Lenoir, Google & Proposition 8

As you head down U.S. 321 toward Caldwell County from Blowing Rock, you see a sign on the right side of the road that says, "Welcome To Caldwell County. Where Progress Meets Tradition."

Which got us to thinking. Caldwell is actually a pretty conservative place. Bush defeated Kerry in 2004 by a 68 percent to 32 percent margin there. OK, no problem.

Google opened a data center not too terribly long ago in Lenoir. You probably knew that. But did you know about Google's official position regarding Proposition 8? Yes, California's Proposition 8, which conservatives have been working overtime to defeat? It's all about allowing GAY MARRIAGE!

So, what is Google's official position? Check this out:

...we do not generally take a position on issues outside of our field, especially not social issues. So when Proposition 8 appeared on the California ballot, it was an unlikely question for Google to take an official company position on.

However, while there are many objections to this proposition -- further government encroachment on personal lives, ambiguously written text -- it is the chilling and discriminatory effect of the proposition on many of our employees that brings Google to publicly oppose Proposition 8. While we respect the strongly-held beliefs that people have on both sides of this argument, we see this fundamentally as an issue of equality. We hope that California voters will vote no on Proposition 8 -- we should not eliminate anyone's fundamental rights, whatever their sexuality, to marry the person they love.

Posted by Sergey Brin, Co-founder & President, Technology.

How many staunch "family-values" types will now quit their jobs in Lenoir out of sheer dedication to their constant quest to live their "values"?

Just wonderin'.

Cluster Received?

Aisling Broadcasting's website, goblueridge.net has a post up which says that Aisling may have found a buyer for their six-station "cluster"(gosh, that word just seems to stick out, doesn't it?). Aisling Broadcasting is currently operating in receivership.

Curtis Media Group--the possible buyer--says that it is comprised of 19 stations in North Carolina, several around the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. Foothills Media of Lenoir would partner with Curtis on the deal, should it come to fruition.

Are you hoping that maybe Aisling may change their lineup if the purchase of the "cluster" goes through? You know--to serve the obvious and growing progressive Boone-area radio market? Well...

A quick perusal of some of the syndicated talk programming carried on the current Curtis stations doesn't really offer much hope. There's plenty of Rush, plenty of Savage, Hannity---the standard hard right fare.

Come on guys. How about some Stephanie Miller?

Click here for a bio of Phil Zachary, CEO of Curtis Media Group (from radioandrecords.com).

Weekend Video Salon: Waasup Guys!

Weekend Voting Tips

When you go to vote--if you encounter problems--take action. From The Brad Blog:

Yesterday, VelvetRevolution.us' election integrity expert Emily Levy suggested that when this problem occurs, voters should first tell officials, and ask them to remove the machine from service.

Then...Alert everyone else in line waiting to vote which machine caused the problem, and warn everyone else not to use it!

These are among the steps she recommends, with which I strongly concur:

• Call poll supervisors to observe the problem
• Fill out a problem report
• Refuse to vote on that machine
• Request that the machine be taken out of service
• Get a serial number of the machine if possible (may be unlikely in many cases)
• Tell other voters not to vote on that machine
• Call county/town election office
• Call local reporters
• Call voter problem hotlines (eg. 866-MYVOTE1 and 866-OUR-VOTE)
• Contact bloggers and Election Integrity websites.
• Raise holy hell.

[Disclosure: The BRAD BLOG is a co-founder of VR.]

Also, before you go to vote, bring a video camera (a cell phone video camera will do), to document the vote-flipping when you vote, and then upload it to VideoTheVote.org and YouTube, etc.!

Video Your Vote

Republican efforts to silence the vote continue unabated across the country. They are trying to gum up the works by filing frivolous lawsuit after frivolous lawsuit.

One problem with this methodology: Judges keep throwing out their lawsuits, or ruling against them. The latest:

GOP: James Taylor concert equaled vote buying

Republicans will take case to Board of Elections Friday

ASHEVILLE – A recent concert given here by music icon James Taylor in support of Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign amounted to vote-buying, Republican officials are saying.

GOP officials plan to bring their case to the Buncombe County Board of Elections Friday.

...

Madison - A Dane County judge dismissed Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen's lawsuit against the state's elections board, saying Van Hollen had not shown that any state or federal laws had been violated.

The ruling comes just 12 days before voters will cast ballots for president.

Van Hollen sued the Government Accountability Board on Sept. 10, arguing the law requires the board to check registration information for more voters against driver's license or Social Security records.

But Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi ruled this morning that Van Hollen had not shown any laws had been violated.
...

Time for Plan B: Steal the vote...

More voting problems reported

Martinsburg man says machine switched Democratic vote to Republican 5 times

...

Roger Belozier, a veteran and retired postal worker from Berkeley County, experienced problems with electronic voting machines when he went to vote early in the Martinsburg courthouse.

"I reviewed my vote to make sure it was a straight Democratic ticket. But it switched my vote to Republican candidates five different times. I was able to cancel out the Republican votes.

"But I am scratching my head. Why did the machine switch my votes five different times? I asked someone to come over and explain it to me," Belozier said on Wednesday.

"I am concerned about a lot of people who might not notice or people who might be intimidated. They have to raise their hands and ask for some help."

...

Folks, bring your video cameras to the voting booth. Record what you encounter.

Going, Going, GREEN!

Hope you didn't blink. We were waiting (and waiting, and waiting, and waiting) for Aisling Broadcasting to roll out their Go Green! page on goblueridge.net---and THEY DID! For like, 2 days--or something.

We did manage to catch a glimpse, though. And my--was it exciting. Innovative too!

Have a seat, and we'll share these juicy tidbits with ya, dontcha know:

1) There was a big picture of a local electric cooperative on the page. Sponsor? Who knows? Yes, irony, we know.

2) And there were three (count 'em) three links--one link apparently was to the ASU Energy Center, because they seem to be somehow involved with this whole crazy alternative energy thingy.

And that's it. No more. Then the page disappeared.

When a broadcasting company carries syndicated talk programming whose hosts actively try to refute established scientific facts (programming like this, this, and this)--they can't really be expected to take global warming seriously, now can they?

So, here are some helpful tips for our local media monopoly--from radio stations all over the U.S. (even the areas with REAL, PATRIOTIC AMERICANS) which have actually GONE GREEN:

KZMU, Moab, Utah

WJFF, Jeffersonville, New York

WYEP, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

What Voter Fraud Looks Like

The GOP strategist and author of this book did this--and went to prison for it.

And now--funny--look what is happening in Ohio:

Secretary of State Website Temporarily Taken Down for Security Purposes
Ohio State Highway Patrol will assist with investigation

Columbus, Ohio – Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner announced on Monday afternoon that the state website has been set in a static mode with limited functionality as a precaution. The Ohio State Highway Patrol will assist with an investigation of one or more security breaches detected by the Secretary of State.

...

Unfortunately, this is not the first instance of direct assault on the operations of the Secretary of State’s office. In recent weeks, phone lines and e-mail channels have been barraged, even in the business filings section of the office, with menacing messages and even threats of harm or death. Last week, a suspicious package covered with threatening messages and containing an unidentified powder was mailed to the Secretary of State’s office via the previous location of the Client Services Center. These incidents are also under investigation.

...

There are a lot more electoral votes in Ohio than there are in teeny weenie New Hampshire. Ken Blackwell and all the mega-churches in Ohio must be brimming with pride.

Posse Update

Both the Army Times and Democracy Now! have reported on it, and we've mentioned it in a previous post, but now it seems that the Army's domestic (here in the U.S.) deployment of the 3rd Infantry Division 1st Brigade Combat Team for domestic duty seems to be garnering a little more attention.

As it should. From rawstory.com:

Following reports that US troops will be permanently on call to work inside the United States handling "civil unrest," "crowd control" and other functions traditionally carried out by civilian law enforcement agencies, activists are demanding to know why the Pentagon is reversing a longstanding prohibition on domestic deployment of the military.
...
The American Civil Liberties Union is demanding more details on the domestic deployments, which appear to violate the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits use of the military to direct internal affairs of the US.
...
“This is a radical departure from separation of civilian law enforcement and military authority, and could, quite possibly, represent a violation of law,” former FBI Agent Mike German, an ACLU national security policy counsel, said in a news release.
...
While future generations recognized the need for a strong military to defend against increasingly capable foreign threats, they also passed statutory protections to ensure that the Army could not be turned against the American people. The erosion of these protections should concern every American.”
...

Will Bush go back to clearing brush at the end of his term? Or will he leave a mark?

Here's the ACLU's Freedom of Information request.

Rawstory article here.

More On MTN

Do you ever watch MTN? They offer some local programming, mostly local news and things like chamber of commerce "shows", and spots about local arts council activities, humane society pet adoptions, ASU sports coverage, infotainment.

