News-Record.com

Panthers' playoff tickets?

Available online.

But be warned: There's no legal limit to what you might have to pay.

Thanks to N.C. General Assembly action last summer, the Charlotte Observer reports, Internet scalping is perfectly legal.

Not on the street, though. Any logical reason for that disparity?

The Tar Heels had last night's game at Nevada (10 p.m. EST tip) well in hand in time to switch to coverage of the midnight countdown from New York.

That's an exciting New Year's celebration for me.

I doubt I'd get out to a First Night party (like Charlotte's) if Greensboro had one.

I'm not much of a night owl, and dealing with traffic in the wee hours isn't my idea of fun.

It's bad enough that the Heels have six more 9 p.m. starts ... just during the regular season. I've been known to doze off during blowouts.

That won't happen, though, if they get the late game April 6.

We ran a story earlier this week about North Carolina private colleges tightening their belts.

High Point University is an exception.

I jogged across campus this morning and construction crews were banging away.

No time for holidays or sleeping late when you've got an ambitious building program under way.

The transformation from week to week is amazing. It will take more than a recession and credit crunch to slow down HPU.

The holidays bring families together, which actually can be a mixed blessing.

We all experience a little friction at times caused by too much close company, even among loved ones.

But murder is always an inappropriate response.

My holiday advice is never carry a gun when visiting relatives.

Greensboro police reported today they've unraveled the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Jamar Lamont Stimpson Sept. 16.

He was killed by Justin Ryan Massey, 26, who's been charged with ...

... possession of a firearm by a felon.

Here's Massey's DOC record.

You'll never guess.

He's on probation for previous offenses.

Is he getting off easy again? It looks that way.

Although he's still breathing, it seems Mr. Massey was a victim back on Sept. 16. Stimpson and Frank Jamall Rush were trying to rob him at gunpoint.during a prearranged drug deal, police say.

Rush is charged with felony conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon.

Here's Mr. Rush's DOC record.

This young man has made quite a career of similar activities.

For that matter, despite his youth, Mr. Stimpson was well-acquainted with the criminal life. Here's his record.

So, Stimpson and Rush pulled a gun on Massey while they were all in Massey's car for a drug deal. Massey had reason to believe they might shoot him. He took measures to make sure that didn't happen. Stimpson ended up dead with "multiple" gunshot wounds. Rush ran. Massey, after removing Stimpson from his car, drove away.

I spoke with police Capt. Janice Rogers, who noted people have a right to defend themselves when they're in a life-threatening situation, even if they're doing something illegal at the time. That's why the DA's office doesn't plan to charge Massey with murder.

OK, but ...

... firearm possession?

Maybe that will be enough to send this guy to prison. It's a probation violation as well as a separate offense.

Rush, too, warrants tough prosecution.

Characters like this are, as they say, a menace to society.

Speaking of probation violations (see my last post), there are hundreds of them on Monday's calendar in Guilford County Superior Court, Judge Stuart Albright presiding.

I hope there's enough room in prison for them all because it looks like they've failed at probation.

I sat in on some of today's court session for probation violators.

Unbelievable.

Courtroom 4C, which probably seats close to 300 people, wasn't big enough to hold them.

Figuring out who was there and who wasn't occupied the first hour of the scheduled session.

Next up was determining who was indigent and should get an attorney from the Public Defender's Office. Those people were given a rescheduled court date a couple of months from now.

More time and expense for the system.

And remember, these are all people who already have been found guilty of crimes and were put on probation. Now they're back in court allegedly for not complying with the terms of their probation.

Attorney and state Sen.-elect Don Vaughan was over there representing some clients.

This is broken, he said.

"I guess I've got my marching orders," he added.

Yes, the legislature needs to help fix a probation system that doesn't seem to be working. At least Vaughan understands the problems.

More on this later.

A 22-year-old Fort Bragg soldier came looking for a good time with a 14-year-old Guilford County girl he met in a Yahoo adults-only chat room ... but found sheriff's deputies instead.

He was arrested, charged with knowingly soliciting a person believed to be a child by computer with intent to commit an unlawful sex act, tried, convicted and sentenced to six to eight months in prison.

He appealed, claiming Guilford County Superior Court Judge Catherine Eagles should have granted his request to instruct the jury on the defense of entrapment.

Today, the N.C. Court of Appeals, in State v. Morse, unanimously supported Eagles' denial.

In short, the court said this crime originated in the mind of the defendant, not the officers who created the opportunity he thought he had to carry it out.

Defendant Chris Randolph Morse blew it from the beginning, entering the Yahoo adults-only chat room under the screen name "chris morse."

Why not just use the name "stupid"?

He began chatting with "baywatch142000," whose profile indicated "she" was a student named Jill Watson, with age listed as 114.

Maybe Morse had a thing for older women ... except the profile included a picture of a blond young woman. Furthermore, the "latest news" section of the profile said "actually 14," indicating Jill's supposed real age.

OK, "Jill" really was Deputy Gordy of the Guilford County Sheriff's Office, a 37-year-old male. The photo was that of Deputy Luther, a 22-year-old female also with the Sheriff's Office.

But Morse, of course, didn't know that. He continued to chat up Jill and made arrangements to meet her at her apartment while her parents were away for the weekend. He was rather explicit when describing the sort of activities he had in mind, even though he was clearly informed that "Jill" was 14 years old.

When he arrived at the appointed place and time, however, he had quite a shock. Deputy Luther opened the door, and also waiting was a another woman who identified herself as a local news reporter.

From the court opinion:

"The reporter told defendant to sit down on a couch across from her, which he did. The reporter then told defendant that she was aware of his chats with a girl whom defendant believed to be fourteen years old. The reporter asked defendant why he would engage in such sexually explicit chats with someone he believed to be fourteen years old and then drive to meet that person, believing that her parents were out of town. In response to the reporter's questions, defendant apologized and admitted it was wrong for him to be there."

This part of the case bothers me. Letting a (TV) news reporter in on an ongoing investigation is one thing. Letting her interview a suspect before the moment of arrest is out of line. Was this a law-enforcement operation or a TV entertainment/reality show?

At any rate, we advance to the issue of entrapment.

There's a two-part test, according to case law.

Entrapment is defined as: "acts of persuasion, trickery or fraud carried out by law enforcement officers or their agents to induce a defendant to commit a crime."

No doubt about the trickery in this case.

But also: "when the criminal design originated in the minds of the government officials, rather than with the innocent defendant, such that the crime is the product of the creative activity of the law enforcement authorities."

Eagles was right when she refused to instruct the jury on the entrapment defense because there wasn't evidence to support it, the appeals court ruling written by Judge Cliff Johnson said.

(Johnson is an emergency recall judge who sat during one court term last year. Judges Jim Wynn and Linda Stephens joined the decision.)

This is an interesting case because, to a layman, it might seem that Morse most definitely was entrapped by sheriff's deputies who created a fictitious 14-year-old. Morse was in a chat room supposedly reserved for adults only. One could argue he didn't go there with the original intent of hooking up with a child. And he might never have entertained the notion were it not for the trap set up by cyberspace cops.

Nevertheless, Morse could have backed out once the age issue popped up. He didn't. He fell for the idea of getting with a 14-year-old girl, and he actively pursued it. His intent was clear. He was remorseful and embarrassed when he was caught, but getting caught does that to a lot of offenders.

Internet predators are real, and they worry parents of teenagers. There's a public demand for law-enforcement agencies to do something to stop it.

