Lumberton Informer

This weekend, people all across the country will be celebrating Independence Day. The event is generally celebrated with fireworks, cookouts and going to the beach. If you're out and out this weekend please be safe and mindful of others. If you're looking for a good watermelon this weekend, you may want to check out Chad Owen. He has the best watermelons in the region. There's a couple of snowball stands in Lumberton. I just recently learned about the one in Love's Addition (Love Quarters). It's called Tiskdenu Snowballs and they have the best snowballs ever. The young girl that fixed my snowball was so kind and friendly and that sugary concoction was delicious. I think I found my summer obsession and it's snowballs. If you want a cool treat on a hot Summer day you should stop by Tiskdenu Snowball Stand. Another part of the fourth of July celebration is fireworks. If you're looking for more bang for your buck, visit Pinebelt Fireworks (the blue building ...

Recently, there has been a lot of debate about the Confederate flag. My Facebook page is full of individuals posting their arguments about the flag. Some are saying it's about hate, some say it's about heritage and I said it was a flag stepped in a heritage of hate. One of my friends posted an interesting response about the history and meaning of the Confederate flag. When you get to the end of the message, you will see what inspired one of last week's blog post. Commuter thought of the day: I am going to say some controversial things and then I am going to say regular stuff, I am going to make a joke and be out! The Confederate Flag is a symbol of the Confederacy and those who fought on that side in the American Civil War. Most people, because they don't read as extensively as I do think that it was primarily about slavery; that was part of it but it was also about states' rights, the uneven economic structure of the US at that time and other details. Slaver...

This year, the City of Lumberton didn't have an organized event for the National Day of Prayer. For years, the event was hosted by Paul Ockmond. For some reason, he opted out of the event this year. When Mayor Ben Winston announced that there wouldn't be a program this year, many wondered if there was a rift between Winston and Ockmond. I addressed those that posed that question by saying that Paul Ockmond was distancing himself from Ben Winston because they have too much invested in one another. It was my belief that Paul was laying low because his cloak of "christianity" (purposely not capitalized) was tarnished by his responses made on this blog. Ockmond attempted to defend his friend Winston or as he called him "a bastard did good for himself." Ockmond, a self-professed man of God, and I'm sure he has the paperwork to prove it, went into zttack mode while I kept giving him scriptures in response but I'm the heathen. I won't go into all the ...

If all goes as planned, we should have some of Pops Chad Owen watermelons this weekend. For weeks, I've been resisting the urge to buy bootleg watermelons because I knew Chad would be bringing the biggest, sweetest melons to the marketplace when they were ready. There's no doubt that any produce he presents will be the best. So, I, along with others, have been patiently waiting for the real deal. Yesterday, someone treated me to one of Chad's cantaloupes and I'm not a fan of cantaloupes. Maybe I should say I wasn't a fan before yesterday. Let me tell you, that cantaloupe was so good and sweet I didn't wait for it to get cold and I know the watermelons won't be a disappointment. Hopefully, this weekend we will see Chad and his beloved companion, Caleb, in the marketplace with the best watermelons in the region. Chad is a jack of many trades and farming is just one of his many ventures. This weekend he will be celebrating another birthday. Help him celebrate...

At this moment, our state is divided over a flag with a Confederate emblem. Some say its heritage and some say it's hate. I have my views on the matter but before I can expexct to embraced by others races, I would like to address a case of blacks on black crime here in Lumberton. Before I knew better, I would call them Uncle Toms but that description is not appropriate. A true description of their behavior would lead me to label them as a Sambo. Somehow meanings were revised over time. Those of us who actually read Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin know it wasn't Uncle Tom that betrayed his race it was Sambo. For the purposes of transparency, I didn't read the book until I was enrolled at an HBCU (Historically Black College or University) and prior to that semester, I accepted the oral definition of an Uncle Tom as being black on the outside but white on the inside; the oreo; a sellout. We're living in an era of revisionist history and that's the ...

It's that time of year again. Beginning Thursday, June 25, 2015 at 10:00 am, Pinebelt Fireworks will be open for business. They're in the blue firework stand next to Lumberton Farm and Garden. Here's a banging deal. If you mention that you read the Lumberton Informer, they will give you a 10% discount. You can use your savings to purchase more fireworks. They have plenty of new products for 2015. You can get bottle rockets for $1.75 a gross. This year, get your fireworks from Pinebelt Fireworks and don't forget to mention the Lumberton Informer for your discount. Have a Safe Fourth of July Celebration! If you're looking for the best bang for your buck, look no further than Pinebelt Fireworks in the blue building next to Lumberton Farm and Garden.

On June 16, 2015 I received a string of texts from Margie McGraw, wife of Alderman Jay McGraw, that started out as follows: "Any one writing anonymous should be disregarded as a coward. Someone who has no real interest in the conversation. " For quite some time, I wondered why people posted anonymously and considered banning them until I realized some people didn't want to be attacked or needed to remain anonymous because of their jobs. In my opinion, to call them cowards is unwarranted, in most cases. To me, cowardice is egging a person's car in the middle of the night, keying a person's car after a board meeting or using executive session to discuss a citizen and his blog. The night my car was egged, I was probably nestled between my 800 thread count sheets and duvet cover with my head propped up on a stack of pillows while a coward was outside my home, protected by darkness, throwing eggs instead of confronting me for whatever offense they imagined. The nig...