This is just too rich . . . charges of hypocrisy coming from none other than the Karl Rovian Bushbot Congresscritter named Patrick McHenry. Kind of sad, really. From the Charlotte Observer's Tim Funk.

Rep. Patrick McHenry is becoming a thorn in the side of Democrats in Washington. The latest example: Last week, the Cherryville Republican turned the tables on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who has been charging that congressional Republicans preside over a "culture of corruption."

How much do our elected Officials feel about us?

Front-paged because, once again, I think the Veteran vote should be a Democratic Vote - Robert

Disabled American Veterans

Year: 2005
Issue: Veterans Issues
Website: http://www.dav.org
Disabled American Veterans
807 Maine Avenue, Southwest
Washington, DC 20024
Phone: 202-554-3501

"Formed in 1920 and chartered by Congress in 1932, the million-member DAV is the official voice of America's service-connected disabled veterans -- a strong, insistent voice that represents all of America's 2.1 million disabled veterans, their families and survivors."

The following ratings indicate the degree that each elected official supported the interests of the organization in that year.

It's always fun to stop by The Boy Pundit's website to see what Carter Wrenn (right wing) and Gary Pearce (left wing) have to say about the sad state of North Carolina politics. It's fun because they're always messing with each other, and also because they've both long had their hands in stirring the sorry soup. My subject tonight is Wrenn's latest blog post:

Few would argue with the proposition that Jim Black, after a year of ‘pay to play’ scandals, is now the most unpopular man in North Carolina. A series of hearings, investigations, and exposes has left the heretofore sure-footed House Leader battered and bruised. But don’t despair. The wiley Democrats have a solution: Art Pope. The Democrats are going to make Pope the most unpopular man in North Carolina – on the theory that when they do voters are going to forget all about Jim Black.

.......to have a partner in crime. And, they are juuuuust about old enough!

This magnet is another one of the little lovelies I've purchased from Ephemera. You can click on the picture to visit their web site.

In the midst of all the political shenanigans swirling about, serious legislative initiatives going on in Raleigh can be hard to keep up with. The North Carolina Conservation Network does a good job on their blog this week running down the green issues on the Short Session agenda. A preview below the fold:

The News and Observer is like an unpredictable date, regularly late to the party and often wearing the wrong clothes. Today their friendly advice to the NC State Optometric Society seems fair enough, but they stop short of giving the hard advice that should be given to the North Carolina Democratic Party: Dump Jim Black as Speaker. Here's their lead editorial.

Here's a clue for the N.C. State Optometric Society: The public won't stand for sneaking a costly mandate into the state budget, even if a New Jersey commission supports it. It's not that North Carolinians don't want the best for their children, including eye exams before they start kindergarten. But House Speaker Jim Black, an optometrist who receives campaign funding from his colleagues, essentially took it upon himself to make the eye-exam requirement law without public discussion. Whether or not New Jersey saves money with such a requirement, as the society argued last week in a press release, is extraneous information at this late date.

It's about time this arrogant slime ball who's complicity in orchestrating this symphony of shit 29% of Americans call an administration is taken to the shed for a beating.

The administration is unraveling in a spectacular slow motion explosion, a horrific captivating drama that many of us saw coming a long time ago. The true patriots of freedom, those with the courage to stand up and dissent when it was not popular will be the hero's of these past 6 years and not the paper tigers, the chicken hawk, chicken shit that wrapped themselves in our flag to promote their own agenda.

Sometimes I'm tempted to feel sorry for Art Pope. He's an rich businessman who could be making a huge difference for the common good, and yet he seems obsessed with the pursuit of power. He poured a least a hundred thousand dollars of corporate money into buying three seats in the NC legislature, and now he's trying to buy control over teaching and learning at UNC Chapel Hill. He says he'll give the University millions if they'll design a curriculum to celebrate the joys of white old rich men in Western culture - as though there's not enough of that already.

The background on the story is here, courtesy of a story in the Durham Herald, where the faculty have basically said, "Thanks, but no thanks" in a formal resolution passed by the Faculty Council. But that didn't stop the juggernaut. The UNC-CH administration is still trying to try to reel in Pope's millions. The latest move in the saga is a memo written by eight tenured faculty members to the Chancellor and a few other top dogs in the administration.

This is Daisy. She is tiny, but she runs mighty fast. She's 9 months old. You got pets? Let's see 'em.

Looks like a dustup over in Moore County - with an upstart citizen declaring war on Art "the Puppetmaster" Pope's corporate money in local elections. The Pilot has the news about the General who would kick Pope's handpicked puppet, Joe Boylan.

Shaver Mounts Campaign to Oppose Boylan

If Manila 'Bud' Shaver has his way, Joe Boylan (hand picked by the Puppetmaster) will face opposition on the November general election ballot. Shaver intends to give him competition without the backing of the state Republican Party leadership. A retired Army major general, Shaver announced this week that he is mounting a campaign as an unaffiliated candidate for the District 52 seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives.