Freedom of speech, taxes and "obscene films"

Freedom of speech is taking another hit in the legislature. State Senator Phil Berger, a Republican, filed a bill to block obscene films from getting tax credits.
For those who don't know, the state offers tax credits to film companies who shoot their movies in North Carolina. Some would say it's a great idea that allows our beautiful state a lot of exposure and publicity, while others would say government shouldn't be doling out tax cuts because its taxes should cost an absolute minimum to begin with.

That's beside the point. Mr. Berger, I'm sure, is fully aware that he's filed a bill that will garner a lot of respect from conservatives, a lot of ire from liberals and will never see the light of legislative day. Were it to pass, the bill would quickly be shot down when some two-bit porn pushing company sued to protect their right to make lots of money.

Simply put, it's a matter of free speech. The first amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Section 14 of the N.C. Declaration of Rights both prohibit restraints on speech. By allowing tax credits for some without allowing them for others, the government would be judging which speech is proper...in other words, trying to put limits on who can and can't make films.

I'm all about endorsing proper values. That endorsement starts at home, continues in church and is completed when a child becomes an adult and knows right from wrong. It is not now, nor ever will be, realistically enforced by some government rule.

What's worse is that I believe Sen. Berger knows this. He's wasting the legislature's time so that he can get some positive press. Everyone wants to be seen driving on the high road, Senator, but wasting time and money debating useless bills isn't the way to do it.

Hopefully, this blog is the closest you'll get to having any attention given on Senate Bill 1324.

4-year-old's future

Trevor Walker is the lone survivor of a wreck that killed his parents last week. If you saw The Star or the Gaston Gazette Wednesday, you probably read his story.
It brings to light a harsh reality we must all face. No matter how old or young you are, you need to prepare for your possible death.
It's macabre, and I'm going to sound preachy here. I'm sure Trevor's parents loved him. I'm sure the thought never occurred to them that they might not be around to see him grow up. It's not a thought anyone would want.
But now, after their deaths, two loving families are left trying to figure out who could raise the child best. Hopefully, everyone's love for the boy won't turn into a long, drawn-out court battle that can only harm the boy and both families in the long run.
It's an issue that could have been avoided if the parents had left instructions concerning how Trevor should be taken care of.
That's not to chide or insult his parents. No one thinks this is going to happen to them. A majority of parents probably aren't that prepared.
But this story should serve as a stark reminder to everyone. Be prepared. Life throws unexpected curves.
Talk to a lawyer and make sure everything is in order if, God forbid, you are taken from your loved ones.

British invasion

Meet Paul Carter, of England. He's one of several British subjects visiting the Carolinas this month. This week, they visited Shelby and Paul came to spend time at The Star.
A public information officer in England, he was interested in how the media works here in the United States. We answered his questions and took him to Shelby Cafe, where he was forced to have cheese on his burger. He wasn't interested in sweet tea, though.
I, of course, mentioned to him the many great opportunities to learn about British history in the Carolinas. Mind you, they all involve old Revolutionary War battles, so maybe that's not the best idea.
After eating with me, Editor Jon Jimison and Lifestyles Editor Megan Ward, Paul spent time with Cops Reporter Graham Cawthon.
Unfortunately for Paul, there was little to nothing happening in Shelby during the time he was shadowing Graham. We promised Paul that Shelby wasn't nearly that boring for a cops reporter normally.

The Shrinkdown challenge

To be fair, I'm a johnny-come-lately to the Cleveland County Shrinkdown effort. A lot of people have worked very hard to bring this program to you, not the least of which is Lifestyles Editor Megan Ward, who has done most of the work in The Star's newsroom to bring you information about the big event.
Below is my own meager contribution -- a challenge to Greenwood County, South Carolina.


Bring it on, Greenwood County.
For the past week, people have been trying to get you involved in the Greater Greenwood Shrinkdown. They’re going to get you to sign up for the program today…to get involved, get healthy, lose weight and meet some massive goal.
I’m not one of those people.
I work at The Star in Cleveland County, N.C. Our county is the only one in our state taking part in the Shrinkdown this year. I spent part of this week looking for a participating county in South Carolina that’s smaller than Cleveland County.
Why? So we can challenge someone to a weight-loss duel.
You see, we’re very generous in Cleveland County. Our people give more to charity, get more involved in civic programs and take pride in everything that happens here.
We’re hoping that our people will be just as generous with themselves as they are with others. Losing weight and getting healthy isn’t just an admirable goal – it’s a life-changing experience that could add years to your time on this earth.
To get them charged up, we decided to find some small, hopeless town to pick a fight with, some town we know we can easily lose more weight than. I couldn’t find one that fit the bill.
Then, I found you.
The City of Greenwood is slightly larger than the City of Shelby – your population is estimated at a little more than 22,000, while Shelby’s is estimated at around 20,000.
But Cleveland County is bigger than you – 98,288 to Greenwood County’s 69,979.
None of that matters, though. What matters is the number of people who sign up for the Greater Greenwood and Cleveland County Shrinkdowns.
Here’s the deal – whichever group loses a higher percentage of weight becomes the winner and gets bragging rights.
Today, you have your first opportunity to show if you’re going to be real competition. Today, both counties begin signing up.
We’re probably going to have more people sign up than you, but that’s only because we’re a bigger county, right? Or are you and your neighbors going to show how committed you are to a new, healthier lifestyle? All it takes is signing up from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at the Greater Greenwood YMCA.
Step up, Greenwood County. What have you got to lose, besides excess pounds, high cholesterol, and a lifestyle that could potentially be putting you in danger?
Or, don’t. And 10 weeks from now you’ll know there’s a county in North Carolina that’s healthier than you are. You’ll know, because we won’t hesitate to brag about it.
It’s your choice, Greenwood County. Bring it on.

