The genesis of evolutionary debate
Editor:
I am writing in response to Dr. Howie Neufeld's letter to the Watauga Democrat editor dated November 13.  
His letter is a gold mine for anyone wanting to understand how evolutionists often handle competing ideas, especially in the public square.  
Dr. Neufeld makes repeated ad hominem attacks on Robert Gentry and anyone supporting his young earth creationism position.  
He then makes bold, sweeping claims about his own position expecting everyone to take his word for it.  Look at one example.  
Dr. Neufeld says "no young earth creationist has ever had a scientific paper published in a reputable scientific journal.  Zero. None. Nada."
Repeating something makes it more believable? A simple Google search will provide the curious reader with counterexamples, thus proving his statement false.  
Or I'll be "risky"and take myself as a counterexample.
I hold to a young earth creationist position, have published in reputable scientific journals, and have an earned PhD in computer science.  
My publications are not about creationism, but the idea that Dr. Neufeld really wants you to believe is that anyone holding a position skeptical of evolution, especially young earth creationists, is intellectually inferior to those on his side.  
Dr. Neufeld's claims are nothing more than the same old, same old regarding young earth creationism.  
One final thought.  Dr. Neufeld wonders who is sponsoring Robert Gentry's talk.  
I don't know, but I do know who sponsored the Darwin Bicentennial Celebration at ASU which did not include any speakers with a skeptical view of Darwin.  
You, good taxpayer.
Dr. James T. Wilkes
Professor of Computer Science
Appalachian State University


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Editor:
I know several very good reasons why Appalachian State biology professor Howie Neufeld attempted to persuade ASU students and others not to come to my Friday meeting on Young Earth Creationism (letter in the Nov. 13-15 edition of the Watauga Democrat).
Let's start with the fact that his and other students probably don't as yet comprehend the fundamental flaws in the various evolutionary theories of biology, geology and cosmology, and how they differ from scientific theories based on laboratory results, such as thermodynamics, electromagnetic theory, optics, nuclear physics, and mechanics.
The latter have all had their fundamental assumptions thoroughly tested in the laboratory.
In contrast one of evolution's best-kept secrets is that because evolution deals with the past, there is no direct way to prove that its central assumptions are actually correct.
Students are not informed of this vast uncertainty; so the latter are led to believe they have the truth about evolution of life, the earth, and the cosmos, all while being ignorant of the fact that they have based their conclusions on imaginary assumptions which neither they nor any scientists have ever verified.   
The theory of an evolving earth over billions of years is an example.
The whole idea that the earth is billions of years old is critically hinged on the central assumption that radioactive decay processes - such as the decay of uranium to its final daughter product lead - has always remained constant and equal to the presently measured values.
This assumption is incapable of proof, but geologists accept it as if it's a law of nature, thus allowing them to apparently construct a mythical history of an anciently evolving earth and to spread far and wide the fantasy of different very long-age epochs of earth history wherein various species are evolving.
It all sounds so scientific and apparently believable until you realize that it's all based on an unproven assumption about radioactive decay rates always being constant.
Indeed, without this apparent certified prop from physics there would be no evolutionary theory because there would be no long ages. But is this prop true? Or is it false? If it's the latter we definitely have been led astray about the history of the cosmos, the earth, and ourselves.
What we now have evolution being accepted because many observations can be fitted in the model.
Here is the great fallacy because it's well known that for centuries a very large number astronomical observations were fitted into Ptolemy's spurious theory of an earth centered planetary motion.
This debacle taught a lesson that has been forgotten by evolutionists - the ability of a theory to account for reams of data means nothing until its central assumption is verified. That never happened for evolution.
Let's look at all this from the standpoint of the Bible, the Genesis record of creation, and science.
The Bible describes the Creator as one who earnestly desires we all come to know him because he is a God of truth, and that he wants all of us, his created beings, to know the truth about ourselves and where we came from.
On that basis it's just logical that God, seeing the end from the beginning, might decide to leave something in the earth at creation itself to affirm that he is responsible for earth's creation and ours.
What might it be?  In Psalm 33:6 and 9 speaks of God calling the earth and the cosmos into existence by the breath of his mouth. That's instant creation.
So if God wanted to affirm his Genesis record of creation while at the same time disproving all of evolutionary biology and geology, all he needed to do was to leave scientific evidence of earth's rapid creation – evidence that could not be duplicated or counterfeited.  
This would prove that the assumption of uniform radioactive decay was wrong and that what geologists thought took billions of years God accomplished in a bare moment of time.  
In God's providence I have discovered that evidence and have published it in the world's premier scientific journals.  
This has given evolutionists the world over opportunity to publish a refutation of this evidence in the same journals that I published by results in.
Yet more than three decades have passed and no one has published a refutation, or even validated how this evidence can be explained by natural laws. Indeed, the evidence remains un-refuted.  
The evidence remains that God spoke planet Earth into existence and left unequivocal evidence that he did so.
Instead of bringing this discovery to the center of scientific attention so that all may know and understand that the Creator and Ruler of the Universe left something special in earth's foundation rocks to prove he wants one and all to know that he is the one and only true God, nevertheless the evolutionary community has done their best over the past twenty-five years to cover it up and suppress it.
It's a modern Evolution-gate, which will be exposed Friday evening.
Students will be informed how they can form Genesis clubs to bring all this to their fellow classmates. All are welcome.
Robert Gentry

