Innocent until proven guilty
Publisher David Brown’s “My View” about former principal Tom Graham in the Aug. 2 edition of the Cherokee Scout was interesting and informative.
I met Tom once in 2015, and when I heard about him being arrested and suspended, I didn’t think about him again until I read the column. I always thought a person was innocent until proven guilty. Maybe this doesn’t apply in Cherokee County.
Most people would have immediately gotten the hell out of dodge. Especially if you were guilty. Not Tom Graham. From day one, he said he was innocent and wanted his day in court and after all he believed as an American he had a right to a fair and speedy trial. The prosecution showed their true colors and strength of their case by delaying it an unbelievable and unheard-of 16 times and stretching it out for over five years.
The District Attorney’s Office, trying to save face, even offered Tom a plea deal, which was rejected. After five long years, most people would not have had the perseverance.
I don’t know what happened at the Hiwassee Dam School that day in 2016, but if you accuse a person of something, then prove it or shut up. Don’t just keep throwing rocks and not give the person a chance to defend themselves.
Whether a person in this particular situation is guilty or proven innocent, there will always be a stain on their reputation.
Curtis Brown, Murphy
Incompetence about animals
Thanks for the Cherokee Scout’s informative writing on the “dog” issue.
Last summer, a very seriously injured dog showed up on my property. I was only able to clear the blood mass from the dog’s mouth, but really unable to provide any comfort as I’m not a veterinarian. I did call our Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and was told I’m on my own.
I attempted to call the animal shelter, only to hear they were closed for the weekend. I also called every veterinarian in Cherokee County, and they all referred me to a clinic in Blue Ridge, Ga.
The injured dog managed to make its way to my neighbor while I was making calls. He did what I was tempted to do – he put the dog down. Incompetence by our county commissioners seems to flourish.
Bart O’Sullivan, Murphy
Stiles family says thanks
The family of Roger David Stiles wants to take a moment to thank friends and family (even those we may not know, but who knew Roger) for the many prayers, comments, support and love that you have given Jessica, Melanie, myself and Roger’s sister, Sheila. For the past five months, we have felt so blessed.
Many thanks also to all the medical personnel who transported, cared for and treated him in Asheville; and a special thank you to Sport, our son-in-law, for tending to the daily chores while we were away. To Clay County Care Center in Hayesville, we extend our gratitude for their care and support, not only to Roger, but to his family as well.
A very special, heartfelt thank you goes to my brother, Bill, who was my rock during all this time.
God granted us additional, precious time with Roger to love each other and cherish every minute we had with him on his journey home. We have lost a wonderful father, friend, husband and brother, and through our memories of him, we will continue to love him and carry on through our days the way he would have wanted us to do. We will forever love him, and cherish each and every memory.
Thank you again to everyone for prayers, food, cards, flowers and kind words. We send our love to each of you.
Price M. Stiles, Murphy
1 indictment is too many
What a bad day for President Donald Trump. His third indictment. This is definitely a moment for all thinking Americans to celebrate. A stunning moment. A historic moment. I was stunned. It was long, long overdue.
A thug who was formerly our president will now forever be followed with shame, hopefully clad in an orange jumpsuit and in a cell.
We are often told that there cannot be two sets of justice/laws in our country. But, truthfully, we all know there have always been two sets, for the wealthy and privileged, for our ‘’celebrities,” for white people (full disclosure: I am a “white’’ person).
Do we believe and love truth enough to follow these indictments to their just conclusions? We shall soon see. For now this is a time to rejoice and let out a loud, strong and satisfying cheer: He is indicted!
Jim Grazis, Young Harris, Ga.
Fentanyl still cheap, deadly
In the ongoing opioid epidemic, synthetic opioids like fentanyl have grown to be a major problem. An average of 57,834 people died from synthetic opioids in 2020. The number increased to 71,238 deaths in 2021.
Synthetic opioids are produced in laboratories but are made to look like prescription medications. The main issue with synthetic opioids is that fentanyl is so widely used.
Despite the fact that fentanyl can be prescribed, some people have figured out a way to make it illegally. Fentanyl is most frequently mixed with other drugs, such as methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. This enables the dealer to increase sales and the scope of their offering.
Sadly, the cost of this happening has resulted in a lot of overdoses involving other drugs. In 2020, 19,927 people overdosed on cocaine. That increased by more than 4,500, reaching 24,538 in 2021.
The same thing happens when people overdose on meth. The number of overdoses increased from 24,567 in 2020 to 32,856 in 2021.
It is well known that when buying any drug off the street, you run the risk of using fentanyl. You never truly know what is used to cut the drug. Early on, mild anesthetics and baby powder were some of the more popular ones. They are being cut with fentanyl in place of that.
Fentanyl is up to 90 percent less expensive than heroin for this reason. Due to its low detection risk, it is ideal for cutting other opioids. Due to the difference in potency between heroin and fentanyl, dealers are using fentanyl to increase their profits while allowing users to become more intoxicated.
The fact that 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal to a person is the main issue that nobody is recognizing.
Read “Overdoses at an all-time high” at narcononnewliferetreat.org.
Matthew Goodson, Denham Springs, La.
The writer is with Narconon New Life Retreat.
Letter points were spot-on
Kudos to Terry Payne regarding his letter, “U.S. a banana republic today,” in last week’s Cherokee Scout.
His comments on the national media cover-ups going on today, and the examples he gave showing how the Democrats get away with political and legal tyranny every day, were spot-on.
Gayle Kumbalek, Andrews
Not seeking a self-pity party
I’d like to thank and also apologize to each and every person(s) or organization(s) in Cherokee, Clay and surrounding counties that may have been negatively affected by my actions.
I am a survivor or many things. God knows all and I truly believe He has allowed me to experience life in this manner to help others. I honestly have not meant to hurt anyone in anyway.
I wholeheartedly love and adore my husband, Jonathon Foster. Anyone who has been married for any amount of time can only begin to comprehend the amount of unnecessary, undeserved and sometimes self-inflicted heartache and pain. That was even before we lost our infant son to SIDS in 2017, only to lose contact with my stepson, who I tried to adopt many moons ago.
I was told by several doctors in several states that I would never have children. However, God had other plans. The day I was baptized at First Free Will was the day we conceived our now 11-year-old. Dylan is amazing in every way.
Our families and us have been through the ringer, to say the least – not to mention my own personal traumas, which God has been working with me on. I would never want to project anything on anyone and sincerely apologize. I am trying to at least be better than the day before.
This is a wonderful place to live, and thank you for the opportunity to experience life like I never have.
Only God can judge me, and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Tiffany Foster, Murphy