I'll be providing live coverage of the Concerned Citizens Event in Poteet Park in Sylva, NC from 3pm to 6pm today via my Twitter Page. Join in the conversation under the hashtag #poteet.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Live Coverage of Concerned Citizens Event in Sylva
I'll be providing live coverage of the Concerned Citizens Event in Poteet Park in Sylva, NC from 3pm to 6pm today via my Twitter Page. Join in the conversation under the hashtag #poteet.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
The Glenn Beck TV Show for Friday Aug 28th
I'm posting last night's show for the benefit of people, like me, do not have access to watching Fox News on Cable or Satellite. I haven't had time to watch it yet, but plan on it sometime this afternoon:
Segment One
Segment Two
Segment Three
Segment Four
Segment Five
Segment Six
I hope people start listening to what Glenn has been saying.
I hope people start listening to what Glenn has been saying.
Weather Video For the Day
I went outside and saw this storm approaching and scrambled to get my cameras ready to record it. I grabbed a few minutes of the storm, and have edited in a time lapse of the video at the end.
One of the disadvantages to living in a valley is that I can't see storms until they are right on top of me.
I was spoiled as a child because we had a clear line of sight into Swain, Clay and Rabun Counties from our location on the shoulder of Mouse Mountain.
I was spoiled as a child because we had a clear line of sight into Swain, Clay and Rabun Counties from our location on the shoulder of Mouse Mountain.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Watch the Discovery Launch on Mission STS-128 Live
Scheduled for 11.59 PM EDT
Updated with Videos of Launch
**update**
The Discovery has successfully launched and I have embedded videos of the launch taken from different locations at the end of the post. --TP
Live Player removed. Click Here for SpaceVidCast
Feed provided by SpaceVidCast.
A mission brief from Wikipedia:
**update**
The shuttle has successfully launched and here are a few videos of that...
And here are videos that, to me anyway, are better than the NASA-TV coverage because you get a sense of scale of the event. NASA has lost the ability to be able to visual express that over the years in their very dry technical presentations. They have forgotten what it is to dream...
Shot from a A1A Highway
This one was shot from Daytona Beach, and if you are patient, you can see the Solid Rocket Boosters separate around the 2min 20sec mark in the video
Shot from a boat in Mosquito Lagoon about 12 miles from the launch pad
And this last one was taken from Space View Park in Titusville, Florida
The Discovery has successfully launched and I have embedded videos of the launch taken from different locations at the end of the post. --TP
Feed provided by SpaceVidCast.
A mission brief from Wikipedia:
STS-128 (ISS assembly flight 17A) is the next space shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS). It is expected to use Space Shuttle Discovery, and was planned for launch on 25 August 2009. The primary payload will be the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, a collection of experiments for studying the physics and chemistry of microgravity. The mission is scheduled to include three spacewalks to remove and replace a materials processing experiment outside ESA's Columbus module, and to return an empty ammonia tank assembly.[2] The first launch attempt was delayed due to weather concerns including multiple weather violations in NASA's launch rules beginning over 2 hours before the scheduled launch.[3][4][5] The second launch attempt scheduled for August 26, at 1:10:22 AM EDT was called off the previous evening due to an anomaly in a fuel valve of the orbiter.[6][7][8] The next launch attempt is on Friday, August 28 on 11:59 PM EDT.
**update**
The shuttle has successfully launched and here are a few videos of that...
And here are videos that, to me anyway, are better than the NASA-TV coverage because you get a sense of scale of the event. NASA has lost the ability to be able to visual express that over the years in their very dry technical presentations. They have forgotten what it is to dream...
Congressman Shuler "Town Hall" on WWNC-AM
In another effort to avoid face to face contact with constituents, Congressman Heath Shuler appeared on the radio show where he felt most safe from the mob, Take A Stand, hosted by Matt Mittan.
VIDEO REMOVED BY WWNC
Here is the audio since the video has been removed from the WWNC Ustream Account...
Here is the video of that appearance and you can watch it, and judge for yourself:
Here is the audio since the video has been removed from the WWNC Ustream Account...
I had the video embedded earlier, but WWNC-AM has removed it from their Ustream account. I should have known they'd pull something like this, and I should be kicked for trusting them to leave it up and not recording the video myself. I thought the video was very telling, especially when Shuler made faces at some of the calls or when he laughed at the caller who suggested that people don't trust their government.
Given their predilection for WWNC and Matt removing stuff, here is the first two hours of the Town Hall I have swiped them and put them on my own webpage where they can't get at it:
Hour One
Hour Two
The third hour, with reactions, has not been uploaded to the WWNC Podcast page yet.
