Oh Boy Obama! Update

My recommendation on the Oh Boy Obama website was pretty popular. It's ranked 31st on the site with almost 100 recommends. Here's the link. I suggest you check out the site, as it's pretty interesting.

http://www.ohboyobama.com/Tactical/Dont-Allow-McCain-to-Frame-the-End-of-Iraq-War-as-Surrender

Editorial: A Story About Entitlement

When I was in elementary school, every year each of the classes would have a geography bee, with the winners of each class going on to the larger school competition. I was in the 4th grade the first year I was eligible to complete, and I won my class. From the class I went on to the school, where I finished in 3rd place. It was quite an achievement for me, considering that I was competing with kids in the 8th grade.

The next year, after the kids who had beaten me the year before had graduated, I expected to win my class again, and hopefully win the school. But first, I would have to get through the classroom competition.
It was a tough fight, going into extra questions as I was tied with a couple of my other classmates in a sudden-death round.

I don't remember what the question was, but I remember that the answer was the Himalayan Mountains. I wrote it down, but before I turned the paper in, in a cruel act of second guessing, I scratched out the answer and put down another mountain range.

I got the question wrong, and I lost. Even though almost 20 years has passed since then, I still remember the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, and the swimming feeling in my head as I realized that I had just blown the opportunity. I took the paper up to my teacher, hoping to get credit, but she said no. I lost. I went home and was miserable for the next few days.

There is little doubt that Hillary Clinton had every reason to expect that she would be the Democratic nominee for President. I certainly thought so. Hell, even Maureen Dowd wrote about Hillary Clinton v. Jeb Bush in one of her columns eight years ago. She had the money, she had the establishment, she had the pedigree. What she didn't seem to have was what Kos likes to call "fire in her belly".

When you approach something like you're owed it, you get complacent. I grew complacent during my geography bee (20 years later I am prepared to admit that the reason I changed my answer was because I saw another classmate's answer and it was different than mine), and that's why I lost.

When Hillary got to Iowa, she fully expected to win. But her message and personality fell flat, and once Iowa is over and the momentum has swung against you, it's hard to put that genie back into the bottle.

So then came the backlash and disillusionment of Clinton, along with her campaign staff and many of her supporters. They realized that they had just blown their golden opportunity, and that it was fully their own fault.

If human beings are good at anything, it's projecting their own faults and mistakes onto others. I did it when I went crying home to my dad saying "it's not fair". The Clintons and their campaign do it by complaining about the media and the process; many of the supporters do it by crying sexism. (The cheapening of the words sexism and racism is another thing that bothers me, but I will save that for another diary)

The difference between Hillary Clinton losing and little nicweb losing is about $200 million. If I had that kind of money back then, maybe I could've convinced someone that I had actually won.

But in the grown-up world, that usually isn't enough. So while the Clinton supporters cheapen the word sexism, watering it's meaning down to the point where it may temporarily go into an abuse-exile, John McCain is benefited, turned into the political giant we all know he is not.

Sometimes I wonder if it's the passion and love for a candidate that drives the vitriol. The more exposure I get to this, the more I think not. Although I sincerely do believe that a great deal of the hate that has transpired is due to Obama's race (This is not an excuse. Look at the exit polls from WV if you don't believe me), I believe that the majority of the anger comes from Clinton's inability to take advantage of her great opportunity.

In a side note, the young man who beat me in the geography bee went on to win it for the entire school. He then proceeded to beat me every single year through the eighth grade. He became one of my best friends, and was my roommate in college. How's that for unity?

Michigan and Florida Settled...For Now

The Michigan and Florida debacle are wrapped up for now. Based on a unanimous vote, the entire Florida delegation will be seated with half of a convention vote. Clinton will get 52.5 delegates to Obama's 33.5. The vote for the Michigan plan was 19 yeas, with 8 no's. Clinton will pick up 69 delegates in Michigan, with Obama netting 59. All in all, a very long day for a reasonable "split the baby" decision that could've been made without all the hoopla.

Lanny Davis Goes Ape Sh*t

From Sam Stein at The Huffington Post:

A brief but spittle-filled shouting match broke out in the halls of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee hearing on Saturday between a committee member and a surrogate for Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign.

Ausman: [My proposal] is very generous, because Obama was initially fighting for a situation where Clinton would net 6 delegates, now it's 19.

Davis: Don't say you're being generous.

