Category Archives: THE LEFT

NC Student Power Union Unhappy with ‘Right Wing Hack Policy Outfit’

Posted on February 28, 2013 by A.P. Dillon

Uh oh. Looks like someone is sad panda that I called them and their Occupy pals out.

“Can’t wait to see how they freak out when we get in their faces.”

Ah…shades of Occupy. Mostly peaceful except when getting in people’s faces, defecating on cars, destroying public parks, destroying private businesses and their property, shouting at school children, throwing molotov cocktails, murdering people, raping people and of course, plotting to bomb bridges.

Yes, Zaina Alsous — you are an occupier just changing ships, often actually. Same goes for the laughing Juan Miranda. I chuckled.

The comments are precious, as was the comment posted on the cross-posted article at WatchDogWire. The young man posting at WatchDogWire ranted about the cost of living and paying for education yet according to Facebook, he’s in the Wake Tech Network. For those not local to the Research Triangle area, that is one of the most reasonably priced community colleges around. I replied to the young man as I can understand he’s frustrated, however he did little to convince me what I wrote was inaccurate. I know how the Left rolls.

The assumption about Wake Tech was cemented here, with the commenter’s occupy fascination here and here.

Oh whoops, did I just commit more of that ‘serious investigative journalism’? I laughed at that line. The ties between NC Student Power Union, Debt Strike and Occupy are clear, aided by the same people being recycled and involved in them. It’s also clear, by the reactions here that I hit the nail pretty squarely on the head with the article.

Side Note: Occupy NCSU, NC Student Power Union both have blocked me on Twitter. So much for getting in my face. Continue reading →

Posted in Occupy, POLITICS NC, THE LEFT | 2 Comments

Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Donations to Blueprint NC Larger Than First Realized

Posted on February 27, 2013 by A.P. Dillon

The scandal surrounding Blueprint NC, a Left leaning non-profit, has been stepped up a notch with GOP leaders calling for an investigation into the group’s 501(c)(3) status. The group claims to be a non-partisan, however this recent memo would suggest otherwise. Civitas has just uncovered that the previously reported donation by the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation to Blueprint that totaled $400,000 was not the full story.

While they talk about the $400,000 figure for 2013 what is left unsaid is the large and continuing supportby ZSR for Blueprint NC activities. Looking through past IRS 990’s on http://www.guidestar.com, along with the $400,000 above, ZSR has supplied $2.1 million since 2009 to Blueprint NC. They did this either directly or through the NC Justice Center which originally started and housed Blueprint NC with the assistance of a grant from Reynolds. (Source: Civitas)

The NC Justice Center also houses The AJ Fletcher Foundation. The Fletcher Foundation is run by Jim Goodmon, who owns Capital Broadcasting and TV station, WRAL. Jim Goodmon, Barbara Goodmon, James Goodmon Jr and Michael Goodmon all sit on the board of AJ Fletcher. Jim Goodmon Senior is Chairman of the Board.

NC Justice Center is also linked with NC Policy Watch – there is even a menu link to them on the NC Justice Center homepage. As I’ve written before, WRAL has not commented on the clear ties and bias these associations present. To reiterate the point made by Civitas:

Lastly, it should be noted that WRAL is owned by the Goodmon family, which has ties to Blueprint through four of its family members being on the board of the A.J. Fletcher Foundation. According to the Civitas Institute, the Foundation has given the progressive group $35,000 in donations, and a former reporter for WRAL, Chris Fitzsimon, is head of the NC Policy Watch – which was the point of the lance in the Blueprint attack machine. Fitzsimon is also allowed free airtime on WRAL-FM, which serves as a platform to attack his political enemies.

Looking at Fitzsimon’s commentary, one can see he is clearly not a fan of Pat McCrory. If you need more convincing, you can listen to him hammer McCrory’s State of the State Address – on WRAL of course.. He’s not a fan of Art Pope either and yep – you guessed it, WRAL reported:

“Whether it’s fair or not, he is one of the most polarizing political figures in North Carolina. And now he is writing a state budget for nearly 10 million people,” said Chris Fitzsimon, a policy analyst and writer with the liberal N.C. Policy Watch. “It’s shocking that a governor who claims he is trying to reach across the aisle would make such an appointment.”

Pope-funded Civitas has distributed a tax reform blueprint this week that would eliminate the individual income tax in favor of raising the sales tax and broadening the number of items and services to which sales tax applies. Fitzsimon questioned whether work like that by those think tanks will now become official McCrory administration positions.

How’s that for the pot calling the kettle black?

