Serving Edenton & Chowan County since 1934
ROBERTS. PIAZZA ni
• •• Publisher
EARLINE WHITE DEBORAH COLLINS
Managing Editor Production Manager
ASHLEY MKSERI
Advertising Manager
Nobody will
win this ping
pong match
It’s a ping-pong match gone mad.
At one end, paddle in hand, is Scott
Ralls, new president of the N.C. commu
nity college system. He’s working up a
powerful sweat swiftly swatting the ball
His opponent? Himself. And neither
side seems to be winning.
Not so fast.
North Carolina’s community colleges
have banned illegal immigrants from
seeking degrees. That reverses a contro
versial policy ordered last fall allowing
undocumented students to enter so long
as they pay expensive out-of-state tuition.
Ralls took that action in his first few days
as the top leader of the state’s 58 commu
nity colleges. He based it on advice from
the state attorney general’s office, which
said last week that federal law appears to
prevent states from enrolling illegal im
MARY
SCHULKEN
migrants in state colleges
and universities.
The trouble is, this may
not even be an accurate
reading of the law.
It’s so iffy, in fact, that
North Carolina’s other
higher education guru
— university system
President Erskine Bowles
— wisely told chancellors
to stay the course until the
relevant law could be clarified.
Which raises the question: Why would
the leader of the community college sys
tem be so quick to fire a serve with spin
over the net?
Not black and white.
Let’s face it. Saying illegal immigrants
ought to have rights is like shouting “Go
Duke!” at the base of the Old Well in Cha
pel Hill. This is not a thing that brings out
reasoned responses.
Ditto for saying they ought to be able to
attend college — even if they pay exorbi
tant nates.
But the issue isn’t as black-and-white as
it sounds.
For one thing, we’re not just talking
about adults who broke the law to come
here. Most undocumented college stu
dents were brought here years ago as
children by their parents. They graduated
from high school here and have become
part of our culture and our communities.
For another, it’s in the long-term inter
est of the state to offer people who live
and work here as much education as pos
sible. We are gill better off with workers
who have skills and knowledge than we
are with untrained, uneducated workers.
Those are both reasons why acting hast
ily to bar illegal immigrants from enroll
ment is a lousy policy.
Here’s another: The federal government
says it has no authority over admissions
at North Carolina colleges. Both Ralls and
the attorney general’s office are seeking
further clarification. Even Ralls admits
the policy could change again.
So why play ping-pong?
This policy reflects an attitude a lot
of North Carolinians share: People who
come here illegally have no business tak
ing advantage of public resources built
for the benefit of citizens and paid for
with tax dollars.
It’s also strategic: A few politicians in
the state legislature may be a little more
amenable to community college budget
requests if schools crack down on illegals.
Meanwhile, the ball flies furiously back
and forth across the net.
Mary C. Schulken is an Observer as
sociate editor. Write her at P.O. Box 30306,
Charlotte, NC28230-0308, or mschulken@
charlotteqbserver.com.
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About Relay for Life
Dear Editor:
On behalf of the American Cancer
Society’s Relay For Life, I would like to say
thank you to the citizens of Chowan and
Perquimans County and supporters of Re
lay For Life. Our 2008 event was a special
occasion “Because Of You.”
Each year we come together for 24 hours
to celebrate life, to remember those who
have lost the battle, and to raise funds for
research, education, advocacy, and patient
services. The annual event has come and
gone but the spirit of Relay lives on.
As we strive to fulfill the mission of the
American Cancer Society, the community
becomes one team in the fight against can
cer. People are living with cancer thanks
to your efforts.
Words can not fully express our gratitude
to our team captains and members for all
your efforts in fundraising and your par
ticipation at Relay.
To each of our sponsors and contribu
tors, we say a special thank you. Every
dollar is a strike against cancer.
This cooperative effort will have helped
Chowan and Perquimans County raise
approximately $160,000 by the end of our
Relay season.
All monies raised at Relay For Life are
sent to the American Cancer Society to
fund its mission. For every dollar raised
here, three are returned to North Carolina
because of its vast number of teaching and
research hospitals. Your dollars also help
to support Hope Lodge in Greenville, NC
On Oily Politicians
Dear Editor:
The presidential candidates talked and
talked about the high price of oil, but not
one offered a solution, perhaps in order not
to offend financial contributors or because
none had a clue.
I am not an expert, but I read and hear,
and there appears no solution.
With continued demand, the price of
gasoline will continue up and up and even
tually, I assume, doomsday will come for
most of us when the earth is sucked mostly
dry of oil.
Additionally, I read the price of oil on the
international market is based on the U.S.
dollar and with the falling dollar, there are
rumblings the pricing should'be changed
to euros which would double our cost per
gallon.
If this is so, we as a nation should pre
pare for the inevitable crisis, and the only
way this can be done is through legislation
which no candidate or politician has yet
proposed.
It is difficult to know the truth.
Too much money is involved with too
much influence on our government for
the truth to surface. What we need is a
national committee of our best intelligent
and objective men and women to study and
confirm the future we face and tell us what
we should do. We did that in World War II
to make the atomic bomb and we tried to do
the same with the Iraq Study Group.
and local patient support programs in this
area.
Special thanks must be extended to The
Town of Edenton, Chowan Sheriffs Office
and John A. Holmes High School* who sup
ported us during this event. We also thank
our local fire and rescue squads for their
commitment to the safety of our partici
pants.
We must also thank our planning com
mittee members, a small group of volun
teers who work tirelessly and unselfishly to
plan, organize, and coordinate the activi
ties for Relay For Life.
Each year, they continue to work to
implement changes which serve to promote
a wholesome family event which will be
heartwarming and entertaining for all.
