“Republicans’ voter registration ranks continue to slip, with no-party preference voters now outnumbering Republicans in 13 counties and more than a third of the state’s cities, state numbers released this week show.
Since last fall, independent voters have overtaken Republicans in Humboldt County and in Burbank, Dublin and several other cities. No-party preference voters outnumber GOP registrants in 172 cities, according to Monday’s report from the Secretary of State’s Office.
Independent voters outnumber Democrats in 14 cities, but not in any county, the records show.”
The dirty little secret that the rest of the country doesn’t understand is that the California GOP doesn’t need to be a hot mess, it chooses to be. For the last couple of years, Republicans have held more than half of the elected positions in the state, despite the party’s leadership constantly whining about shifting demographics. So the notion that people in the state won’t vote for Republicans is simply false.
The big problem with the California Republican Party comes in the bigger elections, where it has been embracing moderate, “electable” and largely self-funded candidates for two decades now.
None of whom have won elections, by the way.
This line from the PJ Media piece is applicable somewhere in almost every state, “The dirty little secret that the rest of the country doesn’t understand is that the California GOP doesn’t need to be a hot mess, it chooses to be.”
This hot mess is what is reaped from electing establishment squishes.
The U.S. Census Bureaureleased their 2014 county population estimates today.They reveal that the trends from past years continue and that the metropolitan counties continue to drive the state’s growth. Following are the ten counties in the state with the highest growth rate in terms of percentage, followed by a brief description of the county, the percentage of the vote Kay Hagan received there in 2014, and the political implications of such growth:
[…]
Go see the list, number one is Wake County where Wake GOP pretty much blew off the critical Wake County Commissioners race.
Voter Statistics for North Carolina as of 3/29/15:
A video has surfaced of an ISIS panel that took place on the University of New Mexico Campus. The panel was sponsored by the UNM Muslim Student Association for Islamic Awareness Week . (click here for link to schedule)
There is a video titled “Pro ISIS panel at UNM” was shot by UNM student Michael Noah Guebara. It was uploaded and passed around from Facebook and You Tube to hundreds of accounts including my Face Book page as well as Lady Liberty’s. I deleted that video from both our pages and did further research into the alleged panel. Here is the video I had originally posted this morning:
You can hear on the video at the 20 second mark a question from an attendee regarding ISIS and their desire to become an independent sovereign state, but unfortunately not much was gleaned from the video regarding what else was talked about by the panelists. The opinions on the video are that of Mr. Guebara only.
It was only a matters of hours before it went viral and the backlash began. I have made multiple attempts on social media to reach out to Mr. Guebara for comment regarding this, but have heard nothing back. Hours later New Mexico’s local news station KOB tweeted this:
UNM debunks Facebook video claiming Muslim Awareness Conference panel was ‘pro-ISIS’ http://t.co/7ASciHqDi6
In the article linked in the tweet was the alleged incident at UNM and a statement from Steve Carr, UNM Communications Specialist:
“UNM Communications Specialist Steve Carr told KOB Thursday that the university is holding a Muslim Awareness Conference this week, and said the student who took the video was not involved in the discussion.”
Though the panel was open to the public, Mr. Guebara states on his Facebook page he was asked to leave. I have screen shots of his FB posting and will provide these if asked, but I will not link it.
According to another attendee’s post on a Facebook status, the panelists were asked repeatedly if they were against ISIS. The questions were basically ignored and were answered with the statement “we are Islamic”.
I have reached out to that attendee as well as the UNM Muslim Student Association for further comment. The other attendee would not speak with me. The UNM Muslim Student Association did release a statement on their Facebook page regarding the video:
The Muslim Student Association would like to clarify the misconceptions regarding the panel about ISIS by uploading raw footage of the event that took place on Wednesday April 1st, 2015 at the University of New Mexico, Student Union Building (SUB) Atrium. The videos are in three parts and they will be uploaded shortly. We are posting these videos to confirm that the panel about ISIS was an ANTI-ISIS panel.
The Association stated that they would release the raw footage of the panel on their YouTube Channel, which they have posted since my request. I received a reply also stating that the panel lasted about two hours.
Side note:The videos are listed on YouTube as, ‘Anti-ISIS PANEL’, however, there is a white poster board that clearly does not state that message in any of the videos. I am not going to give an analysis of what was said in the panel. I am going to mention the questions asked, whether or not there was protesting, yelling, or any one ejected from the room and if it is on the video’s provided by the UNM Muslim Student Association. I will encourage the viewing of all four videos mentioned.
