Lowering Of NC Flags To Half-Staff In Honor of Henderson County Deputy Sheriff Ryan Hendrix

Governor Roy Cooper today ordered all North Carolina flags at state facilities to be lowered to half-staff beginning today, Friday, September 18, 2020 until sunset on Saturday, September 19, 2020 in honor of Henderson County Deputy Sheriff Ryan Hendrix who died in the line of duty on September 10, 2020

An eight year veteran of the Henderson County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Hendrix was working at the rank of detective serving as a uniformed investigator. Also a veteran of the US Marines, Deputy Hendrix served on the Henderson County Sheriff's Office SWAT team and was a field training officer.

Services for Deputy Hendrix will be held today at the Mud Creek Baptist Church in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

Statement from Governor Roy Cooper:

"Kristin and I are praying for Ryan Hendrix, who died while trying to keep his community safe. Our thoughts are with his loved ones, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Dept. and the entire community."

As a show of respect, individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flag at half-staff for the duration of time indicated.

Please note, all North Carolina flag announcements are issued in accordance to regulations outlined in the US Flag Code.


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Published at 8:22am on Friday, September 18, 2020

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John Edwards and Heath Shuler on the Campaign Trail

I was going through a junk draer the other day and found an old porable hard dive that I had "lost" and found a video on it that I had taken five years ago today on August 22, 2006 at a campaign rally for Heath Shuler in Hendersonville, NC. Former US senator John Edwards did most of the talking at the rally and, since I had no video editing software at the time...I did not post the video because it was over the ten minute limit and I had no way of splitting it. I have now corrected that and have edited and uploaded the video to Youtube and embedded it here...albeit five years late.







I covered the event on this blog, as did Gordon Smith of Scrutiny Hooligans (he was going by Screwie Hoolie at the time) and Tim Peck was there, too. Alas, Gordon and Tim's coverage of the event seems to have been deleted. Gordon moved his blog to a new URL and I suppose that was one of the articles that didn't survive the crossover. Tim's photos of the event have been removed from the Internet due to the failure of Bubbleshare. He apparently did not write about the event on his blog. It also seems that all previously posted video of the event has been removed from Youtube. 


Here is coverage of the event in other news outlets:


Hendersonville Times-News online article
Hendersonville Times-News print article
Lexington Dispatch print article
Wilmington Star News
Blue NC (a mirror of the article Gordon originally posted on Scrutiny Hooligans)
Dailykos

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Henderson County GOP Ad Buy: Is Heath Shuler With You or the ACLU?

It looks like the henderson County GOP is taking the lead in taking on Congressman Shuler this campaign cycle. I've received a Press Release from Robert Danos of the Henderson County GOP:

Ad campaign in the Hendersonville Times-News, the Tryon Daily Bulletin, and the Smoky Mountain News all this week.

While the Obama Administration is dropping the ball on the War on Terror, the GOP is asking the voters to demand that Heath Shuler take action.

The White House wants to give the 9/11 terrorists civilian trials - a decision that is both dangerous and unnecessary. Enemy combatants are not due the rights of the Constitution and the people of the states should have the right to say"NO" to having these terrorists housed or tried in their state.

HR 2294, the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act, would give the people of any state the right to say NO to President Obama.

But Heath Shuler won't support it. He has refused even to say where he stands on the issue - and if he isn't standing against the White House then he is supporting it with his silence.

The White House also is continuing to send detainees back to countries like Yemen, who have proven they are incapable of preventing them from returning to the war on the U.S. There is a bill in the House to halt those transfers - and yet, Shuler is silent on that as well.

There are bills to cut off any funding for the closure of Guantanamo and the transfer of the detainees to US soil - and yet, Shuler is silent on that as well.

This ad buy represents our commitment to getting Shuler off of the sidelines on these crucial issues.

Is Heath Shuler with You or the ACLU?

A strong majority of voters in WNC know that the Obama Administration's decision to give the 9/11 terrorists a civilian trial, in the heart of New York City, is both dangerous and unnecessary.

