A letter to the editor of The Selma News

I don't know if this will get published or not, but I sent this letter to the editor of The Selma News just a bit ago.  The newspaper rarely publishes their news articles online except for a few here or there, so the article to which I refer is not available to share online or I would do so.
--------
Just five days before our election last week, Donald Trump came to Johnston County to speak locally at The Farm for a campaign rally.  This rally drew approximately 17, 500 people according to Sheriff Steve Bizzell.  I am not personally a fan of Mr. Trump, but considering that it was being held only three miles up the road and I wanted my son to experience the political process, I took him and my wife to the event.  I still remember back to my youth when I went to a Ted Kennedy speech in my home town back in 1980 when he ran for President.  I carry that memory thirty-six years later.

While at the event, we noticed emergency services presence from different towns, most notably the Four Oaks Fire Department supplied a ladder truck that bore the American flag.  We saw other departments that had staff and equipment on site, but did not notice any from Selma.  Considering that the event was in our backyard, so to speak, I expected to see our town's presence if emergency responders were going to be on hand.  I can tell you that EMS workers were kept busy from people fainting after being on their feet all day and not eating any meals all day long.  Between old age, health conditions, and diabetes, we saw three people just in our immediate area that needed assistance.

I mentioned that we noticed the Four Oaks ladder truck being there prominently displayed.  I obtained some insight on my own after the rally and read some confirmation of what I learned in “The Selma News” article last week about our town manager vetoing the presence of our fire department at the rally for fear of showing favor to one political party over the other.  If only the candidate from one party decided to come to our town, how is that showing any favoritism?  This politically correct myopic fear wears thin on the patience of many people, as evidenced by the outcome of the election.

Look, Hillary Clinton could have had a rally locally if she wanted but she ignored little old Johnston County, and probably for good reason.  She could probably have filled the local theater with supporters and had some room to spare.  Personally, she would have had to get John Bon Jovi to perform here in Selma to get me to come see her rally.  I wasn’t willing to travel just as far as Raleigh to see Bon Jovi at a Clinton event, even if I did grow up listening to his music, still own some of his CDs, and still like his iconic tunes.

But if it was Clinton having a rally in town, I would not allow my disdain for her as a person and candidate veto our town's visibility in our American process or at a local event.  As I said, I am no fan of Donald Trump myself.  He was never my candidate from the beginning, I vehemently disagree with some of his positions, and I am embarrassed as an American by some of his statements.  But, I am even more embarrassed as a US citizen by what Mrs. Clinton has actually done.  Still, I would not let that stand in the way of our town being represented at a local event that she was holding.

Our little town missed an opportunity for visibility and good public relations with this event.

Troy LaPlante
Selma, NC

Thoughts on a John Adams quote

I was reading a quote by our 2nd President, John Adams.  In writing to his son, Thomas, he said "Public business, my son, must always be done by somebody. It will be done by somebody or other. If wise men decline it, others will not; if honest men refuse it, others will not."

Sadly, this is where we find ourselves.  Others have not.  This is why I ran for public office twice in my community.  I have long wanted to serve because I did not want the unwise or dishonest to do so in my stead.  I was once accused by a jackass of a man who also happened to be the local NRA representative, of running for office and being concerned about the way the NRA handled local elections, of it all being about me.  Nothing was further from the truth.  If it was all about me, I would never have expended the effort or money, nor would I have opened myself to scorn, criticism, and ridicule.

I just found that quote to be dead on accurate.

Observation and correction while at a NC aquarium

Attacked by lesbians

I can tell that I am going to have fun writing a column when I get attacked by a group of lesbians and homosexual men. People will make all sorts of excuses for their abhorrent behavior and turn the tide against someone who takes a stand for traditional family values.

I am active on the web site, Facebook. I have a lot of friends from church groups, political groups, family, and both local and long distance contacts on both Facebook and Myspace. I am more active on Facebook, however.

On Facebook, people often post links to news stories of interest. This one woman posted a link to a story about how some Congressional leaders are taking a stand against the radical homosexual agenda. As a Christian, a conservative, a parent, and a citizen, I have a major problem with the agenda of the radical homosexual movement. Don't get me wrong, I could not care less what people do in the privacy of their own homes. I just don't want it flaunted in public, taught as normalcy, and certainly do not want my children (yes, soon to be plural) indoctrinated into such a paradigm.