Thanks for running a great race
Editor:
Thanks to all who helped and participated in the Relay for Life Scarecrow 5K Run/Walk to benefit the American Cancer Society-Relay for Life held Saturday, October 24th at the Greenway Trail. A good time was had by all, the weather was perfect and a great group of runners/walkers helped make the 3rd annual fall run so successful.
First place female was Tiffany Thompson (19:46) and first place male was Michael Kepley (20:19). First place masters, (40+ older) female was Sharon Brooks (25:46) and male David Ziegler (21:55), for more race results you can go to our website www.appstate.edu/~wardpy. Thanks also to Charlies Auto Parts-NAPA of Boone, Foscoe Country Corner and Deli, Jeff's Lawncare, Real Deals Now and Tim Bryant. The Relay for Life Team, Jerry's Intimidators, sponsored this event.
For more information about upcoming road races you can go to our website www.appstate.edu/~wardpy.
Becky Younce and Paula Ward


Thanks to Boone voters
Editor:
I would like to personally thank everyone who came out and voted in our recent municipal election. Thank you for re-electing me to the position of Mayor of the Town of Boone. Your vote of confidence was certainly overwhelming, and I sincerely appreciate your support. Thank you for your trust and assurance in me to serve four more years as Mayor.
I plan to work hard as always in making our town a wonderful place in which to live!
Loretta Clawson


Meaning in rhetoric
Editor:
Rhetoric should have meaning. Language should have value.
What then is meant by the phrase we are now hearing so often from the politico, "We have a moral obligation to pass this legislation"?
Morals must be based on some standard. Among the most frequent standards used as a basis for moral values are scripture, tradition, reason and experience.
Most of our government officials have totally rejected scripture. They have also rejected traditional values. When scrutinized, the legislation they are trying to pass does not hold to sound reason. And, when you compare the policies being put forth by those in power to the experience of history, you find that experience teaches that big government and total government control don't produce anything good.
 So, other than just being persuasive words, what value, what basis, do these so-called "moral obligations" have?
In recent decades, contrary to traditional values, we have been taught that when it comes to morals there are no absolutes. So why is the government that has propagated the educational system that teaches no absolutes telling us that we absolutely have a moral obligation to do what they are demanding?
Steve Casey

Young-earth debate continues to evolve
Editor:
I am writing in response to the letter by Dr. Howie Neufeld appearing in last week's issue of the Watauga Democrat (Nov. 13-15).
In his letter, Dr. Neufeld repeatedly disparages Robert Gentry, a physicist who is coming to the High Country to speak on the topic of radioactive dating methods.
While Neufeld fills his letter with personal attacks against Gentry (and young earth creationists, generally), Neufeld fails to identify any specific flaws in Gentry's assumptions, research methods, research findings, or conclusions. What is one to conclude from all this?
The combination of Neufeld's expressed "sadness" that anyone would attend Dr. Gentry's lecture believing he has any scientific credibility, along with Neufeld's unwillingness to debate someone such as Gentry, and Neufeld's trumpeting the opportunity to hear "credible science" from an ASU panel, piques my curiosity. I'm looking forward to attending Dr. Gentry's lecture to hear what he has to say.
John Barry
Boone