Ausman: I can say we're being generous.

Davis: But you're allowed to and I'm allowed to disagree...

Ausman: But I'm the one who's on the petition...

Reporter: Ok ok, why don't we --

Ausman: Are you a representative of Clinton?

Davis: No, I'm actually just a person...

Ausman: Are you a designated representative of Clinton?

Davis: I am not a designated representative.

Ausman: Then why don't we have a designated representative speak for Clinton and you be silent?

I've said before that it wouldn't be over until the "wailing and gnashing of teeth". Ladies and gentlemen, there you have it.

Robert Wexler at the RBC Meeting in Washington, DC

With my patience wearing thing, I left the house earlier this morning to run some errands. After dropping off some drycleaning and eating lunch with a very pretty girl, I decided to wash my car.

With the satellite radio tuned to CNN, I caught the passioned speech of Congressman Robert Wexler, who represented the Obama campaign before the RBC today. Some video:



I was very impressed with him, after not having must exposure to him in the past. He's a great speaker, and puts forth a passioned argument. He's dedication to the voters of Florida cannot be questioned, as he has been a champion of voter's right for years. Very impressive.

Smaller Turnout than Expected for Protesters

It appears that there aren't as many Clinton protesters as the 10,000 or so that were expected. Joe Sudbay with AmericaBlog reports.

Walking up to the Marriott, I kept waiting to encounter the huge protest. After all, the protest organizers were predicting a crowd of 10,000 (including the McCain and Huckabee crew), but it's much, much, much smaller than - couple hundred, maybe. (And, maybe the other 9,700 protesters have arrived since I came inside the hotel.)

The committe has called its roll and has a quorum. Howard Dean has just been introduced...

Rolling in His Grave...

I got up on early on a Saturday morning to watch the DNC's Rules and By-laws Committee meet to discuss the fate of the delegates from Michigan and Florida. I could've slept for another couple of hours, and God knows I need the sleep, but I chose to get up and watch this.

Somewhere, my die-hard Republican grandfather (dead 30+ years) is rolling over in his grave.

I'm listening to the event streaming live off of CNN.com because my satellite is out and the people from Dish won't be out to fix it until early next week. Which is good enough, considering I have some reading I would like to get done while my significant other goes home to see some family.

Someone just struck a gavel and announced 5 minutes to post-time. The link is up at

http://www.cnn.com/video/live/live.html?stream=stream2

DavidKC at DailyKos has also organized an open thread for the event.

The meeting is getting ready to start. I'll check in later.

Sodomy Charges Dropped

Cross-posted at BlueNC.com

Dear Friends:

First and foremost, a tip of the hat to NChands, who posted on this story earlier tonight on the DailyKos, and who has graciously allowed me to recount the report here at BlueNC.
This is written in follow-up to an earlier post, describing the recent arrests of two Raleigh men on charges of crimes against nature.

The Raleigh News and Observer Reports:

Wake County prosecutors dropped charges Friday against a pair of Raleigh men arrested last weekend for private acts of sodomy, citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that make such charges unconstitutional.
Nelson Keith Sloan, 39, and Ryan Christopher Flynn, 25, were charged with crimes against nature after police said Sloan called officers to his apartment early Saturday morning saying he had been attacked.

No sexual assault charges were filed. Police charged Flynn with simple assault for biting Sloan.

After reviewing the case, Assistant District Attorney Adam Moyers said the facts showed all acts occurred between consenting adults in private. He cited the landmark 2003 U.S. Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas that forbids making private sexual conduct a crime.

There was some initial concern that Mr. Sloan had been sexually assaulted, based on his statement in the initial News and Observer Report. However, Flynn has been charged with simple assault, stemming from Mr. Flynn allegedly biting Mr. Sloan.

Although the charges have been dropped, North Carolina's anti-sodomy laws remain on the books, with seemingly little but to harass. Perhaps Mr. Sloan, one of the charged, put it best when he said:

"I am grateful that the DA's office has a better understanding of the Constitution than the Raleigh Police Department," Sloan said in a statement Friday. "However, as long as this law remains on the books it is a crime punishable by an arrest, a stay in jail, media attention, and a fine of $450 since that is how much it cost me to get out of jail."

Although attempts have been made to modernize North Carolina's Crimes against Nature (CAN) statutes, little has changed, which is most likely the result of the Christian Right in the state. However, as exemplified in this case, attempting to enforce these unconstitutional laws results in an embarrassment for the community, not taking into account what is surely a difficult time for those charged.

