2 \ THE NEWS-JOURNAL
Raeford, N.C.
February 28,2001
Viewpoints
If you ask me...
Some clarification is necessary
hcforc I w rite this article. M\ column
.IS others appears on the opinion page,
which simply means it is the writer’s
opinion and not that of the newspa
per. Having said this, the following is
strictly my opinion and I stand behind
It
My family and I came to Hoke
County in 1%7.1 had a good job in
Montgomery County as the high
school principal; therefore I was com
fortable in w hat 1 was doing. Unfortu
nately I am one of those individuals
who is eonstantly looking for a chal
lenge. Hoke High was a fine school
with a good tradition, it offered a
challenge.
However, when the second year
rolled around I was presented with a
challenge far greater than I had bar
gained for. The first year of my
principalship, I had 663 students, the
second year the enrollment increased
to l,7.‘'() teenagers. Tlie support of a
line faculty provided us with a great
opportunity to unite these three
schools into one student body.
Hirough hard work, the cooperating
of our students, the superintendent, a
tine school board and the community
we accomplished our purpose. While
other student bodies in the state were
choosing up sides and fighting, we
w ere w orking for the good of our high
school. It was a rewarding experi
ence. Not to .say we didn’t have our
problems: we did at times, but in
general it was a time of learning. Not
only did the high school blend to
gether, our community did the same
thing. Our citizens began to share the
responsibi 1 ity of governi ng. Th is trend
continued for years. Unfortunately, it
wasn't to last; we once again began to
div ide up and play the race card — we
got groups together in order to tell
them how to vote.
This is not confined to one race, it
is all three. We are all to blame for this
situation which now exists. We
reached a cl imax three years ago when
from out of the sunset rode Jim Davis
and Tony Hunt. In my personal opin
ion these two have caused more strife
in our county in two years than has
been done in 30. Mr. Davis’ only
claim to being a Hoke County citizen
is that he was born here. The greatest
part of his life was lived in another
state. Mr. Hunt came here as a minis
ter, therefore he has no claim to Hoke
County other than in that capacity.
Jim Davis came to my peach or
chard when he first came back to the
county. He stated that he was inter
ested in law enforcement and felt he
would be a good candidate for sheriff.
My only advice to Mr. Davis was that
he should get to know the people and
let them get a chance to know him
before he considered that job. It is
evident that he went his own way. His
candidacy for sheriff got across-the-
ln)ard support from all people. They
weie good citizens, well informed
people, from all races. He put quite a
group together. They did an admi
rable job in getting him elected. He
did have some things that were sus-
peet in his campaign, but most folks
chalked that up to polities.
We all waited for the changes he
promised. Cases that the former sher
iff worked on for months, would be
solved in 30 minutes, to hear him talk.
He was going to get fine enforcement
officers to help him do the job. Mr.
Davis was going to work with the
county officials. Let’s take a few lines
and see how he has performed.
Those case solving 30 minutes have
kept us waiting for two years; as to
law enforcement officers, he should
have installed a revolving door, the
brief periods served by many should
have sounded a warning to those who
honestly wanted to serve. From the
A View from
the Country
Raz Autry
Copivy >iiRn Sorbet
day he took office he has constantly
criticized the county manager, county
commissioners, and anyone else who
disagrees with him.
Mr. Davis is an expert at playing
the race card. When all else foils, he
will shout discrimination when in re
ality race has nothing to do with it.
The name of the game is compe
tency, integrity, and the decency to
treat all human beings with respect,
regardless of race, creed or color. He
has reported supposed wrongdoings
to the SBI, FBI, Justice Department,
the Attorney General and to anyone
who would listen. All of his charges
have proven false.
1 will give him credit for one thing;
he has made us the laughing slock of
the stale. When 1 am asked by others
in surrounding counties about our
sheriff, I reply that we probably have
the only sheriff in the state who wants
to be Malt Dillon, but acts like Barney
Fife. One citizen said to me, Mr. Davis
has made it hard for another black
man to get elected. I certainly hope
not. Ifwecan’t look beyond color and
judge people not by the color of their
skin but by the sincerity of their pur
pose, our chances for success as a
human race is just about over.