I reviewed the first video which was 29 min 50 seconds. The 29 minute mark is the first question that was asked by an attendee regarding ISIS and their desire to be an independent sovereign state that can be heard in Mr. Guebara’s video. The video then ends after the question is asked.
The second video also 29 minutes, 50 seconds had three questions. The 20 minute mark in regards to the Bible being opposed to what the Quran says. The 24 minute 35 second mark is the third question also relating to the Quran in North Africa and that is where you see Mr. Michael Noah Guebara sitting next to the individual asking the question.
26 min 36 second mark Mr. Michael Noah Guebara asks his question regarding unbelievers in the Quran and what should be done. He asked for the panel to defend honor killings, among other topics. His entire question is below.
The video cuts off after Mr. Guebara asks his question; However, this directly refutes the statement made to KOB that the student who shot the video was NOT involved with the discussion.Asking a question is arguably involvement.
The third and final video is 17 minutes 23 seconds long and the first ten minutes is devoted to answering Mr. Guebara. There was some back and forth between the panelist and himself. Some statements from Mr. Guebara are not quite audible. I encourage everyone to watch the third and final video posted. Make up your own minds regarding the answers given. There were two more questions posed to the panel as follows:
At the 10 minute 20 second mark, a question is asked whether religion should be separated in a government. At the 14 minute 16 second mark a question is asked who the Salafi’s should follow? Scholars and school of thought when it comes to sharia law? The answer was issued, but was cut off by the end of the video.
Take Away:
There are a couple things to discuss. According to the UNM Muslim Student Association the panel was two hours long. This was also confirmed in a tweet by an attendee. However, the three videos total to about 1 1/2 hours.
According to the sponsors of the panel their camera died and that is all the footage they have. If there is more raw footage it should be presented. Having the rest of the footage would either confirm, or as KOB put it, debunk some of Mr. Guebara’s statements he made on Facebook like being asked to leave the room.
There are other unconfirmed reports of students being asked to leave the room as well. The UNM Muslim Student Association did not recall if anyone was asked to leave. All we have is video of his question, the answer given to him, and his original posting that started this mess. So where does this leave the situation?
It leaves it in a very hot mess.
Those who have followed me on Lady Liberty know how I feel about ISIS propaganda after the beheading of James Foley. I personally feel it goes way beyond boundaries of the First Amendment when it is promoting the killing of individuals and terrorism. Let’s not forget this is not the first time alleged pro-ISIS incidents have popped up in our American Universities.
Earlier this week James O’Keefe with Project Veritas released sting videos from both Barry University and Cornell University of individuals agreeing to pro-ISIS clubs. The thought of this brutal terrorist organization infiltrating our higher education systems is terrifying to most Americans, including ME. It brings out our fears, that no matter how safe we may feel, that brutal evil could come to our shores.
That being said, with the videos that were presented by the UNM Muslim Student Association, and no further eyewitness accounts coming forward, I see no ISIS propaganda festering from the University of New Mexico. I did see a video expressing the opinion of one individual and that starting a slight mass hysteria. It was an opinion many as well as myself unfortunately got caught up in. For that I do apologize. However, if new information does present itself, I will report on it. Until then, I will leave you with this.
On social media we share our lives with people who are good and bad. We share our thoughts, opinions, beliefs and we share our fear, our ugliness, and our ignorance. There will be times when mistakes are made, when we jump to conclusions before really seeing something for what it is. It is in admitting the mistakes and learning from them that make us better people. A friend of mine often says:
“There is an unequal amount of good and bad in most things. The trick is to figure out the ratio and act accordingly”
4/1 10:30 pm I received a Facebook message from Rehab Al Qadasi, Treasurer of the UNM Muslim Student Association in response to my blog post:
I read your blog post and the comment that I sent you was in response to it. It was fair. I just really hope we can get more footage. Although the remaining footage doesn’t concern Guebarra as he left right after asking his questions and after getting a response. He left of his own accord though. I was present at the event and I will swear in court that Guebarra was not kicked out of the event and no one was kicked out of the event…..Thanks for you fair account based on the sources you have. Good blog post
4/2 3:30 am Michael Noah Guebara reached out to me on social media to talk.
UPDATE:
4/3 4:15 pm Michael Guebara left a comment below this article it states:
In the what should be a 4th video they talk about jihad, there are witnesses to this account, I left before that ( wish I stayed) but lady liberty love your articles, I’d give it a look,
4/4 One of those witnesses Mr Guebara spoke of reached to Lady Liberty and myself. His full account of the last 45 minutes of the panel was sent to us.
This individual has agreed to an exclusive interview with myself, and as of this this morning so has Michael Noah Guebara.