Although we can hope for change, without action this sorry episode is bound to repeat itself. I'm attaching links to the members of the North Carolina General Assembly and North Carolina Senate, complete with listings of both houses with email addresses.

Oh Boy Obama!

There's a new website up giving the netroots an opportunity to make suggestions to the Obama campaign. The link is:

http://www.ohboyobama.com/

Check it out. Here was my first recommendation.

Obama can't let John McCain frame the end of the Iraq War, and the withdrawl of U. S. troops as surrendering. I would frame it by saying that we won the war and instituted a new government. There is no military solution for keeping the peace, as this is something the Iraqis will have to do on their own.

Somebody Got to David Patterson

Remember last week, when New York Governor David Patterson referred to Hillary Clinton as being "desperate" during the dying days of her campaign. Well, it looks like someone may have had a chat with him, because he's changed his tune.

"I think a better word would have been 'frustration,'" Paterson said Monday on Talk 1300. The frustration was that the senator had won votes in Florida and Michigan and would like to have those delegates. Certainly in Florida, I think there is a very good argument with that."

Maybe someone in the Clinton campaign asked for Governor Patterson to clarify his wording. This is probably best evidenced by repeating the talking points on the Michigan and Florida election. The whole issue has devolved in a near-circus. We'll see the zenith (and hopefully the conclusion) of the Michigan/Florida debate when the RBC meetings in Washington, DC. Tickets are SOLD-OUT!

Today's Video-Is It True About Obama?

BREAKING! Supplemental Obama Memo Regarding RBC Protest (UPDATED)

This memo was just issued by John Hill with the campaign via email:

Based on our response to David's email today, there appears to have been some confusion regarding what is and isn't acceptable regarding our supporters and the RBC meeting in Washington, DC this Saturday. Their meeting process should be respected, as well as those attending in support of Senator Hillary Clinton

Although we certainly do not wish to discourage our supporters from attending the event, we hope to take the proceedings as an opportunity to engender party unity, not to divide us further.

Therefore, after the RBC has rendered their decision, a decision that will still leave Senator Clinton with little to no chance of winning the Democratic nomination, we request, for the sake of party unity, that you refrain from the following.

1. No lewd victory dances.

2. No fashioning adult diapers from Hillary Clinton for President signs.

3. No before mentioned lewd dances while wearing before mentioned diapers.

4. No mentioning of the rules.

5. No caucuses.

6. No chanting of divisive words such as hope and change.

7. Please refrain from talking to little girls with poems, as this may be accompanied by an unseen, unheard burst of sniper fire.

Also, we would like to keep the proceedings as safe, and civil as possible. Therefore, we humbly request that you do not bring the following items within 500 yards of the proceedings:

1) Glass bottles.

2) Rules of any kind.

3) The Starr Report

4) Matches

5) Before mentioned little girls with poems.

6) Facts of any kind.

7) Lanny Davis

Thank you very much for your understanding. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

UPDATED: We have just been notified that thundersticks have been banned from the event, as well as air horns and Ed Rendell.

Xofferson's Post at DailyKos

Xofferson's letter-to-the-editor leads to a nasty wingnut telephone call.

Hey, Billy boy, stupid editorial. The troops will stay there until the fucking job is done. You fucking cowards, you liberal cowards should get on your knees and thank George Bush for saving your cowardly asses. You should crawl back under your fucking rock. John McCain is easily going to beat Hussein Obama’s ass. You are a coward and a loser.

Xofferon's letter was a pretty mild rebuke of the Iraq War. It's amazing how much the truth brings the crazies out in full force. A tip of the hat to Xofferson to have the guts to post something outside of the liberal blogging community.

Saturday's DNC Rules Committee Meeting

Being the dork I am, I will be spending part of this Saturday watching the DNC Rules Committee meeting in Washington, DC. The meeting will be of interest to many following the Democratic Primary cycle, as this meeting may ultimately decide the fate of the delegates from Michigan and Florida.

Although I'll be watching it at home, tickets to the actual event were snapped up as fast as those at a Rolling Stones concert.

It promises to be the highest-profile gathering of Democratic heavyweights until the summer nominating convention – and shaping up to be a harder ticket to come by: this Saturday’s Washington meeting to debate the seating of the Florida and Michigan delegations is officially the toughest ticket in town.

