In response to the Jan. 8 article about crime being down in the city but up in the West End community, I believe what Police Chief Rory Collins is doing is great.
I learned recently in my criminology class at Elon University about subcultures and how they are different; also, I learned how they affect the greater community. A subculture is created when a group holds different values from the mainstream society, and I believe that there is a subculture of crime that has been created in the West End neighborhood. This subculture is one where it is OK to steal from others and OK to commit violent acts toward others. This has come to affect our community in Salisbury, and as the article shows, there has been a rise in crime due to this.
I strongly believe that with the help of Collins and his staff, local leaders will be able to bring back values to the community and they will be able to create a new subculture of success. I also think that it is fantastic that the city council is aware of this issue. They understood what Collins was doing and they supported him in his efforts to change the culture of what goes on in Salisbury.
— Troy Beaver
Salisbury
Once again the Keystone XL pipeline is in the news. Recently, the leader of Canada told our president, as politely as possible, that he needed to make a decision. Naturally, nothing was forthcoming. Instead, Secretary of State John Kerry was paraded out to explain the delay. He spoke briefly, stuttering and stammering his way through a litany of reasons for our non-action. After peeling away all of the rhetoric, I finally discerned it’s because we are waiting for the results of another environmental study.
This must be the 89th study because we’ve been studying this pipeline for more than five years. Interestingly enough, the general consensus of all these past studies is that, if built properly, the pipeline would pose no threat to the environment.
So what’s the problem? One word: politics. Most Americans approve of the pipeline because it will bring more jobs, less dependency on foreign resources and lower prices. But a good portion of President Obama’s political base, the environmentalists, are against it. And therein lies the problem. Whatever he decides, someone will be upset.
Poor Barack Obama. What’s a president to do? I suspect he’ll hem and haw his way until after the 2014 elections, at which time, if Canada still cares, he’ll reluctantly approve it but not before making plans to appease the people he’s ticked off.
Of course, he could decide now, based on what he truly believes. It bothers me he won’t commit. But that’s what happens with a politician, not a leader.
— Allan Gilmour
Salisbury
A recent letter writer, like the GOP media, accuses Democrats of rewriting history re Benghazi while forgetting the GOP history regarding the safety of embassy personnel.
The GOP cut funds to provide more adequate protection of the embassy and personnel. And I lost count of the number of attacks that occurred under the Bush administration, but it was greater than one. The GOP is too quick to wage war on President Obama, never trying to work together to fix problems.
Loss of life is always a tragedy, but the GOP pointing fingers at President Obama and former Secretary of State Clinton is nothing but political. The GOP makes more than its share of mistakes.
— Pat Bullard
China Grove