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.