AFP-NC legislative agenda released

Americans For Prosperity NC released its legislative agenda today. I like the ones about dedicating the lottery revenue and stopping taxpayer funded elections:

Increase the number of public charter schools and other school choice options available to parents.
Promote the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) that would limit government spending to the increase in population and inflation.
Eliminate corporate welfare (incentives) and adjust the corporate rate to 2 to 3%. Down from 6.9 %
Protect private property:
o Support a constitutional amendment stopping eminent domain abuse.

o Stop forced municipal annexation.>

o Stop excessive property tax increases that threaten homes & businesses.

Dedicate all lottery revenue to school construction.
Support free markets by opposing new laws/regulations that restrict businesses such as outlawing smoking in private businesses.
Fight “welfare for politicians” known as taxpayer funded elections.
Protect free and political speech rights.
Keep North Carolina a “Right to Work” state:
o Protect government employees from Unions having access to pay checks.

o Protect taxpayers from public employee strikes and work stoppages.

Support State Constitutional Amendment to protect workers’ rights to secret ballot elections

Related.

Filed under: North Carolina , Americans for Prosperity, NC state budget, tax policy

Racist Connecticut judge should be removed

From the how stoopid can you be after you nearly killed a state trooper file:

Repeatedly using vulgar and racial insults, Superior Court Judge E. Curtissa Cofield argued with a police officer — addressing him as “Negro trooper” at one point — who was trying to process her on a charge of drunken driving in Glastonbury last October, a police video released Monday shows.

Cofield also is heard twice on the video using the racial term “n—–.”

The state’s Judicial Review Council released the video Monday after it found cause to pursue five judicial misconduct charges against her, several of them based on what was termed disparaging, demeaning or “racially inappropriate” language.

Filed under: National , E. Curtissa Cofield, judicial restraint

Three Colors at the Carolina Theatre

I loved these three movies when I was a lost 20 something in a flagging mill town trying to find my way into the world around me. I don’t know that these French movies are as relevant today as they were 15 years ago, but they are a triple treat nonetheless.

When I made the wife sit through them a year or so ago, she didn’t seem to share my passion for the cinematic prowess of Juliette Binoche.

But that’s ok.

Filed under: North Carolina , Carolina Theatre, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Trois Couleurs

Ode to the Snuggie

I thought I was the only one:

Who buys this crap? It’s hard to believe that this is an actual product.
“Hey! Try on this new robe I made….No you tool, you put it on backwar….oh…my…god– I’m gonna be rich.”

Filed under: Random , cult apparel, the snuggie

Online poll for state GOP chair

Conservative NC has a poll regarding who would make the best choice for Chair of the state GOP.

My vote goes for Chad Adams.

Filed under: North Carolina , Chad Adams, NCGOP

Ethics probe dogs Obama’s tax man

CQ:

The success of much of President Obama’s agenda might hinge on the heavy lifting of powerful Democratic Rep. Charles B. Rangel , chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. But the veteran New York lawmaker’s political muscle might be strained in the coming months as his personal finances and fund-raising remain under investigation by the House ethics committee.

Filed under: National , Charlie Rangel, Democratic corruption, federal tax policy, President Obama

Inaugural benediction was a disgrace

I’m going to hold my acerbic tongue about Joseph Lowery’s inflammatory prayer at the end of the inauguration today.

It was classless and clearly showed that all too many still want to cling to a world view defined by the color of a person’s skin.

How tasteless, a day after the MLK holiday, that a so-called minister can insult the vast majority of Americans with a racial insult.

I’m not surprised, but confused. What day is Lowery actually waiting on?

Filed under: National , joseph lowery, racism

First thoughts on President Obama

Barack Obama is the President of the United States of America. If he lives up to a fraction of his potential, he will be a good man for the job.

I hope that the nation can remain focused on the principles of the Constitution and the fundamental point of the actions of our Founding Fathers: to secure liberty and promote prosperity.

We live in a great country. It is my belief that our nation is bigger than any one person, or any one group of peoples.

The American story is powerful, and full of examples of individuals who rose to, and sometimes exceeded, their potential in an effort to continue that story.

It is my sincere hope that President Obama rises to the challenges before the United States of America and lives up to the high standards he has set for himself.

Filed under: National , President Obama

How to disagree

Dave Ribar has a good post about blog etiquette, promoting discussion and evaluating divergent opinions. He puts it a lot better than I could, but I agree with him:

Thoughtful people read, listen to, and evaluate different views. If they disagree, they try to come up with facts and arguments that address the disputed points. If they disagree and are motivated enough, they might actually write something along these lines.

Filed under: Concepts

How does salmonella get into peanut butter

If you are curious by nature, and like me, trying to avoid ObamaMania at all costs, this story might be of interest:

Feces from some animal is a strong possibility. A leak in the roof, for example, caused one of the early outbreaks. How salmonella got into the water that was on the roof, no one knows for sure. Maybe birds, for instance, which accumulate around peanut butter processing plants.