We have used military tribunals to try enemy combatants for war crimes going back to WWII, the Civil War, and even the Revolutionary War. It would appear that the most pressing reason that this White House wants to change that precedent is to impress foreign leaders and the ACLU.

There is only one body that could block President Obama from following through on this path - the United States Congress.

The bill in Congress that has gained the most ground on the issue is HR 2294, the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act, which would "Require the approval of the relevant State governor and legislature" before any enemy combatant could be transferred to their state. Very simply, it would give the people of any state the right to say NO to President Obama.

However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has told the chairmen of the relevant committees to keep it bottled up. She and her leadership team know this bill would pass if it came up for a fair vote.

The only way for a bill to be heard on the House floor if it is being held hostage in committee is through a discharge petition.

The discharge petition on HR 2294 currently has the signatures of 170 House members. With 48 more members it would be forced to a vote on the House floor.

Back in December, the Republican Chairmen of the counties of WNC called on Congressman Shuler to take a stand on the right side of history by standing up to Pelosi and signing the petition.

However, as the Times-News reported on December 8th, Shuler has stayed silent: "Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, will not reveal his stand on whether the 9/11 terrorists should be tried in New York".

And when they pressed further for even a hint of a stand, they reported that: "When asked about the congressman's feelings about whether the 9/11 suspects should be tried in a civilian court in court in the U.S. or by a military tribunal, Abrahms (Shuler's spokesman) said, "It's not an issue Congress is weighing in on."

Actually, it is an issue that 170 Congressmen have very much weighed in on - Shuler just isn't one of them.

Please Call Congressman Shuler at (202) 225-6401 or (828) 252-1651.

Let him know you that YOU have a position on this issue and that you want him to stand up to Pelosi and support HR 2294, the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act.

Paid for by the Henderson County Republican Party

Not Authorized By Any Candidate Or Committee

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BREAKING: Jeff Miller of Henderson County to Enter NC-11 GOP Primary

Jeff Miller is back in the race for Congress.

Although he said in October that he would not seek the Republican nomination, the Honor Air founder and Hendersonville businessman confirmed Thursday that he plans to run, but said it was too early in the process to make a bigger announcement.

Republicans are looking for viable candidates to run against Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, and Miller was heavily recruited last fall. He met with local political officials and representatives from the National Republican Congressional Committee.

In the end, he declined to run, citing the desire to spend more time with his wife and 17-year-old son.

"It demanded me to do more than I am willing to do," Miller said in early October. "I like it here."

Those same family members prompted his recent change of heart.

"My wife, son, very close friends and veterans asked me to reconsider," Miller said. "My family and I circled up, and we are close to making an announcement."

Source: Blue Ridge Now

Commentary

Well, this race just got more interesting!

I'll have more as this story continues to develop.

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Congressman Shuler Meets With Asheville Tea Party

Image from a video shot by @LiberT

Asheville Tea Party Meets Congressman Heath Shuler from LiberT on Vimeo.

This video was shot by @LiberT who blogs at Fr33 Asheville. He is a young and enthusiastic Republican in Buncombe County.

During the meeting, Congressman Heath Shuler indicated that he will be voting against HR 3200. Please call 202-225-6401 and congratulate him, and encourage him to be independent of Nancy Pelosi and President Obama. Other contact info for him is available at his Congressional Website.

Here is a write-up of the meeting:

At 5:15 pm this evening, 8 representatives of the Asheville Tea Party and 1 Hendersonville Tea Partier were given a private audience with Congressman Heath Shuler.

In our group were Dr. Bill Rieke and his wife Margaret, Bill O’Connor, Doug Lack, Gary Shoemaker, Brian Umbarger, Jeffery Lane, Bill Lack, and me, Erika Franzi.

I began the discussion by sharing with Congressman Shuler some of the concerns that many of you have shared with me.

• This plan is too expensive for a country that is already broke.
• The federal government is not capable of handling the responsibility of an industry that makes up 15% of our economy.
• The Public Option as a backdoor route to a Single Payer health care plan.
• Achieving universal healthcare without shooting costs through the roof means rationing of care.
• This plan, if its so good, should be required for all federal employees.

