Asheville East

By Steve Woodward

Sometimes it is utterly impossible to comprehend how a quaint little town with boutiques and cozy eateries can be populated by so many raving lunatics. If you guessed this is a reference to Asheville, you would be wrong. Today we are examining the madness gripping Southern Pines.

Specifically, let us ponder the mental instability that afflicts the editorial board assembling periodically in the Pennsylvania Avenue offices of The Pilot. Have you noticed that the “news”paper’s logo features a compass depicting the nearby communities it views dismissively outside of not-very-Southern-Pines? If you read its editorial page, you might also notice that The Pilot has no moral compass.

This depravity was particularly magnified in the June 24 lead editorial in which the author (editor John Nagy, presumably) concludes that only zealous vigilance and opposition to the threat posed by traditional Judeo-Christian (American) values can stop creeping ideologues from messing up our state’s economic utopia.

“Best for Business, But for How Long?” bemoans the editorial’s headline. By way of background, it seems the once credible financial news network CNBC recently anointed North Carolina “America’s Top State for Business in 2022”.

CNBC goes on to observe that, while the statehouse is Republican ruled and the Governor’s mansion is occupied by a veto-happy Democrat, North Carolina leaders display a remarkable habit of dropping all pretense of dedication to party when it comes to funneling corporate dollars into the tax base.

CNBC does not seem to notice that more than a decade of conservative taxation and cautious spending might have something to do with driving North Carolina’s economic growth and attractiveness toward its preimenence as a business destination.

Governor Roy Cooper plays along with CNBC’s unity theme, but only to a point, noting that he has vetoed “a lot of bad legislation” (in fact, no NC governor has issued more vetoes). One has to wonder how the private sector might feel about employees residing in a state where the governor stopped a bill requiring sheriffs to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)? The bill would have detained felons and other bad guys until ICE rides to the rescue. Cooper vetoed it July 11.

But enough about where we are today, flush with business investment dollars, warns The Pilot. Beware the culture warriors among us, the enemy within that would place decency, morality and religious freedom ahead of “progress”, economic and social.

“Don’t let the creep of the culture war risk the reward of economic growth and prosperity,” opines The Pilot.

If Republicans re-gain (veto proof) supermajorities after the November elections, why they might dare to pass legislation to grant parents decision making power in public education. Why, what if these overzealous parents reject transgender grooming in classrooms and tick off a few woke CEOs in the Triangle?

And then there is the looming threat that Republicans would represent the will of their voters by drafting legislation to rein in abortion of innocents and defend life. Why that would be catastrophic. Right up there with prayer in schools and the Pledge of Allegiance

Only radical ideologues would issue such a frenzied warning. But they hide in plain sight in the pages of an agenda driven news organ, a shameless appendage of the unmoored Left. And they’ll be shocked by the dissenters in values-centered outposts such as Aberdeen, Carthage and Pinehurst.

But do take your chances. By all means, alienate parents in an effort to “own” our children inside government indoctrination centers. Absolutely allow transgenderism and baby killing to rage. Anything to keep the engines of commerce humming.

It’s worked out so well in California, Illinois and New York.