NORTH CAROLINA LEADERS DISCOURAGE BLACK STUDENTS FROM ENGAGING IN PEACEFUL FERGUSON PROTESTS (KKK & THE NAACP)

#NorthCarolina

BLACK COLLEGE STUDENTS IN NORTH CAROLINA DISCOURAGED FROM ENGAGING IN PEACEFUL PROTESTS TO SUPPORT FERGUSON:

THE KLAN & SCARED BLACK LEADERS KEEP A TIGHT LOCK ON BLACK PEOPLE IN NORTH CAROLINA.

NORTH CAROLINA IS STILL RULED BY THE KLU KLUX KLAN.

As Hundreds of Thousand of Young People engaged in Nationwide Peaceful Protests Monday night and Tuesday to show Solidarity and support for FERGUSON.........

In NORTH CAROLINA you only heard Crickets.

Crickets and the voice of a North Carolina NAACP President
(Dr William Barber).

BLACK College Students in NC were basically Discouraged from engaging in Peaceful Protests as a public show of Solidarity for FERGUSON.

You see in NORTH CAROLINA the KKK still Controls every facet of State and Local Government entities.

You see in NORTH CAROLINA the KKK also Controls BLACK Leaders.

In fact there are some areas of NORTH CAROLINA that no BLACK Human Being would dare to venture.

Especially at night because they may go missing, or they might be LYNCHED!

Wait a minute!

Is this NORTH CAROLINA in the 19th Century or the 21st Century??

I am indeed referring to 21st Century NORTH CAROLINA!

The BLACK Leaders in this region don't want to admit it because they are SCARED and ASHAMED, but it's 100% TRUE!

Whenever BLACK People want to Peacefully Protest in this State it is Only allowed for POLITICAL reasons, such as the "Moral Mondays" Protests.

The NAACP-led "Moral Mondays" Protests conducted earlier this year, were used to help U.S. Senator KAY HAGAN maintain her seat in Congress.

Well this Political tactic backfired and HAGAN lost to her GOP Opponent THOM TILLIS.

So other than for POLITICAL reasons, BLACK Citizens in NORTH CAROLINA are NOT allowed to engage in Peaceful Protests.

Especially in the Cities of CHARLOTTE.......DURHAM.......and GREENSBORO.

GREENSBORO is the North Carolina KLAN Headquarters location.

While CHARLOTTE and DURHAM are Centuries old safe havens for the KLAN.

Whenever BLACK People in NORTH CAROLINA attempt to rise up and Speak up for their U.S. CONSTITUTIONAL Rights, the WHITE Leaders in North Carolina call on NAACP Leaders to Shut us down!

Or the WHITE Leaders in North Carolina call on NAACP Leaders to Slander us........BLACK List us and Label us as "CRAZY" & "Troublemakers".

Thus I repeat..........

BLACK COLLEGE STUDENTS IN NORTH CAROLINA NOT ALLOWED TO JOIN IN PEACEFUL FERGUSON PROTESTS:

THE KLAN & SCARED BLACK LEADERS KEEP A TIGHT LOCK ON BLACK PEOPLE IN NORTH CAROLINA.

NORTH CAROLINA IS STILL RULED BY THE KLU KLUX KLAN.

Article Sources: Russia Today; WRAL; Youtube

ARTICLE: "NCCU Students Have Subdued Reaction To Ferguson Decision"

For the dozens of students gathered at N.C. Central University Monday night to watch the Ferguson grand jury announcement, they already had a sense of what the decision would be.

When it was announced that the grand jury will not indict Ferguson, Mo. police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown, their reaction was subdued.

"I don't think any of this was ever set up to bring an indictment," said Jordan Perry, a NCCU junior who watched the announcement in the school’s James E. Shepard Memorial Library. "We can tell just from the delays that have been going on. I think everybody kinda already knew. We were just kinda holding on to a scrap of hope that maybe something positive would happen but I think we already knew.”

Fabiola Doissaint, a NCCU sophomore, didn't agree with the verdict.

"I just feel bad for Ferguson right now," she said. "To me, this seems unrealistic to me. This is crazy right now. Ferguson will not sleep tonight."

The grand jury's decision was announced by St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch shortly after 9 p.m. Monday.

"Our only goal was that our investigations would be thorough and complete to give to the grand jury, the (U.S.) Department of Justice and public all the evidence to make a fair decision," McCulloch said.

President Barack Obama, who spoke from The White House following the announcement, said disagreement is expected, no matter the grand jury's decision.

"We are a nation built on the rule of law," he said during a live media briefing. "And so we need to accept that this decision was the grand jury's to make. There are Americans who agree with it and Americans who are deeply disappointed, even angry. It's an understandable reaction."

Obama urged protesters to do so peacefully.

“Let me repeat Michael’s father’s words, hurting others or destroying property is not the answer," he said. "No matter what the grand jury decides, I don’t want my son’s death to be in vain. I want it to lead to incredible change, positive change. Change that makes the St. Louis area better for everyone.”

The anticipation of possible protests led Ferguson school officials to cancel school on Tuesday.

Several vigils and protests are planned across the Triangle and throughout the country on Tuesday. N.C. NAACP President William Barber, who has traveled to Ferguson and met with community leaders there, will share his reaction during a news conference Tuesday morning.

A vigil will be held at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Ferguson protests made international headlines for weeks following the Aug. 9 confrontation between Wilson and Brown, which inflamed tensions between the city’s majority black residents and majority white police force.

During the initial protests, local law enforcement – dressed in riot gear and carrying militarized weapons and vehicles – were criticized for what some perceived was a heavy-handed response, prompting the Missouri State Highway Patrol to oversee police efforts. The Missouri National Guard were also called in to help quell the riots and violence.

