CASH IN THE APPLE
By Cash Michaels
WE’RE
PAYING THE PRICE - If you were among the
five million in North Carolina last November who voted for Donald Trump over
Hillary Clinton for president, congratulations. I hope you’re happy, because
you’ve officially elected a nut-job to preside over all of us for the net
three-and-a-half years ( though many suggest that at the rate he’s going, Trump
won’t last that long).
Let’s face
it, Donald trump’s behavior has always been one taco short of a combination
plate, but within the past two weeks, the word “bizarre” comes to mind when
thinking about the way the 45th president of the United States has
been acting.
By now
everyone knows about, and have shaken their heads off over Trump’s crude and
sexist tweets about MSNBC personality Mika Brezinski, and the apparently false
allegation that she had a facelift that was “bleeding” when she and boyfriend
Joe Scarborough (also her MSNBC cohost on “Morning Joe”) visited Trump a few
months ago at his Mar-a-lago retreat in Palm Beach.
And of
course, in followup tweets, the president called her “dumb as a rock” and other
stuff that’s beneath the dignity of the high office that he was inexplicably
elected to.
Then, last
Sunday, the man seemingly loses it completely, tweeting out a 2007 video of him
fake clobbering World Wrestling Entertainment Pres. Vince McMahon outside of a
ring, but superimposing the CNN insignia over McMahon’s face, making it look
like he is actually beating up a major cable news organization.
It was no
surprise when folks began accusing Trump of trying to incite violence against
the press. And now CNN, and other news organizations, are very concerned about
the safety of their personnel.
And should
be.
MSNBC’s
Rachel Maddow said last week that what Trump is actually doing is trying to
distract his critics from the fact that things really aren’t getting done by
his White House. Republican repeal and replace of Obamacare has virtually
collapsed. Though the US Supreme Court has partially upheld his travel ban
against several Muslim nations, it’s not the clear and “total” legal victory he
boasts it is.
Tremendous
heat is being brought to bare over the federal investigation into possible
Trump campaign collusion with the Russians
in last year’s presidential campaign. And diehard Trump-lovers are
looking stupider and stupider for supporting a failed lunatic who has clearly
lost his mind to the point that no one trusts the fact that he has his finger
on the nuclear button.
So yes, we
are ALL paying a very big price, indeed. A wise man once said elections do have
consequences. The idea is that you know what those consequences are in advance,
and then try your best to turn out your folks at the polls on Election Day so
that those consequences never come to past.
Now I’ll
admit, even I thought that ole Trump would calm down somewhat after taking the
oath of office. Sure I expected him to do a lot of things I just won’t like,
but I did not expect that he would lose his marbles in the process.
Nor did
you, quite frankly.
So now the
only ones who could put Trump out of business are his fellow Republicans in
Congress…that is if the Robert Mueller investigation doesn’t do it first.
Bottomline
is our nation’s leader and the most powerful man on the planet is running amok,
and teaching us important lessons in the process.
I hope
we’re paying close attention. And I certainly hope that we all survive this
perilous episode in American history, and collectively vow to make sure that it
never happens again.
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GOP WON’T ANSWER WHY
BLACK
STATE MONUMENT CUT
FROM BUDGET
By Cash Michaels
contributing writer
Before the
NC General Assembly adjourned its long session last Friday, Republican
legislative leaders House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate Pro-tem Phil Berger were
asked in writing why they cut a proposed $200,000 from the compromise $23
billion budget for the African-American “Freedom Monument” project slated for
the state Capitol grounds, and instead earmarked $5 million – 25 times as much
– to a new $65 million NC Civil War Museum in Fayetteville, scheduled to open
in 2020.
Neither
Moore or Berger responded to the written requests for comment sent to their
offices one day before both houses of the legislature adjourned.
The only
Republican lawmaker who did respond to the press inquiry was one of the
budget-writers, state Rep. Donny Lambeth [R-Forsyth], but that was to say that only
Moore or Berger could answer.
“This was negotiated after the full [committee] chairs
finished all the budget work that was asked of us. I can see if I can get
you a statement from the Speaker,” Lambeth emailed back, but no statement from
Speaker Moore was forthcoming.
The museum, or “center” as it is
normally referred by its Winston-Salem-based fundraiser, has already raised
approximately $27 million – all but $7 million from government funding from
Fayetteville, Cumberland County,
and now the state legislature.
When completed, it will replace the current Museum of the
Cape Fear, a state –owned, state supported facility.
The Freedom Monument, planning for
which began in Republican Gov. Pat McCrory’s administration, would also be a
state-owned, state-funded memorial. After various hearings were held about the
project across the state, a summary report was written for the advisory
committee of the NC Historical
Commission and the NC African American Heritage Commission.
