Comments by Charles Hickman | Eastern NC Now
Browse all Comments by Charles Hickman...
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Commented on Spanberger signs unconstitutional bill to strip Confederacy-linked groups of tax Eexempt statusIt appears Virginia has its own Mao Zedong implementing her own Marxist Cultural Revolution in our northern neighbor state.
Commented: Tuesday, April 21st, 2026 @ 6:06 am
By: Charles Hickman
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Thanks for the great breakdown of how all this works. The general public really needs to know about the processes and structures of politics. Your mention of the term "low information voter" was appropriate.
The more we know the less likely it is for us to be led around by the nose. An informed public makes less mistakes. In this confusing world we need every edge we can get. How involved people choose to get involved in all of this is up to them. I believe everyone should at least vote, but I also believe everyone should understand how all this works before they do.
Commented: Sunday, April 19th, 2026 @ 4:13 pm
By: Charles Hickman
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I mentioned this issue to our board a while back. I've been monitoring this phenomenon both internationally and nationally for years. Now, as expected, it has fallen in our laps locally.
I'm an old soldier. My oath to protect and defend the Constitution did not expire. In fact, all U.S. citizens should recognize how important these dearly bought constitutionally protected rights are.
Commented: Sunday, December 21st, 2025 @ 12:51 pm
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on Relaxed Elected OfficialsSteve pointed out an important distinction between cursive writing being mandated by the state legislature and being embraced by DPI. We are lucky that many of our Beaufort County teachers are taking the initiative to teach cursive writing beyond checking an item on a sheet. That is not necessarily happening everywhere. Since the classroom teacher is getting mixed messages from above, we get mixed results in our school systems. In my opinion, North Carolina needs a more focused and unified commitment to cursive writing to repair the deficiencies of recent years of neglect. An important aspect of that would be using it in practical applications in order to develop skills. I believe cursive writing is an important part of being an educated person, even in our computerized age.
Commented: Tuesday, December 9th, 2025 @ 7:53 pm
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on Relaxed Elected OfficialsThis has been my experience also. I believe we as a society had been moving in the wrong direction thinking cursive writing was outdated. It finally dawned on those thinking that way that we were producing a generation that, for example, could not read historical documents or would run into difficulty signing contracts. In my opinion, cursive writing is an important skill for an educated person. I'm pleased that we are now working on that skill with our young people, but I think we need to stay on it. We did lose something in those years we discounted the importance of cursive writing.
Commented: Tuesday, December 9th, 2025 @ 4:11 pm
By: Charles Hickman
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In World War II German U-Boats sunk ships off our own North Carolina coast. My grandparents were living on the coast at that time and told me about it. It was a vivid second-hand memory for me, but the memory is dimming a lot these days. In the grand scheme of things, it was not so long ago.
Commented: Sunday, December 7th, 2025 @ 10:08 am
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on Charles E. Hickman Jr.The family will receive friends at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday December 7, 2025, at Paul Funeral Home of Washington. A graveside service will follow at Pamlico Memorial Gardens
Commented: Sunday, November 30th, 2025 @ 9:20 am
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on Sign the Petition to Save SnowdenDespite the fact that most of the commenters on this site seem to have an understanding of the successes accomplished at S.W. Snowden School, there is still some incorrect information being told as truth within the community as a whole. Allow me to present the official record:
The truth is Snowden School has made an impressive comeback from the damage brought about by the time of remote learning during the covid scare. While all schools had big challenges during this episode, I believe rural schools like Snowden were disproportionally harmed during that time. Over the last three years the school has been making steady progress. This past year Snowden made tremendous gains. The school grade increased by over eight points. This spike upward moved the school up an entire letter grade. In the last year as a school Snowden strongly returned to its former solid status. Last year, Snowden was one of the two Beaufort County schools that exceeded expectations, and they exceeded expectations more than any other school in our county. We should all commend the students and staff of S.W. Snowden for their extraordinary accomplishments. I was amazed and honored to be able to see what was done at Snowden in its last year as a Beaufort County School. We should all be proud of the students, staff, and community of Aurora and Richland Township. I know I am.
