By L.A. Williams
Christian Action League
February 9, 2014
Thousands of protesters converged in the state’s capital Saturday for a so-called “Moral March” on Raleigh that united most any group opposed to the state’s conservative leadership.
Bused in from across the state and beyond and led by NC NAACP President William Barber, the group included pro-abortion and homosexual marriage forces as well as those demanding more entitlement programs and protesting the state’s voter ID law.
Ironically, in order to march against the requirement of bringing a photo ID to vote, participants were asked to provide just such a form of identification (See: Marcher Rules). An NAACP list of “Important Do’s and Don’ts for Marchers!!!” urged attendees to “bring photo identification (driver’s license, passport or other valid photo id) with you and keep it on your person at all times.”
The list quickly made the rounds on social media, drawing more than a few chuckles and also comments from lawmakers such as Rep. David Lewis (R-Harnett), who told The Daily Caller that he found it “extremely hypocritical that when nearly 70 percent of North Carolinians across all political spectrums support the idea that one present photo identification when going to the polls, the NC NAACP has filed suit in court to block this common-sense idea. However, the NC NAACP requires their protesters to maintain valid photo identification on their person throughout the march.”
“The idea that Chairman William Barber and his followers find it more important to carry their photo identification with them when marching than when electing the President of the United States is reprehensible,” he added.
Saturday’s march, which was a merger of sorts of the Moral Monday crowd with the annual Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HKonJ) event, brought out those opposed to the state’s tightening of abortion laws as well as others protesting for higher education funding and other issues they don’t believe are being addressed, including medical marijuana.
“In short, anybody who has a beef with anything in the state was apparently urged to come to Raleigh to march,” said the Rev. Mark Creech. “It’s always good to see people exercise their freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, but it’s also sad to see so many who apparently believe that government programs are the answer to their problems.”
While Barber likened the march to Civil Rights demonstrations, calling the crowd “the ‘trumpet of conscience’ that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called upon us to be,” Tami Fitzgerald, director of the N.C. Values Coalition, said the group was “anything but moral.”
“They are unhappy because the Governor and the General Assembly have enacted policies in line with mainstream North Carolinians that promote and protect marriage between one man and one woman as God created it, ban sex selective abortion, protect the conscience rights of pro-life health care workers, require abortion facilities to meet basic medical safety standards and prevent taxpayer-funded abortions.”
She expressed gratitude for elected officials’ enacting policies that reflect the values of most North Carolinians, as well as reforming the tax code.
Dr. Creech said he hoped conservative leaders would stay the course and not be distracted by Rev. Barber’s crowd.