Overwhelming public outcry over the removal of religious exemptions in HB 346 has produced results. The other major complaint was that the bill’s language was vague, paving a path for forced inclusion of homeschooled children.
ASHEVILLE – A bill that would have ended religious exemptions for vaccinations “went too far,” one of the bill’s sponsors said Wednesday.
“I expected to get pushback, and I expected this bill to change, unfortunately the pushback was so great that I lost control of it,” Sen. Terry Van Duyn, D-Buncombe, said Wednesday.
Van Duyn, Sen. Jeff Tarte, R-Mecklenburg and Sen.Tamara Barringer, R-Wake, who sponsored the bill, released a joint statement Wednesday saying the bill is “dead.”
“After hearing serious concerns about stricter vaccine and immunization requirements from our constituents and from citizens across the state, we have decided we will not move forward with Senate Bill 346,” the statement read.
Citizens across the state flooded Senators Tarte, Barringer and Van Duyn with complaints, calls and confronted them in person on multiple occasions. One such confrontation results in Sen. Tarte having a citizen removed from the legislature building:
Among a number of new appointments yesterday, Governor McCrory appointed another Democrat to the NC Textbook Commission. If this was an April Fools joke, it’s not funny.
Here’s the relevant section:
North Carolina Textbook Commission
Brian Frees (Henderson County) – Frees is an assistant principal at Flat Rock Middle School in Henderson County.
The commission evaluates all textbooks offered for adoption. Each textbook shall be read by at least one expert certified in the discipline for which the book would be used. The term length is four years. The members of the Commission shall be appointed by the Governor upon recommendation of the Superintendent.
Frees fills the lone vacancy in the current roster, which is in place until 2018.
The count is now 6 Republicans, 13 Democrats, 3 unaffiliated and one (Glenn Locklear) with no voter registration record in the county listed with their appointment.
There is a Glen Locklear in New Hanover who is listed as unaffiliated but no Glenn Locklear in New Hanover or surrounding counties.
The commission list is below.
Name / County /Party
Tracy Arnold (Pitt County) D
Maria Bishop (Burke County) R
Brian Creasman (Vance County) D
Kathy Crumpler (Pender County) D
Julie Felix (Cabarrus County) R
Brian Frees (Henderson County) D
Charles Gaffigan (McDowell County) U
Stephen Gay (Wake County) R
Michelle Gray (Scotland County) R
Lissa Harris (Guilford County) D
Dawn Hester (Pitt County) R
Tracey Lewis (Stokes County) D
Kathleen Linker (Rowan County) R
Glenn Locklear (New Hanover County) ?
Jessica Luby (Catawba County) U
Alison Mintz (Cleveland County) D
Cassundra Morrison (Surry County) D
Linda Mozell (Guilford County) D
Daniel Novey (Carteret County) U
Michelle Tiesi (Mecklenburg County) D
Rodney Trice (Orange County) D
Lesa Widener (Catawba County) D
Brenda Winfrey-Knox (Cumberland County) D
News and Observer mentions the following individuals in their article on the ‘Fast food’ protest in Durham held on April Fools Day; emphasis added:
Besides Hargrove, speakers included Ebony Watkins, a UNC student; Nancy Kalow, a part-time faculty member at Duke University; Dacia Hill, a child-care worker in Raleigh; and Ebbini Harris, a home-care worker from Durham. […]
Curtis Gatewood, coordinator of the Historic Thousands on Jones Street Coalition of the N.C. NAACP, also spoke, calling the planned April 15 protests “the largest low-wage protest in U.S. history.”
Do North Carolina media outlets know how to Google? One has to wonder when articles they produce don’t include pertinent information — like arrest records. This seems to be an ongoing problem for local media.
George Hargrove, who works at a McDonalds in Durham and was arrested during the protest, said he makes $7.75 an hour after working at the restaurant for 12 years.
“I’m participating in the nonviolent civil disobedience for higher wages so I can afford to take care of my family,” he said in a statement. “We need to make sure that our voice is heard and bring union rights to fast-food. we need to show these companies how serious we are. We are struggling to survive and are going to do whatever it takes to win.” – WRAL
Flashforward to February 6, 2015: Ebbini Harris was arrested on multiple charges that include assault with the intent to inflict serious injury, communicating threats, misdemeanor larceny and simple assault.
About “Fight For 15” Fast food worker groups like this one are all union backed, mainly by the AFL-CIO as part of the “Organize the South or Die” campaign. The stated mission of Fight for 15 per their Facebook page is, “Underpaid workers across the South are fighting for $15/hour and union rights!”