The Last Noble Republican
Editor:
With the passage of the Health Care Reform Bill through the House of Representatives, I know several past presidents – living and dead – are pleased.
One of them is Theodore Roosevelt, the trust-buster. Like Abraham Lincoln, Teddy R was a progressive President of the United States during the age of the birth of predatory Capitalism.
He first, had to take on J. P Morgan. The United States was suing Northern Securities, a railroad monopoly in which Morgan had a significant interest, for violation of the Sherman anti-trust laws. Just like today's heath insurance cartel, this monopoly charged exorbitant prices because of no competition. The case would eventually reach the Supreme Court, so Teddy R appointed Oliver Wendell Holmes to the Court because he had ruled against railroads in similar suits. Northern Securities was broken up into smaller companies and Teddy R gained the reputation as the trustbuster.
Teddy R did more to help the common folk by bringing the Food and Drug Administration into being because Upton Sinclair's novel, "The Jungle", depicted the horrible conditions in Chicago's meat-packing plants. The consequent hygiene reforms are responsible for no disease-related deaths since 1906.
The next stranglehold on the people, Teddy R took on, was energy. John D Rockefeller's Standard Oil was running its competition out of business with generous rebates, then jacking up prices when they were the only supplier.
Teddy R ran the Hepburn Bill through Congress to outlaw this predatory practice. Roosevelt made it clear essential services to the populace need to be overseen and guaranteed by the government and not subject to the whims and greed of the free markets.
Is there any doubt Teddy R-if he was here now - would lead a charge up a hill to dismantle the health insurance cartel that is choking America! Why are there no more noble Republicans?
Robert Chassanoff
Boone


Light up traffic-light discussion
Editor:
Thanks to all the residents of the Farthing Street Chestnut Drive, elected officials and others who have joined us in our efforts to get a traffic light at the Farthing and King Street intersection.
A previous letter to this publication highlighted the efforts our neighborhood to get a traffic light at Farthing Street to provide access that will be severely limited by the current King Street project and the concrete median it brings.
This includes limited access to emergency vehicles into this neighborhood that all come from the west.
This light, as one of our neighbors pointed out, will make a great project better.  This light will help prevent speeding on a street that is seeing an ever increasing amount of pedestrian and bike traffic.
Through the efforts of Boone Town Council member Stephen Phillips, neighborhood residents were invited to the November meeting of the Transportation committee.  
This meeting was attended by a standing room only contingent from the neighborhood, and included folks from other neighborhoods in support and resulted in a recommendation to town council to pursue the project. Anyone interested in supporting the Farthing Street Traffic light project is invited to join us at the Nov. 19 Council meeting at Council Chambers on Blowing Rock Rd at 6:30 p.m.  Anyone  seeking additional information may e-mail me at fandcneighbors@Gmail.com.
J.F. Heffren
Boone

Young-earth debate continues to evolve
Editor:
I am writing in response to the letter by Dr. Howie Neufeld appearing in last week's issue of the Watauga Democrat (Nov. 13-15).
In his letter, Dr. Neufeld repeatedly disparages Robert Gentry, a physicist who is coming to the High Country to speak on the topic of radioactive dating methods.
While Neufeld fills his letter with personal attacks against Gentry (and young earth creationists, generally), Neufeld fails to identify any specific flaws in Gentry's assumptions, research methods, research findings, or conclusions. What is one to conclude from all this?
The combination of Neufeld's expressed "sadness" that anyone would attend Dr. Gentry's lecture believing he has any scientific credibility, along with Neufeld's unwillingness to debate someone such as Gentry, and Neufeld's trumpeting the opportunity to hear "credible science" from an ASU panel, piques my curiosity. I'm looking forward to attending Dr. Gentry's lecture to hear what he has to say.
John Barry
Boone