You can download your own copy at the Take A Stand podcast page.
I think that this is part of a pattern with the Congressman. He avoided numerous opportunities to have a face to face debate with his previous opponent, even avoiding facing myself [on Sept 2, 2008] and Richard Bernier [on Sept 4, 2008] to even answer the question of debating Carl Mumpower.
He eventually did debate Mumpower, but only in the studios of WWNC-AM (which most of the Congressional district can't even hear over the air, and with a large number of people on dial up, listening over the Internet is not an option.
Glenn Beck TV Show for 8-27
Here are videos of last night's Glenn Beck Show that have been posted to You Tube, and I am glad of it because I have no access to the Fox News Channel except through my Fox News Live page.
If you are in Macon County and would like to join our local 9-12 Project, please contact me and I'll set up some classes to introduce new people to the project. We don't have a website set up because a large majority of our members only have dial up at home. We are working on getting something established that will make content available for those on dial up and those on DSL, Satellite or Cable.
I can also direct you to other local 9-12 Projects in western North Carolina, a portion of which have an Internet presence.
Monday, August 24, 2009
I'm Back!
(With an Appropriate Sunrise Heralding My Return)
In case you haven't noticed, I took a few days off from blogging here, and away from politics. It felt good, and my batteries are charged and I'm ready to go at it again!
Lefties beware!!!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Macon County Sunrise
This is a sunrise I recorded back in early June that I set to music. Hope that you enjoy it:
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
RIP Robert Novak (1931-2009)
A giant in American Journalism has gone on to his reward:
WASHINGTON — Chicago Sun-Times columnist Robert Novak, one of the nation’s most influential journalists, who relished his “Prince of Darkness” public persona, died at home here early Tuesday morning after a battle with brain cancer.
“He was someone who loved being a journalist, loved journalism and loved his country and loved his family, Novak’s wife, Geraldine, told the Sun-Times on Tuesday.
Novak’s remarkable and long-running career made him a powerful presence in newspaper columns, newsletters, books and on television.
Source: Chicago Sun Times
Even though I disagreed with him on many issues over the past few years, I still respected the guy.
I will miss him.
Thunder Pig Boycotts Radio Shack for Boycotting Glenn Beck
A member of the Barack Obama Administration, Van Jones, has launched a boycott against the advertisers of the Glenn Beck TV Show[see his effort] . That effort has been successful, and many advertisers have dropped advertising on his show. They are still advertising on the Fox News Channel, but not on his show.
This should be a lesson about the differences in opinion between Censorship and Freedom. I believe that Glenn Beck has as much right to say what he says as the Lefty heroes John Stewart, Chris Matthews or Rachael Maddow do. I disagree with what the Lefties say, but I am not able to condone a boycott of their shows just because they say something I consider outrageous. I even took people to task for their boycott of David Letterman [see post]. I also noted back in March that the Left (I consider the MSM, or Legacy Media, as lock, stock and barrel of the Left) would be coming for Glenn, and gave my reasons why I thought so.
You can find a more detailed background on the effort to destroy Glenn Beck at World Net Daily, including a link to this article at News Busters detailing the backgrounds of those leading the effort and even a little bit of webscrubbing in an attempt to downplay the Van Jones involvement. Be sure to download the pdf of how the website looked before the alarm was sounded about Van Jones. Also look at the current website. This act reminds me of the "Memory Hole" from George Orwell's 1984. History has been revised...but there are people out there with the capability to monitor the changes and preserve the evidence.
Glenn's show is doing well in the ratings, as evidenced by these numbers from August 14th:
5PM – P2+ (25-54) (35-64)
Glenn Beck– 2,502,000 viewers (658,000) (1,224,000)
Situation Room—610,000 viewers (114,000) (218,000)
Hardball w/ Chris Matthews—487,000 viewers (123,000) (227,000)
Fast Money—206,000 viewers (a scratch w/ 52,000) (100,000)
Prime News–146,000 viewers (84,000) (112,000)
Source: TV by the Numbers
Hat Tip: Andrea Shea King
Commentary
What can you do to help Glenn?
You can contact advertisers who have continued to advertise on the show, and thank them for not giving in to the bullying tactics of the Left. Send them email, call them, and write them letters or send faxes. Get your friends and family to do the same.
A good place to get contact information on these companies, including the ones who have been bullied, at Defend Glenn, a website set up by a husband and wife team who did what any of us could have...they stepped forward and said, "Not on my Watch!!!" Join their effort and protect Glenn's right to Free Speech. It is obvious that President Obama won't, for his Green Jobs Czar is the very man leading the effort to muzzle Glenn Beck. If that does not concern you on any level, then you are part of the problem. Leave this blog, and never come back, I never knew you.
