Alan Pitts: Branded

Drum Roll Please.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKmJPnAGUJk

All but one man died, down there at Bitter Creek. . . . They say he ran away? ‘BRANDED. . .’

When I think about the North Carolina Democratic Party, I’m reminded of the old 60s t.v. show entitled BRANDED, starring Chuck Connors. Who sometimes is confused with Chuck Taylor. A lot of people believe that Chuck Tailor played professional basketball. Chuck Taylor did not play professional basketball but he is credited with inventing the Converse basketball sneaker which bears his name. Actually, Chuck Taylor didn’t invent the Converse, he just sold them. He did however invented the stitchless basketball. FYI, Chuck Connors really did play professional basketball with the Boston Celtics. Before Chocolate Thunder and before The Big Aristotle, Chuck Connors was the first NBA player to tear down a goal dunking one of those stitchless basketballs in a real game. It’s NBA Finals Season, and I digress.

Getting back to BRANDED. Branded was the story of a pre Civil War, Infirmary Solider who was accused of ducking out of sight when the rest of his platoon was getting slaughtered like a bunch of mangy dogs, by some mangy Indians. [I didn’t write the story line.] When he finally showed his face, his commanding officers decided to court marshal him for desertion. Which involved, not sentencing him to hanging as you might suspect for the period, but evicting him from the fort. ‘Kick rocks, son. You’re on your own.’ Oh, did I mention, they also ripped the top button from his shirt. [Ouch] They snatched the bars off his shoulders. In the earlier episodes it was Sergeant Strips on his sleeve instead of bars on his shoulders. Apparently he was promoted while roaming around the desert. They also painted a yellow streak down the back of his uniform, which he continued to wear in shame. To add insult to injury, they broke his official Infirmary Sword in half. Branded picks up his broken sword and wounded pride and scampers off into the wildness in a quest to prove he’s not a coward. The show is canceled before he completes the task at hand.

The NC Dems have been branded with a yellow streak down their backs. They are wandering in the wilderness trying to prove that they are not just a bunch of insignificant cowards. Their downfall was they didn’t practice what they preached. Or they did too much preaching and not enough practicing.

Bev Purdue was ordered by her Republican conquerors to stand down, and she stood down. I don’t know what high crimes or misdemeanors they had to hold over her head, but the fact of the matter is, she did capitulate. She wasn’t in poor health. She was not in the middle of any personal or family crisis that anyone knows of. She just raised the white flag and turned North Carolina over to Confederate Raiders. She surrendered North Carolina without a fight. Sure, she was not polling well. But as a sitting Governor, facing an opponent she had beaten before, her chances were better than any other Demoncrat.

Walter Dalton, Walter Dalton, Walter Dalton; name so sweet, you must repeat. The ex-Governor left her supporters in the hands of a delusional Corporal who believed that the mere sound of his rather common name would conjure up the image of greatness and propel him into the Governor’s big chair. These NC Dems are running on fumes. They are rudderless and can not stand strong in face of Republican reverse reconstructionism without a spine. Without a spine, it’s hard to stand period. Just ask Rick Brand, Chairman of the Vance County Board of Elections. Which I’ll get back to. . .

The Dems are not all branded as cowards. Certainly, Rev. Barber is not a coward, and neither are those diligent Moral Monday protesters, putting their temporary freedom on the line to raise awareness of the thinly veiled, regressive agenda of the Republicans. They are not cowards, just misguided and poorly equipped. Like going to a gun fight with a flash light. Hault. Who goes there? The main weapons they are missing from their arsenal, are competent litigators that can lead them to the land of injunction. The people of North Carolina are under siege. The Republicians are trying to bring back slavery. Their ultimate goal is to refight the Civil War. Rewrite history.

Where are all the Democratic attorneys? I’ll tell you where, they are standing on the sideline guarding their precious law licenses, unwilling to put anything on the line for a cause they claim to support. Where’s Roy Cooper? Why isn’t he advising the Governor and the General Assembly that many of the repressive changes to Voting Rights, Medicaid, Unemployment Insurance, and Education are in violation of the Federal Constitution and are violating the citizens of North Carolina’s right to equal protection and the benefit of the federal government. North Carolina Republicians are trying to achieve what was rejected at the national level.

Now getting back to Rick Branded, I mean Brand. Under NCGS §163-30 the State Chairman of each party must submit three names for each county, to be selected from, to sit on a three member county board of elections. Since the Republicans are in charge, they get to select the members. No party can have more than two members, so each board will likely consist of two Republicans and one Democrat. For logistical reasons, each County Chair conducts an in-party election to select those three members to be sent up. The names are in order of voters preference, and are sent to the party chair, to be passed on to the state board. On June 5, 2013, Vance County Demoncrats held their election. Because I am not a Democratic, I could not participate.

Seneca Nicholson, who happens to be African American, was the top vote getter for the Vance County Demoncrats. Better Boyd got the fewest votes. The Vance County Democratic party is predominately African American. It’s chair Rick Brand is white. Rick Brand sponsored Better Boyd who also happens to be white. When Rick Brand sent the names up to the state party chair to be forwarded to the State Board of Elections, he thought it important to designate the race of each perspective applicant.¹ Two “African American” and, his candidate as being “White”. Now why, I ask myself, would this self styled man of the people do something like that. There is nothing in the statute, NCGS §163-30 that mentions identifying candidates by race or any other physical characteristic. Why stop there, Rick Brand? Why not tell the people that this one’s got big feet, or this one’s going bald and this mammy jammer got rotten teeth? Huh, Rick Brand? Huh? Let me tell you what I think. He would not had put race out there if he didn’t think it would give the only white candidate, his choose, Betty Bee, some advantage. Some extra something that could circumvention Democracy in favor of his personal choice for the position. One man’s pick. Essentially, he is trying to undermine the will of the African American community. Same old story. In his mind, our votes are not the same as his. 3/5 a man all over again. This is the type of dirty dealing you might expect from the other side. Vance County Dems should rethink this Creep. Wake up, it not to late to trade this old, broke back show pony for a young stelthly thoroughbred. It all starts with new leadership. It’s 2013 for god sake?

Since we are talking about old 60s t.v shows, what about Batman. I’m neither Republican or Democrat, but truth be told, it’s much better to have a Governor who looks like The Joker, rather than one acting like he is The Joker forereal. (Big Smile Joker Style).

The letter was as follows: