Map Graphic showing the paths of the six tornadoes that hit the western Carolinas on October 26, 2010 using data supplied by the Greenville-Spartanburg Office of the National Weather Service and the ACME Mapper provided by ACME Laboratories. Data overlay by Bobby Coggins.
I have embedded a report by the National Weather Service regarding the six tornadoes to hit our region this past week. It includes storm surveys, radar images and damage photos from the event. In the above map graphic, I took the reported path of the tornadoes and overlaid them on a map showing the paths of the storm. The first storm I used A for the starting point and B for the ending point. I continued the naming convention for all six storms. The fifth storm, near Forest City, only shows the letter I because that tornado only traveled for 300 yards on the ground.
Tornadoes can hit at any time of the year, and you should always be prepared with a plan of action. The National Severe Storms Laboratory has a Tornado Guide that has information on tornadoes and guidance on developing a Family Disaster Plan.
A terror plot by the Yemeni Branch of Al-Qaeda has been foiled. The plot involved sending several explosive packages to synagogues in Chicago.
An explosive-laden package was intercepted in Dubai, another on a cargo jet at Midlands in the United Kingdom and planes were searched at Philadelphia and JFK Airports.
President Obama made a brief address to the nation concerning the series of incidents. Here is the video of that statement:
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs relayed a timeline of events in the current terror plot and John Brennan, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, made a statement and took questions along with Robert Gibbs. I will have either the audio or video posted of that later.
**6.29pm**
Here is the audio:
**1.51am**
Here is the full briefing, including the statement from the President and the Press Conference that followed:
From The Buncombe County Republican Party
10/27/10
Buncombe County Republican Party Responds to Opposition Intimidation
The Buncombe County Republican Party is receiving calls and reports on voter and volunteer intimidation by representatives of the opposition party. In addition, volunteers associated with the Democratic Party have been filmed conducting campaign activities in direct violation of poll electioneering buffer requirements. In response to these and other actions, the Buncombe Republican Party is filing a formal complaint with the Board of Elections.
Examples of violations include the following—
1. Republican volunteers at the Biltmore Square Early Voting site were told by opposition campaigners they would have to move to a church that was located “across the street” from the mall to greet voters. Our representatives refused.
2. The Vice-Chairman for the Buncombe Democratic Party instructed a Republican site campaigner to move their tent at the Tunnel Road voting site. Our representative was intimidated but refused to comply from the illegal request.
3. A voter was approached in the parking lot of a voting site and asked who he voted for – he was cursed by the individual when he acknowledged his Republican vote.
4. The Republican Party has set-up clearly marked tents at early voting sites – including the North and South Asheville libraries. Opposition party representatives have placed their tables under our tents and created confusion for voters seeking information on Republican candidates. When asked to move, opposition representatives have refused. These actions can be viewed at- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUpiU9R1YTg
5. A Republican volunteer at the South Buncombe site witnessed an opposition party volunteer physically move one of the 50’ buffer signs.
6. Opposition volunteers have been repeatedly seen removing and/or destroying Republican candidate signs.
7. In another serious violation, leadership of the Buncombe County Democrat Party was filmed electioneering with indifference to the poll distance marker at the downtown Asheville early voting site. Democrat candidates Jane Whilden and Susan Fisher can specifically be seen campaigning beyond the poll distance marker. These actions can be viewed at - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzmKdTE8pjE
“Most of the BC Republican volunteers at the Early Voting sites are elderly or handicapped,” said Buncombe GOP Chair Chad Nesbitt. “We installed these tents for their comfort and security and to show a strong and welcoming Republican presence for voters. These are not confrontational volunteers, yet they are reporting a pattern of intimidation and misbehavior by representatives of the other party. Though Asheville’s liberal socialist progressive community seems to feel free to do whatever serves their interest, we will stand up to bullying and violations.
We are in the process of passing incident reporting forms to our volunteers and asking them to document any misbehavior by the opposition party or others seeking to intimidate voters or volunteers.
LSP’s under a Democratic Party banner would cry “foul” with a passion were conservative, Tea Party, or independents behaving inappropriately at voting sites and would be correct in doing so. Though liberal dominance of politics and some media in Buncombe County supports double standards, we will nonetheless stand firm and report their activities to appropriate authorities.
