What coverage?

By: Letters To the editor | Winston-Salem Journal
Published: November 12, 2009

I hardly know where to start. I refer to the Veterans Day parade coverage ("Marching On," Nov. 8, 2009) -- or lack of.

What was the estimated attendance? Who were the other participants in the parade? Were there any marching bands? Where did it begin and end? Why weren't there perhaps interviews of people and/or veterans attending?

With the emphasis now being on local news, this could have been a wonderful salute to our veterans. But the real disbelief were the two photographs which took up over half the page: A huge photo of a "crowd" of four people, a line of four Forsyth County Sheriff's Office officers, a big yellow POW truck and a huge blue sky. If someone had shown me this photo without knowing what it was, I would have said, "It's a blue sky and a yellow truck."

The smaller photo of the veteran watching the parade also begs for the question to be asked: What parade?

If I had taken such photographs I would have put them in the throw-away pile. It's hard to critique other photographers' work, but when we the readers are paying a professional photographer's salary, I believe we are due professional photographs that tell the story. I do believe the photographer allowed this parade to pass him by.

BETSY L. HENDRIX

Winston-Salem

Helpful tools

In the past year I have signed up for many helpful online tools so that I can keep up with all the changes that are being made in our country. Since I'm a conservative Republican, one of these publications I have subscribed to may be surprising; it may have been my most helpful so far: I signed up at MyBarackObama.com.

Just now I used the tools made available to me to thank Rep. Virginia Foxx for her vote against this horrendous health-care bill. I pray that more people become truly informed and that they will stand up for their beliefs and morals.

I thank Foxx for sticking to her guns and voting with people like me.

DEANNE UTT

Mount Airy

Politics placed above needs

I am encouraged that at least 220 members of the House of Representatives were courageous enough to stand up to the insurance industry and lobbyists and voted to pass H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. They should be commended.

I am, however, very disappointed that Rep. Virginia Foxx, my representative, put partisan politics above the needs of many of her constituents. Had Foxx voted for the Affordable Health Care for America Act, she would have voted for secure and stable insurance coverage for the overwhelming majority of her constituents, expanded coverage for those who do not have insurance, lower costs for families and businesses, and a way to begin to reduce the national deficit.

She has yet another opportunity to vote for health-care reform in this country. It is my sincere hope that when the bill comes up again in the final House vote that Foxx will vote for it. If not, many of us will remember her indifference to us in the next election.

GLORIA MATTHEWS HARRIS

Advance

Prevention

I think it is tragic that this mass shooting occurred ("Motive unknown," Nov. 6) when we already know how to prevent this type of thing. We should have declared Fort Hood and all other Army bases "gun-free zones" so that it would have been impossible for this to occur.

After all, the "gun-free zone" concept has worked so well at our high schools, universities, health clubs and churches.

JERRY PARSONS

Kernersville

Proud of Foxx

I'm proud of Rep. Virginia Foxx. The Nov. 6 Journal editorial, "Foxx, again," described Foxx as being "outrageous" because of her recent comments against Democratic health-care proposals. The Journal said, "… Foxx will continue to shock and embarrass her constituents with outrageous remarks." Well, I'm not shocked or embarrassed that Foxx dares to speak out against Democratic socialism.

In these critical times, few in Congress have the courage to speak frankly and warn our citizens of the downside of the Democratic health-care bills floating around in Congress. Foxx has always protected the unborn and is also attempting to protect seniors from "Obamacare." Few Americans will be pleased with Democratic health care.

BRENT EATON

Clemmons