The Colonel’s Secret Recipe Revealed!

I was driving around this weekend, and this is what I saw:

Hat Tip: Samantha Burns

Bloggers at NC-11 Convention

A couple of bloggers from the other side of the aisle attended the NC-11 GOP Convention Saturday, and here are their reports of the event:

Report filed at Scrutiny Hooligans:

---

Karl Rove and the North Carolina 11th District Republican Convention

“They embrace a culture of defeat…death, and we have to fight them there, so we don’t have to fight them here.” – Karl Rove, in Hendersonville on Saturday, April 28, talking about Democrats or terrorists. I’m not sure which.

179 old white delegates gathered at West Henderson High School to hold their annual 11th district Republican Convention. Every county in the district had a section, and the empty half of the auditorium held the press, the non-delegates, and the Hooligans. Clay County didn’t bother sending anyone at all, though an imaginary source told me that they stayed away because Rove’s pheromones cause Clay county women to swoon and Clay County men to feel desperate and insecure.

---

The same article was cross posted at BlueNC.

And they scored an interview with Jeff Hunt. Cross-posted at BlueNC.

Here’s a little open secret about blogs: most of the truly interesting inside baseball stuff happens in the comments section, so pay attention.

To Raise the Edifice (Geo. Washington on the Constitution)

Guest Commentary by John Armor

From time to time, I return to my favorite subject, which I freely admit is a tad boring for most people. That subject is Constitutional Law. This time, George Washington made me do it.

An article in the New York Times on 27 April reported on the find of a previously unknown letter from George Washington in May, 1787, to Jacob Morris. It was contained in a scrapbook gathered by a 10-year-old girl in 1826, and was found among the trunks and boxes of her descendants’ gift of their mansion and its contents to the State of New Jersey, in 2007.

The letter is important for several reasons. First, it is a “new” document from the hand of Washington. Second, it makes a mysterious reference to General Horatio Gates. Certain Members of Congress wanted at one point to replace General Washington with Gates, as a result of Washington’s unending series of defeats prior to the Battle of Trenton.

For me, though, the value of this short letter lies in when and where it was written, and what it says about the Constitution. Washington was readily elected President of the Philadelphia Convention in 1787, because all the factions present at that meeting respected him. And it was from that place and time that he sent this letter. Its second paragraph says,

“The happiness of this Country depend much upon the deliberations of the federal Convention which is now sitting. It, however, can only lay the foundation — the community at large must raise the edifice.”

Washington was a man of deeds, not words. He led by example. He spoke on the floor of the Convention only once, on its closing day. He favored the final amendment, to set the size of Congressional Districts at 30,000 people each rather than 40,000. His choice was followed, as it was with the decision not to limit the terms of the President to two. (That choice he’d expressed only privately.)

But when Washington did write, and speak, his vision was keen, and his words clear and precise. With 218 years of experience of living under the Constitution, we can see now that Washington’s statement was correct. The endurance of the Constitution does not depend solely on the excellence of its design, or the wisdom of the amendments made to date.

It is an excellent design. It has survived longer as a written constitution than those of any other nation in history. And with the exception of Prohibition, installed in the Constitution and later removed as a failure, the amendments have been successful. Other nations have lost their constitutions in military coups, or legal coups when they were redefined into dictatorships.

The key to the durability of the US Constitution is not found in the courts, or in any part of the federal government. It is found in the hearts and minds of all Americans. In 218 years it is we, not our government, who have “raised the edifice” of the Constitution. But sadly, in recent decades, it is we who are tearing that edifice down, again.

As George Washington warned in his Farewell Address, the Constitution “is sacredly obligatory upon all,” until and unless it is changed “by the authentic act of the whole people.” By that he meant it should be amended only by the people, as defined in Article V. It was not to be amended merely by the Courts, or Presidents, or Congresses, acting on their own hook.

Here is a one-question quiz, from which each of you can judge whether you are part of maintaining the Constitution, or bringing it down: If the Supreme Court hands down a decision that obeys the Constitution but is contrary to what you wanted in that case, will you support that decision?

That is a simple but telling question. Is the Constitution more important to you than the decision in any particular case? If you answered that first question “no,” it means you are willing to sacrifice the Constitution to win a specific, political point. And if too many Americans think that way, as George predicted in his letter long ago, the edifice of the Constitution is not long for this world.

– 30 –

About the Author: John Armor practiced in the US Supreme Court for 33 years. John_Armor@aya.yale.edu He lives in the 11th District of North Carolina.

– 30 –

North Carolina Leadership Conference

The North Carolina Leadership Conference in Raleigh happened at the same time the GOP District Conventions were going on…not exactly a case of stellar event planning in my opinion. Anyhow, I’ve noticed that once again, the coverage from the blogosphere is head, shoulders, and torso above the Legacy Media.

The Raleigh News & Observer has noticed the blogs, but only the screaming meemie commies at BlueNC:

But what created a stir was Shuler’s breakfast appearance at a conservative conference sponsored by the Civitas Institute, a Raleigh-based political think tank that is officially nonpartisan but leans Republican.

