Teens With a Cause

Forty years ago, I took part in an antiwar protest at the State Capitol after KentState. Yesterday, my 17-year-old daughter took part in the Wake schools protest at the Capitol.   So I’ve been amused by Carter’s blogs about teenagers being “used” by adults angry at the new school board’s assignment policy.   My experience…

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U-turn

Governor Perdue made the right move in removing Colonel Glover from the Patrol.   By the way, don’t believe for a minute it was Glover’s idea – or that the Governor was “surprised.” These things don’t work that way.   Unfortunately, she reversed direction a week later than she should have. This should have happened…

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Rare Old Bird

Here’s a nice compliment – and a striking statistic – from a reader:   “According to today’s (New York) Times only 7.1 percent of all bloggers are over the age of 51. You have always been ahead of the curve!”   And I blew past 51 long ago.

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Stooping Low

Everyday the bru-ha-ha between our local Progressives and the Italian transplants on the School Board gets more entertaining – the whole thing’s turned into a microcosm of modern life with far-left Liberals, Democrats, Progressives, Italians, Southerners, far-right Republicans, NAACP Reverends, a Duke Professor and a liberal Baptist Church all going at one another tooth and…

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Praying in the State House

Back in May the State House invited Reverend Ron Baity down to Raleigh (from his Baptist Church in Winston-Salem) to be Chaplain for a week but when the minister got up and ended his first prayer with “In Jesus name” House Speaker Jack Hackney promptly fired him.   Because, Hackney says, by tradition prayers in…

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Obama and Wall Street

The anti-Wall Street talking Obama administration just let Goldman Sachs off the hook for bilking investors for billions with a wrist slap.   Now, granted a $550 million fine sounds like real money.  But consider this:  It’s less than 5% of Goldman Sachs $12 billion in profits.   And not one Goldman Sachs executive got…

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Who Can You Trust?

It’s a bad time for once-trusted institutions.   Highway Patrol: Yes, the vast majority of the line troopers are courageous and honorable. That’s why they – and the public – and mad at the people at the top.   UNC-TV: Pulled off a rare two-fer by looking both unprofessional AND spineless. It’s bad when your…

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Surprise and Wonder

Politicians, like most people, are creatures of habit plodding along each day going through the same routines day in and day out – then just when you figure there are no surprises left in human nature (or, at least, in politicians) somewhere deep in subterranean caverns tides shift and suddenly you find yourself staring open-mouthed…

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911

One of the hardest things to do in politics – when a “crisis” comes at you every day, or every hour – is to recognize when you face a truly defining moment.   Governor Perdue faces one now with the Highway Patrol. How she handles it could determine the course of her governorship – and…

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Uh-oh

A veteran Democratic politico asked me this week: “Are you feeling as bad about this coming election as I am?”   Yep. Especially after this report on the state parties’ fundraising byJim Morrill in the Charlotte Observer/N&O:   “The Republican Party, meanwhile, has raised more than $1 million since January 2009 to Democrats’ $649,000, though…

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