinets.
ó Bobby Burton
Salisbury
Zoo experience leads to skepticismI’m writing in response to Michael Basinger’s Jan. 10 letter (“Saving the tigers”):
I’m sorry Mr. Basinger finds many people in Rowan County lacking in intelligence. I have to disagree with his opinion, after having lived here 46 years. My opinion is that concern for public safety is never ignorant nor lacking in intelligence.
Many people that have voiced concerns over the proposed tiger facility are also animal lovers, as am I (I have horses, cats and dogs, some being rescue animals themselves). My concern is for the safety of the residents of Rowan County and folks like me that have outdoor animals that could make a very good meal if one of these animals escaped.
Having spoken to folks that have a good understanding of what Lea Jaunakais wishes to do, it does appear that she has the education, experience and funding to make a good go of it. However, you can’t much blame the residents here for being leery after the issues that plagued the Charlotte Metro Zoo for many of its years here.
Good intentions are not always enough, as evidenced by the numerous citations issued by the USDA for the Charlotte Metro Zoo covering issues regarding unsafe enclosures, animals escaping, being bred and sold locally, filthy enclosures, lack of paperwork, etc.
ó Shawn Swink
Cleveland