SAVE THE DATE: Annual Reagan Dinner coming May 15, 2022
The indispensable weekly newsletter
County Commissioners delay vote
to decide fate of Charters project

Proposed by Republican Women

Moore County is edging closer to participating in a well established program to erect America's Charters of Freedom displays across the United States. Thanks to the persistence of Pauline Bruno and the Moore Republic Women, the Moore County Board of Commissioners was expected to approve a site during a regularly scheduled meeting at 5:30 pm on August 17. But the vote has been delayed because numerous commissioners are away.

After months of site review and debate, the Commissioners have identified land adjacent to the Moore County Veterans Memorial in Carthage as the home of Moore's Charters of Freedom. The veterans memorial, installed in 2006, consists of two black granite slabs, each 3,000 pounds, on which the names of almost 150 Moore County veterans killed in the past 100 years are inscribed beginning with World War I to the present. A veterans memorial committee initially expressed opposition to the Charters being installed in proximity to its monuments. The Commissioners hold the ultimate authority to allocate the land, however.

The Charters displays feature the three documents that gave life to the American experiment -- the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Duplicates of each are etched in quarter-inch thick bronze sheets stored under glass. The documents are protected by a foundation that is 3.5 feet deep and reinforced by 19 tons of poured concrete. The projects typically are funded by donated materials and labor, and community fund-raising.

At least 20 counties across North Carolina have installed a Charters monument, with more to come during 2021. There are Charters monuments standing currently in nine states, spanning from Nevada to Virginia.

The Moore County Democratic Party declined to participate as co-supporters of the project.
A Charters of Freedom display
in Morganton (Burke County), NC.
The Moore County Veterans Memorial in Carthage, at 24/27 and 15/501.
A bipartisan budget process
leaving Cooper on sidelines?

The North Carolina Senate passed a bi-partisan budget last June. The North Carolina House of Representatives passed a bi-partisan budget August 12. As the budget bills stand now each is veto-proof.

As reported by the Raleigh News & Observer, after a Senate procedural vote on the House bill, both chambers move into the final negotiating process of a “conference” budget. Leaders have said that Gov. Roy Cooper will be involved in those discussions, too, and that everyone wants the final legislation budget going to the governor’s desk to be one he signs into law.

The Senate budget included across the board raises of an average 3% for most state employees, including teachers. The House budget reduces personal and corporate income tax rates. Teachers would get an average of 5.5% raises and most other state employees would get 5% raises over the next two years.

Aside from fund allocations, the House bill zeroes in on reining in Cooper's executive power, which he has imposed on citizens to the extreme since the onset of the Wuhan Virus pandemic in March 2020. In fact, the House budget would require Council of State concurrence on states of emergency and continuing orders already described in state law after a certain number of days. Cooper has shunned the Council of State while extending a state of emergency for more than 500 days.

No average Jo

A provision buried in the Senate bill sought to exclude any Moore County candidates from running for the Hoke County-Moore County (19D) district court judge seat. This ploy would have all but guaranteed the election of Judge Regina Jo. House bill negotiations specifically targeted the "Jo clause" and removed it. Judge Steve Bibey, a Repubican, was elected to the 19D seat in 2020.
Pilot's Sunday editorial mocks
citizens protesting mask mandate

By Steve Woodward

The Pilot's editorial team of John Nagy and John Nagy was quite upset when citizens rallied August 9 ahead of a Board of Education business meeting at Union Pines High School.

To wit: Judging by the homemade signs and harsh rhetoric at Monday night’s Board of Education meeting, you’d think the school district was instituting draconian coronavirus measures to start the school year.

“Choose Smiles Not Propaganda.” “My Child My Choice.” “Let Kids Breath.” “Masks: All Pain No Gain.”

Apparently, the newspaper has adopted a new motto, "Live free AND die". The editorial lambasted opposition -- by the public in attendance and three board members -- to all-day masking of children in classrooms when schools re-open August 23. It backed the scolding with broad generalizations, inferring illogically that it is just fine if a child becomes ill -- as long as it's not the result of testing positive for the Wuhan Delta variant.

(Editor's note: The content to follow was posted at ThePilot.com on August 14 and subsequently deleted by the newspaper. The comment was re-posted on August 15 and deleted again).

The Pilot premises the editorial on false narratives. Masks are ineffective, especially on kids. But they do pose threats to the mental and respiratory health of children.

Masks make learning difficult due to concentration lapses. That’s common sense. Children are absolutely not excessively vulnerable to the "variant".

The New York Times (not exactly a champion of liberty), on August 12, reported, “Most children with Covid-19 have mild symptoms, and there is not yet enough evidence to conclude that Delta causes more severe disease in children than other variants do, scientists said.”

Children ARE vulnerable to being conditioned to live in fear -- of everything. By mocking parents who stand for liberty and for the right to make decisions they deem best for their children, The Pilot will not silence them. It will cause their numbers to multiply and their voices to erupt until the board complies with the will of the citizens who elected its members. Mask mandates signal virtue, some insist, but they also signal hysteria and child abuse. 

