Free Republic

SALISBURY, N.C. — Commissioners in one North Carolina county plan to continue offering Christian prayers at public meetings, regardless of a letter from a civil liberties group citing a recent Supreme Court action upholding a federal court's ban on the practice. The Salisbury Post reported (http://bit.ly/xtafV5 ) that a huge crowd turned out for the Rowan County Board of Commissioners meeting Monday night to offer their support to the elected officials, who say they'll defy a decision by the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals striking down so-called sectarian prayer, or prayer that's explicitly linked to a particular religion, such...

Today I saw several signs urging me to vote for Garland Hogshed. Now, I don’t know Mr. Garland from Adam’s cat. Not whether he is a Republican, Democrat, liberal, conservative, incumbent or challenger. I only know he’s running for Commissioner in Clay County, North Carolina. But he has a sturdy Southern name which belongs on a local official hereabouts. That brings us to the subjects of this column, local officials and early primaries. Unlike most states, North Carolina has a very early primary, May 2nd. Why is this? Many times I’ve read the bromide that “America has two major parties,...

The state Supreme Court upheld term limits for county commissioners in a unanimous ruling issued Wednesday.