Fighting Back: The Harassment of WCU (and ASU) Faculty

The Koch Bros. get their hooks
into Western Carolina University

We know about local Republican operatives slapping university types they don't like with demands for their emails. Republican Party Chair Anne Marie Yates and her chief legal advisor Nathan Miller went after the current Democratic Board of Elections member because she had the gall to sue over the unconstitutional behavior of the Republicans in suppressing the vote of ASU students. Not only did she sue, she won in court. So Nathan Miller demanded all her emails from ASU and made clear to a judge that it was purely a political witch-hunt. That judge listened and dismissed Miller's claim.

It's a pattern of harassment being duplicated at other state universities.

Last November, we wrote here about the scheme by the Koch Bros. to bring indoctrination in predatory capitalism to the curriculum at Western Carolina University and give it an academic coating. The faculty -- some of them, at least -- pushed back against making their institution the handmaiden to conservative propaganda. And the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, a flying wedge of the Art Pope Empire for Stamping Out Progressive Thought, promptly filed public records requests for all the emails of those faculty members.

Chilling effect? You bet! Harassment that produces silent acquiescence in the face of ruthless power? You can take that to the bank (and please make sure it's a predatory institution)!

One of those harassed faculty members resisted, apparently without much support from the higher-ups at her university who wanted to get their mitts on that Koch money. Now that faculty member has scooped the snoopers at the Art Pope Empire by publishing all her emails herself on her own blog. Ha!

What terrible misdeeds do those emails reveal? Mainly, that the faculty member was sharing news articles about the Koch takeover of higher education. Off with her head!

Take a look at the faculty member's blog post. Good stuff.

Tail Between Legs, Tillis Back in Step With Rest of Obstructionist Republicans

After initially saying it would be wrong to "fall into the trap" of saying "NO Effing Way!" to anyone President Obama might nominate to Scalia's SCOTUS seat, Sen. Thom Tillis has been schooled.

He's repented. He's flip-flopped. He's signed his name in (barely visible) blood (as a member of the Judiciary Committee) to a letter to Senate Majority Turtle Mitch McConnell:

"As we mourn the tragic loss of Justice Antonin Scalia and celebrate his life's work, the American people are presented with an exceedingly rare opportunity to decide, in a very real and concrete way, the direction the court will take over the next generation. We believe The People should have this opportunity."

What he meant was that he had experienced, in less than a week, a political threshing -- "I've been reaped!" -- which, aside from shaking his grain, had rendered him without reproductive organs. (Turns out, those balls weren't actually gone boys but merely shrunk up into his scrotum so microscopically that Donald Trump could not have found them in a week in order to kick them up into Tillis's windpipe if he should ever dare to offer an unsanctioned opinion again.)

Yessir! We have constitutional scholars representing us in Congress, not to mention brave, independent men.

Why I'm Voting for Bernie

I've tried to stay out of this, at least publicly, but with Donald Trump now pretty much assured the Republican nomination, what would be the point of remaining politic (adjective: "seeming sensible and judicious under the circumstances") when the world is turning upside-down?

The last head-to-head fantasy match-up poll I saw had Bernie Sanders beating Donald Trump. It had Hillary Clinton losing to Trump. That's upside-down. How could such an over-qualified and historic candidate lose to such an unqualified and dangerous "reality star"? And how could an old, grumpy socialist beat the billionaire braggart?

Not that I'm swayed by polls or even pay them much attention at this point in the political cycle. But that poll is a bell wether. It signals this year's zeitgeist (noun: "the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time"). The voters are hating on "establishment types" (noun: "losers") and will no longer countenance them.

Hence, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. Trump is a bully with a bully's instincts. Sanders has the contrasting instincts that I want infusing my nation, let alone my nation's government.

Hillary Clinton is "establishment," and in my judgment, she cannot win against Trump. Hillary Clinton is bespoke. She's been Wall Street's creature for years, and she was tailored by the establishment for the establishment. That's a fashion I cannot follow in this year of the anti-establishment hostile takeover of politics.

#ncga and #ncgov -- Ready To Stick Their Thumbs in Charlotte's Eye

Last night the Charlotte city council voted decisively for new protections for LGBT citizens.

This morning, NC House Speaker Tim Moore sez he's ready to lead his Republican troops in overturning the Charlotte city council. (Governor Squishy had already announced that he would sign any law meddling with Charlotte's dangerous trend toward tolerance.)

So it goes.

U.S. Supremes to North Carolina: "Deal With Your Own Mess"

The U.S. Supreme Court late yesterday declined to stay a lower court ruling about the illegal gerrymandering of congressional districts.

The New York Times offered the understatement of the day: "...North Carolina now faces a chaotic situation just when some voters have already begun sending in absentee ballots under the old congressional districting scheme."

Meanwhile, in Mugstomp on the Neuse, the NC General Assembly Republicans forced through their new redistricting plan and set the congressional primaries for June 7, with the new open filing period to run from March 16-25.

Apparently, when we all vote in the other primary on March 15, congressional primary races -- like Virginia Foxx's race against Pattie Curran on the Republican ballot -- will still be on the ballot in Watauga County and presumably elsewhere across the 5th District.

