211-E Central Park Ave.
Pinehurst (Olmsted Village)
910.420.0615 Mon. - Fri. 10 am-2 pm
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SAVE THE DATE: May 15, 2022 selected for annual Reagan Dinner
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The indispensable weekly newsletter
"The rules are complicated, but the school board is not obligated to take the highest bid (for 17 acres formerly occupied by Southern Pines Primary School)."
-- The Pilot's August 8 editorial makes two erroneous assertions in one tidy sentence. The "rules" (a state general statute and the NC constitutional article) are crystal clear. Secondly, the Board absolutely IS obligated to accept the highest bid. See RESOLVE post below.
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Four elected public servants
vote to mask, imperil children
'You want to see how far you can push'
Despite lengthy public comments demanding that parents must have the exclusive right to determine if their children attend school wearing masks, the Moore County Board of Education voted August 9 to require masks in classrooms through September 30.
Voting 4-3 for the policy were the four legacy members, Libby Carter (chair), Stacey Caldwell, Ed Dennison, and Pam Thompson. As with important issues in the past in which this board has faced vocal public opposition, these members voted in lockstep with the will of school superintendent Bob Grimesey. In this case, they willfully ignored evidence that unclean masks alleged to combat the Wuhan virus are a threat to children, physically and mentally.
Among the dozens of citizens who addressed the board August 9, a vast majority spoke against a mask mandate in classrooms. Their voices were not heeded. The Carter Four followed the opinion of a local pediatrician who has advocated for masking children since the onset of the Wuhan virus.
"I want to speak on behalf of all the students who will be harmed by this mask mandate," said Olivia Maxwell, 15, a student at Pinecrest High School. "(Masks) can effect students’ ability to concentrate. Masks prevent emotional connections. We are just asking for choice. Please do not try to make us do something because you want to see how far you can push."
"I’m tired of wearing a mask," said Madison Solomon, a student at Southern Middle School. "I’ve been threatened to be sent to the principal's office. It’s not a mask, it’s a muzzle. This decision should be optional. (Masks) raise your carbon dioxide levels in just 10 minutes. They are testing the limits of how much they can control us."
The audience erupted with applause. Later, chair Carter threatened to remove citizens from the Union Pines High School auditorium if applauding of speakers continued. A security officer speaking from the podium warned citizens to remain silent. "If an officer comes to you and asks to step outside the door, I expect you to do that," he said. But the audience ignored the threats. No further action was taken.
"What gives you the right to make medical decisions?" asked Vanessa Marzilli. "Face to face interaction is what I believe is right for my child. Make masks optional. I was a registered nurse for 10 years. These orders go against everything we know about respiratory illnesses. When worn properly masks are only 38% effective."
More applause. Later, the Carter Four exacted their revenge.
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School Board votes
to sell prime parcel
After protracted negotiations with the Southern Pines Land Trust (SPLT), the Moore County Board of Education on August 9 voted to sell 12 acres of land formerly occupied by Southern Pines Primary School to the highest commercial bidder, which will result in significant new funding to repair aging school infrastructure across the county. The vote confirms that the board is legally obligated to sell the land to the highest bidder despite claims by The Pilot's editorial board to the contrary.
The motion also approves the sale of five acres of the parcel to the Land Trust at a price of $300,000, as long as the Trust accepts the offer within seven (7) days. If the Trust does not respond in seven days or rejects the offer, the Board's vote approves the sale of all 17 acres via upset (competitive) bidding.
Voting against the resolution were Libby Carter (chair), Ed Dennison and Pam Thompson.
"I have long admired what the Land Trust has suggested and the plans they have for the future," said Carter ahead of the vote.
Board member David Hensley, who presented the motion to sell five acres to the SPLT, said he is hopeful the group accepts the five-acre deal. "I will be there for the ribbon cutting," he said.
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Board chair Carter backs off
public comment restrictions
Moore County school board chair Libby Carter announced August 2 that the board's regular business meeting August 9 would be moved to the auditorium at Union Pines High School. At the same time, she conveniently issued an edict enforcing limitations on public comments. Carter by fiat revived a board policy, previously ignored, that ends comments after 60 minutes. Absurdly, a larger venue was approved to accommodate more citizens even as their chances to speak would dwindle.