The Last Noble Republican
Editor:
With the passage of the Health Care Reform Bill through the House of Representatives, I know several past presidents - living and dead - are pleased.
One of them is Theodore Roosevelt, the trust-buster. Like Abraham Lincoln, Teddy R was a progressive President of the United States during the age of the birth of predatory Capitalism.
He first, had to take on J. P Morgan. The United States was suing Northern Securities, a railroad monopoly in which Morgan had a significant interest, for violation of the Sherman anti-trust laws. Just like today's heath insurance cartel, this monopoly charged exorbitant prices because of no competition. The case would eventually reach the Supreme Court, so Teddy R appointed Oliver Wendell Holmes to the Court because he had ruled against railroads in similar suits. Northern Securities was broken up into smaller companies and Teddy R gained the reputation as the trustbuster.
Teddy R did more to help the common folk by bringing the Food and Drug Administration into being because Upton Sinclair's novel, "The Jungle", depicted the horrible conditions in Chicago's meat-packing plants. The consequent hygiene reforms are responsible for no disease-related deaths since 1906.
The next stranglehold on the people, Teddy R took on, was energy. John D Rockefeller's Standard Oil was running its competition out of business with generous rebates, then jacking up prices when they were the only supplier.
Teddy R ran the Hepburn Bill through Congress to outlaw this predatory practice. Roosevelt made it clear essential services to the populace need to be overseen and guaranteed by the government and not subject to the whims and greed of the free markets.
Is there any doubt Teddy R-if he was here now - would lead a charge up a hill to dismantle the health insurance cartel that is choking America! Why are there no more noble Republicans?
Robert Chassanoff
Boone


Light up traffic-light discussion
Editor:
Thanks to all the residents of the Farthing Street Chestnut Drive, elected officials and others who have joined us in our efforts to get a traffic light at the Farthing and King Street intersection.
A previous letter to this publication highlighted the efforts our neighborhood to get a traffic light at Farthing Street to provide access that will be severely limited by the current King Street project and the concrete median it brings.
This includes limited access to emergency vehicles into this neighborhood that all come from the west.
This light, as one of our neighbors pointed out, will make a great project better.  This light will help prevent speeding on a street that is seeing an ever increasing amount of pedestrian and bike traffic.
Through the efforts of Boone Town Council member Stephen Phillips, neighborhood residents were invited to the November meeting of the Transportation committee.  
This meeting was attended by a standing room only contingent from the neighborhood, and included folks from other neighborhoods in support and resulted in a recommendation to town council to pursue the project. Anyone interested in supporting the Farthing Street Traffic light project is invited to join us at the Nov. 19 Council meeting at Council Chambers on Blowing Rock Rd at 6:30 p.m.  Anyone  seeking additional information may e-mail me at fandcneighbors@Gmail.com.
J.F. Heffren
Boone

