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The Law Offices of Marshall B Pitts, Jr, PC, 201 S McPherson Church Road, Ste 205, Fayetteville, NC (2026)

08/01/2024

President Biden gave remarks on July 13, 2024 concerning the assassination attempt on former President Trump, saying, “The idea that there’s political violence or violence in America like this is just unheard of. It was just not appropriate. And we — everybody — everybody must condemn it. Everybody,” But the idea that political violence in America is a contemporary development is just simply - wrong.

Political violence has always been prevalent in America, despite freedom of speech and the entitlement to our own beliefs being one of the paramount conclusions that the founding fathers had reached when creating the highest law of the land. The assassination attempt on Trump reminds us of this fact, despite how much the American people would like to reject that notion.

One of the first major instances of this in the country was with the killing of Abraham Lincoln in 1865. He was shot repeatedly by John Wilkes Booth in the back of the head whilst attending a play. This assassination occurred during the civil war; Wilkes Booth intended for the Confederacy to be revived and win the war if he were to kill Lincoln, but his plan failed and the Confederacy still fell to the Union’s troops. In fact, the civil war itself can be a broader example of political violence because it mainly began due to a dispute over the issue of slavery and which direction the country should head in the future.

Political violence was also very widespread during the fight for African Americans to get their civil rights during the 1950’s and 60’s. A well known example is the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, as well as other Civil Rights leaders such as Malcom X, and Medgar Evers.

Other examples include the assassinations of Presidents James A. Garfield, William Mckinley, and John F. Kennedy. A plethora of other assassination attempts occurred on members of congress or on people who were running for president, during multiple eras. The last modern presidential assassination attempt was on Ronald Reagan in 1981; he was shot multiple times but survived while he was heading to his limousine after speaking at an engagement at a hotel. Now, more than 40 years later, with the shocking assassination attempt on Donald Trump, we are reminded about this unfortunate facet of American history and culture.

07/24/2024

On Sunday, July 21, 2024, incumbent President Joseph R. Biden announced that he will renounce his bid for re-election. He did so through X, the popular social media platform previously named Twitter. The tweet contained an official letter to the American people signed by himself. He thanked the American public for supporting him through his term as president and stated that he will now focus more on finishing his last few months strong. Some question his reasoning for not announcing it during a public speech, but as of now it is unknown why he chose to do it this way. Speculation has arisen that it is likely due to his recovery from Covid-19, which he was said to have contracted around a week ago and is currently quarantining for in his residence in Delaware.

A few minutes later, he released another tweet stating his endorsement of current Vice President Kamala Harris for the 2024 Presidential election, saying that it was an honor to work with her and that she is the woman who will unite the Democratic party to beat Donald Trump in the upcoming race. Harris has now thanked Biden for his endorsement and plans to “earn and win” the democratic nomination, and by extension go on to beat Trump. Since then, she has amassed over 50 million dollars in funding in the past 24 hours to support her campaign, a stark contrast to Biden, who was steadily losing financial support from donors as concerns over his health continued to mount.

As of July 23, 2024, enough delegates (around 2000 so far) participating in the Democratic National Convention have pledged their support for Vice President Harris in her upcoming campaign for her to receive the nomination. It seems likely that it will be tough for another democratic opponent to challenge her for the nomination, especially since she has all of the residual money left from Biden’s campaign as well as the surge in new donations to her political cause. If any rivals were to arise, they would need to do so quickly in order to gather as many delegates as they can before voting at the Democratic National Convention begins.

It is also unknown who she will pick as her running mate in this election. At a speech she had given in Fayetteville, North Carolina she heavily praised the states Governor, Roy Cooper and talked about their 20 years of companionship in the political field, drawing questions to whether he will be her pick as Vice President. Some other potential candidates include Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as well as Arizona State Senator Mark Kelly, and a host of other individuals. Either way, she would need a strong running mate (preferably from a swing state) to help boost her election campaign, and they would need to be selected quickly.

Either way, the battle between Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Trump would be an interesting one, especially seeing as Harris was a former prosecutor and Trump, a now convicted felon. The dichotomy between these two figures is certainly strange, and it will be a true test to see which direction Americans would like to head in the future.

07/12/2024

Ammunition vending machines have recently hit the market in several states.

These vending machines, supplied by a company called “American Rounds”, are available to anyone who happens to be over the age of 21 and can prove their identity with an ID. The company says the vending machines are as easy to use as an ATM. The machine bolsters new AI technology to identify the buyer using facial recognition software and ID scanning abilities, eliminating the need for the “middle man” when it comes to buying ammo. This also allows for these vending machines to be operational 24/7, which the company says will ensure, “you can buy your own ammunition on your own schedule, free from the constraints of store hours and long lines.” There have been questions surrounding the efficacy and ethics of installing these machines, but American Rounds has mostly assured the public that it has technology that can be trusted.

Additionally, there is no Ammo limit for a specific person, whether that be one particular type of bullet or a general limit. The only stipulation that American Rounds says that the machine has is that you cannot buy a certain kind of ammo if there are no more left in stock in the machine. The company says that they hope to have the machines restocked every two to four weeks depending on the location. This is causing concerns due to the fact that gun violence incidents like school shootings and other crimes have been increasingly committed during the last decade.

