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–Charlotte's Shower Madness –Legislative Update –Safety Alert
–Report: GOP Open House –Programs –
New MTC Officer –Rifle Raffle
–
Did You Know? –Virtual Town Hall (new column) –Quotes
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Important: To send someone this newsletter, do not click "forward" on this email message. Instead, copy /paste this mooreteacitizens.com/archive into a new email and tell the recipient to click the May 2016 archived newsletter.
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Charlotte Bathroom Craziness
Miriam Chu, MTC Chair
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This whole messy hysteria began with the town Council of Charlotte passing a very poorly thought-out law ordinance. Please
read it
. The people condemning HB2, by and large, have not read
HB2
. Let's not be guilty of the same ignorant condemnation in respect to the Charlotte ordinance.
The most alarming part of the Charlotte ordinance to the general public is the striking of any exceptions to the new rule, which allows access by individuals based on which "gender they identify with," to all facilities. In Section 3, the following wording was
stricken
:
"Sec. 12-59. - Prohibited sex discrimination.
(a) It shall be unlawful to deny a person, because of sex, the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of a restaurant, hotel, or motel.
(b) This section shall not apply to the following:
(1) Restrooms, shower rooms, bathhouses and similar facilities which are in their nature distinctly private.
(2) YMCA, YWCA and similar types of dormitory lodging facilities.
(3) A private club or other establishment not, in fact, open to the public.”
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Come on, Charlotte! This is the age of the ubiquitous camera phone and massive paranoia about sexual assault, child abduction, molestation, date rape and general mistrust of anyone of the opposite sex, but especially adult males! Did you really believe an ordinance allowing anyone to use the private facility of their choice, based on whim, would be welcomed with open arms by the general public?
The truth is, most people feel insecure using public restrooms, dressing rooms and other facilities where they might be in a state of undress, even
without
those same facilities being open to members of the opposite sex.
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My concern about HB2 is that it appears to strip away the right to judicial remedy in cases of damages caused by discrimination:
§ 143-422.3. Investigations; conciliations.
14 The Human Relations Commission in the Department of Administration shall have the 15 authority to receive charges of discrimination from the Equal Employment Opportunity 16 Commission pursuant to an agreement under Section 709(b) of Public Law 88-352, as amended by 17 Public Law 92-261, and investigate and conciliate charges of discrimination. Throughout this 18 process, the agency shall use its good offices to effect an amicable resolution of the charges of 19 discrimination. This Article does not create, and shall not be construed to create or support, a 20 statutory or common law private right of action, and
no person may bring any civil action based 21 upon the public policy expressed herein
."
Though some kind of limitations on punitive lawsuits against those unwilling to participate in gay marriages or other activities, should be imposed because in America, no one should be forced to sacrifice their life savings or livelihood to protect their religious freedom. At the May 4th NCGOPE open house, House Speaker Tim Moore said that this is a misinterpretation, and that this apparent deficiency will be addressed by clarification of the bill's language in the current session.
Several weeks ago, I spoke at the NC Libertarian State Convention, as there was a resolution condemning HB2 on their agenda, I included this in my talk. I asked the audience for a show of hands as to who had read HB2, only one audience member raised his hand. How can someone condemn something they actually know nothing about?
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Legislative Update
Peggy Smetana, Legislative Team Chair
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Supreme Court Nominations
Action Item!
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With weak, unprincipled and/or corrupt politicians in the Senate, nothing is over until it's over and we still have many months to go. Drop a note and/or call Senators Burr and Tillis to let them know your still watching and expect them expect them to hold the line on not having hearings on any of Obama's SCOTUS nominees.
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Pressure On NC Politicians Over HB2
Action Item!
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Our governor, state senators and representatives, and other Council of State politicians are under intense pressure to fold on HB2, from
within and without NC. The law was not necessary until Charlotte's politicians forced the General Assembly's and the governor's hands. Charlotte started all this, not HB2. Let Gov. McCrory, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest,
Reps. Boles and McNeill and Sen. Tillman
know you still care about the issue, you still expect them to weather the storm and resist the pressure, and you actually appreciate the stand they've taken.
Gov. McCrory – Call (919) 814-2000 or write
Lt. Gov. Dan Forest – Call (919) 814-3680 or write
Rep. Boles – call
919-733-5903
or
write
Rep. McNeill
– call 336-302-0263 or
write
Sen. Tillman
– call (336) 431-5325 or
write
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NC Supreme Court Primary on June 7th
We Must Keep the Conservative Majority on the Court!