Locally, the Ferguson protests were a reminder of the multiple marches after the death of Jesus Huerta, 17, who died in November 2013 after shooting himself while handcuffed in the back of a Durham police car. The marches resulted in multiple arrests and damage to police cars and a police building.

Hundreds attended peaceful Ferguson protests and marches in Durham and Raleigh in August.

Wilson, the police officer, encountered Brown when he told the teenager and another person walking in the street with him to move out of the roadway, according to Brown’s autopsy report from the St. Louis County Medical Examiner's Office.

“The deceased became belligerent towards Officer Wilson,” the report said. “As Officer Wilson attempted to exit out of his patrol vehicle, the deceased pushed his door shut and began to struggle with Officer Wilson. Officer Wilson had his service weapon drawn, as the deceased began to run towards him, he discharged his service weapon several times.”

Witnesses said Brown, who was shot six times, was killed while his hands were up, or while he was running away.

The claim led to the protest slogan “hands up, don’t shoot,” which was echoed across the country. During an August protest in Durham, attendees raised their arms in the air and held signs that read “don’t shoot.”

Days later in Raleigh, about 70 people chanted “hands up, don’t shoot” and held their arms in the air while marching on the sidewalk from the old Wake County courthouse to the state Supreme Court building.

The shooting also prompted a federal civil rights investigation. U.S. Department of Justice officials said civil rights charges against Wilson are unlikely, according to The Washington Post.

Wilson faced potential charges that ranged from second-degree involuntary manslaughter, punishable by up to four years in prison, to first-degree murder.


ARTICLE: "NC NAACP: Michael Brown's Family Didn't Have Advocate"

Leaders of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP responded Tuesday morning to a St. Louis County grand jury's decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, saying the decision was an "indictment and a charge against a system that is not willing to fully address the racial and discriminatory flaws that exist."

Speaking at a 10 a.m. news conference, NAACP President William Barber railed against a judicial system that he says perpetuates discrimination and the criminalization of black men.

"It's an indictment on a district attorney who was elected to be an advocate for the people and the search of truth as opposed to an advocate for the perpetrator," Barber said of the decision not to indict Wilson. "Mike Brown's family did not have an advocate in the secret rooms of the grand jury."

Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch said the jury of nine whites and three blacks met on 25 separate days over three months, hearing more than 70 hours of testimony from about 60 witnesses, including three medical examiners and experts on blood, toxicology and firearms.

"They are the only people that have heard and examined every witness and every piece of evidence," McCullough said, adding that the jurors "poured their hearts and soul into this process."

After the announcement that Wilson would not be charged, violence erupted in the streets of St. Louis County. There were 61 arrests in Ferguson overnight, many for burglary and trespassing, and there were 21 more arrests in St. Louis, where protestors broke some store windows.

At least 14 people were injured during the violent night.

At Tuesday's news conference in Raleigh, Barber cautioned journalists in attendance about how they cover the protests.

"There is something underneath the protests. We have to deal with the fact, and we have to put this front and center," he said. "The reality of racial injustice in our system are not figments of people's imaginations. America cannot ignore the cry, the pain, the hurt."

Barber also called for reforms to the justice system that he said gives police officers "too much power." He said the NAACP and other civil rights groups are asking for reforms that will stop police abuse and require mandatory training on racial bias and the use of force. Barber also said every police officer should be required to wear cameras on their bodies to record every encounter with a civilian.

"A police officer is the only one I know that can knock on my door, hand a piece of paper to me and take my son out of my house in handcuffs and I don't do everything I can to stop him," he said. "That's power."

DARREN WILSON SUPPORTED BY KLU KLUX KLAN MEMBERS IN FERGUSON

WHY ARE KLU KLUX KLAN MEMBERS SHOWING UP IN FERGUSON??

While FERGUSON Police Officer DARREN WILSON waits on edge for a Grand Jury Verdict, MICHAEL BROWN waits in a Cold Grave.

Article Sources: Daily Mail, Yahoo News

ARTICLE: "EXCLUSIVE: Pro-Darren Wilson demonstrators face claims of KKK infiltration after ‘imperial wizard’ apparently spotted by anti-police demonstrators"

***Activist group Anonymous claim to have identified Frank Ancona, Imperial Wizard of the Traditionalist American Knights of the KKK.

***He and two other KKK members appear to have been at pro-Darren Wilson protest in Ferguson, Missouri.

***No suggestion organizers suspected any KKK involvement in protests.

***Town is flashpoint as grand jury about to decide on whether to indict officer who killed teenager Michael Brown.

KLU KLUX KLAN Members may have infiltrated groups supporting Ferguson police officer DARREN WILSON, it can be disclosed.

Supporters for Darren Wilson have removed a photograph from their Facebook page in which activist group Anonymous claim to identify three members of the Ku Klux Klan.

Anonymous seized two of the Ku Klux Klan’s twitter accounts yesterday after the Klan distributed fliers threatening the use of ‘lethal force’ should violence erupt in the wake of Ferguson Grand Jury’s decision on whether to indict Wilson.

Now, as part of Anon Cop Watch, the group has circulated numerous photographs ‘unhooding’ Klan members.

Among them is one showing 13 members of the St Louis Klan. It is set shown alongside an image of a rally held in support of Darren Wilson rally in which, they claim, three Klan members feature prominently.

One of them appears to be Frank Ancona, Imperial Wizard of the Traditionalist American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in Missouri and the man behind the recent fliers.

It is just the latest escalation of the racial tensions that were ignited this summer when officer Wilson shot dead unarmed teenager Michael Brown, 18.

Protesters adopted the slogan ‘Hands Up Don’t Shoot’ - a reference to witness accounts claiming that Brown had his hands up when Wilson let off his fatal volley on August 9.

Less than two minutes elapsed between Wilson, 28, stopping Brown and friend, Dorian Johnson, as they walked down the middle of Canfield Road which snakes down from the main drag of West Florissant, and shooting Brown dead.

