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Opinion
Smoky Mountain News
Look to the stars and beyond
Is this a fit Commander-in-Chief? To the Editor: The first duty of our Commander in Chief, Donald Trump, is to protect the people of these United States. He took an oath to perform this most basic of duties. Over a 135,000 American have died as a result of the Covid virus. The family of each person lost to this pandemic can rightly ask: if Donald Trump had done his job would my loved one still be alive? Owners of struggling and failed businesses and their workers can rightly ask: If Donald Trump had done his job, would the business and its jobs still exist? The doctor in an overrun Arizona or Texas hospital could rightly ask: If Donald Trump had done his job would I have to decide who gets a ventilator today? Grieving parents of soldiers killed in Afghanistan can rightly ask: If Donald Trump had read his Presidential Daily Briefing, would my son or daughter still be alive? Donald Trump’s failure of leadership has become appallingly apparent to anyone who dares to look. In the early days of this pandemic our Commander in Chief said that this “Chinese” virus would magically go away. When that did not happen, he said it was not his problem; the individual states and their governors would have lead the fight. When that did not work, he blamed the WHO (World Health Organization) for the failure. Seven months into this fight we are still short of PPE and testing is still a problem. Just
the solar system. According to NASA, it takes about 6,800 years to complete its path around the sun. Seeing this unique comet is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but only if you’re in a good spot and it’s the right time of day. The location of the comet is between the horizon and the lower right of the Big Dipper. This is what spawned our weekend goose chase. Once Matthew told me about Neowise, I wanted to see it. Heck, I’d never even seen a shooting star, much less a comet. I was willing to get up early, stay up late, whatever it took to catch a glimpse of a giant dusty snowball. One Sunday morning, we awoke 80 minutes before sunrise and drove to the Junaluska overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We waited and waited. And while we saw a stunning sunrise and observed the birds arising for the day, we did not see Neowise. It could Columnist have been the haze or maybe we should have gotten there earlier. Nonetheless, we didn’t see it. We tried again that night. Even though it was Sunday and we both had to work Monday morning, we drove to the parkway well after 10 p.m. to ensure it was dark enough. At the Waterrock Knob parking lot, we settled on the ground and observed the sky. Millions of stars pierced the black night, resulting in a beautiful light show. I felt small compared to the galaxy before me. We still didn’t see Neowise due to its position on
Susanna Shetley
I’ve been looking at the stars a lot lately. It started several weeks ago. It was 10:18 p.m. on a Sunday. We were driving the parkway, windows rolled down, Van Morrison on the radio. My boyfriend, Matthew, looked over and squeezed my knee. “We’re going to find it,” he said. A goose chase then ensued as we searched for the comet, Neowise. Matthew likes astronomy. He took a course in college and was hooked. In contrast, my eyes tend to be fixed straight ahead or downward in a book or journal. Stargazing is a pastime toward which I’ve traditionally felt indifference. I can find the Big and Little dippers, but that’s about it. Like most people these days, I’m sure you’ve been watching the news. Among pandemic information, political banter and speculation over the state of our economy, you may have heard a short blip about the comet Neowise. Astronomers discovered the comet, formally known as C2020 F3 NEOWISE, this March. The acronym stands for the NASA mission that spotted it, for the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. The goal of the mission was to find as many near-Earth asteroids as possible, especially ones that could be hazardous to our planet. This is when they spotted Neowise. On July 3, the comet was closer to the sun than the orbit of Mercury and close to breaking apart. The sun heated up much of the comet’s icy makeup, erupting in a large debris trail of dust and gas. At three miles across, Neowise is fairly large in size and made up of material 4.6 billion years old, from the origins of
LETTERS to be clear, the United States has more cases and deaths by far from this virus than any other country on the planet. Donald Trump’s failure to lead goes far beyond this pandemic. Once the leader of the free world, the United States has now withdrawn from virtually all international organizations and he has nothing but praise for autocrats around the world. The Russians and Chinese have rushed in to fill this vacuum to the great detriment of the United States. While Donald Trump defends dead Confederate generals and holds up someone else’s Bible in front a church, we can only hope that his “leadership” is not again tested. Louis Vitale Franklin
Stop using MLK defense To the Editor: Heather Hyatt Packer would have Haywood County’s School superintendent resign for posting a meme on his Facebook page she views as “racially insensitive.” To support her opinion that Dr. Bill Nolte is undeserving of the post he apparently otherwise successfully holds, she summons forth the words of Martin Luther King Jr. King said many things in his quest for civil rights, Ms. Packer, including (if memory serves): “I have a dream that one day my children will be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin.”