These machines aren’t simply concepts, either. They have already been installed in several stores across a variety of states, the first being in a Fresh Value Grocery store in Pell City, Alabama. Since the original, five more have been installed in locations such as Canyon Lake, Texas (installed in a Lowe’s store) as well as different stores in Oklahoma (in Super C Mart). This number is growing rapidly, according to the company, because they say that they have up to 200 store requests for Automated Ammo Retail Machines (AARM). Despite the concerns, American Rounds continues to expedite its machines to various locations around the US.

06/21/2024

An upside down U.S. Flag

Many Republican political leaders during Trump's era denounced players who, "disrespected" the U.S. Flag as a part of protest against racism when they knelt during the national anthem at a football match, with Mike Pence even going as far as to stage a walk out of the game. Trump went on to say that those who hold the flag in contempt should be fired or deported.

Despite the outrage, it is our constitutionally protected right to defame the flag even if it is highly discouraged in the U.S Flag code, which strictly denotes that the flag should not be tampered with in any way or hung upside down except in times of extreme distress where life or property are in danger. However, the U.S Flag Code, despite it's prohibitions, is unenforceable.

Recently, despite this outrage from anti-flag protests in earlier years, Trump supporters have decided to use the symbol of the upside down flag to demonstrate loyalty to Trump in spite of his recent convictions. This form of support began as early as 2021, when capitol rioters waved upside down flags whilst they were trying to change the election results. Even Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr. had an upside down flag hanging outside of his home, but he blamed the incident on his wife, saying she was the one who had hung it in such a manner as a counter to an anti-Trump sign in their neighbors' yard. Despite the flag being used in a "non-patriotic" way, none of the Republican leaders have denounced it in any way, shape, or form.

Either way, everyone has the right to utilize the flag in any way they want to, whether that be demeaning it or supporting it, even Supreme Court Justices.

Regardless of your opinion on the flag, it is blatantly hypocritical to criticize people who alter the flag when you don't agree with their protests but then support it if you do.

Myles Pitts

01/26/2024

There is a long-standing gap between the approval rates for mortgages between white and black patrons.

The largest United States Credit Union, Navy Federal Credit Union, is now under scrutiny after the disparities between white and black mortgage loan approval rates has been extremely stark.

To provide statistics, the amount of white applicants approved for mortgage loans was over 75 percent, however, the number of black applicants on the same type of loan was under 50 percent. The almost 30 percent percentage gap between the different races of applicants is the largest gap among the to 50 mortgage loan lenders in the United States.

Even with people in similar classes of Socio-economic status, the disparities persisted. For example, the credit union approved a higher percentage of whites making less that $62,000 per year than they did black patrons who made over $140,000 per year. This type of imbalance suggests that there may be more than just a difference in financial ability between the two races of borrowers.

A detailed analysis by CNN revealed that White applicants were twice as likely to get approved for mortgage loans that their black counterparts, even considering different variables such as property value and downpayment percentage.

Many have come to speculate that the Navy Federal Credit Union is engaging with systematic racism and instead of admitting applicants based on their actual economic ability, they are using their race as a part of their judgement.

The scrutiny of the Navy Federal Credit Unions practices may lead to claims in the court of law and further Scrutiny, as well as higher federal regulation. Either way, the disparities between white and black lenders serves as a reminder that America is not a "post-racial" society as many people prefer to label it.

01/19/2024

More Americans are ditching the idea that they have to pay back their student loan debt.

With 1.77 trillion dollars of student debt still withstanding in America, Americans in their 20's and 30's are instead opting to forget about ever paying their loans back. This ideology comes after the trend of the housing market becoming increasingly expensive, to the point where most Americans believe that home ownership is out of the picture.

The subsequent thought process that follows is one that is grim and should signal to most that the current American system is heavily flawed. Americans believe that if homeownership is out of the window, then what is the incentive to pay back their debts? If the loans they borrowed wreck their credit, it no longer matters because they were never going to be able to buy a house anyway.

A user on twitter has called the recent uptick in disregard for student loan debts, "doom debt." This means that people, instead of worrying about their debt, have decided to focus on what makes them happy in the meantime. Younger adults are adopting a lifestyle that centers around making financial decisions that would support their fulfillment in life in the present moment rather than worrying about the future.

This new attitude is certainly grim and unfortunately justified in the current American economy and system as a whole.

The long term impact will affect Americans retirement, investment, and the absence of being able to make everyday financial decisions without the worry of debt.

01/15/2024

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Let us remember this legend and savior for the Black Community.

01/15/2024

An ex-child prodigy in China, named Zhang Xinyang, refuses to live his life with a regular job.

He has instead opted to be completely reliant on his parents, regularly receiving checks from them to help him pay for his rent and other living expenses.

XInyang, as a child, was extremely gifted. At just the age of 2.5, he was able to read over 2000 Chinese characters, a literacy level that most Chinese children do not attain until much later on in life. He then went on to attend primary school at age 5, but was bumped to second grade in less than a month. In 6 months time, he was advanced on to 5th grade. Clearly, Xinyang was an incredibly intelligent individual from a very young age.