In the three months since that day Ferguson has been riven by violence, protest, gunfire and looting.

Brown’s own parents have consistently distanced themselves from the violence that saw protesters and police clash as battle lines were drawn near the scene of the shooting across night after night of riots.

But, with the Ferguson Grand Jury expected to deliver its verdict on whether or not to indict Wilson on a murder charge this week, the FBI have described violent civil unrest as ‘inevitable.’

Governor Jay Nixon’s decision to declare a State of Emergency and activated the National Guard on Monday was seen by many as confirmation that a decision from the Grand Jury is imminent.

And prosecutor Bob McCulloch has always maintained that a verdict would be reached by mid to late November.

But leaks reported by the St Louis Dispatch, which suggest that the officer will not be indicted, have only heightened the likelihood of violent reprisal.

As Mail Online reported, ‘militant resistance group’ the Black Rebels has boasted of being ‘war ready,’ and stockpiling high caliber ammunition.

While the Ku Klux Klan leaflets distributed in Ferguson and the surrounding towns suggest a similar readiness for violence.

LENNON LEE LACY - Was He Lynched By The North Carolina Klu Klux Klan?? It Was Not Suicide!

Was 17 yr old LENNON LEE LACY Lynched last Summer by the NORTH CAROLINA Klu Klux Klan??

LENNON'S Death was Not due to "SUICIDE".

Instead it was a 21st Century LYNCHING!

Although it's the year 2014, please note that Klan activity in NORTH CAROLINA is once again on the rise.

Although it's the year 2014, please note that NORTH CAROLINA remains one of the most RACIST States in the United States, equally comparable in RACISM to FERGUSON, Missouri!

Although it's the year 2014, please note that Klan activity in NORTH CAROLINA is once again on the rise.

Although it's the year 2014, please note that NORTH CAROLINA remains one of the most RACIST States in the United States, equally comparable in RACISM to FERGUSON, Missouri!

The OBAMA Admin doesn't care because the OBAMA Admin only cares about BLACK People when it is time for another Election.

Especially Not BLACK Boys and BLACK Men!

ERIC HOLDER sincerely cared about BLACK People in America, however the rest of OBAMA'S Admin doesn't really give a D_ _ N!

Article Source below: WRAL


NORTH CAROLINA NAACP WANTS FEDERAL INVESTIGATION INTO BLACK TEEN'S HANGING DEATH:

The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP is calling for a Federal investigation into what it believes is the "race-based homicide" of a black 17-year-old Bladen County boy who was found hanging from a swing set this past summer.

Investigators ruled the death of Lennon Lee Lacy – found Aug. 29 on a playground in Bladenboro – a suicide, but Lacy's family and the NAACP are questioning the police investigation, saying detectives rushed to reach a conclusion and did not fully investigate all possible leads.

"What has concerned the family and us is the local authorities' seemingly impatient desire for easy answers," state NAACP President Rev. William Barber told reporters at a news conference in Raleigh Tuesday. "Questions remain."

Barber said he met with U.S. Attorney Thomas Walker for nearly 90 minutes Tuesday and that Walker said he will "thoroughly review" the request to determine if and how the U.S. Department of Justice should be involved.

Bladen County's district attorney, Jon David, defended the local investigation in a statement Tuesday afternoon, saying a preliminary review found that "it appears to be detailed, thorough and professional" and that both the State Bureau of Investigation and Bladenboro Police Department "have my office's absolute confidence."

"My office and the investigating agencies have been, and remain, receptive to reviewing any and all information that would shed light on the circumstances surrounding Lacy's death," David said.

"In a show of transparency, we welcome federal investigators to review our file and join in the investigation if they so choose," David added. "At this point, my office has not been presented with any evidence to suggest that there was any foul play in the death of Lennon Lacy."

Lacy's mother, Claudia Lacy, spoke at Tuesday's news conference, saying that she's willing to accept the findings that her son killed himself but only after a more comprehensive investigation addresses other leads and information that haven't been thoroughly reviewed.

"God has prepared me for all things," she said. "With His grace and mercy, I've come this far. He's not going to leave me now."

Barber declined to comment on what information an independent review of the case has turned up but said his organization could release more details this week.

"There are facts that we can't talk about at this press conference," he said. "This is serious business, and we've asked the federal government and the FBI to come in."

Claudia Lacy said that her son, a junior and varsity football player at West Bladen High School, had goals for the future and had been excited about his first game of the school year after being sidelined for a season to work on his grades.

He had been grieving the recent passing of an uncle, and Claudia Lacy told investigators that he had been depressed.

But Barber said it was a word that she had used to describe his mourning and that Lennon Lacy had no history of mental illness and had never been diagnosed as clinically depressed.

The boy was found around 7:30 a.m. on the Friday of his first football game, wearing shoes that were two sizes too small. By the time his mother arrived, Barber said, her son's body had been placed in a body bag, and police had released the scene – a move also being criticized by the Lacy family's attorney, Heather Rattelade.

Guidelines and protocols on how to handle a possible crime scene weren't followed correctly in the case, Rattelade said.

"By 3:09 p.m., the lead investigator notified the medical examiner that he believed it was a Suicide," she said.

"WHITE ONLY" Christianity; Klu Klux Klan Still Rules Southern States

Whites Only Pastor Conference Has West Alabama Residents Upset

The good folk of Winfield, Ala. have been very upset by the news of an annual pastors conference taking place near their town.

Not because of any animosity towards religious gatherings, but rather to the stipulation that only white Christians are invited.

Tyler Cantrell, the manager of Norris Music in downtown Winfield, discovered a flier for the conference earlier this week. “It was put up throughout the town in the middle of the night. When everyone was asleep and without the permission of the business owner[s],” he told WBRC news.

