Blog-IT-o ergo sum

	2/1/2006

Charlotte City Council escapes to Greensboro

Of course in the spirit of turnabout is fairplay we hope they spend as much of their taxpayers money in Greensboro as possible, but for those not aware today through Friday the Charlotte City Council is holding a retreat at Grandover Resort.

The retreat of course is from the interested citizens they represent who will not be able to keep track of their elected officials meeting two hours up the Interstate from Charlotte.

Other than to enjoy themselves on the taxpayers' dime or to avoid having to deal with those they purport to represent, what purpose does it serve for a publically elected body to meet outside its jurisdiction?

I am almost tempted to say, "There ought to be a law..."

2:10:34 PM

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Sexed up Charlotte Observer story goes national on AP

MSM is perfectly capable of distorting the truth without help from government officials.

Having attended the No to Amnesty rally in Charlotte with my family and fellow compatriots, I can personally attest to the faulty reporting done on the event by Jim Morrill of the Charlotte Observer.

I made a few wrong turns on the "high crime" westside of Charlotte which caused my contingent of seven to arrive just as Bay Buchanan was about to enter the building at the 7:00pm scheduled start time. One of my cohorts however who arrived to the rally well over an hour before its start did see "maybe 20 or so" people protesting the effort.

I confirmed with the rally organizer Vernon Robinson that Mr. Morrill did leave the event soon after it started so his count of "about 30 people" present as supporters may not have included those of us who definitely pushed the pro-rally side to over 40 people. The sponsor of the evening also confirmed that the number of those protesting the rally did not number more than 25 or so.

Contrast this with the third sentence of Mr. Morrill's article the next morning in the Charlotte Observer:

"More than 100 Latinos and other supporters of immigrants came to protest the rally, holding candles and signs, such as "Immigrants Build America," outside the school. The rally itself drew about 30 people, but around a dozen or so protesters also went in to hear Buchanan."

(The photo of the protesters which appeared in the print edition of the Charlotte Observer article shows about 18 people in it.)

Several people are following up with the reporter and the paper pointing out to them that unless they can produce a photo or video still showing something closer to 100 people in it they are obligated to make a correction in order to bring their reportage into line with reality.

Of course, the AP story based on the Observer's faulty reporting has already been dutifully spread across the country:

"Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. - An immigration reform rally turned into a debate as protesters, outnumbering participants by about three to one, challenged the main speaker over her position on U.S. border policies."

The jaded among us expect such fabrications from the MSM propaganda machine but it is always still infuriating when you experience it first hand.

I suppose AP can claim they were just forwarding the reporting of the Observer. They can justifiably hold this position as long as they are willing to report a subsequent correction to the article in an equally notable headline.

If not for us, "Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"

1:30:35 PM

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