Triad Today

In 1994 liberal Democrat Congressman Stephen Neal decided not to run for re-election in North Carolina’s 5th district. That opened the door for Richard Burr, a lawn equipment salesman from Winston-Salem, to run for and win Neal’s seat. Burr, a moderate Republican, had all the makings of a southern statesman in the mold of Sam Ervin, Richardson Pryor, and Howard Coble. But instead of taking his place at the table of public service, Burr took his turn at the feeding trough, and enriched himself in ways that were unprecedented and unavailable to his constituents.  

Last month, Senator Burr gave his farewell address in which he spoke of “making a difference.” If only that were true. Sure, Burr became a media darling in his final years because he appeared to be bipartisan by voting to convict Trump at the second impeachment hearing. But Richard was a lame duck at that point, with no fear that Trump could ever “primary” him. For Burr, his wasn’t a courageous vote. It was a legacy vote. At any rate, it’s just too bad that Congress doesn’t allow rebuttal speeches after a farewell address. If it did, Burr would have been an easy target for his missteps and misdeeds. Here are just a few:

Healthcare

On January 11, 2017, Sen. Amy Klobucher proposed an amendment to a budget bill that would have allowed the importation of prescription drugs from Canada. For many Americans trying to make ends meet, the measure meant they would no longer have to choose between food and medicine. Burr voted against the bill, saying that drugs from Canada might not be safe. Speaking against his company’s own interests, Dr. Peter Rost, an executive with Pfizer, refuted Burr’s idiotic statement. Said Rost, “Drugs from Canada are absolutely, positively safe.” The fact is that Canadian drugs aren’t dangerous, they’re just cheaper, and that’s why Burr voted “nay”. But why should Burr care about the price of drugs? Because he was paid to care, that’s why. From 2009 until 2016, Senator Burr accepted nearly $420,000 from Big Pharma alone, thus, his vote to protect the industry’s domestic profits came as no surprise. Nor did his efforts to lobby for reducing Big Pharma’s tax rate. But that’s not all. Reporting for STATnews.com, Sheila Kaplan noted that there are over 200 companies located near Burr’s hometown that are in the business of developing or manufacturing drugs and medical devices. Together, those companies gave Richard over one million dollars for his final re-election campaign. Enough said.

Guns

In 2016, Burr voted against a bill that would have required universal background checks and limited sales of guns to known terrorists. Why? According to Becky Ceartas, then director of North Carolinians Against Gun Violence, Burr’s votes were a quid pro quo for the $800,000 he received from the NRA. Said Ceartas, “Burr chose not to put safety of our families first, pushing that aside to demonstrate [his] loyalty to the gun lobby.”

Veterans

Burr supported George Bush’s unprovoked invasion of Iraq even after learning that Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction and had nothing to do with 9-11. Had Burr stood up to Bush, he might have helped to spare the lives of over a million innocent Iraqi men, women, and children, as well as thousands of American soldiers. Then, to add insult to injury, the veterans who returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan faced an unemployment level of nearly 11%, yet, according to a report by Jon Erickson of WCTI-TV, Burr voted against a bill that would have created a job corps meant to employ veterans as firefighters and police officers. 

Insurance

Burr accepted big bucks from the insurance industry, then voted to oppose the ACA and to privatize Medicare. He also never took a stand on price gouging by health insurers who continued to charge exorbitant rates for monthly premiums. It was a triple punch to the gut of seniors and low-income Americans who were living day-to-day and hoping like hell they never got sick. 

Taxes

During his 2016 re-election campaign, Burr promised to lower the tax burden for the middle class, but in December of 2017, he voted to raise taxes on 55% of North Carolinians. According to the Raleigh News & Observer, those tax hikes amounted to $900 per household per year over a ten-year period. At the same time, Burr voted to lower the tax rate on wealthy Americans like himself, who would save an average of $115,000 per year. 

The STOCK ACT & COVID Stock Dump

In 2012, President Obama signed into law the STOCK Act (“Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act”) which made it illegal for a member of Congress to trade on and profit from non-public, insider knowledge that they had exclusive access to. Richard Burr was one of only two senators who voted against the bill, which raises the question: “Why?” Perhaps his staggering increase in personal wealth while serving in Congress explains it. According to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Burr’s net worth in 1994 was $189,000. But by 2018 OpenSecrets.org reports that his net worth had risen to over $7.4 million dollars. That’s an increase of 3,600 percent at a time when the income of average Americans rose by less than one percent. 

Burr has denied ever profiting from insider knowledge, but his denials just don’t pass the smell test, especially after his now famous stock dump of 2020. On January 24 of that year, Dr. Anthony Fauci began briefing Burr about the seriousness of the rapidly-spreading COVID-19 virus. Then, according to Reuters, three days after that briefing, Burr as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee began receiving daily COVID updates. Coincidentally Burr then began to liquidate his stocks, including all of those in the hotel and hospitality industry which would be the hardest hit by the pandemic. Then on three separate days, January 31, February 4, and February 13, Burr and his wife made a total of 33 stock trades worth an estimated $1.7 million dollars. Within hours after completing those transactions, U.S. Secretary of Health Alex Azar declared a national public health emergency. 

Prior to his stock dump, Burr assured the public (via a FOX News op-ed) that America was “better prepared than ever before to face emerging public health threats.” But as soon as his flurry of stock trades were complete, Burr told a private group of high rollers that COVID “is much more aggressive in its transmission than anything we’ve ever seen in recent history.” When news of Burr’s stock transactions went public, some in Congress called for his resignation, and NC 13th district congressional candidate Scott Huffman publicly shamed Burr, ”for not stepping up and sounding the alarm so we could have started preparing then (for the pandemic).” Even conservative FOX News pundit Tucker Carlson excoriated Burr, saying, “There is no greater moral crime than betraying your country in a time of crisis, and that appears to be what happened.”  

