Trump and Clinton Neck and Neck in NC

Ken AshfordElection 2016, Local Interest, Polls, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

Yeah, it is exciting to be in a semi-big swing state.  The candidates keep coming through.  It’s like the New Hampshire primaries in the old days. A new PPP poll on North Carolina came out this morning. Bottom line: Donald Trump 45, Hillary Clinton 43, Gary Johnson 6. Clinton/Trump head to head is tied at 47: That’s okay news since Trump … Read More

Tantaros’ Complaint Against Fox News, O’Reilly, Ailes, and Others

Ken AshfordRight Wing and Inept Media, Sex Scandals, Sex/Morality/Family Values, Women's IssuesLeave a Comment

What kind of a place is Fox News?  These allegations keep on coming. Some excerpts: [C]ommencing in February 2016, Bill O’Reilly (“O’Reilly”), whom Tantaros had considered to be a good friend and a person from whom she sought career guidance, started sexually harassing her by, inter alia, (a) asking her to come to stay with him on Long Island where … Read More

Is This The End Of The Line For Judge Roy Moore?

Ken AshfordConstitution, Courts/Law, Gay Marriage, Godstuff, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore is set for a hearing at 1:30 p.m. (2:30 EST) today on charges he violated Alabama’s ethical standards for judges. Moore is asking the Alabama Court of the Judiciary to dismiss the ethics complaint filed by the state’s Judicial Inquiry Commission. The Judicial Inquiry Commission is asking for a summary judgment against Moore … Read More

Should Miss Teen USA Forfeit Her Crown?

Ken AshfordPageants, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

As 18-year-old Texan Karlie Hay celebrated being crowned Miss Teen USA 2016 last Saturday, social media users began circulating tweets containing the N-word that were linked to an account bearing her name. The offending tweets were posted in 2013 and 2014. That Twitter account is now private and locked, but Hay issued an apology early Sunday morning on her public … Read More

NC State Senate Moves $500K From Disaster Relief Fund To Defend Anti-LGBT Hate Bill

Ken AshfordLocal Interest, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

The Associated Press reports: North Carolina lawmakers took steps Thursday to set aside a half-million dollars for the legal defense of a law limiting protections for LGBT people as a judge sought to streamline a cluster of lawsuits it has inspired. Republican lawmakers were mapping out the end of the session, including possible changes to the law known as House … Read More

SCOTUS Strikes Down Oppressive Abortion Restrictions

Ken AshfordBreaking News, Constitution, Election 2016, Health Care, Sex/Morality/Family Values, Supreme Court, Women's IssuesLeave a Comment

This morning, the Supreme Court struck down parts of a restrictive Texas law that could have reduced the number of abortion clinics in the state to about 10 from what was once a high of roughly 40. The 5-to-3 decision was the court’s most sweeping statement on abortion rights since Planned Parenthood v. Casey in 1992. It applied a skeptical … Read More

RNC Deletes LGBT Reference In Its Orlando Statement

Ken AshfordRepublicans, Sex/Morality/Family Values, War on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

In its original statement following the Orlando shootings, the Republican National Committee made an attempt to acknowledge that the attack specifically targeted LGBT Americans—a sad attempt, but an attempt nonetheless. But meh, who really cares about that aspect anyway? So they finally just edited gays out altogether. Rebecca Ruiz reports on the line that was just too dangerous to include: “Violence against any group of … Read More

Bad News For McCrory And HB2 Lovers

Ken AshfordConstitution, Courts/Law, Local Interest, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

After the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a request Tuesday to reconsider a previous ruling affirming the rights of a Virginia transgender student, Gov. Pat McCrory’s defense of HB2 has a hit a major road block. The intermingling of the two cases in question—the pivotal Virginia case (G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board) decided in favor of transgender student Gavin Grimm, and McCrory’s HB2 defense, … Read More

Watch As House Republicans Go Out Of Their Way To Discriminate Against LGBT

Ken AshfordCongress, Republicans, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

A chaotic scene unfolded on the floor of the U.S. House today as a measure to ensure federal contractors can’t discriminate against LGBT people was defeated by a single vote. It initially appeared that the measure — an amendment to this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would’ve nullified a Republican “religious liberty” provision allowing federal contractors to discriminate against … Read More

HB2 Cease And Desist Deadline Is Today

Ken AshfordBreaking News, Local Interest, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

Today is the deadline the U.S. Department of Justice has given the state of North Carolina to cease and desist its enforcement of the HB2 transgender discrimination law. Gov. Pat McCrory had asked federal officials for an extension of today’s deadline to declare that North Carolina will not comply with its newly enacted law restricting anti-discrimination protections.  McCrory said the U.S. … Read More

Confrontation Looms

Ken AshfordConstitution, Local Interest, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

Charlotte Observer: Republican state leaders were in no hurry Thursday to respond to the Obama administration’s determination that North Carolina is discriminating against transgender people – and didn’t even agree on whether to adhere to a Monday deadline. House Speaker Tim Moore said Thursday that legislators won’t meet the Department of Justice’s Monday deadline to declare that House Bill 2 … Read More

Breaking: US Govt to NC — Fix HB 2 Or Else

Ken AshfordBreaking News, Constitution, Local Interest, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

This may end sooner than even I thought: RALEIGH — U.S. Justice Department officials Wednesday notified Gov. Pat McCrory that House Bill 2 violates the U.S. Civil Rights Act.  The department gave state officials until Monday to address the situation “by confirming that the State will not comply with or implement HB2.” The letter says HB2, which pre-empted Charlotte’s anti-discrimination ordinance, … Read More