Zoning - By Any Other Name
Editor:
At the final meeting for the Citizens' Comprehensive Plan, Brian Chatham, Soil and Water Conservation Technician, said we were not truthful in our letters to the editor. Chatham claimed the Farmland Protection Plan (FPP) was separate and had nothing to do with the Citizens' Comprehensive Plan. He emphasized the FPP had nothing to do with zoning. Calling us liars has long been the defense when we strike the truth. Our response to Mr. Chatham and the Planning Oversight Group can be confirmed by reading the grant application made for the FPP, which they call "Watauga Farming for the Future".
1. Project Title: Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan
2. Applicant: Watauga County
3. Contact: Brian Chatham, Soil Conservation Technician
4) Grantor: NCDA&CS, AD & Farmland Preservation Trust
5. Page 4 of 10 - describing ways success will be measured - "consistency with other plans in Watauga County (Comprehensive Plan...)"
6. Page 5 of 10 - describing similar projects - "Voluntary Farmland Preservation Program"
7. Page 6 of 10 - among community needs the project will serve: "preservation of priority farmland" "affordability of farmland"
8. Page 7 of 10 - "Watauga County is developing a Comprehensive Land Use Plan which includes the goal of preserving farmland. The project will coordinate with and support the Comprehensive Plan." (Zoning by any other name) Watauga County will have an opportunity to incorporate recommendations for land use guidelines to promote farmland preservation even as development occurs." (Zoning by any other name)
9. Project Partners: High Country Conservancy, New River Growers' Association, Watauga County Christmas Tree Growers' Association, Watauga County Cattleman's Association, Maverick Farms, ASU, USDA-NRCS and FSA
Mr. Chatham said he and David Harper, a land conservation consultant, Unique Places, wrote the $30,000 grant. David Harper was awarded $20,000 to write the plan, $1,000 to manage the project, and $2,000 to facilitate advisory committee meetings. There are 2 "community visioning meetings" costing $1,000/meeting; $2,500 for 100 copies of the report; $700 for "windshield surveys" and $1,000 for "food system and market research."
This is reminiscent of the $50,000 organic broccoli grant for the County where we got (1) a half-page report (2) the County had to retrieve 2 greenhouses used to grow ornamental flowers instead of broccoli plants; (3) the county had to retrieve a laptop computer used by an ASU student to produce anti-Afghanistan war flyers instead of tracking the broccoli project; and (3) where the consultant received most of the grant money from the tobacco foundation - all in the name of the farmer.
Deborah Greene
Boone


Health-care bill is unconstitutional
Editor:
The health-care bill that Congress passed recently is unconstitutional.
Every single representative that voted in favor of it violated the oath they took when taking office to protect the Constitution. How can that be, you may ask. There are actually many items in the bill that violate our constitutional rights, but the main one that really seals the deal is the requirement to buy insurance. If Congress can force us to buy a particular grade of insurance, can it also force us to subscribe to "approved" newspapers? Or anything else for that matter? This is a step down a treacherous slope that I for one am not comfortable with. Even the Supreme Court has ruled against the government in the past for trying to regulate commerce in this manner.
The Supreme Court ruled in Bailey v. Drexel Furniture (1922) that Congress can't use the tax code to regulate behavior it doesn't otherwise have power to regulate. Yet they are going to place a hefty tax penalty on those who do not purchase health care insurance.
In /United States v. Lopez/ (1995), /United States v. Morrison/ (2000) and even /Gonzales v. Raich/ (2005) the Court decreed that Congress cannot use the Commerce Clause to regulate activity that is not economic - such as not buying, not producing, or not making something. Not buying insurance can't be buying or making something.
What they are trying to do us is wrong. I'm not saying that the health care system doesn't need to be fixed. I'm just saying that HR 3962 is not the solution and in fact causes even more problems than we currently have.
I think it is morally wrong for the democrats to force this on us when the vote on the bill is so close (220-215) and obviously so many are against it. To claim this as a victory and celebrate it like the 4th of July is just sad. Are they really happy to pass a bill that violates at least 3 Articles and 2 amendments of the Constitution? Are we really going to let them do this?
Jeff Cannon
West Jefferson