The ruling actually is more stringent than it sounds because the 60-minute window is divided into 30 minutes ahead of agenda action and 30 minutes at the conclusion of meetings (when there is little incentive to comment, and fewer visitors remaining).
At the July meeting, public comments consumed three hours. Several board members complained they do not wish to be subjected to lengthy speeches (three minutes per person) by taxpayers who voted them into office.
Carter changed her mind following a surge of opposition across social media and email groups. In particular, a widely distributed video seemed to have awakened critics. In the video, board member Bob Levy says (during the Aug. 2 meeting), "Try cutting people off; you will have chaos." Click the image to view.
Ahead of the August 9 meeting's public comments, Carter invoked a two-minute limit per speaker, disregarding the board's policy allowing three minutes.
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Two front pages on August 6, 2021
USA Today fear mongering
Wall Street Journal reporting
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USA Today: "Delta variant rips across nation"
Reality check ...
A Columbia, Mo., television station committed an inadvertent act of journalism during a report on increased hospitalizations.
"Not all the patients filling up hospitals are coming in with COVID. In fact, several Cole County doctors said they're seeing a lot more patients coming in with 'routine' issues."
Dr. Randall Haight with Capital Regional Medical Center said many people were scared to come in earlier in the year and last year because they feared they might catch COVID.
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Wall Street Journal: Threats imposed on kids by pornography, federal debt
Johns Hopkins professor:
Masks are abusive to kids
"The possible psychological harm of widespread masking is an even greater worry (than respiratory impacts, anxiety and skin problems)."
-- Dr. Marty Makary, Aug. 9, 2021, Wall Street Journal op-ed
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Land grab
By Steve Woodward
(Editor's note: The content of this post reflects the author's informed opinion and is not necessarily endorsed by the Moore County Republican Party)
The Pilot's August 8 editorial presumes to instruct our county board of education on making "the right choice" with regard to the sale of land formerly occupied by Southern Pines Primary School.
Allow me to interject that "the right choice" would have been to do some research on the topic.
For if one does not choose to conclude that the editorial begins with a false assertion and an erroneous claim, the only other conclusion is that the writer is lying in order to make a racially charged argument for the Land Trust's proposed land grab. Read more.
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Erecting a monument
to apartheid in 2021?
By Robert Levy
I grew up in Southern Pines. It was segregated back then. Black people were not allowed to skate at the local roller rink. They had to sit in the balcony at the Sunrise Theater and neither they nor Jews were allowed to buy a home in Pinehurst.
It was apartheid. And that apartheid was disgusting. Yet it was supported by most local members of the Democratic Party.
Their hero was George Wallace, the governor of Alabama. It was he who uttered the most nauseating nomenclature in all of modern American politics. “ Segregation now. Segregation forever!”
And many, especially local Democrats supported him. As I sit on the Moore County Board of Education, I feel that I am now being called upon to determine whether Wallace and the Democrats of my youth were correct. And I am convinced that if we sell the Southern Pines Primary School to the segregationist Southern Pines Land Trust, Governor Wallace will have won. Read more.
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NC Rep. Madison Cawthorn
unleashes fury on school board
In comments before the Buncombe County school board August 5, first-term U.S. congressman Madison Cawthorn raged over the decision to require unvaccinated students and staff to wear masks at school this fall.
“You have muzzled (parents’) voices just like you have muzzled our children,” Cawthorn said. “You passed this mask mandate without input from those who would hold you accountable because you knew it was wrong. You knew it would never withstand the scrutiny of the public. I’ve witnessed swampy backdoor tactics from corrupt bureaucrats in Washington D.C., but what you have done here today puts that all to shame.” Read more.
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Congressional redistricting
process begins this week
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The N.C. General Assembly’s election mapmakers will spend the next week debating and adopting criteria for this year’s redistricting process.
