Today in strange cat legal news:
North Carolina man Damon Fields is suing Gaston County, alleging his and his 16 house cats’ civil rights were violated.
His cats are named as complainants in the lawsuit, listed as “Boo Loo,” “Tony Tiger,” “Girlfriend Sara,” “Buh Buh Logan,” “Sillygirl Sally,” “Rascal Russell,” and others, The Charlotte Observer <a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article238905783.html">reported</a>. The outlet reported that the 16 cats were seized in early November from Fields’ Cherryville home based on a complaint from a neighbor.
“The courthouse cat fight dates back to Nov. 5, when animal control officers responded to a neighbor’s complaint and searched Fields’ small ranch home, a home that Assistant Gaston County Attorney Sam Shames says reeked so badly of cat pee that investigators had to don masks before entering. Inside, Shames says, the officers tip-toed around ‘an incredibly large amount’ of cat poop. They left with 16 cats, including five kittens,” the outlet reported.
Fields was charged with 16 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty, the Observer reported.
“The county also started a $20-a-day tab on the cost of housing, feeding and caring for each of the animals, a bill that reached more than $10,000 after 30 days,” the outlet reported.
Fields had the charges put on hold thanks to a deferred-prosecution plan that was set up in mid-December and approved by a Gaston County judge. The bill for the animals was also waived so long as Fields keeps no more than five cats in his home.
Fields was told to pick five cats to take home from the animal shelter and was required to have them sterilized. The remaining 11 would be put up for adoption, provided they passed medical inspections. Fields, 37, was also told at the time that animal control must be able to inspect his home at various times over the next six months, the Observer reported.
“Nobody is trying to put this guy in jail. That would not accomplish very much,” Shames said, according to the outlet. “We’re trying to get him the help that he needs.”
It appeared as though Fields had accepted the terms, but two weeks later his lawsuit appeared in Charlotte federal court.
“My family and I were denied the right to have a fair trial, before we were accused and taken and stuffed in a box/cell/cage,” Fields wrote in his complaint, which was reviewed by the Observer.
Fields is now demanding that all his cats be returned and that the county provide him $2,500 in damages “for the injuries and emotional damages to my babies and myself.” He also wants the legal system to acknowledge that cats have rights.
Fields said that his home was in the state in which it was found because he had been in the hospital following surgery after a car accident.
Shames told the Observer that its reporter “ruined” his day, as he was not expecting Fields to file such a lawsuit.
“I have never seen a cat listed as a party to a federal lawsuit. This case has a very unusual set of facts,” he said.
Cats seem to be showing up in a number of legal cases. In September, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/homeowner-hears-suspicious-noises-it-turns-out-be-ashe-schow">reported</a> on the detention of Bones, an outdoor cat who wandered into a neighbor&#8217;s home, making them think a burglar was in the house. And then there&#8217;s Miska, who&#8217;s human <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46453/seattle-has-been-fining-cat-thousands-dollars-yes-ashe-schow">filed a lawsuit</a> to try and get the thousands of dollars worth of fines levied against the roaming feline dropped.

A North Carolina Man And His 16 House Cats Are Suing Their County Over Alleged Civil Rights Violations

cats

Lawsuit

North Carolina

Police in North Carolina have arrested four people in connection with a drug trafficking scheme that resulted in the seizure of thousands of pounds of marijuana.
The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office stated that the investigation lasted for six months and included the collaboration of multiple agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection, and the police departments of numerous North Carolina counties and cities (a full list below).
WBTV reported that the investigation resulted in the seizure of 6,800 pounds of marijuana intercepted at the United States-Mexico border. It also nabbed 18 kilograms (more than 39 pounds) of cocaine and $200,000.
“Jose Garcia, 31, Juan Olmos, 46 and Michael Proffitt, 36, have been arrested and charged with conspiracy to traffic in cocaine and trafficking in cocaine,” the outlet reported. “Garica [sic], Olmos and Proffitt are incarcerated in the Catawba County Detention Center.”
Officials determined Garcia was in the United States illegally and is being investigated by Immigration Customs and Enforcement.
In addition, Crispin Fair, 50, was charged with trafficking in heroin.
The full list of agencies involved in the list were, according to WBTV:
<blockquote>Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Protection, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Catawba County Sheriff’s Office, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Alexander County Sheriff’s Office, Burke County Sheriff’s Office, Newton Police Department, Longview Police Department, Hickory Police Department, Greensboro Police Department</blockquote>
This multi-county drug bust came just days after another major bust in the state involving additional counties.
WLOS <a href="https://wlos.com/news/local/update-more-than-2-dozen-arrested-in-4-county-drug-bust-involving-sbi">reported</a> that more than a dozen people were arrested in connection with another drug ring. Three of the more than 12 arrested, Fabian Carrillo Blas, Abel Carbajal, and Mark Leman Tobe, were alleged to have “conspired to distribute large quantities of cocaine,” the outlet reported.
“As a result of the investigation, approximately nine pounds of methamphetamine, three pounds of cocaine, smaller amounts of heroin pills and marijuana were seized, as well as several firearms and more than $90,000,” WLOS reported.
This operation also included the Drug Enforcement Administration, as well as “the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), Asheville Police Department, Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, [and] Haywood County Sheriff’s Office,” the outlet reported.
This year has seen numerous large-scale drug busts across the country. In September, police in Virginia <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/35-people-arrested-virginia-having-enough-fentanyl-ashe-schow">arrested 35 people</a> and seized “enough fentanyl to kill 14 million people,” CBS News <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fentanyl-drug-bust-investigators-seize-enough-fentanyl-to-kill-14-million-people-in-massive-bust/">reported</a>. That bust also nabbed more than 30 kilograms of heroine, five kilograms of cocaine, more than $700,000, and 24 firearms.
In June, federal law enforcement officials <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/record-bust-feds-seize-33000-pounds-cocaine-worth-ryan-saavedra">completed the largest drug bust</a> in the history of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The officials seized more than 33,000 pounds of cocaine &#8212; an amount that could have killed millions of people. Just two people were arrested in connection with the massive drug bust.
Most of the drugs are coming from south of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Man Holding Cocaine

6,800 Pounds Of Marijuana, 39 Pounds Of Cocaine, $200,000 Seized As Part Of Drug-Trafficking Scheme

Drugs

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte — home to 30,000 students — held a white privilege workshop last week.
Only nine students showed up.
The event was titled &#8220;White Consciousness Conversations for Students,&#8221; and on the UNC page, organizers said it was for &#8220;students only.&#8221;
&#8220;Understanding the meaning and implications of whiteness and engaging in anti-racist practice is crucial in creating racial equity. This space is for all undergraduate and graduate students at UNC Charlotte who are interested in engaging in conversations to assist in their understanding of how racism is perpetuated individually, culturally, and systemically. This space is intended to be group-based, meaning we would love for participants to attend all sessions. Join in conversation with IEE staff as we work toward racial equity,&#8221; the page said.
By the way, the &#8220;IEE&#8221; is the Office of Identity, Equity, and Engagement. Yes, UNC has one of those.
&#8220;The total number of students in the audience for the first &#8216;White Consciousness Conversation,&#8217; held Sept. 10, was nine — but two were students there not as participants but as journalists mainly to observe,&#8221; the <a href="https://www.thecollegefix.com/on-campus-of-30000-students-less-than-10-attend-universitys-white-privilege-workshop/">College Fix</a> reported. &#8221; One was from The College Fix and another from the Niner Times campus newspaper.&#8221;
&#8220;Of the remaining seven students, five are members of the university&#8217;s conservative Young Americans for Freedom chapter, who were there more out of curiosity and concern about the nature of the seminar and its taxpayer-funded narrative as opposed to learning about how they allegedly perpetuate racism and inequality as Americans with white skin. Finally, the other two students attended because their professors offered them extra credit to do so, they told The Fix.&#8221;
UNC Charlotte hosted the same type of event in 2018. In advertisements, only white people were invited. Campus officials were forced to reword the ads.
<blockquote>The two-hour meeting was led by two campus diversity facilitators who spoke on topics such as feminism, white privilege, toxic masculinity and LGBTQ equality, and outlined their own definition of racism, one that claims that while racial discrimination can be targeted at anyone, by anyone, racism itself stems inherently from white people and their “whiteness.”
At the end of the workshop, at least two conservative students said the information presented seemed focused on blaming white people and whiteness for racism.
“I went into the event with an open mind, I wanted to learn what my peers thought about how the concept of whiteness ties into racism, whether or not it is an issue on our campus, and how we, as students, can create change if it was necessary,” YAF member Kelly VonEnde told The College Fix.</blockquote>
Other colleges have held similar events. The University of Rhode Island hosted an event &#8220;with speakers discussing topics such as &#8216;White Accountability,&#8217; &#8216;Addressing Microaggressions,&#8217; and more&#8221; in 2018, Campus Reform reported.
This past June, Rutgers University hosted a workshop seeking to dismantle &#8220;white organizational culture.&#8221;
&#8220;Throughout the event, attendees will be taught to &#8216;understand what is white United States-ian culture; understand the beliefs and values of white United State-ian culture; recognize characteristics of white United States-ian culture in organizations; begin to explore the impact the culture has on professionals in the field; and learn antidotes to dismantling white organizational culture,'&#8221; Campus Reform reported.

Huge University Holds White Privilege Workshop. Only 9 Students Show Up.

