GOP Uses Eve Carson's Death for Political Gain

Recently, Tom Fetzer and the NC GOP released a mailer attacking Governor Perdue on her record of reform in the parole system. While political mailings and e-mails often pander to the lowest common denominator, this mailing sank to a new low. Fetzer opened the letter referencing UNC Student Body President Eve Carson’s murder two years ago, and the dedication of her memorial garden last week. Eve was murdered when I was a first-year at UNC, and references to her death bring up painful memories for students at UNC. Eve was killed right before spring break, and the last things her friends and fellow students need is for her death to be used for a cheap political ploy.

We should be able to have a reasonable discussion about our criminal justice system. Politicians on both sides should be able to criticize the policies that their opponents support. Politicians should not use a tragic death to their advantage by exploiting the death of one of UNC’s most loved students. Eve’s death should not be used for exploitation and fund raising purposes. Tom Fetzer and the North Carolina GOP should apologize for this shameless act of desperation.

Lee Storrow
Co-President
UNC Young Democrats

* * *
Chairman's Monday Memo
Probation Abomination

Dear Supporter,

Last week, a memorial garden in honor of slain former UNC student body president Eve Carson was dedicated. This terrible tragedy is even more tragic because Carson’s killers should have been behind bars, not out on the streets.

Both of the men who have been charged in the Carson murder were out on probation.(One of the men has also been charged with the murder of a Duke graduate student). Both men were not in compliance with the terms of their probation and the mismanaged Department of Corrections probation division did nothing about it.

This was not an isolated incident. Last July, a former death row inmate paroled in 2007 from what was supposed to be a life sentence in prison for kidnapping and killing a taxi driver kidnapped, robbed and terrorized a Gastonia family. It has come to light that the man had been arrested 3 times since his parole, but probation officials failed to revoke his parole.

When Governor Bev Perdue took office, she promised to overhaul the probation system and she hired Alvin Keller to head up the Department of Corrections. Keller and Perdue noted the huge number of vacancies in probation officer positions and said filling those vacancies would be a top priority. Recent numbers indicate that the number of job vacancies actually went up, from 109 to 141 during Perdue’s first year as Governor. In a state with an unemployment rate of 11.2%, it is hard to fathom having trouble finding applicants for a state job with full benefits.

Keller and his minions are saying that low pay and high standards have led to the increase in vacancies. What happened to it being their top priority? Why did they not shift some of the thousands of dollars used to provide college courses for prisoners? This is yet another example of misplaced priorities and another example why the people of North Carolina are fed with "Business as Usual Bev" and her liberal Democrat colleagues in the state legsilatrue. That is why it is so vital to stop business as usual politics by electing a conservative Republican majority to the state legislature.

Sincerely,

Tom Fetzer

NCGOP Chairman

PS: Please remember, you can always donate to the NCGOP online by visiting
http://www.facebook.com/l/9685b;www.ncgop.org. Donate online today!