Chatlist Chatters

Board of Education needs to work on open dialogue
[Dec. 20, 2006] The following are the messages Norman Clark sent to me after I discovered Friday he and the superintendent were on the workshop agenda for the commissioners on 18 December. Please note the first message from the County Manager in which he asked the superintendent and the chair of the school board to meet with the commissioners in the 18 December work session to discuss matters the chair had already opened dialogue about the Jack Bennett Road high school site and to set a joint meeting between the two elected boards. By Gerald Totten

Tardiness in the fast lane
[Dec. 12, 2006] My child is just finishing up college and did not attend schools in NC, but by hosting a high school senior, foreign exchange student from Italy, I have become witness to a very dangerous phenomon while driving him to Northwood in the morning. By Donna Bianco

Real hunters respect the law and conservation
[Nov. 27, 2006] Please do not confuse the white trash that has been trespassing on your property for real hunters who respect the law and the conservation of nature around us. All it takes is one bad seed to ruin it for the rest of us. Hunters as a whole are a honest lot whose only wish is to continue the traditions that have been passed down to us from previous generations so that we can one day pass those same values on to our own children. By Jason Strickland

Stay young at heart by staying involved with young people
[Nov. 21, 2006] I do the "play-by-play" for varsity and Junior varsity football. Attendance has gotten better as Northwood has become a championship caliber team going past the 2nd round for the first time in school history. But Harrington is correct. The lack of support is pathetic. By Jimmy Pharr

During the holidays we should participate in random acts of kindness
[Nov. 20, 2006] I haven’t been online much lately due to a number of factors. A few weeks back I was yapping with a friend about cars in the shop and managed to have a steel crankshaft fall on my left foot. That put me on crutches or a cane for the last few weeks and then my kids came home with the bug. By Mark Stinson

Hunting season and civility
[Nov. 15, 2006] Once again hunting season is here and I find myself in the middle of a war-zone: every day and night, even on Sundays, there is shooting going on close to my home. Just outside my property line there are three deer posts and if somebody happens to shoot toward the house we, my family and animals can get killed. By Siglinda Scarpa

Maybe we can talk things over
[Nov. 8, 2006] When I voted yesterday in Pittsboro, a small white woman asked me to vote yes on the county referendum. She was modest and ingratiating in her demeanor. She spoke in a quiet voice. I'm afraid I brushed her off peremptorily, saying that I did not see how voting yes would be in anyone's interest. She differed, but was too polite or too shy to pursue the matter. By George ("Jake") Horwitz

Gerald Totten for school board
[Nov. 6, 2006] Big day coming up tomorrow. I assume most of you may have made your mind upon most issues but for those of you have not or do not know much about the school board candidates I would like to let you know why I am voting for Gerald Totten for school board. To me, it is the most important vote you have tomorrow. By Greg Solomon

Chatham will lose with district voting
[Nov. 1, 2006] No one questions that the contentious debate over district voting versus countywide voting is causing bitter divisiveness in Chatham County. The question is, is it really necessary? Both sides feel their reasons for either system are sound and worth standing their ground for. However, it is apparent to this citizen that the proponents of district voting are making a decision on a large scale, complex, life changing issue with less than a clear understanding of the implications and consequences of their preferred choice. By Delcenia Turner

An inconvenient legacy -- We can choose to do better on Nov. 7th
[Nov. 1, 2006] An Inconvenient Legacy: It is quite amazing what Morgan Inc, our ruling troika, has wrought over the past four years and which they are even now working to foist upon us. Yet we have choices we can make Nov. 7th. Note what we choose to vote matters. Those who would tell you that your vote doesn't matter will be the first ones to complain about the results. By J. Kenneth Boggs

Judge Anderson for Superior Court
[Nov. 1, 2006] My name is Amon Anderson and I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to work with my father in managing his campaign for Superior Court Judge. This campaign is run by our family and with the integrity and honor Judge Anderson has demonstrated in 10 years of successful service as an elected judge. By Amon Anderson
Also: Judge Anderson

Superior court judge needs to be considerate and fair
[Nov. 1, 2006] The only judicial candidate that I have had interaction with is Chuck Anderson. That is because my older son, who is mildly developmentally disabled, had to appear before Anderson once. On the basis of that interaction, I would have serious, serious reservations about electing this man to any post where he has power and control over people. By Brenda Denzler

The strangers came and tried to teach us their ways
[Nov. 1, 2006] While sitting in my rocking chair on my front porch with my shotgun across my knees and flanked by my two black-and-tans, Duke and Rusty (a little politicization of this pastoral scene) a melody from my mother's ancestor's home was flitting through my memory. By Don Lein

District voting? Tell the truth!
[Nov. 1, 2006] Let's be honest about district voting. The entire issue is stopping the voters of less populous districts from have their choice for commissioner. Why do you pretend otherwise? By Greg W. Stafford