The North Carolina high school that punished a group of cheerleaders for posing with a Trump 2020 banner has cancelled its last football game due to security concerns.
Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/school-cancels-football-game-days-after-cheerleaders-punished-for-pro-trump-banner.amp">reported</a> that Stanly County schools announced the cancellations of North Stanly High’s game after receiving “additional information that could compromise safety measures our schools have in place for sporting events.”
The school district cancelled Friday night’s game without elaborating on what caused the safety concerns.
The decision to cancel the game comes just days after it was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51878/high-school-cheerleaders-put-probation-posing-hank-berrien">reported</a> that the North Carolina High School Athletic Association put North Stanly High’s cheerleading squad on probation for holding up a Trump 2020 banner before a football game on August 30. The football game, <a href="https://www.thesnaponline.com/2019/08/31/trump-flag-draws-questions-at-football-game/">according to the Stanly News &amp; Press</a>, had an “American Night” theme, with attendees encouraged dress in red, white, and blue.
“The North Carolina High School Athletic Association placed the cheerleaders on probation, prompting some in the community to complain that the students’ <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/personal-freedoms/first-amendment">First Amendment</a> rights were being abridged,” Fox reported. “County Schools Superintendent Jeff James has said all North Carolina schools have a policy against displaying political signs.”
A rally was planned before the game on Friday, which may have resulted in the game’s cancellation. But organizer Jeremy Onitreb told the Charlotte News &amp; Observer that “there was no threat.”
“Nobody’s coming up there to hurt the kids. It’s not what this was about.”
He said the rally would take place despite the cancelled game.
“The next rally is going to happen out at the NCHSAA offices,” he added. “Que Tucker is next, we’re coming for her job. Until she decides to resign, we’re taking this fight to her.”
Tucker has been the NCHSAA commissioner since December 2015.
Onitreb and Jay Thaxton organized the rally on Facebook after the cheerleaders’ probation was reported. The Observer reported that more than “200 people had RSVP’d by Friday afternoon with an additional 1,300 marking themselves ‘interested’ on the Facebook event page.”
Media outlets then reported that Thaxton supported the right-wing group Proud Boys, an organization that has engaged in violence with left-wing extremist group Antifa. Additional security guards were added for the rally in case counter-protesters showed up.
Onitreb told the Observer that safety was his top priority.
“I don’t expect any of that and I’m not looking for that and nobody in my group will be looking for that,” he said.
Onitreb also told the Observer that he and fellow organizers were in contact with law enforcement ahead of the rally. But then, he said, someone tried to shut down the rally by threatening the school.
“The reason they decided to cancel the game is because somebody out there wanted to shut down our free speech so bad — they wanted to shut this rally down so bad — that they were willing to call the school and threaten the school,” he said. “I’m flabbergasted.”
Onitreb placed the blame on the school, apologizing to the football teams and the cheerleaders. He also added that rallies would be held until the end of the season if needed.
“We’re not going down like this,” he said. “Rocky Balboa wore American flag trunks for a reason. Do you know how hard it was to knock that man out? Well, it’s going to be real hard to knock us out.”

Trump 2020 sign

Football Game Cancelled After School Punishes Cheerleaders For Pro-Trump Banner

Free Speech

On Monday, cheerleaders from a North Carolina high school were put on probation for the remainder of the football season for posing with a Trump 2020 banner before a football game on August 30.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The North Stanly High School cheerleading squad was placed on probation by the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NCHSAA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NCHSAA</a> for posing with a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Trump?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Trump</a> banner before a game. Officials say all <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NC</a> schools have a policy against displaying political signs. DETAILS: <a href="https://t.co/NZ1TyU5eLZ">https://t.co/NZ1TyU5eLZ</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ncnews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ncnews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/politics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#politics</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/news?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#news</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WCCB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WCCB</a>
— WCCB Charlotte&#8217;s CW (@WCCBCharlotte) <a href="https://twitter.com/WCCBCharlotte/status/1173982479574851584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The photo was <a href="https://www.facebook.com/brandi.bennett.963/posts/10104659843318681">posted on Facebook</a>, prompting some commenters to take issue; one wrote, &#8220;Why in the world would the school board allow this to happen. I am sad and very disappointed with NS. This is a High School football game, not a political rally. Shame on them,&#8221; as <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7470955/North-Carolina-high-school-cheerleaders-probation-Trump-2020-banner.html">The Daily Mail</a> noted.
NCHSAA Commissioner Que Tucker told McClatchy news group that probation is not punishment, but rather, &#8220;It serves as a notice of behavior or action that is against NCHSAA Handbook Policy or contrary to expectations of sportsmanship and proper behavior,&#8221; according to the <a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article235145967.html%20%20Cheerleaders%20at%20a%20North%20Carolina%20high%20school%20were%20put%20on%20probation%20after%20a%20picture">Charlotte Observer</a>. She also said, &#8220;One of the rules we have is that every contest should be conducted in a wholesome, athletic environment. We take that to mean that it’s in an environment where good sportsmanship is shown, where people feel safe…that respect for all people participating is being shown,&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.thesnaponline.com/2019/09/13/nchsaa-places-north-stanly-cheerleaders-on-probation/?fbclid=IwAR3-rEseKaLC5agB6jg4pYdfDAafUxFPaPkNpPj4UpuuB9b9jyC9q6y-eks">thesnaponline</a>.
The Stanly County School District issued a <a href="https://www.stanlycountyschools.org/apps/news/article/1080874">statement</a> saying:
<blockquote>We are currently investigating this matter but as of this morning we have determined this was not an act planned or endorsed by the school or its staff. A student attending the event brought the flag into the game, which was not present when entering the gate … Stanly County Schools respects the rights of its students, staff, and visitors to express their opinions in a respectful manner on their own time, however, Stanly County Board of Education policy prohibits the display or distribution of political advertisements on campus or at school events. Further, Stanly County Schools never makes political campaign endorsements. These policies ensure that all students, staff and visitors are able to attend school events in an environment that promotes students and not a particular political viewpoint.</blockquote>
Supporters of the cheerleading squad <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/503436823534640/?active_tab=about">planned an event</a> on Friday to support them, writing, &#8220;The North Stanly High School cheerleaders have been wrongly put on probation by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association for the rest of the football season because of holding up a Trump banner before a home game on 8-30-2019. Please come out and help me show the school and the NCHSAA that freedom of speech is not dead. Please bring all your Trump and MAGA gear and let’s throw our support behind the North Stanly High School cheerleaders.&#8221;
The Charlotte Observer noted that district officials stated, &#8220;This policy does not prohibit students from speaking their minds or engaging in protected First Amendment activities. Because the cheerleaders were in uniform and were acting as representatives of the school, the display of the sign could be perceived as the school or school system endorsing a political campaign.&#8221; The Observer added that the NCHSAA &#8220;has not defined the terms of the probation&#8221; and the school district stated that the team is expected to continue cheering.
Congressman Richard Hudson of North Carolina’s 9th District sent a letter to the NCHSAA, stating, &#8220;I am appalled these students are being punished for exercising their First Amendment right to free speech. As leaders, we should be encouraging America’s youth to participate in our democracy and political process — not punishing them and silencing them. These North Stanly students respectfully displayed a sign and took a picture. They did not cause a scene, participate in a protest, or break any school code of conduct … At the end of the day, these students have a First Amendment right to free speech, and the NCHSAA should immediately reconsider thus unfair punishment. I ask this not only as the federal representative of Stanly County, but also as a proud graduate of North Carolina public schools and a former NCHSAA athlete.&#8221;
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Just sent <a href="https://twitter.com/NCHSAA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nchsaa</a> a letter questioning the recent probation of North Stanly High School cheerleaders. I&#8217;m appalled these students are being punished for exercising their First Amendment right to free speech. The NCHSAA should immediately reconsider this unfair punishment. <a href="https://t.co/UUQIjiaKBM">pic.twitter.com/UUQIjiaKBM</a>
— Richard Hudson (@RepRichHudson) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepRichHudson/status/1173960064429936643?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 17, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Trump 2020 banner

