Vote for candidates who are loud and proud on abortion

Fired up and angry

I was 19 when the Roe v. Wade decision was handed down in January 1973. It was cause for celebration for my friends and me, as we were newly emerging feminists. Not only did Roe v. Wade mean no more back-alley abortions, it also provided a national spark for the women’s movement to push for equal access and opportunities across the board, opportunities we take for granted today. How devastating that the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in June wiped away a woman’s most basic right to control her body.

Women like me are fired up angry. Voters must not be fooled by Republican candidates’ intentional silence on abortion rights. Vote for candidates who are loud and proud about restoring a woman’s right to control her own body. Losing that right is a slippery slope for women in this country. Women must use their voices, their vote.

Helen Tack, Cary

Kirpan incident

Sara Pequeño’s Sept. 28 Opinion column about the UNC Charlotte police department’s response to a report of a person with a weapon was off base.

As a former police officer, I know that N.C. law prohibits possession of edged weapons on school campuses. There doesn’t seem to be an exception for religious objects, nor should there be as it suggests religion trumps the rule of law.

The UNCC officer appears to have acted with professionalism. After determining the circumstances, he released the subject without arrest. Under N.C. law, the officer had probable cause for an arrest.

Also, the First Amendment allows religious practice “so long as the practice does not run afoul of public morals” or a “compelling” governmental interest.” Is keeping weapons off the campus a “compelling” government interest?

Robert Porreca, Hillsborough

Cultural awareness

Twenty-some years ago when I worked in the UNC-CH admissions office I received a call from an irate parent concerned about the book first-year students were assigned to read. “I don’t know if I want my son going to college to learn things he doesn’t want to know about,” he said. The book was about Islam. The caller was a professor at East Carolina University. Ignorance knows no bounds.

North Carolina residents still don’t know enough about Islam and, as news suggests, they know even less about the Sikh faith. Being Jewish, I am sensitive to this ignorance. Stereotypes about us abound, even among faculty. Sara Pequeño’s column asking for police training in cultural understanding is commendable but doesn’t go far enough.

Jane Gabin, Chapel Hill

Budd’s actions

Ted Budd did some things after the 2020 election that make me wonder what might happen if he loses a close one this year.

Less than a week after the election had been called for Biden, Budd introduced a bill calling for “a national strategy to combat voter fraud...” The text is 10 bullet points that repeat talking points yelled from the rooftops by quack lawyers and commentators. One has to wonder why Budd introduced that bill. My guess: so Trump would remember him come endorsement time. Mission accomplished!

On Jan. 6, 2021 Budd objected to Pennsylvania and Arizona electoral votes. Did he intend to disenfranchise 6.8 million voters in Pennsylvania and 3.3 million in Arizona? Or, was he clued in about “fake elector” schemes that were underway? Sure makes me wonder!

Budd should answer for these two actions before the upcoming election.

Edward Henderson, Trinity

Trump and Putin

A glaring omission at Donald Trump’s Sept. 24 rally in Wilmington was the absence of any mention of Ukraine and the inhumane, immoral war by Putin. It’s pertinent given Trump’s previous praise of Putin as a “genius” and “savvy.”

How do Ted Budd, Bo Hines and Mark Robinson stand on the same stage praising Trump’s leadership given his praise of Putin? How do the thousands of fans there turn a blind eye to those being raped and slaughtered by Russian soldiers and not question Trump’s fealty to Putin?

If Trump were to run for president and win, he would likely be sharing the world stage again with Putin. This is a man who once indicated that he accepted Putin’s word over the U.S. Intelligence community.

Mark Slattery, Raleigh

Raleigh’s CACs

Regarding “Raleigh mayor warns against ‘silly season’ after verbal skirmish at City Council meeting,” (Sept. 21):

Raleigh City Council member David Knight seems to have forgotten that he is elected by the people and acts for the people of this city. He sure wasn’t shy Sept. 20 about reminding City Council and staff that Citizen Advisory Councils (CACs) were defunded two months into his term.

Even without city financial support, a good number of CACs continue to engage with residents about issues affecting their neighborhoods and daily lives. As Americans, that is our right.

Raleigh’s CACs were created decades ago with specific duties in the planning process, but their primary focus was to inform and listen. While not all CACs have come back, those that still exist have not changed their focus. Do our demographics have to meet Knight’s standards before he’ll represent his constituents?

Harlan Shays, Raleigh