Young-earth beliefs are not science
Editor:
I understand that a "Dr." Robert Gentry is going to be speaking here in the High Country about the errors in radioactive dating and how this proves that the earth was formed nearly instantly as specified in Genesis.
Gentry believes in young-earth creationism, which says that the earth is only thousands of years old, not billions.  
It should not go unstated that Dr. Gentry is on the fringes (even of creationism!), and his claims of a young earth are not accepted by the larger community of scientists.  
While he may in the past have published physics research in reputable journals, he now misinterprets those results to back up his claims of a recent origin of the earth and universe.
I should also note that he does not have an earned doctorate in physics, only a master's degree.  His so-called "doctorate" was an honorary degree only.  
Gentry of course, will not be persuaded by criticisms from other scientists.
Strict creationists are rarely affected by reason or willing to give up their preconceived notions, which is yet more evidence that what they do does not constitute science as we know it.
 But I'll bet few of those who go to see him will understand the physics behind radioactive dating or polonium halos (which is how he made his initial reputation in physics), but I'm sure he'll dazzle them with mathematical equations, with claims that his past results support the idea of a young earth, and will try to impress his audience with the idea that he's a maverick who is right, while every single mainstream geologist, every mainstream physicist, and every cosmologist is wrong.  
When one has so radical an idea, the onus is on them to provide the evidence to back up those claims.
 To paraphrase Carl Sagan,  "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence", and Gentry has no such evidence in his favor.
In 2001, Gentry filed a lawsuit when Los Alamos National Labs deleted 10 of his papers from their online archive.  All of those papers were published by his very own Orion Foundation.
Reputable scientists do not self-publish.  Instead, they submit their papers for peer review.
I doubt whether those 10 papers were ever peer-reviewed by other scientists. In fact, it's a near certainty that they weren't since no young earth creationist has ever had a scientific paper published in a reputable scientific journal. Zero. None. Nada.  
That should tell you something about the quality of his so-called "science".
Gentry's claims are nothing more than the same old, same old regarding young earth creationism.
I find it sad that anyone today would attend his lecture and believe that he speaks for "science" or that what he says has any scientific credibility.  I wonder who is sponsoring his talk anyway?  
Gentry may ridicule mainstream scientists for not showing up to debate him, as Duane Gish, another creationist and master debater often does.  
Well, the reason we don't show up is simple.  If we do, we give Gentry an instant credibility he doesn't deserve, even if we win the debate, since he can claim to be on the same stage with reputable scientists, and therefore claim some legitimacy.  
But Gentry is espousing junk science and it would be a waste of our time to "debate" him.
Instead, I would suggest that if you want to hear good discussion of science, from respected scientists who do publish in peer reviewed journals, and whose science is accepted across the globe, that you attend the final event in the Darwin Bicentennial Celebration at Appalachian State University, 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19 at the Blue Ridge Ballroom in the Plemmons Student Union.  
There, you will hear ASU faculty in a panel discussion on the impacts of Darwin's On the Origin of Species, perhaps the most influential book published since the Bible.  
There you can hear credible science discussed in a rationale manner, backed up by 150 years of irrefutable evidence.
Dr. Howie Neufeld
Professor of Biology
Appalachian State University


Opposed to Foxx's remarks
Editor:
Once again Rep. Virginia Foxx showed her ignorance in Congress by stating that the Health Care Bill is more dangerous" than any terrorist in any country". She also stated her constituents are "fearful" of this bill, everywhere she goes "in my district".
Rep. Foxx, what we are frightened of is the health-care industry with their deep pockets once again derailing reform that we so desperately need. Especially in the more rural areas of the state, people are unable to obtain health insurance, and therefore they delay seeking medical care.
If you cared about the people in your district, you would work together with the Democrats to get the best bill possible. Would you rather let people continue to die at a rate of more than 40,000 a year because they have no health insurance, than to finally bring this country into the 21st century by giving everyone access to timely and quality health care? That is what all other industrialized nations have. How long will you tolerate that our infant mortality is higher, our life expectancy lower, and health care much more expensive than in these other countries?
You are not representing this Watauga County resident with your fear-mongering , and I suspect a lot of others feel the same way.  
Susanne Shine
Zionville


Boone is losing its glitter on game days
Editor:
We would like to share our thoughts as visitors to your city, with a particular focus toward your mayor and town council as well as downtown merchants. We did visit Boone on Nov. 7 and our visit was primarily to attend the Appalachian State football game. We have in fact been paying your $15 parking fee this season, but alas, reluctantly.
Please let me explain our choice of the adjective "reluctantly". My wife and I met as students at ASU and married shortly after graduation, class of '75. During and subsequent to our lives in Boone, we became and continue to be, very fond of the area and visit often.
 In 2006, we bought a new $35,000-plus vehicle in Boone. In 2008 we bought a personal item for $3,000-plus. We have shopped in almost every downtown store as well as many other area vendors. We have stayed in your hotels, eaten in your restaurants and even bought groceries.
While we do attend most home (and some away) games and have held season tickets for a number of years, football is not our only reason for visiting Boone. It's odd that a mere $15 per home game parking fee (newly imposed this football season) will likely result in fewer visits outside football season. Asheville, Spartanburg, Gastonia and Hickory are closer shopping destinations. We will leave your parking spaces open for others.
Having visited and spent money in Boone for nearly 40 years, your city is losing its glitter for us.
Barry and DeLane Davis
Rutherfordton


