Fayetteville PD and DWB

Fayetteville Police Department and the coined issue of  "Driving While Black" have been hot on the wire as of late after a four month moratorium on -Consent Searches- was implemented by the Fayetteville City Council.  The root of the issue and cause of racism accusations being thrown at the FPD is the statistics that show an overwhelming percentage of Consent Searches are being performed on African Americans.  Fayetteville's Police Chief, who is a 30+ year veteran of the department, has tendered his resignation in convenient timing for the playing out of the debacle- which speaks volumes on its own.

The moratorium and its details, which were authored by Mayor Pro Tem Jim Arp, have seen ample opposition since being enacted- the Police Benevolent Association has pushed the envelope on behalf of the popo for all legal action.  NC State Attorney General recently chimed in on the topic by sending the FPD an opinionated letter.  The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives has been hired by the City Council to investigate the practices and policies of our local police amidst accusations of profiling and improper search methods in coordination with the moratorium.

State and Federal constitutions uphold the legality of Consent Searches and many will argue that limiting the tools of police is not in the realm of municipal authority.  You will certainly find plenty of folks that will argue both sides.

con·sent

   [kuhn-sent]  Show IPA

verb (used without object)

1.

to permit, approve, or agree; comply or yield (oftenfollowed by to  or an infinitive): He consented to the proposal.We asked her permission, and she consented.

To clarify, I am personally against the moratorium- and I think the issues and controversy at hand could have been handled differently for optimal results.  I don't know all of the private details, and am very anxious to hear the findings of NOBLE.  Any way you cut it, there is no easy way around, or through the issue and obvious controversies surrounding police enforcement along racial lines and the supposedly unfair and manufactured disparities.  

Voting Against the Moratorium were:  City Council Members Val Applewhite & Keith Bates
Voting for the Moratorium were: Mayor + 7 council members

At the end of the day, I just want Fayetteville, NC to be safer than it was yesterday.  We ask the Police Department to accomplish that goal every single day, even when the cards are stacked against them, and I wish our entire community would support them doing so fairly and constitutionally.  This has been a public service announcement to help you stay reasonably informed.

UNC Tar Heel Basketball

Every year has potential to be a big time year for the boys wearing sky blue unis.  Under the helm of Roy Williams we have won 2 of the last 7 NCAA Division One championships.  2012 is no different as the Tar Heels start to round out the ACC regular season currently ranked in the top 10.  Heading into the NCAA tournament I can go ahead and guarantee at least a 4 seed, promise.

One characteristic of good NCAA bball teams lately is the presence of quality contributing underclassmen.  After enduring a few key injuries in the guard area with both L McDonald and D Strickland falling to injuries- a list of underclassmen have been forced to step up and contribute solid minutes.  They all deserve a big round of applause, and I mainly mean the ones off the bench.  The starters are just doing exactly what was expected of them, and Barnes, Bullock and Marshall have all performed very well in just their second season our of high school. Bullock has warmed up quickly to the starting role and his tenacious D is a must moving forward this season.  If the Kinston HS product can keep up the pressure on D and knock down jump shots consistently he will help Roy's cause; not to mention the rebounding and ball handling potential.  Marshall and Barnes exceptional play really doesn't need to be pointed out- it always seems like they both have gas left in the tank.

James Michael McAdoo and PJ Hairston are the primary cards in the TarHeel deck that must continue to get better every game for us to be a potential NatChamp .   These guys are both studs with top notch talent, build and motors, but the question is how fast can they mature and deliver for the heels.  Any given game McAdoo and Hairston are prone to go off on a tangent aka double-double.  I like what I see lately- and hope that Watts, White and Hubert can also get good minutes when they get the opportunity.  We run such a fast paced game that our depth and conditioning will be a huge advantage over any team.  Add that to the fact, that "good fouls" and playing tough D will let us take advantage of all the fouls we have to give- especially against any poor free throw shooting team.

I can't reasonably write about the TarHeels without giving major kudos to Zeller & Henson, who are the best big man combo in the entire amateur basketball world.  Zeller is the ACC POY and Stretch Henson is the biggest defensive factor in the continental United States.  Keep up the good work, Big Guys- and maybe pick up the pace a skotch on the free stripe!  It's all in the knees.

Best of luck to the Tar Heels.  Go Heels  Go America . com

American Presidents, Best of the Bunch

It is not all about the Benjamins in this discussion today about American Presidents.  Mr. Benjamin Franklin did not make the cut as USA's Commander in Chief.  The list is 44 gentleman deep and includes a laundry list of some of the most influential Americans of all.  Recent presidents probably won't be earning medalist honors in any best president competitions, so I will recommend a couple to be considered in the discussion.

The one and only #1 on the list  is the experienced military General named George Washington.  He is on the one $ bill and Quarter.  He is the ultimate face of America and the guy wore some of the sweetest outfits in history.  Google "George Washington's gear" and check him out.

James K Polk is a renowned Tar Heel on the list hailing from Mecklenburg County who is best known for doing what he said he was going to do.  Polk also was active with making America a coast to coast nation through mergers and acquisitions.  He died way to early at the ripe age of 53 like so many other American presidents we lost too early.

Radio, film and television star Ronald Reagan was governor of California for 8 years before starting his 8 year presidential term.  He personified America and showed us all a new kind of president with the polish and affinity of the big screen.  His wife is equally as famous as he is, which is one indicator of a fairly told story about a quality public service oriented family.  Reaganomics and a cool hand under big stakes with nuclear implications are also highlights of his presidential ticket.

Notice I didn't mention in partisan politics in my 3 possible medalist in the best President discussion.  American Presidents that is.

Go Heels Go America