Dear Editor:
    After reading Mr. Dickey’s column in your magazine, I’m not sure I ever want to read your magazine again. Of course, his (Sarah) Palin bashing was probably found to be very humorous by yourself and your staff, but how about printing the other side and telling the truth about Sarah Palin? And how about some truths about Mr. Obama that have not made it into your paper.{mosimage}
    Sarah Palin did not try to censor books at the Public Library. She has stated that again and again in the press conferences and one-on-one reports she has done with many of our liberal press members. And as for her foreign policy experience, apparently Pitt doesn’t read anything that doesn’t agree with his point of view, or he would know she leads the Alaska military and has to know what’s going on over the border in Russia and elsewhere, because Alaska is the site of one our first-line defenses.
    Has Pitt heard anything about his Obama taking millions from Fannie Mae? Maybe that’s why they had to be bailed out. Has he heard anything about Obama’s relationships with people who really hate America? That’s a great qualification for our Commander-in-Chief, to be anti-American, as is his wife, Michelle, who is only just now proud of her country. 
    Do you really think that leftist-leaning (perhaps a socialist?) is going to get us out of a mess that our Congress and past leaders have gotten us into? There are so many people who have come here from socialist and communist countries to get away from that kind of regime — why are we allowing it on our soil?
    What ever happened to personal responsibility and people taking care of their own? If parents had a child who became pregnant or who caused a pregnancy, it used to be up to the parents to deal with the problems. Not anymore. Now it’s everyone else’s problem. At least Sarah’s family is taking care of their daughter personally, along with the baby’s father, and not putting her on welfare for everyone else to take care of. That is what is going on in this country. Nothing is anyone’s fault anymore. Why should we bail out people who made stupid loans that they couldn’t afford? Years ago, when purchasing a house, we hadn’t investigated thoroughly into what all of the closing costs would be, and we got caught short. We almost lost the house, but borrowed money, finally, from a family member, whom we had to pay back. We didn’t expect the government to bail us out. It was our fault and our responsibility.  Borrowers know that the interest rate on an ARM loan will go up, and if they don’t, they need to read their paperwork better. And, of course, the banks are going to lend them money with the knowledge that they may make more money when the rate does go up. Where have all these people been? Living underground? A variable interest rate means the INTEREST WILL CHANGE, maybe down, usually up. Why is that everyone else’s fault?
    But it is the way our entire society is going. The few who work have to constantly bail out those who think it’s easier to live off of everyone else. What is wrong with people being well-off if they have worked hard to earn it? It’s OK with me.
    And just so you don’t think I am one of those wealthy people, at this point I am 64 years old and through circumstances, have no health insurance and live on $13,000 a year. Could you do that? But I have to make my own way, and I don’t expect everyone else to take care of me or my problems. That is what this country was built on and the way it should be. I don’t mind helping those who try to help themselves, but I do mind helping those who blame everyone else for their problems and they need to get off their duffs and help themselves.
    Lois Croxton, Autryville

Stop Picking on Palin
Dear Editor:
    Today I read the article in the Up & Coming entitled, “Palin Is More Of The Same Washington Politics.” I was so appalled by it that I was compelled to write. It left me so shocked that I immediately grabbed a highlighter and started to mark everything I thought was obscene and unnecessary.
    So, let us begin.(And yes, I do expect this entire email to be read and responded to.)
    You started your article, saying, “Sarah Palin reminds me of Marge Simpson on steroids ...” Why was this needed? It was not. Just because you are against a certain party member, does NOT mean you can go and reference them to a fictional character on “steroids.” Where did that come from? Steroids of all things? I find it horrible that you actually could stand yourself putting down another person like this!
    Next.
    You now go on to say how “white” the Republican convention was.
    WHAT!?
    What does that have to with politics? Just because they don’t have an African-American representative standing there does not mean anything! Also ... Look at yourself! You are also Caucasian. Perhaps you are stuck in a dream where the world is perfect and all have the same skin color. Perhaps in your dream world, these “Republicans” are the odd ones out, and have snow-white skin!
    “It won’t matter if the arctic ice cap melts, as we will always have a sea of Caucasian delegates at Republican conventions to remind us of what a blizzard of white looks like.”
Wow, that took some guts to say.
    So, let’s look at some Democrats: Kerry — white; Edwards — white; Biden — white; Clinton (both) — white.
    I could go on. My point being you cannot judge an entire party by the color of their skin! Just because Barrack Obama is black, does not mean that every other politician has to be!
    Now, onto the subject of lobbyists, censorship, the Bridge etc. Sarah Palin is indeed in a pickle about these subjects. Remember, she has not answered all the questions behind these subjects. Perhaps she doesn’t because she doesn’t want to raise publicity, or maybe she’s afraid the answer will not be want the people want. Whatever her reasons are, the point is that she HASN’T settled these debates. So, do not go and speak of these matters as if you know for a fact that you know the answer.
    I shall now go onto a subject that I hate in any party — the invasion of personal lives.
    “Queen of moose burgers?”
    Might I say that Alaskans are very used to hunting for moose. Why do we make such a deal out of this? My explanation: We do not hunt for moose.  Because we are from a different environment when anything out of our regular lives comes into play, for some reason we have to go insane! I felt as if this could’ve been left out.
“Change is coming! Change is coming!”
    You complain about his chanting of this saying. Tell me sir ... What politician hasn’t? Obama says, “America will change.”
    “The conventional theory is when you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is to stop digging.” That is true, but if you’re in a hole ... you can’t get out. You either struggle crawling up the sides, only finding that you will only fall back down in a pitiful fail — you use your shovel and start digging up the sides of the hole you created, trying to fix it.
Stop making references to John McCain’s age! Reagan was up in his years when he became president, and he became one of the greatest leaders this country has had!
    I could go on, telling of my resentment towards politicians because of how they do nothing but eat each other alive. I could go into my beliefs of how elections should be handled, but I won’t. I won’t lower myself down to your level. Can you dig it?
    Yours Truly,
Sarah Brown, 14 years old, Fayetteville