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All voters in North Carolina may vote in the nonpartisan Supreme Court primary on June 7th. Justice Robert H. (Bob) Edmunds is the only conservative candidate running against two Democrats and one Unaffiliated candidate in this primary. However, the candidates will NOT be listed by party affiliation on the ballot. Only the top 2 vote-getters, regardless of party, move on to the general election in November. No matter where you live in North Carolina, Bob Edmunds will be on your ballot on June 7th.
Therefore, we each need to help Bob Edmunds secure enough votes to move on to the November election, or we lose conservative control of the Supreme Court until January 1, 2023 (assuming we win, then). Bob Edmunds has served on the North Carolina Supreme Court for the past 15 years. Prior to that, he was a North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge, and he served as U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina under Presidents Reagan and Bush 41. He is THE conservative choice for Supreme Court in 2016.
Here are some quick, easy ways YOU can help Bob Edmunds win on June 7th:
- VOTE for Robert H. (Bob) Edmunds in the nonpartisan Supreme Court primary! Early Voting for the June 7th primary will be at the Moore County Board of Elections in Carthage. Early voting is underway and will resume on Tue, May 31. It runs 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Tue through Fri, June 3, and 9:00 am – 1:00 pm on Sat, June 4. (The Board of Elections Office will be closed for the Memorial Day holiday on Mon, May 30). On Election Day, Tue, June 7, all polls will be open from 6:30 am – 7:30 pm. If you have questions, call the Moore County Board of Elections (BOE) at (910) 947-3868 or visit the BOE Website.
- FORWARD this message to everyone you know in North Carolina and ask them to vote on June 7 for Bob Edmunds for Supreme Court
- LIKE Justice Bob Edmunds on Facebook and INVITE your Facebook friends to like him
- FOLLOW Justice Edmunds on Twitter
- LINK your Website to justiceedmunds.com
- CONTRIBUTE to Justice Edmunds’ campaign to help him get his message out across NC
- VOLUNTEER to work a polling location during early voting or on June 7 by clicking HERE.
Let’s do everything we can to keep Bob Edmunds and a conservative majority on the NC Supreme Court!
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Safety Alert in Moore Co.
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There have been several confirmed cases of foxes infected with rabies in our area. Where normally these animals would run from people, infected ones might be aggressive so caution is prudent.
Other common carriers of rabies include raccoons, skunks, coyotes, groundhogs and beavers. See NC Public Health Department site for more information.
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For Our Republican Readers
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A Report On the "Open House and Listening Session" with
Robin Hayes at NCGOP Headquarters on May 4
by Miriam Chu
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I discussed with Mr. Hayes how trivial things can become points of unnecessary friction, for example, the use of the term "grassroots" has become very contentious among the various feuding factions. Several announcements from NCGOP Communications have recently been sent out declaring that "Grassroots Republicans" were responsible for electing Hayes, removing Harnett, etc.. The very people that Mr. Hayes was now attempting to reconcile with were being unnecessarily offended just by the use of this term, and how simple it would be to avoid this unnecessary offense just by ceasing the use of "grassroots" in communiqués from the NCGOP headquarters. Mr. Hayes acknowledged that would be a very small change to make to avoid increasing hostility. I also pointed out to Mr. Hayes how defensively he had reacted to Jim Womack's use of the word "corrupt" in their conversation, and how it had caused them to waste time haggling over an irrelevant point. These may seem to be trifling matters, but when they detract from discussing matters of substance and reaching solutions, they are simple missteps that can easily be avoided.
Later, Mr. Hayes publicly corrected Dallas Woodhouse for his misuse of "grassroots" in his presentation. One tiny step toward reconciliation; it was a good moment.
Robin Hayes, did listen as he had said he would, now the question is "Did he pay attention?"
Jim Womack, a constitutional conservative in the Lee Co. GOP, presented Robin Hayes, the GOP's new old Party Chairman and Establishment stalwart, with a list of seven actions necessary to begin the reconciliation between NC Tea Party groups, other conservative activist groups and the NCGOP leadership. Below is the document discussed as a starting point for reconciliation by Robin Hayes and Jim Womack at the NCGOP open house event.
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Jim Womack Robin Hayes Miriam Chu (right)
Hopefully this doesn't indicate was how well Mr. Hayes paid attention.
