While it’s way too early to address any readers of this blog, if there were any readers, they might be asking an important question: Which Beaufort are we talking about? The inferior northern variant – “bo-fort,” in North Carolina? Or the superior southern variant – “byoo-firt,” in South Carolina. The answer should be clear: Beaufort, South Carolina. Taking a cue from our Orange Leader, I do not acknowledge the city with the stolen name in North Carolina, nor do I appreciate their pernicious pronunciation.

Working from this superior location makes the RFB concept even more fitting. While Beaufort was at one point the heart of the secessionist movement, it was quickly occupied by the Union Army at the start of the Civil War and subsequently became an interesting (and one could say progressive) pocket of resistance starting in the early 1860s and extending to the present day. My summary here is very brief but I’m sure I’ll touch more on it later. Curious readers should take some time to learn about the Penn Center or the new-ish Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, or contemporary issues like the community’s resistance to book banning efforts.

My broader point is that this is a natural place from which to write with concern about, and opposition to, the ill winds surrounding us. A pocket of resistance. And it’s a place to explore the fact that even within that pocket, there are legislators and community leaders who embrace those ill winds.