In this case, ironically, no one would have been harmed because there was no real victim.

But a man who would arrange a meeting with a 14-year-old for the purpose of engaging in sex is a threat to real 14-year-olds.

In the final analysis, he was entrapped by his own inappropriate desires.

Gov. Easley is making some last-minute appointments to state boards and commissions.

Of particular interest are three special Superior Court judgeships he's still holding in his back pocket.

Courthouse types in Guilford County are watching with keen anticipation, as I'm sure is true in many other places.

I've heard Easley might fill them from within his outgoing administration.

We'll see.

Currently, there are 12 special Superior Court judges appointed by Easley. All are men. Three are from Raleigh, two from Charlotte, one from Durham, one from Winston-Salem, the rest from smaller cities and towns.

None is from Guilford County.

My column today:

Elizabeth Dole had a tough year. Not only did the former senator lose her seat to Kay Hagan, she again failed to appear on the list of Most Admired Women in the annual Gallup survey.

Earlier in her career, when she was a Cabinet secretary and then American Red Cross president, Dole was a regular.

Politics has a way of tarnishing a person’s image, especially when she’s bombarded by about $11 million worth of negative TV ads.

Dole didn’t do herself any favor when she struck back with a spot claiming Hagan, a Presbyterian elder, was in league with militant atheists. The Salisbury native, once known for her Southern charm, didn’t look good with mud on her hands.

Anyway, Dole’s diminished status inspired me to create my own list of most-respected North Carolinians.

It begins with the only person who also appears in the Gallup rankings:

There was nothing funny about Sonja's A&T story today ...

... except Mable Scott's statement that the university is very proud of itself.

"We are very proud of N.C. A&T State University. ... We're ranked third in research within the UNC system with over $40 million in research and (are) a top producer of graduates in engineering, psychology and accounting," said Scott, special assistant to the vice chancellor for Development and University Relations.

This is a typical response for Scott, a cheerful and personable woman who often acts as the university's chief spokeswoman ... and, in the most earnest and pleasant way, usually says absolutely nothing.

I remember her telling me once, in response to an episode of financial irregularities, that A&T was doing everything to make everything better in every way. Period.

Very helpful.

A&T isn't always easy to communicate with. In fact, I was told by a faculty member in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication that they weren't allowed to speak with the media. Pretty incredible for a public university.

In this case, it's reasonable that DA Doug Henderson found no grounds to prosecute anyone for misspending money. He saw no criminal intent, and he concluded that there was benefit to the university even though money didn't go where it was supposed to in some instances.

I hope no one thinks on that basis that there wasn't validity to the state auditor's report. There might be "benefit" to the university if you take money meant to provide financial aid for students and use it to buy artwork or purchase an annuity for a faculty member, but it still isn't right.

A&T fired one employee over operations of a fellowship program, so clearly it recognized the problems. And no doubt it's taken other steps to make sure funds are spent as required.

Nothing wrong with having a little pride. But it's more important to manage public funds properly.

Here's a very sad story from Raleigh ...

Diontay Deshone Williams, 25, pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder in the death of his 7-month-old son, Xavier.

The child had multiple rib fractures, a black eye and head trauma, The N&O reports.

Williams "had been released from a jail sentence for violating probation less than a month before Xavier's death in August 2007."

He was on probation in Guilford County following a 2005 conviction for assault with a deadly weapon, according to his DOC record.

Additional thought: Suggested probation requirement in some cases: Not allowed to father children.

TradeWinds Airlines didn't violate North Carolina law or public policy when it fired a flight engineer who said he was too tired to carry out an assignment.

So said the N.C. Court of Appeals in a unanimous ruling issued yesterday, backing up a 2006 verdict by Guilford County Superior Court Judge Stuart Albright.

This was a complex case in which both parties raised several issues on appeal.

I'll briefly focus on what the appeals court, in its opinion authored by Judge Wanda Bryant, called the critical question: whether defendant's termination of plaintiff based on his refusal to fly a non-revenue flight (or ferry flight) back to Greensboro on February 27, 2000, was in contravention of North Carolina public policy.

The plaintiff was John R. McDonnell, a flight engineer for TradeWinds for more than two years at the time of the incident. The defendant is TradeWinds, an air-freight and charter carrier based at PTIA.

McDonnell was tired from a long work schedule when he was asked to ferry a plane, without passengers, from Burlington, Vermont, to Greensboro. He refused and was promptly fired.

Later he sued for wrongful termination -- a tough claim to pursue in North Carolina, where employment generally can be terminated at will when there's no contract. "This is a bright-line rule with very limited exceptions," the court said.

One of those exceptions, according to case law, is when an employer's actions are contrary to law or public policy. It was there that McDonnell lodged his claim.

McDonnell cited case law acknowledging that federal laws and regulations are binding on state courts, referring in this instance to FAA regs setting out minimum rest requirements for flight crews. The appeals court was not persuaded of the applicability in this case.

One problem for McDonnell noted by the court:

"The FAA Office of Chief Counsel offers legal interpretations of Federal Aviation Regulations, and has consistently refused to apply an interpretation that ferry flights occurring after Part 121 flights count toward flight time limitations and rest requirements. While we note that currently there is debate to change the FAA's interpretation of the rest requirements under these types of circumstances, we will accept the FAA's reading of their regulations."

There are other nuances that make this opinion worth reading if you're interested in employ-at-will issues and public safety concerns.

I would worry about an overworked flight crew descending over Greensboro for a landing at PTI, but, of course, it's impossible to understand all the circumstances of this story from the few pages presented here.

One thing is clear: The appeals court affirmed Albright's ruling, which means he correctly applied the law.

Recorded telephone conversations between the Mumbai terrorists and their handlers are outrageous.

Did the Indian government have legal authorization to intercept those phone calls? Where's the respect for terrorists' rights?

I'm sorry a letter writer today thinks there may be anti-Semitism underlying the message in Mike Keefe's editorial cartoon, which we published Jan. 2.

I selected the cartoon, and I can assure readers there was no such intent on my part.

The question of whether Israel's massive military response to incessant rocket attacks by Hamas militants is appropriate can be rationally debated without anti-Semitism entering the discussion. To suggest that those who fault Israel's actions are doing so because of anti-Semitism is both unfair and a dodge from legitimate debate.

For the record, we print cartoons that express various points of view, as we do letters to the editor and other commentary. Whether our editorial board agrees with the point of view expressed obviously is not one of our criteria for selection. I say obviously because you can see we print commentary on both sides of particular issues, as we have in regard to the fighting in Gaza.

You can look at the cartoon in question here. Just click on "Gaza fighting" in the recent cartoons column.

I think the basic statement of the cartoon is undeniable: "Many eyes for an eye." That's a simple matter of counting. The Israeli armed forces have killed many more people in Gaza than Hamas rockets have killed in Israel. In that sense, the Israeli response is disproportionate.

From there, you can debate whether the Israeli response has been justified or necessary. That's an entirely different question.

But, please, there's no call to play the anti-Semitism card.

Letter writer Susie Barnes is already getting hammered on the blog, but the criticism is undeserved if she was taking a stab at satire.

I don't think she can be seriously suggesting that, given the chance, nurses would harm Charles Davenport because he wrote a critical column about his experience in the hospital.

And then saying he owes health-care professionals an apology.

Nothing could ever be more insulting to health-care professionals than to imply they would intentionally do harm to a patient for any reason, let alone a reason so petty.