High School Cheerleaders Put On Probation For Posing With Trump 2020 Banner

Donald Trump

On Tuesday, President Trump unloaded on a new ABC News/Washington Post poll showing him losing to all five leading Democratic presidential candidates in 2020. Following the dual congressional victories of Republicans in North Carolina, including one that Democrats increasingly believed they could flip, Trump pointed again to the &#8220;fake poll&#8221; as more evidence that the media is trying to manipulate the public to thwart his reelection.
In its report on the new survey, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/president-trump-trails-potential-democratic-challengers-in-2020-test/2019/09/10/82980d72-d36a-11e9-9610-fb56c5522e1c_story.html">The Washington Post</a> sets the scene by noting Trump&#8217;s chronic polling problems. &#8220;President Trump overcame formidable odds and discouraging poll numbers to win the White House in 2016. More than a year out from the 2020 election, it appears he might have to repeat that performance to win a second term, according to a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/sept-2-5-2019-washington-post-abc-news-poll/d4e18b36-79bf-492d-91e3-d1c7a49d37e2/">Washington Post-ABC News survey</a>,&#8221; the Post reports.
Against the top five Democratic candidates, the new poll found Trump losing to all of them — and by a dramatic margin to the frontrunner. The poll found Trump trailing former Vice President Joe Biden in a hypothetical head-to-head by 15 points, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) by 9, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) by 7, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) by 7, and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg by 4.
The poll also found Trump&#8217;s approval numbers looking grim. &#8220;Among all adults, whether registered to vote or not, the president never tops 41 percent support,&#8221; the Post reports. &#8220;Among registered voters, he does better, but his highest level of support against any candidate is 44 percent. In 2016, he won 46 percent of the popular vote to Hillary Clinton’s 48 percent, but nonetheless won an electoral college majority by narrowly winning three northern states that had gone to the Democrats in the previous six elections.&#8221;
Trump responded to the new results by blasting the poll as &#8220;the worst and most inaccurate&#8221; of the 2016 polls. &#8220;ABC/Washington Post Poll was the worst and most inaccurate poll of any taken prior to the 2016 Election. When my lawyers protested, they took a 12 point down and brought it to almost even by Election Day. It was a Fake Poll by two very bad and dangerous media outlets. Sad!&#8221; Trump wrote in a pair of tweets early Tuesday. &#8220;One of the greatest and most powerful weapons used by the Fake and Corrupt News Media is the phony Polling Information they put out. Many of these polls are fixed, or worked in such a way that a certain candidate will look good or bad. Internal polling looks great, the best ever!&#8221;
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">ABC/Washington Post Poll was the worst and most inaccurate poll of any taken prior to the 2016 Election. When my lawyers protested, they took a 12 point down and brought it to almost even by Election Day. It was a Fake Poll by two very bad and dangerous media outlets. Sad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1171429005251104769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">One of the greatest and most powerful weapons used by the Fake and Corrupt News Media is the phony Polling Information they put out. Many of these polls are fixed, or worked in such a way that a certain candidate will look good or bad. Internal polling looks great, the best ever!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1171431074485817344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2019</a></blockquote>
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After Republicans <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51620/breaking-results-are-nc-congressional-races-big-james-barrett">won both congressional seats </a>in North Carolina&#8217;s special election Tuesday, Trump returned to criticizing the poll, pointing to the outcome as evidence that he&#8217;s right about the &#8220;phony suppression poll.&#8221;
&#8220;In a hypothetical poll, done by one of the worst pollsters of them all, the Amazon Washington Post/ABC, which predicted I would lose to Crooked Hillary by 15 points (how did that work out?), Sleepy Joe, Pocahontas and virtually all others would beat me in the General Election,&#8221; Trump tweeted Wednesday morning. &#8220;This is a phony suppression poll, meant to build up their Democrat partners. I haven’t even started campaigning yet, and am constantly fighting Fake News like Russia, Russia, Russia. Look at North Carolina last night. Dan Bishop, down big in the Polls, WINS. Easier than 2016!&#8221;
&#8220;If it weren&#8217;t for the never ending Fake News about me, and with all that I have done (more than any other President in the first 2 1/2 years!), I would be leading the &#8216;Partners&#8217; of the LameStream Media by 20 points. Sorry, but true!&#8221; he added.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">In a hypothetical poll, done by one of the worst pollsters of them all, the Amazon Washington Post/ABC, which predicted I would lose to Crooked Hillary by 15 points (how did that work out?), Sleepy Joe, Pocahontas and virtually all others would beat me in the General Election&#8230;.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1171758531449643008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">&#8230;.This is a phony suppression poll, meant to build up their Democrat partners. I haven’t even started campaigning yet, and am constantly fighting Fake News like Russia, Russia, Russia. Look at North Carolina last night. Dan Bishop, down big in the Polls, WINS. Easier than 2016!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1171758532280143873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">If it weren’t for the never ending Fake News about me, and with all that I have done (more than any other President in the first 2 1/2 years!), I would be leading the “Partners” of the LameStream Media by 20 points. Sorry, but true!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1171760235935125508?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51620/breaking-results-are-nc-congressional-races-big-james-barrett">Trump Passes ‘Test’ In North Carolina: Republicans Win Both Congressional Seats</a>

Trump: Want Proof Media Polls Are Phony? Look At What Just Happened In North Carolina

ABC News

Bernie Sanders

Elizabeth Warren

Joe Biden

Kamala Harris

Pete Buttigieg

Trump Administration

Washington Post

In what has been hyped as a key &#8220;test for Trump&#8221; in North Carolina, two congressional seats up for special election both went Republican, one handily and the other narrowly.
Voters in North Carolina&#8217;s 3rd and 9th Congressional Districts went to the polls on Tuesday to decide which side of the aisle would control the two seats up for grabs — one to fill the vacant seat of late-Republican Rep. Walter Jones and the other for a re-do election after the results of the 2018 election were tossed out due to fraud allegations against a consultant for a Republican.
Republican Greg Murphy was declared the victor Tuesday night in the 3rd District election, easily defeating Democrat Allen Thomas. With the vast majority of the votes in, Murphy secured 62% of the vote against Thomas&#8217;s 38%.
Murphy&#8217;s defeat of Thomas was widely expected, as the 3rd District, which &#8220;stretches across Eastern North Carolina, including the Outer Banks and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune,&#8221; as described by <a href="https://www.politico.com/election-results/2019/north-carolina/special-election/sept-10/">Politico</a>, leans heavily Republican.
The 9th District, which includes the suburbs of Charlotte and stretches east to Fayetteville, has likewise been securely held by Republicans for decades, but many analysts saw the re-do election, which was triggered by accusations of fraud against a consultant for the Republican midterm candidate, as a potential pick-up for Democrats and a strong &#8220;test&#8221; for Trump, as many outlets framed it.
Despite the vulnerability of the seat, the GOP held firm Tuesday, Republican Dan Bishop narrowly defeating moderate Democrat Dan McCready by around 2%, 51% to 49%.
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/10/us/politics/north-carolina-special-election.html">The New York Times</a> interpreted the dual victories as representing Trump&#8217;s &#8220;appeal with his political base&#8221; but also his party’s &#8220;deepening unpopularity with suburban voters.&#8221;
&#8220;The race was being closely watched for possible signs of weakness among Republican voters that could have spelled bad news nationally in 2020 for President Donald Trump, who endorsed Bishop and campaigned for him on Monday, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/north-carolina-special-election-mccready-bishop-n1052021">NBC News</a> notes.
On the eve of the election, Trump called on North Carolina voters of the 9th District to turn out to back the Republican candidate. As noted by the Times, Trump easily won the district in 2016, beating Clinton by almost 12 points. The narrow victory, the Times suggests, indicates that Trump&#8217;s hold on the district has slipped.
&#8220;For Democrats looking ahead to 2020, those midterm results and Mr. Bishop&#8217;s slim margin in a conservative seat offer more evidence that Mr. Trump could face trouble in states such as North Carolina, which is Republican-leaning but filled with the sort of college-educated voters who have grown uneasy with the president,&#8221; the Times reports. &#8220;As even some Republican pollsters and officials privately acknowledge, Mr. Trump — whose approval ratings have slipped in several recent polls — needs to improve his standing with college-educated voters, particularly women. He carried North Carolina by 3.6 percentage points in 2016.&#8221;
But Trump sees things differently than the hopeful Democrats. In a series of tweets Tuesday night, Trump celebrated the &#8220;BIG NIGHT.&#8221;
&#8220;Dan Bishop was down 17 points 3 weeks ago. He then asked me for help, we changed his strategy together, and he ran a great race. Big Rally last night. Now it looks like he is going to win. @CNN &amp; @MSNBC are moving their big studio equipment and talent out. Stay tuned!&#8221; Trump tweeted. &#8220;Greg Murphy is a big winner in North Carolina 03. Much bigger margins than originally anticipated. Congratulations Greg!&#8221; he added in a follow-up tweet. &#8220;BIG NIGHT FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">Dan Bishop was down 17 points 3 weeks ago. He then asked me for help, we changed his strategy together, and he ran a great race. Big Rally last night. Now it looks like he is going to win. <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CNN</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/MSNBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MSNBC</a> are moving their big studio equipment and talent out. Stay tuned!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1171611976100917248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">Greg Murphy is a big winner in North Carolina 03. Much bigger margins than originally anticipated. Congratulations Greg!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1171613145523195904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">BIG NIGHT FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1171614032782123008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
In NBC&#8217;s coverage of the Bishop&#8217;s victory, the network notes that &#8220;every one of the dozen voters who spoke with NBC News in Indian Trail, a suburb of Charlotte, said the president was a factor in their decision.&#8221;
North Carolina was one of the key battleground states in the 2016 election that Trump ended up winning. The southern state, along with Florida, another battleground state, and the Rust Belt, helped Trump amass a sizable victory in the Electoral College (306-232) despite Clinton winning the popular vote by around 3 million votes.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51529/trump-responds-resort-scandal-had-nothing-do-me-james-barrett">Trump Responds To Resort ‘Scandal’: Had ‘NOTHING TO DO WITH ME’</a>
This article has been expanded to include Trump&#8217;s tweets and revised for clarity.

