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What I Believe as a Woman, Mother, American

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Tuesday, 11 June 2024

Written by Laura Mussler

Laura Mussler had something to say and she has said it!
For this, I admire her and all our readers who take the time and courage to voice their views, opinions, and concerns about our community, state, and nation in our community newspaper's open free press forum. Safely voicing views of this nature on social media networks is "like winking in the dark." You know you are doing it, but no one else does.
Having free speech and the availability of the free press are just two of the many freedoms that we enjoy as Americans and define us as a Nation. I applaud Ms. Mussler and other bold Fayetteville residents like Craig Stewart, Ron Brewington, and Greg Adair for putting themselves out there with their opinions, and letting citizens and government officials know they are not living and working in a vacuum. I invite all our readers to take an active and impactful role in exercising your rights to free speech. Use this free community newspaper as your platform to express yourself. You write it, you own it, we'll print it! This invitation pertains to ALL our readers: Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, LGBTQIA+, Libertarian, Independent, Democrat or Republican. This commitment has defined the success of Up & Coming Weekly community newspaper for over twenty-eight years. Thank you for reading.
— Bill Bowman, Publisher
P.S. BTW: Always keep in mind that you could be arrested, fined, jailed, or executed for reading this newspaper in China and Russia. Just sayin'!
Laura is a Fayetteville resident, businesswoman, entrepreneur, motorcycle enthusiast, and 1st Vice President of the Fayetteville Republican Women's Club.

I am a voter who casts her ballot in the spirit of principle and value. The values I'm voting on are the freedoms and rights of the nation I love and cherish. My vote represents my vision of America: one that values and has respect for all her people.
This land is ours! It is a birthplace of children of all races, where everyone can praise their heritage and make their dreams come true. Fayetteville and Cumberland County is a melting pot, due to the military community at Fort Liberty. We need to encourage equality and fight against all forms of prejudice, bigotry, racism, sexism, antisemitism, and religious intolerance. To achieve this, we must strive towards maintaining a society where every person feels valued and respected. The commitment to equality is an American ideal.
I believe in parents' rights. Parents know their children best and should be the authority, not the government, to decide where and how they grow up, who they go to school with, and who they learn their moral convictions from. Parental guidance gives children a healthy sense of identity and clarity in their moral world. Only parents can care for their children's hearts and minds appropriately and effectively.
I'm in favor of Title IX. As I watch my granddaughter grow up, I want her to have the opportunity to earn scholarships in sports and not risk her safety by competing against biological boys who are bigger, faster, and stronger.
We need to make sure our daughters, granddaughters, and sisters compete fairly against their female-bodied peers. This principle is crucial in the Fayetteville community, where we take pride in our school sports teams and local competitions.
I believe we have the right to own a gun, even though I tragically lost my son to gun violence here in Cumberland County. This isn't just a policy to me; it's a deeply personal belief. I understand the importance of the right to protect ourselves, our homes, and our loved ones. I stand firmly for the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which states that we have the right to bear arms. It's a fundamental liberty granted to us by our Founding Fathers.
One of our city council members tried to make Fayetteville a sanctuary city earlier this year. Is that where we want your precious tax dollars going? We must ensure that our community remains safe and our laws are respected. Supporting secure borders is crucial to maintaining the integrity and safety of our community and nation.
Let's be clear: immigrants are welcome if they enter the country legally. You wouldn't allow a stranger to wander into your home without knowing who they are, where they came from, or why they are there. Why should our country's borders be any different?
Here in Fayetteville, we must prioritize the safety of our children and the security of our neighborhoods. Our police and school resource officers play a critical role in maintaining order and ensuring our streets and schools are safe. The city of Fayetteville is short over 80 police officers, and now the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department wants to stop providing crossing guards and school resource officers. This is unacceptable. Without adequate staffing, we risk compromising the well-being of our community. I stand firmly with our law enforcement and will always advocate for the resources and support they need to protect and serve us effectively.
I am voting to defend our sacred right to free speech. Free speech is essential to a healthy democracy. It fosters transparency and the exchange of ideas, facilitating innovation and growth.
It's okay to disagree! It's okay not to want to learn about another person's point of view. However, we need to continue allowing access to different points of view, especially the dissenting ones. We need an open dialog empowering citizens to make informed decisions and push back against tyranny.
I vote to provide our military and veterans with the best training and medical care. We're so blessed to have these men and women protecting us, and we must do the best for them in return for their service. We need to continue supporting our active military and veterans and never forget their willingness to sacrifice on our behalf.
Voting is an act of conviction and a testament to our belief in America's values and all she offers in freedom, equality, and security. All those values that define America and the American Dream. This is why I am a conservative and why I'm casting my vote for Republican Party nominees.
They align with who I am and what I believe in. They believe in the United States of America, which I want my children and grandchildren to live in.

