Tag Archives: North Carolina

March 30, 2011 · 7:24 pm

North Carolina bill would prohibit cities from upgrading Internet access | The Raw Story

More proof that Time-Warner is Evil…

And more proof Republicans are owned by the Corporations that fund them…

The Republican-dominated North Carolina State Assembly this week approved a bill that would prohibit communities from upgrading their internet access, forcing individual municipalities into a private monopoly of managed broadband services by companies like Time Warner and Comcast.

Both firms have been restricting the amount of bandwidth users can consume, even though bandwidth itself is not a tangible, meter-able commodity.

The bill, which was heavily supported by telecom giant Time Warner, comes on the heels of several communities successfully launching their own fiber-optic broadband programs. One program in Wilson, North Carolina, called Greenlight, even features speeds up to 100 Megabits-per-second (Mbps) at a lower price than its corporate competitors.

That’s because Greenlight is a public utility, instead of a profits-making scheme, that places access and quality of service above harvesting dollars off customers. Instead of focusing on margins or how to impose fees on metered bandwidth use, they’re able to focus on simply providing the best the Internet has to offer.

Prior to the arrival of Greenlight, most Internet users in Wilson only had access to 7 Mbps speeds, at a much higher price than the public utility’s plans. For about the same price as the slower connection, Greenlight users get access to 20 Mbps speeds, with options to upgrade to 100M for about $150 a month.

However, in a Monday night vote, North Carolina assemblymen voted 81-37 to bring that to a halt, banning any other communities from upgrading their own connections and forcing them to continue patronizing private providers.

Currently-existing community broadband services like Greenlight, which five North Carolina communities have already set up, would not be affected should the bill clear the state senate.

The cities of Asheville, Bladenboro and Momeyer have all passed resolutions condemning the statewide bill.

via North Carolina bill would prohibit cities from upgrading Internet access | The Raw Story.

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March 15, 2011 · 10:23 pm

Don’t be wedded to every tradition – Other Views – NewsObserver.com

Great Op-Ed from the Reverend Douglas Long in the Raleigh News and Observer yesterday about people using the Bible to define “traditional” marriage.

As Shakespeare said, “the devil can cite scripture for his purpose.”

So, let’s give it a rest.

It’s also a great response to the infamous Dr Laura Schlessinger comments/letter about Leviticus and homosexuality floating around the web…

Here’s an excerpt and a link to the full editorial at the bottom…

Hat tip to Pam’s House Blend where I originally saw part of this….

The truth of the matter is that the Bible is not a good source supporting monogamous and mutual marriage that our society and culture has evolved to embrace.

More systematically than considering a favorite passage here and there, Vaughn Roste, the son of two Canadian Lutheran pastors with a seminary degree of his own, has undertaken a comprehensive study of passages in the Bible, researching more than 800 Biblical references that deal with marriage. He distilled from that study what he refers to as “The 12 Biblical Principles of Marriage.” In summary, in the Bible:

  • Marriage consists of one man and one or more women.
  • Nothing prevents a man from taking on concubines in addition to the wife or wives he may already have.
  • The concept of a woman giving her consent to being married is foreign to the biblical mindset.
  • If a woman cannot be proven to be a virgin at the time of marriage, she shall be stoned
  • For those who claim these are all Old Testament laws and that the New Testament supersedes them, consider in the New Testament that:
  • Women are allowed to marry the man of their father’s choosing … because women are the property of their father until married and their husband afterwards.
  • Interfaith marriages are prohibited.
  • If a man dies childless, his brother must marry the widow
  • Divorce is forbidden, and finally …
  • It’s better, according to St. Paul, to not get married at all.

The point is this, anyone can pick and choose a verse or phrase from the Bible which, taken alone and literally, will appear to support their argument. While people of the Judaic-Christian tradition may disagree on the propriety of same-gender marriage, can we at least agree to not misuse the Bible in the process?

More: Don’t be wedded to every tradition – Other Views – NewsObserver.com.

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March 12, 2011 · 9:55 am

How Many Americans Have a Passport? The Percentages, State by State « Grey’s Blog

Fascinating data from another blog (Link at bottom)…

There is a great map on this site also as well as percentages for every state…

Why am I not surprised Mississippi is last?

