Commentary
Weekend humor from Celia Rivenbark: Clarence Thomas meets Blanche at H&R Block
“Mr. Thomas! Clarence Thomas! Yes, please have a seat in that last cubicle on the left and our Gold Star Tax Preparer Blanche will be right with you. We’re so happy you have chosen H&R Block!” CT: “Thanks. I meant to come by weeks ago, so I guess I’ll need an extension. Usually, the wife […]
Is this really the North Carolina we want?
There are few days that go by that I don’t have a moment of appreciation for the beauty around us in North Carolina. The trees, the hiking trails, the flowers… It’s quite amazing. I seem to notice it even more lately, as Spring has taken its time. As I had another of these moments recently, […]
On transgender student athletes: Just let them play
I received some needed clarity from an unlikely source while working on a column about recent legislation that has passed the House of Representatives targeting transgender athletes. “Trans Marathoner Defeats 14,000 Women in Race after Competing as Man Months Earlier,” reads the National Review headline. The wording seems to support the contention that transgender people […]
NC Supreme Court gerrymandering reversal highlights urgent need for congressional action
In recent years, state courts have been rare bright spots in the fight against gerrymandering, with voters around the country successfully using state constitutions to challenge politically skewed voting maps drawn by both major parties. But growing momentum in state courts took a stumble last week with the deeply troubling decision by the North Carolina Supreme Court to […]
Despair and hope for the state of our democracy in a single day
One supposes that state Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger really believed what he was doing and saying in 2009 when he and several other Republicans, including current House Speaker Tim Moore, sponsored legislation to end partisan gerrymandering in North Carolina. Berger and his fellow Senate Republicans were serious enough about the measure they introduced […]