Fitzsimon’s Bio is posted on NC Justice Center and he also posts at NC Policy Watch’s Progressive Pulse. Just last month, Fitzsimon quotes an article by Mark Binker – the reporter covering the Blueprint NC memo for WRAL. Ironically, the article he quotes is about Republicans setting up a non-profit.

So, the question remains: When will WRAL report their connection to Blueprint NC? Continue reading →

Posted in Media Bias, POLITICS NC, THE LEFT | Tagged | Comments Off on Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Donations to Blueprint NC Larger Than First Realized

Once again, First Amendment and Chick-fil-A are under Attack!

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Liberty Speaks

Chick-fil-A is once again the subject of controversy. I am ashamed to say it is happening in my state of New Mexico. But then again, the word ‘ashamed” is coming up quite often these days in conversation.

A meeting will be held today Wednesday, February 27th on campus of the University of New Mexico as to whether or not a Chick-fil-A can remain on campus. The Associated Students of the University of New Mexico approved a resolution to remove the restaurant because they feel the stance that the stance taken by Chik-fil-A CEO, Dan Cathy, last summer on Gay marriage is not something that UNM wants to represent. Evidently, they don’t “represent” the 1st Amendment either. ASUNM Vice President, Sunny Liu, said that “out of ASUNM’s 20 senators, 15 voted in favor of the resolution, three voted against, and two abstained.”

Liu said the resolution, “reflects the student government’s official stance on the issue. He said the resolution aims to make the University more comfortable for minority groups, especially LGBT students”, on campus, even though 85 percent of students surveyed said they wanted Chick-fil-A to stay. In a current poll online according to the Daily Lobo a vast majority of students want to keep the restaurant on campus. So, the will of the students is effectively being ignored. In a letter posted to the editor of the Daily Lobo it is clear that some students understand a 1st Amendment attack when they see one. Posted in response to the article “ASUNM votes to evict mor chikin,” published in Friday’s Daily Lobo.

Editor,

I was pretty disturbed to find out that the student government is trying to forcibly remove Chick-fil-A from the SUB. Whether or not we agree with Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy’s view on sexuality, running Chick-fil-A out of UNM is an exceptionally immature and unfair way to react. By attempting to force out Chick-fil-A, ASUNM is sending a message of discrimination. If our government is attempting to destroy our freedom of speech by shutting down businesses, then where is our government headed? How long before anyone can be run out of UNM for politely and reasonably stating an opinion? Is anyone else disturbed by this? Justin Kesselring
UNM student

I personally applaud this student for understanding the core ideals and sacred understanding of the First Amendment. People listen to me, the First Amendment was not created to protect only what we are “comfortable” with in society. It is there to protect the individual in society. That includes statement, beliefs, and ideals which are not necessarily our own. I state this because even the VILE Westboro Baptist Church is afforded the right of free speech in this country. I personally do not agree with anything that church has to say, but I will defend it’s right to say it.

Regarding this Chick-fil-A on the UNM campus. It employs ten people some of whom are University students. The removal of the restaurant will impact them greatly. Where will they go? Has anyone even bothered to figure out that this particular Chick-fil-A is not even owned by or managed by Chick-fil-A? It is operated under a company called Chartwell’s, a franchise of its own. In a statement to local news station Channel 7 KOAT Chartwell’s says this:

Chartwells rejects any form of discrimination and has clear and strong policies that embrace diversity, inclusion and respect in the workplace. We have zero tolerance for any behavior that is contrary to these values. Chartwells has a Zero Tolerance Discrimination and Harassment Policy, which enforces compliance with federal, state and local laws that prohibit discrimination or harassment based on sex, sexual orientation, race, religion, color, disability, age, pregnancy, national origin, veteran status or any other unlawful factor.”

I take them and their statement as being honest and truthful. Speaking directly with a very credible source on this subject, this Chick-fil-A prides its self on the ability to produce a good quality product for the students of UNM and holds its Integrity to a very high standard. In no uncertain terms do they discriminate what so ever.