I was impressed with Tony Hunt
when he came to Hoke County. His
ideas for helping the county were
refreshing. He seemed to have a solid
head on his shoulders. However, it
became apparent early in his cam
paign, that instead of being a county
promoter, he was a self promoter. His
actions should have proven such. The
way he approached the city proposal
in working together to have a by-pass
around the city is typical for his ap
proach to the problems of the county.
To boycott a meeting because you
feel like you weren't properly in
formed is what is called “butt on the
shoulder of immaturity. ’ To add in
sult to injury he had to add, “We don’t
need anything from the city."
Mr. Hunt needs to realize that we
aren’t in two different worlds. The
only way we are going to accomplish
anything is for the city officials and
the county officials to work together.
To do otherwise is to show you don’t
understand what makes a county suc
cessful or you are totally consumed
with ignorance. It is a credit to the
county that Commissioners Bobby
Wright and Charles Daniels went to
the meeting. James Leach followed
Mr. Hunt down the road to arrogance.
1 personally thought better of him. If
an elected office holder can’t stand in
his own shoes, he needs to be standing
on the sidelines.
I have known many fine commis
sioners in my 34 years in Hoke County.
Just to name a few, can any thinking
citizens by the greatest stretch of their
imagination see John Balfour, L. E.
McLauchlin, Neal MePhatter, Wyatt
Upchurch, James Albert Hunt, T. C.
Jones,Cleo Bratcher, Ralph Barnhart,
Riley Jordan, Jean Hodges, and Tom
Howell making such a dumb deci
sion. These individuals and others,
which space will not permit me to
name, only wanted the best for Hoke
County. To want otherwise only
proves one’s lack of common
sense.
Our progress in the county can
only be realized with men and women
of vision who lead and set examples
not for what is good for them, but
what is the best path for our citizens.
It is apparent we need a lot of im
provement in some of our elected
offices, this can only be accompl ished
at the voting booth.
Letters
Consider county’s needs first in commissioner choice
Editor:
Where do we go from here?
We’vejust lost one of the best men
Hoke County has ever had. L. E.
McLiiughlin followed, and possibly
even graced the Golden Rule. He was
a man who never showed pride... but
one that many of us were proud to call
a friend. Mr. McLaughlin was truly a
just, caring, and compassionate man
who will be missed by those who
loved him. We, who cared for him.
realize that he cannot be replaced. He
left a hole in our hearts and our county
government.
Dare we hold out the hope that our
county commissioners will, in L. E.'s
words, “do the right thing ’ in naming
his replacement? Would the right thing
be moving the third largest vote getter
into Mr. McLaughlin’s unexpired
term, or is this too controversial?
I plead with our commissioners to
get their self-serving needs behind
He pictures money wrongly spent
What is wrong with this picture?
The County is short on funds, so the
county commissioners go to South
ern Pines to have budget meetings
where they spent tax dollars doing
something they could have done right
here in Hoke County. Then Commis
sioner Charles Daniels makes a state
ment that the money they are spend
ing on the outing in Southern Pines is
money well spent.
I would like him to explain to the
people of Hoke County how tax
money was well spent in another
county. For the life 1 cannot see how
that is possible.
James P. Knott
Dale Earnhardt won his final vietpry
To the Editor:
Written in memory of Dale
Earnhardt, April 29, 1951 - Feb. 18,
2001.
As an “Earnhardt” fan, 1 honestly
feel for his family, friends and other
Nascar fans. Like it has been said
before, you either loved him or you
hated him. But it is my own personal
belief that more people loved him
than hated him. I saw Dale as one of
the “good ol ’ boys.” He loved country
life, fishing, hunting, working on his
farm. He shared his earnings with
ones less fortunate than himself and
wanted no praise for it. I feel that he
loved his family with all his heart.