Now, the 28 year old lives off of his parents money and is unemployed. Despite his academic success as a young child, he later had troubles with standardized testing when he became older, preventing him from being able to attend the top universities in China. He entered university at age 10 and was en route to pursuing a Ph.D. at the age of 16, making him one of China's youngest students to pursue a doctorate degree.

Xinyang was thrust into the national spotlight again in 2011 when he demanded from his parents that they provide him a 2 million yuan, or $280,000 dollar apartment. He requested this apartment before he set out to pursue his Ph.D. in applied mathematics at the university of Beihang. He said that he believed that without an apartment, he would have no use for the Ph.D.

His parents did not have enough money to buy this apartment, so instead, they rented another large flat for him. Xinyang reluctantly accepted and pursued his Ph.D. in the Chinese city of Beijing.

As of now, he receives around $1.4k every two to three months and an additional 300 per month for his rent from his parents. He survives by eating expired food and a mostly vegetable diet in order to keep his costs of living down. Xinyang is unemployed and admits he only works on ad-hoc projects with his friends, but he expresses content for his current lifestyle.

So, what do you think of this former Child prodigy?

12/08/2023

New research shows that Dads who are slightly anxious or depressed raise better children.

Researchers studied 61 children, 36 male, and 25 female. The researchers were seeking to figure out what effect a father's mental health could have on a child, seeing as previous experiments had revealed that negative maternal mental health contributed to a negative effect on the child. To conduct the experiment, they first measured the father's mental health during their partner's pregnancy and then again when the children were aged 6-8.

What they found was that children who had fathers who were slightly anxious or depressed actually performed better on standardized tests, had an overall higher IQ, and were able to sit still for longer. This contradicted their hypothesis, and they assigned the causes of the observations to multiple factors, one of them being parental attunement.

Parental attunement is when parents are aware and responsive to their children's emotions. Children whose parents demonstrate greater parental attunement often have higher cognitive and social abilities as compared to those whose parents don't. The researchers hypothesize that the dads suffering from slight mental health issues often showed traits of greater attunement to their children because they wanted to compensate for environmental risk factors such as their mother having depression or anxiety, or another risk factor that could potentially harm their child's development.

The conclusion is not final, however, and more research needs to be done on how fathers' mental health affects their children.

12/01/2023

Black Youth and ADHD: Why African Americans fall under the radar for neurodivergence diagnoses.

Wesley Jackson Wade, a 40 year old African American Man now living in Durham, details his experiences as a child in school and other venues as having negative moments. At the time, Wade nor his family knew of his ADHD, making his childhood a lot more difficult than it had to have been.

Wade grew up in a African American family that was well off, with his father working as a sales director and a novelist, and his mom a special education teacher. He went to predominantly white schools and a lot of the time engaged with his white peers. However, his race made him different, in an almost inexplicable way. He details a time when he was in 8th grade and was wrongly arrested for a bomb threat while fleeing the school with his Caucasian peers. He also remembers times where he would be conversating with his white peers and receive detention, while they would only receive warnings.

As he went on in school, some of his peers that suffered similar behaviors as him began to be treated for Attention-Hyper/Deficit Disorder. However, none of his teachers or mentors suggested he get similar care.

Wade says his case wasn't rare for black children, especially Black youth. African Americans are often punished and reprimanded more severely for behavioral issues compared to their white peers. Educators often look for/assign white children's misconduct to an underlying mental health issue rather than inherent disobedience. This does not occur for black children as often, and they are often separated into different classes instead of having adults around them to help them navigate their neurodivergence or even discover that neurodivergence is present.

Wade himself was not diagnosed until 2020 after years of grappling with the symptoms of ADHD and Dyslexia. He says he is grateful for his diagnosis, but wish it would have occurred earlier in life so. He says, "If I was able to get the diagnosis [earlier], I would have had a lot more support and love in my life."

Now, Wade works in helping black neurodivergent youth and adults in identifying ADHD and other conditions. He says, "I remember how it felt to not be seen, to not be heard, and to have your needs dismissed; It feels good to see other people getting the help that they need and know that it helps Black people as a whole and generations of those families."

11/24/2023

North Carolina Medicaid is now being expanded to give coverage to more individuals.
Some details about this include:
-NC is expanding who can get Medicaid starting December 1, 2023
-Adults ages 19 through 64 earning up to 138% of the federal poverty line may be eligible
-The Easiest way to apply is through ePASS; you can also apply via phone or mailed applications
-Application processing time can take up to 45 days; applications submitted online may be processed faster
- The coverage will be comprehensive; meaning that services like primary care, hospital stays, maternity care, vision and hearing, dental/oral health care and more
-Medicaid pays for doctor visits, yearly check-ups, emergency care, mental health and more - at little cost
-Current beneficiaries with full Medicaid coverage will not see any changes

11/23/2023

Happy Thanksgiving! Let us all be thankful!

The Law Offices of Marshall B Pitts, Jr, PC

08/01/2024

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