This also seems to prove my theory that travel is the best education.  Note the states with the highest number of travelers are generally the more liberal/progressive States.  Alaska is the exception, but remember you now need a Passport to enter Canada from the US and Canada borders Alaska.

 

Percentage of State Population with Passport

NEW JERSEY 68.36%

DELAWARE 67.05%

ALASKA 65.01%

MASSACHUSETTS 63.42%

NEW YORK 62.47%

CALIFORNIA 60.19%

NEW HAMPSHIRE 59.39%

CONNECTICUT 58.50%

WASHINGTON 57.28%

VERMONT 56.32%

MARYLAND 56.21%

MORE:   How Many Americans Have a Passport? The Percentages, State by State « Grey’s Blog.

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March 11, 2011 · 5:54 pm

Absolute power: An examination of Art Pope’s dominance – Independent Weekly

While everyone is watching Washington and Wisconsin, we need to keep our eyes out here in North Carolina as well…

The rich are trying to buy North Carolina as well…

This is not a coincidence…

Former legislator, millionaire, political insider, Art Pope is a public figure and one of the most powerful people in North Carolina.

This project of the Independent Weekly and Facing South, the online magazine of the Institute for Southern Studies, analyzes both the extent of Pope’s influence and its ramifications for public policy.

In short, Pope and the organizations he finances are shaping how North Carolinians live. As Chris Kromm reports, the Pope family—through the John William Pope Foundation—has been funneling millions of dollars into a network of conservative research, media and legal centers. Pope’s groups have larger ambitions to shift public opinion and the political debate toward a pro-business, anti-government agenda.

That’s being played out in the Republican-dominated Legislature. Those lawmakers and their regressive agenda for social services, education, the environment and tax policy are brought to you largely by Pope and Pope-backed groups.

We’ve also scrutinized the Pope Foundation’s tax documents and found that, despite his groups’ persistent calls for public accountability, the foundation itself failed to file timely tax returns for eight years. Pope’s excuses? Hurricane Fran. Single fatherhood. For eight years.

via Absolute power: An examination of Art Pope’s dominance | News Feature | Independent Weekly.

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March 5, 2011 · 12:53 pm

Chapter 52: Sex in the South: Part 2- The Queen of the South | My Southern Gothic Life

New post up on my other blog, MySouthernGothicLife.com….

Here’s a brief excerpt and a link to the full post…

Like fashion, new movies, ethnic food and just about everything else, the Sexual Revolution came late to Danville, Virginia.

However, given the sexually repressive atmosphere, it should be no surprise it led the way in one area:  Outdoor Porn Drive In Theaters.

via Chapter 52: Sex in the South: Part 2- The Queen of the South | My Southern Gothic Life.

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March 4, 2011 · 7:43 am

Chapter 51: Sex in the South: Part 1- Setting the Stage | My Southern Gothic Life

There is a new post up on my other blog:  My SouthernGothicLife.com

Here is the intro and a link to the full post:

To put it bluntly, when we were growing up, we knew sex was everywhere in the South.  It was poorly hidden, but not a topic of socially approved conversations.   Or at least it once wasn’t…

We came from, perhaps, the last generation to be fed totally screwed up information about sex.  At least, I hope so…

MORE:   Chapter 51: Sex in the South: Part 1- Setting the Stage | My Southern Gothic Life.

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March 3, 2011 · 6:23 pm

Pigeon O’Brien: How the John Edwards Affair Ended Up in the Enquirer

And now a little Democratic hypocrisy…

This is a fascinating story on The Huffington Post about how the John Edwards affair came to the attention of the press.

And even more information on who Rielle Hunter really is…

I encourage you to click the link to read the entire story.

It’s worth your time…

This is the function of the press in a democracy: It is to present the truth so that we may cast our votes knowledgeably. We have absolutely no right to know who kisses whom in a darkened car or pokes someone on Facebook. But other personal choices tell us if this person is fit to govern. What is this person’s essential character? What might this person do once given trust? Does this person respect women as human beings? Does he take responsibility for his actions? Does he betray those who trust in him behind their backs? We don’t just have a right to know, we have a responsibility to know. Our constitutionally mandated free press serves this role.

MORE:   Pigeon O’Brien: How the John Edwards Affair Ended Up in the Enquirer.

