8/23 Letters: The Atlantic Coast Pipeline stands in the way of renewable energy

Regarding “NC should reject the Atlantic Coast Pipeline” (Aug. 11): It is time that people collectively make an effort to transition as quickly as possible to non-polluting energy forms that have the potential to empower individuals and begin to break the monopoly hold on energy production in this state.

With the majority of climate scientists believing that human activity and specifically the result of the use of fossil fuels are having a significant impact on rapidly-increasing climate change, the state should stop investing in more fossil fuels and the devastating effect of fracking-induced methane gas leakage. Our elected officials need to resist the monetary and political pressures of the oil and gas industries and utilities to set policies that will educate the public and accelerate the transition to clean energy forms. One important additional benefit of solar and wind energy is the creation of well-paying jobs that cannot be outsourced, while most pipeline jobs are short-lived.

‘Challenge’ to GOP

Regarding the letter to the editor “‘No maps can fix’ Democratic losses” (Aug. 13): N.C. Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes and N.C. Republican Party Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse contend that Republicans in North Carolina have prevailed over Democrats not because of unconstitutional voting maps that they drew to favor Republicans, but because of Democratic policies being rejected by voters.

If that is the case, then why does the Republican-controlled legislature feel the need to draw maps for their partisan advantage? If they truly believe that Republican policies win them elections, I challenge them to draw voting maps with equal representation of Republicans and Democrats and let a true fair, competitive election prove them right. Otherwise, they reveal that their own argument is baseless.

Protesters’ action ‘vandalism’

Regarding “Protesters topple Confederate soldier statue in downtown Durham” (Aug. 14): Having watched newsreels of book burning in Germany and videos today of the destruction of artifacts in countries in Asia and the Middle East, I was dismayed to see the same sort of thuggishness taking place in Durham. In a democracy there is freedom of speech but not freedom of vandalism. In a democracy, there is discussion, debate and the reaching of a consensus for taking action.

Do the people who destroyed the statue of a Confederate soldier know anything of its history, or its intention? Was the community consulted about violently removing the statue? The people who so gleefully destroyed that statue sank to the level of the people who right now want a civil war. Do they understand the ugliness of what they did? Do they understand how they fed the fire of hatred that the white nationalists want to spread across the country?

This story was originally published August 22, 2017 at 6:00 PM with the headline "8/23 Letters: The Atlantic Coast Pipeline stands in the way of renewable energy."