{"id":574,"date":"2026-05-24T16:37:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T16:37:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=574"},"modified":"2026-05-24T16:37:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T16:37:21","slug":"first-in-freedom-nc-is-about-to-be-first-in-surveillance-instead-opinion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=574","title":{"rendered":"First in Freedom? NC is about to be \u201cFirst in Surveillance\u201d instead | Opinion"},"content":{"rendered":"

In response to \u201cSBI wants license-plate scanners covering \u2018all entrances and exits\u2019 to NC\u201d<\/a> (May 15)<\/p>\n

Read more Hornets mailbag: Brandon Miller contract extension? Best use for draft picks?<\/a><\/p>\n

Highway license readers – get rid of that \u201cFirst in Freedom\u201d license plate; will it be \u201cFirst in Surveillance\u201d? How long before that database of license plate numbers, time, location, direction, will be hacked, or misused, or subpoenaed by the feds or some other state? We already have a nearly cashless economy, and that means our every purchase is tagged with time and location. Data brokers package and sell that data \u2014 our data \u2014 to whomever can pay for it. Here\u2019s one more juicy item.<\/p>\n

David Hopp, Durham<\/i><\/p>\n

I visited Beaufort, NC on Saturday and was delighted that the Maritime Museum was open to the public again. It has always been one of my favorite places to visit, no matter what time of year.<\/p>\n

The volunteers working the front desk were very helpful and friendly. But, while talking to them, I learned that the museum will now be closed on Sundays. I was flabbergasted. Museums only exist for three reasons: tourism, education, and research. Why eliminate 50% of the time most people are able and want to visit? Other businesses that depend on tourist traffic are open, so why not our museums? If there is a lack of volunteers or overhead issues, close on Monday. Was this a budget cut? Or a legislative or administrative decision?<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t need to explain to anyone how important tourism is to Eastern North Carolina or how underfunded our arts, history, and culture organizations are. Are we really going to give huge tax incentives to multi-billion-dollar AI Data Centers and, on the other hand, deprive our residents of hands-on experiences available only in our regional museums?<\/p>\n

Tim McKay, Raleigh<\/i><\/p>\n

I have been so disheartened watching a too familiar sight of children marching with arms forward as they leave a mass shooting, this time from a mosque in San Diego. I am a grandmother of six grandsons, ages 13-20, who have grown up with school shooting drills and school lockdowns. One grandson, a freshman at Evergreen High School in Colorado, even endured hiding in a locker room at his high school last September, just missing the shooter as he left the cafeteria.<\/p>\n

I am so tired of it all. But, I am heartened that my church, Umstead Park United Church of Christ in Raleigh, along with seven other faith organizations, is hosting a Guns To Gardens Event on June 13. This event is not \u201canti-gun\u201d but a service to receive UNWANTED guns, dismantle them, and turn them into garden tools, art, and jewelry. It will be held in the parking lot of the church at 8208 Brownleigh Dr., from 11 AM-2 PM.<\/p>\n

Kathy Austin, Durham<\/i><\/p>\n

The attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego is a painful reminder that hatred against faith communities remains a real and dangerous problem. As Imam of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, I witness daily how mosques serve as places of prayer, peace, service, and human connection for people from many different backgrounds.<\/p>\n

Read more Who will win Coca-Cola 600? Our predictions, best bets for NC\u2019s biggest NASCAR race<\/a><\/p>\n

Tragedies like this affect more than one congregation. They create fear among ordinary worshippers whose only purpose is to seek spiritual comfort and strengthen their relationship with God. No person should feel unsafe while praying in a mosque, church, synagogue, or temple.<\/p>\n

The Holy Qur\u2019an teaches that saving a single life is like saving all humanity. This principle should unite people of every faith and background against extremism and violence.<\/p>\n

Frasat Ahmad, Fuquay Varina<\/i><\/p>\n

In summer, 2025 state lawmakers froze the Interest on Lawyers\u2019 Trust Account (IOLTA) funding as part of the 2025 Public Safety Act. The freeze had an adverse effect on citizens and Legal Aid of N.C. Those hardest hit include residents in rural communities. Legal Aid estimates that because of the grant freeze, about 8,000 people went without legal representation and consultation from its organization.<\/p>\n