Expanding topics and the animal shelter

I don't get out of the office nearly enough anymore. I miss the freedom of being a reporter. As the managing editor, I spend a lot more time in the office than I'm really comfortable with.
The recent rabies scare gave me a chance to get out and cover something. If you haven't read about it, check out www.shelbystar.com where the story is being played rather prominently.
I went to a press conference at the animal shelter. There, I got to see a few of the dogs they are keeping right now.
There's two dogs in this one cage. They were brown. That's about as good as I can get with the whole identification thing. I really wanted to take one of them home.
I really wish I could have a dog. My landlady would let me, but I'm not home nearly enough to take care of an animal.
That's at the heart of the rabies problem right now. People not taking care of animals. I haven't had a chance to talk with the rabies-exposed family on the record yet, but my impression is that they were trying to take care of stray animals that others had put out. It's very sweet of them to want to take care of these animals, but these people who dump their stray animals out expecting someone else to adopt them aren't being fair.
It creates a health risk, too. Rabies can be fatal, and although there aren't that many rabies fatalities in the United States, Cleveland County definitely doesn't want to become the next place on that list.
Take care of your animals, folks. It matters.

I fell off the wagon...hard

Well, friends, I was supposed to get my final measurements this week. But I fell off the exercising wagon, and now I've got some ground to make up.
The hardest part was telling Leslie. She, of course, had noticed that I stopped coming to exercise. She told me how worried she had become.
I didn't mean to stop going. I went to work out two Mondays ago. I missed Tuesday. I worked out Wednesday. Then I didn't make it back to the gym for another six days.
Actually, I did make it back to the gym that Friday. I got out of the car, took three steps toward the gym and my phone rang. I got called in to work.
I went to the Aerosmith/Motley Crue concert Thursday night, and I think I should be able to count headbanging as exercise.
Monday, I had to come into work at 5:45 a.m. I was so tired by 7:30 a.m. that I knew it would be useless for me to go to my training session.
The rest of the days I missed -- I just didn't go. I overslept in the morning and then let other things distract me in the evening. I think I even gained back a pound or two.
Leslie gave me another week to get back on the straight and narrow. It felt good to be back in the gym, but I really regret missing the time.

Abdominal boot camp

My abs should be rock hard any minute now. Just count down with me...
Leslie put me through leg and abdominal boot camp today. Just another reminder that exercise is hard.
Not all the time, though. It's starting to get easier for me. The ellyptical machine is my friend. I really like lifting weights, although they hurt like the devil. There's just something manly about the way my shoulders feel after lifting.
But I've still got this belly. This big, big belly. It's shrinking, but not nearly as fast as I'd like. Of course, I'd like to exercise one day a year and maintain a rock hard stomach, but I don't think that's going to happen.
Thus the ab boot camp.
I did 67 crunches on the crunch machine. Then there was the bicycle crunches. That's where you flail your legs around like you're pedalling a bike, and you do crunches while you're pedalling.
Let's not forget the extremely painful leg throw thingie. That's where you lie flat on your back while someone stands above you. You grab their knees and lift your legs, touching their palms. You lower your legs...not touching the ground...and lift them back up.
This actually caused a wave of nostalgia for me ... back in the days when I worked as a fencing instructor, I made my students do these.
That wave of nostalgia was quickly overcome by the wave of agony as I performed them.

On an unrelated topic, I'd like to say that I'm eating really well. I'd like to say that, but my weekends keep happening. My sweet girlfriend doesn't much like eating health food, and so our evenings become long, drawn-out discussions about where to eat. I want to eat healthy -- she wants to eat comfort foods. Rarely can you find one restaurant that serves both.
And cooking at home isn't an option. My girlfriend, for all her fantastic qualities, doesn't like to cook. Not a problem...I don't mind cooking. Unfortunately, she doesn't like to eat at the house. She believes eating out is part of the experience. That's an issue we'll have to overcome.

But I'm feeling healthier. Overall, I'm doing well. I just got inducted into the Shelby breakfast Rotary Club. That is a devilishly tempting place. We meet at the country club, which puts on a fantastic breakfast spread. I limit myself to the fruit and cereal, which I'm thankful they offer. But there's grits, eggs, bacon, and other goodies, too. Mmm...goodies...

Weight this morning (on my home scale): 253 lbs. Yay!