Also on the Fight for 15 Facebook page is a post listing the NC NAACP as being present at the Durham Protest:
Today we announced that on April 15 in North Carolina: fast food workers are going on STRIKE! Home care workers, childcare workers, students and even some professors across the state have also joined the fight for better wages and respect on the job. We were joined by our allies in the North Carolina NAACP. We will see you on 4/15 for the largest low wage worker protest in modern state history! April15.org
The “April15.org” site is privately registered through GoDaddy. However, at the bottom of their site, it states “Built By Union Labor“.
They are planning another ‘mass rally’ on April 15th — tax day.
In an age where data and identities are routinely stolen and parents worry about their child’s information being passed around online, legislatures should be looking to lessen data collection and sharing, not expand it.
Yesterday, HB 401 was filed at the North Carolina General Assembly. This bill has some rather unsettling aspects to it with regard to access and collection of student data.
— LL1885 – A.P. Dillon (@LadyLiberty1885) April 1, 2015
The bill is titled, “Authorize Data Sharing for NCLDS”. The “LDS” stands for Longitudinal Database System”. That LDS is currently the P-20W database. [See: Student Data Mining System Raises Privacy Concerns]
A P-20W System is a Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) that links data from Early Learning, K-12, Higher Education and Workforce.
P = Preschool 20 = Grade 20 or higher education W = Workforce
NC was awarded a grant $3.6M for the NC P-20W SLDS Project
Common Core critics are all too familiar with that term as North Carolina was required by the Race To The Top Grant to create an “SLDS” or Statewide Longitudinal Database System.
One of this SLDS’s primary functions was to facilitate the automation of student data sent to the Fed.
The bill calls for sharing and migration of student data currently located in the P-20W statewide longitudinal database to the North Carolina Longitudinal Database System. The reason for the move seems to be the ‘conclusion of the federal grant’ for the P-20W system.
AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE SHARING OF DATA BY THE DIVISION OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY AND DIVISION OF MOTOR VEHICLES WITH THE NORTH CAROLINA LONGITUDINAL DATA SYSTEM AND THE NORTH CAROLINA P‑20W STATEWIDE LONGITUDINAL DATA SYSTEM; TO CLARIFY THE USE OF DE‑IDENTIFIED DATA; AND TO TRANSITION THE NORTH CAROLINA P‑20W STATEWIDE LONGITUDINAL DATA SYSTEM TO THE NORTH CAROLINA LONGITUDINAL DATA SYSTEM UPON CONCLUSION OF THE FEDERAL GRANT FOR THE NORTH CAROLINA P‑20W STATEWIDE LONGITUDINAL DATA SYSTEM.
Of real concern are the following sections/language below; some emphasis added.
Note that the first item from the bill below, it says the Social Security number ‘may be disclosed’? If the SLDS doesn’t have the student’s Social Security number but instead the UID (Unique Identifier/Student number) they are allowed to share, then HOW is the Social Security number going to be ‘disclosed’??
SECTION 1.(b) Notwithstanding the requirements of G.S. 20‑7(b2), in accordance with 42 U.S.C. § 405 and 42 U.S.C. § 666, and amendments thereto, the Division may disclose a Social Security number obtained under G.S. 20‑7(b1) to the North Carolina P‑20W Statewide Longitudinal Data System for the purpose of connecting education and workforce data.
SECTION 2.(b) Notwithstanding the requirement of G.S. 96‑4(x), the Department of Commerce, Division of Employment Security, shall provide record level unemployment compensation information to the North Carolina P‑20W Statewide Longitudinal Data System for statistical and analytical purposes to facilitate and enable the linkage of student data and workforce data required by the federal United States Department of Education grant awarded for development of the North Carolina P‑20W Statewide Longitudinal Data System. Unemployment compensation data provided to the North Carolina P‑20W Statewide Longitudinal Data System shall be maintained in compliance with all privacy and security standards established by the P‑20W Council.
“§ 116E‑1. Definitions. (4) “Student data” means data relating to student performance. Student data includes State and national assessments, course enrollment and completion, grade point average, remediation, retention, degree, diploma or credential attainment, enrollment, discipline records, and demographic data. Student data does not include juvenile delinquency records, criminal records, and medical and health records.
SECTION 5.(a) For the purposes of this section, State agencies who shall provide data to the System, include, but are not limited to, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Commerce, Division of Employment Security, the Department of Revenue, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles.“
Common Core critics are all too familiar with that term as North Carolina was required by the Race To The Top Grant to create an “SLDS” or Statewide Longitudinal Database System.
LL1885 