Despite the fact that the three-day conference in neighboring Lamar County was reportedly festooned with confederate flags and banners bearing Ku Klux Klan and white-supremacist slogans, and that it was scheduled to end July 6th with a “Sacred Christian Cross Lighting Ceremony” — not unlike the kind performed by the Klan –organizers denied that his organization was a hate group.

“The white race is God’s chosen people,” William C. Collier, the organizer of the event, told WBRC. “We don’t have the facilities to accommodate other people.

We haven’t got any invitations to black, Muslim events.

Of course we are not invited to Jewish events and stuff.”

The Christian Identity Ministries, which is running the event along with the Church of God’s Chosen, also claims on its website that the “Europeans and their descendants are the chosen people of God.” Ministry founder Mel Lewis spoke with a reporter from WAFF TV and claimed that the town’s mayor was violating their right to free speech and religious freedom.

“We are not breaking any laws. We’re not violating any ordinances. We’re bringing the Word of God to people who want it, obviously, or they wouldn’t be here,” said Lewis.

However the town’s Mayor, Wayne Silas, sees it differently. He told WBRC that “Business people are upset.

The city is upset.

The city of Winfield does not condone this.”





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Sources: Creative Loafing, TIME, WECT, Wikipedia, Youtube, Google Maps

Duke Energy Investigated After Merger; It's FAKE! Duke Energy Owns North Carolina!

North Carolina To Probe Duke Takeover Of Progress Amid CEO Exit

North Carolina is investigating Duke Energy Corp. (DUK)’s $17.8 billion takeover of Progress Energy Inc. after the company unexpectedly changed its chief executive officer.

“This significant management change within hours after the merger has put the company on credit watch, so we need to get to the bottom of this to make sure we protect consumers,” North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said yesterday in an e- mailed statement.

Three former Progress Energy Inc. board members said they would have voted against the takeover had they known that Duke’s chief executive officer would remain in charge of the combined companies.

Duke announced on July 3 that Bill Johnson, the chairman and CEO of Progress, had resigned and wouldn’t take over as president and CEO of the combined companies as planned. Duke Chairman and CEO James Rogers, who was supposed to be chairman after the merger, was asked by the board to continue as CEO.

“I wouldn’t have voted for the deal,” James Bostic Jr., who served on Progress’s board since 2002, said in a phone interview yesterday. “It was the board’s belief that that Bill Johnson would be able to run the combined companies in a more efficient manner and offer a much stronger return to shareholders.”

Standard & Poor’s

Standard & Poor’s put Duke, the largest U.S. utility owner by market value, on negative credit watch after “the abrupt change in executive leadership.” The surprise decision to change CEOs as its takeover closed was deceitful, according to John H. Mullin, who also served on Progress’s board.

“I do not believe that a single director of Progress would have voted for this transaction as structured with the knowledge that the CEO of Duke, Jim Rogers, would remain as the CEO of the combined company,” Mullin, a former managing director for investment banker Dillon Read & Co., wrote in a July 5 letter to the Wall Street Journal.

The new Duke board met without Rogers or Johnson and decided on the switch, Rogers said in a July 3 interview. Under terms of the merger, the board is composed of 11 Duke representatives and seven from Progress. Bostic and Mullin were among eight Progress directors who weren’t added to the new board.

North Carolina’s attorney general opened an investigation to determine if Duke Energy lied to regulators or consumers to get merger approval and win a rate increase requested last year, according to the statement from Cooper.

Higher Rates?

Cooper is concerned that a potential credit downgrade from Standard & Poor’s could lead to higher utility rates and has asked for information from top company officials and directors, the statement said.

“We are evaluating the attorney general’s request and will respond in due course,” Tom Williams, a spokesman for Charlotte, North Carolina-based Duke, said in an e-mail.

The North Carolina Utilities Commission said yesterday that it also will open an investigation into the transaction, according to a state filing. The commission ordered Rogers to appear at a hearing on July 10 to explain the timing of the decision to replace Johnson. Rogers will testify at the meeting, Williams said in an e-mailed statement.

“We do not comment on our board’s deliberations,” Williams, said in a separate e-mail. The company said on July 3 it wouldn’t comment further on Johnson’s resignation, which it has said was done by “mutual agreement.”

Johnson, who signed a non-disparagement agreement with Duke, didn’t respond to a voicemail message left at his North Carolina home.
‘Work Together’

“There was information that Duke didn’t share with us, and it may have changed the outcome,” Alfred Tollison, another former Progress director, said in a phone interview yesterday. “Duke may have fulfilled the letter of the agreement, but they didn’t fulfill the spirit,” he said, referring to Johnson occupying the CEO position for one day.

The merger was announced in January 2011 and completed on July 2 after receiving state and federal approvals. Progress’s board unanimously recommended that shareholders vote in favor of the deal, according to a July 2011 regulatory filing.

“I don’t really have any idea what would have happened,” said Bostic, a former vice president of Georgia-Pacific LLC. “I expected that Johnson and Rogers were going to work together and they were going to make this a successful merger.”

Mullin’s letter was reported yesterday by the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.
Duke fell 3.4 percent to $66.23 at the close yesterday in New York, the biggest decline since Aug. 10.

Johnson’s appointment as CEO of the new company was “a critical element in the merger deliberations,” Mullin wrote in the letter. “This is the most blatant example of corporate deceit that I have witnessed during a long career on Wall Street.”







NC State Officials to review Duke-Progress merger after CEO's ouster

The North Carolina Utilities Commission has scheduled a meeting next Tuesday to review the merger of Duke Energy Corp. and Progress Energy Inc. in the wake of the sudden ouster of the combined utility's chief executive.

Separately, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper demanded late Friday that Duke turn over all communications among top executives and board members during the days leading up to and following the merger.

Cooper said the his office wants to investigate Duke's dealings in light of a potential credit downgrade, which he says puts consumers at risk.

The Utilities Commission approved the Duke-Progress merger, which created the nation's largest utility, a week ago. The merger was completed Monday, after South Carolina regulators similarly gave their approval, but within hours, there was a management shake-up.

Progress Energy Chief Executive Bill Johnson, who had been slated to be CEO of the new company, was forced to resign, and he was replaced by Duke Energy Chief Executive Jim Rogers, who was to have been chairman.

The Utilities Commission has the power under state law to revisit its approval, and it could "rescind, alter or amend" the merger.

Part of Statute 62-80 reads as follows:

"The Commission may at any time upon notice to the public utility and to the other parties of record affected, and after opportunity to be heard as provided in the case of complaints, rescind, alter or amend any order or decision made by it. Any order rescinding, altering or amending a prior order or decision shall, when served upon the public utility affected, have the same effect as is herein provided for original orders or decisions."

Robert Gruber, director of the commission's Public Staff, which represents consumers in utility cases, said the commission plans to discuss the merger again next week, although a time for the meeting hasn't been set.

Commission Chairman Ed Finley said Tuesday that he was surprised by Johnson's departure.

"My understanding, based on Duke and Progress representations in our hearing, was that Johnson would be CEO of the combined company. His departure on the same day the merger is closed and three days after our order may raise questions in the minds of some as to the timing of the decision by those involved in it," Finley said in a statement.

"While management structure and succession are important, a more significant emphasis will be on ensuring that the benefits to the ratepayers will materialize as forecast," he said. "There is significant management talent within the two companies, and we hope the best lineup will fall quickly into place."

Standard & Poor's Financial Services said Wednesday it has put Duke on a watch list for a potential credit downgrade because Johnson was removed.

Duke Energy spokesman Tom Williams said the utility looks forward to resolving those concerns soon.

Cooper said Duke officials argued for a rate increase last fall, saying they needed to protect the company's credit rating. Now, consumers could be harmed by a credit downgrade prompted by the management shake-up, he said, so he wants to determine if anything was misrepresented to state regulators.

"Despite our objection, Duke Energy said it needed a rate increase in order to protect its credit. Now, this significant management change within hours after the merger has put the company on credit watch, so we need to get to the bottom of this to make sure we protect consumers," he said in a statement.

The state Attorney General's Office has appealed the 7 percent rate increase that the Utilities Commission approved to the North Carolina Supreme Court.

Duke officials are reviewing Cooper's demand for internal communications, Williams said.

Former Progress board members upset

Former board members of Progress Energy are upset that Johnson was pushed out.

"In my opinion, this can only be described as an incredible act of bad faith with regard to the undertakings of the Merger Agreement. I think it was a clearly premeditated contravention of one of the most central tenets of our Agreement," John Mullin III wrote in a letter to The Wall Street Journal.

Mullin, who lives in Virginia, was lead director on the Progress board, a position that he said left him "in charge" of board meetings at which Johnson, who was chairman, did not attend.

He wasn't named to the 18-member board for the combined Duke Energy and therefore wasn't at the meeting where the decision was made to remove Johnson.

"In my opinion this is the most blatant example of corporate deceit that I have witnessed during a long career on Wall Street and as a director of ten publicly traded companies," he wrote in his letter to the Journal.

Mullin said Johnson called him Monday night.

"He told me there was a change in direction," he said Thursday. "I was very surprised."

Asked for comment about the Mullin letter, Tom Williams, a Duke spokesman, said: “We do not comment on our board’s deliberations.”

Another former Progress director, Alfred Tollison Jr., said he felt he was misled about the plans for Johnson to head the newly combined company.

Bloomberg News on Friday spelled out details of the severance and compensation package Johnson would receive. It could total more than $44 million.

A May supplemental filing by the Utilities Commission stipulates that any severance agreement must be covered by shareholders, not ratepayers.


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Sources: Bloomberg News, McClatchy Newspapers, NBC17, WCNC, WRAL, Youtube, Google Maps

DNC Convention In Charlotte Skipped By Some Key Democrats! Charlotte Is BORING & RACIST!

So why are many Key Democrat Leaders planning to Skip the 2012 DNC Convention in Charlotte, NC?

Because Charlotte is Extremely BORING, RACIST & SEGREGATED!!!

There is NOTHING Here to hold a Tourist's Interest for 5 Days.

Really!

If you think I'm Exaggerating please come visit Charlotte for yourself.

And don't just visit Uptown Charlotte & South Park, please also visit Southwest Charlotte, East Charlotte & West Charlotte then tell me if you noticed any 21st Century Progress.

Besides the little Light Rail System that is.

Its the 21st Century and yet Charlotte is still stuck in the 1950's with the Klan Still ruling EVERYTHING,

most BLACK People are still Afraid of WHITE people and a City still Segregated, with Most of the Property Tax, State Funding and Federal Funds being Invested ONLY in WHITE Communities.

And.....

If you are BLACK even with a College Degree, its still difficult to find Gainful Employment in Charlotte (unless you know someone in high places) because Charlotte Leaders are saving the Best Jobs for WHITE people.

REAL TALK!

These are just some of the reasons why many Key Democrats are choosing to skip the 2012 DNC Convention in Charlotte, NC.


Some Democrats To Skip Their 2012 Convention

A growing list of Democrats in competitive districts and states will not attend this year's Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The elected officials said they intend to spend the time with their constituents, especially given the four-day event's close proximity to Election Day.

Rep. Mark Critz of Pennsylvania is up for election in November in a re-drawn competitive 12th Congressional District. In a statement, Critz said it is more important that he spend time in the district "listening to the people" instead of at the convention, scheduled to take place between September 3 and September 6.

"Since I was elected, my focus has been on creating jobs for people here rather than focusing on the agendas of the political parties in Washington and that will remain the case as long as I am serving in Congress," he said Thursday.

