Why Was Devin Norris Arrested By the FBI?

**update** April 3, 2010  I have, courtesy of David Turner, a pdf copy of the indictment against Devin Norris. If these charges are true, then I can understand why Norris has been held in solitary confinement. It would be for his own protection from the other inmates. A Grand Jury has returned a true bill against Devin Ray Norris for the charges of: Count One--Transportation of Child Pornography (several hundred images) dating from November...

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Validation

Here is a cool little video that @brent_tucker shared with me on Twitter. It is a video that tells an awesome little story of a parking attendant who gives his customers REAL validation by dispensing both free parking and free compliments.  It’s a great reminder of how we can all create a better world, instantly, by sharing a smile and a few kind words. If you like it, and want to see more like it, check out Spiritual Cinema...

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Duke Energy Using Helicopter to Clear Trees From Power Lines

While I was out running errands this morning, I saw a small black helicopter alternately hovering and flying slowly back and forth. It was a real helicopter, not the kind seen by the paranoid who imagine the Federal government is spying on them. This helicopter, it turns out, had a number of saw blades hanging from it and is being used to cut trees away from Duke Energy's power lines in areas that are difficult to access by vehicle. They...

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Macon County Commissioners 03-22-2010 Meeting Video

I apologize for taking so long in getting to this video and getting it processed. I hope that I'm starting to learn how to get these things out quicker than I have been, mostly by doing everything wrong on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd attempts. LOL. I've also invested in a scanner and will be posting my information packet online so you can be better informed on what is going on in our local government....

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March 28th Tornadoes - Preliminary Reports

Photo of tornado in the Charlotte area posted by Twitter User @wxbrad and taken by Don Gemmell. For more information, see the Charlotte Observer. Several tornadoes hit North Carolina on last night in what will probably be referred to as the Palm Sunday 2010 Outbreak. I can't find any reports of deaths or serious injuries as a direct result of the tornadoes, so there's a bit of good news. At this time, it seems to be limited to 7 or 8 tornadoes....

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Palm Sunday

The 1st Saying of Jesus on the CrossThen said Jesus, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”  (Luke 23:34)    Jesus said these words right at the beginning of the crucifixion.  Many commentators have suggested it might well have been said whilst they were driving the nails in His hands and feet!    In the original Greek language, the tense of the verb “Jesus said” conveys continual action. In other words, it literally reads “Jesus was saying” – it might suggest...

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Chad Nesbitt Elected New Buncombe County GOP Chair

There is hope in Buncombe County for all God-fearing conservatives. For Lefties there is a false hope. For Idiot Ron Paul Supporters, there is only loathing. A tribute video I made for Chad and the Carolina Stompers last summer. Congratulations to the Buncombe County Republican Party for an upbeat and productive County Convention! Today, Republicans elected a new Chairman, Chad Nesbitt, who has plans for major fundraising and organizational...

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MAMA 2 Landing at Angel Medical Center

Screen grab from the video  I was on the road Saturday in Franklin on my way to the Greenway and heard MAMA 2 on the scanner report her location and ETA to Angel Medical Center, so I swung by the hospital to catch a view of the Medevac chopper making a landing. The downdraft nearly knocked over my tripod as she came in and rotated for the landing!  If you live West of the Balsams in North Carolina, you can hear MAMA 2 Operations...

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Jackson County Public Library Construction Update

This is how the building that will be housing the new Jackson County Public Library looked on the outside this afternoon. The Sylva Herald was recently part of a group that was given a tour of the inside. Go check out the photo gallery on their blog. **6.26am 3/27/2010** Welcome Mountain Xpress reader...

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A Short History of Government Stimulus Spending and Economic Prosperity in the 20th Century

To be able to critically analyze economic probabilities, one needs to know the history of previous similar situations. For the first 125 years of our county we had no Federal Reserve Bank and no income tax. We also had virtually no inflation and the average economic downturn lasted only 10 months. In late 1913 the Federal Reserve Bank (FED) was created. It made it possible for the government to create money out of thin air. Also a permanent income...

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Earth Hour 2010: Lights on in the Free World

I can't help but notice that lights at night tend to mean liberty and prosperity are present. Enviros are providing us with an example of how they would like to see the world...dark and void of liberty and prosperity.  It should be no secret that I hold the environmental movement in disdain. Most especially when they themselves hold the scientific method in disdain so that they can achieve a political end... “On the one hand, as scientists...

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11th Congressional District Poll

**7.02pm** Erika Franzi of the Asheville Tea Party and Jane Q Public blog has a screenshot of the poll results at around noon. I'm hoping that she will make that available for public inspection. While we wait on that, Here is a tool that will allow you to explore the geographic voting pattern for this poll.  Polls Powered By MicroPoll Note that Dan Eichenbaum won every state. In North Carolina, he won with 39% of the vote among the...

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Somebody's Watching Me

I tried to get a photo of this cat looking at the crows that were in the parking lot, but when ever I raised the camera to take a photo, it would look at me instead. I tried out waiting the cat, but it had more patience than I did...so I left, defeated by a mere ca...

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Even squirrels take breaks

This little squirrel had been very busy ferrying walnuts up this tree to it's nest all morning and I grabbed this shot of it taking a short break on a lower limb of the tree. Ten minutes later, the little fella was back at it again, ferrying nuts up the tre...

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Congressional Candidates Introduced at the 2010 Macon County GOP Convention

Republicans in Macon County [Macon GOP] gathered this past weekend to fellowship with one another, elect delegates to the district and state conventions of the Republican Party, and to meet and greet with candidates who are running for office. A forum was held to introduce the candidates in the North Carolina 11th Congressional District Republican primary to the Republican voters in Macon County, and this is the first part in a series of posts...

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US Census Road Tour Vehicle "The Founders" Visit to Franklin, NC

Yesterday, the US Census Road Tour vehicle "The Founders" visited Franklin, NC to raise awareness of the importance of being counted by the US Census Bureau. I spoke with several of the employees, but not not able to get any of them on camera to speak to concerns that people have about the intrusiveness of some questions on the US Census forms. I had to leave the vent early to cover a meeting of the Macon County Commissioners. I was given a promise...

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Macon County Board of Commissioners Meeting Agenda and Live Coverage Begins at 2pm Today

Let's keep our fingers crossed that the Internet connection is good enough to support a video feed. If it is not, you may monitor the meeting via the Twitter hashtag #maconnc. Click here to see the TweetGrid I have set up for this purpose. Below is a video player that will become active shortly before 2pm as I set up the equipment in the Commissioner's Board Room prior to the meeting.  Below it is a social stream that will allow you...

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US Census Road Tour Vehicle "The Founders" Visits Franklin, NC Today

The Charlotte Regional US Census Road Tour Vehicle "The Founders will be at the Macon County Courthouse from noon to 3.30pm on Monday, March 22, 2010. There will be speeches by local elected officials, demonstrations by US Census employees and entertainment provided by local talent at the Town Gazebo. This will be an opportunity to get your questions and concerns regarding the 2010 Census answered. Visit Conservative Thunder for more information...

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