As Drinking Liberally regular, Joe Ludes, put it, "This is taking the cliche about liberals always just talking and never doing anything - and then adding alcohol". Well Damn It, Joe, you're right. And this week's Drinking Liberally is devoted to figuring out what you can do to fend off feelings of helplessness while actually working to improve the future of our great nation...while drinking!
The area is changing and growing, and there are multitudes of captains steering this mountainous ship. Liberals, progressives, democrats, greens, etc. - How would you plan the city if you were in charge? How would you plan it after two beers?
On some positions, cowardice asks the question, is it expedient? And then expedience comes along and asks the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? Conscience asks the question, is it right?There comes a time when one must take the position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must do it because conscience tells him it is right. I believe today that there is a need for all people of goodwill to come with a massive act of conscience and say in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "We ain’t goin’ study war no more." This is the challenge facing modern man.
Let me close by saying that we have difficult days ahead in the struggle for justice and peace, but I will not yield to a politic of despair. I’m going to maintain hope as we come to Washington in this campaign. The cards are stacked against us. This time we will really confront a Goliath. God grant that we will be that David of truth set out against the Goliath of injustice, the Goliath of neglect, the Goliath of refusing to deal with the problems, and go on with the determination to make America the truly great America that it is called to be.
I say to you that our goal is freedom, and I believe we are going to get there because however much she strays away from it, the goal of America is freedom. Abused and scorned though we may be as a people, our destiny is tied up in the destiny of America.
Delivered at the National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., on 31 March 1968
"Over the past 130 years, the town of Weaverville has grown into a wonderful and unique community that has been celebrated both regionally and nationally for our authentic small town charm. We believe that all future development in Weaverville should be at a scope and scale that contributes and preserves our town's identity and landscape. We are a small town, not a city or a suburb, and it is our responsibility as citizens to protect our home that we love so dearly. If we don't, who will?
We are committed to preserving the Weaverville we now know and love through controlled, well planned, "smart" growth. We are not opposed to growth, but we are opposed to the kind of growth that will destroy the character and charm that is Weaverville. We believe we can grow and preserve "our town" through clear and comprehensive rules and ordinances that spell out what we want and what we do not want from developers. The "we" referred to here is all the citizens of Weaverville. What the true majority of Weaverville residents want is what we must have. If we paint a clear picture of what we all want Weaverville to look like 10, 20, 30 years from now, the developers will build what we want, not what they want!"
Congressman Charles Taylor of Brevard said he will not give back contributions he received from former Washington lobbyist and now convicted felon Jack Abramoff and his wife.click here for the rest of the article.
Tuesday was the first time the veteran Republican lawmaker answered whether he would return the money since a spate of politicians moved to rid themselves of contributions from the once-influential Abramoff who is in the position to finger officials in a federal bribery investigation.
Taylor received almost $3,000 from Abramoff and his wife. He has not been accused of any wrongdoing in accepting the money.
The eight-term congressman made the comments at a weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Hendersonville. He used the speech to propose campaign finance reform he said would lessen abuses, and to touch on top campaign-year issues -- illegal immigration, the contest for GOP House leadership and Swain County's so-called "Road to Nowhere."
Liberals, progressives, democrats, greens, etc. - Where do you stand on the civil rights issues that confront America today? Do you support Affirmative Action? Do you believe that homosexuals ought to have a civil rights movement like the one King led? How do spying programs affect or endanger civil liberties? What in the hell can we do about it anyway?
I've got a bike, you can ride it if you like.
It's got a basket, a bell that rings
And things to make it look good.
I'd give it to you if I could, but I borrowed it.
You're the kind of girl that fits in with my world.
I'll give you anything, everything if you want things.
I've got a clan of gingerbread men.
Here a man, there a man, lots of gingerbread men.
Take a couple if you wish. They're on the dish.
You're the kind of girl that fits in with my world.
I'll give you anything, everything if you want things.
I know a room full of musical tunes.
Some rhyme, some ching, most of them are clockwork.
Let's go into the other room and make them work.
I wanted to give a shout out to Kerra Bolton for her excellent and informative front page article in last Wednesday's Asheville Citizen Times. It dealt with the annual forum given by NC Citizens for Business and Industry and the NC Bankers Association. This year's forum concentrated on a 13 month study by a pair of UNC professors dealing with the impact of Hispanic immigrants on the economy of our state. If you didn't get a chance to read it, I would highly recommend it. As it says in the article it "challenges some commonly held beliefs about the states fastest growing minority."
Here are just a couple:
"Hispanics living in the Asheville metropolitan area spent $214.5 million in 2004, creating 2,300 jobs and $100,095 in state and local taxes. In Buncombe County, Hispanic purchasing power totaled more than $122 million."
"Hispanic residents contribute about $9.2 billion a year to the state’s economy, and businesses chasing the money they spend employed 89,900 workers in 2004."
Drinking Liberally is kicking off the new year with a well lubricated look at how to win elections in 2006. Candidate for Buncombe County Sheriff, F.H. Green, will publicly discuss strategy in a open door session. We'll try to answer the question - Who is Otto DeBruehl, and how many deeds can one dude register anyway? And we'll learn more about the Big'un, the NC-11 race for Congress, featuring a convicted manslaughterer, a football legend, and a powder-faced stroke victim with a penchant for unconstitutional behavior.The user agreement states:okay. that's fair enough. frankly, i don't blame them for disallowing the use of, say, soulseek or bittorrent - the last thing a small outfit like main needs is a lawsuit brought against them by the recording or movie industry.
"I will use the connection for client applications only. I will not use
this connection for any server of any type, including peer-to-peer file
sharing programs."
In other words web casting from your wireless connection is not supported.
The indie film Loggerheads opened at the Fine Arts Theatre on Friday night, and writer/director Tim Kirkman kindly invited yours truly to see it (Hi Tim! Thanks!). Tim loves BlogAsheville, so I know he'll be by for a visit. Everyone wave at Tim. He's going to be a famous guy soon, cause he's a helluva writer and filmmaker.
The film tells the story of a birth mother, her child, and his adoptive parents. Each of the three interwoven stories are set in one of the three distinctive geographical regions of our state—the mountains (Asheville), Piedmont (Eden) and coastal plains (Kure Beach). It's a tarheel film, for sure.