There were several people in this discussion who were lampooning conservatives for paying attention to such a thing as an advancing homosexual agenda when we have a "financial crisis", war, and whatever else they find to be important issues of the day. I find the repulsion of the homosexual advance just as if not more important, since it is a destroyer of family, of morals, and the very order of nature.

These people were clamoring that they have civil rights and that these rights are being denied to them by ignorant, Bible thumping fundamentalists such as myself. I was told that there exists a two way separation of church and state, though it is not in the Constitution, nor were the words of Thomas Jefferson taken in their context for the usage of that term.

There are several things I noted during the discourse. The homosexuals attempted to minimize their agenda to three things: military service, monogamy, and parenting rights. There was no mention of indoctrination of children, demanding the accepting of divergent sexual behavior as a civil right, and the recognition of a class of people who choose a particular behavior as a protected minority class.

The last one is a civil argument that few are willing to tackle or be intellectually honest concerning. The truth of the matter is that homosexuality is a choice. Regardless of the spurious claims, we are talking about behavior, not about something genetic such as skin color. If such behavior is indeed genetic, we can make excuses for criminal behavior, as well. Perhaps Charles Manson has a gene in his DNA that gave him a propensity for violence and murder. If it is genetic, then he can not help that behavior and we should release him from prison, since he is not responsible for his actions. Of course that rationality is absurd, but it is the end result of that thought process.

My assertions of homosexuality being a choice, that the homosexual agenda is much more far-reaching than the three points, and that homosexuality is a sodomite, divergent behavior were never denied. Instead, the sodomites chose to find personal fault with the messenger. This is a typical liberal tactic. Since they could not refute my logic, the discussion boiled down to a lesbian attempting to claim moral superiority over me because her lover is a female veteran of the Gulf War, whereas I was never in the military. Because she sleeps with a lesbian that was honorably discharged for the armed services, I guess that makes her above reproach. She gains credibility for her lifestyle by association with someone with military service, in her opinion. Ergo, in her estimation, I am not allowed to condemn sodomy as evil. The argument is so twisted it is not funny, but somehow the tactic, as illogical as it is, gets employed by homosexuals and liberals incessantly.

When I pointed out the hypocrisy of her supporting a candidate for President such as Barack Obama, who has zero military experience, to become Commander in Chief while impugning my stance for traditional family values, the finger was again pointed to me. I was told that I had no moral grounds to say that a female war veteran and sodomite is practicing evil.

It is this sort of perverse logic that is used to excuse sin as a civil right. Those, like myself, who stand up and say that it is inexcusable behavior and not to be given the status of a civil right, will be labeled as bigots and judgmental. If people want to label me as such, fine, just stand in line. We will continue to face such moral decay and cries for civil rights where they do not exist. Resist the cry. Stand for righteousness. There is an ultimate judge to whom we all must give account.

Common sense

Good quote

"Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall, when the wise are banished from the public councils, because they dare to be honest, and those abandoned to vice are rewarded, because they flatter the people in order to betray them."

(Joseph Story - Justice of the Supreme Court, son of Elisha Story, a member of the Sons of Liberty.)

The Selma Strategic Plan

I have not read the entire document, but The Selma News has published the newly released Strategic Plan. The plan was printed in its entirety in this last print edition of The Selma News. I have not read the entire document yet, but shall. I will most likely do a column or two of my commentary on said plan. Read the linked page for the article on the plan and the pdf file of the report itself.

It is good to see someone like Cheryl Oliver working on the plan for one reason to which I am sure that some others may be oblivious. I do not mean this in an insulting manner, but Cheryl was "dumb as a brick" on town matters when she ran for town council. She was obviously ignorant of a lot of things facing the town when we were interviewed by The Smithfield Herald during election season. I was dumb as a brick before I made a conscious decision to become informed and get involved several years back, myself. I use that expression often, noting that I expect people to be dumb as a brick before becoming educated on different topics or fields of study. I am hoping that this effort has been good for Cheryl to become autodidactic. I have liked some of her perspectives on a few things and how she seems to want to learn all she can to perform her duties as town councilor with an informed opinion. I am glad to see that. I only wish others would do the same.

Parts of an interview with professional wrestler John Bradshaw Layfield

Wow, JBL calls it like it is regarding the state of politics and government in this nation. Here is a link to the full article. Below are excerpts that I love.

LIP: Well, what's your impression of what's going on, since you have taken a political stance in the past?

