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First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.28.26 On May 5, I attended a Brunswick County Board of Education meeting in Bolivia. The meeting was called to order at the appointed time and began with a moment of silence which is common at many meetings. When the chair announced the moment of silence the five-person committee got up, put their arms around each other, and huddled in prayer. If you listen to the video of the meeting on YouTube you can hear very softly that someone

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.28.26 Conservative David Frum was George W. Bush’s speechwriter. Frum says Trump’s presidency is one giant grift. Trump accepted a Boeing 747, described as a “flying palace,” from the Qatari royal family. “This plane is going to be flying him around and his relatives and friends,” said Frum. “It’s a personal gift to Trump from the government of Qatar.” Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) called the $400,000,000 gift “rife with ethical and con

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.14.26 I want to highlight a Billion-Dollar Betrayal of Our Coast. The Trump administration just spent nearly $1 billion of our tax dollars to kill clean energy off the North Carolina coast. One billion dollars — not to build something, not to create jobs, not to protect our communities from rising seas and climbing electricity bills. To destroy a project that would have powered 300,000 homes. The Carolina Long Bay offshore wind leas

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.14.26 The April 30 issue’s first and last letters to the editor expressed opposing views. Brian Rupp, a candidate for Brunswick County’s Board of Education, warned against public school policies “privileging religious perspectives over non-religious ones.” Walter Carolus celebrated Abraham’s willingness to obey God’s command that he sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering. How should societies deal with religious differences? Th

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.14.26 Trump’s Iran War is a strategic disaster. Iran’s regime wasn’t overthrown — its former leader’s son replaced him. It still has enriched uranium. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, blocking one-fifth of the world’s oil and one-third of its fertilizer. Gasoline soared from under $3.00 to over $4.50 a gallon. Trump is desperate for a deal. Everyone who reads his manic, erratic and cartoonishly violent posts knows it. Trump’s ex

It’s not always easy being blue. People sometimes shout hateful things at Democrats. Others believe we’re the anti-Christ. Nationally, the Democratic Party isn’t enjoying a moment. Many Americans are unhappy with the party’s performance as leaders of the opposition. We’re not listening, they say. We’re weak, not up to the task. And yet… The U.S. would be a very different place were it not for the historic accomplishments of the Democratic Party. In the decades since the Grea

by Mike Houston, BCDP Communications Team Sarah L. and her husband moved to Brunswick County from Ohio 26 years ago. "We fell in love with the gentle aura, the tranquility, and the natural beauty of this amazing place on the sea," she said. They still love their home but concede it's not all smooth sailing right now. "Overdevelopment has sapped much of our natural charm, displaced wildlife, and put undue stress on our infrastructure," Sara said. Water quality is also a concer

Photo courtesy Neil Gilbert. BCDP’s 9th Annual Golf Tournament is in the books, and wow, what a success it was! A good time was had by all at the sold out tournament, held at beautiful Brick Landing in Ocean Isle Beach on Sunday, May 17. The 50/50 raffle was our biggest yet, with first place taking home $2310! Thank you to tournament director Mark Allen, and the BCDP Golf Committee, for outdoing themselves yet again at our biggest fundraiser of the year! Special thanks to our

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.21.26 Hardly a day goes by without Trump calling someone “low I.Q.,” or “stupid and nasty” or telling a woman reporter, “Quiet, piggy.” He often bullies women. His supporters follow his lead. But when did it become OK to trash kids? Christian Mango attends a Christian school in Greensboro. His class was assigned to write a “persuasive essay” on any topic and send it to an influential decision maker. Christian wrote about tax incenti

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.21.26 Thanks to the brave men and women of the Secret Service, a gunman was stopped before he could shoot President Trump or others at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Violence is unacceptable. The next day, on the CBS show 60 Minutes, Norah O’Donnell asked for Trump’s reaction to this passage from the gunman’s manifesto: “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.” Trum

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.21.26 Trump and Netanyahu’s Iran War sent the national average price for regular gas from under $3 a gallon to $4.50. Their war of choice provoked Iran into doing something it never did before — close the Strait of Hormuz. That blocked one-fifth of the world’s oil and one-third of the world’s fertilizer. Prices soared. We need Iran to: 1.) open up the Strait of Hormuz: 2.) give up its near-weapons grade uranium; 3.) agree that “Unde

The Brunswick County Democratic Women's group (BCDW) is seeking applicants for an unrestricted $1,000 grant. Reflecting the commitment of BCDW to expanding access to educational resources and empowering women to achieve their academic and professional goals, any woman student currently enrolled in a community college or state college who is a Brunswick County resident, is a registered Democrat, is in good academic standing, and has completed one semester (minimum of 6 credit

First published as a Guest Column, Brunswick Beacon, 05.07.26 As of this writing, global oil supply is down about 12 million barrels per day — more than the combined losses during the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo and the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Trump’s Iran War exposed the folly of his efforts to kill renewable energy and make America even more dependent on fossil fuels. Trump went to war for regime change. He demanded “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” and said, “I have to be involved”

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.07.26 Farming is the economic backbone of North Carolina’s 7th Congressional District. Its 4,208 farms anchor the regional economy and generate nearly $4 billion in sales. Our district’s 6,427 farmers just got hit with a double whammy thanks to Representative David Rouzer. Rouzer has wanted war with Iran for years. In 2024 he said, “firing off a missile here or there” wasn’t enough. “I think it needs to be substantial in a way that

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.07.26 Two months into Trump and Netanyahu’s war finds Americans worse off. 13 Americans are dead, 381 wounded. The Pentagon is spending $2 billion a day and wants another $200 billion. Iran blocked Hormuz Strait and 20% of the world’s oil. Gasoline soared from under $3 to over $4 per gallon. Trump tried to justify their war of choice by claiming that Iran posed an imminent nuclear threat. American Intelligence disagreed. On March 17

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.07.26 Donald Trump, who drove three casinos into bankruptcy, went to Las Vegas on April 16 to tout his “snake eyes” economy. Reading from a prepared script, he stopped abruptly at the phrase ‘corner store’ and exclaimed, “What’s a corner store? I’ve never heard that term. Who the hell wrote that?” Corner stores are everywhere in NYC, where Trump grew up so rich he probably never needed one. AAA reports that in January, before Trump

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 05.07.26 After yet another act of political violence, Democratic leaders lowered the temperature. Trump turned up the heat. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said, “violence is never the answer.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said, “I denounce political violence in all its forms.” President Trump accused Democrats of “hate speech” which he called “very dangerous.” But prominent Republicans accused Trump himself

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 04.30.26 As a candidate for the Brunswick County Board of Education, I contest this change is not in the best interest of our county nor our students and educators. The earlier language emphasized constitutional restraint, centralized oversight and clear limits designed to prevent even the appearance of school-sponsored religion. By removing those guardrails and replacing them with affirming language about the shared goals of faith and

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 04.30.26 Why did Trump attack and lie about America’s most popular public figure, Chicago’s Pope Leo? It began when Secretary of War Hegseth led a prayer for “overwhelming violence” against Iran in the “mighty and powerful name of Jesus Christ.” Pope Leo responded, “Jesus is the King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war. He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war but rejects them.” Trump called the

Brunswick County needs to heed complaints about the North Carolina General Assembly’s usurpation of power at the expense of local government. Until local government has the tools it needs to effectively control development, ban clear cutting, end open burning and protect our precious wetlands, county residents can’t expect order to emerge from the chaos Republican aggrandizement has engineered. The solution is simple – end control of the General Assembly by the MAGA majority