THE NEWS RECORD
j Editorial
I ,, _ ...
? Polluters Must Be
Identified, Arrested
We must all learn a lesson from the Western Carolina
Smelting Company incident if the quality of life in Madison
County we all enjoy is to be maintained.
Last week, crews from the Envioramental Protection Agen
cy identified 95 drums of cyanide left at an abandoned
smelting plant in the Sandy Mush area. The drums containing
the deadly poison were left behind when the business was clos
ed. The potentially lethal timebomb was left within 30 feet of
Little Sandy Mush Creek.
We can be glad that the EPA stepped in before tragedy
struck, but let our joy be brief. We must renew our vigilance in
defending our beautiful mountains or the lessons from this
potential disaster will be lost.
The people of Madison County must let it be known that
other Western Carolina Smelting incidents are intolerable.
Our public officials must make it understood, in no uncertain
terms, that while we welcome new industries, with the new
jobs and opportunities they bring, polluters will be neither
welcomed nor condoned.
We must strengthen our determination to guard against
fast-buck operators who would jeopardize our health and safe
ty in the name of profit.
This incident in Sandy Mush provides the best argument
possible for organizing Streamwatch projects throughout
Madison County. Be it cyanide or plastic milk jugs, those who
would pollute our mountain streams must be identified and
prosecuted.
None of us here in Madison County truly owns the beautiful
land we love. We are all merely stewards, safeguarding the
land for future generations. If we do not learn from this ex
perience, our children's children will mourn our failure.
Other Opinions
Handicaps Are Not
Boundaries
October has been declared Down's Syndrome Awareness
Month by the United States Congress. President Reagan sign
ed the declaration in the White House on Sept. 28.
During October, many activities have taken place to create
a greater awareness of Down's Syndrome, the most common
form of mental retardation.
Although October is the month when parents and groups can
join forces to create more awareness, there are many sources
of information available all year.
In Madison County, you can contact the Association For
Retarded Citizens which holds meetings each second Tuesday
in the Marshall Day Care Cento*; the Madison County support
group for family and friends of the handicapped; the Blue
Ridge Mental Health Center; Mountains of Madison Enter
prises or the Unaka Center.
These groups are involved with many people with different
handicaps and have access to a lot of information that may
help you.
If there is a handicapped person in your neighborhood or
family, you may want to contact these agencies to learn more
about what services are available.
It is important to keep in mind that handicaps are not boun
daries, they are hurdles.
Koenig's Corner
Is There Life
After Nov. 6?
Once upon a time a long, long time
ago, there was no Jim Hunt-Jesse
Helms race for the U.S. Senate. Way
| back then; right wingers and left
winger* were hockey players instead
of politicians Hence, that time came
to be known as the Ice Age.
In those early days before Jim and
?k, Jane began the modern day version
of the Hundred Years War, people
relied on primitive forms of enter
tainment for diversion. There were
no 'Where Do You Stand, Jim?' com
mercials, no 30- second slide shows of
Central American dictators and
Ronald Reagar could only be seen
junday nights on Death Valley
Days ' They were dim days indeed.
Back in those dark days, preachers
?i.wu in pulpit*? ' nurst-na - iixl
in tent revivals, lliey mostly wore
dark Ch ea< v suits and carried a
Hi (M? jr. <4iey could be distir
i,,. ? collectors and |
cathedrals 'n ?. w early day*.
Somehow, humanity survived.
In less than one week, my friends,
we may see the end of civilization as
we know it. Come Nov. $, the longest
campaign since tbe Crusades will
cime to an end. North Carolinians
who haven't been rendered totally
apolitical by tbe mud-slinging will
elect one of these fellows to the U.S.
Senate for six years
There'll be no more actual news
footage' of Jim Hunt raising bb hand
for higher taxes. No more 'actual ar
tist's drawings' of Jesse Helms voting
to keep cameras out of the UJ5.
Senate Television will return to sell
ing whatever it was they sold before
Jim and Jesse bought the airwaves
When Nov. 7 arrives. Hunt and
Helms will have spent about
?it.uuu.uuu to get a jod mat pays about
W5.00
thai moocy in order to win thr hearts
of the ten peroeot at the voters that
In* alread made up their mind
years ago
Is there life aftt ; Jim a 1 Jesse?
