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OPINION The Chronicle Ernest H. Pitt Publisher Emeritus 1974-2015 617 N. Liberty Street 336-722-8624 i 41 '? www.wschr0nicle.com V,?, i* Elaine Pitt Business Manager Donna Rogers Managing Editor wali D. Pitt Digital Manager Our Mission 77ie Chronicle is dedicated to serving the residents of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County by giving voice to the voiceless, speaking truth to power, standing for integrity and encouraging open communication and lively debate throughout the community. We can't repeat discrimination mistakes in U.S. In light of the recent mass shootings in Paris and San Bernardino. California, President Obama addressed the nation on Sunday, Dec. 6, about keep ing the American people safe. He outlined four ways the U.S. government is working to protect Americans. He also spoke about some things that shouldn't be done, including this: There should be no discrim ination against Muslims or any group of people. "Here's what else we cannot do. We cannot turn against one another by letting this fight be defined as a war between America and Islam. That, too, is what groups like ISIL want." It was striking that the president spoke one day before the 74th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack by Japan. The attack propelled the United States into World War II. It also led government officials to persuade President Franklin D. Roosevelt to authorize internment camps for Japanese-American citizens. People who had pro ductive lives in the United States were suddenly treated as enemies of the state because of their heritage 1 Families lost at least four years of their lives because of this mistake and the United States lost the contribu tions they were making in soci ety. Decades later. President Ronald Reagan authorized pay ing millions of dollars to the families of those who were affected by President Roosevelt's move. Obama Before that, a whole race of people was made slaves just because of their heritage. Proud, produc tive people from Africa were stripped of the lives they knew and brought to America to work for pri vate citizens who wanted to make money. The U.S. government sanctioned the move. The United States has a history of treading over people for its own gain. We must not repeat the discrimination mistakes of the past. President Obama said: "It is the responsibility of all Americans ?of every faith ?to reject discrimi nation. It is our responsibility to reject religious tests on who we admit into this country. It's our responsibility to reject proposals that Muslim Americans should somehow be treated differently. Because when we travel down that road, we lose. That kind of divisiveness, that betrayal of our values plays into the hands of groups like ISIL. Muslim Americans are our friends and our neighbors, our co-workers, our sports heroes?and, yes, they are our men and women in uniform who are willing to die in defense of our country. We have to remember that." In the 1950s, during the Cold War, many Americans were falsely accused of being Communists, in essence called traitors. One U.S. senator led the charge. Joseph McCarthy kept at it until his tactics and inability to substantiate his claims led the U.S. Senate to censure him. Today, GOP presidential frontrunner Donald Trump is taking up the demagogue mantel, saying the United States should stop all Muslims from entering the country until U.S. government officials detenmne where the hatred of the United Stated is coming from. He earlier talked about interning Muslims in the United States. We must not repeat the discrimination mistakes of the past. People from all races practice Islam. How do you determine who is a Muslim? Not all Muslims come from the Middle East, and there is no guaran tee that terrorists will be prevented from entering the United States under any procedure to prevent them from doing so. President Obama said it best: "Let's not forget that freedom is more powerful than fear; that we have always met challenges ? whether war or depression, natural disasters or ter rorist attacks?by coming together around our com mon ideals as one nation, as one people. So long as we stay true to that tradition, I have no doubt America will prevail." LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Burr's votes harm plenty of people in middle class To the Editor: The Republican effort to take away healthcare for millions of Americans and defund Planned Parenthood is expected to "come back and bite" them next fall, and Richard Burr is high on the list of Senators whose reelection prospects grew dimmer as he voted against thousands of North Carolinians who rely on the health services he sought to dismantle. Burr also opposed a measure to close the terrorist gun loophole, which would have prevented anyone listed on the terrorist watch list from buying firearms, and said no to mid dle class tax relief among other things. . 'If this is what the Republicans have in mind when they say "we're back to work," then for the sake of women and families across the coun try, please take a break,' said Lauren Passalacqua, DSCC [Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee] National Press Secretary.'... Richard Burr made it clear that he prioritizes special interests and corporations over women's healthcare, the safety of our communities and pretty much anything else that would help the middle class.' Here's a recap of his most damag ing votes: Defund Planned Parenthood VOTED: YES Defunding Planned Parenthood would hurt North Carolina's 9 Planned Parenthood centers and more than 31,000 patients who rely on the clinics for basic health services like breast exams. Pap tests and contra ception. When given the opportunity to strike the provision defunding Planned Parenthood, Burr voted no. Close the Terrorist Gun Loophole VOTED: NO The amendment would have pre vented terrorists or suspected terror ists from buying a gun or explosives. Provide Tax Relief to the Middle Class VOTED: NO The amendment would have pro vided new tax cut for working fami lies to keep more of what they earn and also help pay for child care. Increase Veteran's Access to Care & Improve VA Facilities VOTED: NO The amendment would have increased funding for veterans care, VA construction and hiring. Protect Pregnant Women, Domestic Violence Victims & Cancer Patients from Tax Increases VOTED: NO The amendment would have pro tected a tax credit passed as a part of the ACA, protecting tax increases for vulnerable patients, including preg nant women, victims of domestic vio lence, people with cancer and Alzheimer's, and stroke survivors. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Washington, D.C. CBC applauds the decision to investigate Chicago Police To the Editor: CBC Chairman G. K. Butterfield [N.C.-l] released the following statement following the decision of Attorney General Loretta Lynch to initiate the Department of Justice's pattern-or-prac tice investiga tion into the Chicago Police Department: The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has asserted for years that African Americans are Lynch treated unfairly and disproportional ly in the criminal justice system; The multiple shooting incidents involving police in Chicago and across the country serve as further proof that bias and excessive use of force by law enforcement are real in the African- American community. Last week, led by Congressman Bobby L. Rush (IL-01), the CBC sent a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch to initiate a pattem or-practice investigation into the dis criminatory policing by the Chicago Police Department. These incidents are not isolated and reflect a perva sive pattern of racial bias in policing. Today's [Dec. 7] announcement from Attorney General Lynch is an opportunity to restore the trust of the American public in our criminal justice system and put an end to racial and discrim inatory profiling by law enforcement once and for all. Congressional Black Caucus Washington, D.C. Staff surprises Rep. Adams at her 1 year anniversary To the Editor: The people of the 12th District went unrepresented for 11 months, so I knew I had ? IV gci Ilgm IV work when I was elected and swom in on Nov. 12, 2014. Nov. 12, 2015, marked the end of my, first year in office, and my staff surprised me with a cele bration. Adams inank you to everyone who has made this year a success. I'm proud to serve more than 775,000 people in North Carolina's 12th District. U.S. Rep. Alma Adams, N.C. District 12 Washington, D.C. We Welcome Your Feedback Submit letters and guest columns to let ters? wschronicle.com before 5 pm. Friday for the next week's publication date. Letters intended for publication should be addressed "Letters to the Editor" and include your name, address, phone number and email address. Please keep letters to 350 words or less. If you are writing a guest column, please include a photo of yourself, your name, address, phone number and email address. Please keep guest columns to 550 words or less. Letters and columns can also be mailed or dropped off at W-S Chronicle, 617 N. Liberty St., W-S, NC, 27101; or sent via our website, www.wschronicle.com. We reserve the right to edit any item submitted D M (? clarity or brevity and determine when and ||i whether material will t be used. ^ We welcome your comments at our wphsitp Also, go to our Facebook page to comment. We are at face book .com/WSChronicle. Send us a tweet on Twitter. We are at twitter.com/WS_Chronicle.
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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