Trump Passes ‘Test’ In North Carolina: Republicans Win Both Congressional Seats

Republican Party

According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), roughly 500 illegal immigrants have been set free from jails across North Carolina since October 2018 even though federal detainers had been issued against them.
As <a href="https://www.wbtv.com/2019/09/09/ice-nearly-undocumented-immigrants-released-nc-jails-despite-detainer/">WBTV</a> explains, &#8220;A detainer is an administrative request from the federal government to a local law enforcement agency to hold someone in jail even after they are eligible for release on their state charge. A detainer is often used by ICE to keep undocumented immigrants in jail because removal from the country is a civil action and not a criminal matter.&#8221; WBTV noted, &#8220;According to the new ICE data obtained by WBTV, the nearly 500 undocumented immigrants who have been released in FY19 despite a federal detainer include people charged with sex offenses, kidnapping, arson and homicide.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article222758470.html">The Charlotte Observer</a> reported in December 2018, on his first day on the job, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden ended the county&#8217;s 287(g) program. ICE <a href="https://www.ice.gov/287g">noted</a>, &#8220;This section of law authorizes the Director of ICE to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies, that permit designated officers to perform limited immigration law enforcement functions.&#8221;
ICE Atlanta Field Office Director Sean Gallagher issued a statement to the Charlotte Observer condemning McFadden&#8217;s withdrawal of the program, asserting that it &#8220;will inevitably result in additional collateral arrests instead of arrests at the jail where enforcement is safer for everyone involved … . In Fiscal Year 2018 the Mecklenburg County 287(g) program encountered 1,185 criminal aliens; yesterday&#8217;s decision to end this law enforcement agreement leaves them to reoffend against the people of Mecklenburg County.&#8221; ICE pointed out that it had &#8220;has 287(g) agreements with <a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article222758470.html">78 law enforcement agencies in 20 states</a>.&#8221;
After McFadden withdrew from 287 (g), other North Carolina sheriffs started following suit; in December 2018, <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/dec/10/2-more-north-carolina-sheriffs-end-agreements-with/?utm_source=GOOGLE&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_id=chacka&amp;utm_campaign=TWT+-+DSA&amp;gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvOH5rNTG5AIVD9vACh01cQAdEAMYASAAEgKRzfD_BwE">The Washington Times</a> reported, &#8220;News outlets report that Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker and Durham County Sheriff Clarence F. Birkhead announced their respective policy changes Friday. Wake County joins Mecklenburg County in pulling out of the federal 287(g) program … . Durham County hasn&#8217;t participated in 287(g), and it will no longer honor ICE detainers, which are used to hold suspects up to an additional 48 hours.&#8221;
A senior ICE official told WBTV:
<blockquote>The level of criminal aliens intentionally released into Mecklenburg and the surrounding counties is alarming, but even worse is that the true extent of this dangerous trend may never be fully realized … . If an illegal alien is arrested for a crime and is then released by local law enforcement without ever alerting ICE officials, a lifted detainer will never be registered in our systems and the alien may only come to our attention once it&#8217;s too late. The reality is that when they obstruct federal law enforcement&#8217;s mission of upholding our nation&#8217;s laws and keeping American&#8217;s safe, the people who lose most are those they&#8217;re supposed to put first.</blockquote>
Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) added:
<blockquote>North Carolina counties are releasing illegal immigrants charged with violent crimes like rape and murder without even notifying federal officials, jeopardizing public safety. This is why Congress needs to pass legislation I introduced to protect North Carolinians from dangerous criminals and to hold sanctuary counties responsible for refusing to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.</blockquote>

Jail Cell

ICE: Nearly 500 Illegal Immigrants In North Carolina Had Federal Detainers But Were Released

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Each time North Carolina’s Outer Banks is threatened by a hurricane, people across the country worry about the wild horses that inhabit the beach.
CNN is here to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/05/us/north-carolina-wild-horses-hurricane-dorian/index.html?no-st=1567706793">report</a> that there is no need to worry; the horses have been evading hurricanes for 500 years and know what to do. What’s more, unlike humans, the horses can naturally sense changes in air pressure and act accordingly.
As Hurricane Dorian bears down on North Carolina’s coastline, the horses will move to higher ground and huddle together under oak trees for shelter, CNN reported. The outlet explained that the Corolla Wild Horse Fund sends a message before hurricanes letting people know the horses will be okay. The Fund manages and cares for the herd.
&#8220;They&#8217;ll likely ride out winds and rain as their ancestors did before them — in huddles, butts to the wind,&#8221; the organization wrote in its message regarding Dorian.
“Remember, they&#8217;ve been doing this for 500 years!&#8221; the Fund added.
The horses, according to the Outer Banks visitor’s guide, were the earliest settlers in the area after being brought over from Europe in the 1500s. The guide explains that the horses were possibly left behind by Spanish explorer Lucas Vasquez de Allyon, who sent his commanders to colonize the eastern seaboard of America.
“While many modern historians believe the majority of these initial explorations happened somewhere around Cape Fear, (due to multiple references to the large saltwater river), it&#8217;s possible that these expeditions led them all the way to the Northern Outer Banks,” the guide explains.
While the Spanish explorers abandoned the area after various attacks by the area’s Native Americans, the horses remained.
Another theory as to the origins of the horses is that they were brought over by English commander Richard Greenville.
“Regardless of their actual roots, one of the allures of the wild horses is, and has been for centuries, their mysterious appearance on the Outer Banks,” the guide explains. “Whether they are intrepid survivors who indeed ‘traveled incredible journeys’ from ancient shipwrecks off the coastline, or the descendants of livestock that were left behind by the earliest of colonists, the unclear ancestry of the Corolla Wild Horses is clearly part of the allure of their story.”
While Hurricane Dorian continues to batter South Carolina’s coast before moving up to North Carolina, the horses are already preparing for the storm. Extra food and water have been stocked at the farm the horses frequent, and ID tags have been braided into their manes. The Fund said the herd manager will stay at the farm with them through the hurricane.

A wild Spanish mustang on a dune

Don’t Worry, The Wild Horses Of The Outer Banks Will Be Okay During Hurricane Dorian

Hurricane Dorian

President Donald Trump condemned a &#8220;send her back&#8221; chant that broke out at his rally in Greenville, North Carolina on Wednesday that was directed at far-left Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
Answering questions from reporters in the White House, Trump said regarding the chant: &#8220;I disagree with it &#8230; I felt a little bit badly about it &#8230; I was not happy with it, I disagree with it.&#8221;
WATCH:
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">President Donald Trump denounces the “send her back” chant: “I disagree with it… I felt a little bit badly about it… I was not happy with it, I disagree with it”
This is an excellent move by <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> <a href="https://t.co/vwFYMPc69J">pic.twitter.com/vwFYMPc69J</a>
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1151903997038485505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
The chant broke out after Trump highlighted Omar&#8217;s record, which includes many statements and actions that are shocking, to say the least.
“So representative Omar, blames the United States, for the terrorist attacks on our country, saying that terrorism is a reaction to our involvement in other people’s affairs,” Trump said, as <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dems-circle-wagons-around-the-squad-as-omar-responds-to-send-her-back-chant">reported</a> by Fox News. “She smeared U.S. service members involved in Black Hawk Down. In other words, she slandered the brave Americans who were trying to keep peace in Somalia. Omar minimized the September 11th attacks on our homeland, saying ‘some people did something.’ I don’t think so. Some people did something. Yeah, some people did something. All right. She pleaded for compassion for ISIS recruits attempting to join the terrorist organization. She was looking for compassion.”
“Omar laughed that Americans speak of Al-Qaeda in a menacing tone and remarked that, you don’t say ‘America with this intensity. You say, Al-Qaeda makes you proud.’ Al-Qaeda makes you proud. You don’t speak that way about America,” Trump continued as the crowd booed. “And at a press conference just this week, when asked whether she supported Al-Qaeda — that’s our enemy, that’s our enemy, they are a very serious problem that we take care of, but they always seem to come along somewhere — she refused to answer. She didn’t want to give an answer to that question. Omar blamed the United States for the crisis in Venezuela. I mean think of that one.”
“She looks down with contempt on the hardworking American, saying that ignorance is pervasive in many parts of this country,” Trump concluded in his remarks on Omar. “And obviously and importantly, Omar <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/42998/ocasio-cortez-omar-tlaib-take-democrats-anti-ryan-saavedra">has a history of launching vicious anti-Semitic screeds</a>.”
Trump later said the following about supporters who participated in the chant: “These are people that love our country. I want them to keep loving our country. And I think the congresswomen, by the way, should be more positive than they are … they have a big obligation … to love your country. … I’ve seen statements that they’ve made with such hatred toward our country and I don’t think that’s a good thing.”
WATCH:
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">President Trump’s message to supporters who chanted about Rep. Ilhan Omar: “These are people that love our country. I want them to keep loving our country. And I think the congresswomen, by the way, should be more positive than they are” <a href="https://t.co/KADqpzolkS">pic.twitter.com/KADqpzolkS</a>
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNPolitics/status/1151918224642117637?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>