As part of my personal effort to help defend Glenn, I am composing messages to be sent by email (with copies sent by regular mail as backup). Here is one I have sent to Radio Shack, and you can also send yours via this email address... media.relations@RadioShack.com:
It is with great regret that I must inform you that I will not be shopping at my local Radio Shack due to your company pulling it's advertising from the Glenn Beck program.Until such time as you return to advertising on his show, I will not support your business with my money.Here are some viewer numbers for you to consider regarding the Glenn Beck Show:5PM – P2+ (25-54) (35-64)Glenn Beck– 2,502,000 viewers (658,000) (1,224,000)Situation Room—610,000 viewers (114,000) (218,000)Hardball w/ Chris Matthews—487,000 viewers (123,000) (227,000) Fast Money—206,000 viewers (a scratch w/ 52,000) (100,000) Prime News–146,000 viewers (84,000) (112,000)Source: TV By the Numbers [click link to see] or try http://is.gd/2mtlRI have been a shopper at Radio Shack since the early 1980's, and have puchased countless components for building numerous electronic projects over the years, and the majority of the radio frequency scanners I have came from Radio Shack. Radio Shack has been the first place I go for electronics, and I am sad that your actions have forced me elsewhere.Here is a recent Tweet I sent out to my followers regarding the Glenn Beck Boycott, which is politically motivated, and led by a man who is a member of the Obama Administration:http://is.gd/2ms8S They are coming for Glenn Beck (http://is.gd/2ms0C), what will you do to stop them?http://is.gd/2ms44Source: TwitterBobby CogginsFranklin, NC
**Note I will be posting this to as many forums as I can in order to get more people to take action.
Monday, August 17, 2009
The Hold that Predefined Narratives have over the Minds of Leftists
The incident between Officer James Crowley and Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr demonstrates just what a powerful grip fictional narratives have on the minds of leftists. All the leftists in the country, from the President on down, fervently believe that Crowley acted out of racial animosity but they can’t explain what action of Crowley’s indicates his racial animosity. Instead, they must rely on a narrative shared by the subculture to convince each other that Crowley must be wrong.
Leftists are clearly caught up in two narratives. First, they have the narrative of black man versus white cop. In this narrative, one need only plug the race and role of each person into the narrative and the narrative will tell them who was absolutely wrong and who was absolutely right. Since Crowley was the white cop, the narratives says he acted wrongly. Case closed.
The second narrative is the hindsight narrative. This is a narrative in which the actions of participants in an event are explained in terms of information known in hindsight, not the information each participant had at the time. In hindsight, we all know that Gates was a legal resident in his home and that the report of break-in was a false alarm. With that information, the hindsight narrative creates a story in which Crowley is clearly a bully harassing an old man for illegitimate reasons.
We can dismiss the first narrative outright because it is simply racist. We should always evaluate individuals based on their own actions not on our arbitrary inclusion of them in some stereotyped group. The second narrative falls apart when we look at the sequence of events and examine the actions of both Gates and Crowley based on the information each had on hand at the time.
Source: Chicago Boyz (Go read the entire article there)
Commentary
It never enters the minds of most lefties that the facts could be other than what they have had drilled into them day after day, year after year in public schools and from their political leaders.
Part of my definition of what a Lefty is involves anyone who operates with a predefined narrative that automatically casts people in certain roles of good guy or bad guy based on race, ethnicity or role they have in society. That's why I classify most Ron Paul supporters as Lefties because they operate with predefined narratives as well, many of them indistinguishable from ones used by Lefties in the Democrat Party.
A couple or incidents in the Lefty Freakshow that is Asheville, NC follow this perfectly.
The 1st incident was the case of a person who had a belligerent encounter with the police when they checked out why an upside down flag was flying over their house (a universal sign of distress) and the people inside acted just like Gates did, even going a step further an getting into a scuffle with the police. All the usual Lefties and Ron Paul Lefties bought the story based on the narrative that the police are always wrong, and looking to violate citizens privacy or whatever Constitutional Right is on the boiler plate for the day. [Source]
From the US Flag Code:
(a) The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.
The 2nd, and most recent incident, happened when an encounter took place that ended with a bicyclist getting shot by an off duty fire fighter.
Be sure to read this commentary thread to see what I mean.
Heath Shuler and Blue Dogs Score Poorly on Fiscally Conservative Report Card Measuring anti-Pork Votes
The Club for Growth has released it's annual report card that measures how often members of Congress vote against Pork Projects that are before Congress. My Congressman, Heath Shuler, scored a mere 1% on the report card that was issued by the fiscally conservative group...nearly the same as Nancy Pelosi.
