Corporate Democracy

Last Sunday the News and Observer reported that after receiving $4.9 billion from Uncle Sam to ‘loosen credit’ SunTrust Bank finds itself in the unfortunate position of ‘calling notes’ on customers here in the Triangle. I read the article before church. Driving home after church I passed a SunTrust sign and half expected to see…

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Flacking for DOT?

Gene Conti’s pick of N&O veteran Ted Vaden as deputy DOT secretary for communications revealed three things: Conti (caveat: a good friend) will be a good secretary. He understands that DOT will benefit from some disinfectant and sunshine. The N&O, like many daily papers, looks like a sinking ship. The age-old media suspicion of “flacks”…

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Resegregating Raleigh’s Schools?

It’s always seemed there might be a little bit of hoax about the Wake County School Board’s ‘diversity’ policy – that the policy was really about race and not academics (as the board has argued for years). The board has made its case like this: It says it buses students based on their family incomes…

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Reverend Barber and Paris Hilton

The Reverend William Barber is a fellow who can spot a hot-button issue (or, at least, what’s a hot-button issue if you’re head of the NAACP, which Barber is) – so, instead of shrugging off four students making fools of themselves by writing (admittedly outrageous) graffiti about Barack Obama in N.C. State’s “Free Expression Tunnel”…

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Professor Steinmetz and the Common Good

Professor David Steinmetz of Duke Divinity School says it is a very good idea that President Obama invited both a minister in favor of gay marriage and a minister opposed to it to pray during his inauguration – the way he sees it Obama is helping heal the nation’s wounds, end divisions, and most of…

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The Republicans in Raleigh

Monday Madame Governor signed a spate of executive orders and it’s time for the Republicans in the House and Senate to strap on their shields and bucklers and have at it. They’re supposed to be the loyal opposition and this session they would be wise to take the job seriously. For instance, not long ago,…

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Drescher vs. Easley, Revisited

A wise and frequent reader of this blog (but I repeat myself) takes issue with my recent advice to the N&O’s John Drescher re his public disagreements with Governor Easley. The reader writes: “I disagree on the effectiveness of saying, ‘We stand by the story.’ That’s the editor’s equivalent of ‘No comment.’ If it ever…

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