(Note: As of August 11, reports The (Raleigh) News & Observer, 59 of 115 North Carolina school districts have mandated mask wearing entering a new school year).
GOP Men's Club's 2021 golf
fundraiser closes in on sell-out

To help our Republican candidates stay on course in 2021 and '22, the Moore County Republican Men's Club is hosting its 25th annual golf fundraiser on an unrivaled course, the Dogwood at The Country Club of North Carolina, on August 30. The challenging Dogwood recently was the venue for the 73rd U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.

Your participation on August 30 also gives you an opportunity to join the club in honoring local first responders -- 32 guests from the ranks of law enforcement, fire and rescue and EMS playing as eight foursomes.

On a trial separation from golf?
Alternative activities:
  • Fitness center
  • Fishing by the lake
  • Swimming pool
  • Tennis
As Afghanistan falls
local veteran is honored

Sgt. Joseph Bartel, a U.S. Army soldier deployed in Iraq and an amputee as a result of his service, was celebrated August 16 during a groundbreaking for a home he and his family hope to occupy before Christmas 2021.

The event was presented by Helping A Hero, Bass Pro Shops and locally based Caviness Land, Building and Development Co. Their collaboration assures the Bartel family will soon reside in a 3,300-square foot, adaptive home off of Linden Road in Aberdeen.

This home build is tied to the 100 Homes Challenge launched by Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris of Springfield, MO, who has pledged to cover 25% of the cost of building 100 homes for wounded vets. To donate to the 75% fund, visit HelpingaHero.org

The hourlong ceremony was highlighted by an appearance by American vocal legend Lee Greenwood, who performed his hit that debuted four decades ago, "Proud to be an American". Greenwood has aligned with the Helping A Hero campaign as a national ambassador.

Attendees included U.S Rep. Dan Bishop (NC-9), NC Rep. Jamie Boles (NC-52), District Attorney Mike Hardin, Sheriff Ronnie Fields, Aberdeen Mayor Robert Farrell and Moore County GOP chair Tom Beddow.

Sgt. Bartel eluded to the bittersweet mood in the air. The groundbreaking took place as Afghanistan fell to the terrorist Taliban after President Joe Biden authorized a complete pull out of American military forces.
Snapshots ...
Helping a Hero
U.S. Army veteran Sgt. Bartel addresses the crowd attending a groundbreaking for his family's new home on August 16. Next: A youth honor guard prepares to complete presentation of the colors. Next: The great Lee Greenwood performs. Next: Lee Greenwood enters the Zumwalt Zone. Next: Oppressive heat did not discourage attendance.
By the numbers

3,260
North Carolina drug overdose deaths in 2020, a 37% increase year to year. Nationally, the increase was 29% after federal and state virus lockdowns closed businesses and shattered our rights to enjoy personal freedoms.

0.2% - 1.9%
According to The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association, COVID-19 cases among children resulting in death. Since the pandemic began, children represented 14.4% of total cumulated cases. For the week ending August 12, children were 18.0% of reported weekly COVID-19 cases. At this time, it appears that severe illness due to COVID-19 is uncommon among children.
Tillis defends vote for
'infrastructure' bill
'Big win ... without raising taxes'
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis emailed a full throated defense of his vote that helped recently pass in the Senate a $1.2 trillion so-called infrastructure bill. The email was received by your humble newsletter editor after I emailed Tillis to express my displeasure after he joined 18 other Republicans (including fellow NC Sen. Richard Burr) who voted yes.

Mr. Tillis seems to ignore the massive spending in the 2,702-page bill that has no bearing on "infrastructure". He also claims there will no tax increases connected to the spending. (This conveniently overlooks the reason: tax increases will come later but, for now, the government simply will print more money and increase our soaring federal debt).

“Republicans claim to be for balanced budgets, they all vote for balanced budget amendments, yet a bunch of them just voted to add another trillion dollars to our debt,” said Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, in reference to the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. “So I’ll be introducing an alternative to this budget, which will be -- budget that balances over five years.”

According to the U.S. Treasury Department, the total public debt outstanding as of Aug. 9, 2021, was $28,427,651,083,061.54, or roughly $28.4 trillion.

Excerpts of an email response from the office of Senator Thom Tillis:

"To be clear, this is an infrastructure bill that funds hard infrastructure. The $550 billion in funding goes towards building and repairing roads, bridges and highways, modernizing our electrical grid, ensuring the safety of our nation’s water infrastructure, supporting coastal resiliency, improving airports, and expanding broadband access."

"The $550 billion bipartisan infrastructure bill is responsibly paid for without raising any taxes. Funding streams for this legislation include repurposing unspent COVID relief funds, and these investments will generate billions in economic output for decades to come. The reality is that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is limited in how and what they can calculate in their score."