Facing a federal investigation, Burr denied using insider knowledge to profit from stock trades, saying first that he got his information by watching CNBC’s daily health and science reporting out of their Asia bureaus. He later revised his story and explained that his stock trades were made because there had been a long bull market and it was time for a course correction. FBI agent Brandon Merriman wasn’t buying those explanations. After reviewing Burr’s cell phone records and other documents, Merriman said, “I believe probable cause exists that Senator Burr used material, non-public information regarding the impact that COVID-19 would have on the economy, and that he gained that information by virtue of his position as a member of Congress.” Despite Merriman’s findings, the Justice Department gave Richard a pass. 

And so, Richard Burr departs Washington, D.C. unscathed after 28 years of enriching himself. Regrettably, he returns home without convictions of any kind.
 
 

I hate to start the new year out on a sour note, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that our governor just released another murderer from prison. I used to refer to Cooper as the man who, as attorney general, courageously waged war on innocent allergy sufferers, but now he has a new title: Roy Cooper, AAF (Accessory After the Fact).

Last March I reported on (and was critical of) Governor Roy Cooper’s commutation of April Barber’s two life sentences. Late last month he was at it again, commuting the life sentence of Janet Danahey. Between them, Barber and Danahey killed six people by burning them alive.  First a re-cap of the Barber case.

Thirty years ago, 15-year-old April Barber was tried in adult criminal court and convicted of killing her grandparents. Last year, the North Carolina Juvenile Sentencing Review Board determined that Barber was ready to take her place in civilized society again. After all, she had been an exemplary prisoner, having earned her GED and paralegal certificate. The problem is that there was nothing civilized about the crimes Ms. Barber committed.

April Barber had not been misidentified or wrongly convicted. There were no extenuating circumstances. She hadn’t been held hostage and forced to commit a crime. There was no DNA mix-up, she didn’t act out of self-defense, and she freely confessed to both murders. The fact is that April and her 30-year-old boyfriend carefully planned, and then deliberately set fire to her grandparents’ house, killing both of them. Why? Because April was pregnant, and according to her testimony, April’s grandparents had threatened to have the boyfriend charged with statutory rape if she didn’t abort the pregnancy.

Roy Cooper agreed with the sentencing board’s recommendation, perhaps because he felt that a 15-year-old didn’t know it was wrong to pour gasoline in a house, set fire to it, and trap two elderly people inside. Pardon my language, but that’s bullshit Governor. Anyone old enough to get a driver’s permit, get pregnant, and plot a double murder, is old enough to know right from wrong, and deserves to serve the full prison term. But I guess Roy didn’t hear what Jack Shepherd heard on that fateful night in 1991. Shepherd, who lived next door to the Barbers, told the Greensboro News & Record that, “She (April) could hear her grandmother crying and screaming in pain, and hollering for her, just as well as I could.”  The fire had blocked all exits to the house, so there was no escape for the loving couple who had been caring for April since she was a child. In March of last year, Cooper commuted Barber’s sentence to time served. Nine months later, our crusading Governor decided to open the cell door for another mass murderer.

In 2002, 23-year-old Janet Danahey (a former Olympic torchbearer) was upset because her boyfriend, Thad Johnson, had just broken up with her. She could have slashed his tires or egged his lawn to exact revenge. Instead, she set fire to a sofa on the porch of his apartment building in the middle of the night. Some residents escaped the fire, but four did not. Rachel Llewellyn, age 21, and her sister Donna (24) died in the blaze. So did 20-year-old Beth Harris and Ryan Bek, age 25. The four victims had tried to escape via a wooden staircase, but it had already burned down.

Rhonda Colwell was one of the lucky ones who escaped the fire on that tragic February night.  She told the News & Record, “You heard the screaming. All of us were in such a state of shock.”

Six people burned to death, and now, thanks to Roy Cooper, their killers are free to walk the streets. In listening to the voices who called for leniency, our governor has muted the screams of victims, AGAIN.

 
 

As we celebrate this holiday season, let’s not forget that there are people beyond our immediate circle of family and friends who are suffering, and could benefit from our love and generosity. Over the past decade, I’ve been able to showcase scores of community organizations on my Triad Today television show, and in the process, I’ve learned that there are several ways we can help these agencies help others. The first is to donate goods. Second is to donate money. And, third is to donate our time. Of course, some nonprofit groups can benefit from all three types of giving. Here, in no particular order, are just a few organizations to which you might lend your support.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC: Even prior to the pandemic, the Piedmont Triad had one of the worst food insecurity problems in the nation, and that included the problem of childhood hunger. Now, with thousands more of our neighbors in need, the problem has worsened, including for children. To help alleviate the hunger problem, Second Harvest Food Bank has stepped up its efforts to distribute food to nonprofit agencies who feed hungry people in an 18-county area. The Food Bank has also partnered with a number of area companies to provide meals for kids. You can write a check directly to the food bank, or you can drop off non-perishable food items at a number of locations in our area. For more information call 336-784-5770, or visit HungerNWNC.org.

Cancer Services, Inc.‘s stated mission is “to enhance quality of life for those living with cancer, and to provide the gift of life through education.” Their services include patient advocacy, financial assistance, providing equipment and supplies, offering peer support groups, and much more. Ninety percent of funds donated to Cancer Services, Inc. goes directly to providing client services. In addition to money, you can also donate used equipment and supplies. Call 336-760-9983, or visit CancerServicesOnline.org.

Greensboro Urban Ministry is on the front lines when it comes to providing emergency assistance. Greensboro Urban Ministry provides homeless families in Guilford County with a safe, temporary environment. Volunteers are needed to prepare and serve meals, manage shelters, tutor children, and perform a variety of other duties. Monetary donations are also much appreciated. Call 336-271-5959, or visit GreensboroUrbanMinistry.org.

Mtn. Valley Hospice is a nonprofit agency that serves an 18-county area in North Carolina and Virginia, and provides personalized care for patients at the end of life, as well as comfort to families. Mountain Valley Hospice has offices throughout the region, and operates two hospice homes. They also specialize in care for terminally ill children and veterans and offer grief support for kids and adults. To give money or inquire about volunteering, call 1-888 789-2922, or visit MtnValleyHospice.org.

The Petty Family Foundation: NASCAR legend Richard Petty and his family support a number of charitable organizations including Paralyzed Veterans of America and Victory Junction Camp, the latter of which provides an uplifting experience for children with severe disabilities and terminal illnesses. To make a donation or learn more, visit PettyFamilyFoundation.org.