The draft summary of that report said
that, “Schoolchildren,
it should be remembered, are a prime audience, as they constitute a major
segment of the visitors to the Capitol. “
“The
monument should make an impact on all visitors, young people included,” the draft report
continued. “The monument is intended for all citizens, not solely for African Americans. The monument should
present a public face to newcomers and should encapsulate the African American
experience in North Carolina. It is the intent of the sponsoring bodies that
the monument should be historical and commemorative in nature. While it must be
aesthetically pleasing, it should complement other monuments on the grounds and
be grounded in North Carolina history”
The
Freedom Monument project is now without public funding as originally proposed
last March by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in his budget.
A spokesperson for
the NC Dept. of Natural and Cultural Resources, which oversees the project
along with both commissions, said Gov. Cooper’s proposed appropriation was to complete
the planning and design on the monument Gov. McCrory once said was an “…appropriate way to recognize
the contributions of African- Americans to North Carolina’s history… “
The project now has no timeline or
appropriation, “but we are moving forward,” the NCDNCR spokesperson assured.
Ironically, the primary fundraiser for
the NC Civil War Center, David Winslow of The Winslow Group, said, “Some of the
same volunteers who are working on the monument project are also working with [us],
and I know they were disappointed.”
Winslow continued that he heard that
Gov. Cooper “…is committed to finding the $200,000 from the budget. So I hope
they will be able to proceed ahead sooner rather than later.”
According to a 2015 WUNC.org report,
there are 230 Civil War monuments in North Carolina “outnumbering state
monuments commemorating any other event.”
Perhaps the tallest Confederate Monument
in North Carolina is directly in front of the State Capitol Building in Raleigh,
dedicated in May, 1895 and towering 75 feet facing Hillsborough Street. Costing
$22,000, the legislature appropriated $20,000 towards the project.
One of the prominent figures to help
dedicate that monument was Alfred M. Waddell – a former Confederate colonel,
and one of the white supremacist leaders of the 1898 Wilmington race massacre.
In contrast, the number of
African-American monuments North Carolina has statewide, according to
docsouth.unc.edu – just 33.
The elimination of funding for the Freedom
Monument only reinforced the bad taste Democrats and others already had for a
bruising legislative session where the Republican majority, without apology,
imposed their will on a Democratic governor they vowed to show little regard
for.
“I’m troubled that Republican
legislative leaders neglected to fund an African American heritage monument on
State Capitol grounds,” Gov. Cooper said in a statement. “This monument is long
overdue, which is why I prioritized it in my budget proposal. This is just another
example of legislative Republicans with the wrong priorities.”
Noting that the GOP decision to scrub
the funding for the Freedom Monument was “disappointing,” Sen. Paul Lowe
(D-Forsyth) opined,” The General Assembly should be leading the way in showing
that North Carolina is committed to progress and celebrates the rich history of
African-Americans.”
“Instead, my Republican colleagues have
once again decided to ignore the history of the people they serve. I hope that
we are able to find common ground to fund a project that is long overdue,” Sen.
Lowe concluded.
Non-elected officials, however, did not
spare the rod.
Duke University Prof. of Public Policy
Dr. William Darity, Jr. bluntly said, “ We are living in a moment where we are
getting a glimpse of what life would have been like under a Confederate States
of America.”
Picking up from Prof.
Darity’s clue of an Old South mentality at work in the legislature, civil
rights attorney All McSurely, who is white, said, “The Berger-Moore secret white caucus recognizes its days are
numbered. Their politics, based on abject denial of the effects of southern systems
of racism and poverty… have cruelly punished black and white poor and working
people across North Carolina and the South. They apparently have convinced
themselves that the 30-35% base of "white" voters, if they can just
curry their votes with racial code-words and policies, will keep them in power
forever.”
Finally, NCNAACP Pres. Rev. William
Barber, outraged by the Republican-led legislature’s overall policies towards
the poor and communities of color, called GOP rule “…illegal and out of
control.”
“Whether it’s the regressive budget or
denying health care or voter suppression, this legislature is out of touch with
democratic principles and our deepest moral values. With every action, they
expose their love for failed policies of the past and their desire to take
North Carolina backwards,” Rev. Barber said.
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REP. ADAMS SAYS GOP
LEADERS
“DON’T GIVE A DAMN
ABOUT CITIZENS”
by Cash Michaels
contributing writer
Noting that
the NC Republican legislative leadership is “dragging their feet” about doing
anything that would fairly represent voters when it comes to redistricting, Congresswoman
Alma Adams says they frankly “don’t give a damn about these citizens.”
“They see
it as a disadvantage to themselves; they won’t do it,” Adams (D-NC-13) said in
a telephone interview recently, referring to redrawing legislative voting
districts in time for a special election this year.
Prior to adjourning the recent long
session early last Friday, GOP leaders announced that the legislature will
reconvene in August and September to take up unfinished business like
overriding Gov. Cooper’s vetoes, passing laws that didn’t meet the deadline,
redrawing judicial districts, and responding to the four straight US Supreme
Court decisions GOP lawmakers lost regarding voting rights and legislative
redistricting.
