The End of Bullying

The rhubarb had a keystone cops air but what started it was deadly enough: A combination of a bully and power. By nature he wasn’t particularly unkind and, in the past, he hadn’t enjoyed bullying but he had the power and he’d used it before to punish Congressmen who’d crossed him and he’d gotten away…

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Striking the Flag

As even Southern Republicans retreat from the Confederate flag, and as the inevitable counter-reaction begins, I’m reminded of a battle over the battle flag almost 40 years ago. It was in 1977, the first year of Governor Hunt’s first term. One fine spring day, as we arrived at the Capitol in Raleigh, we were startled…

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Two Religions

His father was a carpenter and his mother a five foot blonde with hair down to her ankles and they’d divorced three years before he was born. His father remarried, abused his second wife, and divorced again when he was fourteen. After the second divorce he dropped out of school in the 9th grade, drank…

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The Stars and Stripes

He’d been doing business for thirty years and if what he’d been doing wasn’t illegal like selling moonshine it also wasn’t quite the same as being President of the local bank or owner of the corner drug store: When someone got into a bind he’d pay them cold hard cash on the barrel head for…

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Talking About Charleston

We love to “have a national conversation” at times like this. We talk about race and hate. We talk about the church and faith. We talk about the Confederate flag. We talk about politicians talking about the Confederate flag. We talk about gun control – or not. We talk about mental illness. We talk about…

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Reliving the Past

The death of former UNC Chancellor Bill Aycock reminds us that today’s legislature isn’t the first to ram through bad laws, that today’s attacks on higher education aren’t the first and that today’s athletic scandals aren’t the first. As John Murawski noted in the N&O, Aycock was Chancellor in 1963 when the legislature passed the…

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Two Takes on Taking Pat

Roy Cooper can go two ways against Governor McCrory in 2016: call him “wrong” or call him “weak.” “Wrong” says McCrory hurt the economy, hurt the schools, hurt health care and hurt the environment. It blames him for taking the state in the wrong direction, including on social issues. But Cooper might look negative and…

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A Dog’s Life

It’s remarkable how a pet can become a member of your family. Our house feels empty today because we had to let go of Annie, a 13-year-old rescue mutt of mixed and mysterious lineage who captivated us with a fierce independence, a sweet but often confounding quirkiness and a bottomless appetite for treats, especially red…

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Welcome The Donald!

Since a reprehensible rogue like Donald Trump has zero chance of being elected President, or even nominated, we should all sit back and enjoy the spectacle. Especially Democrats. If Trump gets on the debate stage, the GOP contest becomes a clown-car demolition derby. His announcement was a triumph of untrammeled egomania. “I’m really rich,” he boasted.…

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No Bush, No Clinton

Hillary Clinton’s and Jeb Bush’s campaign kickoffs were notable not so much for what they said, but for what their campaign logos did NOT say – “Bush” or “Clinton.” Jeb’s logo is “Jeb!” Hillary’s is an “H” with an arrow. Pointing right. So you know that both campaigns’ polling has found real concern about political…

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