The Political Education of Bryan Freebie

This post is shamelessly stolen from Ashvegas. Click over and give Ash your generous love. If you're not reading Ashvegas every day (or at least every day it's updated), you're missing out on the sharpest, snarkiest local reporting of local reporting on the mountain wide internets.


Ashvegas City Council has been steaming right along since last November's elections.

We've heard a lot out of Councilman Carl Mumpower, who has taken former Councilman Brian Peterson's position as the resident rabblerouser and camera hog. We've heard a lot out of Mayor Terry Bellamy, who's never met a press conference she didn't like.

And now we're starting to hear more out of Councilman Bryan Freeborn, aka Freebie, who is beginning to cement a reputation as a petulant whiner.

Former Mayor Leni Sitnick took Freebie to task in a Citizen-Times letter to the editor a few weeks back for making unpolite remarks. Freebie got heated up again during this week's Ashvegas City Council meeting. Freebie had been working on some committee appointments and got his panties in a wad when other council members disagreed with him. Here's some of what gadfly Walter Plaue had to say about it all in the pages of the Mountain Guardian.

"To which Mr Freeborn became "unglued" and did a reasonably good imitation of Howard Dean's "Scream Speech" and again, leaning in toward the Mayors' face, insisted that he had to have the results of the vote "tomorrow". Showing considerable patience, the Mayor decided it was time for a Recess, to "cool things off". As soon as she banged the gavel for Recess, Mr. Freeborn rushed off the dais, through the exit door behind the dais, and slammed it behind him. A grosser display of petulance and immaturity I have never seen in that Chamber. When the council reconvened, the Mayor, in a calm and controlled voice stated - for everybody to hear - that she could count to four and thus had no choice but to allow the "midnight hour" motion to be made and passed."

You can watch a video clip of the Freebie-Bellamy exchange here. Plaue's description of a "scream" is a bit much in characterizing Freeborn's attitude. But Freeborn clearly was acting like a baby over some stupid committee appointments. Freeborn needs to grow up and learn how to work in a group, a group full of politicians. You're not some freewheeling hippie who can get up a group, paint a city street in protest and have fun, Freebie. You're one of seven people who all have a vote. Learn to deal with it, and deal with dignity.

Drinking Liberally: Wretched Refuse Alert!

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
- Emma Lazarus (graven on a tablet within the pedestal on which the Statue of Liberty stands)

To hear Charles Taylor tell it, there's a wave of humanity pouring over our southern border, stealing our jobs, leeching off our welfare, increasing crime, breeding terrorists, and guilty of not being upstanding white people. To hear George W. Bush tell it, there's a wave of humanity pouring over our southern border, working jobs that Americans won't do, leeching off our welfare, increasing crime, breeding terrorism, and guilty of not voting Republican. To hear Drinking Liberally, that weekly gathering of immigrants' children from all over the world, tell it, you'll have to come out to Jack of the Wood tomorrow night 7-10pm

Taylor's plan is to abolish part of the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution, then throw illegals in jail or back across the border - all 11 million of them.

Bush's plan is to create an indentured servitude subclass of people who must either work or be deported.

Taylor is on David Duke's side. Bush is on Big Business' side. Democrats are...where? *crickets*

Immigration is an important issue that deserves our scrutiny, so Drinking Liberally will celebrate our immigrant heritage through the consumption of Irish whiskey, Russian vodka, and European beer. Come out and learn more about the immigration issue, tell people where you stand and why you stand there. And if you don't have a green card, don't worry - We won't tell Charles Taylor you're there.

Unlike the Republican vision for America's future, everyone's welcome to come Drinking Liberally. Every Thursday night. Jack of the Wood. 7-10pm. Hoist a pint for democracy!
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Film at 11: Howard Hangar joins other Asheville ministers making a stand against institutionalized discrimination

Jubilee's Minister of Ritual, my friend Howard Hangar, is making a very principled decision in solidarity with other area ministers (and with all people who affirm the transformative power of love). He's turning in his ordination to the United Methodist Church over their stance prohibiting the blessing of same-sex unions. This move has energized the community and is beginning to blitz the local media. Here's today's article from the Citizen-Times. And tonight on WLOS, check out yours truly and the H-man on the 11pm newscast (will be repeated in the morning).

This, in my opinion, is not just about gay marriage- it's about equality, justice, and initiating a dialogue that can open mind, hearts, and indeed, souls.