Two New York representatives made their plans clear this week as well. Rep. Kathy Hochul, who won a competitive four-candidate special election in 2011 to replace Republican Rep. Chris Lee after he resigned, said "I guarantee that my time will be better spent meeting the farmers, small business owners and other people who put me here."

Rep. Bill Owens also won a close special election in 2009 that received national attention to fill the House seat left vacant by Republican incumbent John McHugh.

His office said the congressman will spend the time working in his North County district.

These names were added to members of the West Virginia delegation who made their intentions clear earlier this week.

West Virginia's Democratic Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, Sen. Joe Manchin and Rep. Nick Rahall earlier in said they will not attend the events.

Manchin, the conservative Democrat representing West Virginia who has distanced himself from the president in the past, said in a statement he will spend the fall "focused on the people of West Virginia, whether that's representing them in my official U.S. Senate duties or here at home" instead of on the next election.

The first-term Manchin won a special election in 2010 following the death of Sen. Robert Byrd and is now up for a full six-year term. He will face off this fall against Republican John Raese, who Manchin ran against in the 2010 special election.

Rahall's communications director said "Coming on the heels of Labor Day, Congressman Rahall prefers to spend that time in West Virginia with his constituents."

Sen. John McCain won West Virginia with 55.6% of the vote in 2008, and it went for former President George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. Successful Democrats in the state tend to be more conservative.

Representatives for the Democratic National Convention did not immediately respond to a request for comment.





Hillary Clinton, citing her job, will skip DNC in Charlotte

At the Democratic convention four years ago, her spirited speech helped unite the party behind Barack Obama. And four years from now, many Democrats hope she’ll be the White House nominee delegates rally around.

But as for the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte – Hillary Clinton won’t be coming.

This year, she’s secretary of State. And as the country’s chief diplomat, she’s expected to stay above all things partisan.

Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, will be at the DNC in Charlotte, his spokesman, Matt McKenna, confirmed Friday.

But various federal statutes and the State Department’s ethical guidelines will keep Secretary Clinton in Washington.

“Given her current position, she will not be attending, consistent with her not engaging in any political activity whatsoever,” Philippe Reines, spokesman for the Secretary of State, told the Observer in an email Friday.

It’ll be the first time in decades Clinton will miss a Democratic National Convention, Reines added – “possibly all the way back to ’68 in Chicago.”

And Clinton isn’t the only Cabinet member expected to skip the Charlotte gathering. Federal statute also precludes the attorney general and the secretary of Defense from attending political gatherings, including national party conventions, Reines said.

“I can’t think of one (of those office-holders) from the modern era who has attended,” he said.

Michael Bitzer, a political scientist at Catawba College in Salisbury, also doesn’t expect to see Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner in town.

“The Big Four,” he calls these non-partisan appointees. “While they are political appointees, they are in a class by themselves,” he said. “They are representatives of institutions that are oftentimes seen as apolitical.”

And among that quartet, Secretary of State Clinton is maybe in an even higher class.

“She is certainly the president’s ambassador and personal representative around the world,” Bitzer said. “Getting involved in base partisan activities may leave a taint when she travels around the world.”

For years, Clinton and her husband were either the stars or marquee speakers at Democratic National Conventions.

In 1992, Bill Clinton was nominated. In 1996, when she was first lady, he was re-nominated. In 2000, she was a U.S. Senate candidate in New York. And in 2008, she was Obama’s foe-turned-supporter, urging her millions of backers – especially the women who saw her as an inspiring symbol – to unite behind the party’s nominee.

“She did a lot to open doors for women,” said Charlotte’s Pat Cotham, a member of the Democratic National Committee.

Cotham said the news that Clinton won’t be part of the upcoming party in Charlotte “is a disappointment, but we certainly understand. She’s served our country and has done an admirable job as secretary of State.”

Would Cotham like to see her continue serving the country in the White House?

“I would love that,” Cotham said.

Clinton has said publicly that she thinks her political days are behind her, and she has not openly encouraged talk about another run for the presidency in 2016.

But many Democrats would be thrilled if she changed her mind. That includes Bill Clinton, judging by some of his recent talk.

Bill Clinton showing up, Bitzer said, could help Hillary Clinton stay viable for 2016 even as she stays in Washington.

“We’ll get the surrogate of Bill,” Bitzer said. “In fact, it may be better for Hillary to send Bill … He could go before the delegates – those hard-core Democrats – and drop none-too-subtle hints that ‘We’d like to see you again in four more years.’ ”




Charlotte area's jobless rate rises to 9.5%

Charlotte-region unemployment rose in May, eclipsing the 10 percent mark in three surrounding counties, according to data released Friday by the N.C. Department of Commerce’s Division of Employment Security.

Unemployment in the Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill metro region increased to 9.5 percent from 9.1 percent, just slightly above the statewide unemployment rate of 9.4 percent.

Rates are not seasonally adjusted.

In Mecklenburg County, the unemployment rate increased to 9.6 percent, up 0.6 percent from April and down 1 percent since last year.

May unemployment rose in 76 of North Carolina’s 100 counties, though compared to the same month last year, unemployment was down in 88.

Unemployment rates in Charlotte’s surrounding counties:

- Gaston County- 10.3 percent; down from 11.5 percent in May 2011

- Union County - 8 percent ; down from 9 percent in May 2011

- Cabarrus County - 9.1 percent; down from 9.8 percent in May 2011

- Iredall County - 9.8 percent; down from 11.3 percent in May 2011

- Catawba County - 10.8 percent; down from 12.4 percent in May 2011

- Lincoln County - 10.1 percent; down from 11.6 percent last year


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Sources: AOL, CBS News, CNN, Huffington Post, McClatchy Newspapers, WCNC, Youtube, Google Maps

Romney, Pawlenty & Ryan Vs. Obama In 2012? GOP Scatters!

