Re: “El paseo: The incredible 5,000-mile journey of Saul Flores”

We should all act the way the indigenous man did, but we're not all going to do it. Nations aren't going to do it. You can't make someone else act that way, but you can act that way yourself.

Re: “Wake County commissioners race: a referendum on the GOP school board”

Election day is November 2, not November 3 as is stated in the green box, isn't it?

Re: “The Wake GOP's Chosen Ones”

Lisa, don't you mean "Philip Isley" rather than "Philip Easley," or did you misspell his name to tease him for the similarity of his name to our former governor's name?

Re: “Wake School Board race taking shape”

Hey, Bob - Isn't the controversy over diversity really a controversy over busing? The issue is whether spending the money and time busing children relatively long distances yields a greater benefit than spending the money and time on teachers' salaries, smaller class sizes, computers, or some other educational expense. I'd like to see an objective analysis of the costs and benefits of different options, including maps of current and proposed busing districts. How much gerrymandering of districts is there really? What am I missing in this controversy? Are kids spending 20 minutes on the bus or are some spending 45 minutes or more?

Re: “Elizabeth Edwards tells us what we didn't know—and it hurts”

The people who cheered John Edwards on thought he was a fresh alternative to long-time party politicians. It can be a good thing not to be experienced as a party leader or in charge of government programs. Edwards' character was lacking. Having experience as a party leader would not have improved his character, would it?

Re: “Wake County District 10 Court Judges”

Please do some fact-checking before you print your endorsement of my opponent, Christine Walczyk, in the paper version of The Independent.

Judges complain about all lawyers. I fight diligently for my clients and will continue to do so though this might irritate some judges. For fighting too hard (in some people's opinion) to secure the release from jail of a young woman who was unlawfully incarcerated the Senior Resident Superior Court Judge in Wake County several years ago barred me from representing indigent clients for about 7 months, from June of 2003 until January or February of 2004, not "from 2003-05" as your online endorsement states. Incidentally, the young woman was released from jail and her charges dismissed. That same judge who barred me from representing indigent clients for about 7 months ordered that I not be paid for the work getting the young woman out of jail. My client, the young woman unlawfully incarcerated, was glad for the work I did on her behalf.

As for the complaints in my public defender file, there are zero complaints from clients. Zero. There are 6 complaints from judges. 3 of those complaints involved me spending more time on my client's case than the judge thought I should. If I wasn't swamped at work, I'd spend even more time on my clients' cases, not less. That's my job.

I have not "worked extensively with the Wake Public Defender's Office". The PD's office farms cases out when those cases would take up too much of their time or there are codefendants involved. I am one of the lawyers who takes on the cases the PD's office farms out. I do not work for the PD's office.

Finally, it is misleading to mention my 2 DWIs without mentioning that both were from over 20 years ago.

I have long believed The Independent to be generally fair and unbiased, but in this case I have personal knowledge the the Indy missed the boat. I welcome the chance to discuss this.

Re: “Bush's cynical sacrifice of young lives—and nothing else”

Great article. I think we should put more blame on Congress than we are. Many people think that ending the war fiasco in Iraq is solely President Bushs decision. It is primarily Congress decision. The US Constitution gives Congress, not the President, the power to declare war and to make the rules for running the military. Article I, 8 of the Constitution reads in part: The Congress shall have the PowerTo declare War, [and] To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces. Congress can order the war ended; they can order the troops home. President Bush can veto Congress, and Congress would need a two-thirds majority to override that veto. If Congress had the balls & wanted to put hard pressure on Bush to end the war, Congress would pass a bill ordering the war ended and the troops home. Bush would almost certainly veto the bill, but the Democrats dont want to take the chance that Bush would not veto the bill. The Democrats want to continue beating Bush up over Iraq as an election tool against the Republicans. If Bush allowed the war to end, the war as an election issue for 2008 would evaporate. The Democrats biggest tool against the Republicans would be gone. The Democrats dont want to risk that.