‘Are you listening?’
What part of “death to America” do you not understand? You are the “Great Satan.” An infidel to be destroyed.
Are you listening?
With them, there is no genuine desire to negotiate our continued existence. Their technique only attempts to stall us until they acquire the ultimate means to destroy us.
I have watched decades of attacks on our civilization while chanting, “Death to America!”
The time for reasoning with the unreasonable is over. They will never get it. They are blinded by their own beliefs.
I am listening, and I say give them no quarter.
Ron Gaynor, Murphy
Town’s sign still missing
I was so excited to see our hometown boy, Braden Rumfelt, perform on American Idol. He brought his beautiful voice and glimpses of our town to national television.
The lake, our ball field, the River Walk, our “Welcome to Murphy “ sign … wait a minute. What? Where is it?
The handsome brick “Welcome to Murphy” sign is gone. So sad.
Carol Sumner, Murphy
Women need fair judges
In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, granting women the right to vote. This right was not freely given. It was fought for, protected and defended across generations.
Because of this history, fair judges matter deeply to me. Judges play a critical role in deciding whether women’s voting rights are upheld or quietly eroded, and their fairness can determine whether the promise of equal participation in democracy is real or merely symbolic.
When voting laws are challenged – whether they involve access to polling places, limits to mail-in voting, restrictions to early voting, voter identification requirements or the drawing of election districts – it is judges who interpret the Constitution and decide whether those laws protect or restrict our rights. An impartial judge looks beyond politics and personal
beliefs and focuses on the fundamental principle that every eligible citizen deserves an equal voice.
For women, especially those who are elderly, low income or part of marginalized communities, these decisions can directly affect whether voting is accessible or burdensome.
Fair judges matter because trust in democracy depends on them. When women believe the courts will treat their rights seriously and without bias, they are more likely to engage, vote and participate in civic life.
Fair judges protect not only ballots, but confidence in the system itself. For women, whose voices were once legally silenced, that protection is essential to preserving hard-won voting rights and ensuring they endure for future generations.
I take my right to vote seriously. In 2026, votes will be cast for candidates on the N.C. Appellate Court and N.C. Supreme Court. I’m taking the time to research candidates to select the ones that represent my values. I encourage you to do the same.
Martha Robinson, Hayesville
Backsliding on vaccines is costly
The federal government is on the brink of reversing a century of medical progress for older adults. As a social scientist, it’s not often that I weigh in on medical policy. But as president of the American Society on Aging, which represents more than 5,000 professionals working with and on behalf of older adults, what I see alarms me.
Senior officials in the administration are tacitly encouraging vaccine skepticism – and it’s jeopardizing the health of our rapidly aging population and undermining the longevity gains we’ve spent decades building.
If we continue down this path, older people today, as well as their children and grandchildren, could live shorter, sicker lives than those before them.
In 45% of counties nationwide, older adults outnumber children. Millions rely on caregivers and community health workers who enter their homes and assist with daily living.
That makes vaccine policy not just a political debate, but a matter of life or death.
The administration irresponsibly fired every member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, functionally throwing away decades of institutional knowledge that guided vaccine recommendations.
Meanwhile, budget cuts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and Food & Drug Administration threaten to delay research. That could leave older people vulnerable to new viral strains and unable to access preventive care.
The danger doesn’t end with today’s older adults. Today’s unvaccinated children are tomorrow’s elders.
Thanks to a widespread immunization campaign, the United States eradicated measles in 2000. Now cases are soaring as vaccination rates drop.
Childhood vaccinations are a building block for healthy aging.
We need clear, science-driven vaccine guidelines, robust funding for immunization research and public messaging that builds trust instead of fear.
Dr. Leanne Clark-Shirley, San Francisco
The writer is president and CEO of the American Society on Aging.