Her real point here may be that Davenport's complaints were too petty to write a column around, that he was overreacting. So she's intentionally overreacted to his overreaction, taking the discussion to an absurd conclusion.

You can't read her letter literally. It's got to be satire.

Terrible news for Freightliner workers in the Charlotte area.

Freightliner owns High Point's largest manufacturing employer, Thomas Built Buses, so let's hope demand for school buses, currently weak, picks up.

Maybe that's an area where government stimulus money would be well spent ...

... especially for hybrid buses.

I'm not saying necessarily I'm going to run in it, but I am excited about the N.C. Marathon shifting to High Point.

Good reporting by Robert gives us the story behind the story:

"Sources who asked not to be identified said it came down to money: Greensboro police wanted $65,000 to provide security for runners and volunteers; High Point police said they would provide the same services for free."

And:

"The Greensboro police's initial request of $87,000 for the May 2 race was nearly double last year's budgeted $45,000 and would have been four times as much as security for last year's City of Oaks Marathon, a Raleigh race with a larger field."

I'm sorry the organizers of this event had such difficulties working with Greensboro that they had to find another host city.

But I think they'll be happy with High Point. Its city government usually finds a way to get things done with a minimum of red tape and inconvenience.

The course hasn't been set yet. I've got some ideas, but certainly there are limitless possibilities.

Not that I'm necessarily going to run it, mind you.

Carolina changes its position on creating an airport authority to seek a replacement for Horace Williams Airport.

Chancellor Holden Thorp explains on his blog.

That's what I call open communication.

Previously on Thorp's blog.

On a related subject, it was very encouraging to receive this email from Action Greensboro today:

"Our friends at NC A&T State University are holding a community forum, Conversations with the Chancellor, on Thursday, January 15 from 6:00-8:00pm in the Stallings Ballroom of the Memorial Student Union. This opportunity is being offered as a way for A&T to strengthen and expand the academic life of the university into the community.

"We think this is a truly dandy idea! Amazing things you probably don't know about are being discovered, developed, taught, and learned at A&T every single day. This is your chance to hear about the vision first-hand and offer your questions and comments."

How about a blog, Dr. Battle?

This search for the New 7 Wonders of Nature makes me realize how little I've gotten around.

The site lists 261 natural features and invites visitors to vote for seven.

If I go by personal observation, I'm one short. I've seen only six.

And a couple of them just barely.

I'm talking about a glimpse of Lake Superior from I-75 in Michigan's UP, and a view of the Grand Canyon from an airliner about 35,000 feet up.

I'll also claim Niagara Falls, Loch Ness, Lake Victoria and the Great Rift Valley.

I'd definitely vote for the Grand Canyon, and I'd love to see it from ground level someday. Niagara Falls is spectacular, but I can't honestly say how it stacks up against Venezuela's Angel Falls or Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe/Zambia.

Lake Superior (U.S./Canada) and Lake Victoria in East Africa (but not connected to Victoria Falls) are big bodies of fresh water. But I doubt they're as distinctive as Lake Baikal in Asian Russia, which goes more than a mile deep and holds more fresh water than any other lake.

Scotland's Loch Ness is beautiful, but unless it really is home to a monster it doesn't make the cut.

The Great Rift Valley is an amazing geologic feature, stretching thousands of miles from East Africa into Asia (if you visit Kenya or Tanzania, you can't miss it), but it's notable for the string of lakes it forms, including Malawi and Tanganyika, which are listed separately.

Really, I was most impressed on my visit to Tanzania by the Ngorongoro Crater, which isn't a Seven Wonder nominee but is breathtaking for its beauty and magnificent population of wildlife.

(Here's our view into the crater, and our campsite on the rim.)

My list, in addition to the Grand Canyon, Victoria Falls and Lake Baikal, would include the Amazon River/Forest, the Great Barrier Reef, Mount Everest and ...

... a little help, please. What would you pick?

That was a great college basketball game in Winston-Salem last night matching Wake Forest against Carolina.

They're Final Four-quality teams.

Too bad the ACC won't allow a return game in Chapel Hill this season.

Just like it didn't schedule a football game between bowl teams Carolina and Wake this past season.

In ACC logic, it's better for Wake to play home and away with Boston College, and Carolina to play home and away with Miami, than for the two old, old Tobacco Road rivals to match up home and away.

Anybody care about tradition?

Well, how about fan interest?

Travel costs?

Missed class time for the student-athletes?

Doesn't it make a heckuva lot more sense to drive 70 miles down I-40 for a game than to fly to Boston or Miami?

Since the ACC obviously doesn't see it that way, here's my suggested remedy:

When the conference schedulers cheat Wake and Carolina out of a second game like they've done this season and will again, the schools should schedule a second game themselves. It could take the place of a trip to Nevada or Brigham Young. Officially, it would not count as a conference game, but it likely would have the same intensity and quality.

Just imagine if the ACC scheduled only one Carolina-Duke game. Unacceptable, right?

Well, Carolina-Duke isn't going to get any better than Carolina-Wake. Not this season, and probably not very often in the future the way things look.

Come on, ACC. Guarantee two Carolina-Wake games every season.

Otherwise, the two rivals should create a second game themselves.

You read it here first, folks. On Dec. 30, I wrote that Roland Burris will be the next senator from Illinois, that Senate Democrats were making an empty threat in vowing not to seat him.

They had no legal authority to back up that pronouncement, and they were foolish to take a stand that, well, couldn't stand.

Let's hope they'll be more careful when setting other policies.

Who you gonna trust about VapoRub, some medical researchers or your mom?

Can anyone remember a more active and effective president-elect than Barack Obama?

The reported slight rise in violent crime -- 3 percent -- in Greensboro during the first half of 2008 may look a little better than reality.

According to the latest stats available on the Greensboro PD Web site (through November), total Part 1 offenses had already exceeded the 12-month number for 2007. They were on pace for an annual increase of about 10 percent.

Part of the increase would reflect the growth in the city through the Cardinal-area annexation effective last July. But that's not a high-crime area.

If you look again at the 2008 month-by-month stats, you can see a considerable pickup in crime during the second half of the year, especially larceny and robbery.

My column Wednesday:

Rents are dropping for furniture market showroom space in High Point.

In some cases, all the way to nothing. ...

This crime report, "Man charged with statutory rape of 14-year-old girl," is exactly why Internet stings by law-enforcement agencies are justified ...

... as we wrote in yesterday's editorial.

In the case described in the editorial, Guilford County sheriff's deputies caught a man who thought he met a 14-year-old girl in an online chat room and was going to hook up for sex.

In this new instance, it allegedly really happened.

Police should continue doing all they can to protect children from Internet predators.

It's not entrapment if they follow proper procedures.

It's good news that more Greensboro churches are opening their doors to the homeless, just before the season's coldest weather blows in.

It's part of the WE (Winter Emergency) program supported by donations to Operation Greensboro Cares.

The special holiday-season fundraising campaign is providing funds for other community-service organizations as well. We'll have an editorial later this week about that.

I spent about six hours yesterday on a tour of city-funded homelessness prevention agencies with members of Community Resource Board. It was well-organized and led by Susan Crotts, an analyst for the city's Department of Housing and Community Development, and Shawna Tillery, a program assistant and darned good 16-passenger van driver.

We visited a dozen agencies, all of which provide really valuable services for people in need. It also jumped out at me that most of them are faith-based organizations.

