Macon County Commissioners 03-13-2012

**11.00pm** Here is the audio from tonight's meeting:

Download MP3



The Macon County Commissioners are meeting tonight at 6pm and I'll be there to cover it. The Agenda is below and I'll try to have the audio posted as soon as I can after the meeting.

MACON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

MARCH 13, 2012

AGENDA

1. Call to order and welcome by Chairman Corbin

2. Announcements

3. Girl Scout Promise

4. Pledge of Allegiance (led by Girl Scouts)

5. Public Hearing(s) – None scheduled

6. Public Comment Period

7. Adjustments to and approval of the agenda

8. Reports/Presentations

1. Tobacco Reality Unfiltered (TRU) Club presentation – Dawn Wilde Burgess, Macon County Public Health
2. Girl Scouts Centennial Proclamation
3. Plan of Work for 2012 – Alan Durden, Macon County Cooperative Extension Director
4. USDA Summer Food Service program – Crystal Nix, Macon Program for Progress

9. Old Business

1. Consideration of bids for 911 Call Center and Budget Amendment Number 147

10. New Business

1. Resolution concerning legislation requiring VOC testing for private drinking water wells – County Attorney
2. QZAB and QSCB Applications – County Manager

11. Consent Agenda – Attachment #11

All items below are considered routine and will be enacted by one motion. No separate discussion will be held except on request of a member of the Board of Commissioners.

1. Minutes of the February 14 and February 28 meetings
2. Budget Amendments (#s 150-152)
3. Tax Releases

12. Appointments

1. Board of Equalization and Review

13. Closed session (if necessary)

14. Adjournment/Recess

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The State of the GOP Nomination Battle March 13, 2012 Edition

The above map shows how things currently stand on the morning of March 13, 2012 in the extended (thanks to the dimwits in the RNC) nomination battle for the Republican nomination for President.
Where possible, I like to put things into numbers, and the table below is an effort to paint a picture of what the nomination battle looks like in terms of how many delegates each candidate has and how many are needed to secure the nomination of the Republican party. The magic number is 1,144 of 2,268 delegates.

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Candidate	Current Delegates	Percent of 1,144	Needed	% of Remainder Needed
Mitt Romney	458	40.0%	686	47.6%
Rick Santorum	203	17.8%	941	65.3%
Newt Gingrich	118	10.3%	1,026	71.2%
Ron Paul	66	5.8%	1,078	74.8%

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I think the table shows the challenge faced by those opposing Mitt Romney in this primary season. Many of the states award delegates proportionally unless the victor manages to finish above the fifty percentile. That will make achieving the number needed well-nigh impossible as long as both Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich stay in the race.


I also still believe that Romney will be the nominee of the party. 


Today's Primaries


Alabama, Mississippi, Hawaii and American Samoa hold elections today and I expect Newt will probably take the two southern states and Mitt will take Hawaii and American Samoa.

After Today


The rest of March is pretty lean, with Missouri caucusing (again) on the 17th, Puerto Rico on the 18th, Illinios (95 delegates in one winner take all race) on the 20th and Louisiana on the 24th. 


In April, Maryland, Washington, DC and Wisconsin are on the 3rd and the bigger fish of Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, New York and Rhode Island taking place on the 24th.

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Musical Interlude: Bach Cello Suite No 2 D minor

Work: Prelude (1st of 6 movements) to Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008
Cellist: Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich
Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach

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Invisible Children Update

An update from the KONY 2012 Campaign: [previous coverage]

