Notice

I am working on the template of this blog today in order to chase down some problems that have developed with my template and widgets.

Macon County Commissioners

Coverage of the meetings of the Macon County Board of County Commissioners.

Franklin Town Board of Aldermen

Coverage of the meetings of the Franklin Town Board of Aldermen.

Macon County School Board

Coverage of the meetings of the Macon County School Board.

Photoblog

Photos from my photoblog.

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Saturday, February 28, 2009

Governor Perdue Launches NCRecovery Website

Email Warrior Charlie tipped me to this:

Governor Perdue today launched NC Recovery, a guide to services of the newly created Office of Economic Recovery & Investment.  NCRecovery.gov will let visitors track federal recovery funds in North Carolina, as well as learn about local contract and grant opportunities.
 
"I am committed to providing the people of North Carolina with a simple-to-navigate guide that is efficient, transparent and accountable,” Perdue said. “I want the people of North Carolina to understand exactly how the money will be used to put North Carolina back to work.”
 
The website will serve as a resource on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, its impact on North Carolina and information about the state Office of Economic Recovery and Investment.  In the upcoming weeks, visitors will be able to track recovery money as it is spent, suggest projects for funding and learn how to apply for contracts and grants that may be available.
 

Hummingbirds on Chestnut Cove,
and a Republican Tea Party in Asheville

Today is my grandmother's funeral, so I won't be blogging today except for this notice). 

You can see live video from CPAC at Conservative Thunder, with the Townhall feed and the Hot Air feed by Ed Morrissey

In regional political news, a Republican Tea Party was held yesterday at Pritchard Park, and Tim Peck is first out the gate with video:




And the Carolina Stompers have an original video report from the scene.


Read more at Jane Q Republican, an Asheville conservative blogger (there will be even more in the next year or so!). Welcome to the scene, Jane Q.! And give the progressives and progressitarians in Asheville a hard time!!!

Here is a short little video montage I shot last August at my grandparents house of their Hummingbird feeder:



Friday, February 27, 2009

Bread and Circuses: Get Your Obama Bailout Money Now!!!




The people have discovered that they can vote themselves a largess from the public treasury. In my opinion, we have crossed the tipping point, and cannot go back. The cycle continues onward to the next stage in our fall from a Free Society. 

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.

Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back again to bondage.

Quotation Source: The Truth About Tyler

A Resolution to Restore State Sovereignty

There has been a growing movement on the right against Federal Oppression of the many states of the Union which I will call the State Sovereignty Movement, and draws it's moral authority from the  US Constitution and the Federalist Papers which were written to champion the (then) new document. 

James Madison, the Father of our Constitution, clarified the authority of the Federal government in the Federalist Papers #45:

"The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce; with which last the power of taxation will, for the most part, be connected. The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State." 

I bring all this as preface to a resolution that will be introduced to the Buncombe County GOP Convention on March 7, 2009 by Gary Shoemaker, a portion of which is below:

Whereas, the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads as follows:

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."; and

Whereas, the Tenth Amendment defines the total scope of federal power as being that specifically granted by the Constitution of the United States and no more; and

Whereas, the scope of power defined by the Tenth Amendment means that the federal government was created by the states specifically to be an agent of the states; and

Whereas, today, in 2009, the states are demonstrably treated as agents of the federal government; and

Whereas, many federal laws are directly in violation of the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States; and

Whereas, the Tenth Amendment assures that we, the people of the United States of America and each sovereign state in the Union of States, now have, and have always had, rights the federal government may not usurp; and

Whereas, Article IV, Section 4 says, "The United States shall guarantee to every State in the Union a Republican Form of Government", and the Ninth Amendment states that "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people"; and...


The entire thing may be read in his blog on Conservative Thunder

As a Southerner, it overjoys me to see people finally wake up and start pushing back against the Federals. It is too bad that I cannot attend the Buncombe County GOP Convention because I have a previous commitment at the Macon County GOP Convention, which is occurring on the same day. I hope that someone records the moment on video, because I would dearly love to have that moment preserved for posterity! 

