New Hanover County Commissioners
Re: Local News Coverage pertaining to your January 23rd meeting... the concerns of this Christian.
Mr. Davis & Members of the Board of commissioners:
These are the times that try men's souls. Anyone, anywhere, unconcerned about the world, flesh, devil, taking over the Christian church, this democratic republic, are too naive to vote or care.
I refuse to forfeit my right to condemn your actions, removing Christian prayer from your meetings. We will find who, gospel, minister, or otherwise,will be spineless enough to bow to your wishes.
The Apostle Paul said, “I bear in my body the marks of our Lord Jesus.” I have the marks. I am a totally blind, 200 disabled, service connected, medical officer, veteran of the Korean Conflict. I believe that 90% of Christian faith is courage. I had the courage to give my eyes for YOUR country. In this age of “political-correctness”, I dare challenge your actions. I speak for the veterans, the disenfranchised, those who have not won any votes for election, left out of life's lottery. I have a filing cabinet filled with letters to agencies for the disabled. Particularly, Americans With Disabilities Act, FTC, FCC, SEC, VA (seeking help for fellow veterans), people who do not use your parks, libraries, jails, and many other things for which we pay taxes. Your county manager, before Mr. Shell, even while applying for a job in Durham, told me he had never read anything about the ADA. Your veteran’s representative, I just know the name Bob, would not respond to me about anything. The chairman of the BVA (Blind Veterans Association) said to me one time by phone, “If there has ever been a person who should be on Oprah, it is you... a man, though blind, traveled the world, from zero became a multimillionaire, from zero, though blind, self-sufficient, at 82 home and still in business.
I do not want to give you the pleasure of believing I am playing the victim’s card. “Jesus paid it all, all to Him, I owe”. Next to this insult to my Savior, my driver (Joe Rusch, who still works for me) and I finding two law enforcement officers, having broken into the back door of my house, leaving my house as we were entering. My driver said, “this man is a blind veteran” The officer said, “I know he is a veteran, there is a decorated uniform hanging in his closet.” You see, every time I complain about government things, government tries to find something to harass me about. (real estate, vehicle) I may not be right, but I want my church, government, law officers, both elected and hired, to be right. Twice, my telephone lines cut. Deputy Owens, of your department, told me I would be killed before anything was done. Until I put an alarm system on my house, I kept cement blocks at the doors. For a blind person, housebound, living alone, nothing's more threatening than a break-in or fire. Now, beyond comprehension to a once Christian Nation (Supreme Court 1799-1892) prayers to Sovereign God, our Creator, taken from the schools, civic clubs, the graduation at the local university, and now your meetings. I have met commissioners Barfield, Thompson, Berger. I cannot believe that they sat there, passive, and said nothing while this insult ensued.
I have been on “talk-radio”, local, national shows, for years, not just by blog but a writer in many publications. I have never hesitated to discuss the bigotry-discrimination in this county where I have spent most of my life. Perhaps this is the reason that your local people ignore me. Supposedly, you have a representative for the blind. Once, only once, Rebecca Koziah came to my house , because I had called a local radio station asking about a machine that read the newspaper. Even though there have been hundreds of articles about this blind man, who has traveled the world, lived a productive life, pays more taxes that he ever thought he would make, she maintained she had never heard of me. Even though I knew well Judge Cathey (blind judge for whom one building in Raleigh is named, Governors such as Sanford, Moore, Hunt, & Easley... my largess at Mount Olive College, UNC-CH, etc.) I know about political appointments. Early on, even your county manager, Powell, came to my house to tell me I would not be appointed to anything (I had applied to the public health and library boards) because of my blindness and being a rabid republican. Just two weeks ago, a veteran’s meeting at the old USO building, just one block from my downtown home. (I have a beach house) Not once, all these years, has any veteran's group or politician offered to help me get to such meeting. You felt free to give away the old law enforcement building to the First Baptist church of which I was a long time member (back then, the church had $13 million in a reserve fund – Jay Phillips, assistant pastor) On local radio, I have offered $1000.00 cash to anyone who can show that any church, veteran's group, civic club... holidays or any day, has done anything for this totally blind citizen.
I knew Jocephus Daniels, editor of the Raleigh News & Observer, the present editor, Henry Belk, blind, editor from Goldsboro, and many other productive citizens, disabled or normal. Our Creator, somethingness from nothingness could take a boy from a poverty-stricken tobacco farm, Eastern North Carolina, pitiful country school (13 in my graduating class) without grants, loans, or anything, guide me through eight years of university education, working - nights, classes - day, field grade medical officer, eyes for YOUR country, over fifty years of blackness, JC, young man of North Carolina, speaker, writer, paying to your county, much tax, and still be embarrassed by your insulting my Savior... the One, past, present, future, sufficient, leading me all the way. I recommend Him to you.
Dr. Thomas R. Morris
Lt. Col USA Retired
Blind/Dictated
Visit my blog at http://pockets1940.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.DrThomasMorris.com
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(Dr. Morris is a totally blind 100% disabled service connected veteran, 8 around the world trips, passport stamped in 157 countries)
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Christian references removed from political organizations
Posted: Jan 23, 2012 4:25 PM EST Updated: Jan 23, 2012 4:25 PM EST
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) – Commissioners in New Hanover County made it clear during their meeting Monday morning that the invocation cannot reference Jesus or Christ. Referencing a specific God is now against the law.
A group pressed charges in Forsyth County saying they favored Christianity, and the Fourth District Court of Appeals refused to hear an appeal to the case that says political organizations can't have prayer the names a specific God.
New Hanover County Commissioner Chair Ted Davis said the county usually has a local minister give the invocation at the beginning of meetings.
Since the appeal was denied and the ruling is law, Davis said New Hanover County would be breaking the law if they let someone include Christ in a prayer before the commissioners meeting.
"I think it's a sad day, but that's from a personal standpoint," said Davis. "But again, that is the law and we're going to abide by the law."
The words "non-sectarian invocation" was written at the top of Monday's agenda packet. Previous agendas just said "invocation" on them.
Copyright 2012 WECT. All rights reserved.
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