Pres. Obama Makes History Again Folks!

For The First Time In Political History A BLACK Man Has Stumped The Wealthy White GOP Establishment Into NOT Being Able To Find A Candidate Strong Enough Or Intelligent Enough To Beat Him.

WOW! Can You Believe It?

The Big Bad GOP Is Afraid Of The OBAMA POLITICAL MACHINE!

Its Actually Kind Of Funny Watching GOP Leaders Scatter About Like Scared, Confused Roaches.

Here's A List Of Strong GOP Contenders NOT Running Against Pres. Obama In 2012: Haley Barbour, John Thune, Mike Huckabee, Mike Pence, Chris Christie, Paul Ryan & Mitch Daniels.

In Fact The List Of GOP Candidates Dwindles Almost Daily.

Christie Isn't Going To Jump In No Matter How Many Bribes Comes His Way. First Trump Dumped His Bid, Then Huckabee, Forget Newt, Even Though I Really Like Him Forget Ron Paul, Definitely Forget About Cain! & Now Daniels Is Out.

The ONLY Logical, Possible Heavy Hitter/ REAL GOP Contender Would Be MITT ROMNEY!

That's Right!

I Predict Pres. Obama's Challengers Will Most Likely Be Mitt Romney & Tim Pawlenty Or Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan On The Same Ticket.

In Fact Tim Pawlenty Recently Launched His Presidential Bid With A Video Promising He Will "Try Something Different".

Let's Face It Folks, At This Stage In The Game GOP Leaders Are So Desperate They'll Try Anything To Kick Pres. Obama Out Of Office!

And Where Was The King Of Universal Health Care Mandate, Mitt Romney Last Weekend?

In South Carolina! Land Of Confederate Flags & Institutionalized Racism.

If Mitt Can Survive Mainstream Media Inquiries About Why He Chose To Flip Flop On His Universal Health Care MANDATE In Massachusetts, No Doubt He WILL Be Pres. Obama's Contender In 2012.

Whether He Can Actually Whip Obama Is Another Totally Different Story.

I Don't Think He Can.

That's Right! I Personally Don't Believe Romney Can Knock Pres. Obama Off His Game Or Out Of Office In 2012.

Mitt Appears To Be Too Flip Floppy, Lacks Conviction, NOT Tough Enough & Seems To Enjoy Being A Businessman More Than Politics.

Tough Enough According To GOP Standards Means Demonstrating Hardcore RACIST Behavior!

However Because Of Romney's Mormon Religion, I Don't See Him As The Kind Of Guy Willing To Demonstrate Acts Of Racial Hatred Towards Pres. Obama.

But Considering How WEAK The 2012 GOP Field Of Candidates Is, Romney Might Rise To The Top Simply By Default.

Now As It Relates To Pres. Obama's 2012 Re-election, When You See GOP Leaders & Candidates Gathering In South Carolina, You Know They Are Up To NO Good!

i.e., The Klu Klux Klan!

But Why South Carolina?

Along With Endorsing Paul Ryan's "Kill Medicare" Agenda, Spewing Hardcore, Divisive RACIST Rhetoric Against Barack Obama Is Part Of The National GOP Leader Litmus Test.

I Kid You NOT!

So Unless A GOP Candidate Is Talking Hardcore Racist Rhetoric (i.e., Palin, Trump, Gingrich, Barbour & Nikki Haley) Then That GOP Candidate Is NOT Considered Tough Enough To Beat Obama, Nor Will That GOP Candidate Receive RNC Money For Their Campaigns.

And In Order For That Crazy, RACIST Mentality & Rhetoric To Stick, They Have To Be In An Environment Where Such Out-Of-Date, "Southern Strategy" Ignorance Is Both Cultivated & Tolerated.

i.e., SOUTH CAROLINA!

Especially Columbia & Charleston, South Carolina Where Institutionalized Racism Is Not Only Celebrated; Its Expected!

GOP Leaders Don't Seem To Care That Such Out-Of-Date, "Southern Strategy" Racist Behavior Is Scaring Away Both Younger & Older Voters.

In Fact They Could Care Less About Scaring Away Voters Because Its NOT About Their Constituents.

Its ONLY About How Much Those Same GOP Leaders Refuse To Accept Having A LEGALLY Elected BLACK President In The American White House!

NOT All GOP Leaders Fall Into This Category. But Many Of Them Do!

If Anyone Thinks Pres. Obama Is Not Taking His Potential GOP Challengers Seriously, Think Again Because He Is!

Pres. Barack Obama Is A Bold, Sincere, Caring, Bonafide Politician With A Steady Backbone Of Steel And An EXTREMELY Intelligent Mind.

Since He Is STILL President, He Can't Neglect His Official Duties By Standing Around Calling Possible 2012 GOP Contenders RACIST Or Pointing Fingers.

Instead He Remains Focused.

Focused On Healing Our Nation's Economy.

You Know The Same Economy George W. Bush Wrecked Via His Oil Rich "War On Terror" & Placed It Into Pres. Obama's Hands?

Pres. Obama Is Also Focusing On Our National Security & Other Issues Which Affect ALL American Citizens!

ALL American Citizens! NOT Just Wealthy, White People!

So Despite My Disagreeing With Him On Some Issues (Not Unusual), Overall I STILL Believe & Know That Obama Is The Absolutely BEST Person To Continue Leading Our Nation From 2012 To 2016!

Best Person To Lead The NEW Diverse Yet Truly United America!

NOT The Previously Racially-Divided, Class Warfare America!

Can We Agree That Pres. Obama WILL Remain In Office Until 2016?

YES WE CAN!!

VOTE OBAMA IN 2012!!

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Romney looks for solid ground in S.C.

