Regarding comments about N.C. and Sen. John Edwards (D-NC)

As there are many respected and well known success stories from the tarheel state (two of which immediately come to mind, eh boys) it amazes me that people still think of it as hayseed. Admittedly, Barney Fife and Andy Taylor didn't do us any favors, but Erskine Bowles and David Gergen certainly have, just to name two. I don't know Mr. Edwards' politics but I do know this: If you look back to the 1770's when the delegates were meeting to form a fledgling nation in the new world, a great many of them were lawyers, and of those, most were of means.

One assumes that the references to lawyers and money that both Dr. P and Dr. S refer to, is the one that goes something like this "all lawyers are really just self-serving dirt-bags who just look to enrich themselves." I would agree with that to some extent, but there are some exceptions, surely, to this gross generalization. More to the point, though, this begs the question of how lawyers came to be seen in this light. I humbly suggest that America has changed with regards to our basic legal system very little. But I would also suggest that American morals and ethics with regard to business, religion, and government's role in our everyday life have changed quite a lot.

Of course it's all about money. Democratic capitalism was always about allowing free enterprise with little government intervention. The difference is that today we have no moral compass quiding us in our business practises, legal practises, or government practises. Christian morals were always the compass by which America sailed. This is no longer the case as evidenced by a growing number of large corporate entities being investigated by various authorities. It is also evidenced by the growing crime rate, the higher drop out rate, the lower standard of recruits going into the military regardless of their education level, and the list goes on. Unrestricted Jury awards with billion dollar pain and suffering amounts are a symptom of a society trying to make a point to businesses who have no ethical business sense -- or they woldn't produce things that could kill you.

To sum it up for you, do we really believe that a nice hair cut and lots of money are enough qualifications to be president? For that answer, we should ask the last 42 presidents, most of whom were men of means in their time - with nice haircuts.

Sen. John Edwards (D-NC): "I'm a man of the people"

Q: What kind of people you may ask?
A: The growing contingent of personal injury attorneys gracing billboards across the sunbelt!

Yeah!, this is the kind of leader we need! Someone who regularly assaults the principle of personal responsibility - for a living. I cannot wait to hear his remedy for our broken health-care system. Medical students will be leaving Duke, Bowman-Gray, and Carolina in droves! If Bush is lucky, he'll be debating this tarheel in Sept. '04. If I could only hear this retort in such a debate: "Frankly John, you and your fellow personal injury attorneys have enriched yourselves indirectly from the higher insurance premiums we all have to pay, and are part of the problem with the health care system today, not the solution".

If indeed these two were to match up for the '04 election, it really would be about the money - no matter what is said. One can only wonder where Mr. Edwards stands on restriction of jury awards.

The Drudge Report is reporting that presidential aspirant, Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) was televised chewing gum while on C-SPAN.

What a gooberhead.

Being from North Carolina is definitely a handicap once you leave home (as all of the assembled Burls, I think, can attest). This, however, can be overcome with years of training and / or education. Apparently, Mr. Edwards hasn't been out of town long enough to realize just what a hayseed he is. Couple this cluelessness with the fact that he's both a lawyer and a senator (a trifecta!) and his chances of being elected president evaporate like a ghost in a smoky room.

Why is it that people with nice haircuts and a lot of money think they have what it takes to be president of the most powerful republic / empire in the history of time? I don't get it. Just because John Kennedy did it doesn't mean that anyone else ever will.

22 Jan 03 dpny

CDP(NY):
Thanks for the invite. I look forward to contributing sporadic, capricious opinions (and rebuttals) for peer-review and re-examination. I'm quite sure re-examination (on my part) will occur frequently under the review of you and your staff. What will hopefully be most interesting is to compare and contrast the interpretation of issues from three white guys with thoroughly middle-class upbringings from the same neighborhood in a small NC textile town, whose fathers all worked for the same defense contractor, and who all chose quite different career/life paths. Hmmmmm. What is hell is "Catahoula" anyway?. Maybe this should be the "Linthead Exile Press", or the "20-Foot Club Wannabee Press", maybe the "Armfield Court Post-Dispatch".

Later.

Greetings David, and hello to all your readers. I look forward to contributing to this dialogue with what little I can offer from my experiences working overseas for many years. I have read your column with interest, find it interesting, and will enjoy our dialogue. I hope that the reader will also enjoy it as we opine about topics of interest and the world at large. Readers are encouraged to send comments (those with attachments will not be opened) to the following email address: winterintospring@hotmail.com.

Sant�

We are pleased...

to announce that The Catahoula Press has added two additional intrepid reporters: A.A. Stoddard and Ralph Weld. Dr. Stoddard, a soil and water scientist, will add a scientific angle on world events. Veteran diplomat Ralph Weld with will add a global perspective, often missing from discussions ranging from international politics to pop culture.

We at The Catahoula Press are delighted with their additions to the staff.

22 Jan 03 dpny