JBL: Yeah, absolutely. I think our politicians are the worst that they've ever been in the history of our country, and that has nothing to do with Democrats and Republicans. I mean, in the middle of two wars, and the middle of this economic sub-prime [mortgage] fallout, and the middle of a budget that's out of control, they have Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee on the stand debating he said/she said about this. That to me is just offensive. I cannot believe how inept and pathetic our politicians are across the board. There is no possible way for me to have a lower standard for these guys. Unfortunately, they keep exceeding that low standard. These guys are absolutely pathetic. To think that these guys would know anything about cellulosic ethanol or ocean power or anything to get us off of foreign oil. These guys are more interested-you had Sen. Arlen Specter a few weeks ago wanting to request Super Bowl tapes about Bill Belichick. Here we have two wars going on-real people, American kids, dying-and these idiots want to watch football tapes. So, I have no respect whatsoever for politicians. I think they're a pathetic group.

LIP: Well, gee, how do you really feel?

JBL: I can't stand it. I'm on Fox Business every night, so I have to deal with this every single night. And I look at this stupid economic stimulus plan, and these guys loading this thing up with pork, which is unbelievable. I mean, honestly, if these guys were in corporate America, they would be indicted and thrown in jail for theft.

LIP: When the state of Georgia talked about regulating pro wrestling, WWE resisted. Wouldn't it benefit the company to embrace the idea of regulation so that the questions people have about wrestling wouldn't have to be asked?

JBL: It depends on who's regulating it. You have, right now, Roger Clemens on the Hill with Brian McNamee. Who cares if Roger Clemens was taking some legal or even illegal drug at this point? That's a baseball issue. Baseball should have dealt with that in 1987 just like the NFL did. I'm totally against steroids, 100 percent, so I don't want to take that out of context when I said who cares about Clemens. But in the grand scheme of politics, you've got this idiot, Henry Waxman, interviewing these guys. And we have a budget deficit that is massive, we've got a dollar that is shrinking, that is killing us, we have 95-dollar [a barrel] oil. We have two wars, and nobody has a solution for them. And these are the guys who are going to regulate anything? These guys can't regulate themselves. If these guys had shown that they could do something efficient in this world and help America, then, yeah, let them regulate it. But these guys are inept, they're pathetic, and you really think politicians can do anything right? I don't hold that view. So no, I don't believe in government regulation because I think our government, the people that run it, are obviously inept, because they haven't solved any of their own problems. How in the world could they solve any of our problems, or anybody else's?

LIP: So when you think about this stuff is it good to be able to get back in the ring and get some of your aggravation out?

JBL: [Laughs] It's good to be on Fox Business and talk to these guys. I'm just frustrated. This is just my view of politics, and it's my view and my view alone. But we've had guys who haven't solved anything in politics, and they want to create this dog-and-pony show and go after Bill Belichick, or go after Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee, or go after regulation in sport because they want to distract from their record because their record is honestly that abysmal.

Our so called firefighters disgust me

I got a phone call from a Selma citizen this morning telling me about the latest news regarding our town's fire department. I had heard rumors that this was going to happen. Ten volunteer "firefighters" have quit the Selma fire department and dumped their turn out gear at the mayor's house last night. When I checked The Selma News just to see if they heard about it, the story was on their front page. Thank you, Kelly.

I want to preface what I am about to write with some qualifications to be able to say something. I started in the fire service at age 14 when I got involved with a very active Explorer Post in Franklin, New Hampshire. I was in that organization for the rest of my teen years into college. I became the youngest certified firefighter in the State of New Hampshire. Before I could legally drive a car, I was a certified firefighter. I got first aid training sufficient to allow me to ride along with the ambulance. I was a certified dispatcher taking 911 calls (we didn't have 911 service yet, but you get the idea) and was even paid by that city to do so at age 16. I put in more hours of training than every firefighter who was in the call ranks.

I earned a degree in Fire Protection from New Hampshire Vocational Technical College in Laconia, New Hampshire. With that degree, I was hired by North Carolina State University to work as a life safety inspector. My duties included fire and rescue, fire inspections, code enforcement, public fire education, incident command, and a host of other duties.

The bottom line behind saying any of this is that I know what it takes to be a firefighter and what sort of attitude it takes. I know the dedication required to serve your community in saving lives and property. I was around a bunch of guys who lived, breathed, and slept the fire service. They were dedicated to saving lives and property.

The Town of Selma has had a problem with its fire department for a long time. They were run as an autonomous group for years. Then we were told that they were a town department but not run like one. They also handled most of their own finances in several bank accounts over which the town had no oversight. The town was dumping money into the fire department but there was no accountability to the town. One thing that is for certain is that the fire department was and still is a political organization, a social club for "good ol' boys", and a very closed system.