Shift_ed provides qualified students with college scholarships, and much more. Formerly “Say YES Guilford”, Shift_ed also provides students with support services that are designed to help them be successful in life. Their equity-based program begins in kindergarten and includes everything from tutoring to career counseling. Shift_ed relies in part upon donations from companies and individuals. To learn more about scholarships, or to make a donation, visit Shift-ed.org.

Carolina Donor Services and Red Cross … There can be no greater gift at this holiday season than the gift of life, and that’s why you might consider donating blood and signing a donor card. Either gesture requires only a few minutes of your time, and will almost certainly result in saving someone’s life in the future. You can reach Carolina Donor Services at 1-800 200-2672, or CarolinaDonorServices.org. You can call the Red Cross at 336-333-2111, or visit them online at RedCross.org.

Please remember that your donations of time, money, or goods to area community organizations are vitally important, not just now, but throughout the coming year. It’s also a way for us to expand the circle of people we care about, and that’s something worth celebrating in this season of giving.

 
 

Over the past year, I had the unenviable task of writing a number of obituary columns about celebrity friends of mine who had passed away. Now, during this season of celebration, it is only fitting that we celebrate their remarkable lives and careers. What follows are excerpts from those columns.

 

 

Peter Bogdanovich

It is both surprising and shameful that Peter Bogdanovich doesn’t have a star along Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Perhaps that’s because it would take about a dozen stars to do him justice. He was, after all, a writer, director, producer, actor, author, documentarian, film historian, editor, voice-over talent, casting agent, film preservationist, and cinematographer. 

I caught up with Peter the Great back in 2011 when he was an artist in residence at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. My main reason for doing the interview was to talk about the 40th anniversary of The Last Picture Show ,but we also touched on his 1968 cult film Targets, about a young guy who goes on a shooting spree.

“I thought it would raise a little bit of controversy, but it didn’t raise much,” Peter told me. “The thing that’s awful about the film is that it’s not dated, a story where a guy buys a gun and starts killing people. That’s still very much alive.”

The genius filmmaker died on January 6. Peter Bogdanovich was 82.

 

 

Tony Dow

Most of us have a special place in our homes where we display pictures of our immediate family. For me, that special place is a credenza on top of which are framed photos of my wife Pam, our parents, my sister, and my two make-believe brothers, Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers.

From 1957 to 1963, Jerry and Tony played brothers Theodore and Wally Cleaver on Leave it to Beaver, a sitcom about the adventures of two siblings growing up in Middle America. I first met the famous duo when they participated in an event that I was moderating in Los Angeles back in 2008, and we stayed in touch ever since.

Though Tony was best known for playing a big brother on TV, his real passion was sculpting, which he did masterfully. In fact, his burlwood sculptures were shown and sold all over the world, and once were even on display in the Louvre. Tony was a quiet, unassuming man who preferred the solitude of his workshop to the glitz of Hollywood, so it took some doing for me to coax him to my event. Once there, he and Jerry received the longest-standing ovation I’ve ever witnessed. Tony seemed surprised by the warm reception. That’s because he never realized what he meant to so many millions of fans. I was proud to have that humble man as my make-believe big brother. Tony Dow passed away on July 27. He was 77.

 

 

Clu Gulager

Clu Gulager was one of America’s greatest character actors, perhaps best known for his work in TV Westerns. But unlike most actors who have merely pretended to be a cowboy, Clu actually was one. 

“I was a cowboy in Oklahoma where we raised white-face cattle. I used to have to ride the fences and when I saw a break in the fence, I had to get down off my pony take some wire and fix that break. The thing I’m most proud of in my whole life is that, on my watch, not one white-face cow got away.”

Clu is also famous for being the only TV actor to be thrown out of work by Congress. It happened while he was portraying Billy the Kid on the NBC series The Tall Man.

“Congress debated the fact that Billy the Kid was a killer, and that I was playing him as a hero on television, which they thought wasn’t good for children. So, they pressured NBC to take The Tall Man off the air.”

But Congress couldn’t kill Clu’s career. He was constantly in demand as a guest star in movies and television. I first met Clu at the 2013 Western Film Festival, and I will always remember his wry sense of humor and cowboy charisma. Clu Gulager died on August 5th. He was 93.

 

 

Angela Lansbury

Geoffrey Rush referred to Dame Angela Lansbury as “The Living Definition of Range.” It’s an appropriate description for a woman who could play anything from a teapot to a communist conspirator. Angela was nominated for her first Oscar at age 17, and went on to win a slew of Tony awards for smash Broadway hits like Gypsy and Mame. But she will best be remembered as a middle-aged author turned sleuth in the long-running CBS series, Murder She Wrote.

I first met Angela at an event which I produced and moderated for the Television Academy back in 2006. She wanted me to call her Angie, but I refused. I told her it wouldn’t be dignified. She laughed. At one point I asked her what impact her portrayal of Jessica Fletcher had on women of her generation.

“I started Murder She Wrote when I was 59 years old, coming up to 60, and I was lucky to fall into an extraordinary role, a role model for women of my age. Women had never been represented in the way Jessica Fletcher approached her middle age, and for the first time, those women really counted for something. They became fascinated by what was possible for women of our age to attain.”

Dame Angela Lansbury died on October 11. She was 96 years old.

 

 

My wife Pam says that I complain all the time about a host of random things. I tell her that I’m not complaining, rather, I’m just reporting to her what I observe. She then usually tells me what I can do with my observations. And so, after spending the past week telling everyone what I’m thankful for, I thought I would mention some of the things I’m not so thankful for. Here then are a few of my pet peeves. Perhaps some of them are on your list too.

Infinitely scrolling screens on a web page I’m trying to read

If I could find the person who invented this “feature”, I would tie him to a chair in front of his computer for 24 hours straight and force him to try and read important articles that keep disappearing from view. Either that or have the police charge him with a moving violation.  

