We've Moved!

After a few years of using Blogger (and dealing with all of the technical issues therein, such as the dreaded eaten posts, outages and downtimes, etc., all of which seemed to be exacerbated by Blogger's takeover by Google), the Hooligans sat down a few months ago over homemade chili & cornbread to discuss our options regarding the future of this blog. We decided to take matters into our own hands and jumped platforms from Blogger to WordPress, from Blogspot to our very own domain. Effective immediately, we will be located at: http://www.scrutinyhooligans.us/ Please do us a solid and update your bookmarks, blogrolls and rss feeds. We'll do the same if you ever switch URLs. :) We'll leave this site active for the time being, at least until all of the archived posts get imported from Blogger. As we move into this brave new world of open-source blogging, Scrutiny Hooligans would like to thank you, our loyal readers, for your support over the past three years, and for your continued support in the future. This is a bold and exciting new venture for us, and we'd be honored if you came along for the ride. Love, The Hooligans (Screwy Hoolie, Uptown Ruler, Catchy Pseudonym, Writ of Summons, Funk-O-Meter, syntax, & Drama Queen)

Woodfin Diesel Power Plant: VICTORY

The Woodfin Board of Adjustment denied Progress Energy the conditional use permit to build their diesel-fired power plant. While Progress Energy can appeal the Board's decision through the Court of Appeals, this unnecessary, ill-conceived, sneakily planned power plant is kaput. Give yourselves a hand. From the AC-T: "A town board early this morning voted down a proposal by Progress Energy to build a $72 million power plant in Woodfin. About 150 people had packed a public hearing of the Board of Adjustment, saying they worried the plant would bring down property values and hurt air quality. [...] “We had what seemed like an overwhelming amount of evidence that it wouldn’t benefit Woodfin,” board Chairman Robert Powers said." [...] "“I don’t think we need to burn anything to make fuel anymore,” she said. “I would like to see Progress be champion instead of a villain.” Warren Wilson College economics professor Susan Kask told board members the power plant’s location would lower property values regardless of environmental impact. “It could be the cleanest plant in the world,” Kask said. “It doesn’t matter.” Mountain Voices Alliance, The Canary Coalition, and all the other conservationists out there who fought this dirty deal, Scrutiny Hooligans salute you. And to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, it's a sad day when Woodfin has to teach you what responsible governance looks like. Ramsey, Stanley, Peterson, Young, Gantt - you missed your chance to do the right thing. Now all of you are simply the tools who tried to sell our children's health and energy future to Big Energy for a dollar a year. See you in '08.

Candidate Flack, I Have Some Questions

Democracy For America is hosting a forum for Buncombe Democratic Party candidates for Chair and First Vice Chair. That means you'll likely see Randy Flack, Political Director of Heath Shuler's campaign and lifelong Shuler friend and mentor, running for Chair and Kathy Sinclair, current First Vice Chair and progressive leader, running for her current seat. I don't believe they have any competition, but someone may yet turn up. The forum is Wednesday, April 4th, 7pm at North Asheville Public Library, 1030 Merrimon Ave., Asheville NC 28804. The forum is open to the Democratic-aligned public. DFA luminary and Democratic Precinct Captain, Doug Gibson, said in an email, "We'll be giving candidates for the top two slots in the county Democratic Party a chance to introduce themselves to the public. We'll also give the public a chance to ask them questions. Whether you're a yellow-dog Democrat or a progressive who happens to vote for Democratic candidates, we hope you'll come." The Buncombe Democratic Party, as I wrote in a post back in January, is poised to change if the Old Guard opens the process to energized, motivated progressives. If the Old Guard is not prepared to invite others to share in decision making, then progressives will abandon them and/or wait for them to die before taking over the party they built for decades. If the Old Guard does invite progressives in, then we'll be the strongest county party in the country. I don't know how many questions I'll get to ask at the forum, but, should any of the candidates or friends of theirs read this humble blog, I'll ask several here and hope for answers before the County Democratic Party Convention on April 14th. Candidate Flack, Democrats on the county commission recently gave a sweetheart deal to Progress Energy for the construction of a diesel-fired power plant in Woodfin. Congressman Shuler ran, in part, on an alternative energy platform. When asked about this conflict and about Rep. Shuler's plans for alternative energy initiatives, Commissioner Carol Peterson laughed mockingly, saying, "That Heath!" How will the Democratic Party Chair address such glaring inconsistencies and power struggles? Candidate Sinclair, it seems to me you've been the punching bag for the Old Guard of the party ever since you were elected to your seat. How do you manage to stay motivated when your own party members put you down and short-change your efforts? Candidate Flack, you have a long and deep history with Heath Shuler. How will any primary challenger to Congressman Shuler know that you will remain an honest broker? If that challenger should beat Shuler, will you pledge tonight to support that nominee? Candidates Sinclair and Flack, how can the county party encourage more participation by progressives? Candidate Flack, what will the county apparatus do differently under your leadership? How will GOTV change? Either Candidate, will y'all get me a Wii? What questions do you Hooligans have for the candidates? Put them in the comments and/or come on out to the forum. For a taste of Randy Flack, watch this video, shot at a Shuler town meeting during the campaign -

Hey, fellow progressives: are we locked out or are we just not walking in the door?