Thanks for pledging support to the international effort to stop Joseph Kony.  The last week has been overwhelming. We always dreamed that the LRA would reach this level of global awareness, but we NEVER saw this coming. Thank you for making the seemingly impossible a reality.  But we all know that awareness is only the first step of the equation. In order to achieve our goal of bringing a permanent end to LRA violence, we have to turn this newfound awareness into informed action. And we don't have any time to waste. So here's where we start.  Hit the Streets Take this message offline and into the real world. Slap a sticker on your phone, laptop, bike, or car. Download a PDF of the posters for free. Confidently ask businesses and cities to place these posters in prominent, high-traffic locations. Remember: be respectful and only put KONY 2012 materials on your own property unless you have explicit permission. #KONY2012 Engage Your Policymakers Our elected leaders have the power to take action and they have before because of you. But it's time for them to renew their commitment to bringing a permanent end to LRA violence. Tell them why this is important to you, and ask them what they can do to see Kony arrested and help those affected. Find the contact info for your senators and representatives, and hit them up. Here are some ways you can get in touch: Write a letter by hand and drop it in the mail Email, Facebook, and Tweet them Call their offices Schedule a face-to-face meeting Contact your Members of Congress Crash Course Find out who your members of Congress are and their contact info. Google is your friend. If you live in the U.S., you have 1 representative and 2 senators. It's easier than you think. Their job is to listen to what you care about. Just ask them what they are doing to stop LRA violence and help affected communities. Be yourself--speak from the heart. There are no "wrong" words when you're talking about why this issue is important to you. And be nice--your words will carry more weight.  Dig Deeper We can all agree that the LRA needs to be stopped. But achieving that simple goal is actually very complicated, and it's our responsibility to be informed activists. Below is some information and resources to start with:  Current LRA Activity The LRA has not been active in Uganda since 2006, but they're currently carrying out attacks in DR Congo, Central African Republic, and South Sudan. 1,012 people have been killed and 2,224 people abducted since December 1, 2009. 45 people were abducted in February 2012. The LRA Crisis Tracker has the most current updates about LRA activity. 440,000 were displaced by the LRA in CAR, DRC, and South Sudan as of August 2011. Other Voices Read a report from Human Rights Watch's Anneke Van Woudenberg Read testimonies from recent LRA victims in DR Congo that were printed in Nicholas Kristof's column in the New York Times. Invisible Children's programs and development model CEO Ben Keesey talks finances Radio Zereda: Encouraging LRA defections This has been a big week for all of us, but more importantly for the conversation about bringing a permanent end to LRA violence. And that's what it's about, not Invisible Children or KONY 2012. It's about peace--and people all around the world working together to achieve it. Let's make it happen. We're just getting started. Sincerely, Invisible Children

GENERAL: INFO@INVISIBLECHILDREN.COM CUSTOMER SERVICE: CUSTOMERSERVICE@INVISIBLECHILDREN.COM

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Agenda for Macon County Commissioner Meeting on 03-13-2012

The Macon County Commissioners will be meeting tomorrow night at 6pm and here is a look at the agenda for the meeting. I will be there to cover the meeting and will post a separate entry for the coverage of the meeting a few hours beforehand.

MACON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

MARCH 13, 2012

AGENDA

1. Call to order and welcome by Chairman Corbin

2. Announcements

3. Girl Scout Promise

4. Pledge of Allegiance (led by Girl Scouts)

5. Public Hearing(s) – None scheduled

6. Public Comment Period

7. Adjustments to and approval of the agenda

8. Reports/Presentations

1. Tobacco Reality Unfiltered (TRU) Club presentation – Dawn Wilde Burgess, Macon County Public Health
2. Girl Scouts Centennial Proclamation
3. Plan of Work for 2012 – Alan Durden, Macon County Cooperative Extension Director
4. USDA Summer Food Service program – Crystal Nix, Macon Program for Progress

9. Old Business

1. Consideration of bids for 911 Call Center and Budget Amendment Number 147

10. New Business

1. Resolution concerning legislation requiring VOC testing for private drinking water wells – County Attorney
2. QZAB and QSCB Applications – County Manager

11. Consent Agenda – Attachment #11

All items below are considered routine and will be enacted by one motion. No separate discussion will be held except on request of a member of the Board of Commissioners.

1. Minutes of the February 14 and February 28 meetings
2. Budget Amendments (#s 150-152)
3. Tax Releases

12. Appointments

1. Board of Equalization and Review

13. Closed session (if necessary)

14. Adjournment/Recess

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Macon County BizWeek 2012

PRESS RELEASE
Macon County Economic Development Commission
Franklin, NC
Contact Tommy Jenkins 828-369-2306

			Tuesday, April 10 - 7PM - Entrepreneur Networking Night - Meet and hear Pam Lewis, Director of Entre­preneurship, Asheville Chamber of Commerce PLUS the winner of the SiteDart “Awesome Business Idea” $1000 competition will be announced!   The Rathskeller - downtown Franklin - Register Here
	Wednesday, April 11 - 9AM - Tim Dannelly Seminarpresented by Southwestern Community College. Mr. Dannelly is a seasoned professional in management, sales, public relations, and broadcasting.   A unique opportunity to step up your entrepreneurial and lead­ership skills. SCC - Macon Campus.  Tim Dannelly Registration Information
			Thursday, April 12 - 6PM - Macon County EDC Banquet featuring North Carolina Commerce Secre­tary Keith Crisco. Appointed in 2009, Secretary Crisco brings 40 years of domestic and international business experience to the position. Holly Springs Baptist Church Fellowship Hall - Register Here
	More Info at: www.maconedc.com

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Invisible Children

There is a movement afoot on the Internet to do some good in regards to the children soldiers of Africa. In particular, the children soldiers abducted by The Lord's Resistance Army, which formerly operated in Uganda, but is now in the Congo area. 