Ft won't be ?asy, but 1 think weH
10 atte who ?ins
Heard And Seen
r &? j > ??
By POP STORY
LETS MAKE HALLOWEEN SAFE
On Wednesday night of this week, Halloween will be observ
ed throughout the country. Thousands of Halloween parties
will be held and children will celebrate by wearing costumes
and playing 'trick or treat' by visiting friends and neighbors.
It will be an exciting night which children relish and enjoy.
But with all this fun, there will be the dangers of
carelessness and costly mistakes which can lead to injury and
suffering.
I urge parents to warn their children and advise them to be
careful. After all, it is a time for small children.
Often, teenagers overdue their celebration by being destruc
tive and abusive. Their 'pranks' often turn to harmful acts
which result in ruining the holiday.
I urge everyone to use common sense tonight.
ELECTION DAY NEARS, THANK GOODNESS
Thank goodness there aren't many more days and nights of
listening to the political commercials on television. If we
believed all the criticisms and allegations we hear, very few
politicians would warrant our vote-but that's politics.
A TERRIBLE DECISION
I was shocked, saddened and surprised to say the toast when
I read that Bob Terrell's column which has appeared in The
Asheville Citizen for the past 17 years has been discontinued,
effective last Sunday.
The Citizen announced on Sunday that Terrell would assume
a new post as deputy managing editor of news and sports for
The Asheville Times.
To me, this 'promotion' in an effort to improve The Times
comes at the cost of The Citizen. I can't believe that this is a
wise move, by any stretch of the imagination.
Five other Citizen-Times editors are also assuming posts
with The Times.
I hope that hundreds of Terrell's regular readers will write
to officials of The Citizen protesting the elimination of
Terrell's column. Surely the executives of The Citizen will
realize the value and popularity of Terrell's column and will
reinstate the column.
I have no objection to the plan to improve The Times, but
eliminating Terrell's column just doesn't make good sense.
Know Comment
By JOSEPH GODWIN
Pipf'- ' ' V'. ' ; \v\ '
Having decided to use this space for
a serious political essay, I was
assisted by Andy Rooney before I
began to write.
In his slot on "60 Minutes" recent
ly, Andy talked about all the effort
that is being put forth to "get out the
vote." He discouraged such activity.
Viewing voting as a privilege that
carries with it the responsibility of
knowledgeable preparation, he
prefers that those who are ignorant of
the issues stay home.
Mr. Roodey does not want his vote
cancelled out by one who is ignorant
of the issues.
I agree.
Rather than not voting, however, I
much prefer that we all avail
ourselves of all possible knowledge
about matters of concern to our state,
our nation, and the world.
Washing our hands of politics is fol
ly which we cannot affonl.
Since our national elections are no
more than a week away, let me share
a few private notions about our
political process. In doing so, I am
totally serious. Naturally, I hope
these ideas may be of help to some
In this country, our political cam
paigns are much too long. It does not
require four years --nor two years-to
get the issues before the people.
The longer a particular campaign
runs, the more, it tends to cost. It is
nothing less than a disgusting spec
tacle before the nation when the cost
of electing a United States senator
from North Carolina is more than 20
million dollars.
There should be a statutory limit on
the time a campaign can run and
some kind of limit on the amount of
money that can be spent on the cam
paign.
Although a senator does -or should
- represent his home state, he is a
United States senator. He is not wor
thy of his office if he does not repre
sent his home state. On the other
hand, he is no statesman if he places
the state or the interests of any group
above the welfare of the nation.
For the level-headed thinker, this
dual responsibility poses real and
honest questions about financial sup
port from outside the state in which
the senator is elected.
I suggest that one should not be in
fluenced at all by the presidential
"debates." Having watched both
"debates" carefully in their entirety,
1 have the first and strong, lasting im
pression that they were not debates at
all. They were questions which were,
for the most part, ignored. Instead of
answers, we were given prepared
paragraphs of pet prejudices-all of
which we had heard countless times
in campaign rhetoric, news con
ferences, or prepared speeches.
