"Since the election of Republican Governor Pat McCrory in 2012, all bets have been off as Republicans gained control of the entire North Carolina state government for the first time since Reconstruction. Art Pope himself was put in charge of the state's budget and the legislature has been racing to pass all manner of extreme right-wing legislation.
Now progressives are fighting back with weekly "Moral Monday" protests against these extreme policies. More than 480 people have been arrested in the demonstrations, including 84 just yesterday. Many of those arrested have been clergy who have not been previously involved in civil disobedience. Last week, police even arrested a journalist simply trying to cover the protests.BOTTOM LINE: North Carolina shows just what the extreme right will do when they get control of all of the levers of power and isn't pretty." |