Theophilus Hunter was a founding father of Raleigh. Leave his grave alone.
In his Oct. 22 opinion piece, “Beautiful 130-acre hill near Dix Park – let it be,” Douglas Johnston argues that the Spring Hill land parcel not be developed by N.C. State University.
On Oct. 17, The N&O ran a legal notice for the intended relocation of a grave on this property. The marked grave of Theophilus Hunter (1735 – 1798) and possible unmarked graves of up to 17 others were to be “disinterred, removed, and reinterred” at an unspecified location.
Theophilus Hunter made many contributions of historical significance to Raleigh, Wake County, and the state. He can easily be considered a founding father of the city and county. A monument placed on the property by the local Caswell-Nash Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution recognizes him for his contributions during the Revolutionary War.
Theophilus Hunter and his descendants have the right to leave his remains where he was originally buried. (Editor’s note: The N&O reported on Oct. 24, “NCSU stirs up family of Colonial leader,” that the university said it had no plans to disturb the the tomb of Theophilus Hunter or 17 unmarked graves nearby.)
Robert S. Maston
Raleigh
Support Marsy’s Law
I spent nearly 40 years trying criminal cases in state and federal court. One thing I learned was that a significant number of crime victims are women, children, the elderly and persons of modest means. They seldom have any real understanding of the criminal justice system. Unlike criminal defendants, they almost never have an advocate.
An astonishing 94 percent of criminal cases are disposed of by plea bargains reached behind closed doors. Victims of crime receive virtually no consideration in our criminal justice system.
One wonders why liberals and conservatives, who would never usually agree on anything, have banded together to fight against this long-overdue improvement to our justice system.
The answer has seldom appeared in the information circulating about this issue. So, here it is: opponents of Marsy’s Law and similar legislation are an unholy alliance of criminal defense attorneys looking for sweetheart — but potentially unpopular — deals for their clients, and prosecutors who want to keep their workloads down by trying as few cases as possible. Basically, neither cares a whit about victims of crime.
George Wm. Warren, IV
Raleigh
Retiree wave
In the upcoming midterm election, I am ignoring all the talk about a “Blue Wave” or a “Red Wave” sweeping Congress and instead I am going to ride the “Retiree Wave” to the ballot.
Retirees are one of the largest and most consistent voting blocs in the country, yet our earned benefits are constantly under attack. Just this month, Xerox announced major retiree healthcare cuts and the Sears bankruptcy has left its 100,000 retirees facing frightening uncertainty.
The time has come for our local elected officials to stand up to corporations and tell them enough is enough: Companies must stop forcing taxpayers to pick up the tab when they want to shift away from their responsibilities and cut vital health care benefits from their retirees.
When it comes to protecting healthcare, our lives are literally on the line. This year we should all refuse to keep blindly pulling a lever for a candidate that does not support retirees.
Walter Markowski
Fuquay-Varina
Asylum seekers
The sight of thousands of Hondurans fleeing violence and poverty with their children fills me with sadness. These good people are fleeing north in the hope of finding work and in living in a safe place free of gangs and violence.
They seek asylum.
One of the causes of the violence and gangs in Honduras is the U.S. market for drugs. If there were no market for drugs here in the United States there would be less drug related drug violence in Honduras. It is long past time to stop the war on drugs and provide drug treatment here in this country to those who need treatment.
How the U.S. responds to these desperate flow of people will show to the world what kind of nation we have become. Will we treat them as we would hope to be treated? God help these Honduran men, women and children! God help us all to act with understanding and compassion.
Gail S. Phares
Raleigh