OPINION
The
Chronicle
Ernest H. Pitt fWUhcfCD-Fdwder
ELAINE Pitt Busmen Manager
Michael A. Pitt Marketing
T. Kevin Walker Managing Editor
( .irk'r for Conjlro* Pholo
Roy Carter stands outside the local office of Rep. Virgina
Foxx. Carter was there to challenge Foxx to a debate.
Who We Like
Experience or change?
That's a choice that voters
in Forsyth County will be
making starting today, and not
just in the hotly-contested bat
tle for the White House. The
two competitive races for
District Court pits legal veter
ans against two relatively
fresh faces.
Incumbent Victoria "Tori"
Roemer faces challenger
Kelly Patterson, who has
spent his 10 years as a lawyer
in private practice and mostly
handling family law cases.
Judicial races became
nonpartisan several years ago
in an attempt to take politics
out of the process of choosing
judges. The attempt has been
rather lame. Although most
judges don't wear their party
affiliations on their sleeves, it
is generally well-known that
Roemer is a Republican and
Patterson is an unapologetic
Democrat who has been a
longtime Democratic Party
volunteer and official.
In fact, we are most famil
iar with Patterson because of
his years of work with the
local Democratic Party. We
have seen him active and
engaged in events in the com
munity over the years. He is
personable, knowledgeable
and has the spirit of a true
communitv servant.
We don't know much
about Roemer as a person.
What we and many, many oth
ers do know about her are
things that she wants to bury
in her past. Most recently, the
judge ordered two people to
jail for unpaid rent, a act that
was so unheard of that she
was reprimanded for it.
But most blacks in Forsyth
still refuse to forgive Roemer
for injecting the issue of race
into an election more than a
decade ago when she was fac
ing popular African-American
incumbent Judge Loretta
Biggs. Although Roemer has
said she regrets how her cam
paign was viewed, we still
cannot bring ourselves to vote
for her. The black community
still doesn't know which is the
real Tori Roemer. Until then,
we only know the one who
stooped so low as to play
racial politics. We are voting ,
for Patterson. This county
needs another community
friendly District Court Judge
like the Honorable Denise
Hartsfield.
The other District Court
race pits incumbent Chester
Davis against newcomer Amy
Allred. We know little about
these candidates. If you are
like us, we like to form bonds
with folks over time.fIt is
awkward when people simply
show up in our community
during an election to try to
win our votes and then we
never see them again. On
paper, Davis appears to be the
better choice. His legal career
has been nothing short of stel
lar. While we admire Allred
for being young and ambi
tious. She needs a few more
turns around the legal lap.
We will enthusiastically
vote for Roy Carter to
replace Virginia Foxx as our
U.S. Representative for the
Fifth District. We like the idea
of a regular. Average Joe like
Carter - a retired educator and
high school football coach -
going to Washington to Fight
the good Fight for average,
everyday people.
Foxx has lost her way. She
has spent the last four years
worshipping President Bush
like he is some sort of
Messiah. She is one who
prefers to try to extend her
conservative credentials
rather than Fighting for (and
voting for) issues that will
make the lives of her con
stituents better. Like with
Roemer. we can never forget
Foxx's refusal to support
emergency funding for the
victims of Hurricane Katrina,
and her 'no' vote for the 2006
renewal of the Voting Rights
Act. It is our time to make
votes that Foxx won't like -
ones for Roy Carter.
Do we even have to say
that we are voting for Mel
Watt to continue his stay as
our 12th District representa
tive in the U.S. House? We all
know Mel and he knows all of
us, many of us by first-name.
His up close and personal
relationships with his thou
sands of constituents is one of
the many reasons we love
him. We know that when we
call Mel, he'll listen.
Although money is tight
for everyone these days, we
cannot pass the opportunity to
help Forsyth Tech. The
school's mission of educating
the local workforce for the
jobs of today and tomorrow
has never been so important.
Forsyth Tech has been
there for us when our plants
have closed down. They have
given our laid off workers top
-notch training at bargain
basement prices so that they
can enter new fields such as
nursing and education We are
voting YES for the FTCC
bond because we know that a
slight increase in "property
taxes is a small investment
considering all that the school
does for this community. And
in these uncertain economic
times, any one of us may have
to turn to FTCC at anytime to
prepare us for a new career
and new future.
?">
T M E BRIDGE
TO NOWHERE
T?i?S^r a *U? v4-?
Mm
/L
Letter to the Editor
Prayer event at
local jail was
moving for all
To the Editor:
I recently participated in
the Forsyth Jail and Prison
Ministries' Hope on the
Inside Outreach (Sept. 14,
2008). Going inside the
maximum security Forsyth
County Jail to preach was a
rewarding experience.
Once inside the housing
unit, I entered an arena
where during the day trained
jail volunteers led the
inmates on a journey of self
discovery, surrender and
Rev. Rivers
love. I saw God's mercy and
grace flowing through the
ministry's volunteers in their
words, actions and love for
the inmates. Their hearts
had been prepared for my
fellow pastors and me to
preach our messages of hope
and reconciliation to God.