An OASIS of gratitude
Editor:
OASIS (Opposing Abuse with Service, Information, and Shelter), Inc. wishes to thank these community partners for participating in the "Sign Up for OASIS" program by displaying our 24-hour Crisis Line number (262-5035) on their marquees during October in observation of Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Applebee's, Bandana's, Beef O'Brady's, Holton Mountain Rentals, Lamar Advertising, Makoto's, Wendy's, and Action Auto Glass.
In addition, local businesses displayed OASIS posters and helped distribute purple awareness ribbons. Thanks to: Old Navy, Panera, Stick Boy, Our Daily Bread, Black Cat Burrito, Magic Cycles, The GreenHouse, Mast General Store, EarthFare, Casa Rustica, Galileo's, and Haircut 101.
Finally, thanks to Haircut 101 for their donation of funds raised by raffling off an iPod. OASIS is so grateful to all our community partners who offer support, volunteer hours, help spread the word about our services, and who donate funds to help keep us a vibrant and healthy organization for those who need us.
The OASIS Staff and Board or Directors



Don't pay insurance for deadbeats
Editor:
If you have auto liability insurance, here is something you need to know, every person that owns a vehicle in North Carolina is required to carry liability insurance, so if everyone has this insurance, why did our state legislators decide the first of this year 2009 to require everyone to carry equal coverage of uninsured and under insured motorist insurance? This is an increase of 30 to 35 percent more cost each year to you and I.
I talked with Rep. Cullie Tarleton and Senator Steve Goss in the spring to check on this. Rep. Tarleton didn't seem to know much about it, but Sen. Goss told me our lawmakers had made a mistake by passing this bill, and said they had a bill that would cancel this one. I called Senator Goss in October to see what had happened to this bill and left him a message to call me, but I have not heard from him.
Everyone please let our lawmakers know we are paying for our insurance and don't want to pay for those dead-beats who try to beat the system.
James Coffey
Boone


A new athletic conference?
Editor:
Appalachian State, Eastern Carolina, UNCC and Georgia Southern should explore the possibility of creating a new 1A Conference in the next 5 to 10 years (other teams yet determined).
For instant rivalry, media attention, and fan support a new 1A Conference, built similar to the old eight member ACC, might be the thing.
Forming an alliance with Charlotte now should prove beneficial in the future. When Charlotte U. gets its football program going, it should be a powerhouse.
If ASU is considering membership in Conference USA, then plan on playing games all over the country and giving up the benefits of playing local rivals and of having strong fan support. A football game between ASU and UNCC or ECU would have strong fan support whereas playing UCF or VAB might fall under the category of "Who Cares".
Also if ASU, ECU, and UNCC ever want to seriously challenge Carolina and NC State in academics, athletics, and political power, then being allies in the same 1A Conference would be the only way to go.
Might as well be the Big Dog instead of playing second fiddle all the time.
Steve Teague
Granite Falls


Thanks for the Playhouse
Editor:
I would like to thank the many wonderful people who supported The Children's Playhouse this past weekend for our first ever "Playhouse Photography Fundraiser". The Children's Playhouse was very fortunate to have such a successful turn out.
Many thanks to our fabulous photographers who donated their time, expertise and quality products: Maggie Farrington of Farrington Photography, Kristian Jackson, Eli Morgan, Kayla Morton of Eday Designs, and Savannah Strickland of Savannah Strickland Photography.   
I would also like to thank our Playhouse volunteers: Megan Ellis, Alison Gulley, John Marty, Martha McCaughey, Kathy Parham, and Ali Satterwhite. Of course thanks to the many student volunteers: Candice Dinosky, Jaime Melfi, LeeAnn Nix, Nicole Plunk, Jayna Raley, Jenna Smith, Chelsea Sosebee , and Ashley Warshauer.
The Children's Playhouse, and the many families it serves have benefited from all your donated time, and resources. Thank you!
Laura Newmark
Boone