We saw each of the candidates
refuse to hear what the other was say
ing. We saw them try to create issues
where there were no issues. We saw
reality ignored or denied.
The problems and needs of the
United States cannot be separated
from the needs and problems of the
rest of the world. We can neither
thrive nor live along in disregard to
other nations.
Our first conern as voters is what is
best for our state, nation, and the
world. Then-only then-should we be
concerned about the specfics of our
elected officials.
It seems to me that our chief areas
of concern are world peace, economic
security, civil justice and universal
opportunity, environmental protec
tion, population control, personal
safety through civil obedience, and
personal responsibility and moral
decency.
To-be effective in these areas, our
President should be strong,
courageous, and wise. And we must
not forget that when we elect a vice
president, we are expressing our se
cond choice for President.
May we have the wisdom, courage,
and willingness to elect the right per
son.
Letters To The Editor
Vote Your Conscience
Dear Editor:
We are about to make some terribly
important decisions at the polls on
Nov. 6. Most politicians would have
you believe that these are races bet
ween the Democrats and
Republicans, but I don't believe it. In
the top level races, both state and na
tional, this election is a decision bet
ween liberal and conservative
thought.
In general, the liberals are pushing
for higher taxes as a way to reduce
deficits, more centralised govern
ment controls, and more promises of
government giveaway programs that
cost a lot of taxpayers money but
don't ever seem to accoaapftsfe what
they're supposed to
On the other hand, in general, the
way to reduce deficits, smeller
terference in the lives of people and
greater emphasis on self-reliance
These are the constitutional prin
ciples which made our country great
and are, I believe, the only principles
that will keep us great.
Which set of principles do you
choose? The choice has never been so
clear. These issues are so crucial. to
the future of our great nation and to
succeeding generations of our
children that I believe our choice
should override all party considera
tions. Our choice needs to be on the
basis .of which set of principles is
right and best.
We shouldn't hand on a party labd.
We should now, of all times, vote otr
consciencea!
Asheboro. N.C.
Write Your
*sman
Dear
MM
Record
e |
Hadis? Counties were ofMiita
luasian official*
1 finally wrote to Jam? McCk
Clarke.
rwrtjM a prw K reply
Mr :>?M
a form I
BUM be my bu?> *ith the upcomif*
I ouftd 'Ktcouragc
luesttatv to write to him
VMiKMte,
Mai kail. N.C
Slide Show Offered
Dear Mr. Koenig:
We wish to inform readers of Tt*
News Record that we have an in
teresting and informative 25-minute
color slide presentation on the
wonders of Alaska, our former home.
We will come to any church in the
area without charge and show otr
slides, with commentary, dosing
with a brief expanatioci of our Eskimo
relics. These interested may contact
us at 21 Glenview Rd., Asheville or
call 253-7079
Rev. and Mrs. A.E. Purvianc?
Helms Deserves Vote
Dear Editor:
I thought I would drop you a line or
two about Mr. Huat'i remark* about
right wing radical*.
On the ABC Evening New* oa Oct.
II, Mr. Hunt Mid that Senator Jecae
Helm* and other toiervaUve people
are right wing radicals. Mr. Hunt
evidently doesn ; t know the difference
between right wing, left wing, or
government control.
The forefather* wanted a govern
ment that wa* not total government
( left wteg). They also did not want no
government at all. That ia anarchy
They wanted government by law.
That b what we <
We ar>
wing or left whig.
Jewe Helma la a fine Senator. He h
a conatitationaliat. He bolievea in our
KepuhUc The coantry needs more
like him. He feaervea the people'i
vote.
A believer In the
Ray Caaaiy
Gillette. Wyoming
? '
Ob behalf
m unity Cittzaan Association,
yould like to ?*pr s our
loo tar the excellent Job i ?
Sd ii quarterly
iEWSLETTBl and or MibiR a
opy to every resident In Greater Ivy
It was a monumental and txgtft
ive - undertaking Wr are grata ful