Opinion (380)
LETTER: The NC teachers march and rally is over — now what?
Written by Letter to the Editor Contributor
To the editor:
May 1 is gone, but certainly not forgotten. Now is the time for reaction, reflection, and even criticism — by all interested parties.
Although the North Carolina House has approved its version of a biennial budget, there’s a lot that North Carolinians can’t yet know about how much will be spent, and on what, over the next two years. But here’s something we can assume with near-certainty: Gov. Roy Cooper will veto it.
COLUMN: Sounds and smells trigger summertime memories
Written by Joe Weaver
If you have been outside lately, it should come as no surprise that we are on the cusp of summer.
COLUMN: Capital punishment isn't unconstitutional; we should end it anyway
Written by Thomas L. Knapp
On April 1, The Supreme Court of the United States ruled against death-row inmate Russell Bucklew's appeal of his execution method. Nixing his claim that a rare medical condition would make the execution unconstitutionally "cruel and unusual" by virtue of being excruciatingly painful, the Court (in an opinion written by Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch) held that the Eighth Amendment "does not guarantee a prisoner a painless death."
COLUMN: Those younger voters could change elections
Written by Thomas Mills
Last weekend, Dr. Michael Bitzer wrote about the changing demographics in our campaigns and how they might affect the future of elections in North Carolina. Specifically, younger voters are showing up at much higher rates than they have in the past.
If you are convicted of a crime, the government can punish you. If you are arrested but never convicted, the government can’t punish you.
COLUMN: Ron Paul still roots for peace, liberty
Written by Corey Friedman - Wilson Times
Their views on government’s role in society may be polar opposites, but libertarian elder statesman Ron Paul and progressive populist Bernie Sanders agree on one thing — the U.S. needs to wash its hands of Yemen’s bloody civil war.
COLUMN: Journalistic daydreams of being a big-shot reporter
Written by Joe Weaver
If you ask a few people I know, they will clearly state I am a journalist. I don't think of myself as one, really. If people ask me what I do for a newspaper I usually tell them I write the occasional goofy thing that fills up the (no pun intended) dead space on the obituary page.
EDITORIAL: First Step Act is a step in the right direction
Written by The Richmond Observer
A bill recently introduced in the North Carolina legislature would allow judges to use discretion when sentencing defendants facing drug charges.
More...
COLUMN: On Obstruction, the Mueller Report is Clintonesque
Written by Thomas L. Knapp
On April 18, U.S. Attorney William Barr released Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on the probe into "Russian meddling" in the 2016 presidential election. The report cleared President Donald Trump and his campaign team of allegations that they conspired with the Russian government in that meddling. But on the question of "obstruction of justice," Mueller punted in an eerily familiar way.
There’s been complaining on social media and in the press that the women running for president aren’t getting their fair share of news coverage. I know I’m about to get slammed for mansplaining but I don’t think it’s bias — or at least not most of it. We’ve got 19 declared candidates for president. Four of the most prominent are women. In a field that large, a lot of people are going to get their moment in the sun and anybody who’s going to get major coverage needs to earn it.
GUEST EDITORIAL: Distracted driving calls for education, not more citations
Written by Wilson Times
North Carolina already bans texting and driving. Now state lawmakers want to prohibit all handheld use of smartphones and tablet computers behind the wheel.
New research by two North Carolina State University professors has brought into stark relief the following facts: America is in a debt crisis, our economy is suffering as a result, and politicians of both major political parties bear responsibility.