Robocalls

I don’t care what the phone company representatives tell you, NOTHING you do will stop unwanted robocalls. When I was in my early 60s, I was bombarded with calls about Medicare, but now that I’m actually on Medicare, I’m bombarded with calls about car warranties. It’s probably the same people making both calls who figure that old people and cars break down at about the same time.

Breaking news

CNN does a great job covering elections and live disasters, but they get low marks for hyperbole. Not everything is breaking news, yet CNN can’t go five minutes without flashing an alert on screen about a politician, pop star, or social media influencer. I’m sorry, but the only thing about Britney Spears that would ever qualify as breaking news is if she suddenly learned how to sing. 

Fast Food employees who fight among themselves

Normally I could care less if fast food employees don’t get along with each other, but when they have a major fight in front of me, and don’t get around to handing me my fries until they’ve gotten cold, then that bothers me. I won’t mention where this happens, but the name of the company begins with “Arby’s”.

Prescription pet food

Years ago, our veterinarian recommended Hill’s Science Diet for our standard poodles, both of whom have sensitive stomachs. The food seems to help, so I have no complaint about the high price, but I do have a problem with the manufacturer requiring that I get a prescription to buy their product. The fact is, there is no medicine in Hill’s Science Diet, so the only reason for requiring a prescription is if the company fears that my dogs and I will extract the ingredients and make meth. Wait a minute, I’m confused. I must be thinking of what my dogs do with Sudafed.

People who park too close

My car is pretty old, but I still try to keep it from getting dinged, so I always try and park way away from everyone. The other day I found a remote spot in a Harris Teeter lot that left three spaces free on either side of me. When I returned to my car a half hour later, all of the spaces were still vacant except for the one right next to me. Unbelievably someone had bypassed all of the free spaces and parked so close to me that I almost couldn’t get my door open. My wife says the other driver wasn’t out to get me, but I can’t help but think it was one of those Arby’s employees.

Apps are everywhere

While I don’t have a smartphone, I do recognize that apps play a vital role in today’s society. For example, apps can give you direct access to your healthcare providers, or allow you to check out the latest news and weather from streaming services like “WFMY+.” But sometimes apps make me angry. Like the time Pam and I went into a sandwich shop and the only way I could buy her a Coke was if I had loaded an app into the smartphone that I don’t have. I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but that sandwich shop can kiss my app.

Surly clerks

The other day I was in the check-out line of a major chain store (who has the letters C, V, & S in its name), and I had to summon an employee to take my money. When she arrived, she said, “I can’t just stand behind the register. I have more important things to do.” Silly me, but I thought the most important thing for a retail store to do is to sell products. Oh well. Maybe she was just having a bad day, or perhaps she used to work at Arby’s. 

Anyway, now you know a few of my pet peeves. Send us yours and I’ll personally load them onto an infinitely scrolling screen where they can be partially viewed.

 
 

Presidents are only human, so they make mistakes. No, I’m not talking about Bill Clinton hooking up with Monica Lewinski, or Joe Biden introducing Kamala Harris as “the President”. I’m talking about John Kennedy, and how he misread history, unintentionally insulted the Commonwealth of Virginia, and was compelled to make amends.

The story begins on Wednesday December 4, 1619. That’s the day 38 English settlers from the London Company navigated their ship down the James River and onto Berkeley Hundred (Harrison’s Landing), in what is now Charles City, Virginia, just 20 miles upstream from Jamestown, which had been settled twelve years prior. The landing party was led by Captain John Woodlief, who, as prescribed in the company charter, ordered a day of Thanksgiving to be observed upon their arrival, and every December 4th thereafter.

Over time, Berkeley became known for its historic firsts. The first bourbon whiskey was made there in 1621 (by a preacher no less). “Taps” was played for the first time while the Union army was encamped at Berkeley in 1862. And, of course, it was the site of America’s first Thanksgiving. More on that in a moment.

In 1907 Berkeley was purchased by John Jamieson who had served as a Union drummer boy during the army’s encampment at the plantation. Ownership later fell to his son (and my friend) Malcolm, who passed away in 1997. Mac loved Berkeley and was aggressive in marketing the historic site, including through the use of promotional videos and commercials which I helped to produce. He invited the public to tour the house and grounds, sold Berkeley boxwoods and bourbon, and held an annual Thanksgiving pageant which attracted tourists from across the country. But the celebration wasn’t always widely recognized.

One hundred years after his father beat the Yankee drums at Berkeley, Mac was upset by something another Yankee did. In the fall of 1962, President Kennedy issued his yearly Thanksgiving Proclamation in which he recognized his home state of Massachusetts as the site of America’s first Thanksgiving. And so, on November 9th of that year, Virginia state Senator John Wicker was prompted by Mac to write to the President, and point out Kennedy’s faux pas. In his telegram, Wicker referenced historical records about Berkeley’s celebration, which took place one full year before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in 1620.

Later that year, Kennedy confidant and noted historian Arthur Schlesinger sent a reply to Wicker with a tongue-in-cheek apology from the President. According to Berkeley records, Schlesinger “attributed the error to unconquerable New England bias on the part of the White House staff.”

The following year, on November 5, 1963, President Kennedy had to eat crow during his annual Thanksgiving proclamation, saying, “Over three centuries ago, our forefathers in Virginia and Massachusetts, far from home, in a lonely wilderness, set aside a day of thanksgiving.” Kennedy’s New England bias wouldn’t allow him to disavow Plymouth entirely, but Mac was happy that Berkeley finally gained official recognition for holding the first Thanksgiving, even if it was a shared honor. Sadly, it was to be Kennedy’s last proclamation. He was assassinated seventeen days later in Dallas.

The holiday season is now upon us, and, after having canceled in-person gatherings during the pandemic, most families will re-unite around the same table this year. And, despite the personal and financial losses we might have endured over the past few years, we will find a way to give thanks for what we have and who we are with. Perhaps we would also do well to emulate those weary English settlers, and just be thankful for surviving another day of our long journey. So, here’s a Berkeley bourbon toast to Captain Woodlief, a little drummer boy, old Mac, and to that Yankee president who finally set the record straight.

God bless, and Happy Thanksgiving.
 