The process will produce new maps for 2022 elections to the state House and Senate, along with North Carolina’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives.
An online portal was scheduled to be opened on Aug. 9 for public comment about redistricting criteria. Lawmakers will take in-person comments from the public on Aug. 10. Then the state House and Senate redistricting committees will vote on criteria on Aug. 12.
Once lawmakers have adopted criteria, the next order of business will be to decide how and when to hold public hearings on the redistricting process.
This year’s redistricting process has been pushed back because of delays in receiving information from the U.S. Census Bureau.
(Source: CarolinaJournal.com)
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VOLUNTEER: Complete a new survey to align your skills with GOP objectives going forward to help restore our liberties. Volunteer today
Candidate roster finalized
for 2021 municipal elections
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By the numbers
54
The number of North Carolina school districts out of 115 that have adopted OPTIONAL masking for school children amid the media hysteria surrounding Wuhan virus cases. (Raleigh News & Observer)
$300 million
North Carolina has received some $1.5 billion in federal money to help tenants pay their rent amid virus layoffs. As the state’s chief executive, Gov. Roy Cooper is responsible for making sure it gets to the right hands. But by the most generous reports, only $300 million has made its way to renters or landlords. That best-case scenario represents only 20% of the total amount available. (Longleaf Politics) Read more.
0.5 per million
A CDC report for the week of July 31 on rate of hospitalization with COVID for children 5 to 17. (The Wall Street Journal)
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A rally prior to the August 9 school board meeting at Union Pines HS drew a throng of 50+, including children, parents and board members David Hensley, Philip Holmes and Bob Levy. Top: Hensley reminds the assembled that our presence is noticed by fellow board members (even though we are moved as far from the venue as possible). Next: Pinecrest High Schooler Olivia Maxwell delivers remarks in stern opposition to mask requirements. Next: The comeback of Emily Grace Rainey begins. She was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army. She's ready to join the fight for liberty. (And her young son is beyond adorable). After the rally, patriots lined up to enter the auditorium to sign up to present public comment. |
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GOP Men's Club's
2021 golf fundraiser
closes in on sell-out
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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
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Trusted sources
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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.
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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
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Also:
Jamie Boles' weekly newsletter: Contact Alison Johnson to subscribe (alison.johnson@ncleg.gov)
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“North Carolina Democrats are already making false redistricting allegations as they gear up to file suit against maps that can’t even be drawn yet. NCIt’s yet more evidence that Democratic legislators will say any map that doesn’t help them win is a ‘gerrymander’."
NC Sen. Ralph Hise (R-47), responding to a tweet by Sen. Ben Clarke (D-21), who already is making accusations about re-drawing of congressional maps ahead of the process start date of Aug. 9.
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Conservative Summer Social |
A Conservative Summer Social
Co-hosted by:
Moore Republican Women
Moore Co. Republican Men's Club
THIS Thursday
7 - 9 pm
The Country Club of North Carolina
Cash bar. Coffee and cookies.
Mix and mingle with local candidates for office in 2021 and 2022
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Upcoming
Freedom Friday
Freedom Matters NC
THIS Friday
6 - 9 pm
O'Donnell's Pub
Southern Pines
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Saturday Huddle
Freedom Matters NC
Charting the way forward
THIS Saturday
9:30 am
The Market Place
Pinehurst
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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)
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Moore County
Republican Men's Club
Annual Golf Fundraiser
The Reburn Memorial
Mon., Aug. 30, 2021
CCNC
8:30 am shotgun start
ticket packages
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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)
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James E. Houlshouser Jr.
Speaker Series
Inaugural live event
Thursday, Sept. 9
Remembering Gov. Houlshouser
Bradshaw Performing Arts Center
Sandhills Community College
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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)
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As of 4 p.m., Sunday, August 8, 2021, a petition opposing a Moore County Schools mask mandate (top) suggests opposition in a competing petition is lagging way behind. But the school board ignored this gap on Aug. 9. Below: No explanation required. Next: Young Republicans greet visitors at our Moore GOP tent during Robbins Farm Day. |
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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.
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