Several years ago, there was some turmoil and strife between department members and former mayor Harry Blackley. This may or may not have contributed to Mr. Blackley's loss of the last mayoral election. There is a long, drawn out story of the politics there, but I am not going to get into that. I probably have some details wrong, anyway.

The fire chief, Joe Price, is also the head of the town's water department. I don't have a problem with the concept that the town's water department manager is also the volunteer fire chief. I do, however, have a problem with the idea that the fire chief is 1. elected from amongst the ranks of the department by its members, and 2. lives 10 miles outside the town's fire district. Since I have not been a member of the fire department personally, I can not attest to Mr. Price's abilities as a chief one way or the other.

What I will say is that the head of a life safety organization such as the local fire department should never be selected by the membership of the department. The fire department is a town department, and is to be run by the town. That means that the fire service should report to the town manager and should be beholden to the town council's oversight. It is, after all, town business and tax money.

The fire department, besides having the responsibility for offering protection for the town's citizens, also has a part to play in the insurance ratings that all property owners pay. We pay taxes for this service, as well. People outside the town limits yet within the fire district all pay fire taxes to benefit the department.

It takes a special type of person to be a public servant that is willing to drop everything in order to rush to an emergency with the added possibility of risking live and limb for the benefit of others. It takes an even more special breed of person to do this as a volunteer. I know that type of person, have been around that sort of people, and have been that sort of person myself.

I want to make this point loud and clear. If ten men are willing to quit the fire department because they don't like the idea of the town attempting to make the fire department into a better organization, serve the populace of Selma better, and offer a higher degree of service, then they are not that sort of people I just mentioned. To quit over a political issue rather than look for the best interest of the town, then there is no dedication to protecting life and property; but rather the interest is in the "good ol' boy system" that they feed off from.

Personally, I say good riddance to the firefighters who are willing to be so petty and walk out over such a petty thing as actually looking at a progressive approach to enhancing town services. I don't personally know them. What I do know is that their actions do not reflect those of dedicated public servants that care about saving lives and property in their community. Actually, their actions disgust me.

Here is the Selma News article online:

Nearly half of the 25-member Selma Fire Department walked out Thursday night following a meeting at the fire station.

Ten active members delivered their turnout gear to Mayor Charles Hester's home and left them lining the driveway without a note of resignation or call to anyone, according to Town Manager Stan Farmer.

Names on the gear included three members who are also full-time employees in other town departments. They are Billy Baker, Gary Gainey, and Greg Hooks.

Others included Winston "Buddy" Whitley, Alvin (TJ) Health, Ronnie Lee Jr., Ronald Stanley, Mark Green, Thomas Harper, and Mike Kendall.

One retired member of the department Joe Moore, also left his turnout gear at the Mayor's home, leaving town officals asking why a retired fireman would have such equipment in his possession.

Talk of such a walk-out has been rumored since The Selma News broke the news that $55,000 had been included in the 2007-2008 town budget for the hire of a new full-time fire chief.

Members of the department say the town has done longtime fire chief Joe Price, who has been a member of the department for more than 40 years, wrong.

They say the department has been pushing for the hire of a full-time person, an engineer, that will handle the day-to-day maintenance of fire trucks and equipment.

One said the town can't expect a paid fire chief to handle the "grunt" work that an engineer would do, nor can it depend solely on volunteers with full-time jobs outside the department to handle such things.

Mayor Hester said Friday morning that he has the turnout gear locked up on his property.

Farmer said he prepared separation papers for each of the 10 active firemen Friday morning on the basis of conduct unbecoming and disregard for town property (leaving the turnout gear unattended in public.)

Those papers are on hold for the time being. Farmer said that Price knew nothing about the walk out Thursday night and asked the town manager for one more meeting between ire department officers and town officials to come to an agreement before the separation papers are made official.

Farmer said Town Councilman Eric Sellers will mediate a meeting between the town manager and fire department officers. That meeting is tentatively set for Wednesday.

By the way, I don't believe for a moment that Joe Price had no idea about the walk out. I also noticed that the men in question didn't have the balls to formally resign.

---------

Here is what one Selma News reader commented on that news story:

timmy strfickland • school_chevy@yahoo.com
JUN 08 • I THINK WHAT CHARLES HESTER, AND STAN FARMER AND THE SELMA TOWN COUNCIL ARE DOING TO JOE PRICE(SELMA FIRE CHEIF) IS WRONG. JOE PRICE HAS DONE A WONDERFUL JOB AS OUR FIRE CHEIF. IF YOU WANT TO GET RID OF SOMEONE GET RID OF YOURSELFS. YOU ALL BROUGHT SHAME TO THIS TOWN. YOU AALL ARE JUST CROOKS.