I-3 Caramba

"Potential Routes of I-3 Through Southern Appalachian Mountains"

There's a proposal to build an interstate highway that runs from Savannah, GA to Knoxville, TN. A long stretch of this road will pass through western North Carolina, and the proposed routes cut through some of our most beautiful and fragile areas.

Stop I-3 has an excellent website chock full of information, news, and tips to help you get involved. The comprehensive maps section, from which the photos adorning this post were taken, paints an alarming picture of how this immense, unnecessary road will affect our mountains and mountain communities. The Board of Commissioners of the Town of Highlands and the Macon County Board of Commisioners have come out against the plan. The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners said that, "A federal interstate highway constructed through our mountains would have a "devastating environmental and economic" impact on our mountains"

Check out the site and read about the proposed Interstate 3.

Jerome Armstrong & Markos Moulitsas at Malaprops

Hot tip from reader, James Atkinson:

"Just confirmed on the Crashing the Gate website and by Malaprops directly:

Kos and Jerome will bring the Crashing the Gate tour to Asheville at Malaprops on May 5th.

Details:
Ashville, NC
Friday, May 5th, 7:00 p.m.
Malaprops
www.malaprops.com

The CTG website was just updated today with this information. Malaprops isn't showing it yet, but probably will in the morning. Their site likely will have ticket information and so forth. I've got a request for additional information in to Alsace, the events coordinator at Malaprops, and can pass along the fine print if and when she gets it to me (if it's not already on the web site by then).

Pass the word and get your tickets early!"

UPDATE: The event is NOT ticketed. It is free and open to the public. First come, first served. Sounds like bedlam.

Here is a link to this event on Malaprops webpage.

Steel drummers

Anybody know who this group of steel drummers was who played in Pritchard Park Saturday afternoon? They were good.

Coyote Run

Coyote Run played Jack of the Wood Saturday night. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend them.

Determination

From this weekend's Bank of America Whitewater U.S. Open on the Nantahala River at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. See more photos at Ashvegas

From this weekend's Bank of America Whitewater U.S. Open on the Nantahala River at the Nantahala Outdoor Center.

King of Political Blogdom Coming to Asheville

Markos Moulitsas, the founder and editor of Daily Kos, the most popular political blog in the universe will be here in Asheville Friday, May 5th to promote his new book, "Crashing the Gate, Netroots, Grassroots, and the rise of People-Powered Politics". More details as they're available...

Of Ballots and Candidates

In conversations about Shuler's chances against the stalwart Taylor, I've heard lots of folks wondering whether their votes will even count, whether the voting machines will tabulate the votes they cast. While plenty of theories regarding touch-screen voting machines are out there, there's still time to make our county a paper ballot county that won't ever have to worry if Diebold has a hand in our elections.

Asheville's Democracy for America is working hard on this issue, and their next meetup on April 5th will first focus on it. From their meetup site:

"Buncombe County is about to make a decision that will affect the way we vote for years to come. Our board of elections is leaning heavily towards the electronic touchscreen machine with the so-called "toilet paper" roll of verified vote. We think paper ballots/optical scan are a much better way. If you want more information on this, or want to help secure the best voting system for Buncombe, please go to this new website, Buncombe Verifiable Voting

At the very same meeting, DFA will host democratic candidates for "Buncombe County Primary Election candidates for sheriff, district court judge, for NC state house representatives, and for the District 11's congressional seat."

This meeting sounds like a great opportunity to get involved in our local political scene. DFA has been working very hard to build grassroots activism, and DFA's local chapter leader, Anne Walch, is a force to be reckoned with. Check them out, especially if you're worried about voting machines or worried about the state of Democratic candidates.

When:
Wednesday, April 5, 2006, 6:30 PM

Where:
Pack Library Lord Auditorium
67 Haywood St.
Asheville , NC 28801

{note: if you're a local republican, libertarian, green, etc. and would like to let Asheville know about your events on this blog, please email us at blogashevilleAThotmailDOTcom. we'll post whatever you send us}

LSU, 62; Duke, 54

Time to go home, JJ.

Alive and Kicking in the Blogosphere

Julie Ball, Staff Writer at the Citizen-Times writes "Gene Policinski, executive director of the nonprofit First Amendment Center, sees modern-day bloggers as similar to the pamphleteers from early in the nation’s history.

They wrote what they wanted, printed it and distributed it in their towns.

“Blogging is very much in the spirit of the First Amendment,” Policinski said.

Only now, the potential distribution is far wider than anyone could have imagined.

Research conducted in 2005 by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found 9 percent of all adults using the Internet had created a blog. Technorati, a search engine that allows users to search millions of blogs, estimates that 70,000 new blogs are created daily. A blog is a personal online journal, or Web log.