Those include Greensboro Urban Ministry, The Salvation Army, Mary's House, Malachi House, Joseph's House, Room at the Inn of the Carolinas, Jericho House and Guilford Interfaith Hospitality Network.

Faith-based and (partially) city-funded.

The Bush administration promoted federal funding for faith-based initiatives, and President-elect Obama also supports the idea. There are opponents.

Of course, there are rules. When public funding is involved, these agencies can't discriminate for religious reasons. They can't deny services to anyone who doesn't follow certain religious beliefs. They can't force religious practices on anyone. Nor should they.

Although it's fair for clients to understand that they're receiving services provided out of religious principles and convictions.

These agencies receive city funds because they provide vital services, often when no one else does, or does as well.

I'll write more about this later, maybe in a column for print next week.

Just checking up on the R.B. Terry Charitable Foundation of High Point ...

Its most recent IRS 990 report (for calendar year 2007, filed in October 2008) shows the market value of its assets increased to $148 million from $142 million in 2006.

It gave away $6,245,000 ...

... only $25,000 of that in High Point.

That's fourth-tenths of one percent of its charitable contributions staying in the city where the foundation's founder, the late Randall B. Terry Jr., acquired his wealth.

The recipient was Hospice of the Piedmont, a deserving (of much more) organization.

The previous year, the Terry foundation granted $100,000 to Youth Unlimited in High Point, so local giving declined sharply.

The other 2007 recipients were:

Montpelier Foundation in Montpelier Station, Va., $210,000;

N.C. Veterinary Medical Foundation in Raleigh, $3 million;

United Animal Coalition in Greensboro, $10,000;

and Woodberry Forest School in Woodberry Forest, Va., $3 million.

Foundation money could do a lot of good in High Point, but it's unfortunately too late to change Randall Terry's mind.

Should school open a couple of hours later in severely cold weather?

I hate to think of the little tykes out waiting for their bus tomorrow morning.

Today's top headline in the High Point Enterprise proclaims, "City goes all out for marathon."

Our headline today did NOT say, "Greensboro tells marathon to hit the road."

Maybe it should have.

The North Carolina Marathon was driven away from Greensboro by the city's demand for $65,000 to cover the cost of police security (including traffic control).

High Point will charge nothing.

The $65,000 figure seems absurd. It occurs to me the city sees hosting a marathon as a big hassle and found a way to say no without technically saying no.

What's a hassle? Blocking streets along a 26-mile course for hours and hours.

So, contrary to Mike Barber's view, I don't think the city (he points to Mitch Johnson) dropped the ball on this. I think the city booted the ball away ... to High Point.

High Point has no problem with that, and thinks it's getting a good deal.

"We're going to have somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 people in town for this -- runners and their families," City Manager Strib Boynton said.

I don't know. Last year's races (marathon, half-marathon and 5K) counted fewer than 1,000 runners, and it looks to me from the results that most of them were Greensboro residents. I doubt all that many people will be coming into High Point, as in staying overnight in a local hotel, for the event. Maybe a few hundred, if participation really picks up in the event's second year.

As for families, well, I never drew much of a following. You know, you get up real early on Saturday morning, race your heart out, return home and someone asks, "Where'd you get that tacky T-shirt?"

Nevertheless, as a High Pointer and a runner (gearing toward the half-marathon), I'm delighted. This event will be good for the city in intangible ways.

For one, High Point can show exceptional hospitality. As it already has.

"We have never, ever felt so welcome and so appreciated in any event that we've taken on," Foster Friends' Melissa Fourrier said. "We're confident we're absolutely in the right place."

I'd bet the city of Greensboro, for whatever reason, absolutely agrees.

I really do get all the interest in the Spider-Man with Barack Obama comic.

But it's just a comic book ...

... not a newspaper.

What you read in a comic book is fiction ... a made-up story.

George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt can "co-star" with Spider-Man in a comic book. So what?

Now, copies of Obama's inaugural address, and newspaper coverage of the historic event, will be worth saving.

This is very frightening. There could have been local folks on this USAir flight from NY to Charlotte.

It immediately reminded me of this terrible crash of a commercial airliner into an icy Potomac 27 years ago this week.

I hope everyone made it, which appears at this point to be the case -- pointing to first-rate work by emergency responders.

Kay Hagan put President-elect Barack Obama on notice today: She’ll support the economic stimulus plan he wants Congress to pass only if it meets certain conditions.

Those include transparency, limits on executive compensation, mortgage assistance for struggling homeowners and vigorous lending requirements for banks.

In a meeting with Senate Democrats last week, Obama agreed to the stipulations, Hagan said in a news release (apparently not available on her Senate web site; I'll post the text after the jump).

“Having made those assurances, the onus is the Obama administration to deliver. I will be closely monitoring their progress,” Hagan said.

The Democrat from Greensboro is only a freshman, and a member of the incoming president’s party, but staking out her independence early is a smart and gutsy move.

It’s also downright refreshing — just what voters should expect from Hagan.

After the euphoria of their amazing rescue yesterday, US Airways 1549 passengers might have experienced a jolt of reality sometime last night: my LUGGAGE!

Gov. Bev Perdue says she's counting on federal stimulus money to fill half the hole in the state budget. That's not a stimulus, it's a bailout.

Not many walkers or joggers out this morning. But I admit, tomorrow I'm going to wait until afternoon to go for my run.

Think it's cold here? Check out Kalamazoo, where my niece is a freshman at Western Michigan University: 5 below and, as it does practically every day this time of year, snowing. Hey, Kylie, I hope you're getting up for class!

Next time you hear someone say that students didn't get a break from exams when George W. Bush was inaugurated eight years ago, remind him or her that Jan. 20, 2001, was a Saturday.

Such a lovely quote in today's Counterpoint: "An enemy is one whose story we have not heard." Right. What's Osama's story again? Oh, yeah. he wants to kill us.

Michael Newdow, the California atheist agitator who tried to have the words "under God" stricken from the Pledge of Allegiance, lost in federal court again yesterday.

A judge refused Newdow's request to bar Barack Obama from concluding his oath of office with the traditional words, "So help me God."

Good. I just hope the judges Obama appoints will make similar decisions.

The New York Times gives a breathtaking account of climbing New Hampshire's Mt. Washington in winter.

"But with a little more than a mile to go, as we crested a hill along a slope called Lion Head, the full power of the wind hit us. It’s hard to convey the extremeness of the fierce, biting wind without cursing. Like rogue waves, unpredictable gusts hit with a mighty wallop."

And:

"I learned later that the temperature at the summit that day was 2 degrees, with a wind-chill factor of minus 30. The wind speed had hovered around 60 m.p.h., with gusts pushing near 70. With clear skies, visibility was an eye-popping 110 miles."

Maybe throwing rocks isn't so bad.

Let's suppose North Carolina legalizes medicinal use of marijuana someday.

How will that square with efforts to eradicate smoking in general?

Would patients in hospitals, nursing care facilities or hospices be allowed to smoke marijuana for pain management or other purposes when smoking (tobacco) is entirely prohibited in those places?

Not everyone who might have approved medical needs is at the end of life or in need of live-in care, of course. Some might even work. Would employers allow them to smoke marijuana at prescribed times as they might take more traditional medications?

Of course, no problems at home -- unless anyone would worry about who might be exposed to secondhand marijuana smoke. Children, particularly. One would hope patients would be sensitive to that.

Just like cigarette smokers.

