Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

To the editor:
You appropriately call our letters In the mail…; another area paper calls them The Readers’ Forum and places them on the opinion page. Both have letters filled with opinions; now much emphasis is being put on the upcoming election. Some even tell us how to vote or who to vote for; this has spurred my letter. Opinion is defined, in the New Oxford American Dictionary, as a view or judgement formed not necessarily based on facts or knowledge.
When I go to the polls, I will be relying on my own research rather than endorsements, ads, soundbites, etc. and definitely not on TV and social media to influence my decisions. I will not toe a party line; instead, I will let my conscience and my convictions be my guide regarding candidates and issues like voting no for the ammendment.
One of the biggest elephants in the room will be a contributing factor on who wins at the top of the ticket. Being pro-life, for me, means I wish for agape love and the wellbeing of the once born from the cradle to the grave. In my opinion, this wellbeing includes a quality education, good healthcare, affordable housing, job protection and their constitutional rights. I consider it my patriotic duty to advocate for the above.
What I am against is a proposal in Project 2025, along with numerous other proposals, to raise in my taxes to reduce the taxes of the 1% and big corporations.
Why would proponents of Project 2025 propose to eliminate Head Start? As a former public school teacher who worked with teams teaching to the whole child, the goal was to provide the foundation needed for him or her to reach their full potential- not indoctrinate. The role of family and community in the child’s wellbeing is also emphasized in teaching to the whole child. Agape love for the once born recognizes the need for good child care and preschool preparation for all God’s children. The growing distrust in institutions is troubling.
Why would the proponents of Project 2025 include tampering with health care: blocking the government from negotiating for lower drug prices; eliminating out-of-pocket Medicare drug cost limits for thousands of North Carolinians; plus, pushing millions off Medicare to find other options. Why deregulate some businesses and industries that cause us and the earth harm while eliminating and defunding agencies that protect us?
Who’s behind all this? The first subtitle of the document Burning Down Washington to Save America had a picture of a match on the cover.
Taking Back Washington to Save America became the new subtitle. Paul Dans (who according to Wikipedia, was fired on July 25) led the Project for the Heritage Foundation’s mission to reshape the federal government as part of the 2025 presidential transition. Kevin Roberts, president of the Foundation, has a friend on the November ballot who echoed Robert’s words: “It’s time to circle the wagons and load the muskets” when he wrote the Foreword to Project 2025. What rhetoric.
Is it too late to save our Democratic Republic? Anyone who has read Tim Synder’s little book “On Tyranny” has already seen how close we’ve come, by looking back at other countries and other times in history, such as trust in an authoritarian personality; destruction of institutions announced in advance; symbols of hate and divisive tactics; believing in lies, disinformation and propaganda instead of facts and truth. Synder also said to be calm when the unthinkable comes and don’t fall for political opportunities.
When On Tyranny was published in 2017, who could have fathomed one of Synder’s 20 lessons would add to the havoc of the devastation already in our N.C. mountains? It’s Lesson #6: Be wary of paramilitaries – men with guns who are against the system. Today (Oct. 14) CNN reported FEMA paused work over the weekend at several mountain locations due to reports National Guard Troops had seen armed militia, no doubt influenced by misinformation threatening their workers. This was confirmed and a suspect was arrested.
Who would have thought our polarization would have brought us to this point. I’ve seen it in many places but one of the places I least expected it was on one of my favorite radio stations ever. One would expect a Christian Broadcast Network to be politically neutral.However, I began to notice it was broadcasting lies in what was supposed to be news. Finding SRN News is owned by Salem media Group with over 2,000 affiliates showed me it’s influence. Add that to other television and social media platforms and see the impact on the election.
Looking at the 100 some coalition partners, including one which has made the news for banning books, one would assume they agree with all policy agenda and the 180 Day Playbook and Roadmap. The question becomes what will happen to our once born as they age and find the security blankets and safety nets we are accustomed to, are not available. Will there be enough charities and benevolent individuals to alleviate the suffering caused by the cuts and slashes in the transition plan?
God bless America! God save America! God help America! Across our land, Left and Right and Red and Blue pray, “ Thy kingdom come… Thy will be done…”
After the election, please give us the serenity, the courage and the wisdom to do what we can to help heal our nation.
Alice Garrett Brown
Mocksville