Local bloggers are letting the world know their thoughts, personal, political and otherwise.

“What blogs do is they open the public square again. That’s their strength,” said Paul Van Heden of Asheville, who writes the political blog Brainshrub. “The weakness of blogs is it’s still to be determined whether blogs can cause serious social change.”

Van Heden was a journalism student but says he became disillusioned with journalism. Van Heden says he can get away with a lot more on his blog than a journalist.

“My problem with the mainstream media isn’t that they are biased. It’s that they pretend that they are not. That’s what frustrates me,” Van Heden said.

And anyone can do it, says Anne Fitten Glenn, 41, of Asheville. Glenn, a freelance writer, started blogging to market her writing. She said she writes for three blogs, including www.edgymama.com..."



"...Gordon Smith doesn’t consider himself a journalist but a commentator.

He says his blog, Scrutiny Hooligans, is a great place to “put all those opinions,” but also “a place to highlight issues that maybe are getting shorter play in some of the print media or corporate media.”

But Smith worries all this freedom may not last..."

Read the rest of the article at the Citizen-Times Online.

O, Misery: O, Joy

Dook is out of the NCAA Tournament. JJ Redick is gone from the team's ranks. Goodbye and good riddance, on both counts. To revel in more Dook misery, c'mon over to Ashvegas

Drinking Liberally: Tax That Beer

It's tax time again, and the citizens of this small mountain town are bellying up to the accountant and then bellying up to the bar. Drinking Liberally, that weekly gathering of left-leaners, revolutionaries, political junkies, and political operatives, comes together tonight at Jack of the Wood to answer a few simple questions:

What percentage of your tax dollars goes to pay for military spending?
What percentage of your tax dollars goes to pay for interest on the national debt?
W.p.o.y.t.d.g.t.p. for health care?
W.p.o.y.t.d.g.t.p. for alternative energies?
W.p.o.y.t.d.g.t.p. for your beer tab?

How would YOU reform the tax code if given the opportunity?


Bring your answers to these questions to Drinking Liberally tonight and every Thursday night, 7-10pm, Jack of the Wood. And if the very thought of talking taxes makes you want to scurry to the nearest liquor bottle, know that you can do both! We're a drinking club open to all people and all topics. New folks arrive every week, so come see who you've been missing.

p.s. A group of concerned citizens of western North Carolina will unveil a super secret project with enormous political implications tonight near Drinking Liberally at 8pm.

Another Grey Asheville Day...

-Photography by Tom Williams of Asheville, NC-

Matisyahu, live in Ashvegas

Tuesday in Ashvegas, a unique new musical talent will be coming to town. The hipsters, the cool kids, already know who will be playing the Orange Peel and have long ago bought their tickets (the show's sold out).

We're talking about Matisyahu, the Hasidic reggae artist.
I know. I know. You're probably laughing. Thinking "flash in the pan," or novelty act, at best. If you're thinking that, think again. This guy is breaking big. Huge. He's already appeared on Letterman and a couple of other late night talk shows. His second CD, "Live at Stubb's," has been No. 1 on Billboard's reggae chart for the past five weeks. He's got a video on MTV. His third album, "Youth," was released March 7.

This guy's for real. He's got jam band roots growing up following the Grateful Dead and hanging with Phish. He's got religion. He converted to his Orthodox ways after foundering with bad grades and drugs. Now he's shooting for the top. Here's what a recent Washington Post reporter had to say:

"Backstage at Madison Square Garden, Matisyahu cuts a striking figure, more rabbinical than reggae, 6 feet 3, all Talmudic beard and tzitzit fringe, shaking hands with the men, smiling at the women, saying, yes, yes, hopefully, one day soon, he'll be the one headlining. God willing.

"Just minutes before, he was onstage, rapping and beatboxing, singing praises, bouncing like Bob Marley. Folks in this mostly white crowd of college kids were standing in their seats, arms in the air, jamming to the beat. Hollering. Not a bad way to debut at the Garden, especially for an opening act with an unusual concept -- a Hasidic reggae singer.

"Now Matisyahu's working a different kind of performance: the industry Meet & Greet. He's making his rounds, navigating the terrain between religion and ambition, dodging potholes. For example: He's presented with a preteen fan, her dad wielding a disposable camera. The girl grins hopefully, revealing a mouthful of metal. Would he? Sure. But just before the camera clicks, she slips in closer to Matisyahu -- and he ever so slightly arches his lean frame away from the girl's, carving vital inches of space between their bodies.