Moreover, Legal Aid was forced to close its doors in a few communities and reduce its staffing across the state, as the freeze held up about $6.3 million budget used to sustain offices, retain attorneys called to the work of service and practice, and provide accessibility to residents across North Carolina. The greater infraction for residents not having access to offices in their region, with reduced staff, suggests that some potential cases will be backlogged or not addressed at all as a result of the cutbacks.<\/p>\n

In 2024, these funds secured legal representation for 3,200 domestic violence cases, as well as $5 million to help 26,000 people with information and services after Hurricane Helene. The problem is that the person needing assistance could be your loved one, a veteran, or even you.<\/p>\n

Roosevelt Ethridge, Wilson<\/i><\/p>\n

As if it wasn\u2019t shameful enough for Trump to pardon 1,600 criminals who tried to overthrow the government on Jan. 6, now he\u2019s given himself $1.7 billion of public funds so that he can funnel money to his family and cronies. But worse, he might actually reward these J6 criminals for their actions. We are so far past the Rubicon at this point, helplessly watching in horror as this administration dismantles democracy, but this is flat-out insulting to all law-abiding, tax-paying citizens.<\/p>\n

Read more 200-pound sea creature found dead on NC beach was likely hit by boat, team says<\/a><\/p>\n

Jeff Shrewsbury, Durham<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our readers comment on Donald Trump and Jan. 6, mosque shooting, a North Carolina museum closed on Sundays and Legal Aid funding | Letters to the Editor<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":573,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nFirst in Freedom? NC is about to be \u201cFirst in Surveillance\u201d instead | Opinion - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=574\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"First in Freedom? NC is about to be \u201cFirst in Surveillance\u201d instead | Opinion - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Our readers comment on Donald Trump and Jan. 6, mosque shooting, a North Carolina museum closed on Sundays and Legal Aid funding | Letters to the Editor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=574\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-24T16:37:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=574#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=574\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\"},\"headline\":\"First in Freedom? NC is about to be \u201cFirst in Surveillance\u201d instead | Opinion\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-24T16:37:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=574\"},\"wordCount\":914,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=574#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/10c4921d9fc39bf867045d9cabefda97.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=574#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=574\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=574\",\"name\":\"First in Freedom? NC is about to be \u201cFirst in Surveillance\u201d instead | Opinion - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=574#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=574#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/10c4921d9fc39bf867045d9cabefda97.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-24T16:37:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=574#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=574\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=574#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/10c4921d9fc39bf867045d9cabefda97.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/10c4921d9fc39bf867045d9cabefda97.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":674},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?p=574#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"First in Freedom? NC is about to be \u201cFirst in Surveillance\u201d instead | Opinion\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/charlotterelocationguide.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"First in Freedom? NC is about to be \u201cFirst in Surveillance\u201d instead | Opinion - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=574","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"First in Freedom? NC is about to be \u201cFirst in Surveillance\u201d instead | Opinion - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","og_description":"Our readers comment on Donald Trump and Jan. 6, mosque shooting, a North Carolina museum closed on Sundays and Legal Aid funding | Letters to the Editor","og_url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=574","og_site_name":"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","article_published_time":"2026-05-24T16:37:21+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=574#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=574"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93"},"headline":"First in Freedom? NC is about to be \u201cFirst in Surveillance\u201d instead | Opinion","datePublished":"2026-05-24T16:37:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=574"},"wordCount":914,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=574#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/10c4921d9fc39bf867045d9cabefda97.jpg","articleSection":["Read today's Edition"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=574#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=574","url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=574","name":"First in Freedom? NC is about to be \u201cFirst in Surveillance\u201d instead | Opinion - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=574#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=574#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/10c4921d9fc39bf867045d9cabefda97.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-24T16:37:21+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=574#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=574"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=574#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/10c4921d9fc39bf867045d9cabefda97.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/10c4921d9fc39bf867045d9cabefda97.jpg","width":1200,"height":674},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=574#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"First in Freedom? NC is about to be \u201cFirst in Surveillance\u201d instead | Opinion"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/","name":"\u0421harlotte Relocation Guide","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/#\/schema\/person\/8dbe691609d05fbc6dbaa5c440b54a93","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com"],"url":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=574"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=574"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=574"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=574"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}