The sons of the South are out. Governor Haley Barbour opted to quietly serve out his term in the Mississippi statehouse, and Mike Huckabee, after prayer and deliberation, will also skip the presidential campaign and remain on Fox News.

Mitt Romney rode into this political vacuum yesterday, making his first trip of the Republican presidential primary season to a crucial primary state where he hopes to overcome a disappointing fourth-place finish in 2008 and convince the GOP faithful that his economic-focused message will resonate in all pockets of the country.

“I was pretty encouraged by the response I received today,’’ Romney said after meeting with small-business owners at a plumbing company in this suburb outside of the state capital, Columbia. “People here are not devoted only to voting for someone from the South. They’re willing to consider a guy from Massachusetts as well, and I expect to take my message here.’’

No state in the South is more important than South Carolina in the Republican nominating contest. Not only does it traditionally vote third in the nation, after Iowa and New Hampshire, but since 1980 no Republican candidate has won the nomination without winning South Carolina.

Romney and his supporters say they are bullish on his chances to fill the political void left by the departure of Barbour and Huckabee. But interviews with local party leaders from across the state indicate that South Carolina remains at best lukewarm on Romney — along with most every other candidate in the current field. It is another example of how his inability to win over conservatives is contributing to a perception of weakness in his campaign, despite his leadership position in national polls.

“I think he’s got some major hurdles to jump across not only in South Carolina, but in the South in general,’’ said Braden Bunch, the former chairman of the Sumter County GOP. Then again, he added, “You can’t really say that South Carolina is not up for grabs.’’

South Carolina could once again prove to be quicksand for Romney, and it remains to be seen if Romney will campaign hard or make a token effort. Skepticism runs deep among the state’s political operatives and local party chairman, who see the same politician they saw in 2008 — with the same baggage.

“Romney’s got some followers down here, but his health care bill in Massachusetts is going to kill him. That is a poison pill to the whole state of South Carolina,’’ said Rich Bolen, chairman of the Lexington County GOP. But Bolen acknowledged there is no clear alternative emerging to challenge Romney.

“Nobody’s really just captured me and made me think, ‘I can’t wait to put a bumper sticker on my car,’ ’’ he said.

Yesterday, Romney continued his practice of showing up at places that could appeal to everyday Americans. In New Hampshire, he visited a gas station. In Nevada, he toured a neighborhood inundated with foreclosed homes.

Yesterday in South Carolina, he stopped by “Farm Boy’s Barbecue’’ and loaded a plate with corn, barbecue, and beans (green, lima, baked).

But first, he worked the room, shaking several dozen hands in the restaurant as he attempted to make small talk (“Mustard- or vinegar-based?’’ he asked about the sauce in the barbecue), guess the ages of young children (“What are you, 10? 11?’’), and discuss his golf handicap (“I’m a 36. I think that’s the highest you’re legally allowed to get.’’)

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Romney came to South Carolina three times last year, all of them including campaign stops for a little-known state representative, Nikki Haley, who went on to become governor. Haley’s endorsement will be a highly-sought prize during the Republican primary.

There are some indications that Romney could gain traction here. The crowd at the restaurant broke into applause when he entered the room. He was second in a poll taken last month by Winthrop University, with 16 percent and trailing only Huckabee. (This was before Huckabee said he won’t run.)

But the race remains fluid, and some predict Romney will face big hurdles.

“I’m not sure it’s something Romney can seize on. It just muddies the water a little more,’’ said Chip Felkel, a veteran South Carolina GOP consultant who was going to work for Barbour but is now unaffiliated.

Four years ago, Romney put great emphasis on winning the state, in part to prove that he could broaden his base and appeal to constituencies that don’t naturally fall into the camp of a former governor from a northern, liberal state, including evangelicals and military families. He made his first major speech in the state in February 2005, nearly three years before the primary, and spent millions hiring staff and running ads.

Romney led in most polls in the state until late 2007 when he began to slip. More than a week before the state’s primary, Romney pulled his ads and began shifting his focus to Michigan and Nevada. Huckabee gained traction in South Carolina, but Senator John McCain ended up narrowly winning its primary.

So far this year, Romney has put little emphasis on South Carolina or the rest of the South — and opted not to participate in the first presidential debate, held earlier this month in Greenville, S.C.

Romney advisers hope the visit yesterday will bolster a perception that their candidate will be a national one, who will compete everywhere.

Romney this week is also planning to make his first visit of the year to Iowa, another state where he spent ample time and money in 2008 only to come up short to Huckabee.

“Last time he was a Yankee governor,’’ said state Representative Nathan Ballentine, who helped arrange Romney’s trip yesterday and is planning to endorse him. “Now everyone knows him. He understands people are struggling. It’s jobs, it’s the economy. That’s what this campaign is going to be about.’’

If the electorate remains unenthusiastic about the Republican field, some political observers say, Romney could benefit by being the default choice.

“Who’s to say that in the end nobody else excites? He may not excite either, but he’s acceptable,’’ said David Woodard, a Clemson University political scientist and a Republican consultant. “He gets a C-plus and passes the course. That’s the only way I see him winning the primary down here. Right now he’s just clearly not thrilling people.’’

Romney announced last week that he had hired a senior adviser in South Carolina to steer his campaign. The adviser, David Raad, has long ties in the state but has not been active here politically since serving as a field director to George W. Bush’s 2000 campaign.

“There’s this script or message that somehow the governor was going to avoid South Carolina,’’ Raad said yesterday. “He’ll be here a lot, we know that.’’

They will be in search of people like Gena Denson, a 54-year-old from Columbia. She was dead set on voting for Huckabee and was sure he was going to run. But as soon as he announced he wasn’t going to pursue the presidency, she immediately turned to Romney.

“He’s a genius. He could fix what Obama has screwed up,’’ she said. “Plus, he’s not hard to look at.’’




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