"The life of a charismatic rapper-singer with crossover dreams and spiritual convictions poses its challenges.

"Matisyahu, ne Matthew Miller, has been dubbed the 'Hasidic reggae superstar,' a pat moniker of which he's none too fond. But the title sticks. It's an easy shorthand for a complex man, reducing the performer to a punch line. Still, the 26-year-old has always wanted to be a star, ever since he was a fractious teen growing up in a secular household in the New York suburbs. Right now, that star is on the ascendant: His third album, 'Youth,' drops on March 7, while his sophomore CD, 'Live at Stubb's,' has been No. 1 on Billboard's reggae chart for the past five weeks, beating out dancehall king Sean Paul. Right now, Matisyahu can be spotted on MTV, a Hasidic hunk dancing against an animated backdrop in his video 'King Without a Crown.'"

Poems for peace

Breakin'

Equality for All

Mark Ward, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville, today announced that he will sign no more marriage papers until the rites are open to all, including same-sex unions.

Ward's announcement was met with a standing ovation and many tears from his congregation.

He follows in the footsteps of Joe Hoffman, minister of the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Asheville, who made a similar decision a few weeks ago.

Thank you, Mark, for standing tall and firm in your beliefs.

Gypsy Bandwagon

Capacity crowd at Jack of the Wood tonight -- according to the guy at the door (he wouldn't let me in until a couple left the establishment). Gypsy Bandwagon had the crowd hootin' and hollerin' and stompin' their feet. I love it when you can feel the floor boards thumping to the beat of a lively tune.

Celebrating the Patron Saint of Ireland

Happy St. Patrick's Day!



Looking to swill some of the bitter in honor of the Patron Saint of Ireland? Gypsy Bandwagon plays Jack of the Wood tonight. Show starts around 9:30 PM and 10 PM.

Here's a MP3 sample from Gypsy Bandwagon: Walking Back to Dublin.

Beannachtai na Feile Padraig! And Siochan leat.

Uh-Oh or How to Have the Secret Service Confiscate your Computer

One of the front page articles in today's Asheville Citizen-Times is titled: "Bashing Bush costs student his computer."

What, you say? There are lots of us bashing the chimp on-line. This is America, right? O, and as I wrote two days ago, it's Sunshine Week, the week that shines a light upon our First Amendment rights.

Here are a few excerpts from the story by Clarke Morrison: "The U.S. Secret Service seized a computer from the dorm room of a Mars Hill College student after he posted a message on a Web site apparently deemed threatening to President Bush.

Freshman Tim Willis said he meant no real harm in using modified song lyrics describing the violent death of the president on myspace.com, a site popular with millions of young people as a place for personal expression.

'Even though I don’t like the president and I don’t like his policies … I don’t want to hurt anybody,” he said. “I’m very peaceable. I don’t desire any conflict or anything.'"

Okay, Tim, we get it. It was a joke, right? I joke a lot on EM, though typically not about the violent death of others. But then, maybe I'm just a bit more mature and mortality-aware than the average 20-year-old (I'm guessing his age as it wasn't in the paper).

"Jamie Cousins, the Secret Service agent who paid a visit to Willis on March 7 at the college and carried off his computer, said he couldn’t talk about the case."

No surprise there. There's a reason the first part of Service is Secret.

"Willis said he made the post in late February as a response to a posting about Bush by a friend, who also had his computer seized. Willis said he took the lyrics from “Bullet,” a song recorded by The Misfits in the late 1970s, and replaced the references to President Kennedy with President Bush."

So, this isn't the first time this has happened.

"On March 6, a Secret Service agent left a note in the mailbox of his Newton home asking him to call, Willis said. The teen’s mother then called him at Mars Hill to relay the message, and Willis called the agent.

'He said he needed to talk to me because I threatened the president,' Willis said. 'At the time I didn’t think I was threatening the president. It’s just lyrics to a song.'

The next day he met with Cousins at the college and signed papers agreeing to turn over his computer.

'He asked me if I was a member of any organizations, and I told him I was in the Boy Scouts and got my Eagle Scout,' he said. The agent also asked him if he was aware of any plots to overthrow the government, and told him the First Amendment doesn’t protect threats to the president, Willis said."

Oh yeah, I think we've heard that before. The old exception rule. This applies to everyone, except meglomaniac me.

So, kids. Beware. The SS is monitoring the on-line community and protecting us against former Boy Scouts turned college students in the North Carolina mountains.