 

The state of Georgia is in the spotlight these days because neither Senate candidate garnered enough votes to avoid a run-off, which will take place next month. No matter who wins, though, the contest itself has been significant because both candidates are Black. In a sense it is a victory for diversity in the very heart of the Confederacy, but not only there. These days our entire political landscape is awash in candidates of color. And while other pastimes and industries have room for improvement, most of them have also made considerable progress when it comes to racial equity, with one exception: baseball.  

As you know, the World Series recently concluded with Houston beating Philadelphia. But you may not be aware that there were no US-born Black players on either team, and that hasn’t happened since 1950. Soon thereafter, there were plenty of Black ball players that kids like me could idolize. Guys like Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, and Willie McCovey. In fact, I was inspired to play first base because of McCovey, and I even tried to copy his batting stance. I was not alone. Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, Black kids flocked to baseball, creating a pipeline of minority talent in a sport that had once been dominated by white players. But as basketball became increasingly more popular, kids of color turned away from our national pastime. Gradually the pipeline was broken. According to CNN, the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport recently reported that back in 1991, Black players comprised 18% of MLB teams. Today it’s a startling 7%.

To their credit, Major League Baseball has been trying to fix the problem, with initiatives like their “Dream Series”, which has resulted in four of this year’s top five draft picks being African American. But the pipeline is still in need of repair. Tony Reagins, MLB’s chief diversity officer told CNN’s Jalen Brown that, “The key is getting players from the youth leagues to college where they can be seen by scouts.” But that’s a big challenge for two reasons. First, because Black kids comprise only about 5% of college baseball rosters, and second, because youth leagues themselves are struggling to attract young players of color.

True enough, today’s African American youth are drawn more to basketball than baseball because the former is more popular than the latter. But there’s also a financial component to consider. No special uniform or equipment is required to play in a pick-up game of roundball, but it costs money to play youth baseball. For one thing, baseball equipment is a lot more expensive than it used to be and can be out of reach for struggling families of color. Meanwhile, there’s the problem of access. According to Richard Lapchick, director of the Institute for Diversity & Ethics in Sports, baseball fields are not common in urban areas, and those that exist are usually in poor condition. 

The general consensus is that local communities need to make a concerted effort to encourage and support minority participation in youth baseball leagues, not just because a few more kids might make it to the big leagues, but because of what the sport of baseball can teach them about life, both on and off the field. 

It’s hard to believe now, but in 1965, 14 kids from Pacoima, California became the first all-Black team to get to the Little League World Series, and they didn’t get there alone. It took community support. Fifty-seven years later, no one from the US who looks like them played in the Major League World Series. This is one time when we need to look backward for a strategy on how to move forward.

 
 

As an animal lover, I am still trying to wrap my brain around the ludicrous sentence handed down to Caleb Dewald last month. Dewald, as you might recall, was found guilty of 10 counts of felony animal cruelty, then got off with a slap on the wrist. I’ll go into more detail about sentencing in a moment, but first, some background on who Dewald is and exactly what he did that was so cruel.

On June 29 of last year, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s office received a tip that Dewald was torturing and killing animals, then posting his evil deeds on social media. Among his sick crimes were: electrocuting squirrels; cutting off the ears and noses of other animals while they were still alive; drowning opossums; torturing rats; and, soaking squirrels with WD-40 and then setting them on fire. Dewald was 19 years old at the time. Old enough to know the difference between right and wrong, and old enough to be responsible for his actions. The Winston-Salem Journal’s Michael Hewlett reports that during court proceedings, Dewald could be seen on videotape narrating and laughing while he tortured the animals who were “clearly suffering.” Also, some of the videos had been recorded back when Dewald was a student at a private school in Kernersville, indicating that he was a serial torturer.  

Caleb Dewald was a 2020 graduate of the North Carolina Leadership Academy whose website proclaims that their mission is to “develop each student’s potential as responsible citizens…to foster a close relationship between home and school in order to reach each student’s full potential.” Unfortunately, the leaders of the Leadership Academy seemed to be asleep at the wheel when it came to making Mr. Dewald a responsible citizen. According to the Winston-Salem Journal, long before the 2021 incident, school administrators were “already aware that Dewald had a serious problem.” They told investigators that once when Dewald was searched for drugs and weapons, they found a journal which contained, “drawings and confessions regarding the killing and torturing of different animals.” However, typical of our failing justice system, Dewald’s journal was considered private property and returned to him without filing any charges. And that brings me to last month’s sentencing.

Dewald pleaded to 10 counts of felony animal cruelty and Judge Michael Stone gave him four consecutive SUSPENDED sentences and placed him on 30 months of supervised probation. Dewald also had to serve a whopping 4 days in jail within 30 days of the sentencing and was ordered to get a mental health assessment and continue with therapy. It’s important to note that here in North Carolina, animal cruelty is a Class H felony, in which each count carries a sentence of 25 months in jail. That means Caleb Dewald should be spending the next 20 years in prison, instead of being free to roam around and torture more animals during 30 months of probation.

Clearly, Judge Stone ignored the sentencing guidelines for heinous animal cruelty, but beyond that, the law needs to be changed so that such crimes are elevated to a Class B felony, which carries a sentence of 8 years in prison for each count. Some unfeeling people don’t agree with me. They don’t think animals can feel pain and that severe prison sentences should be reserved for crimes against humans. Let me point out some statistics that might cause those misguided folks to change their views on animal torture. 

According to the Humane Society, 71% of domestic violence victims reported that their abuser also targeted pets. In fact, pet abuse occurs in 88% of families under supervision for physical abuse of their children. Those statistics are consistent with a report by the Animal Legal and Historical Center, which revealed that 85% of battered women entering shelters say that pet abuse occurred in their families. And then there is the FBI study, which warns that children and teens who torture animals often grow up to commit violent crimes, and even become serial killers. Such was the case with Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and Jeffrey Dahmer. Purdue University professor Gail Melson concurs, concluding in a recent report that, “Animal abuse is often the first sign of serious disturbance among adolescent and adult killers.”

