Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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4 UCW NOVEMBER 4-10, 2020 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com EDITOR April Olsen editor-@upandcomingweekly.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Dylan Hooker art@upandcomingweekly.com EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Keyuri Parab REPORTER Jeff Thompson news@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING ASSOCIATE Linda McAlister Brown linda@upandcomingweekly.com DISTRIBUTION MANAGER/SALES ADMINISTRATOR Laurel Handforth laurel@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Margaret Dickson, Pitt Dickey, D.G. Martin, John Hood, Jim Jones, Shanessa Fenner, Prudence Mainor, Crissy Neville ––––––––––– Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan St. P.O. Box 53461 Fayetteville, NC 28305 PHONE: 910-484-6200 FAX: 910-484-9218 Up & Coming Weekly is a "Quality of Life" publication with local features, news and information on what's happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. 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PUBLISHER'S PEN "Have you no sense of decency?" is quote has been ringing in my ears for this entire election period. Its origin is from the testimony of then-Wisconsin Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, who became both famous and infamous in the 1950s with his allegations that Communists were overrunning our national government and infiltrating Washington's federal agencies. During this time, there was intense national anxiety about the spread of communism in the U.S. History has it that the arrogant, persistent and egomaniac McCarthy met his match when he locked horns with the U.S. Army. In retaliation for not giving preferential treatment to one of his closest aides, he charged the Army with neglect for having lax security at one of their top-secret Army facilities. Televised nationally, the Army-McCarthy trials went on for months and drew national attention because of Mc- Carthy's notoriety. However, he proved to be no match for Joseph Welch, the attorney hired to defend the U.S. Army against his outrageous allegations. On June 9, 1954, in a calculated and desperate move to gain the advantage over Welch, McCarthy, with a national television audience tuned in, attempted to discredit Welch, by charging that one of his staff attorneys was a Com- munist operative. Across the nation, Americans watched and listened in disbelief. Joseph Welch responded emphatically with those im- mortal lines that ended McCarthy's career. e angry and frustrated Welch recoiled with: "Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness." McCarthy tried to interrupt, but Welch cut him off, "Let us not assas- sinate this lad further, Senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of de- cency?" Practically overnight, McCarthy's power, influence and national popular- ity evaporated. He was deplored by the public, censured by the Senate, ostracized by the Republican party, and ignored by the media. McCarthy's fanatic, mean and unjust reign of terror was over, and he died in disgrace three years later. "Have you no sense of decency?" at is the haunting question I want to keep asking this generation of American political leadership. Has anyone running for politi- cal office retained any sense of decency? Honesty? Integrity? Have politicians become so callous and remotely distanced from humanity that they no longer contend these character traits even matter? If they matter, why are we as citizens subjected to this constant barrage of lies, disinforma- tion and deception? Don't they realize that Americans are growing skeptical and intol- erant of their lies and weary of this environ- ment of corruption and mistrust? Have they no sense of decency? COVID-19 is a perfect example of this and perhaps why we cannot get it under control. Local, state and national government officials have politi- cized this pandemic to suit their agendas while frustrated Americans suffer and lose confidence in America's leadership. Morality continues to get sidelined as mar- ried politicians get caught having sex with another man's wife in the middle of a major campaign, and it's "no big deal!" Really? Have you no sense of decency? Nationally, the CIA & FBI conspire to frame and unseat a duly elected POTUS! Have they no sense of decency? Our own Congress works to obstruct, slander and defame nominees for the U.S. Supreme Court. Have they no sense of decency? e media desecrates the Fourth Estate by abandoning their journalist integrity and commitment to the American people of providing fair and unbiased media coverage of our govern- ment's Executive, Judicial and Legislative branches. Have they no sense of decency? Recently, the gross dereliction of respon- sibility shown by social media outlets for censoring news and information for politi- cal purposes in an attempt to influence the results and outcome of a national election. Have they no sense of decency? Lastly, and closer to home, everyone should be disgusted by the number of relentless po- litical TV, radio and postcard mailers sent to our homes that tout nothing but unsub- stantiated "lies" about candidates. Have they no sense of decency? We are all aware of the challenges that lie ahead for our community, state and nation. I firmly believe as Americans we will get through this. Regardless of color, race, religion or political affiliation, real Americans believe in the U.S. Constitution and freedom. History has shown that we are not willing to give either of them up. At least not without a fight. When confronted with elected leaders not living up to decent moral expectations, just ask them: Have you no sense of decency? ank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly. Have you no sense of decency? by BILL BOWMAN BILL BOWMAN, Publisher, UP & COMING WEEKLY. COM- MENTS? BILL@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200. 82 64 82 83 79 82 63 64 83 66 64 65 THU NOV 5 FRI NOV 6 SAT NOV 7 SUN NOV 8 MON NOV 9 TUE NOV 10 72 49 74 52 75 56 76 59 77 60 78 59 Mostly Sunny Partly Cloudy Partly Cloudy AM Showers Partly Cloudy AM Showers Americans are growing skeptical and intoler- ant of the lies and weary of this environment of corruption and mistrust.