Obviously, I strongly disagree.

A few other quotes from other readers on The Selma News web site are below. I can not honestly believe that people actually believe that dumping off your turnout gear at night in someone's driveway and ignoring the town's population in preference over political manuveuring is actually courage. It is just the opposite. And NO, I doubt that Charles Hester is feeling low and embarrassed right now over this.

I DO agree with the comment below about the 8% pay hike, though. Not a good idea when town employees that have been here for years only get 2.5% and the town manager is the highest paid employee in town as it is.

I am TIRED of reading that a fire engineer would be best for the town. That is a purely political and a "workings behind the scenes" sort of mindset. If the chief of a small town department who is the only man on the payroll can not drive a truck and operate a pump, he doesn't need to be on the payroll and is not a good chief. A full time employee also does not need to be reporting to a part time chief. Sorry, but that is just ludricrous. A good chief can serve both functions whereas an engineer can not. A dedicated fire crew will back up a good chief REGARDLESS of whether they agree with the politics behind his tenure. Ignorant wives of disgruntled volunteers will merely parrot what they hear, as evidenced below.

Tracy • softballmon06@aol.com
JUN 08 • I am proud of those who could stand up for what they believe in as a department and not be cowards. A paid Fire engineer would be in the best interest of the Town of Selma. This is the reason we moved from Selma...the selfish acts of the Mayor, Town Manager (8% increase in his own pay) and Town Council. The ones who risk their lives for us everyday are nearly seen as nobody's.

judy price • ncemt7@yahoo.com
JUN 08 • Wow!! Mr. Hester must be feeling pretty low and embarassed right about now....

---------

Here is WMPM's take on the story.

Half Of Selma Firefighters Quit During Dispute With Town - Half of the 25-member Selma Fire Department walked off the job Thursday night, upset over their treatment by Selma Mayor Charles Hester and Town Manager Stan Farmer. About a dozen members left their firefighting gear in the driveway of Mayor Hester. But before doing so, they notified surrounding fire departments Selma didn’t have enough personnel to respond to fire calls, and other departments would need to handle their calls. Farmer said due to their “immature and unprofessional act” they were terminated Friday morning. One of the key issues is whether Selma firemen are town employees or volunteers. Assistant Chief Mike Kendall said the department’s bylaws say they are volunteers who donate their time to the department, and elect their own chief and officers. Town officials contend they are part-time employees since they receive $70 to $90 a month for reimbursement for fuel and clothes laundering. And since they are paid, city officials contend they are a city department. Firemen say they are not a part of town government. Assistant Chief Kendall said Fire Chief Joe Price was asked not to attend Thursday night’s meeting. Price is a full-time wastewater supervisor for Selma and is their volunteer chief. Selma firemen are also upset the town is seeking to hire a full time fire chief, thus forcing Chief Price out. One firefighter said the dispute began when Mayor Hester ordered the fire department to paint the fire hydrants in town. They initially refused saying they were volunteers, but later used prison laborers to do the work. Friday, the dozen fired firefighters were asked to return to duty until a meeting with city officials could be arranged on Wednesday. The members agreed to return to duty, but no one knows what will happen after next Wednesday. Selma fire officials say they no longer trust the mayor or city manager and are not part of town government. Selma Manager Stan Farmer says they are, and will receive $234,000 in the upcoming budget.

Shows coming along well

I had a great show this evening on "Straight Shooting". I was talking with John Diamond, author of the book "The Rise of America: Fighting the Next Revolution and the Constitutional Crisis". You may want to listen to it by going to my show host home page and listen. You may even want to get a copy of John's book.

I also have another show scheduled for the next several weeks. Next Saturday night at 6 PM eastern time, I will be talking with Paul A. Ibbetson, a published author and lecturer on the Patriot Act. His book is "Living Under The Patriot Act: Educating A Society". His book details the monumental struggle to bring the most powerful law in the war on terror since September 11, 2001 to fruition.

If you have questions on The Patriot Act, this will be the time to listen and call in. There will be an expert on the show for you to quiz and discuss with someone in the know.

Other shows still on the docket are June 2 with the NC Emergency Reserves; and the author of the web site homelandstupidity.us on June 9th.