EXCELLENT TRUMP: President Denounces ‘Send Her Back’ Chant At Rally

Ilhan Omar

While Duke University’s student newspaper, <a href="https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2019/02/aipac-ilhan-omar-and-the-blockade-on-critiquing-israel">The Chronicle</a>, characterizes Israel as a “murderous” country with “genocidal policies” and defends Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) anti-Semitic tropes, the Ford Foundation makes the Tar Heel State the focus of intense “social-justice investing.”
Long a hotbed of anti-Israel activism, the left-wing, New York-based philanthropic institution is the fifth-largest in the United States as of 2017, reporting $13.7 billion in assets.
The foundation’s original benefactor, automaker Henry Ford, was a Nazi sympathizer admired enough by Adolph Hitler to be mentioned by name in “Mein Kampf.” Ford distributed anti-Jewish propaganda in the form of a book titled “The International Jew,” and promoted the fraudulent work of anti-Semitic hatred known as “Protocols of the Elders of Zion.”
The Ford Foundation today carries on Henry Ford’s shameful legacy by funding anti-Israel activism.
In 2003, Ford’s grantmaking was too much even for far-left U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), now House Judiciary Committee chairman, who <a href="https://nadler.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=390565">complained</a> when the Ford Foundation was caught funding “organizations that openly instigate anti-Semitism, call for the destruction of Israel, or engage in the promotion of violence.”
Ford gave the notorious New Israel Fund $42.3 million from 2000 – 2011, according to IRS filings. New Israel Fund, in turn, <a href="https://www.algemeiner.com/2013/10/31/edwin-blacks-financing-the-flames-connects-new-israel-fund-to-historic-ford-foundation-anti-israel-activism/">donated</a> to hundreds of smaller nonprofits, many of which engaged in anti-Israel advocacy.
But nowadays, Ford advances its anti-Israel agenda more stealthily.
Ford <a href="http://www.fordfoundation.org/ideas/equals-change-blog/posts/why-black-lives-matter-to-philanthropy/">embraces</a> the controversial Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. In August 2016, BLM <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/black-lives-matter-offshoot-embraces-anti-semitism-engages-with-terrorists">singled out Israel for condemnation</a>, declaring it an “apartheid” state engaged in “genocide.” The decision to single out the only Jewish state is blatantly anti-Semitic.
In North Carolina, Ford has funded a number of groups that promote the Hamas-supported BDS movement, which aims to use boycotts, divestment and sanctions to cripple the State of Israel.
One of the key groups in Ford’s Black Lives Matter portfolio is Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100), which unites leftist radicalism with a hatred of Israel. Ford gave the group $1.7 million in 2017 for “youth organizing.”
Ford also funded the North Carolina-based Southern Vision Alliance (DVA), whose staff overlaps with BYP100, giving the group $100,000 in 2017. SVA promotes BDS propaganda.
Ajamu Amiri Dillahunt of BYP100 <a href="http://blackyouthproject.com/continuing-the-tradition-of-black-youth-organizations-solidarity-with-palestine/">laid bare the radicalism</a> of his group in a 2018 op-ed. The Durham chapter was “a coalition partner with the Demilitarize! Durham2Palestine campaign connecting our struggle against police violence to the Palestinian struggle against the violence of the IDF,” he wrote.
In a <a href="https://youtu.be/ElYUODNsWb4">Real News video</a>, Dillahunt said: “The Israeli Defense Force [sic] brutalizes and terrorizes the people of Palestine and so does the Durham Police Department. Here they brutalize and terrorize black and brown communities. So the U.S. funds billions of dollars to the Israeli occupation.”
BYP100 teamed up with the anti-Israel group Students for Justice in Palestine and others to pass the first municipal BDS policy in the U.S. in Durham, North Carolina.
In April 2018, Durham <a href="https://www.jns.org/durham-n-c-becomes-first-american-city-to-ban-police-training-with-israel/">became the first U.S. city</a> to prohibit its police from participating in “military-style training” with police abroad, a move interpreted by critics as part of an effort to isolate Israel and erode support for the Jewish state inside the U.S. The <a href="https://indyweek.com/news/archives/drawing-accusations-anti-semitism-durham-city-council-passes-statement-police-exchanges/">resolution</a>, approved 6-0 by the city council, states: “The council opposes international exchanges with any country in which Durham officers receive military-style training since such exchanges do not support the kind of policing we want here in the City of Durham.”
The coalition claimed in a petition that the IDF and Israeli police “have a long history of violence and harm against Palestinian people and Jews of Color … using tactics of extrajudicial killing, excessive force, racial profiling, and repression of social justice movements. … These tactics further militarize U.S. police forces that train in Israel, and this training helps the police terrorize Black and Brown communities here in the U.S.”
Ford funding has no doubt helped to advance the anti-Israel cause in North Carolina, spurring activism it has not underwritten.
The U.S. Department of Education (DoE) is <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/education-department-unc-duke-gaza-conference-anti-semitism-allegations">investigating</a> whether anti-Semitism played a part in a <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/46045/hammer-duke-and-unc-should-both-be-ashamed-their-josh-hammer">taxpayer-supported conference titled “Conflict over Gaza: People, Politics, and Possibilities,”</a> held March 22-24 at UNC-Chapel Hill. Rep. George Holding (R-NC) wrote Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in April, claiming the conference featured “severe anti-Israeli bias and explicit anti-Semitism.” Funds from a DoE grant were used to produce the conference.
Speakers and panelists “distorted facts and misrepresented the complex situation in Gaza,” and several speakers are involved in the BDS movement, Holding wrote.
The UNC Center for Middle East &amp; Islamic Studies <a href="https://mideast.unc.edu/conflict-over-gaza-conference-report/">acknowledged</a> hip-hop artist Tamer Nafar performed his song, “Mama, I Fell in Love with a Jew,” at the conference.
Calling it “my anti-Semitic song,” Nafar asked the audience to sing along, saying, “I need your help. I can’t be anti-Semitic alone, try it with me together.”
Taxpayers, alas, are funding hate at UNC.
Vadum is formerly Senior Vice President and Senior Fellow at Capital Research Center. He is a contributor to the news and public policy group <a href="https://salomoncenter.org">Haym Salomon Center</a> and an independent investigative reporter in Washington, D.C. Vadum is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Team-Jihad-Sharia-Supremacists-Collaborate-Civilization/dp/1545237654">&#8220;Team Jihad: How Sharia-Supremacists Collaborate with Leftists to Destroy the United States&#8221;</a> (Center for Security Policy Press, 2017).
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46045/hammer-duke-and-unc-should-both-be-ashamed-their-josh-hammer">&#8220;Duke And UNC Should Both Be Ashamed Of Their Co-Hosted Jew-Bashing Conference</a>.&#8221;

VADUM: The Radicalization Of Campus Anti-Semitism In North Carolina

Anti-Semitism

Black Lives Matter

Education

Ford Motor Co.

Israel

Police

Students for Justice in Palestine

Mike Walker, the Dean of Students at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, needs to resign immediately. Walker has the distinction of being the only dean of students in the nation to preside over a student affairs division that so egregiously violated student rights that the legislature has had to intervene on two separate occasions. I know this because I worked on both of those legislative bills that corrected unfair and unconstitutional practices here at UNCW. Despite all this, Walker is undermining a third more comprehensive piece of legislation I worked on with Rep. Chris Millis back in 2017. That bill was not specifically aimed at correcting abuses in Walker’s office. It was aimed at correcting abuses in the entire 17-campus UNC system. A little background information is in order.
When we passed HB527, a major objective was to rid the UNC system of unconstitutional speech codes and speech zones. But we also wanted to change the student culture and foster a greater understanding of core principles of free speech. Toward that end, the bill, which was based on a Goldwater Institute white paper, included the following language:
“It is not the proper role of any constituent institution to shield individuals from speech protected by the First Amendment, including, without limitation, ideas and opinions they find unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive.”
The language in that bill is now state law that it appears dean Mike Walker is ignoring. But there is also other language in the bill that Walker seems to be disregarding. The following language applies to freshman orientation:
“All constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina shall include in freshman orientation programs a section describing the policies regarding free expression consistent with this Article.”
A recent case shows that UNCW is not following this directive. It began on May 17, when incoming UNCW student Jacob Henderson tweeted, “The left tries to correct rape through the murder of a child … how foolish.” This tweet is obviously an expression of support for a ban on abortion as well as an objection to a rape exception being applied to the ban. Such an opinion might be an unpopular minority view, but the First Amendment does not exist to protect the popular views of the majority.
Nonetheless, it appears that another incoming UNCW student read the tweet and decided it did not deserve constitutional protection. So she contacted Walker’s office with a complaint. If Walker had been following HB527, then his response should have been to simply remind her of the policies in HB527 that his office was supposed to teach her in freshman orientation. If I were Walker, I would have simply emailed the student with the following:
“It is not the proper role of the UNCW Dean of Students to shield individuals from speech protected by the First Amendment, including, without limitation, ideas and opinions they find unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive.”
I might have also snail-mailed her a pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution. It does not appear that Walker even considered doing that. Instead, Jacob Henderson received this email from Walker:
<blockquote>Hi Jacob. I just want to give you a heads up that UNCW has received a complaint about your social media exchanges. While UNCW does not take an official position on student on-line postings, and does in no way intend to censor students based on their perspectives, as we discussed during the Community Standards session at orientation, it is important for our students to treat others with dignity and respect, and to be mindful of how they characterize themselves on social media. So toward that end, please know that we have received a complaint and please consider refraining from engaging in any behavior on line that could call into question your conduct as a new member of our community.
Sincerely, and looking forward to your start here in August,
Dr. Mike Walker, dean of students.</blockquote>
When Jacob forwarded this to his father, David, he was outraged. David correctly concluded that no eighteen year old could receive an email from such a high-ranking UNCW official without being extremely intimidated. Having knowledge that the dean of students monitors your Twitter account clearly exerts a chilling effect on free speech. So David reached out to me. Of course, I was also outraged. But I was outraged for a different reason.
Take a moment to reread Walker’s email. It is clear that instead of teaching HB527 at student orientation, Walker’s student affairs division is teaching something different. Here’s what we learn from the email:
<ol>
<li>Freshman orientation teaches incoming students that UNCW has community standards.</li>
<li>Students must follow these standards even when they are online and away from campus.</li>
<li>These standards require that community members treat other community members with “dignity” and “respect.”</li>
</ol>
Obviously, there are a number of problems, here. But the real breakdown occurs on point #3. If a tweet that does not mention another student but merely offends them is deemed by the complainant to be a violation of some vague right to be treated with “dignity” and “respect” then there has been a total breakdown in the orientation process. Obviously, the student believes she has a right to be unoffended at all times, whether on campus or off. She certainly misses the point of HB527, about which she was supposed to be educated during the freshman orientation that is run by Walker’s office.
Walker’s statement that Jacob should “please consider refraining from engaging in any behavior on line that could call into question (his) conduct as a new member of our community” is frightening. The term “behavior” is a clear reference to Jacob’s past speech. Thus, it is a not-so-subtle demand for ideological conformity.
Furthermore, Walker’s statement that “UNCW does not take an official position on student on-line postings, and does in no way intend to censor students based on their perspectives” show that he knows damned good and well what he is doing. He is taking the offended student’s side. He is recommending self-censorship. And he needs to be stopped.
When I first worked with the North Carolina legislature in 2013, it was to pass a bill to stop Walker’s office from holding expulsion hearings in which students were questioned about criminal behavior and barred from having an attorney present. A second bill in 2014 was initiated after Walker’s office tried to pressure a Christian group into abdicating its religious belief requirements as a condition for official recognition.
In 2017, as I stated previously, HB527 took aim, not at UNCW specifically, but at an entire university system that was out of control. But is it any surprise that the first school I have found to be ignoring the law is UNCW?
In light of his abysmal record on student rights, I wish Mike Walker had the decency to resign. I also wish UNCW President Jose Sartarelli had the courage to fire him.
Regrettably, there is no evidence to suggest that decency and courage are among UNCW’s Community Standards.