Before the Saturday event, Shuler took some hits from the liberal blogosphere, which wondered what he was doing walking into “the lair of the Dark Side” as one blogger put it.

Another blogger on BlueNC wrote that Shuler should ask himself: “How happy are you that I’m legitimizing your rabid partisan group masquerading as a nonpartisan 501(c)3? If I say pro-life, pro-gun and Jesus enough times, will you like me?”

And that’s not all they said:

3. After the event, your image at there party will be
repeatedly displayed all over as proof of the
disentegration of the Democratic party.

4. Since the Republican Party is not the majority in
Congress, you have nothing to gain in that respect.

You are known for being a man of conscience. Although
fullfilling a personal goal by attending, you may be
hurting your fellow Democrats who supported you. What
about them?

Here is coverage from Ogre:

Index of Coverage

There were also the GOP District Conventions yesterday, and I’ll post on the coverage for them later today, or perhaps tomorrow if there is a lag on posting by the observers. I was set to attend the NC-11 Convention, and went through a hoop to get credentialed, but never heard back, so I wasn’t about to drive all the way to Hendersonville on the hope I could get in…no way I was about to do that because it’s a two-hour drive from my house! I found out from other bloggers covering the event that my credentials were there waiting for me. Maybe next time, I won’t wait on a confirmation.

Preview coverage of NC-11 at BlueNC by Screwy Hoolie.

Polls on Iraq

I was told in one of the comment threads that the majority of people support the Democrat position on Iraq.
Hmmm….

• According to a recent USA Today/Gallup poll, 61% of Americans oppose “denying the funding needed to send any additional U.S. troops to Iraq,” and opposition is up from 58% in February. (3/23-25, 2007).

Can’t say these guys are biased. Here is another one I found:

CBS News/New York Times Poll. April 20-24, 2007. N=1,052 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3 (for all adults).

						.
“The Democrats in Congress have proposed to fund the Iraq war only if the U.S. sets a timetable for troop withdrawal, too. George W. Bush has stated he will veto that proposal. If George W. Bush does veto it, what should the Democrats in Congress do next: should they try to withhold funding for the war until George W. Bush accepts a timetable for troop withdrawal, or should they allow funding for the war, even if there is no timetable?”
						.
		Withhold Funding	Allow Funding	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL adults	36	56	8
	Republicans	12	84	4
	Democrats	51	41	8
	Independents	38	52	10

And here is an article at The Corner in The NRO to chew on.

Shenanigans in Buncombe County Government?

Say it Ain’t So!
/sarcasm

April 11, 2007

Michael Frue
Assistant County Attorney
205 College Street, Suite 200
Asheville, NC 28801

Dear Mr. Frue,

I am writing on behalf of the Canary Coalition urging that you advise the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners to rescind the contract between the County and Progress Energy for the lease of land in the vicinity of the old County landfill (hereinafter “Woodfin Property”). Major problems with the lease include the existence of an option contract which directed or influenced the County Commissioners’ decision to approve the lease of the Woodfin Property, failure by the County to use the appropriate authority for an economic development project, and failure of the County to act in the public interest. Because of the many problems with the lease, the circumstances surrounding the County’s agreement to the lease, and the subsequent failure of substantially all of the consideration received by the County in exchange for the lease of the Woodfin Property, the County should consider the lease invalid.

The existence of the Options Contract indicates either improper assertion of authority by the County Manager, or an illegal secret meeting by the Board of Commissioners. In either case, the lease is ultra vires.

The contract granting a lease to Progress Energy is invalid because it was based on an option contract which is ultra vires for multiple reasons. County manager Wanda Greene signed this option contract on March 2, 2005, which purported to be an irrevocable offer by the County to lease land to Progress Energy for greater than ten years if acted on within the subsequent two years—by March 2007. Progress apparently purchased this interest in real property for ten dollars and without any public notice or scrutiny.

---

Source

Canary Coalition Website

Good Luck on dealing with this situation. I have had dealings with these people in the Buncombe County Government, and it wasn’t pretty. Wanda Green is Invincible.

I still think the Diesel Plant defeat was a case of cutting off your nose despite your face. I hope you progressives burn up in the summer, and freeze in the winter!

The New Earth That Wasn’t

Scientists have recently announced the discovery of an earthlike planet orbiting around Gliese 581, and I wondered what a few of my favorite astrometric sites had to add to the story.

Sol Station

Al Fin has a satirical piece offering more hope for the future than I currently have in my heart.

ISDB [Internet Stellar Database]

and for the non-geeks, there is Wikipedia.

What does all the jargon mean? Is it really earthlike?