(Crossposted from Edgy Mama/Also check out Syntax's take on the story)

Drinking Liberally: Liquid Courage

Oh the shame of it. To watch the Democrats lie down again and again, fretting that mean old George W. Bush and mean old Karl Rove and their mean old media machine will call them traitorous treasoners. They duck and dodge and retreat whenever anyone suggests that their actions are "borderline treasonous behavior". The Bushies have learned, of course, to say this whenever the Democrats do anything. In this manner the Democrats have said little and done less to halt the Bush administration's attacks on civil liberties, human rights, and the Constitution.

Russ Feingold is smart enough to figure out that we can both win the struggle against the radical terrorists and maintain our national values. His call for censuring the President is courage in action, kids. And while the Old Guard Democratic Party is running for cover for fear that President George "35% Approval Rating" Bush will call them sissies, Drinking Liberally, that weekly gathering of progressive rockstars, liberal rolemodels, and democratic visionaries is raising a glass to a real American Hero, Senator Russ Feingold.

Come down to Jack of the Wood to speak freely in Bush's Orwellian America. This week is the First Ever Drinking Liberally Book and Magazine Exchange, so bring the volumes you've been itching to share with others, and clear out the old magazine rack that's chock full of don't miss articles. Bring your banned books, your pirated periodicals, your outspoken opinions, and your sexy selves. Every week new people are arriving, so come see who you've been missing.

Senator Feingold, thanks for showing the minority party what courage looks like. You keep doing the heavy lifting, and we'll keep doing the drinking. Drinking Liberally, every Thursday, 7-10pm, Jack of the Wood. See you there.

Our Fallen Soldiers

The Asheville Citizen-Times is reporting "The four soldiers killed in a roadside bomb attack Sunday in the Pech Valley of Afghanistan’s Kunar province were all from the Asheville-based Alpha Company of the 391st Engineering Battalion.

According to Leslie Heater, Interim Family Readiness Group leader for the battalion, Commander David Boeke distributed an e-mail Monday night naming the soldiers who died. According to the e-mail, those soldiers are:

· Staff Sgt. Joe Ray, from Asheville.

· Sgt. Kevin Atkins, from Burnsville.

· Sgt. Anton Hiett, from Mount Airy.

· Spc. Joshua Hill, from Fairmont, Ind.

Boeke said in his e-mail, “Please take a moment to pray for their loved ones as they bear this heavy weight of sacrifice and grief.”

------------------------------------------------------------------

"I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom." - Bob Dylan

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the fallen.

Spring Comes to Reems Creek

Hope all you filthy hippies had fun today!

bliss & i were down in south carolina all day today, so we couldn't make the festivities... but i hope you all had fun - and most importantly, i hope that your voices were heard loud and clear.

2006 is going to be a very contentious election cycle here in the 11th district. this is merely the first battle in what's going to be all-out war. and, to help serve as a reminder that no man is perfect no matter how red, white and blue their ties are, i pulled this little audio snippet from the satellite this morning before we left for greenville: a short documentary segment about jimmy swaggart's on-air confession to havin' him some of that hellfudge in the back of a cadillac car.

until next time, keep on blogging, folks! there's been some fantastic writing from ya'll this week - keep it up!

Yet Another Saturday Scene

Wow! I left the house this morning feeling angry and disheartened and ended up having a fabulous time at the HateFest. God I love Asheville.

My favorite part was the same-sex dance contest to the strains of an old-timey bluegrass gospel band, which by the way really kicked ass! If anyone knows the name of the band please let me know. I'd like to try to book them for the upcoming Sodomites Ball.

More Saturday scenes

Scenes From the Rally

{cross posted from Scrutiny Hooligans}

The Rally is still going, but I've absconded to the comfort of the nearby New French Bar, with its excellent wireless connection, to have a hot whisky and show you some of the scene:


The warmup band gets the crowd moving with some old-time Gospel.


The protesters get warmed up too.


Brainshrub makes his presence known.


The protesters are loud and proud.


While outnumbered 2-1 by the fag-hating God-lovers, Asheville's gay rights community were enthusiastic and impossible to ignore.


Here's a shot of the Rally's target audience.


With God on their side, these well dressed Christofascists came armed with a flag of their own.

See You At The Rally!

It's the day of the big rally! Following his prayer breakfast with Congressman Charles Taylor, Dr. J. Wendell Runion will lead the...

