That's Western civ

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A lost chance

The protesters who forcefully disrupted the Youth for Western Civilization meeting did a disservice to the very aims they were claiming to advance.

Make no mistake: Youth for Western Civilization takes xenophobia, wraps it up in a nice new package and asks us to think it is something different. And it's not.

But no one got to know that, because some of the protesters prevented any of us from listening to, or engaging with, Tom Tancredo.

Going private

It is disturbing to realize that Wake County's excellent public school system appears to be in the hands of Art Pope and his minions at the John Locke Foundation and Civitas Institute ("Parties battle for Wake," Dec. 21 news article). These people's ultimate goal is to dismantle the public schools and move to a system of private and religious schools, supported by government vouchers.

John Hood, president of the John Locke Foundation, writes, "Political, business, and education leaders continue to talk about reforming the current public education system. They should, instead, be discussing how to replace it" ( www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/the-failure-of-american-public-education/ #). Kent Misegades, board chairman of Thales Academy in Apex, writes in a post on the Civitas Web site: "The only true solution to our abysmal government schools is to close them and allow free markets to provide education" ( www.nccivitas.org/media/publication-archive/policy-brief/reducing-north-carolina-s-dropout-rate-some

Pope gift aids UNC football

After years of controversy over a proposed donation to the study of Western cultures, the John William Pope Foundation of Raleigh will give UNC-Chapel Hill $2.3 million, most of which will go to the football program.

The university announced the gift Thursday. It includes $2 million for an investment fund that will generate $100,000 a year to supplement the salaries of assistant football coaches.

Another $300,000 -- $100,000 for three years -- will go toward study-abroad and summer research fellowships for undergraduates who study Western cultures. The gift also will bring a visiting scholar to UNC-CH each year for classes and lectures. The scholar will be chosen by a faculty committee with expertise in Western studies, the university said.

Wyclef Jean talks about Haiti relief efforts in NY

Singer and producer Wyclef Jean is working with his foundation to deliver cooked meals, water and medical assistance to survivors of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

At a gathering in Harlem on Wednesday attended by prominent New York black clergy, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, Jean spoke about his recent trip to Haiti and relief efforts by his Yele Haiti Foundation. At the same time, he urged President Barack Obama to make a "sustainable commitment" to rebuild the island nation during his State of the Union address on Wednesday night.

Speaking passionately and sometimes in metaphor, Jean said any aid to the country needs to include not only the tools but also the knowledge for Haitians to be able to rebuild their country for the 21st century.

Why not counsel in civil cases too?

For a half-century, the justices of our highest courts have reiterated that "the right to be heard would be of little avail" if it did not comprehend the "right to be heard by counsel." Even the intelligent and educated layman, the courts have said, lacks the skill and knowledge to represent himself. Anyone "too poor to hire a lawyer cannot be assured a fair trial unless one is provided." This, they chide, is an obvious truth.

The familiar refrain applies, however, only in criminal cases. Though the phrases' truths are inescapable in the civil context as well, here, broadly speaking, we ignore them. Unlike most Western democracies, we recognize no right to counsel in civil controversies. And it shows.

Study after repetitive study shows that at least 80 percent of the legal need of the poor and near poor in the United States is unmet - that is, when faced with daunting legal challenges, over three-quarters of Americans are fenced out of the justice system designed to resolve their disputes.