Comments | Eastern NC Now

CP: You're right. The Chairwoman is not removing people from the committee by the procedures of the Plan of Organization. She is doing these things unilaterally. She's abusing her power and is out of control. The Plan does not give her the power to be accuser, judge, and jury.

Additionally, the Plan does not give her (and her friends) the power to unilaterally make decisions and spend money without the permission of the Executive Committee.

Commented: Tuesday, January 27th, 2026 @ 7:04 am By: Van Zant

Unfortunately, you spread such lies and hateful rhetoric. The Republican Party is a private organization. I was at this meeting and witnessed the illegal behavior of Hood Richardson, Ms. Clark, and Ms. Knight. I attend your meetings and the GOP meetings. During the January 8th meeting, 18 candidates spoke to the committee and attendees. It was an excellent meeting until your outburst and refusal to leave so the party could conduct business. The chair called for a recess so candidates could shake hands and attendees could pick up their signs. As I understand it, the GOP is a private organization (527). One of your club members yelled "Heil Hitler" while displaying the nazi salute. There is no place in the Republican Party or anywhere for such a hateful and disrespectful display. The chair has every right to call for a closed session to discuss party business. There is no reason for attendees to be subjected to your hateful discord.

Commented: Monday, January 26th, 2026 @ 10:43 pm By: Truth be Told

Northerners raging over a US President marching federal troops into one of their cities. Very ironic when you look back and think on it. Pappy O'Daniel must be laughing hysterically sippin his mint julep over that one.

Commented: Monday, January 26th, 2026 @ 4:18 pm By: Amused Observer

One need only look at how Barack Obama handled illegal immigration during his tenure as president. This included putting a presidential.Medal on Tom Holman, the head of ICE for deporting between around 5 million illegal aliens. And he's on record openly stating it.

Then one only has to look at the exact same policy under the Trump administration. Now it is front and center in the news, and there is open armed resistance in Minneapolis. But ICE is active in many cities throughout the United States. It appears only Minneapolis has significant problems. Including setting up, autonomous zones and essentially acting in open rebellion and insurrection against a federal agency. ICE falls under the Department of Homeland Security, which falls under the executive branch of the government which falls under the supremacy clause of the constitution, which means it has full and total rights and jurisdiction by the president.

At the same time, we have discovered massive fraud in Minneapolis and throughout Minnesota. Very unfortunate. But just when we started to examine fraud and waste in the government, the Democrats decided to burn Tesla's burn down Tesla dealerships, and once again openly engage in violent Ins insurrection, like activity to stop the investigation of fraud.

Minnesota and Minneapolis in particular is infested with fraud. So to detract away from the fraud, they are openly going after ICE agents. That's my take on it.

This is yet another wag, the dog movie directed by the Democrats designed with one intention only to influence the 2026 midterms with their lies and they're complicit lying media. The five-year-old boy was not kidnapped and used as bait. His father abandoned him in a -21° C car. His mother refused to accept them. That's the truth.

Renee Goode refused to comply with armed police, asking her to get out of her car, which was being used to actively block in ICE vehicles. That is an illegal activity. Did she comply with the police officers and step out of her car? No. She used your car she hit an ICE agent who went to the hospital with internal bleeding and she was shot and unfortunately killed.

Alex Pretti brings a 9 mm gun with an extra magazine into an active crime scene while filling it. Is it legal for him to carry the gun yes. He had supposedly a CC permit. But who walks into an active crime zone filming them while carrying a loaded gun? And what is the reason why he would do it. And where were the local police supporting the ice agents to make sure he would never even step off the sidewalk. He's allowed to carry his gun.

He's allowed to film them. But he can't walk up to them while they are in an active crime scene. When he was engaged by the police, did he fall to the ground immediately and say hey I'm carrying a gun don't shoot? No he actively resisted 5 ICE agents. Who does this? Now you see why the police instinctively followed your training and neutralized him? He did not state his intentions.

They have no idea who he is, but he's carrying a loaded pistol. Police officers are trained to draw on you before you even put your hand toward your gun. You are to tell an officer in advance that you have a gun on you if you're approaching a law officer while you're carrying. That's the law and that's just common sense.  that's what you do if you don't wanna get shot. The last thing I would do is resist arrest.

The governor of Minnesota and the mayor of Minneapolis are actively encouraging their citizenry to violently engage ICE agents in the attempt to interfere with their objectives.

This is because of the massive fraud that has been uncovered under their watch and the violent crime they allow in their city as a stated sanctuary city.

A sanctuary city is a city that is an open rebellion against the United States. They are declaring themselves above federal law. So by default they should receive no federal funding. If a state and a city can openly violate federal law, what laws can we have citizens choose to violate? I would say if my city is a sanctuary city then there should be a class action lawsuit to prevent us legal American citizens from paying any property taxes.

Commented: Monday, January 26th, 2026 @ 3:34 pm By: Doug Rufino

When you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes.

Commented: Monday, January 26th, 2026 @ 2:24 pm By: Nelson Lambert

I believe in the second amendment as much as any fellow 2nd Amendment advocate, but one still must possess the great good sense to NEVER take a handgun, with plenty of ammo, to an immeasurably stressed public spectacle, where incredibly well armed opponents are trying to do what they are paid to do, and most of their opponents there are paid to get within their way as they proceed to do their designated jobs

This is where and why I concocted the "Darwin Awards" designation for the Departed Mr. Pretti.

Commented: Monday, January 26th, 2026 @ 7:26 am By: Stan Deatherage

Christians are becoming the new persecuted class of choice by those with chronic evil intent.

Commented: Sunday, January 25th, 2026 @ 7:06 pm By: Stan Deatherage

This is a confused age. It has been confused by our teachers educated in liberal Universities and our liberal media. The Church is the only place young people can find correct true direction. We need to teach that the bible is a "Handbook for Success".

Commented: Sunday, January 25th, 2026 @ 6:27 pm By: Buzz Cayton

Where have the years gone?

Bob Weir was always the young one, the youthfully handsome one on the stage. "Time Waits for No One."

Commented: Sunday, January 25th, 2026 @ 4:44 pm By: Stan Deatherage

I do not know exactly what actually occurred to hasten Alex Pretti's conclusion as a mere mortal, however, being armed amongst highly trained, well armed federal law enforcement personnel at a so-called "Peaceful Protest," where the ongoing "Peaceful Protest" was and is to deter ICE from its appointed duties, certainly turned out to be a bad idea for Alex, the departed.

Commented: Sunday, January 25th, 2026 @ 3:59 pm By: Richard Marvin Butkus

Van Zant is my kind of dude; his "perception" goes beyond those of the scripts handed down from Raleigh, DC, London or Davos. His view is more based off of common sense awareness and not of mainstream political kool-aid manufacturers.

There needs to be MORE "Van Zants" and less "Conservative Voter"-type tunnel vision in the GOP; the Garris's and the Kidwell's of the political realm are terrified of the "Van Zants" finding the glitches in the matrix, so to say.

We're getting down to the short rows here and whatever happens...happens; let the cards fall as they will and let the public, not a select fee, decided for themselves.

Commented: Sunday, January 25th, 2026 @ 1:05 pm By: John Valley

Van Zant: The reason for the Beaufort County GOP is to have an Executive Committee that conducts the business of the local Republican Party. I believe we agree, it is not there to further the would be political careers of its officers.

Commented: Sunday, January 25th, 2026 @ 12:18 pm By: Stan Deatherage