But one of the issues House Speaker
Tim Moore and Senate President Pro-tem Phil Berger ( R- Rockingham) apparently
have no intention of entertaining when the NC General Assembly reconvenes in
August is establishing an independent, nonpartisan redistricting commission
that, starting in 2020, would redraw legislative and Congressional voting
districts without undue partisan influence.
Speaker Moore (R-Cleveland County)
has said he opposes the independent commission because it would not be directly
accountable to the voters since members would be chosen by both Republicans and
Democrats. Sen. Berger just doesn’t like the idea, and has done everything in
his chamber to even stop the issue from coming up.
A bill introduced to establish an
independent commission was sent to committee over a month ago, but never got a
hearing. Two weeks ago, when a Democratic senator tried to have the bill heard and
voted on, Republican opponents used a special procedure forcing him to wait ten
days just to have his motion considered.
The legislature adjourned before
the ten-day period expired.
A spokesperson for Sen. Berger
issued a statement, which said in part, “Regardless of [the senator’s] political stunt, the courts
have not yet given the legislature direction on redistricting, and we will be
prepared to undertake a thorough redistricting process with ample notice and
opportunities for public input when they do.”
“We have to have an independent commission,” Rep. Adams
declared. “We have seen over the years, regardless of who is in control –
Democrats or Republicans – that we have not gotten it right. For us to have the
kind of [voting district] imbalance we have right now, with thirteen members of
Congress from North Carolina – only three Democrats and ten Republicans – that
is not reflective of our state. Our state is more balanced than that. We almost
have a 50-50 Democrat/Republican [voter] makeup.”
But it’s because of how the Republicans, the party in charge,
redrew the district lines in 2011 that
more GOP’ers are able to get elected than Democrats in the state. Thus far, the
US Supreme Court has frowned on the outcome.
On June 7th, the state’s only three Democratic
congresspeople – representatives Adams, G. K. Butterfield (D-NC-12) and David
Price (D-NC-4), wrote a letter to both Moore and Berger, “…urging them to increase access to the
ballot box by establishing an independent redistricting commission and
refraining from creating any new voter ID laws that contribute to voter
suppression,” according to a press release.
“At a time
when we should be making it easier for all eligible Americans to participate in
our democracy, General Assembly Republicans used unconstitutional redistricting
and voter ID legislation for political gain,” said Congressman Price. “These efforts to suppress the minority vote
violate our nation’s hard-fought commitment to equal protection and voting
rights, and I strongly condemn them. The time has come for Speaker Moore and
Senator Berger to put a stop to these shameful tactics and for the state to put
in place reforms that will ensure fair elections in North Carolina.”
Apparently
Moore and Berger weren’t impressed, however, rejecting the Democratic request
outright, and accusing Adams, Butterfield and Price of “showboating” with the
letter, instead of just picking up the phone, she said.
“They
don’t give a damn about these citizens,” an exasperated Adams said, “and
they’re not fooling me at all. I’ve worked with them, and I can tell you, they
don’t care.”
“Sometimes
you have to put things before the public, and sometimes the public needs to
understand what’s going on,” Rep. Adams continued. “People have got to
understand that when we go to the polls to vote,…we have got to make sure that
we have a legislature [that represents the true makeup of the people] the next
time around, because we may not get an independent commission.”
-30-
STATE NEWS BRIEFS FOR
07-06-17
HEIRS OF STATE
STERILIZATION VICTIMS WON’T APPEAL RULING
[WINSTON-SALEM]
Because the victims of North Carolina’s sterilization program were required to
be alive as of 2013, heirs of many of the deceased 7600 victims of the eugenics
program that began in 1929 and ended in 1974 are not eligible for compensation,
a state court ruled. Descendants of those victims have now decided not to
appeal that ruling. The NC legislature decided to compensate the surviving
victims several years ago, and 213 of them received checks from the state. The
heirs of those survivors qualified, but no one else. A final check is scheduled
once the appeals have ended.
STATE WILL COMPLY
WITH TRUMP’S VOTER FRAUD COMMISSION REQUEST
[RALEIGH]
North Carolina will comply with a request from Pres. Trump’s Presidential Advisory Commission on Election
Integrity, even though at least 25 other states have refused to do so. The
commission seeks information about individual voters, apparently because the
president believes that millions of undocumented aliens voted against him last
November, giving opponent Democrat Hillary Clinton the popular vote count.
North Carolina will only supply public information about individual voters
which can already be found online. A former Obama Administration official says
the goal of the request is voter suppression by Trump.
GOP LEADERS TARGET DEMOCRAT NC SECRETARY OF
STATE ELAINE MARSHALL FOR IMPEACHMENT
Before the NC General Assembly
adjourned its long session last Friday morning, Republicans in the state House
announced that they would seek to impeach longtime Democrat NC Secretary of
State Elaine Marshall, alleging that her office had commissioned non-citizens
to become notary publics. Marshall has denied any malfeasance and says her
office can prove it. Republicans vow to take up the issue when they reconvene
in August.
-30-
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