BY MILES LAYTON
Fishermen of Hyde County, certainly Tyrrell County and from all across coastal Carolina, go with God today.
You represent not just the commercial fishermen and seafood industry but all of us – the working folks – who need their voices heard loud and clear in Raleigh.
I’m proud that I’m not a member of mainstream corporate media, so I can speak my mind freely and with purpose to share the truth that we all know.
Too often, especially these days, the powers-that-be either ignore working folks’ voices, take us for granted, and even hold us in contempt sometimes because they don’t respect us or our values.
That changes today – let them know in no uncertain terms how we feel about HB 442. Smarter folks than me can testify to the flawed science that underlies this bad law. Others can speak to shrimping and the realities of bycatch. And others know that generations of shrimpers have been good stewards of our coastal waters. Still, others know the corrupt power politics behind a bill that, if passed, would destroy communities, families and a way of life.
Be strong with your voices in protest – you represent all of us who want to make a fair living no matter what we do and want to be left alone by a state government that’s manipulated by and beholden to special interests.
Go with God to Raleigh to take back our democracy, to let them know that there are consequences to ignoring our voices.
I’ve been writing about local and state politics for a long time. And with the exception of the strong protests against the overreach of the covid lockdowns a couple of years back, I have never seen such a groundswell of support for any movement, revolution perhaps. Voices of support from across the political and cultural spectrum have united in their calls to save shrimping and the seafood industry by defeating HB 442. Legislators who ignore this movement do so at their own peril.
Legislators living elsewhere, perhaps in western NC or the Piedmont, this is your fight too. If the powers-that-be can legislate shrimping out of existence, then the law can shut down other industries through taxation and red tape in your counties and regions. Don’t believe me – remember when tobacco farming was king until it wasn’t, when century-old family farms were the key to strong communities until it was too hard to make a good living, when textile mills were everywhere until they moved across the border, when small town businesses thrived until they had to shut their doors because of big box stores.
Eastern NC – go with God to make your voices heard today in Raleigh – know that you represent all of us. You make us proud for standing up for families, our communities and our way of life.
One response to “Go with God to Raleigh — You Represent All of Us”
Miles, thank you for this update. I have been and will continue to pray for this bill to be defeated. Yes! Go with God!