This is, in my view, the best role of the Ron Paul r3VOLution [now morphed into the C4L], to help the Republican Party reform the government of the United States of America, and strip away the Dictatorial Powers it has assumed over the past 140 plus years since the Civil War.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Watch CPAC 2009 Live,
Chat with Other Viewers


**update 7.02am** Andy has added two video channels to Conservative Thunder so you can watch Townhall's coverage and Hot Air/Ed Morrissey's coverage and chat as well, either locally or nationally.

Maybe next year, we can send a crew from Conservative Thunder to provide some North Carolina-flavored coverage as well!

Thanks to Townhall for providing this live feed for everyone!

I have included the chatroom below the player for your convenience, and so you can experience the joy of participating in events that comes with social networking opportunities, and will allow the grass roots of the Republican Party to ignore the Gate Keepers of the Legacy Media,our party elites and the old opinion guard of the conservative punditry class.


EVENT OVER PLAYER REMOVED
CLICK HERE FOR DAY TWO VIDEO



**10.46am** I might warn you that if you are not for Palin, don't bother participating in the chat. The moderators are not tolerating it while anything goes when criticism of other Republicans is concerned.

The current broadcast schedule has the webcast beginning at 10am and running until 9pm for today, but be aware they may start the feed early to "fine tune" things.

The schedule for today's events is here, as well as Friday and Saturday, if you wish to plan ahead. I will be embedding the player in a new post each day.

Pajamas TV is planning some events, billed as the "Conservatism 2.0 Conference" and you can see their schedule as well.

Ed Morrissey, of Hot Air will be there, and webcasting as well. He has a regular show that airs at 3pm, and you might want to check out his Ustream page as well, since he may be on the air as opportunity allows.

Some of the kids at Conservative Thunder have promised to offer multiple live pages of coverage of the event from both video and audio source, so give it a look as well.

I won't be available because of the recent passing of my grandmother, and am assisting in getting things together for the funeral on Saturday.

NC General Assembly 02-26-2009
Legislative Calender




Another busy day in the General Assembly:

8:30 AM
APPROPRIATIONS/Transportation (House)

1228LB
8:30 AM
APPROPRIATIONS/General Government (House)

1425LB
8:30 AM
APPROPRIATIONS/Justice and Public Safety (Joint)

415LOB
8:30 AM
APPROPRIATIONS/Natural and Economic Resources (House)

423LOB
8:30 AM
APPROPRIATIONS/Heath and Human Services (House)

643LOB
8:30 AM
APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (Joint)

8:30 am
9:00 AM
APPROPRIATIONS/Education (Joint)

421LOB
9:00 AM
APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION/HIGHER EDUCATION (Joint)
Department of Public Instruction

9:00 am
9:30 AM
Sen. Harry Brown

Press Room LB
10:00 AM
JUDICIARY II (Senate)
Felony to Assault Probation/Parole Officer (S94)
Amend Domestic Crim. Trespass (S140)
Continue Child Supp./21 Yrs/College Students (S143)
Limit Liability/Domestic Violence Shelters (S144)

10:00 am
10:00 AM
JUDICIARY I (House)
Greensboro/Restore Zoning Protest Rights. (H64)
Child Witness Testimony/Codify Crim. Law. (H192)

1228LB
10:00 AM
JUDICIARY III (House)
Assault State or Local Officer or Employee. (H134)

1425LB
10:00 AM
JUDICIARY II (House)
School Bd. Members/Failure to Discharge Duty. (H43)
Jury Duty Tax Deduction. (H132)
Fee for Probate Payment to Clerk. (H200)

421LOB
11:00 AM
Session Convenes (Senate)

Senate Chamber
11:00 AM
Press Conference/ Rep. Harrison (Time Change)

Press Room LB
12:00 PM
HEALTH (House)
Prohibit Smoking in Public & Work Places. (H2)

544LOB
1:00 PM
Session Convenes (House)

House Chamber

NC General Assembly
Joint Republican Press Conference of 02-24-2009

Here is the Press Conference from the other day that I was unable to listen to or record because the audio quality of the General Assembly's webfeeds were so poor that day. 

It is in three parts:







Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Dilbert Does Bailout Hearing!!!

Dilbert.com


It would have been so cool if one of the CEOs had said this during the hearing to expose the hypocrisy of the Democratic Senators!


Hat Tip: Trevor Carah

Dilbert on the Internet.