Here is the money quote from the Sol Station HO Librae page:

The more Earth-like planet “c” has at least 5.03 Earth-masses (or 0.0158 Jupiter-masses) and an estimated diameter of at least 1.5 times Earth’s if it is rocky, larger if it is composed of mostly ice. It moves around Gliese 581 — outside of planet b’s orbit — at an average distance of 0.073 AU, in a circular orbit (e=0.28 ± 0.06) which it completes in 12.932 (± 0.007) days. Located within the so-called habitable zone of Gliese 581 (which may be centered around 0.11 AUs from the star), the planet may have a mean temperature between -3 and over 40 degrees Celsius (27 and 104+ degrees Fahrenheit) with water on its surface, depending on whether the planet has a Venus- or an Earth-like albedo.

The data above means no. Not habitable the way we think about it. The planet is close enough to the star to be tidally locked, one side forever facing Gliese 581 as it races nearly 40 mps in it’s orbit.
Also, the star is a UV Ceti Flare Star, so it is subject to violent flares and changes in luminosity over time. Not a good place to be without solar armor.
It is exciting, though, that our ability to detect smaller and smaller planets is getting better. I would love to see an observatory built on the farside of the moon before I die, but I am beginning to seriously doubt that, as there are indications that the Luddites are going to win, and we will slide into barbarism for a few millenia before we get another run at leaving the earth. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

Can you tell that astronomy and physics were my first, best path? Becoming an astrophysist is quite an expensive proposition…so I went to work after High School.

Al Gore’s Army

NASHVILLE — The stocky man with the soft Southern accent rivets the hotel ballroom crowd with his plea: “We are in a time of peril, so please allow me to explain a topic that has overwhelming importance in my life.”

Meet, no, not Al Gore, but Gary Dunham, 71, a grandfather from Texas who was the first of 1,000 Americans Gore trained to deliver his Oscar-winning An Inconvenient Truth slide show to schools, Rotary clubs and nursing homes around the nation.

Two weeks ago, the last 150 of this hand-picked crew arrived here — paying their own way for everything but food — to go through a two-day seminar starring Gore but effectively led by Dunham and a few other graduates of the former vice president’s global-warming boot camp.

To date, The Climate Project has drawn everyone from Wal-Mart workers to Cameron Diaz. And though the 1,000 mark has been reached, “we keep hearing whispers that (Gore) might do more,” project director Jenny Clad says. “I wouldn’t call this final.”

Two inarguable truths leap out from the 48 hours.

One, Gore’s status officially has changed from defeated presidential candidate to quasi-rock star.

At a group night out at B.B. King’s, a nightclub off Music Row, Gore and his wife, Tipper, are barely left alone with their brisket and collard greens, served in such modest portions that the faithful chatter about a diet and thus a presidential run.

When Gore does invite the crowd over to say hello, he’s besieged. Later, when he’s giving the trainees their final pep talk, the normally noisy ballroom is so quiet you can hear the hum of the air conditioner. If An Inconvenient Truth portrayed Gore as a lonely eco-warrior, he now has a willing army.

---

Source

I think maybe I scrapped my answer to “an inconvenient truth” too soon, as no one has directly answered the blatant lies told in that film answering each lie with the truth.

Part of his scheme is beginning to fall apart, the Carbon Offset Program has been exposed:

The growing political salience of environmental politics has sparked a “green gold rush”, which has seen a dramatic expansion in the number of businesses offering both companies and individuals the chance to go “carbon neutral”, offsetting their own energy use by buying carbon credits that cancel out their contribution to global warming.

The burgeoning regulated market for carbon credits is expected to more than double in size to about $68.2bn by 2010, with the unregulated voluntary sector rising to $4bn in the same period.

The FT investigation found:

■ Widespread instances of people and organisations buying worthless credits that do not yield any reductions in carbon emissions.

■ Industrial companies profiting from doing very little – or from gaining carbon credits on the basis of efficiency gains from which they have already benefited substantially.

■ Brokers providing services of questionable or no value.

■ A shortage of verification, making it difficult for buyers to assess the true value of carbon credits.

■ Companies and individuals being charged over the odds for the private purchase of European Union carbon permits that have plummeted in value because they do not result in emissions cuts.

A Preview of Moonbattery For 2008

In my first look at Moonbattery, we observe the reactions of the humorless to MIchelle Malkin’s Cheerleading Parody at Gateway Pundit.
For those who haven’t seen the video yet, scroll down to my previous post.

And, if you need more proof that Moonbats are humorless, check out this FReeper thread about the original LA Times piece, then this one on their reaction to the Rush Parody, “Barack, the Magic Negro” there are links there to a You Tube smashup someone posted. I have a pristine stereo copy someone thoughtfully sent me I’ll have to consider working something up with. Hmmm… Claymation anyone?

Then, Bill Whittle takes on Moonbattery with logic. His next installment will take down the CAGW meme that has nourished the Dems for so long.

Last, but not least, here is a peace-loving Moonbat unhinged by Bush Derangement Syndrome.

The Defeatocrats Cheer

Ha Ha Ha!
Priceless, but I think Code Pink Cheerleaders would be more appropriate.