Mo Green began his keynote address at High Point's MLK Celebration today by referring to an act of racial intimidation at High Point Central High School last month.

He later applauded as Principal Revonda Johnson was named winner of the 2009 Humanitarian Award by the High Point Human Relations Commission.

Green, Guilford County Schools' first black superintendent, told the audience of several hundred in the High Point Theater that he wondered what Martin Luther King Jr. would have made of replicated Ku Klux Klan hoods found hanging at the "magnificent and formidable" High Point Central High School in 2008.

The symbols led Green to recall a history of segregation and Jim Crow, of times when black Americans were victims of discrimination and violence, when they were denied civil rights and equal opportunities.

He wondered how the school and community would respond.

But Green said he was encouraged by what he saw and heard, impressed by so many students and staff members, of all races, who told him over and over, "This is not who we are."

"Racism and racist acts still exist in 2008," he concluded, "but it was heartening that so many are willing to denounce these racist acts."

In his remarks, Green briefly cited some examples of racial progress over the years, noting the event that will occur in the nation's capital on Tuesday. "A majority of Americans wanted, and I submit a vast majority of Americans are willing to accept, an African American to lead us," he said.

With that accomplishment, Green said it's time to begin the "new civil rights era. ... The civil rights battle for this generation is in education."

The racial achievement gap dishonors the civil rights champions of the past, he said. He asserted that 48 percent of GCS' 71,000 students "live in poverty. More than 1,000 are homeless." Honoring King's legacy means equipping them with the education they need. "We must be champions for education and excellence."

Johnson was cited for her support of the Student Human Relations Commission and for striving to improve academics at High Point Central.

It's a tough job at a school where the issues Green mentioned definitely apply. It has challenges. But Klan hoods?

No, as Green found out, that's not in character there. Johnson's award was an affirmation of that, and probably no one was happier for her than the superintendent.

George Will is right that the preclearance provision of the Voting Rights Act is outdated.

Guilford County and many other jurisdictions in the South with histories of racial discrimination are covered. Any and all proposed changes in the election system, including minor adjustments to voting districts, must be submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice for prior approval.

Otherwise, these jurisdictions might implement measures designed to deny minorities a fair opportunity to participate in the electoral process.

Or so some people still seem to think -- recognizing little or no actual progress since 1965.

Of course, that's absurd.

These provisions, when first implemented, could be supported by clear evidence of discrimination.

What does the evidence say today, on the eve of Barack Obama's inauguration?

Contrary to the idea that minority candidates cannot be elected except in districts where minority voters dominate the electorate, Obama won a strong majority of votes in Guilford County Nov. 4.

Furthermore, Sandra Alexander, who is black, won an at-large seat on the Guilford County Board of Education.

Six of the 12 Guilford County District Court judges elected in countywide voting Nov. 4 are black.

Mary Lou Blakeney, who is black, won a seat on the High Point City Council in at-large voting Nov. 4.

Yvonne Johnson, who is black, just announced her intention to run for re-election as Greensboro's mayor, and she'll be favored to win again.

The day when the federal Justice Department has to police elections in Guilford County to make sure black candidates have a fair chance to win is over.

The main thing holding black candidates back, it seems to me, is the reluctance of some to run outside minority districts. Based on the evidence, however, they should realize it is possible for them to win in at-large races as long as they craft a message that appeals to all voters.

Isn't that what all political leaders ought to do anyway?

I don't watch Oprah much, but maybe I ought to.

Jill Biden just dropped a heckuva news bomb on the TV queen's talk show.

Barack Obama offered Joe Biden his choice -- veep or secretary of state, Mrs. Biden said.

Her husband, sitting next to her, turned bright red.

Wow. Was Hillary watching?

Did she know she was second choice to Joe Biden?

Jill Biden explained their decision: The SecState travels all the time. As veep, Biden will be home more and the whole Biden family can participate in official activities.

Whatever.

Maybe Hillary would rather be on the road more, anyway.

Update: A spokeswoman for Joe Biden later refuted Jill Biden's revelation.

She was lying?

Interesting that Joe Biden himself didn't contradict his wife.

My guess is she had it right, but her version has to be officially denied to maintain consistency with Obama's previous statement that Hillary was his first choice as SecState.

My son, Andrew, is on the Mall near the Washington Monument.

"Everybody's excited, but it's really cold," he told me minutes ago.

He's in grad school at George Washington University and has an apartment just a block off Washington Circle, within walking distance. He's only been out for about an hour.

He and his cousins, Belle and Brett McFarland from Tryon, made a last-ditch attempt yesterday to get inauguration tickets from Kay Hagan's Senate office but were hours too late.

"People were lining up at 6 a.m. for the 3 p.m. distribution," he told me yesterday.

Belle and Brett were staying at Belle's apartment in Alexandria with other friends from the University of Tennessee, where Brett's a sophomore. Belle graduated in December and moved to Alexandria. They planned to get an early Metro train into the city this morning -- they began running at 4 -- but didn't quite make that. Andrew thinks they're in by now but he hasn't found them yet.

He had a friend from the suburbs staying with him last night.

Andrew currently has a good view of a Jumbotron, which he said is showing yesterday's concert. But it's too cold to stand in one place for long. "I'll have to move around," he said. So far the crowd isn't too densely packed to prevent that.

I'll try to update.

Update, 1 p.m. Very good speech. Maybe no single line that will be associated with this inaugural address, although I think President Obama's declaration of a "new era of responsibility" captures the essence of his message.

Andrew enjoyed the experience of watching from the Mall.

"It was something to be there for," he told me a few minutes ago.

To him, what stood out about the speech was the pledge to preserve security without giving up our ideals, and to return science to its rightful place.

He's studying international science and technology policy.

Andrew plans to get together with friends later but for now, "Im going home for a little while to warm up."

Everyone is familiar with John F. Kennedy's famous phrase from his 1961 Inaugural Address:

"And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."

As I read Barack Obama's Inaugural Address this afternoon, after listening on TV live, it occurred to me he was telling his fellow Americans:

"Ask what your country can do for you, and what you can do for your country."

Through his long campaign, during the transition, and in his first speech as president, Obama has promised that government will do more for Americans in the years ahead. He's said, in so many words, that Americans have a right to demand more (and better) from their government.

"For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act -- not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do."

But he also said today:

"For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies."

Obama exhorted Americans to follow the examples of their predecessors -- risk-takers, makers of things, pioneers, laborers -- whose hard work and sacrifice built this nation.

It was an honest speech, and as he follows through, its implications are bound to disappoint many of his supporters. Contrary to their hopes, government will not meet all their needs or solve all of their problems.

Something as basic as "a parent's willingness to nurture a child," Obama said, contributes to the nation's success.

I would add, as perhaps he meant to imply, that the unwillingness of parents has led to many of our social ills today.

I believe Obama also signaled that government cannot and will not bail out everyone. You don't make a positive reference to risk-takers unless you mean to accept, at times, the consequences of failure.

The president must find the right balance. Government has a role -- a greater role -- in policing the markets, he warned. But he must know that overregulation could stifle the creativity and energy that propelled our economy to greatness in the first place.

Hard choices have to be made. To his credit, Obama didn't sweeten the task ahead.

He did invoke the hand of Divine Providence more than I expected -- especially considering his reference to our nation of "Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and nonbelievers."

"This is the source of our confidence," he said near the end of his generally hopeful address, "the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny."

And in his final sentence, a reference to "God's grace upon us."