The members of the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee – the panel weighing how both states should be represented at the convention in Denver – will meet very publicly, at a hotel site ringed with protestors and satellite trucks. Inside, they’ll be joined by a swarm of political journalists – and a few rank-and-file Democrats. Only about 300 people – including RBC members, press and public — will be allowed inside.

But hundreds of Democrats eager for a front-row seat to history found themselves out of luck today, as the party’s online registration system for the spots available to the public was overwhelmed at 10 a.m. ET, when it opened. All available seats were claimed in about a minute.

The Clinton campaign is supposedly bussing in supporters to protest the event, while the Obama campaign is asking that its supporters participate in a voter registration drive instead. I'll be watching from the comfort of home.

McCain's 527 Problem

I'm not going to editorialize on this video, as it would probably take more away from the topic than bring anything to it. JedReport's mastery of editing political videos will suffice.

Editorial: The Pissing Contest

McCain no sooner started his speech again — announcing he would seek to reduce global nuclear stockpiles — when he was interrupted once more by anti-war protesters.

“What about Iraq? What about Iraq?” one shouted. Another unfurled a banner that said, “Iraq vets against the war.”

When the larger crowd shouted down the protesters again, McCain quipped, “This may turn into a longer speech than you had anticipated.”

“And by the way, I will never surrender in Iraq, my friends. I will never surrender in Iraq,” he added emphatically to applause and laughter. “Our American troops will come home with victory and honor."

War is not a pissing contest.

John McCain knows this better than most, I suspect. He was, after all, born into a family of warriors, officers in the great American War Machine, waging battle against evil empires and despots in foreign lands. He was born into this family of warriors and winners, pre-destined to pick up the pike and charge onward from Rome, eyes unfazed at the sight of the enemy.

And fight he did, honoring his family in a great war in Asia, his heroism cemented in our history as a captive, tortured and maimed. But unlike the great wars that preceded him, there would be no American victory in John McCain's War. Defeat does nothing to lessen the pain of sacrifice. The hangover of defeat lingers.

So we move forward, the young become the old, taking the place of their forefathers in instigating the battles of youth. In doing so, they choose to refight their own battles, using a new generation as a proxy to win, to recapture the honor they feel they lost when the last helicopter left Saigon.

War is not a pissing contest.

For John McCain, I fear his war never ended. "I will never surrender in Iraq", could easily be supplemented with ", like we surrendered in Vietnam" or "because we were made to surrender, when I know we could've won".

McCain's quest for honor and victory becomes a dangerous game when your victory has already been won, and the honor of the warriors is not questioned. The War in Iraq was fought and won in a matter of weeks, its government toppled and its armies cast to the wind. The young men and women who wage this war have their victory; they have their honor.

America's War Machine managed to encroach upon the boundaries of a sovereign nation and occupy it in quick and brutal war. But regardless of how good we've become with the war, it is peace where we failed so miserably.

We will be not be able to force peace on Iraq. The discontent is rooted in thousands of years of history, which we as a nation cannot fully understand. They will have to sort this out on their own, and I fear that as an occupying force, the only way we will bring them together will be in their mutual displeasure in our presence.

The language of honor, and disdain by John McCain comes across as machismo, like this war is a pissing contest by which your manliness is decided by how badly you want the war to continue. It makes me wonder if McCain truly believes that our country, and the men and women serving it, are dishonored by coming home, by leaving to figure out peace on its own.

Let us not become hostages to words like surrender and dishonor. War is not a pissing contest. Peace is not dishonor. Surrender is not an option. We have won the war. The peace will have to sort itself out on its own.

What About Easley?

I was on CNN.com, looking at an article about potential ticket-mates for Barack Obama, and guess who I saw.



The article lists Easley's positives as

-He may help carry North Carolina.

-He has a good feel for blue collar America.

His negatives involve the potential for him being seen as a political insider, coupled with his inexperience in foreign policy matters.

It's probably a long shot to think that Easley will end up on the ticket, but we can be proud that, along with Edwards, two North Carolina Democrats are in the running for the vice-presidential nomination.

Cross-posted at BlueNC.com

Vernon Robinson Wins Award

Thank you to BrianR with BlueNC.com for a recent post regarding Growth and Justice's awarding of the worst political ad of the year.

The award goes to Vernon Robinson, who will probably be up for a lifetime achievement award pretty soon. Here's the award winning ad.