The roasting of peanuts is the only step that will kill the salmonella. If contamination occurs after the roasting process, the game is over and salmonella is going to survive. Studies have shown that salmonella can survive for many months in peanut butter once it’s present. Fatty foods are also more protective of salmonella, so when it gets into the acid of the stomach — which is our first line of defense — it may not get destroyed.  Peanut butter, being a highly fatty food, could survive better.

So far, choosy moms are still right:

The FDA says eating peanut butter from a jar, like Jif or Peter Pan, is safe.

Filed under: National , jif, peanut butter, salmonella

Rick who?

A Muslim scholar chosen to speak at President-elect Barack Obama’s inaugural prayer service Wednesday is the leader of a group that federal prosecutors say has ties to terrorists.

Filed under: National , Hamas, President Obama

Are you down with Andy McKee yet?

You’ve never seen a Kansas boy like this.

Filed under: Music , Andy McKee

Living with Richard Moore

Recall that I shared my thoughts concerning Gov. Easley deciding not to grant me a pardon the other day. During those thoughts, I mentioned Reidsville’s Richard Moore and his fixation on my personal failure some 12 plus years ago.

Today, Moore has this posted across his website:

FORMER REVIEW EDITOR THROWS PITY PARTY, BUT
DOESN’T SAY WHERE HE THREW THAT MOLOTOV COCKTAIL?
Disturbed felon pegs those responsible for pardon denial, but leaves out key details, like the
crime, his violent temper, and his eternal quest for vengeance on those who outed him

So for anyone wondering what its like to endure psychological double jeapordy in the connected age, here is an example.

It’s also a good example of what happens when a person has a great career as a mid-level analyst at a manufacturing facility and refuses to take that Dale Carnegie course at his employer’s direction.

Filed under: Reidsville , Reidsville, Richard Moore

Meanwhile, in a parallel universe …

I want to thank the Rockingham County Assessor for instilling in me the dream that my home has actually increased in value by 13.4 percent.

Given that my neighborhood is filling fast with foreclosures, auctions and transient rental properties, it’s good to know that my home continues to believe that the housing bubble will never burst.

On the other hand, I guess it’s good enough for government work.

Updated: A friend reports that his relative’s home on Church Street in Rockingham County, a 1970s construction 2,400 sqf residence, went from $289k to $505k.

Filed under: North Carolina, Reidsville , property values, revaluation, Rockingham County Assessor

Kasparov’s most gutsy move

I saw a feature on Kasparov last year on 60 Minutes. Being who he is, I’m sure he’s got a stratagem up his sleeve. I hope he closes well.

Garry Kasparov was one of the most exalted names in Russia when he made the most fateful decision of his life.

It would lead to him being arrested, beaten and thrown into jail. The mention of Mr Putin’s name produces a remarkable transformation from brooding chess genius to a master of rhetorical fury.

“Putin’s regime is doomed,” he declares. “My country will pay a huge price for having this regime ruin the country, looting it, destroying it.”

BBC audio interview.

Filed under: International , Gary Kasparov, Putin, Russia

Conservative grassroots initiative takes off

ConservativeNC is leaving port today on a journey to promote “conservative ideals and conservative policies in North Carolina.”

The site is a grassroots collaboration by a small group of activists who’ve bootstrapped the effort.

I hope they succeed in their goal and that you find something useful and will participate in the conversation.

Here is one of the first posts:

In North Carolina opportunities abound for conservatives, because despite what may have happened on the national level, change did not come to Raleigh.

Filed under: North Carolina , ConservativeNC, North Carolina

Conversation in an office

Scene: A tiny, dirty office inside a cold, dusty warehouse in the southern town of R. The manager sits at a computer while two employees man their work stations. Employee Green is recounting his drive home from Atlanta during the past weekend. Employee White listens to his i-pod while performing manual data entry.

Green: Coming back from Atlanta on Sunday I had the worst time staying awake. I kept dozing off and must have woke the family up three times running across the rumble strips on the side of 40.

White: (emphatically removing headphones) Man, that’s no good. That’s when you need to pull off and get a huge cup of coffee.

(Manager shifts in seat as he types on computer.)

Green: (sardonic and without emotion) I never touch the stuff.

White: What are you Mormon?

(Manager pops to attention.)

Manager: Mormon? Why do you say that?

White: Mormons eschew caffeine.

Manager: Really? I’d always heard that.

Green: Yeah, in college I had a friend who started a lot of ministries and he always said he could reach a lot of Mormons by starting a coffee shop in Salt Lake City.

White: (sensing the drift the conversation was taking) Hmm. I dunno. You know my grandmothers a Mormon.

Manager: (emphatic) You know Mormon has got to be the stupidest religion in the world. There’s not one shred of evidence to back up anything that guy, what’s his name, came up with.

White: (incredulous with mouth agape) Well, I’m glad you feel that way.