With that being said, I fear the voice of the students is being denied, the 1st Amendment is once again under attack. It proves to me that if your view is not “a comfortable one” not a PC one, or if you have any dissent that goes against the grain, you will be attacked, ridiculed and thrown out of society. Isn’t that a reason why we left England and the King’s rule in the first place back in the 1600’s? Or is the history of America and what we were founded on being thrown off campus as well? Continue reading →

Posted in GUEST POSTS, Poltical Correctness | 5 Comments

NC Legislature Looks To Make Right To Work Status Permanent

Posted on February 27, 2013 by A.P. Dillon

The North Carolina State Legislature is looking to make the state’s Right to Work status a permanent fixture.  The Carolina Journal Reports: RALEIGH — Backing up comments promising North Carolina would remain the “least unionized state in the United States,” Speaker … Continue reading →

Posted in EDUCATION, POLITICS NC, THE LEFT, Unions | Tagged , , | Comments Off on NC Legislature Looks To Make Right To Work Status Permanent

NC GOP Call For Investigation of Blueprint NC Non-Profit Status

Posted on February 26, 2013 by A.P. Dillon

The recent scandal involving Left-leaning Blueprint NC and their leaked attack memo calling for the ‘evisceration’ of Republican leaders in the state, specifically mentioning Governor Pat McCrory, is not going away anytime soon. North Carolina Republicans are calling for an investigation into the non-profit. Continue reading →

Posted in Media Bias, POLITICS NC, THE LEFT | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Blueprint NC’s Kosofsky, ‘It’s Not Ours’..Even Though We Emailed It.

Posted on February 23, 2013 by A.P. Dillon

An update to the Blueprint NC scandal that broke on Thursday evening, the Director for Blueprint NC, Sean Kosofsky, is attempting to disown the leaked memo and documents — even though it all came directly from employee Stephanie Bass’ email. Kosofsky’s statements were, at best, weak and desperate. WRAL, who still has not commented on the link between Blueprint NC and their owner, Jim Goodmon, reports:

“The email from Stephanie is referring to the slide deck, the POLLING MEMO and the data,” Blueprint NC Executive Director Sean Kosofsky wrote in an email on Saturday. “This document from early December is not our document at all. We never drafted that. All these news outlets have been had.

“This is a James O’Keefe-style splicing of two radially different things,” he continued, referring to a Republican filmmaker and provocateur whose work has frequently been called into question.

James O’Keefe, call your office. Two radially different things? All of the documents included seemed pretty much in line with each other in data and message. It gets better. The article also published Kosofsky emailed replies to questions, emphasis is mine:

Asked it was appropriate for his organization to participate in meetings where such memos are distributed and whether he endorsed all the ideas in the memo, Kosofsky replied via email:

Darn right. C3 nonprofits should absolutely try to stop bad policies that hurt the poor and hurt the environment, women and the middle class. If they need to exploit weaknesses of lawmakers, they should. I stand by that.

The meeting in December was of over 50 organizations. People bring their own idea. I am not going to claim or distance myself from things without greater context. The only thing that matters to Blueprint is what Blueprint does. I cannot speak for others. We cannot be held to what others do at meetings we are at. that is completely unfair.

I am not going to cherry pick ideas from that draft plan and say which ones we approve of or disapprove of. I will say this…The stakes are high for the people of NC. This governor and legislature are approving raises for their cabinet while gutting benefits for folks already injured by unemployment. Blueprint and our partners are passionate advocates for policy passed in the public interest, not passed for special interests. Our partners can educate the public, educate lawmakers and absolutely hold them accountable when they vote against the interests of the people of NC. the public should know that charitable groups can and do advocate strongly. they should. Blueprint doesn’t lobby or do any public advocacy. This isn’t about us at all.

So, let’s get this straight: Kosofsky claims it’s some kind of conspiracy, the documents are not related to each other but yet is proud of it and stands behind it. Got it.

The 2013 legislative agenda was not dated specifically, but the rest was – including the talking points. We saw the whole memo, who does he think he’s kidding? The big “DRAFT: NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION” and Bass’ email stating this was all “CONFIDENTIAL” and ‘not to share with the whole world’ were just there for fun.

None of these documents are related nor endorsed by Blueprint NC – except they are, but everyone is supposed to ignore that because ‘we’re taking it all out of context’! We’re clearly not understanding that a leaked memo with a group of attachments that look kind of bad are part of a big ‘gotcha style’ story perpetrated by Right Wingers, right? Especially since the story was first reported by that very Right Wing paper, The Charlotte Observer?

Wow… and they say Republican messaging is awful.

Mr. Kosofsky would do better to stop finger pointing, hyperbole and paranoid accusations and perhaps figure out who leaked the memo in the first place. Clearly someone found it disturbing enough to share with the press.

Related Posts:

Liberal NC Non-Profit Group’s Attack Memo Leaked

@WRAL Silent On Internal Link To Blueprint NC’s Attack Memo

3rd Local Media Outlet Ignores Goodmon/Blueprint NC Connection
Continue reading →

Posted in Occupy, POLITICS NC, THE LEFT | Tagged | 3 Comments