Celebrating the Two Year Anniverary of Political Pistachio Radio



I can't believe that Doug is celebrating two years on Blog Talk Radio!



Here is the show that aired last night:



From the show billing:

Tonight Political Pistachio Radio celebrates two years of broadcasting superior conservative internet radio - with clips of past guests like Dr. Blogstein, Wild Phil, Jenn of the Jungle, Loki, Paul Couturier, Paul Ibbetson, Governor James Gilmore, Pamela Geller of Atlas Shrugs, Walid Shoebat, Gates of Vienna, William Russell, Joshua P. Allem, NBA Star Doug Christie, Author Gary W. Moore, Author J.A. Konrath, Dr. Jerome Corsi, Former Clinton Aide Kathleen Willey, Joseph Farah (founder of World Net Daily), Al Garza (National Director Minuteman Civil Defense Corps), Global Warming analyst John Berlau, Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America, Reverend Wayne Perryman, A call from Pakistan, Alan Keyes, Rick Davis (Father of KORN lead singer Jonathan Davis), Author David E. Meadows, Joel Richardson, Snooper, Andrea Shea King, Reverend O'Neal Dozier (Former NFL Bears Star), Willie Lawson, Will Bower (PUMA), S.E. Cupp, Brett Joshpe, Tim Chey (Hollywood Director), David Freddoso, Alan West, Major General Jerry Curry, Gunny Pop Nick Popaditch, Ryan Mauro, and what is coming up in the future!

I have been listening from probably the second or third show, and I remember that I had to go to the local library and listen from there because I was still on dialup.

Now, I am on DSL and can listen via the RSS Feed since the shows are on late at night for us on the East Coast.

Doug has an excellent blog in addition to his radio show, and I highly recommend them both. He is also on twitter and myspace.

Congratulations, Doug!!!

I enjoy your show very much, even if I don't get to visit in the chatroom as much as I would like. I have learned much from you, and look forward to learning so much more!!!

NC General Assembly 02-25-2009
Legislative Calender

I wish that there wasn't such a Gate Keeper mentality in the Raleigh area Legacy Media and bloggers who cover the General Assembly, and someone would work to provide wall to wall coverage of the actions of the elected legislators when they are meeting. 

Today is another busy day of meetings is taking place in the North Carolina General Assembly, and most of them are taking place in rooms where the public cannot follow their deliberation live:

8:30 AM AND 2:00 PM
APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON GENERAL GOVERNMENT (Joint)
Agency Overview/Briefings

1425LB
8:30 AM AND 2:00 PM
APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATURAL AND ECONOMIC RESOURCES (Joint)

423LOB
IMMED. AFTER SESSION
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT (Senate)
Duplin Chair Vote Only if Tie (S207)

Sen. Jones chamber desk
8:30 AM
APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (Joint)

1228LB
8:30 AM
APPROPRIATIONS/Transportation (House)

1228LB
8:30 AM
APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY(Joint)
Administrative Office of the Courts; Indigent Defense; Justice

415LOB
8:30 AM
APPROPRIATIONS/Justice and Public Safety (House)

415LOB
8:30 AM
APPROPRIATIONS/Education (Joint)

421LOB
8:30 AM
APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION/HIGHER EDUCATION(Joint)
Community Colleges

544LOB
8:30 AM
APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES(Joint)

643LOB
8:30 AM
APPROPRIATIONS/Health and Human Services (House)

643LOB
10:00 AM
PUBLIC UTILITIES (House)

1228LB
10:00 AM
HOMELAND SECURITY, MILITARY, AND VETERANS AFFAIRS (House)

1425LB
10:00 AM
LOCAL GOVERNMENT I (House)
Regulation of Golf Carts in Grover. (H11)
Regulation of Golf Carts in Holly Ridge. (H31)
Modify Onslow County Sales Tax Distribution. (H63)
Regulation of Golf Carts in Marvin. (H73)
Regulation of Golf Carts in Camden County. (H77)
Regulation of Golf Carts in Swansboro. (H113)
Regulation of Golf Carts in Morganton. (H117)
Regulation of Golf Carts in River Bend. (H121)
Regulation of Golf Carts in Pikeville. (H127)
Regulation of Golf Carts in Winterville. (H152)
Regulation of Golf Carts in Marshville. (H244)