The Relay For Life event has numer
ous facets but the planning committee’s
embracing of Relay is overwhelming and
becomes a reality due to their dedication
and commitment.
Most importantly, to the honored cancer •
survivors...Thank You for being there.
You are why we Relay; you are our heroes;
you are our inspiration to continue. Your
“handprints” at Relay leave a lasting im
pression on each of us.
We look forward to seeing each of you.
next year, as we celebrate 25 years of Relay
For Life! Until then, remember that it is
about “being a community that takes up
the fight”. Celebrate Remember FIGHT
BACK!
Kelly Cross
Community Manager
American Cancer Society
In the meantime,, for consideration:
The oil companies say they want to drill
in ANWAR, but do they really?
It will take 7 to 8 years at a cost of bil
lions with an estimate based on present
usage that the ANWAR oil pool will be
exhausted in a year.
If so, it’s not worth it financially for big
oil to develop and drill ANWAR until the
time comes when a drop of oil is gold.
Big oil complains that because of the
opposition of environmentalists it does not
have enough refineries to supply our need;
but the wrinkle is a refinery costs billions
to build. So, financially, they will make do
with the present refineries and continue
accumulating record profits.
And there’s some sense in their position
as no one foresees an additional supply of
oil to support another refinery. Also, as I
read, there is no known major oil deposit
that justifies the cost of drilling.
Day by day ethanol is more discredited.
The highly subsidized conversion of food
into energy is causing global hunger. Oil
shale and deep ocean deposits are talked
about but in one case it takes more or equal
energy to produce energy; in the other, it’s
the financial cost. All else is twenty years '
away, if ever.
If all this is true, the only solution is in
the conservation of energy, a field where
government has failed us for the sake of
big oil and big business,
We cannot give automobile manufac
turers ten, twenty or twenty-five years to
Reader's Corner :
The Chowan Herald invites letters to the editor
on topics of current interest. Each submission
(including e-mails) must carry the writer’s \
name, home address, and daytime phone
number. We will not publish more than one let
ter from the same writer in a 30-day period. *
Submissions deadline is noon Monday. E-mail •
letters to chowanherald@nccox.com; mail
letters to The Chowan Herald, P.O. Box 207, •
Edenton, N.C. 27932. We reserve the right to edit
all letters. Some content cannot be verified. *
The Chowan Herald Reader Advisory Board -
Louis Belfield Linda Eure Sam Garrin , Carlton Griffifi
Bob Harrell Rosalie Miller Penny Norman Larry Sellers*
Regarding trap baiting
Dear Editor: I
This letter is in response to the letter you
recently published regarding “trap bait- I
ing.” *
, I personally do not put food scraps in the
trash, simply because it attracts roaches *
and mice into the house. I empty food
scraps in the edge of the woods.
I also have a dog but when she goes out-I
side she is watched. She rarely leaves the I
yard anyway.
If you don’t have time to keep an eye on;
the animal, you need to either tie the ani-;
mal, put up a pen or fence the yard.
As far as cats, there is little that can be -
done about their roaming unless you keep
them inside.
Carolyn Arnett
Edenton
manufacture vehicles which make 50 miles
or more per gallons. We must conserve *
to survive until another energy source is ;
discovered.
By law, the government should mandate
only small, light four cylinder cars be buiit
with heavy, six and eight cylinder automo
biles banned. The 55 miles an hour speed
limit should be reinstituted. Depending
upon use and need, trucks require separate
guidelines. ;
Outside of transportation needs, wind- ‘
mills should be built along the coast and ;
in the wind-swept heartland. We cannot ;
accept the argument that windmills spoil;
the view. • -
Nuclear plants should be constructed. -
(Eighty percent of France’s electricity is *
supplied by nuclear power, and its ad- ;
vanced train service also lessens the need
for fossil fuel.) ;
Solar power is another alternative, but;
the financial cost in our present economy;
is beyond what the majority of American;
householders can afford.
In wintertime, we’re back to lowering -
the heat and putting on heavier clothing.' -
Many people will object to the conservation
methods I have listed but I do not know of
other bulk methods to save energy. I
Conservation can only be accomplished
by law and not on a voluntary, individual;
basis. If the situation is as dire as it look?
and whittles away our budgets and way of
life, it’s well-past time to do what we can.»
Robert Chapman, Edenten
Question of the week:
— In our May 14 edition, we asked, “What key issues
should frame the national debate to decide who our
next president will be?”
Here’s how one Chowan County resident felt about the
issue, in a letter to the paper, he responded with the
following ideas (see answer at right).
The question I would most like to hear our Pres
idential (and Congressional) candidates address
will remain rhetorical because it is kryptonite to
the superegos of politicians ... whose careers rise
in direct proportion to the promises they make.
Many people believe recent high gasoline, food
and other commodity prices are caused by greedy
companies. I don’t discount their greed, but sub
mit that the major cause of soaring prices is the
demise of the dollar, which is falling like a rock
against other world currencies because of unre
strained federal spending and perennial deficits.
From World War II until now deficit financing
worked to our advantage, but the free ride is over
r
(to list the reasons for this paradigm shift woujd
take up too much room here.) Our national debt
is beyond imagination; if you consider unfunded
Social Security and Medicare obligations it is $63
trillion dollars, or $176,000 for every American.Ut
is increasing by more than $1.2 billion each day
... more than was accumulated in total in our Na
tion’s first 110 years. ♦
My question: “Mr./Ms. Candidate, do you haye
ANY plan that might even begin to address this
issue, which in the long term dwarfs every other
problem this country faces? Have you heard Al4Y
candidate for ANY office even mention this iss&e
in passing? John Sams, Edentdh