Publisher's Pen: A sad day in America

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Tuesday, 04 June 2024

Written by Bill Bowman

It makes little difference whether you are Black, White, Asian, Hispanic, and your political affiliation is Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, or Independent; you are an American living in a country that is defined by our freedoms. Freedoms that men and women have fought and died for.
Freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution are the foundation for making America the greatest nation in the world. Yet, Donald Trump's felony conviction in New York last week is perceived as a significant threat to the freedoms and justice we seem to be taking for granted.
Anyone celebrating Trump's conviction must look beyond the political implications and recognize the threat of this type of justice and how it undermines and perpetuates the wholesale erosion of public trust for all Americans.
Who will have confidence in the justice system's integrity, fairness, and impartiality? Without a doubt, this is going to cause further political polarization, and will only serve to deepen existing political divisions, and potentially incite more demonstrations and riots, weakening the cohesion necessary
for a stable democracy.
Trump's conviction sets a dangerous precedence for all Americans. Perception is reality, and his conviction is perceived as being politically motivated.
This is a dangerous trend that could very possibly lead to future corrupt administrations weaponizing the American justice system to target political opponents, compromising and eliminating the principles of impartial justice. If this is beginning to sound like Vladimir Putin's Russia or Xi Jinping's China, it is no coincidence. Scary.
I'm not a lawyer, but I am familiar with the rule of law. I believe that no one is above the law. However, laws that are selectively enforced or unfairly applied can only lead to the conclusion that our justice system is being weaponized as a tool for political retribution. And that, my friends, should be a critical concern of all Americans.
Even though we live in Fayetteville and Cumberland County, and Trump's conviction took place in New York City, make no mistake: it will significantly impact the global perception of American democracy and justice.
And not in a good way.
The perception will be the weakening of America's dominance and influence as a world leader and moral authority in promoting freedom, justice, democratic values, and the rule of law worldwide.
Again, regardless of your race or political affiliation, there is no joy or celebration in Trump's conviction. America is a nation of Justice and laws. Without them, we have no nation!
Thank you for reading the Up & Coming Weekly community newspaper.*
• Some things to think about:
You are reading a FREE newspaper in a FREE country.
In Russia and China, writing this editorial could be deemed treasonous, and I could be shut down, jailed, and prosecuted as an enemy of the state. (So could you for reading it!)
Beware Americans: Regarding freedom and justice, "we won't appreciate what we have until it's gone."

There is a free lunch

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Tuesday, 04 June 2024

Written by Pitt Dickey

William Wordsworth was wrong. Need some intimations of mortality? UNC Chapel Hill provides its graduates with an interesting reminder. Carolina designated me as an official member of the Old Students Club. Until invited, I had no idea such a fine group existed. The UNC class of 1974 was offered a free lunch to new members.
An earlier fellow classmate, James Love, UNC class of 1884, left a pile of money to provide an annual free lunch to all graduates of UNC who reached the 50th anniversary of their graduation who were still alive. I qualified on both accounts, so I got a free meal.
Parking was in a large garage next to the Alumni Center. UNC thoughtfully supplied cheerful student ambassadors every few yards so the doddering members of the Class of '74 would not get lost on their way to lunch. The ambassadors were trained to identify free-range alumni by our graying visages and confused expressions. I mentioned that I thought the name "Old Students Club" was a bit ageist, but was assured it just meant we were cute.
At the lunch, a speaker explained the original name of the group was "The Ancient Patriarchs," because back in the 19th Century only men could attend UNC. The name morphed into Old Students Club when ladies of the female persuasion were allowed to enroll at UNC. At the dining hall, we were told the name had been changed once again to "UNC Alumni Precious Gems."
Not sure if the new name is accurate. They gave me a lapel pin to prove I was a Precious Gem. I remain unconvinced of being a Precious Gem; however, it is possible I might be a Semi Precious Gem.
At my age when I am invited to a free meal it is usually from a company that either wants to sell cemetery plots, timeshares in North Dakota, variable rate annuities, term life insurance, or a spot in a senior citizens' residential home that has Happy Hours on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m.
I skip those free meals. However, since it was UNC that invited me, I decided to go to see what they were offering to age-enhanced alumni.
Considering our class's advanced age, lunch was scheduled for 11:30 a.m. This was done so the alums could make it back home without driving in the dark. The timing also meant we would not miss the 4:30 p.m. Early Bird Special supper at the Country Kitchen Buffet.
I speculated as to what UNC's hook baited with a free lunch might be. My initial guess was a speaker explaining how to include UNC in our estate plan. Or darker, a speaker from the Medical School on how to donate our bodies for anatomical study by Med students. Imagine my surprise when there was no pitch to give UNC either our money or our cold dead bodies. In fact, it was just a dandy free lunch with a talk about our fast times at UNC in the early '70s. It was celestial.
The entertainment was a student choral performance by the female singing group The Loreleis. Their name was a bit spooky considering the age of the attendees. The Lorelei was a legendary German beauty who drowned herself in the Rhine River over love gone wrong. After dying, she came back as a beautiful Siren whose singing lured sailors to their deaths. Being calendar-enhanced, our group might be endangered by their singing. Their first song, "Dust in the Wind" did not ease my concern. The Med School might get us yet. Ponder these lyrics: "Dust in the wind/ All they are is dust in the wind/ Just a drop of water in an endless sea/ All we do/ Crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see/ Now don't hang on/ Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky/ It slips away/ And all your money won't another minute buy/ All we are is dust in the wind." Cheery song.
Their performance was excellent. Minor quibble: The Loreleis beating us over our greying heads reminding us we had one foot on the banana peel between here and eternity was problematic. I wondered if the Loreleis next appearance singing Dust in the Wind was at the ICU or the Emergency Room at Memorial Hospital.
Lunch ended on a spectacular upbeat note with the crowd of several hundred seventy-plus-year-old UNC grads singing a rousing chorus of "Hark the Sound" which ends with the immortal words: "I'm a Tar Heel born/ I'm a Tar Heel bred/ And when I die/ I'm a Tar Heel Dead/ GO TO HELL DOOK!" It was a transcendent moment. I hope to be around for many more Precious Gem lunches. Thanks for everything, UNC

