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archived: 11 - 17 Feb, 2007 Back Next UPDATED: FEBRUARY 14, 2007 HK ON J The march on the General Assembly this past Saturday was a success – estimates of those who marched on the General Assembly ranged between 2,000 and 3,000. An eclectic mix of more than 2,000 civil rights activists, anti-war protesters and low-income workers rallied behind one banner Saturday to demand North Carolina legislators pass a "people's agenda" this year. "The forces against us don't know how powerful we are when we work together," the Rev. William Barber, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, told the crowd that filled downtown Raleigh's Memorial Auditorium. The group then marched one mile to the Legislative Building, where hundreds signed an 11-foot wooden "scroll" to endorse a 14-point action plan. The plan endorsed diverse concerns from expanding health care coverage to abolishing the death penalty and withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. About 25 people from Pitt County representing the NAACP, Coalition Against Racism, Democracy North Carolina and other groups traveled together to the march, said Calvin Henderson, president of the local NAACP chapter. "It was one of the greatest events I've experienced in my time with the NAACP in North Carolina," he said. For a long time people have felt the General Assembly has ignored the needs of state's poor and working class, he said. Saturday's event stood out because have so many organizations coming together should send a signal to legislators. "That's what made (the march) so different, people seemed to have a need to come together," Henderson said. "People feel the Legislature has turned a deaf ear to us." Henderson said it's his role as president to bring the march's message back to Pitt County. Barber said the General Assembly has forgotten about the needs of ordinary people who struggle to make ends meet and still face racial discrimination and disparities in education and housing. "The best way for this house to work is to work for all people," Barber said. The NAACP spearheaded what was called the "Historic Thousands on Jones Street" — a reference to the Legislative Building's address. More than 60 organizations participated or endorsed the event, from black Masons, the Latino group El Pueblo, union organizers and the North Carolina Green and Socialist parties. Veterans of the civil rights movement marched with young people and families pushing baby strollers. Rosalind Fuse-Hall, 49, of Durham, brought her 16-year-old daughter, Ifetoya, to the rally to show her that "our people have a history of rallying for change." "You can make a difference," Fuse-Hall said. The participants also backed an agenda that included more education money to comply with the Leandro school-funding lawsuit; create a "living wage" that would be several dollars more than the current minimum of $6.15 per hours; and give collective bargaining rights to government employees. The General Assembly has little say over the war in Iraq, but some urged state lawmakers to pass resolutions asking Congress to bring U.S. troops home. They said the billions of dollars spent on the war could be used at home to education children or raising families out of poverty. One speaker noted that there were some 400,000 unregistered young citizens in North Carolina; a political block that if registered could change elections in North Carolina. So true, and change will take place in North Carolina when progressive Democrats register thousands of new voters across the State. _____________________________________________ UPDATED: FEBRUARY 11, 2007 NC BLACK EYE NC Spin gets a black eye – one that is well deserved. In the continuing saga of Rep. Jim Black, NC Spin published a “special edition” on February 1, 2007(not available online): The rumors started swirling faster than the morning snow. It began with the news that former House Speaker Jim Black had requested not to have a legislative assistant assigned to him. We then were told by reliable sources that Black had listed his Bishops Park condo for sale on the internal General Assembly web site. The signs all pointed to his departure from the legislature, and soon. Afer [sic] more diggging [sic], we hear that Black has accepted a plea bargain with the federal government and that the terms might be announced as early as tomorrow. We were told there was active prison time involved. Keep in mind, all is uncofirmed [sic] rumor, but either someone is working overtime or there is some big news coming down soon. Within an hour, NC Spin’s story falls apart. First, NC Spin prints a retraction (not available online) that Rep. Black “had listed his Bishops Park condo for sale.” No sooner had we reported the story that Jim Black had listed his condo in Bishops Park for sale than we heard, from a highly reliable source, that Black never owned the unit. He had leased it, along with former House Rules Chair Bill Culpepper. The lease expired and Black chose not to renew it. Culpepper, who currently serves on the State Utilities Commission, moved out several days ago. Black moved out of the apartment yesterday. The notice posted on the internal General Assembly bulletin board was advertising for a new tenant. In a thinly veiled attempt to divert the story back to Rep. Black rather than the fact that NC Spin’s “reliable sources,” quoted in their breaking story, were not reliable at all, NC Spin wades deeper into the ethos of speculation: Even with these latest developments there is evidence that Jim Black is making some interesting moves. He had lived in the condo for some time and was just sworn in for a new two year term. Why not renew the lease? Only time will tell whether or not the rumors about an announcement of a plea bargain agreement is imminent. We still hear it could be as early as Friday. Knowing that their “reliable sources” had burned them, did NC Spin call Rep. Black to ask why he did not renew the lease? Second, “Friday” has long come and gone – still no Federal indictment. NC Spin responds to the obvious criticism they received for their initial story: Over the past week we have heard several (mostly reporters) gig us for the special edition we published last week regarding Jim Black. One was downright nasty. This newsperson said, “Getting the truth is easier than the rumor,” a debatable point, but hey, this particular reporter never reported anything but the truth. Right. One comment was that this was irresponsible journalism. To that we would agree. If this column purported itself to be pure journalism we would never have stated what we did, it could not be substantiated. And that’s the point. Let us refresh your memory as to what this column claims: Heard on the Street Rumor, innuendo, buzz, hearsay, scuttlebutt or just plain gossip picked up this week We have never maintained this column was fact; merely a compilation of things we have heard this week. We often preface statements with disclaimers such as “we hear,” “the rumors are,” and “we are told.” The bottom line is that we don’t represent information in this column to be totally accurate and backed by substantiated sources and factual evidence. Herein lies the rub. As one insider told us this week, part of what most upsets those covering the legislature is that we write the stuff they have been hearing and following all week, but cannot not get enough facts to report. In fact, some of the basis of what we reported in the Jim Black story actually came from reporters covering the legislature, who knew they could never print what they were hearing. If you are offended by the fact that we will state the rumors and gossip we hear each week in this column, let us suggest to you the same remedy we offered the highly offended reporter: unsubscribe from this newsletter. It is very easy to do. Just scroll down to the bottom of this newsletter to where is says, “To manage your preferences, click here.” Then follow the prompts. Otherwise, be aware that the content of this column contains just what it says…namely rumor, innuendo, buzz, hearsay, scuttlebutt, or just plain gossip. IF we interpret NC Spin’s defense correctly, they claim just to publish the gossip and rumor they hear and clearly label it as such. Ego, the message is “readers beware” and NC Spin is not responsible for the accuracy of the content. That is fair. Going back to the original story, however, NC Spin’s defense is not entirely correct. Carefully note that while labeling the story in their gossip and rumor section of their newsletter and mentioning that parts of their story were unconfirmed, NC Spin provided an aura of corroboration of the rumors: First, NC Spin went further than just quoting unconfirmed rumor and gossip, they actually vouched for their “sources” as to Black’s “sale” of his condo; deeming them as “reliable sources.”
