I would like to respond to the letter from Fred Flaxman [“How Do We Know If Fracking Chemicals are Safe?” Aug. 27, Xpress]. Fracking chemicals are no secret. Anyone can go to FracFocus.org and learn all the chemicals used in all the mines. Companies are required to use safe chemicals. What is secret is the formula […]

I’ve had an ongoing issue with the North Carolina Mountain State Fair for the last three years. After 18 years with no dress code sign or any specific rules about how people are supposed to dress at the fair, in 2011 they erected a large “Shirt and Shoes Required” sign at their gate. As a full-time “barefooter,” […]

I’m concerned about fracking coming to Western North Carolina, so I’m going to a hearing about it in Cullowhee on Friday, Sept. 12. Please consider joining us. (See wncfrackfree.org.) Fracking threatens drinking water wells, which more than 3 million people in North Carolina rely on for their drinking water. North Carolina’s shale formations are closer to the […]

During the primary, someone called me to ask if I’d be less likely to support Commissioner David King if I knew he had taken a “vacation to France paid for by special interests.” That’s called a push poll. It’s designed to “push” public opinion by implying something that is not always true. Usually this takes […]

Excuse me, but what’s the beef here (no pun intended)? Women want equal rights to bare their breasts in public because men can walk around without wearing a shirt? The point escapes me. Let me get this straight: Nature endowed women with two breasts, primarily to provide milk to nurture their young. Any other “titillation” […]

Recently, I asked my daughter to run to Lowe’s to pick up a mop bucket for me. As soon as she picked up her keys to go, our beloved rat terrier, Daisy, wanted to go, too. I have taken Daisy before. She is only 11 pounds of love. As soon as my daughter got out […]

North Carolina’s Energy Modernization Act prohibits disclosure of chemicals used in the process, according to your fine article on the subject [“Focus on Fracking: NC Officials Seek Public Comment on Draft Rules,” Aug. 6, Xpress]. How are we then to know if these chemicals are safe for the water supply and the environment? The answer […]

The fabulous Marshall restaurant Pork & Pie, which received three Best of 2014 awards in the Mountain Xpress, is relocating to downtown Brevard in October. The Xpress followed each award with the notation “closed.” Marshall’s loss is our gain. Chef Jaime Hernandez is the kitchen artist behind the name Pork & Pie that will re-emerge as Jaime’s at […]

I understand that Tate MacQueen, Democratic candidate for North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District seat, has asked his supporters to cut in half the contribution they were going to make to his campaign and, instead, give the remaining 50 percent of the contribution to a charity of their choice  in Western North Carolina. This is the first time […]

I am writing this letter to bring to light an issue I am sure most parents are not aware of. My child has a history of severe ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and has other issues.  When he was in middle school, he was put on a waiting list to be placed in a special program for […]

In a July 16 letter [“New Mural at Orbit DVD is Offensive,” July 16, Xpress], David Lynch criticized public art at Orbit DVD by applying the discerning website knowyourmeme.com. Lynch referenced a sad and offensive Internet meme featuring a sloth (the same creature depicted in Orbit’s mural) and claimed this meme, which advocates violence toward women, […]

It perplexed me to see diversity voted as the third-best reason to live in Asheville [“Best of WNC, Part One,” Aug. 6, Xpress]. This is not because I believe it is inaccurate nor that I lack an abiding love for the general weirdness of our city that the word was likely meant to encapsulate when […]

OK, I am really not a prude, and I occasionally have a drink, but I am concerned about the widespread promotion of alcohol in Asheville. Is anyone else? These past two summers I’ve observed way more staggering, vomiting people wandering the downtown sidewalks than ever before. We are producing our own sake, moonshine, wine, hard […]

Referencing Janet Burhoe-Jones’ letter [“Promotion of Roman Polanski Film Appalling,” July 30, Xpress] regarding the review of “Venus in Fur”:  Is Roman Polanski morally reprehensible? A court thought so. Should film critics take into consideration the moral characters of directors and actors (think Woody Allen) when recommending movies?  If so, half the theaters in the country […]

I have never written a letter to the editor. Maybe I have never felt this passionate before, but after attending Moral Monday, I feel compelled to. It’s not that I didn’t agree with what was being said. I absolutely do. The fact that North Carolina legislators need to do more for their citizens is more […]

From what I’ve read over the years about the filmmaker Roman Polanski, I would agree with letter-writer Janet Burhoe-Jones in the Mountain Xpress [“Promotion of Roman Polanski Film Appalling,” July 30, Xpress] that Polanski is a sex criminal and an altogether horrible person. I think he fully deserved to spend the rest of his life in […]

It is so mean to put a collar on a wild bear! It is so self-serving to put a bear through human harassment. If people see lots of bears out there, there probably are lots of bears out there. If you don’t see lots of bears out there, probably there are not lots of bears out […]

A DO-NOTHING Congress and a House of Representatives, whose real speaker is a radical right-wing senator, not even a member of the House, have accomplished less and hurt the country more over the past six years than any Congress in history. It’s a fact. [John] Boehner is just a puppet, not a leader in any sense […]

The series of paid informational advertisements by Ingles has taken the store out of advertising and into advocacy. This is dangerous ground for a company because it alienates customers who don’t agree. The nationwide boycott of Hobby Lobby for its stance against parts of the Affordable Care Act is an example of where this can […]

I’m sure most people know by now that Nancy Waldrop (wife of soon-to-be ex-Commissioner  Republican David King) was successful in securing the votes needed to run as an unafilliated candidate in November for her husband’s commission position. The Democrats were unable to get anyone from their own party to run for the job, so they […]