Commented: Sunday, November 16th, 2025 @ 5:45 pm
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on Christian Universities Are Still Bowing to DEIStan: Agree. The light pierces the darkness. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. Directly pertaining to the article: What fellowship can light have with darkness?
Commented: Sunday, October 19th, 2025 @ 9:27 am
By: Charles Hickman
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Steve is right. The Biden administration and campaign have irresponsibly thrown this extreme rhetoric out to the public and there have been horrendous consequences. Other administrations are not blameless either, but Biden has exceeded all others. The mainstream corporate media continues to bear plenty of blame too. How do you justify a man being murdered by saying he was a polarizing figure. Is it the belief in the Golden Rule or the free speech advocacy that make Kirk polarizing? Maybe this irrational rationale passes muster in the present-day Left-Wing bubble, but it is certainly not true in my world.
I find hateful violence and authoritarianism way more polarizing than anything Charlie Kirk ever stood for.
Commented: Thursday, September 11th, 2025 @ 8:36 pm
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on Charlie Kirk, While Speaking to College Students on Campus, Was Shot Dead by an Assassin in UtahStan: Yeah, it's the same thing except they've upped the ante from name calling to murder.
Commented: Thursday, September 11th, 2025 @ 10:34 am
By: Charles Hickman
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Cancel Culture was conjured up by people lacking character. Its proof the authoritarians on the left truly fear healthy debate and free speech. Yes, I do consider it evil.
Commented: Thursday, September 11th, 2025 @ 6:17 am
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on Charlie Kirk, While Speaking to College Students on Campus, Was Shot Dead by an Assassin in UtahAssassination: The ultimate debate concession.
Commented: Thursday, September 11th, 2025 @ 5:18 am
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on Let's Get It Right!Steve Bonner: I believe your analysis is point by point right on the money.
Commented: Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025 @ 5:54 pm
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on Frances Haddock BattsCondolences to the family and friends of Ms. Frances. I have fond memories of working in tobacco on the 'Lyn' Haddock farm and how well I was treated by Ms. Frances, Mr. John and the Haddocks. It was hard work and great times spent with good people.
Commented: Tuesday, May 27th, 2025 @ 10:54 pm
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on Edwin Loris YoumansCondolences to the Youmans Family from the Hickman/Neel Family.
Charles and Velma Hickman
Commented: Monday, May 12th, 2025 @ 8:25 am
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on Happy Birthday, Hood Richardson!Velma and I still share the memories of coming back from Knott's Island on the flooded roads with Hood. In order to find safer roads, we had to detour into Virginia, then turn back south for home. At Elizabeth City we stopped overnight, because the roads were washed out between there and Beaufort County. What an adventure. That's just one of many.
Many people know how tenacious Hood is in politics. Fewer know how generous he is with his time and resources. Happy Birthday Hood. Charles and Velma Hickman
Commented: Monday, April 14th, 2025 @ 8:17 pm
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on Charles Hickman BiographyI don't think so. My father, by the same name, is a Korean War vet. His father by the same name was a merchant mariner for a time.
Commented: Monday, March 31st, 2025 @ 11:55 am
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on Diane Gentile RufinoThere is so much to admire and appreciate about Diane. She was truly an intellectual: Scientist, Lawyer, Educator. She was a dedicated Patriot. On top of all that, she was a humble and genuine person.
I've been acquainted with Diane for many years because of mutual interests and mutual friends. In more recent years, I've gotten to know her better because of similar experiences caretaking for parents; then even more so when we shared our parallel journeys dealing with our own personal health issues. I am surely privileged to have known her.
Commented: Wednesday, December 11th, 2024 @ 10:00 pm
By: Charles Hickman
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For now, I'm confining my remarks just to the bad security failure at the Butler, PA event. Having had a lot of experience a long time ago with military matters regarding physical security, it is really hard to imagine how this happened. With the line of sight of the shooter's rooftop with the speaker's stage and the very short range between the two, how did they not secure that rooftop? That should not have gotten by the lowest ranking member of any security team and is unbelievable that it was not a primary part of the security plan. Whether it is incompetence or worse this is gravely concerning.
