Blog-IT-o ergo sum

	3/3/2005

The Big Lie

And a follow up from www.lewrockwell.com in defense of Thomas Woods. (You could have heard Mr. DiLorenzo speak in person here in Greensboro if you were willing to attend a League of the South sponsored event.)

9:21:07 PM

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Media Attention

It's not often the John Birch Society gets compared to Norman Lear but there it is right there in a letter to the editor in today's Raleigh News and Observer.

A fair minded editor may not have let the writer continue on though and get away with using the tired old propaganda technic of smearing someone by implicit linkage to something with a bad smell. In this case David Duke. I think I need to send my own letter to the editor to complain.

Since it has been at least a few years if not many more since the N&O published anything even in passing on the JBS, I tend to doubt that it is mere coincidence that this letter shows up two days after publishing (and ten days after accepting for publication) an op-ED piece that was a pretty fair promotion of the Birch party line regarding the real impact of trade agreements.

1:38:01 PM

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Thou Shalt not take down

These markings on the courthouse wall in Haywood County, NC sure look at awful lot like the ones in the Old Guilford County Courthouse.

Remnants of a bygone era?

1:06:30 PM

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Fore! $1.6 Million of Your Tax Dollars at Work

During my run for county commissioner last fall, an allegation was passed on to me that I felt was too hot to handle even for a lonely blog. Since it involved our local State DOT office, I passed the info on to Guilford County's preeminent man about town when it comes to dogging NCDOT - Steve Gladson, owner of Battleground Automotive and neighbor to the Greensboro beltway.

As my damn and pointless vehicle inspection service tax was a few days overdue, I was inspired to go back and see Steve for the first time since the election. And, wouldn't you know, it had taken him several attempts and quite a bit of perserverance with DOT, but just a few weeks ago he did indeed verify the rumor as being true.

Now, I have at least one friend at the Starmount Country Club and though I have never been invited for a round of golf yet, I would like to keep the option open. I will thus refrain from major editorial opinion.

Here are the key facts, We will let the local blogosphere decide if they merit putting legs on this story:

1) While doing the I-40 highway construction some watersheds had to be destroyed.

2) Federal and State law requires that in such cases remediation must be done on other watersheds in the general area for compensation.

3) To meet this requirement NCDOT decided that the not particularly close to I-40 creek area of the private Starmount Country Club could use over $1.6 million of upgrading. (Did I mention the club was in the middle of a landscaping overhaul?)

4) Steve Gladson did get confirmation from J. Brad Wall at the NCDOT's office on Yanceyville Street that this money was indeed spent out at Starmount. You can e-mail Mr. Wall if you like at bwall@dot.state.nc.us or you can call Steve at Battleground Automotive 545-1999.

The real local reporters (who don't have a boss or major advertiser who is a member at the club) can probably quickly find out which members of the club have good relations with the higher ups at NCDOT.

My guess is that it was not really the spirit of the watershed law that our tax dollars should be put towards improving country club golf courses rather than say helping to alleviate flood prone neighborhoods.

Am I all wet on this?

1:04:31 PM

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