Manager: It’s true. Look up some history, all those names and cities and the places they went. It’s just nonsense.

(White places his ear buds back in his ears and pushes play to hear Ramnad Krishnan continue singing Songs of the Carnatic Tradition. As the drums start and the voice begins he hears the fading of the conversation)

White: What was the name of that Angel who spoke to John Smith …

Filed under: Random , acceptable bigotry, modern management technique, mormon, office etiquette

Journalists melt before the mighty Obama

I’m sure it’s just “all part of the conspiracy”:

Sun-Times:

The press corps, most of us, don’t even bother raising our hands any more to ask questions because Obama always has before him a list of correspondents who’ve been advised they will be called upon that day.

Warner Todd Huston:

One wonders why journalists are allowing this corralling of the press? Would they have allowed George W. Bush to pre-pick journalists like that? Would they meekly sit by and allow themselves to be systematically ignored, their freedom to ask questions silenced by any Republican? Would journalists so eagerly vie with one another for the favor of Bush like they are Obama’s?

Filed under: National , journalism, President Obama

Something four-months old and still all that

Project Tritium: Affectus Incognitus from All Aces Media on Vimeo.

Stuck somewhere between 35 and 40 I’m not really in a place to make the scene anymore. But tonight I was polishing a few leftover Southern Pale Ales and checking out Sean Coon’s .matrix project.

This song and video are great. Props to everyone involved with that project. What a great idea.

Filed under: Music, North Carolina , .matrix project, project tritium

AFP against Bev’s public funding initiative

Americans for Prosperity is hitting Bev hard on her plan to publicly fund campaigns for governor:

Dallas Woodhouse:

“North Carolina has a long history of tough political campaigns, which is the cornerstone of a strong and healthy democracy,” said Woodhouse. “The thought of a group of people selected by politicians deciding what candidates can or cannot say or is frightening. Voters are quite capable of deciding what political speech is acceptable and these decisions are best left to the market place of ideas controlled by the voters.”

I am against government funded political campaigns on principle. But I am completely against them after listening to so many state level politicians bandy about this summer saying “I’m so and so and I need a $25 donation so I can qualify for public funding.” It was almost like a bad joke, with candidates not really getting past that pitch.

I think political advertising out to be outlawed myself and all candidates forced to stage day-long Lincoln-Douglas debates, one per office at the state level, two per office at the federal level, and three for president.

I’m Jeffrey Sykes and I approved this message.

Filed under: North Carolina , Americans for Prosperity, Bev P, Bev Perdue, campaign finance

Three in one

The staffs of the Eden Daily News and the Madison Messenger are merging with the Reidsville Review. That means penny stock giant Media General will be two buildings lighter soon.

I have nothing but good things to say about the people who work there. Many remain my friend to this day.

I do have to wonder if the Eden and Madison staffers will have to drive to Reidsville to report to the office and then drive back to cover the news and sell ads?

Surely not?

Filed under: Reidsville , Media General, newapaper consolidation

Scrubbed (or ‘Hecuva job Browner)

What’s a little socialism between friends? Really?

Until last week, Carol M. Browner, President-elect Barack Obama’s pick as global warming czar, was listed as one of 14 leaders of a socialist group’s Commission for a Sustainable World Society, which calls for “global governance” and says rich countries must shrink their economies to address climate change.

By Thursday, Mrs. Browner’s name and biography had been removed from Socialist International’s Web page, though a photo of her speaking June 30 to the group’s congress in Greece was still available.

Filed under: National , Carol Browner, President Obama, socialism

Pardon me

According to Mark Binker, Gov. Easley issued no pardons on his way out of office. Which is not a big surprise given his record as a prosecutor.

But it is very disappointing for me.

Filed under: Concepts

But I’m sure she’ll expand More at 4

Lots of politico’s are surmising about a fundraiser/birthday party for Bev Perdue later this month. Lot’s of chatter going on about unethical fundraising practices to retire the governor’s personal campaign debt.

She needs to come clean now.

Capital Beat:

So my source’s theory goes like this: Perdue needs/wants to raise money to repay those loans but can’t do it under her own banner (looks bad, $10,000 is outside of guidelines, etc…) so she’ll do it under the party banner and the party will help retire her debt.

Pat McCrory didn’t borrow any money for his campaign and finished debt free. I wonder which would have made the better leader for our state?

Filed under: North Carolina , Bev, Bev Perdue, NC Democratic corruption, NC Democratic Party, Pat McCrory

Academics angry much?

Freedom of thought opposed by academics at their own conference:

At one point, a member of the audience could be seen giving Mr. Horowitz the finger. Brian Kennelly of California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, who presided over the event, wrote on The Chronicle’s Web site that he observed an audience member repeatedly mouthing an obscenity to Mr. Horowitz — behavior he called “troublesome” and “repugnant.”

Filed under: National , David Horowitz, MLA Radical Caucus, Modern Language Association