If you are going to have a "debate"...

I found this on Bob Barr's Web Site. I seriously doubt we could see this happen. It would be good if we did though.

Press Releases › Barack Obama Can Debate Bob Barr
September 25, 2008 10:42 am EST

Atlanta, GA – With the recent proposal of Senator John McCain to postpone the first presidential debate, it is clear that the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) has no authority.

"For the past several elections, candidates have used the CPD as an official buffer to keep competition out of the two-party presidential contest," says Libertarian Party presidential nominee Bob Barr. "McCain publicly proved with his announcement what we've been saying all along: The candidates call the shots as to when to debate, where to debate and who to debate."

Barr continued, "Given Senator McCain's political stunt to avoid the debate, I ask that Friday's debate moves forward without him, as I am more than willing to step in to participate."

In the 1980 election, Ronald Reagan chose to debate John Anderson, one-on-one, without Jimmy Carter.

In the 1992 election, George H.W. Bush demanded the inclusion of H. Ross Perot in all three presidential debates.

"It's time that at least one of the two leading presidential candidates show leadership and provide the American public an opportunity to witness an open and fair debate, based upon substance and issues rather than sound bites and rhetoric," concluded Barr.

On Wednesday, Russell Verney, Barr's campaign manager, sent a letter to both the Commission on President Debates (view letter) and the Obama campaign (view letter) asking for Barr to be included in Friday’s debate. In his letter to the CPD, Verney wrote that including Barr in the debate would allow them to proceed as planned, noting that “Congressman Barr’s participation will provide a substantive and vigorous debate of the issues facing our nation.”

Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr represented the 7th District of Georgia in the U. S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003.

Could we?
The Appalachianist

Regroup

If you're a Drama Zombie, you've got it with the gas situation. That is if you're a Drama Zombie in the southeast.(I'm speaking to us Americans, but you foreign folk are welcome to follow along) It's sad, but someone that griped about us invading Iraq "for oil", is lined up at the one gas station that has fuel in a state of anxiety. Not that I'm defending what we did, but, that is the irony of it all. Or, would that be hypocrisy?

One thing for certain, it's not shut everything down yet. Life is going on, it's just everyone talks about the lines over their coffee and shakes their heads. However, in Asheville, it's gotten down right ugly. The Police have had to brake up fist fights. They've got a Mayor Lady that went out begging for gas. But, seriously, soon...If it keeps up, it will start to shut things down. Don't beat your chest about what a powerful nation we are when we can't use our own resources and we have infrastructure issues that we won't solve.

In the meantime our government is going to bail out something it created. Yet, if I continue on with these subjects, this will be far more negative than I feel. I've seen, and been a part of history, yet, in a humble role. What we, here in Western North Carolina, Southern Appalachia, and the Greater Southeastern United States are seeing is history. We should take careful notes, we need to learn and regroup from this.

It's turned fall, and the nights are getting a chill. The sky's have been lovely.
The Appalachianist

Viva La Appalachia!

That little pup's name is Tippitan. Tip, in it's abbreviated version. Being called so because due to her Walker Hound blood she has a white tip on the end of her tail (and face)She's 3/4 Plott and has a little brindle in her. I ran into a boy the other day and he offered her to me. Just what I needed. But, I decided to raise her up a few months and decide. I'll gun brake, box brake, house brake her, hopefully, Deer brake her and let her run around and learn to use her nose. She'll have a little size on her then. You know, I like girls, but, I've got too many bitches in the yard.


The other night I did a Google search for something to stimulate my imagination. I came across a very note worthy local blog. Local being over in Jackson County. Ruminations From The Distant Hills hosted by Gulahiyi. Come to find out, he once lurked about here, and he gave the most flattering post referring me. Gulahiyi sees Appalachia in peril as I do. Some what a cynic he pulls no punches on developers...And, you'll who know me know that I'm no one for class warfare, but to be truthful, allot of these developers are just modern day carpet baggers, as you will see from his "Meet the neighbors" series. I can't say we see eye to eye on everything, but we both agree on Appalachia. Not to so much return the favor but, to let you know, if you want to see more than the bright sun pour across a mountain but the deep dark shadows that you don't see in tourist brochures, go there and read. He posts everyday, something hard for me to keep up with, but then, when it comes to Southern Appalachia, there's allot that an be said...And little understood.

En Avant! En Avant! Viva La Appalachia!
The Appalachianist

FYI

Allot of you don't know about this stuff. A little background, both the Republicans and the Democrats missed the filing deadline for their Presidential Candidates in Texas.

