Direct action — peaceful, dignified, civil disobedience – is practiced when one wishes to purposely break the law for a social, economic or environmental purpose. It is proper, even necessary, to disobey the law when human rights are at stake. It is proper to challenge the status quo. It is proper to challenge power structures and it is proper to challenge the rule of law. If a society is totally obedient totalitarianism will surely reign. In a civil society people must obey conscience rather than law — if a law is unjust it must be broken. As elected officials ignore cries from the public and seek to enact laws that favor big business at the expense of the population it is proper to disobey. This is what is happening in North Carolina.

The new veto-proof Republican majority has been moving quickly, working on a number of new powerful laws that seek to serve special interests as opposed to people.

Duke-Progress Energy, the largest utility monopoly in the United States, is being awarded rate hikes by a favorable energy commission (the energy commission attempts to simulate a “market force” to keep the giant in check) in hard economic times. The utility giant is also doubling down on dirty energy resources while backing away from conservation and efficiency programs which would save working families money in the current economic slump. ...