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The Path to Reconciliation with the NCGOP Grass Roots
May 4, 2016
This list of actions is prerequisite to any reconciliation between the NCGOP Central Committee and NCGOP party activists, commonly referred to as “Grass Roots Republicans.”
- During the 2016 Convention, present for inspection by any member of the Executive Committee all names and signatures received on both the petition for Chairman Hasan Harnett’s removal and the petition for a meeting on April 30, 2016.
- Apologize formally to the NCGOP - including our candidates for office this year - for the divisions within the party leadership and recent disruptions that have damaged our brand and our ability to support conservatives in this pivotal election year. Do not lay blame on Hasan Harnett, but instead on our ambiguous Plan of Organization, on unplanned changes in NCGOP staff, and on our collective inability to forge an effective leadership team with the Chairman. State that immediate action is being taken to remedy all contributing factors so we can form effective county and state party organizations and be successful in all races during the 2016 election cycle.
- Announce the immediate dissolution of the Central Committee’s Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) which prevents the Executive Committee and the party at-large from knowing most of the inner workings of the Central Committee. State that all future Central Committee meeting minutes and schedules will be digitally released to the members of the Executive Committee within one week of having transpired. Allow only (strictly) personnel and legal actions to be matters discussed and not disclosed from Central Committee meetings so we can re-establish transparency within the party.
- Set aside time and take the necessary parliamentary actions to ensure delegates at the May 6-7 2016 NCGOP State Convention have a reasonable opportunity to discuss and vote on all proposed changes to the Plan of Organization and all Resolutions brought forward out of the Resolutions Committee. No parliamentary tricks or agenda shuffling to prevent these items from being considered by the body before close of the general membership meeting on Saturday, late afternoon.
- Agree to comply immediately with the federal court’s mandate to re-district the 13 Congressional districts by convening district conventions in June or July 2016 that will administratively realign the party to best support and promote our Congressional (and other) candidates this fall- so we administratively conform with mandated new boundaries, greatly simplifying our apparatus for party governance.
- Agree to create a standing NCGOP Plan of Organization committee, immediately following the Redistricting conventions, that will meet monthly for the next year. This committee will completely overhaul the Plan to better define the duties, authority, responsibilities and purposes for each and every position and committee within the Plan. It will be made more complete to clearly define our rules for internal organization and administration, procedures to be followed for such things as disciplinary hearings, and a detailed communications plan to be followed for all party correspondence, media releases, and messaging. Allow each district executive committee to elect their representative to this committee, and for the committee itself to elect its chairman at its first meeting. Send out monthly updates of proposed changes to both the central and executive committees and the DCCA group so the grass roots of the party are kept informed about the changes being proposed to take effect at next convention. Agree to present the new Plan of Organization as the complete replacement plan for adoption (with opportunity for amendments) during the 2017 convention.
- Agree to organize the 2017 convention so that general session fees will not exceed $45.00 per person. Put together a strategy to reduce general session fees for future conventions, after 2017, to require only a small ($10.00 or so) administrative fee for participation.
By agreeing to these provisions, the NCGOP leadership will demonstrate its genuine willingness to reconcile with the party grass roots and will have opened the opportunity to unite the party as we move forward into the fall election cycle.
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Programs
Neil Oakley, Programs Team Chair
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May
(Review by Matt Horsley)
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The program this month was good, and I wouldn't write it if it weren't so. Dale Folwell and Chuck Stuber (pronounced STEW-bur) are men with impressive records of real accomplishment. Folwell's history of cutting oppressive, job- and wealth-killing state bureaucracy, and Stuber's history of fighting crime—especially political corruption in a number of high-profile North Carolina cases (John Edwards and Mike Easley to name just two)—motivated the diverse group of Tea Party "types" that attended, Including me! Both men are running for offices conducive to continuing what they've proven they're good at.
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Becki Gray, of the John Locke Foundation, will give us presentation entitled
Understanding the North Carolina State Budget. Where does the General Assembly spend the money? Where does it get the money? You know you pay taxes but are there more taxes than you know? What are we "getting" from the federal government? How does the NCGA make its spending decisions? What are your questions?
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Elliot Engstrom is the Lead Counsel of the Civitas Institute Center for Law and Freedom (CLF). He will speak on "Litigating for Liberty" in North Carolina. Come find out how CLF is protecting your rights and freedoms through the power of the courts.
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August 15 (date correction from last month)
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The August program will have a
Moore County government focus
.
