Letters to the Editor: September 2014

Within the concept of “as above, so below,” or the macro equaling the micro, could Asheville be like the imaginal cell of the caterpillar, those specialized stem cells that are biological duplicates, but carry a different idea of what they ae going to be; hence the butterfly?

Is this mountain town a micro collective of the whole, aka America, (or close)? Can we be the potential who choose to love and protect our land, food, water, community and support our greater family?

What of the unbridled aggression against Gaza by Israel? Does the brazen disregard for civilian populations, the breaking of treaties and virtual genocide of a people not speak also of our own Native American people and atrocities they have experiences at the hands of the occupiers?

Could this current rampage of hate in some way reflect society’s broad disregard for the care, respect and love of our mother Earth and the cruel and brutal treatment we condone and even support against her?

Can we allow the destruction of the soil and expect to harvest from the tree? What ios the problem with helping desperate children at any border get care, love and protection?

Change is all around us, like the winds that stir before a storm. The air pressure shifts and that electric smell is in the area. This is when you clear off the porch of what might blow away, shut the windows and with anticipation, somehow feel excited about what’s coming next.

That’s where we are now, folks. Sorting out what will weather the storm, not sure what’s to come. Most are sensing a need to focus, clear the decks, plug the leaks and acknowledge that actions speak louder than words, and act in that truth.

Our Earth needs her people to speak out for love and shift the paradig now, remembering always to respect, love and trust yourself and share that trust by respecting others the way you hope to be treated.

We are the those ones who we’re waiting for; that time is now. Hold the dream, Asheville.

Sheriff’s candidate story triggers reader's criticism

Dear Asheville Daily Planet, may I help your writers fill in the blanks?

In the August edition article entitled “Challenger fires torrent of criticisms at sheriff,” I was unable to equate a “torrent of criticisms” to the writers sole mentioning of how Buncombe County Sheriff Candidate Mike Bustle believes that the county would be better served if the Sheriff’s Department focused more on neighborhood and business district patrols than on state road traffic enforcement.

That was it! The rest of the article only went on to highlight some of Mike Bustle’s stories of his upbringing and thirty plus years of law enforcement in North Carolina. Left out of the summation was much of the more pertinent facts qualifying Bustle as one of the most diversely experienced law enforcement professionals in North Carolina such as graduating from the FBI Academy, serving as a chief of police for eight years, being a seasoned narcotics investigator, arson investigator, sheriff’s internal affairs investigator and more.

Now, if I had just read the article without having heard firsthand the issues and experience Mike Bustle speaks about, I would be saying so what’s the big deal? To make the article more accurate to its title of “torrent of criticisms,”

I would have rather read how Mike Bustle states that he believes that the U.S. Constitution means what it says precisely as its written unlike Sheriff Duncan who has publicly stated believes the U.S. Constitution is a “living document”(1). As the article stated Bustle is a “fiscal conservative” so I would have also liked to have read about how Mike Bustle speaks on Van Duncan’s campaign of 2006 when Duncan stated: “Too much money is spent on salaries for people in administrative roles”(2) but in 2011 each of Duncan’s top commanders got annual raises of nearly $13,000 (3). Bustle also speaks about how Sheriff Duncan is the first sheriff in Buncombe County history that has needed to hire a highly paid staff person just to help him manage the Sheriff’s Department’s budget.

A budget that has nearly doubled to over $31 million in the 8 years Duncan has been sheriff. Even with the increases, Sheriff Duncan has historically gone over budget. Then there is the crime related to drugs that remains a major issue in Buncombe County even after Sheriff Duncan’s eight years in office. Mike also speaks on issues concerning the jail, school safety and other topics relevant to being an effective sheriff.

Without knowing that Mike Bustle speaks to more than just the issue of deputies needlessly doing the job of the SHP, I would have likely come away from the article thinking Mike Bustle does not have much ability or platform. In the world of journalistic steering and spin, I just hope covertly minimizing Bustle was not the writer’s agenda.

As a citizen who has heard Mike Bustle speak and has done his own investigative research, I would have stayed true to the article’s title and also substituted the negative word of “criticisms” with the word: opposition.

Additionally on topic but in a different article appearing in the same August issue, Mr. Carl Mumpower in his enlightening Candid Conservative piece discusses the out-of-joint salaries of senior county staff. In that article, Mr. Mumpower refers to a “point of light” being found in Sheriff Duncan’s $117,000 a year salary as being “about average” with other big county sheriffs in North Carolina. Mr. Mumpower suggests that “Next time you see Sheriff Duncan, thank him for serving and not taking advantage.”

For me, I would rather ask questions related to the things Mike Bustle is speaking out about since there certainly seems to be far more to be considered than what these two articles represented when deciding who should be the next Buncombe County sheriff — things any responsible voter should be concerned about.

ANDREW BROOKS

Arden

Workshop set to clarify misconceptions on PEVs

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) offer many advantages, a few of which were outlined in my September 2013 Daily Planet article (see www.ashevilledailyplanet.com/opinion/3098). But an intense campaign of mis- and disinformation continues to cloud the truth about PEVs.

To cut through the fog, Sept. 15-21 has been designated as National Drive Electric Week. Local events include screenings of the documentary “Who Killed the Electric Car?” on Wed., Sept. 17, and its sequel “Revenge of the Electric Car” on Thurs, Sept. 18.

Both films start at 6:30 p.m. in 125 Rhoades-Robinson at UNC Asheville, with post-film discussions led by the UNCA Mechatronics Engineering Program.

On Fri., Sept. 19, the Land of Sky Regional Council will host a workshop on workplace-charging at the Asheville AREA Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center. The main event will be from 1 to 4 p.m. Sun., Sept. 21, in the parking lot of the Asheville Public Works Building at 161 Charlotte St. PEV owners and dealerships from around the region will gather to answer questions, give rides, and generally celebrate the arrival of modern electric transportation. Details of these and many other activities can be found at driveelectricweek.org.

The organizers of NDEW Asheville appreciate the Daily Planet’s ongoing commitment to informed public discourse, and hope that your readers will join us for the National Drive Electric Week festivities.

DAVE ERB

Asheville