That presumably is God's grace upon us as a government and as a people -- a nation.

Frankly, I think Chief Justice John Roberts turned in a poor performance today.

He had a key role -- probably second-most important of the day -- to administer the oath of office.

He blew it ... not once, not twice but three times ... in less than a minute.

The oath is short and sweet.

Roberts' first error was slight. He paused just momentarily in stating the first line ... but just long enough for Barack Obama to begin repeating. Then Roberts barged ahead, forcing Obama to halt.

But Roberts blew the words, misplacing "faithfully," again throwing Obama off stride.

Finally, with the oath completed, Roberts asked: "So help you God?"

That sentence is not part of the oath. There's been a long tradition of presidents adding, "So help me God."

If Obama wanted to add that, it was entirely up to him to do so. He didn't need Roberts setting him up.

Here's an AP story on the oath snafu.

So, how did a smart guy like Roberts go astray?

Maybe just trying to quote the words from memory rather than read from notes.

"Hey, I'm the chief justice of the Supreme Court. I know the whole constitution by heart."

Yeah, right.

Then again, Obama voted against Roberts' confirmation by the Senate (probably for no reason other than partisan politics).

Payback?

These two might have more words over the next few years.

My column today:

“That’s where we have Bible study,” the young woman said, pointing to a comfortable common room in Mary’s House, a residential drug-treatment facility.

Mary’s House is a faith-based ministry that takes in homeless women and their young children for up to two years, while administering comprehensive substance-abuse treatment.

It was one of a dozen private agencies I visited one day last week, tagging along with members of the Community Resource Board. The tour was led by Susan Crotts and Shawna Tillery of the city’s Department of Housing and Community Development.

The agencies had at least two things in common.

They all play a role in preventing homelessness, along with providing other services.

And they all receive city grants. They operate, in part, with public funds.

Most of the agencies also share another trait. Like Mary’s House, they build their work on a foundation of religious conviction.

They include, of course, The Salvation Army, which is an evangelical Christian church as well as provider of social services; and Greensboro Urban Ministry, which declares its mission to be expressing “the love of God to people in need through practical action in the Greater Greensboro area.”

The other faith-based organizations on our tour were Guilford Interfaith Hospitality Network, The Servant Center, Jericho House, Malachi House, Joseph’s House and Room at the Inn.

Guilford Interfaith Hospitality Network hosts homeless families in area churches.

The Servant Center is located between two churches on Lexington Avenue and interacts frequently with them.

At Jericho House, volunteer treasurer Jack Alford invited us to return for Bible study or Sunday morning worship with residents, who stay for up to seven months while they make the transition from prison to the community.

“We also encourage them to develop a strong spiritual foundation, and offer them an opportunity for church attendance, devotionals and Bible study,” the agency’s literature states.

Malachi House, which provides a multitude of services and opportunities for troubled men, was founded by a minister and occupies a former church.

Joseph’s House likewise is directed by a minister.

Room at the Inn serves “single, abandoned, homeless, pregnant women” with a mission to “answer the call of Christ to respect and affirm life. ...”

My impression is that these all are extraordinary agencies working hard to meet real needs in the community.

The city recognizes the value of their services, which is why it supplies some of their funding.

But what about that religious component? Does that violate the doctrine of separating church from state (or city)?

I’m not bothered for a moment by the idea, but anyone who is should put his or her mind at ease.

City money comes with strings attached. The most important is that recipient organizations cannot discriminate or deny services on account of religious beliefs. They can’t require anyone to participate in religious activities.

Clearly, they can “encourage.” They can create an environment where participation might be expected. They can design programs that incorporate an element of spiritual development.

In large part, that’s what makes them successful.

It can’t be overlooked, either, that these agencies might not — probably would not — exist if people weren’t motivated by their own faith to create and operate them.

Take Jericho House, a transitional home for as many as six men at a time. It is staffed entirely by volunteers. It runs on about $25,000 a year, about one-third of which comes from the city, Alford said. The rest comes from foundation grants, board members’ pockets and fees paid by the residents from their own earnings.

Twenty-five thousand dollars a year to house and feed six men. Each one would cost taxpayers that much or more in prison.

Those men are not required to participate in Bible study or worship services. They aren’t even required to stay.

“Early on, we had one guy come in the front door, put his stuff down, go out the back door, and we never saw him again,” Alford said.

But two-thirds of the men who stay at Jericho House for at least a couple of months don’t go back to prison.

I have a notion that Bible study and worship probably contribute to that success rate.
A little faith can be good public policy.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to call me at 373-7039, send me an email at dgclark@news-record.com or post a comment here.

Bernardo Murcia Hueto had a fair trial.

He was convicted in Randolph County Superior Court of two counts of first-degree rape and six counts of statutory rape.

The victims were the 12- and 14-year-old daughters of his girlfriend.

Reviewing the case, the N.C. Court of Appeals found no error in his trial. The convictions stand, unless overturned by a higher court.

His sentencing, however, was a different matter.

Judge John O. Craig III, a High Point judge presiding in Randolph County for this trial in October 2007, sentenced Hueto to eight consecutive terms in prison totaling 1,384 to 1,736 months.

That's a minimum of more than 115 years and a maximum of more than 144 years.

In its ruling issued today, the Court of Appeals remanded the case for re-sentencing.

On what grounds?

"We conclude that it can be reasonably inferred from the trial court's pre-trial remarks that, in sentencing Defendant, the court improperly considered Defendant's exercise of his constitutional right to demand a trial by jury," the opinion written by Judge Linda Stephens and joined by Chief Judge John Martin and Judge Jim Wynn said.

That's a serious issue.

Case records show that, before the trial began, Craig warned the defendant that going to trial rather than pleading guilty to the charges, "will compel me to give you more than a single (felony) B-1 sentence, and I would have to give you at least two ... and maybe more."

In fact, said the Court of Appeals, Craig misstated the law, which says the judge "may consolidate the offenses for judgment and impose a single judgment for the consolidated offenses."

In other words, Craig was not compelled to impose eight consecutive sentences, or even two consecutive sentences, as he had told Hueto.

"We are of the opinion that the trial court's decision to impose eight consecutive sentences was partially based on Defendant's decision to plead not guilty," the court said. "Accordingly, this case must be remanded for re-sentencing."

I get it that Craig had more sentencing discretion that he let on. I also get it that he implied it would go tougher on the defendant if he pleaded not guilty rather than guilty.

At the same time, Hueto did decide to take his chances. He was not deterred by Craig's warning from pleading not guilty. Craig clearly emphasized that the defendant had the right to do so.

I've always thought it was a given that if you plead guilty you get off easier, just for saving the state the time and trouble of a trial. Even the victims might be happier with that, especially in this type of case where the victims are minors.

But, yes, it makes sense that a defendant shouldn't be punished for claiming his right to a jury trial. How is this apparent contradiction reconciled?

At any rate, the case against Hueto was apparently rock solid. The record says he was having sex with a 14-year-old girl, and after she got pregnant, went after her 12-year-old sister. What a scuzzy lowlife.

Now it looks like he'll get a sentencing break. At least he can end up with a lot less than 115 years and still not pose a threat to little girls ever again.

You know, I think a Sen. Caroline Kennedy might have been refreshing. I miss her already.

Now, back to New York politics as usual.

Legal proceedings against alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed appeared to be working toward a conclusion this week.

Now they're not.