Hopefully, this will be the last time Vernon wins anything ever again.

Liz Trotta's Mea Culpa

Liz Trotta with Fox News apologizes for joking about the assasintation of Barack Obama.



The original video:



Interestingly enough, the Fox News anchor says "clarification noted", as if her inital wording had been some kind of misunderstanding. Regardless, this is probably as good as we'll get from the folks over at Fox.

Obama Supporters Too Numerous for FEC

Not sure if anyone has reported on this topic this morning, so I thought I would take a stab at it. It appears that the U. S. government is having a hard time keeping track of all us Obama supporters.

From the Politico.com

The record-shattering fundraising by Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton has reshaped the financing of presidential elections and generated breathless coverage and analysis of the otherwise arcane area of campaign finance.
Yet it’s had another consequence that has gone all but unnoticed. The campaign finance reports filed by Obama and Clinton have grown so massive that they’ve strained the capacity of the Federal Election Commission, good government groups, the media and even software applications to process and make sense of the data.
A milestone of sorts was reached earlier this year, when Obama, the Illinois senator whose revolutionary online fundraising has overwhelmed Clinton, filed an electronic fundraising report so large it could not be processed by popular basic spreadsheet applications like Microsoft Excel

Although I'm sure the government will find some way to keep track of 1.5 million donors, this is a testament as to what is probably the greatest achievement of the Obama campaign so far.
1.5 million donors have financed this campaign, many of whom are donating only in small amounts. We have funded a successful campaign against arguably one of the strongest Democratic primary foes of our time, and have been successful in doing so.
So while the United States government tries to sort this all out and keep track off all the money, we should give ourselves a big pat on the back, because we've probably changed the way that Presidential campaigns will be financed in the future.

Cross-posted at DailyKos.com

Stop Loss Compensation Bill

This coming to us from Georgia10 at the DailyKos.

Democrats introduce a common-sense bill to compensate service members affected by the President's excessive use of the "stop loss" policy:

The bill would compensate "those whose military careers are involuntarily extended by stop-loss orders would be compensated $1,500 a month for each additional month of service under a bill introduced Friday in the Senate."

The bills is being introduced by Senators Casey and Menendez. Great idea. Let's see how McCain tries to sabotage it.

Al Giordano On Obama's Latin American Policy

Al Giordano offers up a great vetting of Barack Obama's Latin Americanpolicy speech in a report with Narco News. I suggest you take a look. The entirety of the article is not positive, as Giordano takes exception with much of what Obama says, but it offers some interesting insight into Latin American policy, which I expect to play a bigger role in the 2008 cycle, than in previous cycles. Cuba, especially, will be a hot topic of discussion, as Obama's Cuban policy deviates from that of previous Presidents, as well as his Republican opponent.

Mostly unnoticed by the US news media, a generational rift has percolated among Cuban-Americans that Obama was able to hear and speak to before his elder rivals for the US presidency were apparently aware of it. Members of the younger generations have concluded – along with most other Americans – that the US embargo on Cuba is an utterly stupid policy, in part because it is particularly restrictive upon them: Under current law, they’re prohibited from visiting their relatives on the island, and from sending money to them. Obama’s call to end that prohibition – in which he was opposed first by his main Democratic rival Senator Hillary Clinton and now by his Republican opponent McCain – has struck deep resonance in that community in South Florida, and provoked the beginnings of an abandonment of its most reactionary and harmful leaders by younger generations of Cuban-Americans.

It's a great article and definately recommended reading.

Two Charged With Sodomy In Raleigh

There's a shocking story coming to us from the Raleigh News & Observer tonight regarding two men recently arrested for committing homosexual acts.

Raleigh police are charging two adults for sodomy in private, although the U.S. Supreme Court appears to have outlawed such charges five years ago.Police on Saturday charged two West Raleigh men with a "crime against nature" for having sex early that morning. Each faces up to two years in prison if convicted of the Class I felony.
But that charge is unconstitutional, a state lawmaker says.
And the circumstances of the encounter are murky.
Raleigh police first charged Nelson Keith Sloan, 40, of Grand Manor Court, who called them to his apartment about dawn, saying he had been attacked.
Police later filed the same charge against Ryan Christopher Flynn, 25, of Glen Currin Drive.