Nick Picerno
, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, will give us an update of county government, and
Ed Dennison
from the Moore County Board of Education will speak about the school board's actions and planned actions for K–12 education. Both men will take our questions.
Additionally, we'll have a brief Q&A with two candidates Moore Tea Citizens endorsed in the primary, Michael LaPaglia (running for NC Sec. of State) and Mike Causey (running for NC Comm. of Insurance).
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Merlin Miller of “Eagles Are Gathering”
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Events Sponsored by Other Organizations
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When we become aware of events and activities planned by other liberty-oriented groups, we post them. Go to the
Calendar page
of the MTC Website to see what's pending. If you know of an upcoming event that should be there, use the form at the bottom of the Calendar page to let us know about it.
FYI: To find the Calendar page from the Home page, "cover" the "Events" link in menu at the top of the page with your mouse, then click "Calendar" in the drop-down menu. On a phone or tablet, click "Events" then "Calendar."
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Communication and Messaging Workshop (repeat announcement)
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Attention conservatives, conservatarians and libertarians! Aesop had a fable that applies to us as we try to valiantly try to convince our fellow citizens of the self-destructive foolishness of Statism/Socialism/Big Government:
THE WIND and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger. Suddenly they saw a traveler coming down the road, and the Sun said: “I see a way to decide our dispute. Whichever of us can cause that traveler to take off his cloak shall be regarded as the stronger You begin.” So the Sun retired behind a cloud, and the Wind began to blow as hard as it could upon the traveler. But the harder he blew the more closely did the traveler wrap his cloak round him, till at last the Wind had to give up in despair. Then the Sun came out and shone in all his glory upon the traveler, who soon found it too hot to walk with his cloak on.
The point? There people who study and are expert at "messaging." We will have a professional workshop on how to frame our sound solutions so others are more likely to receive them. More to come, later.
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MTC’s New Secretary
by Emily Stack
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(Dylan is the one on the left)
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As you may have heard I left the state, this month, for an internship in D.C. with FreedomWorks. It has been a great pleasure working with MTC and I am so glad I was able to be the secretary, one of the officers, of this wonderful group. I have met many wonderful people and am glad I got to know them over the years. I think that Moore Tea contributes greatly, not to just the community but to neighboring counties. You have a great impact on helping voters be informed and keeping politicians honest.
Though I am saddened I will not be able to continue as secretary from afar (a little difficult for note taking) it is with great excitement that I introduce to Moore Tea Citizens the new Secretary,
Dylan Light
! Dylan is a junior at Fayetteville State University and has been part of the grass roots movement in Lee County. Dylan is bright with a equally bright future and I believe that he will make a great addition to the board! I also believe it is good to bring in younger members with fresh perspectives. We “Millennials” will be the leaders of the future and it is important we infuse our generation with conservative principles in a world where Marxist thinking is becoming fashionable.
“
The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.
” ~Friedrich Nietzsche
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The Annual Raffle Is Here!
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S&W MP15 Sport II in cal 5.56 NATO
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This year we're raffling an M4-style rifle. This fundraiser is our single biggest donation generator each year, and we want to sell
all
the tickets. Talk to your friends, colleagues and family members. If they like to gamble, our raffle provides great odds! If they like the work that MTC does for Moore County, the chance of winning a rifle may be all the incentive they need to contribute to a great, honest-to-goodness grass roots, local group.
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Check out the
raffle page
on our Website. It provides information—including a FAQs section—and allows to ask questions if the information you want isn't there.
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We speak of the "rule of law," but what is it? The law school answer is complex. The "rule of law" has different facets, depending on the context. In general, the two most significant for everyday life are these:
- No one is above the law; the law applies to and is enforced with everyone equally. The President has no more exemption than the drunk bum in the gutter. Similarly, he deserves no better or worse treatment than the bum. When symbolized in art, Justice is often blindfolded and carrying a scale (see the picture) and sword to represent this ideal of equal justice under the law.
- The law is what governs, not the whim of a person or group in positions of power. For a society to be flourish the people must know what the rules (laws) are and have confidence that they are both supreme and stable. Whether or not the President, the NC Attorney General (AG) or some judge like a law is irrelevant. They are still bound by it and bound to enforce it. Businesses must know that the plants they build today will not be rendered unusable tomorrow because a bureaucrat decided to make a new emission rule that would cost millions of dollar to comply with. In other words, established law is supposed to govern the nation and the states, not the President's phone and pen or his EPA, not the AG's opinion or a statist judge's "living document" "interpretation" of the constitution.