Bob Barr Files Suit in Texas to Remove McCain, Obama from Ballot

Suit alleges that McCain, Obama knowingly missed filing deadlines

Atlanta, GA - Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party's nominee for president, has filed a lawsuit in Texas demanding Senators John McCain and Barack Obama be removed from the ballot after they missed the official filing deadline.

"The seriousness of this issue is self-evident," the lawsuit states. "The hubris of the major parties has risen to such a level that they do not believe that the election laws of the State of Texas apply to them."

Texas election code §192.031 requires that the "written certification" of the "party's nominees" be delivered "before 5 p.m. of the 70th day before election day." Because neither candidate had been nominated by the official filing deadline, the Barr campaign argues it was impossible for the candidates to file under state law.

"Supreme Court justices should recognize that their responsibility is to apply the law as passed by the Legislature, and the law is clear that the candidates cannot be certified on the ballot if their filings are late," says Drew Shirley, a local attorney for the Barr campaign, who is also a Libertarian candidate for the Texas Supreme Court.

A 2006 Texas Supreme Court decision ruled that state laws "does not allow political parties or candidates to ignore statutory deadlines."

Orrin Grover, attorney for Bob Barr and Wayne Root, said that he believes that the Texas Secretary of State is bound by Texas law to remove the Republican and Democratic nominees from the November ballot. "Either we have rules and deadlines, or we do not," Grover said.

The Chairman of the Texas Libertarian Party, Pat Dixon stated, "Libertarian principles require personal responsibility for your acts and failures. Obama and McCain failed to meet the deadlines. They must follow the law like everyone else."

The petition also alleges that the Democratic Party's late presidential filing falsely claimed under oath that Senator Obama had been nominated hours before the nomination actually occurred.

"The facts of the case are not in dispute," says Russell Verney, manager of the Barr campaign. "Republicans and Democrats missed the deadline, but were still allowed on the ballot. Third parties are not allowed on the ballot for missing deadlines, as was the case for our campaign in West Virginia, yet the Texas secretary of state's office believes Republicans and Democrats to be above the law."

Barr will be holding a press conference this Thursday at the Texas Supreme Court at 11:00 a.m.

Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr represented the 7th District of Georgia in the U. S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003.


This information was mailed to me by the Barr/Root campaign.No you know.
The Appalachianist

Ilex Vomitoria and The Road Warriors of Caffeine

Remember the Road Warrior movies? All of those people in the middle of no where expending all of that energy fighting over gas, while they were too lazy to walk. Tina Turner ran a city on pig shit. Chances are, they ate allot of pork chops too.

In Iraq we were standing on top of all kinds of oil, and the Iraqis didn't hardly have a drop of gas. Mainly because they were stealing it in one scheme or another. They would be so nice, but One had better watch themselves when it came to gas. To hell with you, Ali Babba. No pig shit there.

Now, if I was to post about nothing but gas, you'd be...Gassed out. It's all anyone is talking about. So, I'll hush on gas and move on to more important things.

I've got to stay away from caffeine, people. I'm a social coffee drinker and for good reason. But, I've found too many reasons to be social lately. As well, I have a thing for sweet tea. I've had laying in bed awake to wooziness to mind races. Let the Road Warriors fight over it. When it came down to it, those folks fought over nothing, but we did like the movies.

Some pot heads will try to tell you the Indians smoked that stuff all the time. That's propaganda. There's a war on drugs and the first casualty of war is the truth. The Indians weren't smoking "that shit". Caffeine was their drug of choice...At least in the Southeast. They drank it in a very hot tea made out of a form of Holly leaves. The Settlers(Europeans)called it "Black Drink", because it was black in color. The Indians called it "White Drink" because they used it for purity. They believed that because it made them vomit something fierce. Then with a dose of caffeine they would get an intellectual jolt. They only used it every so often. Smart people.

Maybe we could run cars or cities on the stuff.
The Appalachianist

The Great Transylvania County Noise Rebellion

Last post I made mention of the "new" County Noise Ordinance. This is becoming a local hot bed subject. With the continuing urbanization of Western North Carolina we are increasingly finding hot bed subjects of a similar nature. Zoning, annexing, incorporating, property tax increases, ordinances upon ordinances pressing into every day life.

The county adopted...A dubious term...A Noise Ordinance in 1983. To my knowledge it was not too strict. It's not been an issue with me, I don't throw wild parties, or anything. But, it was in place in order to promote some peace. Though one Commissioner called it "vague".