Under all that rugged and tough
exterior, I feel Earnhardt had a soft,
warm heart. I believe he truly cared
deeply about his family, friends and
fans. His true love for life was racing,
he drove hard, he drove fast, he drove
to win! He knew the moves to make
and the right time to make them. But
during what was to be his 1 inal race at
Daytona, he lost his life. He was in the
right place but at the wrong time. We,
along with so many others sat in dis
belief when we heard of his death.
What a sickening, empty feeling I
had. I just knew he would be all right.
1 told my husband, he’ll be fine, wait
and see. We expected him to jump out
of the car at any moment after the
crash.
We waited, but it never happened.
Coming to work the next morning
was so hard; 1 felt like I had lost a dear
friend, which 1 had. He will truly be
missed by so many people. Nascar
will never be the same. For on Febru
ary 18th of 2001, the legendary “Dale
Earnhardt” known asTlie Terminator
was gone, but will live on forever in
our memories! Dale had so many fans
and as for me and my husband.
Tommy, we are still mourning. Even
though we had never actually met him
personally, we feel like we have lost
Worth Repeating
Hoke County District Attorney Kristy McMillan Newton on the
sentencing in Superior Court of Aaron Goode for the murder of Tito
Nations on June 19,1995 — “It is clear to me he is dangerous and he
needed to be confined so that he could not hurt anyone else.”
them and consider the needs of the
county first.
One more thought... the eastern
part of our county needs representa
tion. Raz Autry? Roscoe McCollum?
The list goes on.
Jeff Sumner
Write Washington
This information on national
elected officials is printed as a cour-
te.sy to our readers:
U.S. Senate
Sen. Jesse Helms
403 Dirk.sen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-3301
(202)224-6342
e-mail:
jesse_helms(£ihelms.senate.gov
Sen. John Edwards
825 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-3305
(202)224-3154
e-mail:
senator(o«dwards.senate.gov
josh_stein(ffedwards.senate.gov
Eighth District
Rep. Robert “Robin” Hayes
130 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202)225-3715
e-mail:
www.house.gov^ayes
(richard.hudson(S)mail.house.gov or
robin.haye.s^ mail.house.gov)
District Office
1-888-207-1311
B. Paulette Burgess,constituent liai
son, 230 East Franklin St.,
Rockingham, NC 28379 (910) 997-
2070; FAX (910) 997-7987
Office hours are held at Spring Lake
Town Hall, 300 Ruth Street, each
Wednesday at 2-5 p.m.
President
George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
(202)456-1414.
part of our family. Year after year we
watched him race, — he was our
reason for watching.
Every Sunday of the racing season
we sat in our family room by the TV
eating lunch, as we anticipated the
start of the race. One of my favorite
parts was when the announcer said,
“Gentlemen, start your engines!” My
husband and daughter, Ashley, would
laugh at me as I watched when
“Earnhardt” was in the lead. I was on
the edge of my seat, I couldn’t be still!
What excitement and fun it was, cheer
ing Dale on. He was a wonderful,
experienced driver who knew racing
like the back of his hand. When he put
that red, black and white suit on, he
had “The Look.” To me, he stood for
everything Nascar should be. He was
to us the number one man of Nascar;
he was truly a legend in his time.
There will never be another to take his
place.
So when all you Earnhardt fans
wear that big #3, “Wear it proud!”
I also wanted to mention some
thing I did not know about Earnhardt
until my husband told me. Before he
would race, he had to have a verse
from the Bible taped inside his car. I
found a verse that I thought was ap
propriate in his memory.
“My Presence will go with you,
and I will give you rest,” Exodus
33:14.
I do believe Earnhardt is at total
peace now and ask that everyone’s
prayers go out to those who loved
him. There are a lot of hearts aching
out there that need comforting. As a
Christian, 1 know that Earnhardt has
won his final victory. He is Home.
And 1 know that he will be looking
down from the heavens watching the
race, saying, “Drive hard, drive fast,
drive to win, guys. Make me proud!”
Sincerely,
Susan, Tommy and Ashley Baker
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