So, how are we doing with the rule of law in the US and North Carolina? What do you say, Roy Cooper?
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Virtual Town Hall
by Matt Horsley
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The purpose of this recurring column is to
identify
problems that we need to address (especially at the local and state levels),
discuss
solutions and mobilize to
execute
them. A discussion will only exist if you participate by clicking the “Comment” link at the bottom of the article.
To set the stage for future columns, we’re starting big by assessing where we are versus where we started—the Tax Day Rally in June 2009.
- Much of what we feared, we have actually realized. Obama steadily moved his anti-American agenda forward on every front.
- In response, We the People put the GOP in charge of the Congress. In turn, it did worse than nothing because it put the “opposition” party’s imprimatur on the Democrat’s destructive actions. That is, but funding them, they de facto approved them. There is no way around that.
- All of this created boiling resentment and anger in the electorate, setting the stage for non-traditional types to run for president. The angry Left wants an open Socialist to wield the Marxist hammer and “make everything equal and fair,” the angry conservatives wanted Cruz to wield the Constitution to turn back the statist tide, and an odd mix of angry people want Trump to wield a CEO’s fist to “make America great again!”
In other words, our great country is continuing to decline and although we were successful at the ballot box, we’ve confirmed that simply winning elections won’t solve the problem. So what are we to do? That, is what we’ll be discussing in this column,
if
you’re willing to engage. We’ll talk about what is already afoot and what you think we (MTC)
should
do.
Like Wes May, I'm a "proud member of Moore Tea Citizens." I checked it out before I joined and found it is a group of people with different beliefs about many things, but who are simpatico about liberty, property and the fact that our founding documents, particularly the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution are fundamental to ensuring those rights.
We agree on what I call “Fundamental American Liberty.” That is, we understand that without the underpinnings of the political philosophy that sparked America and the Rule of Law established by the documents and traditions to which that philosophy gave birth, everything else is tentative. Laws, even constitutional amendments, can be wiped away without warning by a judge or judges, an unelected bureaucrat or a despot with “a pen and a phone.” This happens with no great protest because the populace has become ignorant. The ignorance is by the design of Progressives who have been playing the long game.
Moore Tea Citizens’ focus is on liberty and property, two sides of the same coin. What MTC does not get involved with are “social issues,” and that is the subject, this month. We all know what social issues are, right? Defining terms is necessary to critical thinking and productive debate. For example, a long, passionate debate about the value of “life” will be a waste if you mean “existence” and I mean “life
style
.” Before you read any further, clearly define “social issues” in a way that others would know what you mean. It isn’t easy but give it a try before proceeding.
Now I’ll define it and you’ll tell me if I’m right or how I’m wrong. I won’t be “offended,” hurt or angry.
Social Issues: Relative values within a culture. They originate from aspects of the culture, such as traditions or religious beliefs, and may change as the culture changes. They are not “rights” because rights are
unalienable
,
immutable
and don’t depend on human action. Examples of social issues are marriage (who, how, what, etc.), sexual activities, drugs (medicinal vs. “recreational,” legalities, etc.), prostitution, what constitutes acceptable public behavior (eg., female toplessness, drunkenness, nude sunbathing, public breastfeeding, etc.) and the drinking age. While there are always a few kooks who dispute everything, there are some topics that many would say are social issues and many would not, such as abortion.
So,
what do you think
of that definition? Focus on
the
question; don’t ask new ones like “
should
we be involved in social issues?” Be concise and clear. Debate with other commenters. Attack ideas, not people. If I defined it well (no, I didn’t look it up), this may be a short discussion but I suspect there are things I missed. Just because I created my own definition doesn’t mean you find someone else's on the Net and smack me around with it. Let's put it in a thought crucible and refine it!
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Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish.
~ Euripedes
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Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
~ Mahatma Gandhi
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Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.
~ Ronald Wilson Reagan
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The protest movements of history did not expand in the shape of a simple rising arc of popular defiance. Rather, they began in a particular place, sputtered and subsided, only to re-emerge elsewhere in perhaps a different form, influenced by local particularities of circumstance and culture.
~ Frances Fox Piven
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The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all.
~ Thomas Jefferson
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Support the businesses that s
upport
Moore Tea Citizens
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Soon broadcasting in FM, too!
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