Before I returned from over seas an issue was stirring over a Motor Cross Track along the River in Cherryfeild. This said track is owned by a local Restaurant Owner, Mike Baxley. After going through the usual loops and hoops, he got the green light to build his track. Noise from Motor Cross Bikes was a concern from the very beginning, despite that Hwy 64 is only a couple of hundred yards away with loud Street Bikes and vehicles with modified mufflers are roaring in both directions. The revised Ordinance clearly targeted this track. I was present in the Courthouse when Commissioner Daryl Hogsed stated that the track was already in violation of the older version of the ordinance, after he had been quoted in saying that it was too vague.

About the middle of July the Commissioners passed a "revised" ordinance. It was "stricter" and opposed from it's conception because it was broader. The way it is written, “which is substantially incompatible with the time and location where created to the extent that it creates an actual or imminent interference with peace and good order." And, “perceived by a person of ordinary firmness and sensibilities as interrupting the normal peace and calm of the area, neighborhood or vicinity.” is written in a vague form in itself. Basically, who ever calls the Sheriff the most and whines can get what they want. Some of you reading this will not like me saying it, but, we have a society where who throws the biggest sissy fit wins. Someone will give in to hush them up. With a Deputy being the on spot deciding individual, enforcing an ordinance that is vague to all but the Commissioners that voted for it, we cannot expect them to be exempt from appeasing the offended. This is not cut and dry like Traffic Law*.

The Commissioners won't ad mitt it, but the noisiest place in the county is Hwy 64. It runs right across the county, through Brevard and passed Rosman. It has trucks of all sizes, "street rods", motorcycles and bad mufflers. The sound carries up onto the Mountains above the outskirts of town. They can be heard for miles at times and can be heard travelling some distance. I've walked through down town Brevard and had to raise my voice on account of motor cycle riders at a red light. Yes, it was annoying. But, they are exempt. It's unreasonable to have a ordinance on someone passing strait through on a State and Federally Funded road. Firearms are not exempt on the privacy and safety of Private Property.

A great deal of the "Local Core", natives, tend to point at the new comers to the County**. Allot of these folks have brought Suburban attitudes along with them, no doubt. Yet, the Commissioners that passed this ordinance are from here. It's almost understandable if they had come in from some large metropolitan city...But Brevard?
Men that grew up in a place where people have live stock, collections of dogs, shoot firearms and seek other forms of pass time that may make a little noise on their own domain? It seems there was no regard that someone may be causing no harm other than the ears of one person.

A petition was passed around against the Ordinance. At meeting of the commissioners it was handed to them with 4,600 signatures, possibly the largest in the Counties history. This seemed to matter little to the three that voted for it. Property rights has been the central argument against the ordinance, yet, one Commissioner, David Guice was quoted as saying the Opponents of the Ordinance's arguments didn't "make sense". I dare say, a pious stance. I watched the Commissioners get a tongue lashing in between pleas of logic. No one spoke in favor of the Ordinance. People were clearly angry, and on nearly lost his temper, prompting Deputies to stand between us and the Commissioners.Now people are lining up to run for Commissioner.

You reap what you sew. In trying to maintain the good order, normal peace and calm of the area, all they have accomplished is to disturb it.

The Appalachianist






* Mainly in my Military experience, I've learned a vague regulation to be enforced is often a bad spot to put someone in.
** Often this is the retiree/ upscale suburbanites being refereed to, but the biggest new comer any more are poor Latin Americans seeking labor.

Drizzle

I was standing in drizzle this morning. Fog and Drizzle at 4000+ feet. It sounded as if it was raining with the moisture dripping from the trees, like a rain forest. There was just a light breeze blowing. At 2000 feet below it was cloudy, and though feeling muggy for the morning, it was pretty cool. Labor Day is usually that way. Doesn't matter when it falls, the ones I remember the most were cloudy and cool. What does all of this mean to you? Not a damn thing, I just thought I'd mention it.

Also a little after 0600 this morning all three of those Hounds lit up on a track. I had just driven past a Camp Site and who ever was in it had gotten a rude awakening from my Dogs. I was pleased that Bell had let loose, she hadn't really for Bear, but little wimpering, cowering, Wiggly Butt Walker Dog had. Squeaky squeaked. If these folks weren't familiar with the Mountains and our Culture they may have been wondering what in the world was going on. It was apparent a Bear had nosed at a distance around their camp. What does this mean to you? If you were that camper, sorry to jerk you out of bed like that, and be careful with your food, but it reminds me of the revised Noise Ordinance the County Commisioners came up with.
But, that's another story.

Basically, the way it is worded you can have the Law called on you for shooting a Gun on your own land, a Dog barking, cattle mooing for that matter, riding a motorcycle on your own land IE dirt bikes, while loud Harley Davidsons roar up and down our roads. Why? So they can single people out.

Hope you had a good Labor Day
The Appalachianist