A controversial publicity campaign has been launched to raise awareness to the plight of these children that involves films, speaking tours and a guerrilla marketing campaign designed to get the United States to intervene in the region in order to assist the Ugandans in bringing Joseph Kony to justice.


I am in favor of participating in this effort. Watch the film below to see if you are also inclined to get involved:



If you want to participate, visit KONY2012 to sign the pledge and receive more information and download an action kit (they were unavailable for purchase earlier this morning because of high demand).


Background


What is The Lord's Resistance Army? 

The Lord's Resistance Army (also Lord's Resistance Movement or Lakwena Part Two) is a militant group with a syncretic Christianextreme religious ideology, known for the extreme atrocities they commit against civilians, including killings, mutilations, rape, and in some accounts even cannibalism.^[4]. The group operates in northern Uganda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.^[5]

The Lord's Resistance Army was formed in 1987 in the Acholi ethnic region of Northern Uganda. Initially, the LRA was an outgrowth and continuation of the larger armed resistance movement waged by some of the Acholi people against a central Ugandan government which they felt marginalized them at the expense of Southern Ugandan ethnic groups, such as the Baganda. Over 25 years, the LRA's political goals have become much harder to decipher.

In the past decade, the group has spent much of its energy attacking, killing and enslaving unarmed Acholis of its own tribe (including many women and children). It is led by Joseph Kony, who proclaims himself the "spokesperson" of God and a spirit medium, primarily of the Holy Spirit, which the group believes can represent itself in many manifestations.

The group is based on a number of different beliefs including traditional African religion, Acholi nationalism, andChristianity,^{[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]} and claims to be establishing a theocratic state based on the Ten Commandments and local Acholitradition.^[16][17][18] The LRA is accused of widespread human rights violations, including murder, abduction, mutilation, sexual enslavement of women and children and forcing children to participate in hostilities.^[19]

Source: Wikipedia

What are some of the criticisms of the effort?

But it has also attracted criticism: there are questions about the charity's funding, its targeting of US leaders instead of African leaders to instigate change, and accusations that it is failing to criticise the Ugandan government, with its poor human rights record.
This Tumblr page is collecting criticism of the project and this blog sums up a lot of the questions.
This morning, Invisible Children issued a detailed response to the criticism here.
We want, with your help, to investigate this further. Our principle approach is to attempt to gather views from Uganda about whether this film is the right way to go about campaigning on the issue. I'm going to be working with John Vidal, our environment editor, who has travelled extensively in the region and is on the phone now to his contacts there.

Source: UK Guardian


Jacob Acaye defends the film maker:

"Now that the situation in Gulu is stabilised and there is no longer war there, there is reconstruction of the place. Schools are being built. It is not the fault of the people there that they were abducted and used. They need to be helped," he said. "The organisation has fought really hard to rebuild my school. It is doing good work." Acaye was taken prisoner by the LRA militia when it attacked his home village of Koro, near Gulu, but he escaped after three weeks when one unit handed him over to another.
"I got lucky. I was taken by a second group which did not know much about me, and I was transferred to that group. They asked me how long I had been with the LRA and I said three months so they thought I had no intention of running away, so they did not watch me," Acaye said.
He found his way back to his village, but from then on joined the hundreds of children who walked into Gulu to sleep every night for safety. It was while he was sleeping on a verandah there that he was found by Invisible Children.
"They could not understand what was happening. They wanted a kid who was sleeping there and who spoke English. I could understand English and I could say what was happening, so that is how I was in their film," Acaye said.

Source: The Guardian

My thoughts are in favor of the effort because it will get people talking. It will make Joseph Kony famous. And, I believe it will help people become involved in helping the children who have been, until now, invisible. This is what the campaign is about, isn't it? Making the invisible, visible?

I'll see you on the night of April 20th


Hat Tip: Scrutiny Hooligans

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Patrick Henry: First Among Patriots John Batchelor Interviews Thomas Kidd

On March 6, 2012, John Batchelor played an interview that he did with Thomas Kidd, the author of a book called "Patrick Henry: First Among Patriots" that was very interesting. The interview last about 20 minutes and I've excerpted it from the show to bring it, the book and (of course) The John Batchelor Show to your attention. 


Patrick Henry was one of the Founding Fathers who fought against the ratification of the US Constitution because he was concerned it gave too much authority to the federal government. A number of speeches he gave are often included in collections of the Anti-Federalist Papers. 