Hewlett reports that PETA “wants the NC Leadership Academy to adopt a curriculum designed to prevent young people from committing acts of animal cruelty.” That’s all well and good, but by the time a serial animal torturer reaches high school, it’s a little late to tell him he’s doing a bad thing. Again, the best solution is to upgrade animal cruelty to a Class B felony. In the meantime, judges must enforce the most severe penalties allowed under current law. Also, parents, police, school officials, and anyone else who is aware of animal cruelty, must be held accountable for failing to act on that knowledge. 

The warnings from law enforcement and scholars are clear: people who turn a blind eye to animal abuse might also be turning a blind eye to violence against humans. That should mean something to everyone, whether you love animals or not.

 
 

Once upon a time, we could always count on nurses, firefighters, policemen, and doctors showing up for work, no matter what. That’s because they are life-savers, and life-savers are supposed to be there for us 24/7. Alas, though, times have changed. The pandemic has created shortages among the ranks of these brave and vitally important public servants, and those who remain on the job are overworked. The result is longer wait times in emergency rooms, and sometimes slower response time for 911 calls. Sadly, we humans have all come to live with certain inconveniences caused by staffing shortages and supply chain snafus. But when pets are in crisis, they don’t understand pandemic politics. They can’t call their congressman, or complain to the Better Business Bureau. All they know is that they’re in pain and need help. And that brings me to a growing problem in this country: a shortage of veterinarians and vet techs.

MSN.com reports that according to a study by Mars Veterinary Health, there are barely enough veterinarians right now to cover the current demand for pet medical care. The reason? A recent rise in pet ownership and a corresponding demand for veterinary care.

Veterinary clinics across the country are cutting back on hours of operation and some have closed altogether. Numerous sources cite the pandemic as the main reason for this crisis. CNN reported that Petfinder.com spokesperson Lorie Westhoff said inquiries about pet adoptions increased by 70% between March 2020 and March 2021. CNN also stated that Mark Cushing, CEO of the Animal Policy Group, said Millennials and Gen Zers alone are adopting pets, “at higher rates than their predecessors.” Meanwhile, according to the ASPCA, 90% of folks who adopted a pet during the pandemic kept their pet. 

In a perfect world, pet adoptions are a good thing, but in a post-pandemic reality, no good deed goes unpunished. In that same CNN article, Dr. Douglas Kratt, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, stated that “client wait times now average 20 minutes, up from 11 minutes in 2019.” With all due respect to Dr. Kratt, he doesn’t live in the Triad, where wait times can be up to three hours for walk-ins, and over an hour even if you have a scheduled appointment. One statistic I do believe, however, is that half of all veterinary technicians tend to burn out and quit within their first five years. 

Certainly, being overworked and receiving inadequate pay are contributing factors to burnout, but so are the types of “patients” being treated. Jennifer Serling, president-elect of the Association of Veterinary Technician Educators, said in the afore-mentioned CNN article, “Unlike RNs and physician assistants, vet techs are responsible for providing care to multiple species that can’t talk and tell us what’s wrong. Unlike a hospital or a doctor’s office which has specialty nurses and doctors for everything, veterinary technicians are required to do it all.”

Not to make this a personal issue, but my family has been a victim of staffing shortages, including recently at the Triad’s leading emergency animal care hospital. Open 24/7, this is THE pet emergency facility that local vets refer their clients to. So, when one of our dogs was having a prolonged, after-hours asthma attack, my wife and I drove him to this ER mecca (I won’t mention what clinic it is, but they’re located just off Guilford College road, and their name starts with Carolina Veterinary Specialists). We arrived at 10:30 p.m., and, as instructed by the sign in the parking lot, I called the receptionist to let her know we were at the front door. Instead of checking us in, she said, “Sorry we’re not seeing patients tonight.” “But you’re a 24-hour emergency hospital,” I said. “We’re not seeing patients,” she repeated coldly. I asked why. “It’s a staffing shortage,” she said. “So, you don’t have a doctor inside?” I asked. “Yes, but the doctor can’t see patients because we don’t have enough staff. You’ll just have to bring your dog back in the morning.” Fortunately, our dog’s attack subsided, but what if it hadn’t? I don’t know if the hospital’s vet techs didn’t show up because of burnout or not. All I know is that no ER doctor of any kind should ever refuse to treat an emergency case, even if he’s the only one in the building. Speaking of which, not only is there a dearth of vets to meet demand now, what’s worse is there aren’t enough vets coming along in the pipeline either. 

In the MSN article above, Mars Veterinary Health stated that, based on the current demand for pet health care, 41,000 vets will need to enter practice over the next ten years. The problem is that only about 2,500 graduates become veterinarians each year, which means we’ll have a shortage of 16,000 vets by 2030. So, what’s the solution? For that, we can look to Arizona.

There, the state legislature just passed the Arizona Veterinary Loan Assistance Program, which will reimburse student loans up to $100,000 to veterinarians who graduate after January 2023. To receive the reimbursement, vets must work in Arizona for four years, with two of those years spent in a city, county, or nonprofit shelter. Other states like North Dakota now offer a variation of the program, and there’s also a federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program available. It’s tax money well spent, and it’s welcome news to pet owners. Steve Farley, CEO of the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, stated that “Thanks to this budget appropriation, at least 58 new veterinarians will come to work in Arizona by the end of 2023. Moving forward, making this appropriation annual will save countless lives while growing our economy, a win-win solution to an intractable problem. This is a victory for animal lovers across the state and is a great example of the benefits that accrue to our residents when our leaders work together for the common good.”

Unfortunately, Arizona is too far for me to drive for veterinary care, so I just hope the North Carolina legislature will do more to alleviate our own shortage of vets and vet techs. Until then, a lot of pets in need of emergency care will, in the words of a local vet receptionist, “just have to come back tomorrow.”

 
 

Former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neillt used to say, “All politics is local”, which, in a broad sense, refers to the fact that every decision made in Washington affects every community, and that decisions made locally can affect what goes on nationally. In just under two weeks, that philosophy will be put to the test when voters in North Carolina decide to send either Democrat Cheri Beasley or Republican Ted Budd to the United States Senate, and, by so doing, determine the balance of power in our federal government.