Nesbitt said, “Our Republican representatives are under strict instruction to obey all laws and to behave in a professional manner.” “We will not look away from intimidation or desperation tactics used by the opposition to maintain their dominance, but we will not reciprocate. It is our hope that this election will produce a unification of Republicans, conservative Democrats, Libertarians, and Independents intent on reestablishing balance and accountable governance in Buncombe County, our state, and country.
“At no point have poll officials raised concerns with me as Chair or our volunteers regarding our tents or volunteer behaviors,” said Nesbitt. “All complaints seem to be coming from opposition party representatives who are evidently uncomfortable with the Republican Party having a stronger than normal poll presence. It is our pleasure to disappoint them with our success and enthusiasm. We will continue to do our best to give voters the information and support they need to make informed decisions.”
For more information, please contact the BCGOP at 828-253-5800 or
BCGOP Chairman Chad Nesbitt at 828-216-0147
The pranskster who ran the ChadNesbitt Twitter Account is feeling the heat and is shutting the effort down. Here is a post from the TwitLonger account:
On Wednesday 27th October 2010, @chadnesbitt said:
I started the @chadnesbitt account on Twitter as a form of political expression. Twitter is rife with satire accounts, and I considered @chadnesbitt an effective way to draw attention to the antics of one of the most divisive public figures in Buncombe County: Chad Nesbitt, Chair of the Buncombe County Republican Party.
The idea was to satirize the actions of the real Mr Nesbitt by using similar language and statements he is known for. Since the joke only works if it’s clear that @chadnesbittwasn’t representing the real person, I was careful to make sure no reasonable person would confuse the two. Precautions included:
--> An eye-patch on the avatar
--> Spelling errors in the bio
--> A #satire hashtag in the bio
The project was fun at first, but quickly became tedious. I was starting to think it was time to wrap it all up when Mr. Nesbitt announced the Secret Service had asked him questions about the @chadnesbitt account. Allegedly, certain statements I had made could be construed as a threat to the President.
I anxiously waited for a visit or call from the authorities. When none arrived I assumed the Secret Service was merely asking Chad questions they would ask any local political opposition. (eg: “Any crazies we have to watch out for?” “Are you planning a counter-protest?”) One of the questions may have been about the Twitter account - and Chad seized on this as a way to force the hand of local authorities to shut @chadnesbitt down.
I’d like to review, and give my perspective, on the “threatening” tweets. As I do so please keep in mind these are only three out of 200+ innocuous comments.
1) Brainstorming ways 2 disrupt #Shuler event on Saturday. Doing so will make crowd vote #Republican & get me a lot of attention.
2) Oops - my informant tells me the #Clinton visit to #Asheville is on Thursday! :-O My bad! I’m going to have to think fast! :-O
These tweets were made _after_ Chad disrupted a Democratic Party get-out-the-vote rally a few days earlier with one of his street sweepers. The point of the joke was that Chad is more interested in bringing attention to himself and promoting his party, than crafting a reasonable campaign strategy to counter a Clinton visit.
If anyone is going to take the three aforementioned tweets seriously as a threat, they would also have to take these tweets seriously:
4) Yesterday's anti-annexation rally, which I organized all by myself, went amazingly well. I put the call out, and people came. (Oct 13)
5) I now have a secret mole in the DemocRAT camp. (It's Gopher Face with a mustache.) (Oct 12)
Clearly, when taken in context of the entire Twitter account, no reasonable person would assume tweets 1-3 are meant as anything other than satire.
Once President Clinton left town, I committed myself to using @chadnesbitt for at least one more week; primarily to demonstrate to Mr. Nesbitt that I’m not scared of him or his hyperbolic press releases.
As I’ve said publicly via Twitter - If I’m hurting Chad’s feelings or causing him any kind of harm - he should contact me. Although he is a public figure, and I am entirely in my rights to comment on his antics as long as he remains so, a simple “Please stop this, you’re causing distress” would have put my project to a screeching halt. He could still do so via “@bcgop” and/or his personal Twitter account: “@neverleft”. (Note about@neverleft - I was following that account, but he blocked me. He’ll have to unblock in order for him to send a Direct Message.)
Finally, it has come to my attention that Buncombe County may be seeking a subpoena to determine the owner of @chadnesbit.
I have nothing but respect for County Attorney Ron Moore. My only regret in all this is that he may have to waste taxpayer dollars investigating whether there is a legal basis to prosecute a satire account on a public figure.