the horizon, but I saw a shooting star and felt an overwhelming sense of calm. It won’t be the last time I look to the night sky as a reminder we’re all part of a bigger story. Matthew and I have five kids between us. About a week after our initial attempt, four of the kids wanted to join us on another quest to find the comet. The six of us again drove to Waterrock Knob parking lot, put blankets on the ground and looked as hard as we could. Although we still didn’t see Neowise, we had fun giggling and pointing out other constellations, stars and planets. The following day a friend told us about his experience viewing the comet. He suggested 9:50 p.m., after sunset but before total darkness. We were looking for it too late in the evening. He also recommended binoculars. That night, we loaded up and went to a peak out in Jonathan Creek. It took some searching and the use of binoculars, but guess what? There it was, an actual comet blazing across the sky. It was far and it was faint, but we all saw it, even my eight-year old. It was well worth the two-week wild goose chase. We’re currently on vacation at Ocean Isle, and I’ve been looking at the stars each night. There is something breathtaking about the night sky above the sea. Probably for the rest of my life, I’ll look to the Big Dipper and smile thinking of all the nights we hunted for Neowise and finally found it. In life, it’s often other people who pick us up when we’re down or teach us something new. There’s a lot I love about Matthew, but his curiosity about the solar system is toward the top of my list. As someone who can easily fall into melancholy, it’s nice to have a mate in life who gently lifts my chin and says, “Look at the stars.” (Susanna Shetley is a writer, editor and digital media specialist for The Smoky Mountain News, Smoky Mountain Living and Mountain South Media. sussanna.b@smokymountainnews.com)
Following that speech and for the last 50odd years (thanks to Affirmative Action and equal opportunity practices) countless American citizens have been judged and deemed worthy solely on their gender or the color of their skin, up to and including how the next vice presidential candidate for the Democratic Party will be chosen. So please, Ms. Packer, stop using the MLK defense. David L. Snell Franklin
Have you been sprayed by Duke? To the Editor: Duke Energy, through a contractor, has started aerial spraying of herbicides over the rights-of-way for their transmission lines, the lines supported by large steel towers. Here in Oak Grove, this means that three routes are subject to the defoliants: the line which runs over Lakey and Bradley creeks into the Cowee Community, up Goshen Creek and down Greens Creek in Jackson County; the line which crosses the Little Tennessee River at Deans Island and runs up Tellico Creek to Wesser Gap, crossing the Appalachian Trail and descending into the Nantahala Community; and finally, the line which parallels N.C. 28 and the Little Tennessee before veering toward Bryson City. Were you notified prior to the spraying operation? We were not, yet Duke’s own
instructions state: “In developed and maintained areas, we typically notify property owners a minimum of three days prior to the start of planned vegetation maintenance work. We usually notify customers with a door hanger, but we may also call, send a letter or knock on your door. Sometimes notification includes a combination of these methods. We’ll also provide a point of contact in case you have questions or concerns about the work being done. If our attempts to notify a customer are unsuccessful, work will proceed without further direct notification.” What chemicals are being used in this operation? We have observed containers labeled IMAZAPYR, METHOD, and TRICLORPYR. The safety data sheets warn of not allowing human contact with the airborne mist or allowing it to enter surface water. But, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved these herbicides. They must be safe. Wait. Look again. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, who made a two-year investigation of EPA approval of pesticides (and herbicides), the EPA used a regulatory loophole to approve 65 percent of 16,000 pesticides that pose a threat to public health. Aerial spraying of herbicides has only been used by Duke for the past 3 1/2 years, since 2016. Go figure. Have you come into contact with the spray while it was airborne, or on grass, vegetables or fruit where it has come to rest? Have you experienced skin or eye irritation? Have your crops or fruit been damaged by drift from the prescribed ROW zone? Has