Ms. Beasley is a former Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, and Mr. Budd is a three-term congressman from the 13th district. One is liberal and the other is conservative, and both are locked in a neck-and-neck battle that political pollsters say is too close to call. This weekend, Budd and Beasley will appear on an episode of Triad Today. My interviews with them were pre-taped and what follows are highlights of those conversations.

INFLATION

 

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JL: Forty million Americans are living in poverty and 12 million children go hungry every day. What are your solutions for bringing down the rate of inflation?

CB: I’ve been all over the state, 100 counties, and the prevailing issue is rising costs. People are feeling it on everything from pain at the pump to prescription drugs, and everything else in between. We’re trying to get through the supply chain issue, but I also know that there are corporations that are price-gouging at a time when they are making record profits, and that’s just not right for North Carolinians.”
JL: So, if you get elected, you’ll want to go after those corporations, right?

CB: Well yes, there should be a penalty for them. It’s also important for us to focus on our made-in-America economy so that we’re making more of our goods in the state.

TB: Inflation is a 40-year problem. We haven’t had inflation this bad since the Carter administration, leaking into the Reagan administration. We know how to fix this. The problem is the ideology of the Left, the ideology of Cheri Beasley, the ideology of Joe Biden won’t allow us to fix it.

JL: What do you mean “fix it”?

TB: We’ve got to have more energy. That’s what’s driving this. I’m talking about fertilizer producers to produce our food. Diesel producers that need to put fuel in the trucks to get it to the grocery stores. Everything the Left wants to do makes it harder on those folks, which is driving up prices right now. Encouraging people not to come back to work, I mean that’s what they did for a while, and that’s a lot of what’s causing the worker shortage right now.

JL: And, gasoline prices are about to go back up because of what Saudi Arabia and OPEC did.

TB: Right, and so are heating fuel prices just on the edge of winter here in just a few months.

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SAFE SCHOOLS

 

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JL: Twenty-seven children have been shot at school just since January. What’s your solution for making our schools safe from gun violence?

TB: This is heartbreaking, and as a parent, we all want our kids to come home safely. You have to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals, and you can do that without infringing upon second amendment rights. We need to enforce the laws that are on the books, many of which aren’t being enforced, and we need to deal with mental illness, which is an increasing problem.

CB: We need universal background checks, we need red flag laws, and there is absolutely no reason to have weapons of war on our streets, and guns should not be in the hands of people who can’t use them responsibly, and who use them dangerously.

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SOCIAL MEDIA

 

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JL: As you know, Tik Tok is owned by a Chinese company, so one congressman wants to ban all Tik Tok apps on military bases as a matter of national security. Meanwhile, parents are concerned about the dangerous information being posted on all social media platforms. Would you like to see social media companies be regulated in the same way as broadcasters?

TB: How social media is being used is very concerning. We have to be very careful and make sure we look at this through the lens of national security, but at the same time protect our first amendment rights.

CB: There’s no doubt that young people stay on social media, and we have to be thoughtful about the kinds of things our young people are taking in. And I do think there have to be more regulations. We have to balance the protections offered by the first amendment with making sure we keep people safe.

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Interviews with Cheri Beasley and Ted Budd can be seen in their entirety on Triad Today this Saturday at 7:30 a.m. on ABC 45, and Sunday at 11 a.m. on MY48. For more information about the candidates and their positions, visit TedBudd.com and CheriBeasley.com.

 
 

Eight years ago, Queen Elizabeth bestowed upon Angela Lansbury the title of Dame Commander, the equivalent of Knighthood for men. Accordingly, from that time forward, I included Angela’s new title on the envelope of every Christmas card I mailed to her. Of course, I knew Angela before she was a Dame, and back then there was nothing pretentious about her. The title didn’t change that. 

During Angela’s multi-faceted career, the British-born actress and singer won a slew of Tony awards and Golden Globes, and was even nominated for an Oscar for her first film at the ripe old age of 17. Her career on Broadway and in films and television spanned eight decades, playing everything from a teapot (Beauty and the Beast) to a demon barber’s assistant (Sweeney Todd), to the title role in Mrs. Santa Claus. It’s no wonder Geoffrey Rush called her, “The Living Definition of Range.” And, while theatre-goers remember her for landmark musicals like Mame and Gypsy, and film buffs revere her for her turns in Gaslight and The Manchurian Candidate, fans around the globe know her best as mystery writer-turned-sleuth Jessica Fletcher on the long-running CBS drama Murder, She Wrote. I on the other hand will always remember Angela for helping me win my wife Pam’s hand in marriage. More on that later.

For now, Pam and I, like millions of fans, are mourning the loss of dear Angie. She passed away last Tuesday. Angela Lansbury was 96 years old.

In 2006, my friends at the Television Academy asked me to produce and moderate an event that would celebrate women in television. I agreed, but insisted that we include Angela Lansbury on the panel, and also honor her with a special Academy presentation. Keep in mind that, by then, Angela had already been inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. Yet, ironically, a lot of high-brow Academy voters had neglected to award her even a single EMMY for her work on Murder, She Wrote. I considered that not just an over site, but a travesty, thus my insistence on creating a special award for her. And so, on March 30, 2006, I assembled a dozen actresses and women producers for an in-depth discussion about their careers. Among the participants joining Angela and me that night was Holland Taylor (Two and a Half Men), Melina Kanakaredes (CSI NY), CCH Pounder (The Shield), and Jeanne Tripplehorn (Big Love). By the way, every big star assembled on stage was in awe of Angela, so much so, that at the private pre-event dinner, not one of them would sit at her table for fear of intruding. That’s when I asked Pam to go over and keep Angela company, and the two of them had a wonderful time together, which ended with Angie serenading my better half.  

What follows are highlights from my exchanges with Angela during our “Women in Prime” event:

 

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JL: Who was your role model or hero when you were growing up?

AL: Two people had a tremendous impact on my life as a child. One was my grandfather, who was very much a larger-than-life character. He was a politician, a great labor leader, and a great speechmaker, and as a child, I was taken to hear him speak. He spoke in the Albert Hall in London, and he could really rally the crowds because his heart was in the right place. He cared about his fellow man, probably more than anybody I remember in my childhood except possibly my father. However, his charisma was so extraordinary that I used to go home and practice making speeches, and it was one of the things that brought me out of myself because I was absolutely a very shy child. I hung on to my mother’s skirt. I was that kind of a child. So, I give him credit for bringing me out of myself by doing imitations of him.”