Since we first reported on the difficulties facing Class A low-power television stations (LPTV)--the class to which MTN belongs--several months ago, we have not come across much else regarding the hurdles facing LPTV stations in the age of digital TV.

Indeed, the transition to digital TV could spell trouble for MTN. Now, it looks like the FCC has chosen to ignore those troubles:

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin expressed frustration Wednesday that the other four commissioners rejected his plan to make rules that could have provided Class A stations a clear path to full-power status.

The commission struck the item from its Wednesday (Oct. 15) meeting at about 4 p.m. Tuesday when Martin realized he did not have the votes to pass it. He said other commissioners supported a lesser measure—a notice of inquiry—that would have removed the potential for mandatory cable carriage for Low-Power stations.

"This provided nothing for Low-Power," Martin told reporters.
...
The plan would have enabled some Class A stations to apply for full-power status, under which they would then qualify for cable must-carry rights.
...
Representatives of Class A and Low-Power stations were angry at being strung along; many flew to the meeting in Nashville, Tenn., before learning the item was removed. Three commissioners maintained a quorum to proceed with an event on childhood obesity that was all that remained of the panel's mandatory monthly meeting.
...
The snub was the latest setback for LPTV, which faces potential loss of over-the-air viewers who fail to receive the analog stations with new DTV converter boxes.

Wonder if anyone from MTN made the trip to Nashville?

Full article here. MTN here.

Feeling Forgetful?

Having a little trouble remembering? Not sure who to vote for? This interactive time line should help...just click on the arrows on the left and right sides underneath the time line below...they are kinda hard to see:

Weekend Video Salon: She Could Have Done So Much

Aw, NUTS!

Charlie Crist, the Republican governor of Florida, seems to think that the GOP is blowing the whole voter fraud thing way out of proportion. From the Miami Herald:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida's governor says his fellow Republicans may be exaggerating claims of voter fraud in the state.
...
The Republican National Committee and GOP presidential candidate John McCain have accused an activist group of fraudulently registering people in Florida and other states. It has focused on young people, minorities and others seen as more likely to support Democrat Barack Obama.

That activist group's name? A-C-O-R-N.

Full article here.

McCain Robocalling NC

Danger, Will Robinson--from TPM Election Central:

The McCain campaign and the RNC are pumping new robocalls into North Carolina that question Barack Obama's patriotism by charging that he and his fellow Dems put "Hollywood above America," another sign that Republicans are seriously worried about losing the traditionally red state to Obama.
...
A second round of robocalls, also from McCain and the RNC, hits Obama as a tax-hiker, and stops just short of criticizing the big bailout package that McCain has repeatedly taken credit for helping get passed. Both the McCain campaign and the RNC declined to comment
...

Listen to the McCain Robocall here.

The Lone Man?

And so the beat goes on. In Scranton, PA today another Palin supporter yelled out "kill him" when the Barack Obama hour of hatred kicked off.

It is truly fascinating to watch these "christians" in action. How do they reconcile their hateful ideology with the actual teachings of Christ? And Sarah--poor Sarah--how can she profess to be a "christian" while allowing the shocking behavior of her followers to continue? This is leadership?

What do these good churchgoers fantasize about during their preachers' sermons? The rapture? Peace on earth? Killing people they don't agree with?

1:25 p.m.

Chris Hackett addressed the increasingly feisty crowd as they await the arrival of Gov. Palin.

Each time the Republican candidate for the seat in the 10th Congressional District mentioned Barack Obama the crowd booed loudly.

One man screamed "kill him!"

Supporters have been noted shouting “kill him,” “terrorist,” “off with his head” and other equally incendiary terms about Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Others have directly suggested Mr. Obama is a Muslim, which he is not, or a traitor. Some comments even drew rebuke from Republican presidential nominee John McCain.

Other than the lone man, there were no other such outbursts.

Full article.

Southern Poverty Law Center.

'Round The Mountain

We'll be starting a new, semi-regular feature here at the DNHC blog over the next few days. Yes, we shall call it "'Round The Mountain", and it will focus on local newspaper coverage.

How did this idea take root? It really had to do with the stories written in the various local newspapers about the gasoline shortages here in the High Country. Once we came across this headline in the Avery Post (9/17/08), we knew that we just might be on to something:

"Customers Create Gas Crisis"

Then there was this, from the Mitchell News-Journal (9/24/08):

"Economy Affects Local Businesses"

Still another (Wilkes Journal-Patriot, 10/3/08):

"Fears Drive Increase In Gun Permits"

We will discuss each of these articles as a starting point over the next few days, examining the aspects of each article that we believe deserve a wider audience, as well as the context and content (or lack thereof) of each article, and the political implications of local journalism.