Universities should cultivate civic leaders

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Tuesday, 28 May 2024

Written by John Hood

Most students and their families invest time, effort, and resources into higher education for vocational reasons. They expect the knowledge, skills, and relationships acquired at a college or university will lead to good jobs — which will, in turn, generate income for graduates to support themselves and their families as well as the satisfaction and fulfillment that comes from productive employment or entrepreneurship.
Like it or not, this is a fact. Before the middle of the 20th century, colleges and universities were elite institutions, experienced by only a tiny share of the population and funded primarily by tuition and private gifts. Even then, most graduates weren’t just there to read Plato, study fine art, or master quadratic equations for their own sake. They were being prepared for leadership roles in law, medicine, religion, commerce, or civic affairs.
The GI Bill of Rights — and the contemporaneous expansion of state universities in access and funding — greatly expanded the scope of higher education. Now, more than a third of Americans have four-year degrees and nearly half possess at least an associate degree or post-secondary credential.
I write often about the productivity of higher education, and make no apologies for focusing primarily on the financial costs and benefits. That’s what concerns most prospective students and their families. But my own concerns are broader than that.
I do believe in the intrinsic worth of expanding one’s mind — of pursuing the true, the beautiful, and the good. I think all university students should, for example, study a core curriculum in the liberal arts before turning to professional preparation. I also believe state institutions such as the University of North Carolina should continue to fulfill one of their original functions: cultivating leaders.
In the past, only a small and unrepresentative elite could aspire to leadership roles. Thank goodness that’s no longer the case. Still, most of those who lead businesses, governments, nonprofits, churches, and other organizations are college or university graduates. Quite apart from teaching specific disciplines or professional skills, campuses should prepare their graduates for leadership roles in their communities.
That’s one reason the UNC system is implementing a new requirement that graduates complete courses that, among other elements, study six key documents: the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Federalist Papers, the Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation, and Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
Of course, all voters ought to be taught the fundamentals of American government. That’s why we have civics requirements in high school, though one might argue that North Carolina should do more to improve the design and instruction of those courses.
The justification for doing more at the university level, however, is that future leaders — by which I mean not just future politicians, activists, and public administrators but the broader swath of community leaders who participate in and shape the public conversation — need a deeper dive into these foundational texts.
Similarly, the new School of Civic Life and Leadership at UNC-Chapel Hill will offer students the opportunity to develop the virtues and skills they need to practice prudent, effective leadership. Its new interdisciplinary minor will “bring people together to investigate deeply human questions about liberty, justice and equality,” says Jed Atkins, the school’s newly appointed dean, yielding “thoughtful citizens who think reflectively about our political life.”
The kind of citizens, in other words, who can lead North Carolina to a brighter future. “At a time of increasing polarization and declining public trust in our institutions,” Atkins says, “the development of SCiLL represents a remarkable opportunity for America’s first public university to continue to lead our country in preparing ‘a rising generation’ for lives of thoughtful civic engagement required for a flourishing democracy.”
In an article discussing SCiLL and comparable initiatives on other campuses, American Enterprise Institute scholars Beth Akers and Joe Pitts argued that in “a nation starved of formative institutions, universities are uniquely positioned to repair our civic fabric — if only they take their responsibilities to our country seriously.”
Good for UNC — and for all of us.

Editor’s Note: John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member. His latest books, Mountain Folk and Forest Folk, combine epic fantasy with early American history (FolkloreCycle.com).

(Photo courtesy of UNC Chapel Hill's Facebook page)