According to The News & Observer of Raleigh, Gov. Mike Easley on his last day gave an executive order to preserve state e-mail. The same article states that an earlier excuse not to preserve, or delete state e-mails, was because newspapers were using these e-mails to be critical of Easley.

Now, as usual, there are few repercussions for anything that ever happens in this state, especially on a state level, but this in incredible. This is the same exact garbage coming out of Venezuela, where Hugo Chavez is scared of the media, and has even closed some media outlets.

We essentially had a dictator as a governor, who saw himself as above the law. It's just another reason, in my opinion, North Carolina is a "banana republic."

Steve Smith

Aberdeen