ADAMS: The Dean of Social Media

Social Justice

More than one year ago, a federal complaint was filed against the University of North Carolina (UNC) system, alleging systemic anti-male bias in their policies and procedures relating to campus sexual assault as well as their hiring practices.
The complaint was filed by the National Coalition for Men Carolinas (NCFM), which argued the UNC system deprived male students and employees of due process rights. For more than a year, NCFM Carolinas president Greg Josefchuk exchanged emails with the Education Department&#8217;s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in an attempt to get the office to make a determination on whether or not it would move ahead with an investigation. On Friday, the organization finally received a formal decision.
OCR dismissed claims that the UNC system engages in systemic bias in its Title IX processes that determine whether a student (almost always a male) violated the school&#8217;s policies regarding sexual assault and sexual harassment. The office also dismissed the claim that UNC has an anti-male bias in its hiring practices.
The office will, however, explore NCFM&#8217;s claim that UNC&#8217;s policies are biased against male students. The office will open a formal investigation into this matter against Appalachian State University and UNC-Asheville. OCR said it would not investigate this claim at UNC-Chapel Hill because it already had a similar investigation open.
Chapel Hill has been the setting of some of the most prominent &#8212; and unlikely &#8212; accusations against male students. Andrea Pino has become famous for her often changing allegations that the school didn&#8217;t investigate her accusation (which she made anonymously with a limited description of the alleged assailant) and didn&#8217;t treat her well after she made her claim (which came after she tried to drop a class and was told she couldn&#8217;t).
In 2016, UNC football player Allen Artis was accused of raping Delaney Robinson. At a press conference about the accusation, Robinson&#8217;s attorney produced a manipulated photo that appeared to show bruises on her client&#8217;s neck. The original photos showed <a href="https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2017/09/27/campus_rape_investigation.html">these were simply hickeys</a>. The charges against Artis were dropped last summer.
The College Fix detailed Josefchuk&#8217;s dealings with OCR in <a href="https://www.thecollegefix.com/356-days-how-long-department-of-education-has-sat-on-anti-male-bias-complaint-against-unc-system/">an article</a> published on February 22, 2019. At times, Josefchuk&#8217;s emails to OCR were simply ignored. When they were answered, senior OCR attorney Sara Clash-Drexler would say they were still evaluating his complaint. In one email, from November 2018, Clash-Drexler told Josefchuk, &#8220;I have made others aware of your frustration, and I will be sure to update you as soon as I am able.&#8221;
By February, when the article was written, Josefchuk hadn&#8217;t heard anything from OCR since December. Emails and voicemails were unanswered. In one email, Josefchuk said NCFM Carolinas was &#8220;now asking our friends in Congress to look into this matter.&#8221;
In a statement to The Daily Wire, Josefchuk praised OCR for finally accepting his organization&#8217;s complaint:
<blockquote>
We are delighted that after 1 1/2 years from our filing that OCR has found our claim that UNC school sexual misconduct policies are biased against accused male students justifiable and will be opening investigations into the Title IX policies and practices at Appalachian State and UNC-Asheville.
</blockquote>
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is set to release new guidance for schools adjudicating sexual assault complaints that is supposed to include due process rights for accused students.

Education Department Will Review Anti-Male Bias At University Of North Carolina

Discrimination

Sexual Assault

Michael Pegram*, a North Carolina man who is an experienced firearms instructor, noticed there were no classes to teach children firearm safety &#8212; so he decided to create his own.
&#8220;There was no other class like this,&#8221; Pegram, who founded Echo Firearm Training, <a href="https://www.wbtv.com/2019/05/21/charlotte-area-class-teaches-kids-young-six-use-guns/?fbclid=IwAR3VxottRpdXHSil946V5Xnzix08q3BgOVN2OTQW-ZufEaTtsupOlycRuqU">told WBTV</a>. &#8220;So, I decided to come up with it.&#8221;
Pegram&#8217;s organization now offers classes for children as young as six to learn how to safely operate and handle firearms. North Carolina is a concealed carry state, and many children grow up in homes with parents who own guns, so it makes sense to take the time to teach them respect for such tools.
&#8220;It&#8217;s the parents&#8217; choice of what their kids should be around,&#8221; Pegram said. &#8220;I&#8217;m just offering a class to let them learn to be safe, if they&#8217;re going to be around them.&#8221;
Pegram&#8217;s class for children takes about four hours and includes classroom teaching and time shooting. Children use a Nerf gun for the class, but children who Pegram feel are responsible enough are allowed to shoot a .22 or a nine-millimeter, under his supervision.
&#8220;A lot of times they&#8217;re not shooting a nine-millimeter,&#8221; Pegram told WBTV. &#8220;But once in a blue moon, if they know what they&#8217;re doing, and I know they can do it, we have done that.&#8221;
WBTV interviewed parents about the class earlier this week. At first, the parents seemed concerned about children so young being around firearms but acknowledged that the class might not be a bad idea for older children.
&#8220;My daughter&#8217;s five years old,&#8221; one parent, Bryan Moore, told the outlet. &#8220;And thinking of her shooting a gun, it&#8217;s kind of crazy.&#8221;
Rebekah Biercz told WBTV the class seemed &#8220;like a bad idea.&#8221; Biercz softened her view when it came to older kids, however.
&#8220;If we&#8217;re going to have guns in this country, one of the things we need is really strict training classes,&#8221; she said.
&#8220;On one hand, maybe it&#8217;s good to teach gun safety,&#8221; Moore added. &#8220;But then on the other hand, that would be my one concern, is it would make kids comfortable handling guns, and could lead to more accidents, possibly.&#8221;
Another father, Patrick Young, told WBTV that keeping guns away from kids would make it likely they would &#8220;want to mess with it.&#8221;
WBTV spoke to nine-year-old Aiden Roberts, who had taken Pegram&#8217;s class.
&#8220;If you see a gun tell your parents,&#8221; he told the outlet. &#8220;Never point a gun at people.&#8221;
While a headline may make the class seem like a bad idea, Pegram is not some random person off the street teaching kids. He has more than 30 years of firearms experience, is an NRA-certified handgun instructor and range safety officer, has a concealed carry permit, and is also a concealed carry permit instructor. Further, <a href="http://www.echotraining.us/about.html">according to his bio</a>, he has 24 hours of South Carolina Law Enforcement Department (SLED) training. His company, Echo, offers a range of courses for adults, including basic safety and defense courses. He also has a class for teachers on how to respond to an active shooter.
*Neither Pegram nor any of his students are pictured above.