"While my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have played fast and loose with the definition of infrastructure, I firmly believe these provisions constitute the definition of modern infrastructure, and I would never support legislation that included the Green New Deal." 

Little known provisions
in the infrastructure bill
Marxism no longer at our door.
It's taken occupancy in U.S.

What we're witnessing is the culmination of trends that have been in place for at least a century. Read more by Mark Hendrickson, writing for The Epoch Times.
Trusted sources

  • American Greatness: A content rich news and analysis site featuring many of the nation's leading observers of the war on our values, including the great Victor Davis Hanson. Read his latest, Democrats No More.

  • The Epoch Times: A comprehensive print and digital news publication (some content requires a subscription) with roots in opposing human rights abuses in Communist China. It's investigative reporting is second to none. On July 6, Epoch TV released a documentary entitled, America Rewritten

Quotable
"It started off -- there were going to be negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan National Security Forces and the Afghan government. That ... didn't come to fruition. So the question now is, where do they go from here? ... But the likelihood there's going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely."
President Joe Biden's remarks during a July 8, 2021, news conference. Afghanistan fell to the Taliban on August 15, 2021, as the U.S. embassy was evacuated.

“There’s no firm evidence that the (Delta variant) disease is more severe. We certainly are seeing severe cases, but we’ve seen severe cases throughout the pandemic."
Dr. Jim Versalovic, the pathologist in chief and interim pediatrician in chief at Texas Children’s Hospital, in Houston, where about 10 percent of children now test positive for the virus, up from less than 3 percent in June.

"This is why I have said it is better to leave cash in private hands than to have the government take it and spend it on more welfare and give it to illegal aliens. The freedom to take risks, and to try to make great wealth as a result, is what drives innovation, and has made America so successful. The Dems want to take the money from the people who can and will, and give it to the people who never can, and don’t want to even try. That defines the difference between Democrats and Republicans today."
Financial advisor Joel Ross, author of the Ross Rant newsletter, in an August 12, 2021, post.
Upcoming

Meet Donna Stroud
Chief Judge
N.C. Court of Appeals
Candidate 2022
N.C. Court of Appeals
Thursday, Aug. 26
9:15 am
The Market Place
Pinehurst
(Interview with John Zumwalt preceding on WEEB 97.3 FM/990 AM at 8:30 am)
____

Moore County
Republican Men's Club
Annual Golf Fundraiser
The Reburn Memorial
Mon., Aug. 30, 2021
CCNC
8:30 am shotgun start
Click here to purchase
ticket packages
_______

Meet Judge John Tyson
Re-election candidate 2022
N.C. Court of Appeals
Thursday, Sep. 2
9:15 am
The Market Place
Pinehurst
(Interview with John Zumwalt preceding on WEEB 97.3 FM/990 AM at 8:30 am)
________

Meet Kellyanne Conway
Former Trump strategist
Attend a fundraiser for
U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-8)
Wednesday, Sept. 8
6:00 pm VIP reception
6:30 pm General reception
The Country Club of NC
1600 Morganton Road
Pinehurst
Minimum contribution: $250/person
RSVP: Lucy Croxton
lucy@lucycroxtonconsulting.com
_______

Meet Judge Richard Dietz
Candidate 2022
N.C. Supreme Court
Wednesday, Sep. 15
9:15 am
The Market Place
Pinehurst
(Interview with John Zumwalt preceding on WEEB 97.3 FM/990 AM at 8:30 am)
________

Meet former NFL star
Utah Rep. Burgess Owens (UT-4)
Attend a fundraiser for
U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop (NC-9)
Friday, Sept. 17
6:00 pm
The Greenblatt Residence
Special guest:
U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-8)
RSVP for address
Minimum contribution:
$250/person
RSVP:
Caroline Winchester
caroline@votedanbishop.com
Snapshots
Freedom Matters NC encourages another well attended rally on Sept. 13 ahead of a regularly scheduled Moore County Board of Education meeting. Site TBD. Below: President Joe Biden vacations at Camp David, consulting advisors from an empty room as Afghanistan falls into the hands of Taliban terrorists on August 16, 2021.
Nuggets
After distancing itself from the Southern Pines Land Trust (SPLT) and its quest to own 17 acres of prime land at pennies on the dollar, the Town of Southern Pines has entered the fray at the 11th hour. Read a letter from Mayor Carol Haney.
Tracking NC House Bill 558

A pending bill in the N.C. Legislature seeks to bar Gov. Roy Cooper from requiring or mandating that any person receive a vaccination by operation of executive order. Track the bill.
Those in the know know ...
JD and Maureen have a show

John Zumwalt and Maureen Krueger keep us focused on government overregulation and abuse during their new WEEB Sunday 1 p.m. show, an hourlong discussion of local and statewide issues, some well known, others uncovered by the co-hosts.

If your golf tee times or Sunday brunch rituals conflict, fear not. Go to weeb990.com. Click on Podcasts on the lefthand navigation. Scroll to the John and Maureen Show. Click on the show you wish to hear. Click here.