On behalf of my fellow
pastors and me who partici
pated that Saturday, we
thank Sheriff Schatzman,
Major James arid the staff at
the Forsyth County Jail for
allowing us to minister
inside the jail. We also
thank the Forsyth Jail and
Prison Ministries for coordi
nating this special outreach
day. We are blessed to have
this local jail and prison
organization ministering to
inmates in our community.
Reverend Prince Rivers,
Pastor, United
Metropolitan Missionary
Baptist Church
Also, Reverend Bob
McCaskill - Pinedale
Christian Church, Reverend
Byron Battle -Greater
Cleveland Avenue Christian
Church, Reverend Tom
Shelton -Friedberg
Moravian Church, Reverend
Janet Dixon - Mt. Pleasant
& Oak Summitt United
Methodist Churches.
Reverend Tejado Hanchell -
Mt. Calvary Holy Church,
Dr. Earl Wilson - Mt. Tabor
United Methodist Church
Reverends John & Pansy -
Potter's House Resource
Center
... They know not what they do
Marge
Robben
Guest
Columnist
I think I may be>an elit
ist. I think I may be a "typi^
cal" white woman. I think I
may cling to analyzing and
intellectualization when I
find things falling apart
around me. I can't under
stand why people do not
think the way I think. I think
I -may be naive. I think I may
be a dreamer.
I am 74 years old and
near the end of my days. I
thought that trying to change
the world was behind me.
Lately, I have been thinking
about taking my sisters'
advice, "Slow down, sit by
the beach with a book and
sip lemonade."
I have always been inter
ested in how people interact.
My curious nature led me to
college at age 36 when my
fifth child was ready for
kindergarten. I wanted to
know all there was to know
about sociology and psy
chology and why people
behave the way they do. 1
wanted to know what all the
smart people know.
At night I used the TV
news programs to fall
asleep. During one of those
evenings while watching
election results, I was
inspired by a young man
who won a Senate seat from
Illinois. I followed his
progress through the years,
read his books and was very
impressed. He had a tongue
twister of a name: Barack
Obama.
Before Obama, I wasn't
much interested in politics
except for one brief moment
when John F. Kennedy rode
down Hempstead Turnpike
on Long Island just before
his election. It was a cold
autumn day and my husband
and I, along with our five
children, and one baby car
riage. ran several blocks to
where his motorcade was
going by. There he was,
standing in an open car, hair
blowing in the wind, coat
opened, big smile on his face
waving to us all. Those were
happy days.
The happy days were
soon followed by very <&d
ones. Three great American
men killed: John, Martin,
and Bobby. Politics were too
painful. Over and over, 1
would ask, "Why do people
kill great people?" Is it
because they are different
from the ordinary? Is it
because they want to
"change" things?
Change is Obama's cam
paign platform! He wants to
change and fix things that do
not work. He wants change
in all aspects of American
life - foreign relations, edu
cation, and economics. -He
wants to bring our troops
home. He wants to make
health care available and
affordable, and make the
drug companies account
able!
Barack Obama to me is
humble, empathic, and
extremely intelligent. He has
street smarts, and is hopeful,
spiritual, loyal, and opti
mistic. He loves his family
and they love him. He has a
sense of humor and an infec
tious wide smile and he's
slow to anger.
He listens to others. He
can think on his feet and
sees where the problems lie.
He is loyal and emotionally
stable. He is wise beyond his
years. He has a calm and
serene temperament. He has
an innate ability to know
when something is right or
wrong. He is a great teacher!
On Memorial Day this
past May, I bumped into an
old friend. When she saw me
she rushed to greet me with
a big warm hug. I was wear
??
ing my favorite patriotic
sweater and my just pur
chased Obama hat. She
glanced at my head and
shouted for all to hear, "You
are a disgrace trf your coun
try, Margie!" I felt dizzy,
like 1 was going to fall over.
The word "disgrace" hit me
like a ton of bricks. The pain
in my chest was incredible. I
turned from her and I started
to walk away and never went
back.
I know she did not mean
to hurt me. I think she was
threatened by who Barack
Obama is and his message of
"change." I believe I was the
victim of her fear.
The opposing political
party, like my friend, has
launched their own attack
against Obama. They use
ridicule and distortions to
attack him. They also seem
to be afraid of change.
McCain proposed the same
platform as the President for
the last eight years.
Younger Americans, like
I was many years ago, do not
have time to sort the truth
from fiction. They are too
busy. This can be a danger
ous situation today because
truth in America is a rare
commodity. In all areas of
life, lying and deceit is a
national pastime.
Until Nov. 4, I will con
tinue to organize non-parti
san Voter Registrations as a
gift from the Obama
Campaign. I am out there
dragging a table and two
chairs to the beaches, parks,
and storefronts signing up
unregistered citizens.
My greatest hope is that
Barack Obama wins the
Presidency of the United
States.
My worst nightihare is
that fear will win out over
change and that Barack
Obama will lose the election
and I will sadly be saying on
the morning of Nov. 5.
"Father, forgive them, for
they know not what they
do."
Marge Robben - an
enthusiastic supporter of
Sen. Barack Obama - lives
in Old Greenwich, Conn.