Source: Jane Q Republican (read the rest over there)

Commentary

I am gladdened that he has said he will be voting against HR 3200 (aka ObamaCare).

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An Important Message From the NC Coalition for Verified Voting

I got this from email warrior Don Yelton:

***North Carolina, 04/06/2009 ***

*NCCVVNewswire/NC Coalition for Verified Voting *

NCCVV urges the Hendersonville City Council to vote "NO  to IRV" this Thursday,  April 9th, 2009 at the City Council meeting.  The NC Coalition for Verified Voting urges the Hendersonville City Council to resist lobbying efforts promoting the Instant Runoff Voting Pilot. 

This isn't just about Hendersonville, this is about North Carolina.
IRV pilots that set a precedent of undermining election transparency while exposing elections to inaccuracy and fraud.

Regardless of whether you like Instant Runoff Voting or not, with the current Instant Runoff Voting Pilot Guidelines and Procedures, the pilot violates core principles of election integrity and harms voter confidence. IRV also can produce perverse outcomes and paradoxes, as demonstrated in the recent Burlington Vermont election for Mayor. 

If the city goes ahead, Hendersonville may be the only volunteer for the IRV experiment this year. No other cities have voted for it at this time.

*What is Instant Runoff?* Instant-runoff voting (IRV) is a voting system used for single-winner elections in which voters can rank candidates in order of preference. It is not instant to count - it can take days to figure out who won the election. Not all votes are counted - only votes for the "top two" candidates are. It does not produce the same results as a runoff election. 

1. The Instant Runoff Voting Pilot is bad for Verified Voting - counting procedures not recommended by computer experts
2.  The IRV Pilot is a threat to our election integrity standards.
3.  Experts oppose the use of spreadsheets to tabulate the instant runoff election results
4.  Instant Runoff Voting discriminates against classes of voters.
5.  Instant Runoff Voting is for single contest elections, Hendersonville is the only place in the entire world that has ever attempted to use IRV in multi seat contests.
6.  Instant Runoff Voting Often Fails to Produce Majority Winner.

*When other cities asked the public, the answer was "no".*  In cities like Raleigh, Rocky Mount and Asheville, that invited public comment on the adoption of IRV, the answer was "no" to the Instant Runoff experiment. This year, the Cary City Council held a public hearing on IRV, and decided not to participate a second time. (Cary tried it in 2007). Cary City Council member Don Frantz was elected in the only contest where the IRV ballots were counted, and he is strongly opposed to IRV. 
See Cary North Carolina turns down second bite of Instant Runoff Voting Pilot, process still too flawed http://irvbad4nc.blogspot.com/2009/03/instant-runoff-voting-pilot-remains..html

Visit Protect North Carolina Elections - Stop Instant Runoff Voting for more information, in particular these recent posts:

Durham Community leaders oppose Instant Runoff Voting at City Council Meeting

Tell Hendersonville City Council to Say NO to Flawed Instant Runoff Voting Pilot

Fake Instant Runoff Voting for Hendersonville NC in 2009? No One Asked the Voters Yet

Will Instant Runoff Voting be forced on Hendersonville Voters without Public Hearing?

Cary North Carolina turns down second bite of Instant Runoff Voting Pilot, process still too flawed

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Sheriff Rick Davis Describes the 287 (g) Program In Henderson County

Richard Bernier of Sound Off Buncombe attended a forum where Henderson County Sheriff Rick was speaking. When he uploads the entire program, I'll let you know.


Henderson County Sheriff's Department

NC Voice Blog has a nice roundup of the local Immigration resolutions in North Carolina.

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Henderson County GOP No Longer Co-ordinating With Mumpower

The Hendersonville Times-News is reporting that the Henderson County GOP is distancing themselves from congressional candidate Carl Mumpower:

Danos provided no other details for the decision, though he had said that party officials were increasingly frustrated in recent weeks with Mumpower's positions, including his support for impeaching President Bush over border security, his opposition to the domestic surveillance bill and his threat to suspend his campaign if mountain counties did not endorse his "Principles First" campaign.