Here is how the North Carolina delegation scored:
100% Virginia Foxx (R-NC-05)
99% Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10)
97% Sue Myrick (R-NC-09)
84% Howard Coble (R-NC-06)
22% Walter Jones (R-NC-03)
1% Heath Shuler (R-NC-11)
0% GK Butterfield (D-N-NC-01)
0% Bob Etheridge (D-NC-02)
0% David Price (D-NC-04)
0% Mike McIntyre (D-NC-07)
0% Larry Kissell (D-NC-08)
0% Mel Watt (D-NC-12)
0% Brad Miller (D-NC-13)
Here are the members of Congress who deserve special recognition for receiving a perfect score of 100%:
| Broun (R-GA-10) | ||
| Campbell (R-CA-48) | ||
| Cassidy (R-LA-6) | ||
| Flake (R-AZ-6) | ||
| Foxx (R-NC-5) | ||
| Garrett (R-NJ-5) | ||
| Hensarling (R-TX-5) | ||
| Jenkins (R-KS-2) | ||
| Kline, J. (R-MN-2) | ||
| Lamborn (R-CO-5) | ||
| Linder (R-GA-7) | ||
| Lummis (R-WY-AL) | ||
| McClintock (R-CA-4) | ||
| Minnick (D-ID-1) | ||
| Pence (R-IN-6) | ||
| Petri (R-WI-6) | ||
| Pitts (R-PA-16) | ||
| Price, T. (R-GA-6) | ||
| Ryan, P. (R-WI-1) | ||
| Sensenbrenner (R-WI-5) | ||
| Shadegg (R-AZ-3) | ||
| Westmoreland (R-GA-3) |
Back to my Congressman. He is part of the Blue Dog Coalition...and in fact, serves on the leadership team as Blue Dog Whip, charged with encouraging others in the coalition to stick with the group on votes where the Coalition has taken a position.
Let's take a look at the Blue Dog Coalition to see just how fiscally conservative they are, or are not.
The overwhelming majority of Blue Dogs scored either 0% or 1% on the report, and only 9 scored more than that, and three more than 50%, with Cooper (TN-05) scoring 97% and Minnick (ID-01) scoring a perfect 100% on the report.
I have them listed below with their score on the anti-pork report card arranged by name and by score:
Blue Dog Leadership Team
0% Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Administration
0% Rep. Baron Hill (IN-09), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Policy
0% Rep. Charlie Melancon (LA-03), Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications
1% Rep. Heath Shuler (NC-11), Blue Dog Whip
Blue Dog Members
1% Altmire, Jason (PA-04)
0% Arcuri, Mike (NY-24)
0% Baca, Joe (CA-43)
1% Barrow, John (GA-12)
0% Berry, Marion (AR-01)
0% Bishop, Sanford (GA-02)
0% Boren, Dan (OK-02)
0% Boswell, Leonard (IA-03)
0% Boyd, Allen (FL-02)
61% Bright, Bobby (AL-02)
0% Cardoza, Dennis (CA-18)
0% Carney, Christopher (PA-10)
0% Chandler, Ben (KY-06)
0% Childers, Travis (MS-01)
97% Cooper, Jim (TN-05)
0% Costa, Jim (CA-20)
0% Cuellar, Henry (TX-28)
1% Dahlkemper, Kathy (PA-03)
0% Davis, Lincoln (TN-04)
0% Donnelly, Joe (IN-02)
0% Ellsworth, Brad (IN-08)
19% Giffords, Gabrielle (AZ-08)
0% Gordon, Bart (TN-06)
0% Griffith, Parker (AL-05)
0% Harman, Jane (CA-36)
0% Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie (SD)
0% Hill, Baron (IN-09)
0% Holden, Tim (PA-17)
1% Kratovil, Jr., Frank (MD-01)
0% McIntyre, Mike (NC-07)
4% Marshall, Jim (GA-03)
6% Matheson, Jim (UT-02)
0% Melancon, Charlie (LA-03)
0% Michaud, Mike (ME-02)
100% Minnick, Walt (ID-01)
25% Mitchell, Harry (AZ-05)
0% Moore, Dennis (KS-03)
0% Murphy, Patrick (PA-08)
22% Nye, Glenn (VA-02)
0% Peterson, Collin (MN-07)
0% Pomeroy, Earl (ND)
0% Ross, Mike (AR-04)
0% Salazar, John (CO-03)
0% Sanchez, Loretta (CA-47)
0% Schiff, Adam (CA-29)
0% Scott, David (GA-13)
1% Shuler, Heath (NC-11)
0% Space, Zack (OH-18)
0% Tanner, John (TN-08)
5% Taylor, Gene (MS-04)
0% Thompson, Mike (CA-01)
0% Wilson, Charles (OH-06)
100% Minnick, Walt (ID-01) a rare feat for a Blue Dog, as well as a member of Congress. I congratulate Congressman Minnick.
