The real losers
To all of you courageous critics of the most recent U.S. women’s soccer team, especially those perched behind media desks, those sitting in the comfort of their homes in front of computer screens and those reveling in karma, I have some suggested reading (for those who do read): Try looking at Teddy Roosevelt’s “The Man in the Arena.” It should be the last word, but unfortunately, in the land of the “brave,” it won’t be.
One thing is for certain: This debate is clearly showing us both winners and a lot of loud losers. Kudos to the team for being the former in so many ways.
Zack Osborne
Greensboro
Nation in decline
Every American who loves this country, listen up! We are a nation in rapid decline.
People are also reading…
It starts and ends with Joe Biden.
Our so-called president and his followers cannot be playing with a full deck. They do not love this country; their actions prove it. These Democrats will drag all of us into a Third World system, whether we want it or not.
I would highly advise everyone remotely interested in our rights to live in a free America to vote in 2024 for people who want what is best for you and future generations.
Jackie Stockard
Greensboro
Meanderings
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has some funny ideas about masculinity. With a machismo fist pump, he gave his assent to a violent siege of the Capitol, and then ran away like a scared little child when the situation imperiled him personally. If you have questions, please look up the video of Sen. Hawley running away from the danger that he helped to foment on Jan. 6, 2021.
And a footnote to Mike Pence’s assertion that the Jan. 6 committee was a partisan sham of an investigation: Almost all of the witnesses were Republican operatives. Republican House members were invited to participate in the investigation, but they foolishly rejected the offer. And then they whined as if the committee were a snarky bunch of “mean girls.”
Lastly, I have prejudices and doubts about many things. But I concede that psychiatrists and endocrinologists know more about the human brain and gender-related hormones than I do. So I do not judge LGBTQ people. And neither should Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) or any of his gay-bashing colleagues.
“Woke,” to me, means empathy for people who are less fortunate ...or simply different from me. Consider this option sometime: caring about the well-being of someone different from you. You might, like John Wesley, find your heart strangely warmed.
Jody McGhee
High Point
Train ridership
Regarding the front-page story, “Whose Piedmont is this?” (Aug. 5):
As an avid supporter and rider of Amtrak I have followed the recent developments of the Piedmont trains closely and appreciate the coverage the News & Record has given to the schedule changes.
I also appreciate Professor Ryan Johnson from Elon seeking greener alternatives to automobiles. Johnson must be aware that PART (Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation) buses do run from the Triangle to Burlington and on to Greensboro, and that this is true for High Point riders as well. They can serve as an alternative for those who are losing the early morning and late afternoon Amtrak stops.
The early morning Piedmont train has been around for more than 28 years. In that time none of the three stations have developed ridership to push average passenger counts over about seven, on and off, per stop based on 2022 ridership numbers and most of that ridership is likely on the Carolinian.
On two recent rides I took the total passenger count, on and off, for all three stations combined was less than Greensboro boarding. To save under a minute, tens of millions were spent on the bridge in McLeansville. Money well spent! What would it cost to cut 10 minutes?
And if the planned increase ridership from Raleigh through Greensboro stations does not exceed the lost ridership from the three stations that are losing stops, then those stops need to be restored.
I would encourage Johnson and others who ride Amtrak to join CAPT (the Carolinas Association for Passenger Trains) and the national Rail Passengers Association. Both do great work.
Thomas Hefner
McLeansville Male experts Silly me; I had no idea how many male experts on women’s soccer there are (letter to the editor, “Wrong focus”, Aug. 7) until this past weekend.
Oh wise men, could you also weigh in on my menstrual cycle and decisions about my uterus? Oh, wait ...
Jessica Cline McCrory Winston-Salem