Your comments will be welcomed.

Weekend Video Salon: Bumpersticker of Terror

The results of the McCain/Palin hate rallies are already bearing fruit! And to think--right here in North Carolina. Be proud, folks:

Weekend Video Salon: New Business

For those of you with an interest in local government, monthly meeting minutes, and dramatic readings, we give you this:



How's that for executive experience?

Resentment Conservatism

There has not been a whole lot of mainstream corporate media coverage of the increasingly lynch-mob-like behavior of the folks attending the McCain/Palin rallies. At a time of economic crisis and massive job losses it becomes much easier for "leaders" (or wannabe leaders) to stoke the fires of racism, fear, and violence. McCain and Palin know exactly what they are doing--and they are willing to tear at the heart of our nation's fabric to achieve their goal.

It built up over the course of the week, as supporters at the rallies of John McCain and Sarah Palin started randomly screaming "terrorist!" and "off with his head!" and "treason!" and even "kill him!" at the mention of Barack Obama's name.
...

But he's [McCain] a desperate man, watching his decades-long dream slip away, no doubt infuriated that this neophyte who hasn't suffered as he has is running circles around him. That's a shame for him, but McCain's mental state is not the thing to be worried about here. The thing to be worried about is the impact that his campaign - "a national disgrace," wrote Joe Klein of Time magazine - is having on the nation.

He and Palin - "his Sancho Panza", as George Will mockingly wrote in the Washington Post - are deliberately stoking rage that is based on lies that they know to be lies (well, that at least McCain knows to be lies). The normally reserved commentator David Gergen said: "There is this free floating sort of whipping around anger that could really lead to some violence. I think we're not far from that."

We are seeing the dark, Gothic heart of resentment conservatism. It's going to be a disgusting three weeks.

In a state like North Carolina, with large rural and urban African-American populations and a growing Hispanic population, no one needs this sort of purposeful polarization. At what point will McCain/Palin be guilty of yelling "FIRE!" in a crowded movie theater?

Full article here.

Weekend Video Salon: Bunker Man

We really do miss Marc Maron's radio program (called Morning Sedition) but thankfully, he's branched out into other things. Check him out in one of his latest videos--Bunker Man:



Here's the site for Maron vs. Seder, which airs M-F at 3:00 p.m. High Country time.

Get Me The Economic Development Department!

Time to get in the WAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY back machine--all the way back to 2006. October 2006, to be exact.

Back then, there was a certain candidate for Watauga County Commissioner who said that he was against allowing ASU students to vote in local elections. Have a look yourself:



So, student voting in local elections was a bad thing then. But now--up in Virginia--student voting is a good thing! It's a righteous thing! From cnn.com:

...

Given the close nature of the presidential race, Jerry Falwell, Jr., chancellor of Liberty University, recently launched an ambitious effort to register all 10,500 eligible student voters at the fundamental Baptist institution in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Falwell kicked off the voter registration drive September 22, urging students -- including those from out-of-state -- to register locally.

"Liberty students have never been permitted to register locally in the past. The recent change in election law is giving Liberty University the chance to make history," Falwell stated in an e-mail addressed to faculty and staff. "Liberty University's 11,000 students and 4,000 faculty and staff could cause Liberty to become known as the university that elected a president!"

...

Falwell's belief that Liberty could impact the outcome of Virginia's election may seem like wishful thinking, but Virginia's 2006 U.S. Senate race was decided by slightly less than 10,000 votes.

"The majority of Liberty students want McCain to win," Woods said. "If you have a few thousand people voting for one candidate, who weren't [initially] voting in Virginia, it could possibly make a difference."

Ashley Barbera, communications director of the College Republicans National Committee, said college students have the potential to significantly impact the outcome of this election.

...

Regardless of whether Liberty voters affect the outcome of this election, Hernandez said the voter registration drive might just be the beginning of Liberty University's political influence.

"It could be a starting point. Maybe it won't change anything this time, but in the future," she said. "If the school keeps up the initiative, even just one little change is probably going to affect the future."

...

All that former candidate for Watauga County Commissioner needs to do now is somehow convince a branch of Liberty University (or maybe even Regent University!) to set up shop right here in Watauga! So those righteous kids will vote for HIM again and again--on the straight party-line ballot!

