First, I would like to thank John Kelleher for this letter, "Not Buying the Swannanoa Plan," in the Aug. 12 Xpress, which starts out, "So let me get this straight." He did indeed get it straight. I hope that the people of Swannanoa Valley will read and re-read that letter until they know exactly what it means.
I would like to add another meaning to his comments: Freedom! On Aug. 4, I attended the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting. A lady held up a sign that said, "Everyone gave something, and some gave everything." I felt again the remorse that I felt 65 years ago when my brother died in the Battle of Bastogne in Belgium. In his last letter, written shortly before the battle, he wrote, "Mama, I have taken human life but I hope that God will forgive me because I did it so that the people of America can be free."
The day after the letter came, the telegram came that said he had given everything. … I'll remember my brother. You remember someone that you know or knew. The least that we can do to repay them is to vote "no" to the incorporation of Swannanoa Valley on Nov. 3.
One freedom lost is another step toward communism. Another government formed would be many freedoms lost. My home, my family and my life are not toys for other people to play with. What are these same things worth to you?
— Arnold H. Ferguson
Buncombe County
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