Do You Matter in Moore County?
Do you matter?
Do you live in Moore County? Are you registered to vote? Do you pay taxes which go to fund County services and resources like the Sheriff's Department or public schools?
For far too long, it has seemed as if only certain citizens matter in Moore County. Right wing conservatives dominate not only our governing boards, but the decisions those governing boards make which impact all of our lives.
Do you support our Public Schools? Do you believe that they ought to be adequately funded?
Do you support the right of every human being to control their own reproductive health?
Do you support expanding Medicaid so that our most vulnerable citizens have access to adequate Health Care?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, I hate to tell you, but you don't matter. Not in Moore County.
This isn't about right versus left or Republicans versus Democrats. It's about every person who lives and pays taxes and votes in Moore County having representation on their governing boards. It's about having a voice. It's about being allowed to matter.
One of our very own elected officials, David Hensley - member of the Moore County Board of Education - was caught on video at a political event saying in clear language that the ultimate goal of right-wing conservatives was to make Moore County an uncomfortable place for leftists to live.
Now, Mr. Hensley will try to convince us all that he was only talking about a handful of people (and I'm sure I'm included in that group), but the fact of the matter is that Mr. Hensley and his supporters accuse everyone who disagrees with them on any issue or any person who leans slightly more to the left than they do a leftist. And they don't stop at calling us leftist. No. They call us groomers and pedophiles Communists and Socialists. They call us pure evil and declare that we should be destroyed.
If this were only political rhetoric and insults being hurled around on social media, it could be ignored. But they won't stop there, their newest tactic to make Moore County an uncomfortable place for us to live is to pressure our County Commissioners into enshrining their values and their personal beliefs into the very fabric of our local government.
The Moore County Board of Commissioners is being asked to pass a resolution declaring more County a "pro-life" sanctuary. And these people aren't just asking. They are applying serious pressure to our Commissioners to take sides in a culture war of their own making. They have a petition with over 200 signatures, they've shown up at meeting after meeting to address the Board of Commissioners, and they're holding protests and counter protests on a very regular basis.
There's nothing wrong with people expressing their pro birth values, just like there's nothing wrong with other people demonstrating in support of their pro-choice values. What is wrong is attempting to get our County Commissioners, a body with no legal authority to do so, to interfere with reproductive health care and make a public declaration that half of the citizens who live here would find offensive.
The fact is, we do matter. But for far too long, we've remained silent and accepted second class status in this County. It's time for that to stop. Moderates and left of center citizens must start demanding the representation of our elected officials. We must start insisting that our voices be heard. We must start standing up and fighting for our rights.
And honestly if we can't be bothered to do that, then I guess we don't deserve to matter.
Please contact your County Commissioner and let them know you matter.
Please sign the We Matter petition to ask our Commissions decline to declare Moore County a "pro-life sanctuary."
Please attend the We Matter demonstration in support of reproductive rights and the July 19 BoC meeting to speak to our Commissioners.
***Commentary by Cheryl Christy. Cheryl can be reached at her Facebook page.
***Links:
Moore County Commissioners contact information
We Matter Demonstration for Reproductive Rights
Petition to Moore County Board of Commissioners