Everything's on hold for at least 120 days but really in limbo until someone finds a better way to deal with suspected terrorists captured overseas -- and a better place to keep them.

President Obama will sign an order directing the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility within a year. That keeps a campaign promise and responds to widespread condemnation of the prison.

The Bush administration, it seems, did everything wrong.

What I haven't yet heard, however, is what's the right thing to do.

This has been a dilemma from the beginning: what to do with al-Qaida terrorists, Taliban fighters and others captured in Afghanistan, Pakistan or elsewhere on the global battlefield. Treat them as prisoners of war? But when is the war over? As criminals? Can you bring evidence and witnesses from the shadowy foreign corners where terrorists operate into U.S. courts, following all the normal rules of procedure and affording all the usual rights to the accused?

The case of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, an engineering graduate of N.C. A&T, will be an interesting test. He's confessed and may have provided useful intelligence about al-Qaida operations, but also was interrogated by waterboarding -- which the Obama administration considers a form of torture, which will be prohibited.

Should Mohammed's confession therefore be discarded? Without his confession, would there be sufficient evidence to convict him of crimes related to 9/11 in a civilian court? It will be hard to explain to the families of 9/11 victims, and the country, if this guy goes free on a legal technicality.

And what's this talk about farming out Guantanamo prisoners to other countries? I've heard Portugal, Ireland and Sweden mentioned. I'm at a loss there. Is that simply handing over responsibility to someone else? Who would guarantee that detainees wouldn't be released to rejoin their terrorist organizations?

"These are questions Obama's advisers are now grappling with, namely how to stream these detainees into the established U.S. justice system," Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty said in a report today. "The AP news agency has reported that they are even considering setting up a new 'national security court' system that would be able to take evidence from military commissions that might be inadmissible in a U.S. federal court."

I have a feeling that, whatever is done, there will be plenty of critics saying it's wrong.

Gary Pearce on "Hagan's Labor Pains."

The long-time Democratic guru wonders whether party money compels the new senator to toe the labor union line.

Pay freeze for White House employees earning $100K or more? They just started this week. When did they expect a raise, next week?

The possibility of Greensboro getting the 2011 U.S. Figure Skating Championships makes me wish Tonya Harding were still around. Now there was a competitor. Those were the sport's good old days.

I bought tickets for the Davidson-UNCG game at the coliseum Feb. 5 to support the Spartans' basketball ambitions and to see the Wildcats' Stephen Curry in person. I'm afraid, though, it will be such a lopsided contest that Curry will get to take it easy.

All the news in North Carolina was Gov. Bev Perdue -- for a few days after her inauguration Jan. 10. Now the news -- here and everywhere -- is all Obama, all the time.

Will Duke be the next and third No. 1 among Tobacco Road rivals, following Carolina and Wake Forest? What state has ever had three No. 1's in the same month? More importantly, which one of those three will get to start NCAA tournament play in the Greensboro Coliseum March 19?

Kirsten Gillibrand? Who's she? Well, give David Paterson credit: He's didn't tap the big-city political machine like they would have done in Illinois.

Charles Davenport Jr. writes today about "an episode of intolerance at Elon."

Discussion?

Sorry to have missed the Plymouth Ice Festival again this year.

It's the winter highlight in the Metro Detroit-area town where my sister and her family live.

They have the right temperature for it ... although it's balmy compared to the one time we did attend, about 15 years ago.

Most of that weekend was subzero, with a low of about 16 below.

That'll keep the sculptures icy.

From Amanda Lehmert's news story about the shooting death of an A&T student at Campus Courtyard apartments on Homestead Avenue:

“We heard the gunshots,” said neighbor and A&T junior Kendra Webb. “We didn’t think nothing about it because it happens all the time.”

“It’s ridiculous. I want to leave,” she said.

If gunshots happen all the time, where's the security to put a stop to it?

The victim, 22-year-old Dennis Hayle, was a few months from graduation.

What a tragic waste of human potential.

Condolences to his family and friends.

What's it going to take the prevent the next shooting?

Tanzania's government is trying to put an end to the killing of albinos for their body parts ...

... which are thought to have magical properties.

Earlier efforts apparently haven't succeeded.

A New York Times report from last year ...

This is not the kind of "cultural difference" that necessarily ought to be respected.

House Republicans got it backward today: They stirred themselves up to oppose President Obama's stimulus bill before meeting with him.

Afterward, they sounded a bit more conciliatory, WaPo reports, although no GOPers are pledging support.

This is a political dilemma. If they join Democrats, and the plan works, Republicans won't get much credit for simply tagging along. If they join and it fails, they'll share the blame.

Only if they fight the plan and it fails can they hope to gain some political advantage. But even then it would help to have a viable alternative. Plus, it would be unseemly to crow about a snowballing recession -- particularly when the roots of the economic collapse can't be tied to Obama anyway.

Republicans ought to have their own plan to propose as a substitute. When Democrats vote it down, Republicans can express regret that the Democrats rejected bipartisanship ...

... and then they should vote for Obama's plan in the name of national unity.

We'll all sink or swim together.

There's an old military expression that good generals march to the sound of the guns.

Police Chief Tim Bellamy announced that policy today.

Where gunfire occurs, someone is liable to get shot.

If Greensboro's gunslingers know that police will respond every time, maybe they'll be less inclined to pull the trigger.

My column today:

Among the many confident statements delivered by President Barack Obama in his inaugural address last week, this one may be tested most often:

“As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.”

Poor Al Sharpton. The would-be leader of black America has been made irrelevant by the black leader of America.

Today's AP story about the greening of New Orleans includes a point of irritation to me.

The city used a $15 million federal grant to acquire a fleet of 39 hybrid buses.

Awesome. Only $384,615 each.

The same money spent on housing, at a generous $100,000 per unit, could provide new homes for 150 families.

Which is really the more pressing need for New Orleans?

From Mark's story today about interest in tightening auto emission standards for new cars sold in North Carolina:

"Automakers and environmentalists argue over exactly how much cost would be added to the car, but numbers range from $1,000 to $4,000."

Maybe the bill would be titled: "An act to put North Carolina new car dealers out of business."

If indeed new cars sold in North Carolina would have to meet stricter standards, two consequences immediately come to mind:

More North Carolinians will purchase new cars out of state.

And more North Carolinians will hold on to their old cars longer.

If so, not only will there be a negative economic effect in North Carolina, but the potential environmental gains would be negated.

This is why it makes more sense to apply regulations of this type nationwide, not state by state.

State Rep. Pricey Harrison, who really is one of our best Guilford County legislators, is a champion of this effort. She's all for environmental progress, which is commendable.

But I think this approach has more problems than promise.

New cars aren't even the major offenders when it comes to emissions. Our air has been improving for years because new cars run cleaner. If anything, the state should crack down on older cars -- which it actually exempts from emissions inspections -- and take steps to encourage consumers to buy new cars, even with current emissions guidelines.

It's also a mistake, in my opinion, to look only at tailpipe emissions and ignore how much one drives. You might have a gas-guzzler but keep it parked in your driveway most of the time. How much harm is it doing?

I can brag about driving a clean-running, fuel-efficient little car, but the fact is I have a 35-mile round-trip daily commute. In the past, I drove cars that were less economical, but I only had to drive one mile to work. Which was more environmentally responsible?

Should the state simply restrict the amount of gasoline you can use?

Then, what to do with out-of-state drivers? Is it fair for North Carolina to place greater regulatory burdens on its own residents than on visitors? How about inspection stations at the state line?