Librul

How many times have you heard the all right wing line up of syndicated talkers carried by Aisling Broadcasting in Boone blame the "liberal media" for everything from hurricanes to AIDS to the current economic crisis?

For the folks who really, deeply believe that the mainstream media in this country is liberal--think about this statement:

The mainstream media are only as liberal as their corporate owners.

Example: General Electric owns NBC. When was the last time you saw a negative report about GE on NBC News (or any other network, for that matter)?

With this example in mind, let's take a look at how McCain's proposed tax cuts would benefit the mainstream "liberal media" outlets so derided by the right (see chart above).

And this, from the Center for American Progress:

The multinational corporations that run the mainstream media — GE (NBC), Time Warner (CNN), Walt Disney (ABC), News Corporation (FOX), and Viacom (CBS) — stand to benefit hugely under a McCain presidency. The centerpiece of Sen. McCain’s economic plan — actually, the whole plan — is large tax cuts for corporations. It would deliver $1.44 billion in tax cuts to the five largest media companies, according to an analysis by the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

Explains a lot doesn't it? They're only as liberal as their corporate masters. Who do you think the mainstream "liberal media" are rooting for in this election?

Weekend Video Salon: How Is Knowledge Sexist?

After all the discussion about Sarah Palin, a few simple points need to be made:

1) She is clearly unqualified

2) McSame's selection of her was rash

3) Rashness is not a good quality in a president (have we not had quite enough of that?).

Here is Rachel Sklar of Eat The Press with Marc Maron and Sam Seder talking about Sarah Palin. Enjoy!

Weekend Video Salon: Dance!

It isn't just that watching Sarah on the teevee is like watching a trainwreck happen in slowmotion. Watch as Rachel Maddow (of both Air America Radio and MSNBC) dismantles one of McSame's campaign advisers. At about four minutes and 30 seconds into this video, the real fun starts.

This is the first time that anyone from the McSame campaign has actually agreed to appear on Rachel's show. Next time the McSame camp sends someone to have a talk with Rachel, they may want to choose someone who can actually hang with a Rhodes Scholar (that would be Rachel). Not that being smart is a good thing, or anything like that. We're just sayin'.

Would someone please get the McSame adviser a new pair of tap shoes?

How Firm Thy Friendship: O-HI-O

Who says we don't pay any attention to voting issues in Ohio? After all--it's round on the end and high in the middle! Cue the rim shot. Get it? Anyone?

OK, so here goes. Our favorite investigative reporter, Larisa Alexandrovna, just happens to be a Cleveland State graduate (sorry, Buckeye fans). And much to the chagrin of corporate "investigative" reporters everywhere, she has been doing some investigative reporting:

COLUMBUS -- A high-level Republican consultant has been subpoenaed in a case regarding alleged tampering with the 2004 election.

Michael L. Connell was served with a subpoena in Ohio on Sept. 22 in a case alleging that vote-tampering during the 2004 presidential election resulted in civil rights violations. Connell, president of GovTech Solutions and New Media Communications, is a website designer and IT professional who created a website for Ohio’s secretary of state that presented the results of the 2004 election in real time as they were tabulated.

At the time, Ohio’s Secretary of State, Kenneth J. Blackwell, was also chairman of Bush-Cheney 2004 reelection effort in Ohio.
...
The case took on fresh momentum earlier this year when [attorney] Arnebeck announced in July that he was filing to "lift the stay in the case [and] proceed with targeted discovery in order to help protect the integrity of the 2008 election." The new filing was inspired in part by the coming forward as a whistleblower of GOP IT security expert Stephen Spoonamore, who said he was prepared to testify to the plausibility of electronic vote-rigging having been carried out in 2004.
...
The interest in Mike Connell stems from his association with a firm called GovTech, which he had spun off from his own New Media Communications under his wife Heather Connell’s name. GovTech was hired by Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell to set up an official election website at election.sos.state.oh.us to presented the 2004 presidential returns as they came in.

Connell is a long-time GOP operative, whose New Media Communications provided web services for the Bush-Cheney ’04 campaign, the US Chamber of Commerce, the Republican National Committee and many Republican candidates. This in itself might have raised questions about his involvement in creating Ohio’s official state election website.

Read on, and GO BUCKS!!

Meanies

"Some people say" (which is our favorite pseudo-journalistic phrase) that everyone is being mean to poor Sarah. That they should just lay off her.

Because, you know, an evil leader of another country would never ever be mean to Sarah in a contentious meeting or anything.

But--it looks like Sarah can be a little bit mean herself. To god's little creatures, no less: