The News and Record attempted to stir up a hornet's nest by using one of its usual ploys-- portraying the comments made by a conservative or Republican as impermissible. After Jeff Hyde playfully referred to Carolyn Coleman as a "jailbird" in a recent Tweet, a newspaper article and blog post followed at the N&R. Of course, when one is arrested, it is not an unreasonable expectation that one will go to jail.
But the Moral Mondays protesters have been protected from this eventuality by various components of the Raleigh criminal justice establishment. The protests have thus been a low-cost proposition for many participants, including Ms. Coleman. And many of those arrested have been older; are no longer employed; or work in situations that are insulated from any repercussions. By contrast, MLK Jr. did a bunch of time in jail. And Mahatma Gandhi, who pioneeered the nonviolent protest technique, actually undertook some highly public hunger strikes. These were high-cost protests, unlike the anemic imitations we have seen in Raleigh.
One thing should be duly noted. It seems doubtful that Ms. Coleman or the Rev. William Barber have participated in any Gandhi-like hunger strikes anytime recently.
School Board Redistricting/ Local Education Establishment
Rep. Jon Hardister has been advancing legislation in the North Carolina House to redistrict the county school board. Unfortunately, he has been pressured by the News and Record to water the legislation down, for instance, by making the races non-partisan or subjecting the decision to a voter referendum. I hope he does not succumb. A referendum would merely invite the local education establishment to call out its troops to defeat it. But astonishingly, one Guilford GOP House member, John Faircloth, favors this approach.
On a note that is not entirely unrelated, the Guilford Education Alliance has a new leader. Winston McGregor has some fascinating credentials:
...former assistant to the chief of staff for Al Gore, the former U.S. senator and vice president. She has worked as a national fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee and in Gore’s bid for the presidency.
She also worked as development director of the Democratic Leadership Council and Progressive Foundation...
She sounds like a Common Core kind of gal.
Meanwhile, local school board chairman Alan Duncan was elected statewide president of the NC Bar Association during the very same meeting that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia spoke to attendees in Asheville. One can only hope that Duncan took some notes when Scalia spoke.
McCrory Abortion "Promise"
The state's media/left complex is primed to pounce on Governor McCrory over a bill reaching the final stages of approval in the General Assembly. The bill would require schools to teach that abortion can cause pre-term births. This is a fairly well established medical fact. During the gubernatorial campaign, the media tried to pin down McCrory on the abortion issue, asking what further restrictions he would favor. He foolishly replied, "None". But the legislation does not propose any abortion restrictions; so he would not be violating any kind of promise. He ought to sign the bill.
Energy Rights
Occupy Winston-Salem has made a breathtaking claim in response to a requested rate increase for Duke Energy: that "every resident has a right to inexpensive, environmentally safe energy." From where does this purported right originate; and when did it become effective? The Occupy crowd must be awfully disappointed in the great Obama, whose policies overall tend to drive up the cost of energy.
Corrupt City
The work of the worst Greensboro City Council imaginable continues unabated. It grants a $300,000 loan for Black Network Television to produce a sitcom locally. This is not even remotely a legitimate function of municipal government. And local blogger Billy Jones alleges a quid pro quo that ought to outrage citizens across the city-- if true. He thinks the council's approval to develop the east Greensboro shopping center was part of a deal to make the old downtown Greensboro Inn property available to create a park near the proposed performing arts center. If true, it would reinforce the old verity that characterizes Greensboro politics: Melderec con Simkins corruption.
General Assembly
Good legislation passed by the General Assembly makes it much more difficult for localities to use certificates of participation to borrow without voter approval. In addition, the General Assembly is requiring truth and transparency regarding the purpose and nature of proposed bond issues. Apparently some municipalities have been profoundly unethical regarding, say, parks bonds used to fund coliseum projects; and transportation bonds used to fund greenways. Does any of this sound vaguely familiar to you? If so, then perhaps you live in Greensboro.
In Raleigh, we see some good stuff, but we also see some bad stuff. Republicans are having difficulty agreeing on a budget and a tax reform plan. The problem is that moderates, including Thom Tillis and Governor McCrory, are resisting the more conservative Senate's attempts to make some transformational changes in the state's tax code and to reduce spending. One of the problems we face is that, when Republicans attain power, they tend not to shrink government and reduce spending. Unfortunately, the overall trajectory of spending points upward regardless of which party assumes power. It is merely the slope or the rate of increase that might be different between the two parties. This, of course, is a recipe for incremental, massive growth of government over a period of time. We need only look at the last century of American history to understand that.
Watt Double-Dealing?
Sometimes the MSM demonstrates its bias because of the stories it does not cover. There was recently some litigation over redistricting in the state of North Carolina arguing that majority black districts, such as those created under the Voting Rights Act, are no longer needed. What was Congressman Mel Watt's testimony?
Watt and other black politicians testified that racially polarized voting doesn't exist in their areas anymore or has decreased dramatically, and so majority-black districts aren't needed there for black candidates to succeed.
And yet, a few days ago when the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated key parts of the Voting Rights Act, Watt responded as follows:
U.S. Rep. Mel Watt of Charlotte, whose 12th District has been the subject of no less than four Voting Rights cases that went to the U.S. Supreme Court, said the ruling “leaves millions of Americans vulnerable to discrimination in the most fundamental right of citizenship – the right to vote.”
I will leave it up to the reader as to whether these contrasting statements represent intentional duplicity on Watt's part. But ordinarily, the watchdog media, ever vigilant over politicians' misstatements, should be concerned over the possibility that Watt might have perjured himself in court several weeks ago. After all, perjury is a big deal-- especially for a fellow being considered for a top post in the Obama administration.
Read more here: http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/morning_memo_from_voting_rights_to_marriage_nc_eyes_turn_to_scotus#storylink=cpy
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