Class In North Carolina Teaches Firearm Safety To Kids As Young As Six

Guns

Last week, a North Carolina school hosted local drag queens, encouraging them to talk to middle school students and celebrate how people are different.
The idea was promulgated by two teachers at Central Park School for Children in Durham, North Carolina, Taylor Schmidt and Schara Brooks, who felt students identifying as LGBT were being bullied. Schmidt said, &#8220;If we&#8217;re going to be a school that&#8217;s focused on equity and justice, and if we&#8217;re going to be a school that believes in the act of liberation, we need to be creative with our approach.&#8221;
Last December the two teachers suggested to the school that an event be held to address the issue, prompting the creation of the Pride and Liberation Event.
Thus, last week Vivica C. Coxx and Stormie Daie of the House of Coxx drag house spoke at the school, along with a panel featuring a city council member. The event featured a drag show and a show from the school&#8217;s step team, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/17/us/drag-queens-recruited-to-help-with-pride-event-trnd/index.html">CNN reported</a>. CNN noted, &#8220;Students were allowed to opt out of the event, but the school says most decided to attend.&#8221;
The News &amp; Record <a href="https://www.greensboro.com/news/state/gay-kids-were-getting-bullied-so-a-durham-school-called/article_1afeb551-67ef-5cfb-80c5-d3fae064d99a.html?fbclid=IwAR1hiRscK3zZ0bzQQrPFqLKM0VTFsaCtDLaXe5qTVIe3cROBsCEBqnGLwDc">reported</a>:
<blockquote>
In between Beyonce and Nikki Minaj songs, Coxx and Daie connected with the students over growing up in Durham and what it was like to feel different, slipping in quick lessons about LGBT history along the way. For one song, Daie swirled a floor-length skirt, each layer of fabric a different color of the rainbow. Cheers erupted when she pulled the skirt off to reveal a gold jumpsuit and knee-high gold boots.
</blockquote>
Coxx stated, &#8220;Central Park didn&#8217;t water it down, but they made it age-appropriate to give a depth to social justice and activism, which is the core of the queer experience.&#8221; Coxx told CNN of the students, &#8220;I thought they must be feeling so empowered to see someone being themselves on stage. Visibility matters, and seeing a queer person of color on stage saying &#8216;this is me&#8217; has an impact that no one can really measure.&#8221;
Daie added, &#8220;You hope that the children listen to this, so that they know we didn&#8217;t have this when we were growing up. We weren&#8217;t seeing people like us being celebrated.&#8221;
Schmidt said. &#8220;Our drive was to remove barriers to success, belonging and the ability to thrive for all students. It called for a hard look at the roots of these behaviors and intentional actions to liberate not just the bullied from oppressive acts, but the bully from the oppressive root causes of their actions.
The school <a href="http://cpscnc.org/MSElectives">offers a program</a> called &#8220;Rainbow Unboxed,&#8221; noting on its website, &#8220;Rainbow Unboxed is CPSC Middle&#8217;s Gay Straight Alliance, promoting inclusion of ALL students.&#8221;
Schmidt wants other schools to follow Central Park&#8217;s lead, asserting, &#8220;If schools are nervous about doing the work of Pride and Liberation, we get it &#8230; but what to us seems daring, to our LGBTQ+ students could be lifesaving. Public school educators ultimately teach for liberation &#8212; that&#8217;s the job.&#8221; He lauded the House of Coxx, saying, &#8220;They could never see the impact of how far their work has led.&#8221;

Middle School Invites Drag Queens To Educate And Perform For Students

LGBT

A feminist on campus at the University of North Carolina&#8211;Chapel Hill was arrested and charged with larceny after stealing a sign from a peacefully protesting member of the pro-life group Created Equal named Austin Beigel.
In a video posted by the group, the feminist is captured grabbing an orange pro-life sign from Beigel&#8217;s hands. As she&#8217;s walking away with the group&#8217;s property, the woman ignores warnings that her actions equate to theft and that she&#8217;s walking right toward a police officer.
Sure enough, a police officer confronts the alleged thief moments before she&#8217;s able to toss the sign.
&#8220;Why&#8217;d you rip it out of his hands?&#8221; the officer asks.
&#8220;Because this restricts women&#8217;s rights,&#8221; the woman responds, pointing to the pro-life sign.
The officer informs her that she does not &#8220;have a right to take someone&#8217;s property&#8221; even if she doesn&#8217;t agree with the group&#8217;s protected speech. &#8220;You can ignore them,&#8221; he offers, adding, &#8220;They have a right to be here.&#8221;
&#8220;This is why women have such a problem getting abortions in North Carolina and y&#8217;all just let them get away with this s***,&#8221; the woman says, nearly breaking into tears.
The feminist is then arrested for larceny.
&#8220;I cannot believe this is happening,&#8221; she says.
Created Equal President Mark Harrington noted that the surprise on the woman&#8217;s face reveals that American campuses have become safe havens for &#8220;pro-abortion violence&#8221; for far too long.
&#8220;Students being groomed on college campuses to be leaders, writers, and thinkers of the Left are increasing in censorship and violence against those with whom they disagree. Their surprise when held accountable indicates college campuses have become safe spaces for pro-abortion violence. Students at UNC and campuses like it are in dire need of remedial First Amendment training,&#8221; Harrington said in a statement sent to The Daily Wire.
A pro-life activist from Created Equal was physically attacked by a feminist identified as Jillian Alexandra Ward on the same campus last month, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46925/watch-feminist-repeatedly-punches-pro-lifer-face-amanda-prestigiacomo">reported</a>:
<blockquote>
In a video posted by Created Equal, one of the male team members of the pro-life group is approached by a female student. &#8220;Did you put these [signs] up?&#8221; the feminist asks the pro-lifer. When he responds in the affirmative, the woman attacks him, punching him repeatedly in the face and kicking him.
</blockquote>
&#8220;Pro-abortion activists are losing the argument, and instead of seeking debate they are escalating the violence on peaceful preborn defenders on college campuses,&#8221; said Harrington at the time of the report.
&#8220;We will never cave to acts of violence or intimidation. We will return hate with love for mothers and their babies,&#8221; the group&#8217;s president continued.
In a statement, Created Equal noted that the group is &#8220;committed to defending babies. We are also committed to defending the right to defend babies. Thus, Created Equal is currently engaged in several open cases with prosecutors charging those who attack our property or people, including the incidents at UNC.&#8221;
Ward was later charged with a simple assault, which is a misdemeanor, and has a court date set for June 4.
WATCH:
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WATCH: Feminist Steals Pro-Life Sign. Then The Cops Show Up.

Abortion

Last month, a pro-life activist was physically attacked by a feminist on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In a video posted by Created Equal, one of the male team members of the pro-life group is approached by a female student. &#8220;Did you put these [signs] up?&#8221; the feminist asks the pro-lifer. When he responds in the affirmative, the woman attacks him, punching him repeatedly in the face and kicking him.
The feminist is then approach by law enforcement and notified that she will be charged with assault.
According to a statement from the pro-life group, the incident occurred on April 2, when team members were posting &#8220;signs depicting the gruesome reality of abortion&#8221; meant to &#8220;engage students in conversation about this human injustice.&#8221;
Created Equal confirmed to The Daily Wire on Wednesday morning that the feminist has been identified as a social justice activist known as Jillian Alexandra Ward and has been charged with a simple assault, which is a misdemeanor. Ward&#8217;s court date is set for June 4.
Mark Harrington, president of Created Equal, said abortion activists are resorting to violence because they are losing the argument.
&#8220;Pro-abortion activists are losing the argument, and instead of seeking debate they are escalating the violence on peaceful preborn defenders on college campuses,&#8221; read a statement from Harrington.
&#8220;We will never cave to acts of violence or intimidation. We will return hate with love for mothers and their babies,&#8221; he added.
&#8220;We are committed to defending babies. We are also committed to defending the right to defend babies. Thus, Created Equal is currently engaged in several open cases with prosecutors charging those who attack our property or people, including the incidents at UNC,&#8221; said Created Equal.
There have been a spate of incidents in the past few months wherein pro-lifers have been physically attacked or verbally harassed by abortion advocates. Over the weekend, for example, a Democratic state representative from Pennsylvania, Brian Sims, videotaped himself berating an elderly pro-life sidewalk counselor outside a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic. In another video posted by the Democrat, Sims harasses three teenage girls and offers his viewers $100 for their identities so that they can be doxxed.
Last month, an elderly pro-life woman in Kentucky, sidewalk counselor Donna Durning, was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46361/watch-video-surfaces-pro-abort-braking-elderly-pro-amanda-prestigiacomo">thrown to the ground</a> outside an abortion clinic, suffering a broken leg and head injuries. Durning was apparently trying to pass out pro-life literature when she was attacked.
And at the end of March, an elderly man at a peaceful pro-life prayer vigil outside a San Francisco-based Planned Parenthood abortion clinic was physically assaulted by an abortion advocate. The 85-year-old had his pro-life banner stolen by an unidentified male abortion advocate; when he attempted to retrieve his property, he was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/45123/shock-video-abortion-advocate-beats-85-year-old-amanda-prestigiacomo">severely beaten</a> and threatened.
WATCH:
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WATCH: Feminist Repeatedly Punches Pro-Lifer In The Face On Campus. She’s Been Charged With Assault.

