Blogs
![[Mr. Bull]](https://indyweek.com/downloads/34452/download/toon-2011-09-14.jpe?cb=f4c957f9e7b68350f76f7ccc0e4b2b20)
Apparently I was quoted in the News & Observer after last week's information session about UNC's proposed redevelopment of University Square. I didn't notice that story, but today a colleague said something to me about a cartoon in the Independent Weekly. Wha? After some hunting I found this V.C Rogers illustration "Mr. Bull" which features my statement that "Durham has been kicking our ass, Chapel Hill has to catch up."
While I'm not especially proud of how articulate that one (out of context) quotation was, I do stand behind it. Seeing the way the Indy cartoon twisted my point made me want to expand or at least explain a little more.
Chapel Hill and Carrboro are related but they have significant differences. I love them both like family. I feel like their little brother constantly annoyed with one or the other but will remain steadfastly in love with them both 'til the day I die. Many of my fellow Chapel Hillians do not understand these differences. They see Franklin Street and Main Street in Carrboro as one long business thoroughfare. It's not. I don't mean to pick on Chapel Hill residents, both students and townies, but if you don't spend a lot of time in Carrboro you wouldn't know. The Towns have very unique histories that contain deep seated differences forged in race, class, and ideology. All fueled by the money and intellectual power of the University of North Carolina. Yesterday I had a great conversation with several Chapel Hillians. They were a retired Town of Chapel Hill employee, a downtown business leader, a few University employees, and others who I do not know well.
Today's Chapel Hill News published a letter by someone named Yelena Francis equating the people who protested at the Silent Sam statue on Sept 1 with Russian Communists who destroyed Tsarist statues. The newspaper gave this letter the title "Leftist déjà vu" and place it just below an amateurish cartoon showing Silent Sam being carted away and replaced by a statue of Dean Smith.
This pisses me off for one simple reason:
The students did not call for the removal of Silent Sam, and the Chapel Hill News should know this.
They called for a plaque to be placed on the side of the statue explaining when and why the statue had been erected and what it represented and still represents. They were wise enough to realize that we need to keep Silent Sam and learn from it over and over.
Via the Town via my neighborhood listserve:
Please show your support Monday night at the Town Council meeting for this resolution opposing NC's proposed anti-gay-marriage consituional amendment. This resolution will be introduced by Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt and myself. Tell the NCGA we want to stop moving backwards.
A Resolution in Opposition to Senate Bill 106 and House Bill 777 in the North Carolina General Assembly
WHEREAS, Same-sex marriage is currently a right in ten countries including the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, Argentina and six U.S. States including Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, and the District of Columbia; and
Pages
About Us
OrangePolitics is a not-for-profit website for discussing progressive perspectives on politics, planning, and public policy in Orange County, NC. Opinions are those of their authors. Learn more.
Community Guidelines
By using this site, you agree to our community guidelines. Inappropriate or disruptive behavior will result in moderation or eviction.
Zircon - This is a contributing Drupal Theme
Design by
WeebPal.