Mr. Moore, if you’re reading this, please accept my deepest apologies. I’m sure you would much rather be focused on more pressing issues. I am a politically-motivated, peaceable, satirist - with no intent to cause violence to anyone. Hopefully, the next paragraph in this letter will make both our lives easier.
I will no longer Tweet from @chadnesbitt. I’m a simple person who doesn’t enjoy this kind of drama. If I wanted attention, I’d run for Chair of a political party.
These two charts speak volumes about where the support for Congressman Heath Shuler is coming from. I wonder if his 'Mountain Values' include representing the people from outside our district who have paid for his congressional campaigns since he first ran for office.
**update** The photo I posted earlier was NOT of the stomper. He was the one who shoved her to the ground.
This to me seems typical of the extremist types who support both Rand Paul and his father. This is not the first act of political street fighting or Brownshirt fascist tactics used by these people. Violence without cause like this should not be tolerated.
In this video, Ron Paul Supporters chase Sean Hannity through the streets in New Hampshire. I can't help but wonder how badly he would have been beaten if he had been caught.
The following is a screen shot of the comments left by Ron Paul Supporters on the above video:
“Violence of any kind has no place in our civil discourse and we urge supporters on all sides to be civil to one another as tensions rise heading toward this very important election.”
**10/27/2010 7.01am**
A volunteer with Rand Paul's Senate campaign has admitted to placing his shoe firmly on the face of a MoveOn.org volunteer outside a Senate debate on Monday night, but insisted that the camera angle of the footage that captured the altercation made the scuffle look worse than it was.
Tim Profitt apologized for the incident in a statement sent to a local AP reporter. But he also criticized the police for not stepping in to calm down the crowd and argued that other supporters had previously warned authorities about the MoveOn activist, Lauren Valle.
Let's go to the video...is this a light placement of the foot or a stomp?
**7.12am** The guy who dragged Lauren Valle to the ground and pinned her there has also been identified. His name is Mike Pezzano. He was identified by a fellow Tea Party member, who wished to remain anonymous.
The Americans for Prosperity "November is Coming" bus visited franklin, NC this morning to encourage people to vote and raise awareness of their petition on the November is Coming website. You can also find some good information at the North Carolina Chapter of Americans for Prosperity.
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 712
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
535 AM EDT MON OCT 25 2010
THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
CENTRAL AND NORTHERN GEORGIA
WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
WESTERN SOUTH CAROLINA
EAST TENNESSEE
EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON FROM 535 AM UNTIL 100
PM EDT.
TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.
THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 60 STATUTE
MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 25 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF
KNOXVILLE TENNESSEE TO 45 MILES SOUTHEAST OF COLUMBUS GEORGIA.
FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU2).
REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 711...
DISCUSSION...ERN AL SQLN WITH EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS SHOULD CONTINUE
GENERALLY ENE INTO GA AND THE SRN APPALACHIANS THROUGH LATER THIS
MORNING. WHILE BOUNDARY LAYER ACROSS THAT REGION IS NOT AS
WARM/MOIST AS IN AL...COMBINATION OF ELEVATED TERRAIN...EXPECTED MID
LVL COOLING AHEAD OF W TN/NRN MS UPR VORT...AND STRENGTH OF LOW TO
MID LVL WIND FIELD SUGGEST CONTINUED RISK FOR SUSTAINED
STORMS/SUPERCELLS POSING A RISK FOR LOCALLY DMGG WIND AND ISOLD
TORNADOES. A THREAT FOR ISOLD SVR WEATHER ALSO WILL EXIST WITH ANY
SUSTAINED STORMS THAT MIGHT EVOLVE ALONG AXIS OF CONFLUENCE E OF
SQLN IN ERN AL.
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 INCH. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 450.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23035.
TORNADO WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WT 712 NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 535 AM EDT MON OCT 25 2010
TORNADO WATCH 712 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 PM EDT FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 1985
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0407 AM CDT MON OCT 25 2010
AREAS AFFECTED...AL/WRN GA
CONCERNING...TORNADO WATCH 711...
VALID 250907Z - 251100Z
THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT FOR TORNADO WATCH 711 CONTINUES.
BROKEN LINE OF STRONG/SEVERE STORMS CONTINUES MOVING QUICKLY EWD
ACROSS AL ATTM...FUELED BY 500 TO 1000 J/KG MIXED-LAYER CAPE IN
PLACE AHEAD OF THE CONVECTION PER LATEST OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS.