Commentary

For the most part, I believe Mumpower is hitting the nail on the head.

What I think is hard on regional Republicans is that Mumpower is an involved candidate. Congressman Taylor was not involved in his campaigns, and was a very hard person to get in contact with (I never was able to speak to him in person during the 2006 Campaign, and spoke to Heath Shuler several times, even though I am a Republican).

Republicans in the NC-11 District have forgotten what it is like to have a candidate that is not controlled by handlers and gate keepers.

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Hour Long Video Of Mexican Consulate Protest In Hendersonville, NC

Citizens in western North Carolina came together yesterday and protested the Mexican Consulate issuing Identification to 400 or so Mexicans yesterday in Hendersonville, North Carolina:

Among the groups participating were The Action Club, ALIPAC, NC Listen, and congressional candidate Carl Mumpower. The videographer was Richard Bernier who has a public access show called Sound Off Buncombe on URTV. The show airs on Charter Cable channel 20 in Buncombe and Madison counties.

**update** I forgot to add Paul Purdue to the list. He is a candidate for NC House District #115.

Previously:

WNC Citizens Protest Mexican Consulate in Hendersonville

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WNC Citizens Protest Mexican Consulate in Hendersonville

The protest I wrote about yesterday is previewed in the following video shot by Richard Bernier of URTV's Sound Off Buncombe:

He hopes to have full hour up by Sunday Night on Google Video, and it will be airing on URTV in Buncombe and Madison Counties on Charter Cable Channel 20.

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Henderson County GOP Lincoln Lunch Straw Poll Results

This just in from Henderson County:

"With 142 Republican voters, party leaders, and activists casting ballots, this straw poll was by far the biggest (50% plus more) in WNC so far this primary season" according to HCRP Chairman Robert Danos.**

"Performing strong with this large a sampling of area Republicans is certainly a strong gauge of candidates' support and organization."

The results were as follows:

Who is your choice as of today for the Republican 11th District Congressional nomination in 2008?

Campbell 94
Mumpower 33
Armor 15

Who is your choice as of today for the Republican Gubernatorial nomination in 2008?

Smith 81
Orr 36
Graham 14
McCrory 10


Who should be the pick for the Vice Presidential slot on the Republican ticket in 2008?

Richard Burr 43
Mike Huckabee 22
Condaleeza Rice 12
Mark Sanford 11
Mitt Romney 10
All Others Less Than 10 votes

**Compared to # of voters in straw polls in Buncombe (85 votes) and McDowell (87 votes) which had been the largest such events in the 11th District up until now. Same day events in Catawba (only 63 voters) and Transylvania did not do a straw poll. No other WNC counties have held straw polls.

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Henderson County GOP Announces Lincoln Lunch Event; Senator Burr Keynote Speaker

I received this yesterday, and am just now getting around to it:

Henderson County GOP
Press release
Feb 11, 2008

Today is Lincoln's Birthday and as such the Henderson County Republican Party is pleased to announce that we will be holding our Lincoln Lunch at noon on Saturday, March 8th at Apple Valley Middle School following our County Convention.

United States Senator Richard Burr will be our keynote speaker and we are also expecting to see and hear from many of our candidates for Congress, the Governor's Mansion, and several local and judicial races.

Honest Abe will be making an appearance too so kids will find this event fun as well...

The lunch will be catered by Baby Back Joe's which always makes for a great meal!

Tickets are $15 for one or $25 for two and all proceeds go to the HCRP's "Victory 2008" Get Out The Vote campaign.

We strongly urge you to buy tickets in advance by emailing us at robertdanos@gmail.com or calling 693-6040. There is certainly a chance that we'll still have tickets available the day of the event, but please don't wait till then!

For more details please visit the Events page at www.hendersoncountygop.com

Robert Danos
HCRP Chairman

Additional Details
Google Map to Apple Valley Middle School

Henderson County GOP Website

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