Update:Dove season safe

By William R. Toler

According to the Associated Press, the state of emergency declaration will not effect the start of dove hunting season.

NC Wildlife Resources Commission

Apparently, after a flood of phone calls from concerened citizens, the Wildlife Resources Commission said the state of emergency law prohibiting the transport of dangerous weapons did not “cite any such restrictions.”

So…that begs the question: what purpose does the law serve.

According to the law, the only exception is for law enforcement officers and military personnel in the execution of their duties.

So if hunters get a pass, why shouldn’t other legal carriers?

Second Amendment suspended as storm draws near

By William R. Toler

As the monstrous Hurricane Earl looms ever closer to the Carolina coast, gun carriers beware.

Since many counties and municipalities have declared a State of Emergency, it is now illegal to travel with a firearm outside your residence. Governor Bev. Perdue has also issued a state of emergency for the entire Tarheel State.

A little-known statute prohibits the sale and transportation of any dangerous weapon or substance during a state of emergency situation. It doesn’t matter that North Carolina is an open carry state or if you have a concealed carry permit. That also includes alcohol for your hurricane party…but could it also mean gasoline for your generators? Apparently not since the governor also signed an executive order suspending transoportation regulations.

Religion, politics and the ‘Christian Right’

By Adam Carlson

The First Amendment to the American Constitution outlines a concept known as “separation of church and state.” This legislation prohibits the making of any law favoring an established religion, interfering with the free exercise of religion, infrinfging on the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceable assembly, or prohibiting the right to petition.

Furthermore, (and more importantly for this argument) the Internal Revenue Service prohibits any non-profit group or organization from contributing financially or in any other way to any campaign or candidate. This restriction applies to any recognized religious institution or organization and is in place because of these groups’ tax exempt status.

Secret Knowledge

By Adam Carlson

“The Devil’s greatest trick was convincing man that he does not exist.”

What is “Secret Knowledge?” It is the true history and nature of a thing or an event that has been masked in part or in whole by the powers that lurk in the shadows of history (and they are still around). The power behind the throne or the puppet masters, call them what you will but they do exist and garner, by means both financial, religious and political, the control of the masses. The biggest weapon in their arsenal is ignorance. Keep the masses ignorant and they don’t even know there is a will greater than their own to resist, let alone how to resist it.

Schools to track children

By William R. Toler

The indoctrination centers are at it again. This time…they’re tracking children.

A California television station recently reported on a school district that is using RFID tags to track preschoolers.

The story is a lovely puff piece touting the beneifts of using radio frequency identifcation nodes to keep track of students while at school. The teachers at the preschool laud the advancement in technology because it keeps them from having to write so much down and will free them up to “spend more time with the children.”

Each student will wear a special jersey outfitted with a RFID tag that will pinpoint where each student is and alert teachers when a child leaves campus.

The reporter even applauds the system saying, “In the end, the tracking tags are a security feature…and something akin to an inventory system…that frees teachers for more important things.”

Raw milk on the rise

By William R. Toler

Raw milk demand is on the rise and going underground.

A recent article in the Carolina Journal highlights the growing trend of the purchase of unpasturized milk, which has been ridiculed and banned by state and federal officials.

In North Carolina — as well as 24 other states — it is illegal to sell raw milk for human consumption. A state epidemiologist, according to the Journal, compares raw milk to “heroin” and “mercury,” while the Food and Drug Administration equals drinking the dairy delight with “playing Russian roulette.”

As mentioned in an earlier article, many people have formed contracts where there is multitple ownership of cows and goats since there are no laws against drinking from one’s own livestock.

NC faces Second Amendment suit

By William R. Toler

North Carolina’s emergency powers are under scrutiny in a recent lawsuit.

The Second Amendment Foundation filed suit late last month challenging a little-known provision of the state’s emergency powers that prohibits the sale and transportation of firearms during a declared state of emergency. According to a press release, the SAF believes that provision is unconstitutional.

The law came to public ire back in February when a state of emergency was declaed in the town of King. “Residents in King were fumed over the weekend after a state of emergency declaration restricted the sale of alcohol and the carrying of firearms in vehicles,” according to a local television station.

Judge: Comments are protected speech

By William R. Toler

If you comment on this or any other blog or news Web site, have no fear. Your comments are protected by the First Amendment.

The Gaston Gazette reported earlier this week that a Superior Court judge in Gaston County rejected a request that would have been able to indentify an annonymous commenter on The Gazette’s site who had disclosed unreleased information in a murder case.

John Bussian, an attorney representing the Gastonia-based newspaper, said the judge’s decision recognized that “media can’t be forced to disclose information about how they manage comments on news reports posted to their websites.” Bussian added that while other states have made similar rulings, this was the first time in North Carolina. “It’s a landmark ruling,” he said.

Is it just me?

By William R. Toler

If you’ve read my bio, you may have seen that other than the I.R. I worked on Craven Community College’s Campus Communicator and another indie newspaper, the Beaufort Observer.

In addition to writing, I also developed my skills in page design and photography. In the past, I created several illustrations through some fancy photchoppin’. Some illustrations were used for headline stories and some for editorials.

Several months ago, while seeing footage of our beloved governor, Bev Perdue, I thought to myself, “Wow! She looks like the Joker!”

State goes with federal education standards

By William R. Toler

Parents won’t have to worry about the state education curriculum starting U.S. History in 1877. Instead, there is a new concern.

Late last month, the Carolina Journal reported that the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction is dropping its own curriculum standards in favor of those developed by the Federal Government.

According to the conservative publication, the “Common Core Standards” will “guide the development of everything from teachers’ lesson plans to final exams” when set into motion. The Journal added that the U.S. Department of Education is giving extra points in the Race to the Top initiative to states adopting the federal standards.

While having a uniform curriculum throughout the country does seem ideal, and could benefit students who transfer from one state to another, this move does have its drawbacks.