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March 2, 2011 · 6:56 pm

Jesse Helms is Spinning in His Grave…

From the Winston-Salem Journal:

More than half of North Carolina residents now support legal recognition of same-sex couples, and more than one-quarter believe they should have full marriage rights, according to a poll released Monday.

The Elon University survey found that 29 percent of respondents in the state support civil unions or partnerships for same-sex couples but not full marriage rights. About 28 percent of people support full marriage rights.

Meanwhile, only 35 percent of respondents opposed all legal recognition for same-sex partners, down from 44 percent when the question was asked two years ago.

“That’s a substantial move,” said Elon poll director Hunter Bacot. “We’re seeing people becoming more comfortable with the issue.”

About two dozen Republican senators in North Carolina have proposed a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex unions. Similar measures have previously been filed in the General Assembly but have gone nowhere, but Republicans now control both chambers of the legislature for the first time in more than a century.

The bill’s primary sponsors did not return phone calls seeking comment Monday.

via NC poll: Many support rights for same-sex couples | JournalNow.com.

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March 1, 2011 · 7:36 pm

John Edwards Is Out of Sight, but Not for Long – NYTimes.com

The next chapter of this sad saga is yet to come….

This is an unending soap opera….

Almost a Shakespearean tragedy…

Or at least, a modern “Dynasty”….

Or probably more like “Flamingo Road”….

Over the past few weeks, people in this tight-knit university community have not seen much of John Edwards.

They used to. He would hang out on a metal stool at Bowbarr, a short walk from the environmentally friendly condominium complex where he moved after details of an extramarital affair sent him from the family home.

He would swing into Crook’s Corner, a legendary Southern restaurant, for an order of fried oysters to go, talking to anyone around and looking like the polished but approachable Democratic presidential candidate he once was.

After his estranged wife, Elizabeth Edwards, died of cancer in early December, the chef at Crook’s Corner, Bill Smith, would slip in an extra dessert for their children.

“We all just feel for him, no matter what he’s done,” Mr. Smith said. “And you know there is more to come.”

That “more” is the possibility that a federal grand jury in Raleigh could soon hand up an indictment against him in a case centering on campaign finance practices.

One issue is whether Mr. Edwards knew that some of the millions of dollars given by at least two wealthy donors was being used to help support — and hide, some contend — Rielle Hunter, the campaign videographer with whom he had a prolonged affair, and the daughter they conceived.

The money used to support Ms. Hunter could be considered campaign contributions if prosecutors can show that Mr. Edwards helped orchestrate donations for that purpose, or that he knew the money would be used to keep the affair hidden so it would not hurt his 2008 presidential candidacy.

Much More:   John Edwards Is Out of Sight, but Not for Long – NYTimes.com.

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February 28, 2011 · 7:53 pm

Raleigh No. 3 in Gay Parents – NewsObserver.com

This kind of blows the old Jesse Helms image of North Carolina to hell…

Thank God!

From the Raleigh News and Observer:

Raleigh is one of the highest-ranked metropolitan areas in the nation for gay parents. Nearly one-third of the same-sex couples who live here are raising children under the age of 18.

The American Community Survey says Raleigh has the third-highest percentage of same-sex couples with kids among metro areas that have a population of more than 1 million. San Antonio is first, with 33.9 percent of same-sex couples raising children, and Jacksonville, Fla., is second, with 32.4 percent.

Southern cities tended to rank high in the survey, which was conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and used population and housing data collected between 2005 and 2009.

Gary Gates, a senior research fellow at UCLA Law School, said he thinks the traditionally conservative South has more gay parents because people in the region tend to come out later in life, often after marrying and having children in heterosexual relationships.

Some cities with the highest concentrations of gays, such as San Francisco, aren’t ranked that high when it comes to same-sex couples with children, Gates said.

Ian Palmquist, executive director of Equality North Carolina, a gay rights organization, was not surprised to hear Raleigh ranked so high.

“Gay people from the more rural communities move to the Triangle because it is much more friendly and more supportive,” he said. “We know there are many same-sex couples raising children in North Carolina.”

Palmquist added that the same things that make North Carolina appealing to heterosexual couples also make it a good choice for same-sex couples.

via Raleigh No. 3 in gay parents – Family – NewsObserver.com.

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