Listen to the interview:



Download MP3




You may purchase the book below:








More about the John Batchelor Show is below...

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For more information on The John Batchelor Show, please visit the following websites:


Listen Live on WABC Radio from 9pm to 1am 7 nights a week


The John Batchelor Show website


The WABC Radio Podcast webpage (you can download the show yourself, as I do every morning)


Wikipedia Article on John Batchelor

Facebook Page (for fans)

Twitter Account


My previous articles on the show

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RIP Neptunus Lex Captain Carroll LeFon USN (Ret.) 1960-2012

"For those who know, no explanation is necessary.
For those who don't, no explanation is possible."


The milblogger known as Neptunus Lex has been killed in a crash at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada.

The world is a richer place for having had Carroll LeFon in it. I will miss reading his blog, his stories and getting his perspective on things. I can think of no better tribute to his memory than to post a video of him doing what he loved, flying...

Retired naval aviator Carroll LeFon, perhaps better known by the nom de plume Neptunus Lex, was killed in a plane crash Tuesday morning when his F-21 Kfir crashed at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., his blog confirmed.

LeFon, 51, retired as a captain in June 2008 after serving as an instructor at Top Gun and in various positions at several strike fighter squadrons.

In his civilian life, LeFon worked for Airborne Tactical Advantage Co., a contractor that operates simulated enemy aircraft with which student aviators train. But as a prominent military blogger, he was part analyst, part cheerleader, part critic and part poet who wrote about the Navy, his family, the military and global affairs with the casual tone, frankness and familiarity that flows through ready rooms. His sea stories were personal memoirs as well as parables.

ATAC and Fallon did not return calls for comment. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Source: Navy Times

Bloggers and Readers are leaving online condolences on Neptunus Lex.

God Speed, Lex. I will miss you.

He leaves behind a wife, two daughters, and a son who followed him into naval aviation.

Article Archive at Military.com

More.

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Super Tuesday Results and Speeches

Super Tuesday has come and gone and Mitt Romney has taken 6 of 10 states, Rick Santorum taking 3 of 10, Newt Gingrich taking 1 of 10 and Ron Paul still has yet to win a state.

I am still sick so I will not be posting a lengthy essay on the state of the race, or detailed results until I am feeling better. When I do, it will be as an addendum to this post.

I will note that the Kansas caucus is on Saturday, March 10th and next Tuesday Alabama and Mississppi have primaries and Hawaii has a caucus.



This is the primary map so far and below are the speeches made by the candidates at some point during the night...







The Super Tuesday Speeches


Mitt Romney


Rick Santorum


Newt Gingrich


Ron Paul

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Republican Congressional Candidate Forum Live at 4pm

**update** Here is the full video of the forum. I've broken it into two parts. There is a short video slideshow at the end of the second part.


Part One



Part Two



Live Video streaming by Bobby Coggins
The Macon County Republican Party will be hosting a forum for the Republican candidates for Congress today at 4:30pm. The event begins at 4:00pm with a meet and greet opportunity for voters to meet the candidates for Congress.

The event will be streamed live starting at 4:00pm.

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My Call for Super Tuesday (Including Maps)

With Super Tuesday being this coming Tuesday, I decided to go ahead and make my call for Tuesday public.

What do you think?

Here are another couple of maps of the nomination battle so far, and what the map would look like if all goes as I think it will on Tuesday:



The GOP Nomination Battle So Far


What I think the nomination battle will look like after Super Tuesday

I still think that Mitt Romney will be the nominee, especially since Newt Gingrich has stayed in the race to take votes away from Rick Santorum in the Deep South. Another thing is I notice that Mitt Romney will take Alaska despite the Palins making it clear that they support Newt.

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Andrew Breitbart 1969-2012

Last Tweet

Andrew Breitbart has passed away from natural causes. 


I waited a bit before posting this because I thought it was a joke he was playing on us. Apparently, it's for real.


As a tribute, I've embedded a screenshot of his last tweet. 


I was not a fan of his "in your face" style of citizen journalism or his deceptive practices in obtaining a story, but was glad that he was at least on our side in the battle against socialism.


**update**

Breitbart was walking near his home in Brentwood, Calif just after midnight Thursday when he collapsed according to his father-in-law Orson Bean. Someone saw Breitbart fall and called 911. Emergency crews tried to revive him and rushed him to the emergency room at UCLA Medical Center, Bean said.

He is survived by his wife Susannah Bean Breitbart, 41, and four children.

Source: Ed Morrissey

**update #2**

Matt Drudge has posted a tribute to the death of his friend. [see a screenshot]

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