Fayetteville readers write: End of ‘Fort Bragg’ name and other hot topics
Each year, we like to take a look back at those opinion pieces from our readers and contributors that drew the biggest response from our digital audience. Here is that Top 10 list of 2022.
As usual a wide range of issues are covered in these 10 pieces — ranging from the renaming of Fort Bragg to the canceling of A Dickens Festival to a law enforcement shooting to human trafficking.
As we say in our mission statement: We believe the page should reflect the community as much as possible. When the section encompasses state and national issues, it is with an eye toward their local impact.
We encourage you to offer your own opinions. Submit opinion pieces to eletters@fayobserver.com. Maybe your story will end up in our Top 10 for next year.
— Myron B. Pitts, Opinion Editor
10. On March 4, Freddie de la Cruz, wrote about his plans for the city if he was elected mayor. He was not successful in his bid to unseat incumbent Mitch Colvin in the July election — but he did land in our Top 10.
He wrote that his experience, “will help me understand why Fayetteville is struggling with rising homicide and crime rates and how to help the leadership within the Fayetteville Police Department deal with its discontent, low morale and deficit of quality law enforcement officers. I am a battle-tested proven leader that understands what needs to be done to curtail crime and keep our citizens safe.”
9. On June 26, retired Army Major Gen. Rodney O. Anderson defended the name change of Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty.
“There are a great many heroes who were assigned to our units, all are surely worthy of acknowledgement,” he wrote. “Not simply the recognized heroes but every woman, man and family who stands in the gap so we can sleep at night are worthy of praise. This is what makes our installation special, unlike any other, we are the nation's vanguard, the tip of the nation's spear. The sharp tip of Liberty.”
More:Retired general: ‘Fort Liberty’ the perfect new name for Fort Bragg
8. On May 15, Terry Nowiski of Linden shared the story of her son, Aaron, a combat veteran who died after struggles with PTSD and opioid addiction.
She wrote: “Tragically, like many veterans, his health insurance situation was at best a patchwork, at worst a lethal mess. Legislative leaders can now take a significant step toward ending this cycle by expanding Medicaid, just as 38 states have already done. In doing so, legislators will come to the aid of thousands of North Carolina vets.”
More:Linden mom: My son’s story shows that veterans in NC’s coverage gap need help
7. In a Jan. 16 letter, Fayetteville resident Blake Lumsford questioned the fatal shooting of Jason Walker by off-duty Cumberland County Sheriff’s Lt. Jeffrey Hash.
“As a gun enthusiast and a (concealed carry) permit holder who has voluntarily undergone almost 200 hours of self-paid training, I have one question?” Lumsford asked. “Walker was beating on a windshield with a wiper. Is this threat considered deadly?”
More:Letter: Pro-gun Fayetteville reader asks if a windshield wiper is a deadly threat
6. On Aug. 25, Dr. Hank Parfitt, a co-founder of A Dickens Holiday, questioned the decision by the Fayetteville-Cumberland Arts Council to end the popular downtown festival. Organizers with the Downtown Alliance continued the tradition independently.
“The given reason — that the event was not ‘inclusive’ — makes no sense to me,” Parfitt wrote. “The event is based entirely on ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens, a book whose message is all about ‘inclusiveness,’ about tolerance and love of all fellow human beings.”
More:Decision to kill off A Dickens Holiday in Fayetteville makes no sense
5. On June 21, Caden Ketchman, an early college student at Cumberland Polytechnic High School, criticized the glorification of STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
“The shift toward STEM education is taking over public schools at younger and younger ages, even becoming a prevalent elective course in middle schools,” he wrote. “Pressure to study largely career-oriented subjects is making students feel trapped in jobs they don’t like and which make them feel creatively boxed in. The simple fact is that education is more than a factory, creating workforce-ready individuals. It is instead an opportunity for young minds to develop and explore the disciplines.”
More:Fayetteville early college student: STEM dominance is stifling teachers, students
4. On Feb. 13, Daniel T. McEachern, a Fayetteville native who lives in Statesville, wrote about trying to change a car tire with his son by the side of the road, then enduring threats and racial slurs by an armed man.
“This was supposed to be a lesson in how to change your first flat tire,” McEachern wrote. “Instead, it turned into a lesson about being a Black man. This was a reminder that there are some people who are just filled with hate and evil. This man was one of them.”
More:Fayetteville native: Attempt to change a tire leads to harrowing confrontation, gun shot
3. On Feb. 22, Marjorie K. Eastman, a former Army intelligence officer and then a U.S. Senate candidate, wrote a piece critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin and said she was keeping a close eye on his encroachment in Ukraine. Russia would later invade Ukraine in a war that continues today.
“Putin is ruthless in the suppression of dissent and runs Russia with an iron fist,” she wrote. “His associates have conducted cyber attacks against our infrastructure (like the Colonial Pipeline), and his operatives have assassinated his opponents. He is not our friend and his minions are active every day attempting to subvert democracies and sow division. He would like nothing more than to have America weak and under his boot.”
More:Former Army intelligence officer, Senate candidate: Putin is not our friend
2. On Jan. 24, Rakeem Jones, a regular contributor, shared the story of Leslie Rye, 30, a former victim of human trafficking.
“There are not many programs to help women readjust back into society,” Jones wrote. “Leslie says becoming a mother was the only thing that helped her to come out of her dark place.”
He continued: “The greatest and easiest way to combat human trafficking is awareness. Many people in society do not recognize signs of distress. Furthermore, rather than criminalize the workers, hold ‘customers’ accountable for their actions.”
More:Rakeem Jones: A survivor of human trafficking shares her story
On Dec. 31, 2021, Jones wrote about Kwame Stover, a veteran, businessman and trader in digital currency, shared tips on how to be successful by working on your attitude.
Jones wrote: “Kwame Stover reminds his students that ‘success is a marathon.’ Rather than withholding the knowledge, he continuously divulges how to combine assets into investments that create dynastic wealth. ‘Teaching is amazing, but to see true change and growth in another person is truly an amazing feeling,’ says the 34-year-old millionaire.”
Myron B. Pitts can be reached at mpitts@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3559.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville readers write: End of ‘Fort Bragg’ name and other hot topics