"Where are you folks headed?"

"To the beach for vacation."

"Wrong. Your SUV doesn't meet our emissions standards. Please turn around and pollute your own state. We don't want you here."

Before you know it, we'll have cleaner air ... and beaches.

Here, in its entirety, is one of the most dramatic proposals in Mo Green's strategic plan:

"GCS will provide quality, timely and cost-effective support to schools by reorganizing the schools and district resources into geographic regions.

" * GCS central office administrators will collaborate with regional superintendents to set outcomes and standards of consistency. Each region, including the Enrichment Region, will have support teams that provide direct and specific services to the schools and work with the communities in each region. Launch date: August 2009.

"Provide additional district support to selected schools.

" * GSC will establish an Enrichment Region to provide additional support and resources for our most impacted schools. This region will have a regional superintendent and corresponding team to provide supervision and support. The regional superintendent will report directly to the district superintendent and will have the authority to make nontraditional decisions based on the particular needs of the schools served. Launch date: August 2009."

Sixteen years after merger of the old Greensboro, High Point and Guilford County school systems, this proposed change says the consolidated model is NOT acceptably effective.

Smaller administrative units may be better.

Will they? Green thinks decentralization has worked well in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, where he helped implement a similar change.

What will the new arrangement look like in Guilford County? That's a good question, to which no answers have yet been given.

There could be from three to five regions, Green says. I would expect High Point more or less to be a separate region, but that's only a guess.

This won't be back to the future, however. Or forward to the past. For one thing, there will still be just one board of education and one uber-superintendent.

Personally, I think the idea has merit if the regional chiefs are authorized to make important decisions that recognize and respond to local needs and concerns. Principals might feel more closely supported and parents and the public will have a chance to see more of the regional decider.

Can it be implemented without increasing administrative costs? It better, because with all the other goals in Mo's plan, more money for bureaucracy is a no-go.

It's beginning to dawn on me how George W. Bush failed to fend off this economic collapse.

He didn't stimulate.

If only, in his State of the Union message two years ago, he'd proposed spending a trillion or two to support the U.S. automakers, prop up the banks and other financial institutions, save homeowners struggling to make mortgage payments, multiply funding for state governments and local school systems and inflate just about every other federal spending program.

If only he'd declared that the U.S. government needed to run the economy.

He would have explained that only Washington had the unlimited supply of money needed to keep the engines of commerce in high gear; that only Washington had the wisdom to know which buttons to push and which levers to pull.; that money spent by government, no matter how, where or why, was always beneficial for the economy; that this was the only way to save existing jobs and create new ones.

He would have been hailed as a savior for clearly seeing the looming threat to the economy and for putting forward bold and decisive measures to address it.

Some might have expressed concerns about raising the budget deficit to enormous levels. Some might have decried the emergence of a state economy as the destruction of capitalism and the free market system. Some might have thought Bush was simply losing his mind.

But, perhaps he would have convinced enough leaders in Congress to win support for his plans, and this massive government intervention would have prevented the job loss, bankruptcies, foreclosures and other disasters afflicting our country today.

Because that didn't happen, all these dramatic steps are needed now to pull us out of the hole. The exact same remedy, and only the exact same remedy, enacted two years earlier could have averted the crisis in the first place.

Who knew?

Phil Berger, Republican leader in the N.C. Senate, sent this statement yesterday:

“Now is the time for a bipartisan effort to remake North Carolina’s government from the ground up.

"Democrat Senator Marc Basnight’s speech, accepting his nomination to an eighth term as President Pro Tempore of the North Carolina Senate, shows he is aware of the litany of problems facing North Carolina’s citizens.

“The Democrats did not support any of the Senate Republican’s good government proposals to reform and open the operation of the Senate. Unfortunately, this failure indicates a continuation of past practices in which Democrat leaders dictate the operations of an extremely partisan Senate from behind closed doors. Senate Democrats still refuse to accept the lessons to be learned from the embarrassing tenure of Democrat Speaker of the House Jim Black; those lessons include a need for open debate and transparency in management of the state’s business.

“Senate Republicans are encouraged by the efforts of Governor Perdue and Lieutenant Governor Dalton to reach across the aisle. Senate Republicans will reach out to Governor Perdue and Lieutenant Governor Dalton to seek new, innovative, and bipartisan solutions to the problems facing our state. It is our hope that the Senate Democrats will heed Barack Obama’s call in his inaugural address to end, ‘…the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.’”

I believe Berger is wise to reach out to Gov. Perdue, who 1) is so far acting in a very reasonable and professional manner in dealing with tough problems; and 2) knows if she does build good rapport with Republicans, her re-election campaign might be a little easier.

Berger seems to be realistic about Senate Democrats. They won't change their ways. Marc Basnight is their leader for life, the state's most powerful politician elected by the fewest people. He may as well be a majority of one in the Senate.

So, if Senate Republicans have useful ideas for meeting the many challenges facing the state, they should pitch them straight to the governor. Hopefully, she'll listen, incorporate promising suggestions ... and won't be ignored by the Senate majority.

Al Gore spoke to Congress yesterday to warn about our future.

Meanwhile, Sarah Palin prepares to announce her presidential candidacy.

If President Obama is looking for someone to offer our apology to Iran, he might consider John Edwards. He's experienced, and needs a job.

I wrote about meeting Seth Crawford last June when he was participating in a journalism workshop at our place. I was impressed with him, and have been following his running career at Northwest Guilford.

He and some friends plan on quite a bit of running tomorrow -- 63 miles across Guilford and Caswell counties, according to Robert Bell's story today. They're raising money for relief work in Haiti, where he went on a mission trip last year.

Seth wrote about his experiences in Haiti for us in September.

Seth placed second in the state 4A cross-country championships in November, leading the Vikings to a third-place team finish. I expect he'll run at the college level next year ... and continue serving others along the way.

I wish him and his friends soft roads tomorrow.

This woman who just had eight babies ...

Isn't she just doing her part to stimulate the economy?

I mean, talk about an increase in Gross Domestic Product.

The story of the California woman whose brood suddenly increased from six kids to 14 has prompted all kinds of consternation.

There's plenty of outrage, of course: She's grossly irresponsible! With six kids already, how can she have eight more? Who's going to pay for them? Where's the father(s)? Is she insane? Who allowed her to do this?

There's also serious debate about the propriety of the medical assistance she received to accomplish her extraordinary feat. Why would doctors provide fertility treatment to a woman who already had six children?

I suppose the answer to that is, because she asked them to.

She was exercising her reproductive rights. Why would anyone refuse?

Normally, the term "reproductive rights" is used in a negative context, referring to a woman's right NOT to have children. She's entitled to contraceptive assistance and access to abortion if she accidentally does become pregnant.

At the same time, it's taken for granted that a woman also has the right to have children.

And to seek medical help in her pursuit of pregnancy.

Is it the medical professional's place to apply his or her own judgment to the woman's motives or circumstances? Doing so would place someone else's restraints on the woman's reproductive rights, on her right to choose.

Rights are rights, right?

It's the woman's choice to make.

Once these rights are accepted as legally valid, as they have been in our society, they can't be revoked simply because a particular woman's choice strikes most of us as unwise or even improper.

It's obviously this woman's choice to have a lot of children. She has chosen to take maximum advantage of her reproductive rights.

And she's only 33. Time for many, many more babies ... if she wants.

Anyone want to say she doesn't have the right?