Climate change poses a massive threat to not only North Carolinians, but to people across this country and our world. We are not hopeless though. As the fight against climate change continues, we are seeing more investment in renewable energy sources, decarbonization methods, and new technologies to mitigate environmental harm from manufacturers.
FOR LEGISLATORS IT'S ABOUT SHOWING UP. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOME DON'T: It takes 48 votes in the N.C. House of Representatives to sustain a veto by the governor. On Wednesday there were 46 votes – two short of the required number – to sustain Cooper’s veto that would have maintained the requirement that anyone wanting to buy a handgun get a permit from the local Sheriff. The permits were given following a background check, including criminal history and mental competence. Two Democrats who initially voted to abolish the permit requirement – Reps. Shelly Willingham of Edgecombe County and Marvin Lucas of Cumberland County – supported Cooper’s veto. Lucas said he switched his position following this week’s tragic school shooting massacre in Nashville. He even delayed a planned surgical procedure to show up and cast his vote. The two other Democrats who say they supported Cooper’s veto, Cotham and Brockman, missed the vote, assuring the veto would be overridden abolishing the handgun purchase permits and further jeopardizing the safety of all North Carolinians. Cotham said she had a medical obligation she couldn’t miss. Brockman’s office said he had visited urgent care. Brockman and Cotham’s constituents should hold them to account in the next election. This wasn't about some minor tweak to the laws; it's a blindly reckless move that will result in more shootings. Not only does it allow people who shouldn't have access to guns get their hands on them, it also lets "straw buyers" off the hook for helping those people avoid Federal background checks. Inexcusable. https://www.wral.com/story/editorial-for-legislators-it-s-about-showing-up-what-happens-when-some-do...
Wagner’s strategy involves a three-tiered approach. First, it conducts disinformation and pro-government information warfare strategies, including fake polls and counter-demonstration techniques. Second, Wagner secures payment for its services through concessions in extractive industries, particularly precious metal mining operations. Wagner uses a variety of organizations and companies to oversee these extraction projects. Third, Wagner becomes involved with the country’s military, launching a relationship directly with Russia’s military, usually through training, advising, personal security, and anti-insurgency operations. Throughout the process, the Russian foreign policy establishment’s involvement is clear, particularly as the beneficiary of military-to-military relationships with a new potential client state.
I realize this is not the usual subject material for this blog, but the influence Yevgeny Prigozhin (and by extension Vladimir Putin) is wielding on the international stage cannot be understated. The human rights of literally hundreds of millions are at stake, and not just in the 3rd world, either. They are intentionally fostering civil wars in some places, designed to give them even more control:
“Not getting the job done" is the perfect phrase for this ethical collapse by Cotham. She was hired by a majority of voters in her district with the expectation of representing them. She's not doing that job.
One month into her role as head of the North Carolina Democratic Party, the 25-year-old organizer is still getting used to the spotlight as the youngest state Democratic chair in the country. She’s hoping to use her platform to highlight that it is people like her — young and from rural parts of the state — that Democrats need to draw out to help North Carolina flip blue.
Clayton also knows that while being the first Gen Z member in her position has given her more exposure, it also means more pressure to prove, after disappointing results in recent election cycles, that Democrats can fare better in the Tar Heel State in 2024.
I will freely admit, after what happened today with that Veto Override vote, I was about ready to give up. But that won't change anything, either. Maybe Anderson can...
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