The State Board of Elections issued a statement last night about that: "State Elections Director Kim Strach, acknowledging the potential for voter confusion, urged people to vote for their preferred congressional candidate in both elections. “Vote the whole ballot and let us worry about what will count,” she said in a statement issued after the bill passed both chambers."

"Let us worry about what will count." Excuse me, Ms. Strach, but considering past and recent history at the SBOE, I think maybe there's enough worry to go around.

Renee Ellmers

Meanwhile, the political fallout from this mess is beginning to get interesting: Rep. George Holding, Republican, who has been drawn out of his 13th District, has already announced that he will now be challenging fellow incumbent Republican Renee Ellmers for her 2nd District seat. He might beat her, but from what we're hearing, Holding's about as unpopular with the Republican base as is Ellmers. And who knows how many of Ellmers' original primary challengers will re-file against her. Could be a crowded field, and with the "no run-off" provision, whoever gets the most votes, wins.

Mugstomp on the Neuse Goes Under Water

It has become surreal in Raleigh.

1. The General Assembly -- mainly the Republican Grandees in the NC Senate -- have redrawn congressional districts to maintain their 10-3 Republican dominance, while also conveniently punishing Democrat Alma Adams (by moving her 12th District completely out from under her) and delivering what looks like a career-ending blow to fellow Republican George Holding who is now double-bunked with Democratic Congressman David Price.

2. All this rush to redistrict what a three-judge panel said was unconstitutional gerrymandering may be rendered moot if Chief Justice John Roberts comes through with a Supreme Court stay of the three-judge panel's decision.

3. If Chief Justice Roberts issues a stay, then everything goes back to where we were last week: all primaries in all races on March 15. Otherwise, with no intercession from the Supremes, the Congressional primary will be yanked off the ballot for March 15 -- every other ballot item remaining in place -- and moved to June 7th.

4. No run-offs allowed. For the March 15 primary, and for all the races still on that ballot, top vote-getter wins even if he/she doesn't get to the magic 40 percent marker. (This could conceivably save Renee Ellmers' bacon. She's in a four-person primary race and will conceivably have some difficulty getting to 40 percent. The other likely beneficiary: Deborah Ross, who's in a four-way Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.)

5. Here's where it gets bizarre, according to what passed in the NC House late yesterday. Here I must quote directly from the N&O to get it straight:

In another twist, candidates who won a March 15 primary then could file to run for a congressional seat June 7. If they won in both primaries, they would have to withdraw from one, within a week after the June 7 results were certified.

That means, for example, a legislator who already had been renominated for a seat could run in a congressional primary, and continue to seek re-election as a legislator if he or she lost the latter vote.

I have questions. I hardly know where to start. I'm assuming that the word "candidates" in that first sentence refers to any candidates in any primary race. Certain moments from the early Byzantine Empire are flickering in my mind.

6. No. 5 creates another level of confusion and chaos unanticipated by any sane person outside the halls of the NC House. It potentially creates a campaign finance loophole through which you could drive a tank. Allowing candidates in other state primaries to also file to run for the U.S. Congress without foregoing their state races would open the door for using money raised for a state campaign in a Federal campaign, which is illegal. This will be litigated. It will not stand.

7. Any resemblance between the North Carolina General Assembly and The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight is not coincidental.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article61166027.html#storylink=cpy

Breaking News: "Retention" Elections for Judges Ruled Unconstitutional in NC

The Twitterverse is saying that the three-judge panel which heard lawyer Sabra Faires' case challenging "retention" elections for NC Supreme Court judges -- just two days ago -- has now ruled in her favor. More to come.

If this is true, then what happens? The appeal would have to go to the NC Supreme Court, which has a clear conflict of interest in the issue, since every one of the justices would eventually and conceivably benefit from retention elections.

Another fine mess you've created for us, NC General Assembly!

ADDENDUM
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article61148607.html

Pope vs. Trumpolini

We've entered the twilight of our civilization.

The best pope in generations sez that anyone who wants to build walls like Donald Trump isn't a Christian. The actual quote: “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel."

Trump counter-attacks, calls pope a loser who dresses funny and can't even get a date.

The Current and On-Going Mess with Congressional Districts

Late yesterday, Republican gerrymanderers in the General Assembly released proposed new congressional districts. It's going to take some time to fully digest what it all means, but in redrawing districts 1 and 12, under court order, the map-drawers redrew all 13 districts.

Virginia Foxx's 5th District would now take in all of Forsyth, which means the urban core of Winston-Salem, and would regain Stokes and Surry counties while losing Iredell.

Two House members have been drawn out of their districts ... Democrat Alma Adams in the 12th (which would now be entirely in Mecklenburg) and Republican George Holding in the 13th.

What happens now? The General Assembly was called back this morning to vote on this new map, which they will because the Republicans are in the majority, but will the three-judge panel who ordered the redrawing accept the maps? Who knows?

And what happens with the primary due to launch Early Voting in a matter of days? Some of the incumbent congress people have primaries, including Virginia Foxx, but with the districts moved -- some of them light-years -- aren't there likely to be new potential candidates who would like the chance to run?

This is a mess made in the Republican kitchen.