JL: How was it for you being a working mom early on in your career?

AL: It was very difficult. It’s easy for us as women to describe our problems as mothers and having children. How different it is for men. It certainly was in those days. Today, husbands are more prepared to take on more of the responsibility of being there at home when you can’t be there. So, it’s a different world in that respect. When my kids were growing up and I was working, I was torn. I went through all of those terrible moments of crying and saying, “I’m not going to go to New York for 6 months and do a play unless my kids can go with me”, and oftentimes they did. I hate to say this, but I think it was to their detriment because I had to pull them out of school and all those things.

JL: I think all of the early Murder, She Wrote episodes were written by men, and you were outspoken about the fact that you thought men didn’t always write for women the way they should. Did you ever get women writers?

AL: We never had women writers. We never did. I wanted to have women writers. But my brother was the story editor at the time, thank goodness because at least he knew what I was wanting to achieve in the way of helping Jessica to grow out of Cabot Cove, and at least put her foot in the larger pond, get out in the world and interact with more interesting people. He enabled me to do that, but we couldn’t go very far afield within that format.

JL: In 1987 you wrote Positive Moves: My Personal Plan for Fitness and Well Being, and I heard that the book was inspiring for a lot of women. Speaking of which, tell me about the feedback you’ve received from women who said you had a positive impact on their lives.

AL: I’ve had some wonderful feedback from the theatre roles I’ve played, and from the movie roles I’ve played, not so much with Manchurian Candidate. It took me years to live down THAT role (laughter). I started Murder, She Wrote when I was 59 years old, coming up to 60, and I got into television because I felt I hadn’t made any real money in the years I had been in the theatre and movies, and the time had come for annuity, you know [laughs]. You have to think about these things. And so, I got into television, thank God. But I was lucky enough to fall into an extraordinary role, a role model for women of my age. Women had never been represented in the way Jessica Fletcher approached her middle age, and for the first time, those women really counted for something. But the interesting thing was, it wasn’t just women that I heard from. It was also men. Middle-aged men and older men adored Jessica Fletcher, and to this day they still do. But with the women, the mail I got was just astronomical, and I still get it. It’s quite extraordinary. Women just decided they were going to be like Jessica Fletcher. They became writers. They pulled themselves together. They lost weight thanks to the book, and they became absolutely fascinated by what was possible for women of our age to attain. So, my feedback was tremendous.

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At the end of our panel discussion, Academy president, Dick Askin came up on stage and presented Angela with a beautifully framed plaque that recognized her as a “Pioneer for Women in Television”. I then used the occasion to publicly thank her for helping me get Pam to the altar. I explained that, following our first meeting, Pam was none too impressed with me, nevertheless, I persevered. I had learned that her all-time favorite TV show was Murder, She Wrote, so, I packed up my entire VHS collection of Jessica’s mysteries and dropped the tapes off to Pam at work. Soon after that, she agreed to go out with me, and eventually, we tied the knot. Angela laughed and said, “What a wonderful story! I can’t believe it.”

There’s no telling just how many lives Angela Lansbury touched, and how many people she helped along the way, some without ever having known it. One example occurred several years into the making of Murder, She Wrote. As the story goes, guest star Van Johnson could see how the grueling production schedule was wearing on his buddy Angie. He told her she had made enough money and didn’t have to keep working and suggested she should just walk away. Angela told him she would not think of quitting because hundreds of people depended on her for a living. That was Angela in a nutshell. Always thinking of others. Always a team player. Always giving us all she had to give. 

Soon it will be time to mail out holiday cards again, and this year, for the first time in a long time, I won’t be addressing any of them to a Dame, and that makes me sad. Rest in peace, Mrs. Potts.

You can watch “Women in Prime” and other celebrity videos on www.JimLongworth.com.

 
 

You may not have heard of him, but John Selden made a lot of very profound statements. Selden was an English scholar who lived from 1584 until 1654, and among his many sayings is, “Ignorance of the law excuses no man.” Over the centuries, highway patrolmen, judges, and others in positions of power have popularized the phrase as, “Ignorance of the law is no excuse.” Selden also wrote a special idiom about hypocrisy, which he used when chastising preachers, and politicians who behaved one way but held everyone else to a different standard. Selden mocked their hypocrisy by saying, “Do as I say and not as I do.” Were John Selden alive today and had he watched coverage of hurricane Ian on TV, he would have certainly aimed his hypocrisy barb at the news media.

Storm after storm, TV reporters continue to put their lives at risk by trying to remain standing upright in the midst of dangerously high winds and torrential rains. It’s what media consultants used to call “reporter involvement.” I get it. Television managers want their anchors and reporters to get out in the community, appear at local events, and interact with viewers. That’s fine if your reporter is playing a pick-up game with kids or visiting a nursing home. But it’s not OK to put that reporter in harm’s way. 

Recently while hurricane Ian swept through Florida with 130-mile-per-hour winds, the National Weather Service announced it was, “an extreme threat to life and property.” But that didn’t deter the Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore from standing outside in the middle of a CAT 4 storm and getting struck by a fallen tree branch. Fortunately, Cantore was not seriously injured, but not all reporters have been so lucky. In 2018, a Greenville South Carolina TV anchorman and his videographer were killed when a tree crashed down on their SUV while covering tropical storm Alberto. Since then, countless other TV reporters have been hit by flying debris or knocked down by gusting winds.    

Despite the inherent dangers of covering hurricanes by standing in the middle of them, most television executives defend the practice of having reporters on the scene. Dan Shelley, president of the Radio and Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) told the Washington Post, “It’s important to show (the hurricane) in factual and vivid terms so people understand just what they are up against.” But Shelley’s declaration is exactly what John Selden would have a problem with. That’s because as the TV reporter is fighting off hurricane winds and wading through dangerously swollen creeks, he’s telling viewers to stay inside, i.e., “Do as I say and not as I do.”