The article further discusses the constitutionality of the matter:

North Carolina's "crime against nature" law doesn't apply only to same-sex partners. But a landmark 2003 U.S. Supreme Court ruling appears to forbid states from treating private, consensual, adult sex as crimes.
"The petitioners are entitled to respect for their private lives," the high court ruled in the case Lawrence v. Texas. "The State cannot demean their existence or control their destiny by making their private sexual conduct a crime. Their right to liberty under the Due Process Clause gives them the full right to engage in their conduct without intervention of the government."

As many of you probably know, anti-sodomy laws have been address and declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court. The controlling case is that of Lawrence v. Texas (2003). The court rendered a 6-3 decision in favor of Lawrence. Justice Kennedy wrote the opinion:

Held: The Texas statute making it a crime for two persons of the same sex to engage in certain intimate sexual conduct violates the Due Process Clause. Pp. 3—18.
(a) Resolution of this case depends on whether petitioners were free as adults to engage in private conduct in the exercise of their liberty under the Due Process Clause. For this inquiry the Court deems it necessary to reconsider its Bowers holding. The Bowers Court’s initial substantive statement–“The issue presented is whether the Federal Constitution confers a fundamental right upon homosexuals to engage in sodomy … ,” 478 U.S., at 190–discloses the Court’s failure to appreciate the extent of the liberty at stake. To say that the issue in Bowers was simply the right to engage in certain sexual conduct demeans the claim the individual put forward, just as it would demean a married couple were it said that marriage is just about the right to have sexual intercourse. Although the laws involved in Bowers and here purport to do not more than prohibit a particular sexual act, their penalties and purposes have more far-reaching consequences, touching upon the most private human conduct, sexual behavior, and in the most private of places, the home. They seek to control a personal relationship that, whether or not entitled to formal recognition in the law, is within the liberty of persons to choose without being punished as criminals. The liberty protected by the Constitution allows homosexual persons the right to choose to enter upon relationships in the confines of their homes and their own private lives and still retain their dignity as free persons.

In what appears on the surface to be a domestic assault issue, the police took it upon themselves to arrest both men under North Carolina's archaic anti-sodomy law. G. S. 18B-1005.1 states:

18B‑1005.1. Sexually explicit conduct on licensed premises.
(a) It shall be unlawful for a permittee or his agent or employee to knowingly allow or engage in any of the following kinds of conduct on his licensed premises:
(1) Any conduct or entertainment by any person whose genitals are exposed or who is wearing transparent clothing that reveals the genitals;
(2) Any conduct or entertainment that includes or simulates sexual intercourse, masturbation, sodomy, bestiality, oral copulation, flagellation, or any act that includes or simulates the penetration, however slight, by any object into the genital or anal opening of a person's body; or
(3) Any conduct or entertainment that includes the fondling of the breasts, buttocks, anus, vulva, or genitals.
(b) Supervision. – It shall be unlawful for a permittee to fail to superintend in person or through a manager the business for which a permit is issued.
(c) Exception. – This section does not apply to persons operating theaters, concert halls, art centers, museums, or similar establishments that are primarily devoted to the arts or theatrical performances, when the performances that are presented are expressing matters of serious literary, artistic, scientific, or political value. (2003‑382, s. 2.)

G. S. 14-177 states:

If any person shall commit the crime against nature, with mankind or beast, he shall be punished as a Class I felon.

Also, in an unrelated manner, which only proves further the archaic nature of our sex laws, I found this as well:

G. S. 14‑186. Opposite sexes occupying same bedroom at hotel for immoral purposes; falsely registering as husband and wife.
Any man and woman found occupying the same bedroom in any hotel, public inn or boardinghouse for any immoral purpose, or any man and woman falsely registering as, or otherwise representing themselves to be, husband and wife in any hotel, public inn or boardinghouse, shall be deemed guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.

These arrest would seem to be a significant deviation from the constitutional issues decided in the Lawrence case. The arrests of these men is a disturbing deviation from what has seemed to be settle law. The fact that North Carolina's statutes still maintain anti-sodomy provisions, even after the Supreme Court's decision, is troubling enough in itself. However, it is the enforcement of the law that is an even more serious affront to Constitution.
It has been suggested that North Carolina's anti-sodomy statute has remained on the books in an effort to appease the Christian Right. I'm not sure if this is true, although I do know that many on the Christian Right take issue with the decision in Lawrence v. Texas. Let's hope that the charges issued in Raleigh are dropped, and no attempt is made to take this issue up again to the higher courts.