Let's Let Grace

Have a Chance

Recent public discourse has been dominated by a central theme, the second chance.

President Obama's compliment paid to the Philadelphia Eagles organization for giving convicted felon Michael Vick a second chance was somehow deemed an overt statement of approval of Vick's involvement in the Bad Newz Kennels' illegal dog-fighting venture.

Most recently the Internet and the airways are hot with reports concerning the homeless man, Ted Williams, with the golden announcer's voice. Another convicted felon and a recovering drug addict to boot, Williams has become an overnight sensation, receiving job offers from all over the country. One such job offer from the Cleveland Cavaliers came complete with a place to live as well!

Bad things are always happening to good people. Why can't good things happen to people who have done very bad things? In some circles they call it "grace."

George H. Wilson Jr.

Carthage

We Are Fortunate

Allow me to offer sincere thanks and praise for what The Pilot does for its community.

I do so not only as a Pinehurst resident and Pilot reader, but also as a former diplomatic editor of Reuters and later Washington diplomatic correspondent of The London Times.

Publisher David Woronoff set the tone when he told readers in his recent column: "Rather than bemoan the effects of the Great Recession, we decided to make the best of it, invest in our community and improve our products this year."

How grateful we are that you have invested so generously in upgrading the quality of printing, doubling the use of full color, adding a new business section, expanding PineStraw magazine, redesigning your website with reader interaction and acquiring The Country Bookshop, a treasure of our town.

Newspapers play a vital role in a community. Thomas Jefferson said that given the choice of a government without newspapers or newspapers without government, he would prefer the latter.

Joseph Pulitzer, publisher and founder of the Pulitzer Prize for journalism, wrote, "The power to mold the future of the Republic will be in the hands of the journalists of the future."

A century after Pulitzer's observation, The Pilot is admirably equipped to play its part as a guardian of our republic's freedom and democracy.

In addition to Woronoff, let me thank Editor Steve Bouser and The Pilot's fine team of reporters and editorial staff, and Jim Dodson, brilliant essayist and editor of PineStraw, for maintaining high standards of objective, factual reporting and good writing in both the hard news and features sections.

As the "watchdog" of our interests, The Pilot has become a pillar of Moore County society alongside the veteran educationist Dr. John Dempsey's Sandhills Community College and the Pinehurst Medical Center.

We are indeed fortunate.

Mohsin Ali

Pinehurst