IT’S OBAMA TIME
Dear Editor:
    I will vote for Sen. Barack Obama for president on Nov. 4. His policies are fine. He has enough experience — as much as John Kennedy in 1960. What seals the deal for me, though, is simple yet intangible: He inspires me and I believe he will inspire this country. This candidate effortlessly weaves the Preamble to the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and Lincoln’s first Inaugural Speech into his message to us.
    At the heart of Sen. Obama’s message are these values of America itself: that government is of the people, by the people, for the people; that we journey together to aspire to a more perfect Union; that these truths are self-evident, that all men are created equal, they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and that government is instituted to secure these rights; that we must respect each other and seek common ground despite our differences.
    Our country has turned away from these uplifting sentiments in the last eight years. This administration has cut corners with Constitutional rights. It ran up a reckless trillion dollar deficit with boondoggle after boondoggle to buy votes in Congress. It mangled its response to the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina when incompetent cronies at FEMA let anarchy reign until New Orleans was ravished. It lied about whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction to justify a useless, endless war that has killed too many Americans to prop up a people and government that do not respect us. It used illegal political loyalty tests in hiring at the Department of Justice and fired U.S. Attorneys deemed politically unreliable. It censored scientific opinion at regulatory agencies like the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Securities and Exchange Commission to fit a slanted political agenda. It worsened the energy crisis by cozying up to Middle East potentates and Big Oil and failing to provide incentives for conservation measures that are the most economical way to reduce our oil addiction.
    I hear Sen. Obama urging us to get away from government for special interests and lobbyists, to turn away from government that divides us and turns us against each other. He offers government that can provide a safety net and not be our enemy. We cannot be selfish and ask how government can stuff our wallets. President John F. Kennedy said “If a society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.” Every American should be entitled to a good job, a decent home, a safe neighborhood, health care, food and a sound education.
    I will close with a perhaps less familiar passage from Lincoln’s First Inaugural: “By the frame of the government under which we live, this same people have wisely given their public servants but little power for mischief; and have, with equal wisdom, provided for the return of that little to their own hands at very short intervals. While the people retain their virtue and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government in the short space of four years.”
    I have had enough of folly these last eight years. On Nov. 4 I will vote for Sen. Obama for President of the United States of America. I trust he will lead us to sunlit upland meadows. God bless America, land that I love.
    Grainger Barrett, Fayetteville

SUPPORT CROP WALK
Dear Editor:
    A teenage girl celebrating her birthday after asking all of her guests to bring along canned goods for Second Harvest Food bank.
    A young girl in Parkton inviting her little friends to collect money and walk in the Oct. 19 CROP walk.
    Young soldiers driving out to Second Harvest to ask how they can help feed the hungry.
    What do these and many other heartwarming stories have in common? They’re all in response to Tim Wilkins’ excellent Sept. 3-9 article, “Travel a Mile in Shoes of Hungry During CROP Walk.”
    And did I mention that Tim volunteered to walk and invite donations from his friends and coworkers? When Tim Wilkins talks the talk he — literally — walks the walk. (To sponsor Tim, please call Up & Coming Weekly at 484-6200.)
    As for the “other” paper in town, while they have reported our region’s food crisis, they still haven’t reported on strategies to solve the problem. Once, they gave an incorrect number for CROP Walk, and twice they omitted the the phone number and address of Second Harvest. Thank God for Up & Coming!
    In terms of increased requests for food assistance, Fayetteville has the third largest food bank crisis in the nation. At 59 percent, we rival Katrina-ravaged New Orleans’ rate of 63 percent. Veterans, single mothers with small children, old folks ... indeed, all kinds of folks are hungry.
    A community-wide attack on hunger is urgently needed. Faith groups, businesses, fraternal organizations, schools, military units, politicians and all individuals with a heart for the hungry have to take a strong, compassionate action.
To help immediately with donations of food, money, or your time, please contact David Griffin or Denise Giles at Second Harvest Food Bank, 406 Deep Creek Road, 485-6923, or www.ccap-inc.org.
    To join 1,000 of our neighbors in our Oct. 19 walk to fight hunger here and around the world, see crophungerwalk.org., or call Michelle Bedsole at 401-5653 or the Rev. Laura Lupton at 868-8293. Our goal is to give Fayetteville the biggest percentage increase in CROP Walk results in the entire nation. Up & Coming is certainly doing its part. Now, it’s up to us. Let’s defeat hunger NOW!
Jeffrey Brooke Allen, CROP Walk Planning Volunteer, Fort Bragg