97% Cooper, Jim (TN-05) Congressman Cooper scored higher than most Republicans!
61% Bright, Bobby (AL-02) Even at 61% Congressman Bright manages to score higher than most of his fellow Congress Critters.
25% Mitchell, Harry (AZ-05)
22% Nye, Glenn (VA-02)
19% Giffords, Gabrielle (AZ-08)
6% Matheson, Jim (UT-02)
5% Taylor, Gene (MS-04)
4% Marshall, Jim (GA-03)
1% Altmire, Jason (PA-04)
1% Barrow, John (GA-12)
1% Dahlkemper, Kathy (PA-03)
1% Kratovil, Jr., Frank (MD-01)
1% Shuler, Heath (NC-11)
0% Arcuri, Mike (NY-24)
0% Baca, Joe (CA-43)
0% Berry, Marion (AR-01)
0% Bishop, Sanford (GA-02)
0% Boren, Dan (OK-02)
0% Boswell, Leonard (IA-03)
0% Boyd, Allen (FL-02)
0% Cardoza, Dennis (CA-18)
0% Carney, Christopher (PA-10)
0% Chandler, Ben (KY-06)
0% Childers, Travis (MS-01)
0% Costa, Jim (CA-20)
0% Cuellar, Henry (TX-28)
0% Davis, Lincoln (TN-04)
0% Donnelly, Joe (IN-02)
0% Ellsworth, Brad (IN-08)
0% Gordon, Bart (TN-06)
0% Griffith, Parker (AL-05)
0% Harman, Jane (CA-36)
0% Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie (SD)
0% Hill, Baron (IN-09)
0% Holden, Tim (PA-17)
0% McIntyre, Mike (NC-07)
0% Melancon, Charlie (LA-03)
0% Michaud, Mike (ME-02) 0%
Moore, Dennis (KS-03)
0% Murphy, Patrick (PA-08)
0% Peterson, Collin (MN-07)
0% Pomeroy, Earl (ND)
0% Ross, Mike (AR-04)
0% Salazar, John (CO-03)
0% Sanchez, Loretta (CA-47)
0% Schiff, Adam (CA-29)
0% Scott, David (GA-13)
0% Space, Zack (OH-18)
0% Tanner, John (TN-08)
0% Thompson, Mike (CA-01)
0% Wilson, Charles (OH-06)
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Audio of Congressman Heath Shuler's Tele-Town Hall on Health Care
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Here is the audio that I was able to record of the town hall that took place tonight. I missed the beginning because the power was temporarily out due to a Severe Thunderstorm, and the end because my Internet Connection dropped out. That wouldn't have happened in a real live Town Hall, would it?
I'll try to do the same for the September 1st event as well. Hopefully there won't be any storms then.
**9.25pm**
Here is a complete recording of the Town Hall as recorded by @LiberT, who also blogs at Fr33 Asheville:
Heath Shuler Tele-Townhall 8-13-09 by LiberT
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
What Have We Wrought in America?
Florida Girl Says Family Wants To Kill Her For Being Christian
Girl Says Family Wants To Kill Her For Being Christian
ORLANDO, Fla. -- An Ohio girl ran away to Orlando because she said her family threatened to kill her for converting to Christianity. Rifqa Bary, 17, said she was threatened by her family because she converted from Islam to Christianity.
"What did your father say to you?" WFTV reporter Mary Nguyen asked.
"He said he would kill me!" replied Bary.
They have to kill me. My blood is now halal which means because I am now a Christian, I am from a Muslim background, it is an honor, if they love god more than me, they have to do this."
This is not just some threat. This is reality. This is truth. This is reality.
Commentary
This is just one of the evils of a society that has come to believe that all cultures and religions are equal. This multicultural nonsense fails to acknowledge that some cultures are evil.
The idea of honer killings is an evil part of Islamic culture.
Pray for this girl, and thousands like her in America, and the millions around the world who live in fear.
I hope she got away, and that she has not been murdered by her family in a barbaric act.
This is the type of thing that should bring our elected leaders to their knees before God to seek His forgiveness for allowing America to become a nation in which a girl has to flee for her life from her family just because she chooses to become a Christian.
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