Commented: Monday, July 15th, 2024 @ 8:33 am
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on West Point Begins Removing Confederate Monuments From Campus; Robert E. Lee Portrait And Bust Cleared OutThe modern-day cultural revolution purge going on throughout all of western civilization must end. Rational people must stand up and stop this insanity.
History is a rich tapestry of human stories. Totalitarian attempts to sanitize it to their own standards or to cancel it entirely only destroy it. When we stop building on our history, we stop enriching our culture. We ultimately commit cultural suicide. This attack on West Point history and tradition is awful. People are now even considering taking down reconciliation monuments. Think about what that means. Lately, in many countries people have destroyed monuments to James Cook of all people. Cook mapped more of the world than anyone. His voyages catalogued thousands of plants and animals and contributed greatly to mankind. During our own war for independence against Britian, Benjamin Franklin wrote to captains of colonial warships, recommending that if they came into contact with Cook's vessel (a British vessel), they were to "not consider her an enemy, nor suffer any plunder to be made of the effects contained in her...but that they treat the said Captain Cook with all the civility and kindness...as common friends to mankind." Cook's work was that important to the human race, and he gave his life to make those contributions. Now in today's hate filled world, he is made to be a supposed villain to be erased from history. As for me, no thank you to that totalitarian nightmarish vision of the world. Madness such as this must be opposed.
Commented: Wednesday, May 1st, 2024 @ 10:10 am
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on What's all the flap about reauthorizing FISA?The Intell branch needs pruning. The three government branches need to be sprayed with powerful insecticide. Then, if the tree lives, pray something good comes from it.
Commented: Friday, April 12th, 2024 @ 10:47 pm
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on Important N.C. Anti-Federalist Had National ImpactWillie Jones is one of my favorite figures in our history. The concerns of men like Jones and Patrick Henry have proven to be well founded.
Commented: Friday, April 12th, 2024 @ 10:18 pm
By: Charles Hickman
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Stan: I have an observation with two conflicting conclusions. First, debating a tunnel visioned idealogue is really not worth it. Second, debating as tunnel visioned idealogue serves to shine light on the ridiculous line of thought that is such a threat to any semblance of a free society. I go back and forth on what is the best course.
I suspect what is happening in New York now is just the beginning. Even before all this, New York was one of the more difficult places to do business just because of the strict regulatory culture there. Now with the courts being used as political weapons, they are likely to be shunned by anyone seriously wanting to do business in the Empire State. It's just too lawless to take the risk of exposure to such potential punitive shakedowns that are now being allowed in New York. I don't think I take much comfort in the promise that this is a one-time event just for Trump. That admission actually makes it worse, because on some level they even take some public delight in their thuggish deeds and can't contain the bravado. So much for the law. If this stands, it will be a significant blow to our American Republic. Even if it does not eventually stand, the fact that it happened is an indicator of just how far we have fallen.
Commented: Wednesday, February 21st, 2024 @ 10:07 am
By: Charles Hickman
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I can only speak as one individual member of the School Board. I pledge to never use an official School Board meeting as a campaign opportunity.
Commented: Saturday, January 20th, 2024 @ 8:48 am
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on School Board seeks to hide behind teachers and staffI did have concerns with the resolution because it was framed in politics. This is precisely why I was so adamant about not signing on to it. I'm trying very hard to stay off the political frontlines during this primary season and most certainly do not want to add it to county business in an official meeting.
Despite my efforts, I do recognize how determined certain ones are to drag me into it. Some of the untrue charges directed at me and others in the comments here do need to be addressed. Several things to consider: 1. No one writes my words for me. Anything I'm reading is either written preparation by me or is from a relevant document I am reading from. 2. The only political committee I am on is my own individual candidate committee. 3. Not conservative?? Check my credentials. 4. Racist member of a hate group??? That is preposterous as well as highly insulting. This is going to be a very spirited primary and election campaign season that may even spill over to those of us not in races this year. Don't believe everything you hear. Check your sources and the motives of those involved. The truth matters.
