One of every five people has a physical or mental disability of some kind, Mark Ezzell says, and yet they’ve never been a political force in North Carolina because they’ve never been organized with “disabilities” as a common thread. That’s about to change, he thinks. Ezzell is chair of North Carolina’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, […]
Bob Geary
Posted inGuides
Let us not talk falsely now
What did we learn last week from the 9-11 Commission testimony of Richard Clarke, George Tenet et. al. ? Mainly, we learned how little we know about the world, notwithstanding our pretensions to be the leader of it. Al Qaeda? Condi Rice denies that she’d never heard of it. Hu-mint (or is it hum-int?) in […]
Posted inNews
Taliaferro to Meeker: Go for the juice
“Don’t tax you. Don’t tax me. Tax the fellow buying a new house in Raleigh with an impact fee.” The late Russell Long of Louisiana put it a little differently (” … tax the fellow behind that tree”), but the point is the same: Everybody prefers that taxes be paid by somebody else, especially when […]
Posted inNews
Durham couple vowing to change state law
What do you say when you hear that two people are getting married? was the question. “Congratulations,” someone said. “Have you set a date?” another one added. “You’re really in love,” a third one said. That was the answer Chantelle Fisher-Borne wanted. One of the leaders of the Triangle Freedom To Marry Coalition, she was […]
Posted inNews
No date yet, but a wedding in the works
When will the first same-sex couple try to be married here in North Carolina–legally married, that is, with an official marriage license? Soon. Very soon.
Posted inNews
Local activists focused on bad legislation, not weddings
The Massachusetts Supreme Court has ruled in favor of gay marriages, and mayors from San Francisco to New Paltz, New York are giving gays marriage licenses. But in North Carolina? Nothing. No licenses. No lawsuits. And yet, there are glimmers of gay and lesbian rights even here. First, marriage. “I’ve gotten many, many calls from […]
Posted inNews
Edwards smiles farewell to presidential race
“Together,” the voice of John Edwards was saying, “we are going to change this country.” Up on the stage, the big screen was showing the Edwards campaign video, still-lifes of his bid to be president in a year when it just wasn’t to be. Peeking through a curtain from the side, the candidate himself looked–interested? […]
Posted inNews
Capital competition
Raleigh’s little civic center, 92,000 square feet of dull, is “not comparable” to the competition, says HVS International, the city’s consulting firm. But even with a new convention center weighing in at 220,000 square feet, Raleigh can expect some bloody noses going against the other middleweight contenders. Who are they? Other state capitals–Indianapolis, Columbus and […]
Posted inNews
Look! Up in the air!
Coincidentally, the week Howard Dean drops from the Democratic presidential race is the week the gay marriage issue bursts into view, courtesy of the Massachusetts Supreme Court and the mayor of San Francisco. Dean, remember, was originally dismissed as unelectable by the Democratic establishment because he’d signed the civil unions law in Vermont. Too gay. […]
Posted inNews
Lynching and free speech, progressive-style
Maybe it’s just inevitable that when Nazis are in your town, nobody’s going to look very good. Such was the case last Saturday afternoon, when a couple of dozen screwballs, equipped with their banners, sound system and a permit to demonstrate, popped up on the State Capitol grounds in Raleigh. I say popped up because […]
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