Second, NC Spin implied that it had researched the rumor that Rep. Black’s indictment was imminent. Carefully note NC Spin’s assertion that it learned this information “after more digging” even though it was “unconfirmed.” We are also puzzled by NC Spin’s assertion that they print information from journalists who have not gotten enough facts to publish their own stories. In the original NC Spin story, the false assertion of Rep. Black’s “sale” of a condo he never owned was easily subject to a fact check in a number of ways. First, NC Spin apparently did not attempt to call Rep. Black or Rep. Culpepper for confirmation. Second, a thirty minute excursion to the Register of Deeds of Wake County would have confirmed legal ownership of the condo unit. Apparently they did not bother to check. “Spin,” NC Spin’s moniker, implies partisan political interpretation of facts. In this case, it appears there were no facts. Perhaps the appropriate moniker for their Rep. Black story should be “NC Hack.” THE EARLY LINE Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post ranks the 2008 NC Governor’s race as the fourth most competitive in the United States. His analysis: North Carolina (2008): The lone open seat on the Line this week drops a slot as it continues to look like the two top-tier Democratic candidates -- Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue and state Treasurer Richard Moore -- are stronger than anything the Republicans have to offer. There's plenty of time for the GOP field to better define itself, and both state Sen. Fred Smith and attorney Bill Graham have the personal funds to do just that. Former North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr is the latest candidate in the running for Republicans. Democrats will have held the governor's mansion for 16 straight years in 2008 -- a streak that could actually help Republicans if voters are looking for a change. (Previous ranking: 3) REPUBLICAN EXORCISTS Former State Rep. Stephen LaRoque was defeated by his own Party in the 2006 primaries after a determined effort to exorcise LaRoque from the Republican Party. It started with an effort to remove then Rep. LaRoque from the Republican Party Executive Committee. The Wayne County GOP (emphasis added) voted to ask the State GOP to remove Rep. LaRoque from their State Executive Committee. The charges:
[A reputed] public attack against long-time Republican State House
member J. Russell Capps of Wake County. Statements made by LaRoque in a
television interview . . . indicated he supported Capps’ opponent. A Republican opponent in the Party primary, Willie Ray Starling, very narrowly defeated LaRoque. Starling was defeated in November by the Democratic candidate. Former Rep. LaRoque is back attacking the current leadership in the NC State House. He authored this article appearing in the North Carolina Conservative: I thought your readers might be interested in what is going on in the new NC House Republican Leader’s Office. Since he assumed the position, Rep. Skip Stam has hired Joel Raupe. Here’s the Rap on Raupe. According to the January 28, 1999, Wilmington Star News, Joel Raupe was fired from a previous legislative job because he called a Jewish reporter a “Nazi” and e-mailed him the greeting, “I urinate in your general direction.” After calm reflection, Joel Raupe explained that the reporter was an “Idiot” and a “Fascist.” In an October 11, 2006 article by Ron Kessler on Newsmax.com, Raupe brags about being a Congressional Page and learning to smoke marijuana. He also brags of his first sexual experience with a female page at age 17. Raupe’s direct quote was “There was a lot of drug use, Marijuana, LSD, Cocaine. We took our government paychecks and bought drugs.” http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/10/11/82738.shtml A Leader’s character is often reflected by those who he chooses to surround himself. By hiring Joel Raupe as a top aide and lead staff person for the NC House Republican Caucus, Skip Stam is exhibiting shameful behavior that reflects poorly on all Republicans. Skip Stam obviously supports racist comments and someone who brags of illegal drug use and teen sexual behavior. We, Tax Payers, are paying for Skip Stam’s poor judgment in hiring Joel Raupe. The Republican Party I am a member of abhors racism. I’m glad not to be a member of a Republican Caucus who’s “Leader” supports a top aide who makes racist statements. LaRoque leaves out of his article that Raupe was employed by Art Pope’s non-partisan Civitas as Chief Legislative Analyst. This followed a stint as Administrative Assistant to the Senate Republican Leader Berger from 1999 to 2005. In our estimation, there are two important features of this story. First, the Republican Party effort to cleanse itself of moderate forces continues to foster internal political warfare. Second, Raupe is another example of how the extreme Republican right maneuvers ideologues such as Roupe in and out of their think tanks into government. Are these the types of individuals that North Carolinians want to lead their government?
Last Update: 02/18/2007 |