Commented: Saturday, January 20th, 2024 @ 8:40 am
By: Charles Hickman
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The thing that tells me all I need to know is that there are people wanting to remove a monument to reconciliation.
To reconcile is to conciliate or make friendly again. It is to bring into accord as in settling or composing a difference. It is to harmonize, to bring into harmony. The flip side of reconciliation is agitation, confusion, alienation, and disruption. Other ingredients in this particular issue are disrespectfulness and hatefulness bringing about more alienation and furthering the other negative conditions listed. Removing the monument to reconciliation from Arlington National Cemetery is a real bad idea.
Commented: Thursday, December 21st, 2023 @ 11:40 am
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on Oklahoma bans DEI in all state institutionsThe concept and practice of divide and conquer has been around for a long time. Modern-day race hucksters are selling racism with a new twist. Contemporary power-mongers engage in this strategy just as much as their predecessors. They love perpetual bigotry because it gives them power to exert over others while making the others weaker because they are divided. The diabolic notion of inclusion while simultaneously excluding and Balkanizing is something we see everywhere nowadays. Beware DEI. The dictionary definitions of these words are not bad things. The modern-day use of these words can mean something else entirely. Be aware that there are people working very hard to control you.
Commented: Thursday, December 21st, 2023 @ 11:24 am
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on MaryAnne Carol DiAmicis CilluffoCondolences to the Cilluffo family. - Charles & Velma Hickman
Commented: Wednesday, December 6th, 2023 @ 9:38 am
By: Charles Hickman
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There is no longer equal justice under the law in the United States.
Commented: Sunday, November 19th, 2023 @ 12:47 am
By: Charles Hickman
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Commented on What is going on with the School Board?Just for the record, I'm one member of the Beaufort County School Board. I represent all of Beaufort County, and I'm elected from the 2nd District, which includes Aurora Precinct, Edward Precinct, Blounts Creek Precinct, a lot of Gilead Precinct, and part of Chocowinity Precinct. I am one member of a nine-member school board and do not speak for the entire board unless we come together as one to make a full board decision. I'm sure most people know that already.
Congratulations to Mr. Leary on this article. He has kept up with all of this better than anyone I know. Good thing for dictionaries, too. I found the word internecine - that's an effective word. Still, I realize how difficult it is for the general public to understand my issue in the September 5th meeting to rescind the gag motion without first seeing the April 20th meeting where the gag motion originated. Also, Mr. Leary has been taping all the board meetings. The gag motion issue is a great example demonstrating how important it is to tape the meetings. I use these tapes all the time to keep things straight in what would be very confusing otherwise. This by itself is a very valuable and much appreciated aid. I've been using this resource plenty concerning the 20 April meeting. Thanks for providing that resource. Thanks also for people in the community who have expressed their concerns and lent their support to me individually and for our schools as a whole.
Commented: Saturday, September 9th, 2023 @ 2:30 pm
By: Charles Hickman
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Whether the policy is being advocated by an anonymous internet troll or by a "woke" politician (of either party), removing a reconciliation memorial from a cemetery is a horrible idea. Trampling on an act of reconciliation is actually promoting division. We have to ask ourselves, what are the motives of those promoting division?
Also, shutting down discussion of history (or anything else) is a dangerous thing. Totalitarian tyrants obliterate history and impose their own narrative. Free people engage in free debate and let logic dictate. The true study of history is not a hammer smashing a stone. It is more like reading an interesting mosaic of human stories. Tearing down a culture in order to impose an authoritarian dream of utopia has been done before. It is a recipe for disaster.
Commented: Tuesday, August 29th, 2023 @ 8:51 am
By: Charles Hickman
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I've been off Google for quite a while too. I usually use Duck Duck Go. I'll give Brave a look.
On a side note, I've sort of made a game out of reading those disclaimer warnings on Youtube sites. They're kind of funny, but in a very dark and disturbing way.
Commented: Saturday, August 26th, 2023 @ 9:24 am
By: Charles Hickman
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It's important to remember that the Alington Confederate Memorial was erected as an act of reconciliation. Our present time of cancel culture cares little for that.
Commented: Friday, August 25th, 2023 @ 7:09 am
By: Charles Hickman
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