425LOB
10:00 AM
EDUCATION/HIGHER EDUCATION (Senate)
Senate UNC BOG Elections (S186)

643LOB
10:00 AM
Sen. Dorsett

Press Room LB
11:00 AM
TRANSPORTATION (House)

1228LB
11:00 AM
LOCAL GOVERNMENT II (House)
Jacksonville Occupancy Tax. (H30)
Chowan/Delinquent Tax - Deny Building Permit. (H103)
Wallace/Community Development Target Areas. (H112)
Godwin Town Elections. (H164)
Regulation of Golf Carts in Bethel. (H165)

1425LB
11:00 AM
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (House)

425LOB
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
FISCAL RESEARCH BRIEFING ON STATEWIDE INFRASTRUCTURE

643 LOB
12:00 PM
AGRICULTURE (House)
Regulate Euthanasia of Animals. (H27)

1228LB
12:00 PM
WILDLIFE RESOURCES (House)

415LOB
12:00 PM
Sen. Ellie Kinnaird

Press Room LB
1:00 PM
WAYS AND MEANS/BROADBAND CONNECTIVITY (House)
Retired Judge May Perform Marriage. (H16)
Local Government Surplus Property Donations. (H96)
DOT/Fiber-Optic Cable. (H136)
Continue Study/Rural Internet Access. (H157)

415LOB
1:00 PM
FINANCE (Senate)
Overview of the Tax Provisions in the Federal Stimulus Package

643LOB
1:00 PM
FINANCE (Joint)

643LOB
2:00 PM
ETHICS (House)
LEC Term Changes/Ethics Training. (H104)

1228LB
2:00 PM
MENTAL HEALTH REFORM (House)

424LOB
2:00 PM
MARINE RESOURCES AND AQUACULTURE (House)

425LOB
2:00 PM
Sen. D. Berger,Sen. Purcell Sen. Hartsell

Press Room LB
3:00 PM
Session Convenes (House)

House Chamber
3:00 PM
Session Convenes (Senate)

Senate Chambe

President Obama's Address and
The Republican Response by Gov Bobby Jindal

First, the Address to the Nation, which was not a State of the Union (that takes place in late January each year:




And here is the Republican Response as given by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal:



I have watched neither because both took place after my regular bedtime (between 7pm and 8pm). I'll watch them today and will have more to say later.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Blog Talk Radio 02-24-2009
TCOT Radio and JPA Live

Instead of posting twice, once for each show, I'm gonna put the players for both shows on the same post. (I am getting so lazy lately).

1st up is TCOT Radio. The host of this show is Tony Katz out of Los Angeles, and he runs the show for the rapidly expanding TCOT Network of Conservative Activists:

The show starts at 4pm Eastern and runs for an hour, and will be archived shortly after the end of the show for your listening pleasure by Blog Talk Radio.



You can listen to the show here, or join in the chat room and interact with some of the other listeners and the show host.

TCOT Radio Showpage

TCOT Radio Blogpage


And last, but certainly not least, is Josh Allem's radio show, called JPA Live.

If you are a conservative, and Christian, you'll LOVE this show. If you are a heathen, then your brains will probably melt away like the Nazis did in the Ark of the Covenant scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark!!!



The show starts at 5pm Eastern.

Join in the chatroom.

JPA Live Showpage

Josh Allem's Blog (a must read!)

And as a bonus, I am going to poach his "Best of JPA Live Volume #16" and embed it here so you can hear what you have been missing! This volume is an hour and 26 minutes long:

Rick Santelli’s “Barbaric Yawp” over the rooftops of Washington


Rick Santelli ranted about the Socialism for America Act recently passed through Congress on CNBC recently, and that rant has been used to rally the troops around the nation to wake Americans up to the crime being perpetrated on them and the next two or three generations by the Obama Administration and the Democrats as they attempt to destroy Capitalism.

A twitter friend of mine has posted on the rant and the reaction on this on his blog, Right Commentary, with ample video evidence.

Here is an excerpt:

In a historical moment probably best described as the political equivalent of Luther’s nailing of the 95 Theses, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, and Patrick Henry’s “Give me Liberty or Give Me Death!” rolled into one, Rick Santelli of CNBC yesterday dared ask a simple question:



Read the rest at Right Commentary.