"Rally...in SUPPORT of CHRISTIAN and CONSERVATIVE BUSINESSES and their RIGHT TO OPERATE according to FAMILY VALUES, SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE (between one man and one woman), WHOLESOME WORK ENVIRONMENT (without oppression from the Sodomites & Liberal Media)"...

at Pack Square at 11 a.m. In an interview with a very special Hooligan, Dr. Runion estimated "hundreds, maybe thousands" would attend the rally.

BlogAsheville can keep you abreast of all the homobashing, church & state incest, and Bible Truth, but you'd be better off coming down and seeing the sights for yourselves.

Some tidbits: The Asheville Citizen-Times will interview Taylor this morning, in part about the Rally. Brainshrub has plans to get a photo of Taylor and Runion together at the Prayer Breakfast. syntax, too, plans to attend the breakfast. Yours truly will be at the rally, digicam and laptop in hand(s), to give you the play by play. Other stars of the bloggerati will be there too, bearing witness on the front lines of the culture war.


POSTSCRIPT: The Asheville Citizen-Times offers up:

(1) An editorial apologizing for allowing the Rally Organizers to use the word 'sodomite' in their advertisement, "In allowing the use of the word “sodomites,” we allowed an entire group of people to be referred to with disrespect and contempt."

(2) A gaggle of Letters to the Editor regarding the Rally.

Give Thanks!

-Photograph by Tom Williams of Asheville, NC-

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.
-Buddha-

Unbelievable

Did anyone else notice the HUGE two-page spread ad in the middle of today's Asheville Citizen-Times Home & Garden section? Was anyone else horrified and offended?

If you haven't seen it, let me tell you about it. The header on the left-hand side reads "What the Bible Says About SODOMY." Followed by, you guessed it, lots o bible verses, several taken out of context, as far as I can tell. Then there's a box at the bottom of the page that reads: "According to the Word of God, the gay lifestyle and their claim to be Christian does not agree with one another."

Retyping this shit is making me feel like barfing, and it's not just because of the bad grammar.

Page two announces a rally to be held in Pack Square on Saturday at 11:00 "in SUPPORT of CHRISTIAN and CONSERVATIVE BUSINESSES and their RIGHT TO OPERATE according to FAMILY VALUES SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE (between one man and one woman) WHOLESOME WORK ENVIRONMENT (without oppression from the Sodomites & The Liberal Media).

All punctuation errors and screaming caps are theirs, not mine.

So, basically this is a reaction to the whole Wolf Laurel Ski Area brou-ha-ha, which the next graph refers to, followed by a long list of names. Christians, all, I assume. None of them anally-inclined. For those of you who missed it, a Wolf Laurel photographer was fired from her job recently because she's in a long-term monogamous relationship. With another woman.

Shocking, I know.

Above and beyond the obvious questions, should the AC-T be publishing this kind of stuff? Are they that desperate for ads? Do you think whoever placed the ad understands the irony of utilizing the "liberal" media as a vehicle for their personal hate and lack of understanding?

I'm feeling so ill that I'm not sure I can even talk about this anymore.

Drinking Liberally: Cutting and Running From Bush's Taint

With George W. Bush's poll numbers hovering around 40% ever since America saw him boldly lead the nation in the Katrina aftermath, Republicans across the nation are cutting and running from him. The Republican leadership in the House is challenging his decision to allow the Dubai Ports World deal. Reagan Republicans are suddenly appearing, lambasting the President for abandoning fiscal responsibility and small government. With elections in November, Republicans of every stripe are doing their best to make us forget they've been Bush's water carriers for the last 5 years.

Drinking Liberally, that weekly gathering of folks who've been against the Bush agenda since day one, is gathering to analyze, pick apart, mull over, and gear up for the Republican diaspora of 2006. They're running away from Bush. They're running away from Abramoff. They're running away from responsibility for Iraq. They're running away from the radical religious right. Some Republicans are even running away from the word Republican. In short, they're undergoing an extreme political makeover, a reinvention to make Madonna blush.

Tomorrow night at Jack of the Wood, in the blue heart of Asheville, Drinking Liberally will answer some pressing questions, "What will the Republican party look like in 8 months?" How far away from Bush can they get while continuing to enact his agenda? How much taint will Abramoff's revelations bring, and much of that taint will stick? How, after five years of being conjoined with the Bush administration, will Congressional Republicans separate themselves, and who will do the surgery?

There's so much taint to go around that the whole lot of them may be stained. If you want to avoid being tainted or stained, come on out to Drinking Liberally. We're at Jack of the Wood every Thursday, 7-10pm. Everyone's invited, and most of them have been showing up, so come see who you've been missing!