STRONG/VEERING FLOW WITH HEIGHT CONTINUES TO SUPPORT ORGANIZED
STORMS -- WITH A FEW AREAS OF OCCASIONAL EMBEDDED ROTATION INDICATED
WITHIN THE LINE. MAIN THREAT WILL REMAIN DAMAGING WINDS...THOUGH
BRIEF/ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL REMAIN POSSIBLE.
INSTABILITY WANES WITH EWD EXTENT INTO GA...AND THUS WOULD EXPECT AN
EVENTUAL/SLOW DECREASE IN CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY AS IT CROSSES INTO WRN
GA. HOWEVER...GIVEN WELL-ORGANIZED NATURE OF THE CONVECTIVE
LINE...SOME SEVERE THREAT MAY LINGER E OF THE CURRENT ERN EDGE OF
THE WATCH -- WHICH COULD REQUIRE EITHER A LOCAL WW EXTENSION OR NEW
WW ISSUANCE IN THE NEXT 1-2 HOURS.
..GOSS.. 10/25/2010
A partial quote from the video: “I was amazed at the amount of money, this $200 billion of money that is — where there’s no accountability,” Vice President Joe Biden said. “When I say accountability, we don’t know where it’s coming from. There’s no disclosure, so the folks watching the ad can’t make a judgment based upon motive when you say it’s paid for by so-and-so,” he added.
Fact Check: In the 2008 Election Cycle, only $5.3 billion was spent on all federal races, including over a billion on the Presidential race.
I would believe $200 million, perhaps, but not $200 billion.
**6.14am** The big spender this election cycle is...wait for it...Unions. To the tune of over $87 million, AFSCME, the public-employees union, has vaulted ahead of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to become the largest campaign spender of 2010:
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is now the biggest outside spender of the 2010 elections, thanks to an 11th-hour effort to boost Democrats that has vaulted the public-sector union ahead of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the AFL-CIO and a flock of new Republican groups in campaign spending.
The 1.6 million-member AFSCME is spending a total of $87.5 million on the elections after tapping into a $16 million emergency account to help fortify the Democrats' hold on Congress. Last week, AFSCME dug deeper, taking out a $2 million loan to fund its push. The group is spending money on television advertisements, phone calls, campaign mailings and other political efforts, helped by a Supreme Court decision that loosened restrictions on campaign spending.
"We're the big dog," said Larry Scanlon, the head of AFSCME's political operations. "But we don't like to brag."
The 14th Annual Pumpkinfest is being held today in downtown Franklin, NC. Main Street will be closed from 6am to 6pm and the traffic detour route is posted above.
I'll be there, taking photos and video of the event, and you can find out more about the festival at Renewing Franklin.
Main Street, Phillips Street, and Palmer Street will be awash with everything pumpkin on Saturday. Bring your pumpkin (or purchase one downtown) and sign up early for the world famous PUMPKINFEST Pumpkin Roll. The Costume Parade and Contest will surely be the highlight of the day, but don't miss out on the Pumpkin Walk, great crafts and art, fabulous food, and music, music, music. Again this year, PUMPKINFEST will hold a Pumpkin Cooking Contest and you’re invited to enter your favorite pumpkin creation. The contest is sponsored by the Macon County Historical Society.
If you are too far away to attend the festival this year, you can peak in on some of the events as seen from the WPFJ webcam. It is currently pointed at the Main Street and Iotla Street intersection. They may also be doing a live broadcast from the festival. You can tune in at 1480 kHz on the AM band.
If I upolad any pics or tweet from the festival today, I'll use the #MaconNC hashtag. The twubs widget is below:
This just in from the Buncombe County Republican Party:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 20, 2010
Contact:
Chad Nesbitt
Chairman
828-216-0147
chad.nesbitt@buncombegop.org
FAKE TWITTER ACCOUNT LEADS TO SECRET SERVICE INTERVIEW
AHEAD OF CLINTON VISIT
Earlier this evening, Buncombe County GOP Chair Chad Nesbitt was interviewed by the U.S. Secret Service and the Asheville Police Department. Per the discussion, the contact was initiated in anticipation of former President Bill Clinton's Thursday visit to Asheville.
The contact was cordial, with the Chair assuring the Secret Service and APD that he nor anyone he knows represents a physical threat to Clinton. "I think he's a scoundrel, but I am delighted that the Democratic power structure thinks he's the proper voice to represent their Party's understanding of our mountain values," said Nesbitt. "I certainly wish him no physical harm, in fact I am delighted he is coming - it could only be better if Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid were coming to prop up Shuler. He and his party evidently need a nurse, and we all know that Clinton is good at that. The only thing Mr. Clinton has to fear from me is illumination of his credentials as an unprincipled person and fast talking advocate for the left's socialistic message of "something for nothing".
"Per discussion with the agent and officer who met with me, their concerns originated with comments on a Twitter account under my name," said Nesbitt. "I do not have and have never had a Twitter account. I reported this false account several weeks ago to the Buncombe County Sheriff's Department. They consulted with Buncombe County District Attorney Ron Moore, who I understand refused to take action. Per that lack of accountability, this situation reached a point of seriousness requiring Secret Service action. I hope the Buncombe County Sheriff Department and Mr. Moore will now realize the seriousness of this matter and act on my complaint. I will, again, make a formal request for action."
"The law enforcement officers I met with were respectful and indicated their concerns had been addressed," noted Nesbitt. "I appreciate the Secret Service doing their job to protect our former President. I am doing mine in turning on the lights."
For further information about the Buncombe County Republican Party, visitwww.buncombegop.org. Or call 828-216-0147.
###
Commentary
Personally, I think the Secret Service must be hiring retarded people if they didn't know that the twitter account was fake. When I say retarded, I mean that I think they scored lower than Congressman Shuler did on his Wonderlic. This indeed causes me to fear for the safety of our former Presidents.
This post was inspired by a question posted on a Yahoo! Group I am a member of, and it is as follows:
I have been studying the sample ballot for this election... and for some judges races there are 1st , 2nd and 3rd choices.... it is not as it seems.. read the fine print... The first choice is your first choice.... it should also be your 2nd and 3rd choice... I heard on the
radio today that if your first choice does not get over 50% of the vote then it is an automatic run off to your 2nd and 3rd choices....
Someone please correct me it I have assessed this incorrectly..
Thanks
Name Redacted
Here is my answer, which I've swiped to post here because I am sure that many others have the same question...
If you do that, your votes will only be counted once.
IRV is (I believe) being conducted in violation of both North Carolina and Federal Election Law...but when has that ever stopped the people who are determined to wreck our political system?
There is almost nothing on the various county websites that have been posted to help us identify who the conservative judges are.
Here is a portion from a blog in New Bern [Link to Blog] that has identified some conservative judges:
IRV (Instant Runoff Voting Procedure
You may also CLICK HERE to visit the NC Board of Elections pdf to view an example of IRV. Example on the lower half of page two of the document, red text: IRV -- Instant Runoff Voting.
Reason for IRV this election:
NC Court of Appeals Judge Wynn was elevated to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court o Appeals. Under the NC Constitution, the vacant office must be filled by an election this November. Thirteen candidates are running for the office. Too late to hold a primary, under NC law, this election will use an Instant Runoff Voting method. Voters indicate who they prefer among the candidates at the "instant" they vote, by ranking as many as three choices 1, 2, and 3. If your 1st choice loses, your 2nd or 3rd choice could determine who wins.
Court of Appeals Judge (IRV Selection)
(Wynn Seat)
Choice 1: J. Douglas McCullough Choice 2: Daniel Garner Choice 3: Jewel Ann Farlow
Important: You may rank less than three candidates by leaving columns blank. If you select the same candidate in more than one column, your vote for that candidate will count only once.
It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you also CLICK HERE to view an example of what the Court of Appeals Judge IRV ballot will look like.
Judges increasingly determine what constraints will be placed upon our liberty and rights as Americans. You MUST vote for individual judges, a party line vote does NOT include judges. We urge you to vote for conservative judges who can help restore our adherence to the Constitution and preserve our Republic through case law and a strong commitment to States Rights.
And, I found a list on the Scrutiny Hooligans blog...they are recommending Hammer, Middleton and Thigpen...so I think we can safely mark those off our list from the start. They also posted a list of the judges with their voter registration listed. There are only 3 Republicans on the ballot: Dillon, Garner and McCullough. That might be a good starting point from which to begin your investigations.
I have compiled a list below, and just click on the links below to visit their websites or facebook pages to find out more about them and make your own determination in how you should rank them:
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