Black History Month - more important than I.G.'s Report?

Is Black History Month more important in Richland 2 than the Inspector General's Report?

Based on use of livestream.com by Richland 2, I say it is.

Last Tuesday there was an important meeting of a school board committee on the I.G.'s Report. Livestreaming of it had been requested. And not approved. So, if you weren't there, you don't know what happened.

But Black History Month's celebration is to be broadcast on Livestream by Richland 2. 

Re Black History Month, I encourage you to watch this PragerU video, featuring Pastor Dumisani Washington. The title of this video is "How Twisting History Has Hurt Young Black Men".

I.G. Report Committee Meeting - Today, 6:00PM

Why isn't this February 21st committee meeting being livestreamed?

Many community members are interested in the work of this committee. How simple it would be to livestream it, so that the community could either view it live or watch the recording at their own convenience?

Perhaps at the next board meeting someone on the committee will explain to the public why it wasn't livestreamed.

If you haven't read the Report yet, or wish to read it again, click here: 

https://oig.sc.gov/sites/oig/files/Documents/Reports/2022/Inspector_General's_Investigation_of_Richland_School_District_Two.pdf

At every school?

As I arrived at R2i2 last night for the school board meeting, three small flags greeted me. Are these at every school in the Richland 2 school district?

Were they placed with permission? Who paid for them?

I wondered whether there is a Board Policy or Administrative Rule (AR) about such displays. 

Frankly, I've wondered how Black History Month ever got its start - and why. History should include information about the successes and failures of men and women, regardless of color. Why is there an entire month to focus just on black history?

What if there is a Board Policy or AR at Richland 2 that prohibits such flags or other displays? Of what is "Black History Month" a symbol? Is this about color or race? Does a month for black history increase or decrease the racial divide in the United States?

Is there a White History Month? Brown History Month? Red History Month? Yellow History Month?

Comments, anyone?

In their closing comments last night, several board members mentioned Black History Month. You can listen to their comments near the end of the recording of the meeting.

The Voice Covers Jan. 19th

There is an interesting article about me in this week's The Voice of Blythewood & Fairfield County that I recommend to your reading. Just click on the title of the article "Restraining Order Ruled for Philpott".

As you read the article, ask yourself a few questions:

Can a defendant in Magistrate's Court get a fair trial if he can't hear what is being said?

If the Magistrate knows that the defendant cannot hear, should he pause the hearing until a court clerk or deputy can fetch a hearing-assistance device (which is available in the court building)?

If a person who is testifying swears to tell the truth, should only the truth be spoken?

I considered filing a Motion for Mistrial, but it had to be filed within five days, and I didn't get the recording of the hearing (and learn what was said against me until the fourth day). Such a Motion probably would have cost me $5,000 in legal fees to file.

An appeal of the finding by Magistrate Byrd was estimated by an attorney to cost me $10,-15,000, and it had to be filed in the Circuit Court within ten days.

Those estimates reinforced my belief about "justice" in the U.S.A. You can get just about all the justice that you can afford. I knew I hadn't done the things of which I was accused, and I knew I wouldn't do any of the things prohibited by the Restraining Order. 

Please comment on the article here and at the end of the article on www.blythewoodonline.com.

Favorite Caps

This is one of my favorite caps. I don't wear it often enough, but I think it's time to dust it off and wear it. After all, who could not want to Make America Great Again?

It's time to take action, folks, before that guy in The White House pushes this country past the point of no return. Biden and the Left are trying to destroy the U.S.A.

Our schools should be the front line to teaching students how to think, not what to think.

Fiscal Watch for R2?

Will the S.C. Department of Education place Richland 2 on "Fiscal Watch" for missing the December 1, 2022 filing deadline to submit its annual audit by more than two months?

Harry Miley, R2's chief financial officer, told media last week they were late because of diverting time and attention to the State Inspector General's investigation.

Didn't Miley tell then-supt. Baron Davis in the Fall that there was a deadline and they were in danger of missing it? 

Why do I feel strongly that he did, in fact, tell Davis just that?

What was Davis' response? He was superintendent then and had the responsibility for two things, among many others:

1. Davis needed to give Miley all the support he needed to meet the deadline;

2. Davis needed to inform the Board (that's the "old" board) of the danger, risk, and consequences of missing the deadline;

And then Davis needed to inform the "new" Board that the deadline had been missed.

Did he?

Why would he not do so, if he didn't?

How did that work out for him?

Donating to Act Blue? Watch out!

I don't get into political things too often here, but, if you donate to MedicareforAll or ActBlue.com, you'll want to read this carefully. Or, if you know any died-in-the-wool Democrats who might donate to them, pass this along to them.

Recently, I helped a friend resolve some tricky financial problems. When I reviewed her credit card statements, I noticed some (many) transactions involving Medicareforall and ActBlue.com

She explained that she had made occasional, small, one-time donations. 

I asked, "So what are all these?

We called her credit card company, and there were 144 transactions for over $1,300, many on the same day, two for $125, and one for $250. Her credit card company reversed all of them.

She will be writing to ActBlue's new CEO/President, Regina Wallace-Jones, and sending copies to the FBI, SLED, and the Attorneys General in South Carolina, Massachusetts (ActBlue's headquarters), and New York.

If you know anyone who might have donated, urge them to review their credit card statements very carefully for the past six months (or more). 

And review your statements as you prepare to make your payment. Often, there is a limited period for challenging fraudulent transactions.

I have long said there is a real danger in receiving only e-Statements from credit card companies. Customers often just look at the minimum-payment due and don't inspect the transactions. 

If you don't pay off your balance in full every month, check the interest rate (buried at about Page 4 of your statement) and understand what that little "(v)" means. That 29.99% interest rate on your balance is PLUS Prime Rate, so you are actually paying over 37% interest.