**1.45pm**
Right after I hit the publish button, I checked my email and found this little gem from Freedom Works, which I reproduce here to illustrate my point further:

Last week you may have seen or perhaps heard about CNBC’s Rick Santelli and his report from the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, ground zero for American capitalism and free market commerce, where he called for a “Taxpayer Tea Party” in the wake of efforts to enact a new, multi-billion dollar taxpayer funded housing bailout.

If you are like me, you stood up and cheered.

Rick was channeling what so many limited government advocates have been feeling now for a long time when it comes to out-of-control spending on the backs of hardworking U.S. taxpayers to reward the irresponsible and the corrupt: enough is enough!

Whether it’s this latest housing bailout bill (the second in less than six months), a bailout for the auto-industry or failed banks, the more than $1 trillion sham of a “stimulus” bill, or the $400 billion omnibus spending bill that Congress is now debating, Americans are sick and tired of their hard-earned money being thrown around. In just the last few weeks, FreedomWorks has been contacted by volunteers within the ranks of our own membership (a nationwide network of hundreds of thousands of activists) that want to take to the streets in mass protest to this big government bonanza.

And FreedomWorks is answering the call with a new website, IamWithRick.com. True to its name, the site features the video of Rick on the floor of the Chicago Exchange and seeks to enlist those concerned taxpayers who want to go to the Taxpayer Tea Party that he talked about this summer in Chicago. In addition, FreedomWorks is also helping to organize other tea party protests in cities around the country. Currently, we have events planned in Chicago, Washington, DC, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Fort Myers, Orlando, Greenville, SC and cities across North Carolina.

We need your help to make these events a success. Go to IamWithRick.com, sign up and select one or more of the tea parties that you would like to attend or help us to organize. Also, please consider making a generous contribution to our tea party effort. Your contribution will help us recruit more taxpayers to attend our tea party protests, making them more effective.

Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and the new Obama Administration are running the bailout train full steam ahead towards the destruction of our American capitalist system and ultimately to outright socialism. They must be stopped!

Join FreedomWorks at our taxpayer tea parties taking place all over the country. Visit IamWithRick.com today!

Sincerely,
Dick Armey
Chairman
FreedomWorks.org

Cell Phones Used by Terrorists in Mumbai Traced to United States


The suspect, named as Javaid Iqbal, sent the funds via Western Union to pay for five cell phones with Austrian country codes -- three of which were used by the attackers, ‘Corriere’ said, citing the Indian dossier.

Iqbal, a former resident of Barcelona, has been arrested in Pakistan and Italian authorities were attempting to understand how he arrived in Brescia and whether he had support from anyone there.

The cell phones were activated in the United States by a US company, ‘Corriere’ reported, and registered to another man, who identified himself as an Indian citizen.

India, in its intelligence dossier, highlighted the importance of cell phone communication between the plotters and terrorists carrying out the attacks.

It offered partial transcripts of the conversations detailing orders given by phone to kill hostages, and how the plotters relayed the media impact of the assault in real-time.

"Everything is being registered by the media. You must inflict the maximum damage. Fight to the end. Don't leave any survivors," read one of the excerpts, in a call to an attacker at the Trident-Oberoi hotel, reported by ‘Corriere’.

"Kill the hostages, except the Muslims. Take the telephone and activate it so we can hear the shots," a terrorist says, according to ‘Corriere’.

Source: Express India

I found the original article in the Italian Paper, Corriere Della Sera, and the page as translated by Google Translate.

I suppose most people would be surprised at how a lot of criminal and terrorist activities cross international borders in order to avoid detection by law enforcement and intelligence agencies that are hampered by lefty lawmakers from going after them.

In the same manner, many cell phones were purchased in the USA, and transported to Iraq to be used in remote detonating mechanisms on road side bombs that killed many people, including American soldiers.

Who Uses Google to Find Naked Hippies?


Perverts, that who!

I've been getting at least a dozen hits a day by people using "Naked Hippies" as a search term ever since I posted about the naked hippie bike ride that was planned for Asheville last May. Stop it, people! Find something more useful to do other than look for pictures of naked hippies.

Good Grief!