Political name calling is disgusting

The Democrats’ shrill denunciations of Trump as Hitler and their woke media spewing the same are disgusting. Shameless. Scurrilous. Have they no self-respect?

— Ted Blanton,
Salisbury

Help for Helene heroes

If you are experiencing intrusive thoughts, depression, anxiety, nightmares, flashbacks, etc. related to the destruction from the hurricane, please know that EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) can help immensely! EMDR is evidence-based treatment for trauma that enables individuals to heal themselves. When trauma occurs, the experience can be too overwhelming for the individual to process at the time. The experience can get “stuck” in the nervous system and continue to affect the individual as if they were reliving the experience. With EMDR, by stimulating both hemispheres of the brain, individuals are able to fully process the trauma. Only by doing this, can individuals begin to rebuild their lives and find peace after a traumatic event.

Please go to www.emdria.org to find out more information about this process. There are therapists willing to assist individuals in recovering from Hurricane Helene on a pro bono basis. Assistance can be provided in person and through telehealth, as well as individually or in group. Additional information can be found on www.WalkforHeroes.org, which includes free resources as well as personal testimonies. The additional meditation/hypnosis recordings, under resources, can be accessed with password WalkforHeroesAudio. These recordings have been made free so that everyone can find some comfort in these difficult times. If able, please donate to the Walk for Heroes so that our efforts to support our heroes can continue. My contact information is located on our website. We are here for you!

— Patti Lyerly,
Salisbury

Lyerly is a licensed clinical social worker.

Vote against this amendment

Early voting has begun and Election Day is almost upon us. At the bottom of your ballot, you may be surprised to see a For or Against vote for a Constitutional Amendment to our North Carolina Constitution. This amendment provides that only a citizen of the United States who is 18 years of age and otherwise possessing the qualifications for voting shall be entitled to vote at any election in this state. (Note this does not include federal elections.)

Many friends and family have asked me “isn’t it already illegal for non-citizens to vote? “Indeed it is. Then why do we need this change?

The current wording of the N.C. Constitution states:

“Every person born in the United States and every person who has been naturalized, 18 years of age, and possessing the qualifications set out in the Article, shall be entitled to vote at any election by the people of the State.”

It also states that voters must be N.C. residents and that felons cannot vote until they have their voting rights restored after serving their sentences.

Do you notice anything different in the wording between the current constitution and the proposed amendment? The word “naturalized” is not included in the proposed amendment.

A naturalized citizen is a person who has come to this country legally and gone through the proper channels to obtain citizenship, a process that takes several years. Naturalized citizens are also people born in this country of undocumented immigrants. They are legal United States citizens.

Why would we want to take voting rights away from any legal citizens?

This amendment seems to have been put in place to further the unfounded fears that non-citizens are voting. It also would serve to deter immigrants who are legal citizens from attempting to vote. The state board of elections investigates claims by officials or observers of noncitizens voting and also has several processes to assure that noncitizens do not register or vote. From 2015 to 2022, there were 8 cases of suspected noncitizens registering or voting illegally found by this commission.

It is a Class I felony to lie about citizenship status in order to vote. Is it likely that anyone who is an undocumented immigrant would take that risk?

Many voters will look at this and think this is a harmless change, but it appears to be one more scheme to sow distrust in our election system in order to challenge election results that favor one party or another and increase division in an already divided political system.

When you go to the polls, I encourage you to:

Vote the entire ballot and to vote “Against” this unnecessary and confusing Constitutional Amendment.

— Diane Labovitz,
Salisbury

Using biblical principles in American politics

The recent My Turn article entitled “Separation of church and state doesn’t mean Christians need to stay out of politics,” states that America was founded on biblical principles that inspire Christian political activism. I certainly agree with the notion that the Bible contains certain biblical principles that guide Christian civic engagement. In fact, I can remember as a child learning that the word B.I.B.L.E means basic instructions before leaving Earth. Bible passages that encourage readers to love their neighbors such as the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:24-37) can be very helpful in today’s world. The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12), and prophetic demands for justice (Micah 6:6-8) also contain helpful ethical ideas for us to live by. While these ethical ideas do not give Christians an exclusive claim to morality, such biblical principles can motivate Christians to make positive contributions toward a more just society.

At the same time, there are other passages that contain troubling biblical principles. Biblical authors command slaves to obey their masters (Ephesians 6:4-9), women not to hold leadership roles (1Timothy 2:11-12), and God’s people to commit genocide (Deuteronomy 7:16). Such biblical principles have been controversial and destructive ideas for American history and politics. What should Christians do with these biblical principles today? How should we decide when the Bible is describing the ways that ancient people chose to live versus prescribing how we should live today? Responding to these questions depends on the values of Bible readers. Christians show up on different sides of political debates when trying to discern which biblical principles should and should not shape American society. The ways that Christian’s make use of the Bible in politics demand responsible deliberation and dialogue.

— Rev. Thomas Grinter,
Salisbury

Swamp

I have stated this twice before and I must say it again, that I believe Donald J. Trump will fulfill his original campaign promise of “Draining the Swamp,” by taking all of his supporters down with him this November.

— Steven Arey,
Salisbury