Violence

Two students are dead and four more were injured when a gunman, who will not be named by The Daily Wire, began shooting in a classroom at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte (UNCC) on Tuesday night.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/01/us/unc-charlotte-shooting.html">reported</a> that students and North Carolina residents Ellis R. Parlier, 19, and Riley C. Howell, 21, were killed after a man &#8212; who may or may not also be a student &#8212; opened fire on a lecture about science and technology in society. Four other students were injured &#8212; three required surgery but are expected to make a full recovery, while the fourth sustained less severe injuries and was already released from the hospital.
The man who shot the students was apprehended by police Tuesday night. The man&#8217;s grandfather <a href="https://www.apnews.com/c12e317001404f82bb5aac8e9c8af631">told the Associated Press</a> the shooter had no interest in guns and was shocked when he was contacted by the media outlet.
&#8220;You&#8217;re describing someone foreign to me,&#8221; the grandfather told the AP. &#8220;This is not in his DNA.&#8221;
The New York Times originally reported that the grandfather claimed the shooter was a &#8220;weapons enthusiast,&#8221; but added a correction accurately describing his interview.
Police still don&#8217;t have a motive for the shooting. Jeff Baker, chief of UNCC&#8217;s Police and Public Safety Department said <a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/latest-news/article229883894.html">during a press conference</a>, recorded by the Charlotte Observer, that the shooter was &#8220;not somebody on our radar.&#8221;
Baker also said police responded quickly to reports of an active shooter, and were able to keep the gunman from leaving the classroom and hurting more students. The UNCC police chief, however, was not able to say whether any particular students were targeted or if the gunman was firing randomly.
When the shooter was arrested, he &#8220;appeared to flash a smile&#8221; at TV cameras, according to the Times.
The paper also reported that the shooter voted in the 2016 election but didn&#8217;t report who he voted for, and that the suspect had not been arrested in the past three years, which is as far back as immediately available public records go.
The shooter faces &#8220;two counts of murder, four counts of attempted first degree murder, four counts of assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm on an educational property and discharging a firearm on an educational property,&#8221; according to the Times.
Though the campus went into lockdown Tuesday night during the shooting, that was lifted on Wednesday, the Times reported. However, final exams for the rest of the week have been cancelled. Commencement ceremonies will continue as scheduled.
In a tweet sent during the shooting, UNCC Emergency Management told students: &#8220;Run, Hide, Fight. Secure yourself immediately.&#8221; In a <a href="https://emergency.uncc.edu/campus-updates">campus update</a> posted after the shooting, UNCC Emergency Management announced the school would be closed on Wednesday except for support services such as counseling. A student-organized campus vigil will take place Wednesday night.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D), said he planned to review the shooting to find ways to prevent future shootings.
&#8220;This violence has to stop,&#8221; he told reporters hours after the shooting.

Gunman Opens Fire On UNC-Charlotte Campus, Killing Two And Injuring Four

Shooting

A college rugby team may miss its championship match in North Carolina due to California state regulations preventing state-funded travel to states that they deem to have laws discriminating against the LGBT community.
The California State University, Chico ,men&#8217;s rugby team is scrambling to find about $40,000 for funds to allow the team to travel. 
&#8220;We knew that state dollars would not be able to help our team get to where they needed to go,&#8221; Chico State&#8217;s Director of Recreational Sports, Kendall Ross, told <a href="https://fox40.com/2019/04/25/chico-states-mens-rugby-team-loses-out-on-travel-funds-due-to-state-law/">Fox40</a>.&#8203;
&#8220;Because of the location, those dollars just cannot be used for travel,&#8221; Ross added.
The California law, Assembly Bill 1887, went into effect in 2017. The law states that California is &#8220;a leader in protecting civil rights and preventing discrimination&#8221; and should not support or finance &#8220;discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people,&#8221; The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/17950/hypocrites-california-issues-its-own-travel-ban-hank-berrien">reported</a>.&#8203;
The <a href="https://oag.ca.gov/ab1887">travel ban</a> targets Alabama, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas. The ban applies to California &#8220;state agencies, departments, boards, authorities, and commissions, including an agency, department, board, authority, or commission of the University of California, the Board of Regents of the University of California, and the California State University.&#8221;
North Carolina was added onto the list due to its controversial &#8220;bathroom bill,&#8221; despite the law being repealed in 2017. In a <a href="https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-xavier-becerra-north-carolina-remains-list-restricted-states">statement</a>, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said that the repeal &#8220;does not cure the infirmity of this type of discrimination.&#8221;
The Men&#8217;s D1AA championship will <a href="https://www.usarugby.org/2019/04/top-seeds-hold-strong-in-spring-championship-playoffs/">take place</a> on May 4 in Matthews, North Carolina. The Chico Wildcats will have the opportunity to face the current champion, Dartmouth College.&#8203;
The team&#8217;s head coach, Lucas Bradbury, said that they were having a difficult time organizing travel plans in a short amount of time.
&#8220;We have an extremely short amount of time to organize 32 people on a plane, to get enough to house in a hotel, to get ground transport,&#8221; Bradbury said. 
The university only partially funds the team due to it being a club team and claims they missed out on about $15,000 for the travel expenses.
Bradbury said that donations are coming in from supporters in the rugby community all over the world.
&#8220;We do actually have some people in Australia who have donated and people from London who have donated and people from South Africa,&#8221; Bradbury said.
In a Facebook post on the team&#8217;s page, the club asked for help.
&#8220;Please donate to our National Play-off in North Carolina,&#8221; the team <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ChicoStateMensRugby/posts/2378851695541306">wrote</a>. &#8220;California State law says, no state funding can be spent in a &#8216;restricted state&#8217; North Carolina, is a restricted state, therefore the Club had access to roughly $15,000, but now doesn&#8217;t. The club itself will hit the $39,000 mark that is needed to travel, but not without you. Players will be working hard in our community, doing fundraising drives and begging if need be.&#8221;
Next Tuesday, the team will hold a fundraiser at Parkside Tap House where 15% of net sales will be donated to the team, the group posted on a Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/406663210168649/">event page</a>.
&#8220;Come help send your Chico State Wildcats to Nationals!&#8221; the team wrote. &#8220;Come for a fun, family-friendly evening filled with good food and great times for a worthy cause! Starting at 5:30, 15% of net sales will be donated to Chico State Men&#8217;s Rugby to help send them to the D1AA Spring Championship in North Carolina on May 4th.&#8221;
According to the <a href="https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/chicorugby?fbclid=IwAR0A6zKDlylEUjqQrW6fyjBdWO7E-Csf9b9KoAEkv4FfdpO7V6VanKapwmY">fundraising page</a>, the team has raised $35,000 so far.

Rugby Team Refuses To Be Beaten By California State Law Preventing Travel Funds For North Carolina

California

Testifying in support for a bill (Bill 359) seeking to protect babies born alive from botched abortions in North Carolina, Republican state representative Pat McElraft recalled horrifying experiences that she witnessed at the hands of a late-term abortionist when she previously worked in the medical field.
After passing the state House and Senate, the bill was eventually vetoed by Governor Roy Cooper (D-NC). But McElraft&#8217;s harrowing testimony offers a chilling inside look at late-term abortion, which is increasingly being relentlessly pushed by the Democratic Party.
&#8220;You will hear from opponents of Bill 359 that there is no need for this bill. &#8216;We don&#8217;t have is happening in North Carolina.&#8217; I can testify to the fact that infanticide has happened in North Carolina. I&#8217;ve been witness to the results of those late-term abortions,&#8221; stated the lawmaker, <a href="https://www.liveaction.org/news/eyewitness-born-alive-abortion-drowned-saline/">reported</a> Live Action.
&#8220;There was an abortionist in Jacksonville, North Carolina, who was known nationally for performing late term abortions,&#8221; the Republican continued. &#8220;We heard of many girls who came from other states to North Carolina &#8212; Jacksonville, North Carolina, to have their late-term abortions. Even hitchhiking down from New York, some of them did, to come in &#8212; those were the days when saline abortions were performed.&#8221;
&#8220;The salt content of the saline was so strong that it burned the little baby&#8217;s skin,&#8221; said McElraft.
&#8220;Nurses told of stories of the babies that were born alive and [had] been taken by the doctor and turned over with their faces down in the saline to drown,&#8221; she recalled. &#8220;Most of the nurses refused to work with this abortionist. He only did his abortions on the weekends.&#8221;
McElraft said she once saw a bucket of what she thought were &#8220;little pigs,&#8221; only to be informed that they were murdered babies:
<blockquote>
One day I was on a break, [and] went in to visit with the pathologist in the pathology lab, and I asked him, I said, &#8220;What are all these little pigs doing in these buckets?&#8221; He told me, &#8220;Pat, look again.&#8221; And I did. They were perfectly formed little human babies in those buckets. Their skin was even pinker than a normal baby would be, because it had been burned by the saline. Those were the weekend&#8217;s abortions.
</blockquote>
As noted by Live Action, saline abortions were common back in the 1970-80s, but are very seldom carried out today. &#8220;Once committed in the late second and third trimesters, these abortions were done by injecting a caustic saline solution into the uterus,&#8221; explained the outlet. &#8220;The baby would die over the course of a few hours and then the mother would go through labor to deliver her dead baby. Sometimes the saline failed to kill the baby and the baby was born alive.&#8221;
Today, late-term abortion procedures entail an abortionist injecting the viable unborn baby, who can feel pain, with a drug called Digoxin. As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/42652/watch-heres-what-late-term-abortion-procedure-amanda-prestigiacomo">explained</a> by former abortionist Dr. Anthony Levatino, Digoxin is used to spark fatal cardiac arrest and kill the child. The mother&#8217;s cervix is then opened with sticks of seaweed called laminaria. After carrying her dead baby inside of her for two to three days, barring any other complications, the mother will give birth to the dead body.
New York recently became one of eight states to effectively allow abortion up to the moment of birth via the euphemistically named &#8220;Reproductive Health Act.&#8221; <a href="https://www.lifenews.com/2019/01/25/new-york-law-legalizing-abortions-up-to-birth-revokes-medical-care-for-babies-born-alive-after-abortions/">According</a> to Live Action, the legislation allows for the &#8220;remov[al of] protections for babies born alive after an abortion &#8212; meaning they could be left to die after birth &#8212; by rescinding a portion of New York&#8217;s public health law.&#8221;

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