A Deeper Look Into the UNC Fiasco

Almost every single time I start checking out some flashy new Conservative organization, it ends up being a "Seven Degrees of Sarah Scaife" game. Which is one of the huge foundations that fund various right-wing "think-tanks" that peddle corporate misinformation, like the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation. In this case, it only takes about four degrees to connect the dots between these mega-funders and the new "student organization" that has plunged UNC Chapel Hill into controversy lately, the Youth for Western Civilization.

The middle dot in this connection is the Leadership Institute out of Arlington Virginia:

The Leadership Institute's mission is to identify, recruit, train, and place conservatives in politics, government, and the media.

Burr's Money, Part One: Big Pharma Finds A Hero

I'm sure it will come as no surprise to many reading this, but not only is the pharmaceutical industry hugely profitable, they're also near the top of the list of biggest spenders in lobbying/campaign contributions. And they're not stupid. These expenditures, just like the hundreds of millions they spend on research and development, are investments to ensure a healthy future profit margin. And thanks to their investment in Richard Burr, they're not only raking it in at the pharmacy counter, they're getting billions of taxpayer dollars along the way.

Doug Berger's Misguided Castle Doctrine

I am by no means an opponent of the 2nd Amendment, and have studied the Founding Fathers' reasoning behind its inclusion in our Constitution and concluded they had all citizenry in mind when they referenced the Militia, and not a tight select group as some of my fellow Liberals have concluded. With that clearly stated, I also believe the possession and use of firearms should be sensibly regulated, and the enforcement of our laws should be reserved for those we have given the responsibility to do such. Any effort to erode these common sense ideals should be scrutinized closely and potential consequences explored, or we may find ourselves one day living under the aura of vigilante justice again.

A bill was introduced last month by (believe it or not) Democratic Senator Doug Berger, titled the Castle Doctrine:

White Supremacy, By Any Other Name

In an effort to more clearly define the events surrounding the aborted speech of Tom Tancredo and the near-violent reaction to the YWC's gathering on the UNC campus, I decided to take a deeper look at the psychology and symbolism used by white supremacist organizations like the Youth for Western Civilization. All of the images portrayed in this piece were taken from their blog, The Hammer. Which is itself a term used by some of the more radical white supremacist groups.

Here's their shield and axe logo:

A New Way Forward: This Saturday in Raleigh

One of the reasons why America has evolved into the most powerful and influential nation in the world is our ability to adapt. When someone knocks our feet out from under us, we don't just lay there and pout. We get back up, dust ourselves off, and then take steps to make sure that that someone will never be able to knock us down again. Well, the bankers have knocked our feet out from under not only us, but the rest of the world as well, and if we don't stand up now and fix their wagon, they'll keep knocking us down through their recklessness until we'll no longer have the strength to stand anymore.

Orr and Atkinson Join Hands to Fight Governor Perdue

At this very moment, our pal Justice Bob Orr is announcing his representation of Superintendent June Atkinson in a lawsuit against Governor Perdue to determine who will actually control North Carolina's education system:

When: April 3, 2009 at 11:00 am

Where: 333 E. Six Forks Road • Suite 180 • Raleigh, North Carolina

Purpose: Media briefing by Justice Robert F. Orr (retired) concerning litigation that will be filed Friday, April 3, 2009, by Dr. June St. Clair Atkinson to challenge the constitutionality of certain legislative and executive branch actions taken to usurp the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s constitutional authority to administer the North Carolina public school system.

"Painting A Moving Train"

The title of this diary is also the title of a training seminar produced by the Citizen-Soldier Support Program (CSSP), the Veteran's Administration (VA) and the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (AHEC). The phrase itself was taken from a talk by Marine Corps General Robert Magnus, as he discussed the difficulties of addressing health issues for troops subject to combat deployment. I attended this all-day seminar Friday in Florence, S.C., sponsored by the PeeDee AHEC, and I'm going to share with you some of the things I learned during this incredibly compelling and enlightening training session.

Job Security: Practicing Medicine in a Toxic Environment

You know, I don't expect physicians to automatically be tree-hugging environmentalists, and I've known quite a few who are considerably right-of-center. I don't really have a problem with that, because I'm impressed with the sacrifices they've made and their concern for the health of their patients. But every now and then, I see behavior that just blows my mind, and DOCTOR Jim Forrester's bill S520 is one of them:

Pretty Pictures

Putting The President's Words Into Actions

After listening (on the radio) to President Obama's speech to the Marines today, I thought I would let you folks know some of the things I've been getting into in the last few weeks. The President talked about supporting the troops before, during and after deployment, and he also alluded to post-deployment issues like PTSD and other, more noticeable combat-related afflictions and injuries. The fact that he "gets" how important these things are, and is willing to discuss them honestly and without reservation, is a sign he will make a good, and possibly great, Commander-In-Chief.

BlueNC

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