Friday, August 13, 2004

Broadband was down much of the afternoon. Amazing how much I got done. 5:34:05 PM    comment []

It's a statistical sample of one, but the demographic is interesting: a retired Greensboro businessman, well-to-do and a Republican, told me today that he can't vote for Bush again because of the situation in Iraq. How many former Bush voters feel that way, and how does that number stack up against potential Kerry voters who trust Bush more on security? 4:26:12 PM    comment []

A couple of polite regrets on the blog conference -- county commissioner Linda Shaw is one of the people in charge of security for the Republican National Convention, so she'll be just a little bit busy, and  City Councilwoman Florence Gatten, who is also a campaign consultant and has a definite interest in weblogs, has a conflict. 4:22:44 PM    comment []

Mark Schreiner, Raleigh correspondent for the Wilmington Star-News, is coming to our little weblog conference on 8/28. Mark blogged the Democratic convention. 12:00:05 PM    comment []

Nelson Johnson is planning another march in Greensboro, this one to mark the 25th anniversary of the deadly 1979 march at which five people were shot dead by Klansmen and neo-Nazis. The killers were captured in action by TV cameras but turned loose by the justice system. As a supporter in principle of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the work of which is said to be supported by this march, I remain conflicted about the leadership role taken by Reverend Johnson in that ongoing effort.  I don't claim to know exactly what that role should be. His voice as an organizer and participant in the original march is critical to the narrative to be assembled by the panel, and his moral strength and perseverance were essential to getting the process underway. But he is so intimately connected to the events of that terrible day that his closeness to what is supposed to be an impartial process will be a red flag for many who wish to pursue the true history of the 1979 march and its aftermath. In early, open planning meetings for the commission that I attended, the wording of key documents was discussed in detail, so that the rhetoric of the marchers, led by a group that claimed to advocate the violent overthrow of the US government, and who had confronted the Klan at a rally in China Grove, NC, just weeks before holding the fatal march -- which they publicized as a "Death to the Klan" rally -- would not be overlooked. We also discussed Johnson's refusal to cooperate with prosecutors in those unsuccessful trials. None of those details mitigate the tragedy or excuse the killers, but they are part of the larger context. None of those details appear in the "Call to the Nation" letter sent to announce the upcoming march. It would be a tragedy for Johnson to scuttle the credibility of the project he has done so much to create. The march is his business, and I'm not necessarily unsympathetic to it. But to organize the event, and to use rhetoric that shows no sign of being influenced by the commission's work to date, while remaining closely identified with the commission -- fundraising letters for the GTRC steer donations through his organization, for example -- is not a confidence builder for the community at large. 9:45:10 AM    comment []

Ivan Cutler gets it. His new furniture industry weblog aims to be a portal for info on the entire business, with his insights and reporting as the hook for regular viewing. He's breaking stories and slinging opinions right out of the chute, and he's already planning his first upgrade. I'll say it again: this is the future, or a future, of trade journalism. 9:01:21 AM    comment []

Guilford County commissioner candidate Jim Capo (Libertarian, district 7) blogs his list of campaign promises. Props to Jim for laying it all out, and leading with some humor, although I can't say I buy the whole package. #4 is particularly short-sighted. I would give Dell a hell of a lot to come to Greensboro (the N&R is still not covering that story, by the way), because the return on investment would be huge in terms of luring other companies, which would have to follow Dell, and establishing GSO as a high-tech manufacturing hub. 8:55:27 AM    comment []

Muller continues to fisk Malkin. "I wrote to Michelle several days ago...Michelle has not responded to my email, so I'm still not sure whether there is in fact an as-yet-unstated foundation for what looks to be a smear on two good people's reputations." Malkin says she hopes to reply soon. 8:48:05 AM    comment []

David Allen will be on WNAA (90.1 FM or wnaalive.ncat.edu) this morning at 10:00 to discuss electronic voting machines. According to the press release, "Guilford County Election Director George Gilbert may, or may not be there." Here's a column that discusses the problems with paperless voting, with commentary from Gilbert. 8:39:37 AM    comment []

"Shostakovich is having a Mahler moment," says scholar Laurel E. Fay in the Times. My father would be pleased with both halves of that equation. 8:31:45 AM    comment []