Henderson County Democratic Party Chair Eva Ritchey feels marginalized by the Democratic Party. Why? Because she's a woman? Somewhat. Because she's progressive? Definitely. But mostly because she's of the 43% of pro-life Democrats that the party doesn't want to talk about. Now, that's all another argument. But, what I found fascinating and want you to consider was her analysis of how progressives marginalize themselves. Check it out: She also has some fine words about inclusion for the 11th district democratic party leadership: "If leadership comes only from one area or one group of people, when we get to the next election, we will be hurting ourselves." These two videos are just a sampling of series of conversations with the always provocative Eva I've posted over at BlueNC. (It's a direct link to the post so you won't have to wade through the cartoons . . .)

Fun and Games: The Tarheel Tavern #110

Judging by the number of hits I got yesterday from the Tarheel Tavern's cobwebsite, there were a lot of you waiting for this week's edition to hit the Tubes. Well it's April, fools, and your host was enthralled away from the mighty laptop into other worlds, where games are central to relationships and fun is more than just a Tavern theme. This was also to be the April Fools Day that heralded the launch of Scrutiny Hooligans 3.0, but technical difficulties got between us and metamorphosis. So thanks for showing up a day late, Taverngoers, to read the finest blogging in our Tarheel state at a soon to be reborn site. I'd originally planned to play an April Fools joke by linking the title of every post to someone else's post, but I thought better of it when I saw that some people would miss the opportunity to join the biggest bandwagon to hit the NC creative writing scene since Charles Frazier gave hope to so many long-suffering novelists. Billy: "Calling on ALL poets, novelists, short story authors and creative writers from all genres, in-print or only online: I'm about to launch the biggest thing that ever happened to creative writers and I need your help." At A Sort of Notebook, Waterfall is working on a novel of her own, and she's blogging about the experience. In this post, she's polysyllabically enrapt by uliginous, sclerenchyma, malodorous, and valetudinarian. Steve Emery is also playing with words, but his have lusty, frondescent counterparts you won't find in my garden: Bleets and Floccoli, Plumpkins and Monkmelons, Tomandos and Lemon Blam. The always absurd Billy Sugarfix announces the winner of his latest lyrical recontre and performs it for all you Taverners. Have a listen while you scroll down the page. In the Labyrinth of Many Names, Hamjamser, leads intrepid readers into a chimerical puzzle of lysergic dimensions: "Interestingly enough, I visited the Palace of Madmen once (or the Changing Maze, the Sanctuary of Dreams, the Labyrinth of Many Names, the Heap, or whatever else you care to call it). I stumbled across one of the back doors. There are no front doors." In the world of politics every door looks like an exit or an opportunity. This collection of four political submissions ranges from the disturbing to the disturbingly funny: Last week's Tavern host, Bharat at The Olive Ridley Crawl, finds no fun and no games in Environmental Racism, "As life in the third world becomes more miserable, the rich countries can always build more walls." The View From the Cheap Seats has a very fun picture of politicians in suits and hardhats breaking ground on a jail that's been a game of tug-of-war, "This would have not made the project the “Twin Towers of Terror” that the Downtown Jail Trail crowd had been bloviating about for the past couple of years." Ogre tells a joke about those stoopid gubmint workers (don't tell all my schoolteacher and civil servant friends!). And this blog, Scrutiny Hooligans, airs WNCNN's Mad Miss Mattie as she announces that Presidential confidante and swirling dungpile of controversy, Karl Rove, is coming to Hendersonville to teach the eleventh district Republicans how to become even bigger bastards. We'll end this week's Tavern with maximum randomness - Tarheel Tavern Blogfather, Coturnix at Blog Around the Clock, demystifies elephantine firewalking, "you may just start by assuming an elephant as a sphere." First time Taverner, Breakfast With Pandora, is blogging from Greece and wants us to enjoy the sights, "In the distance, the Saronic Gulf, smoky blue. I leapt off the last stair, hit Hellenic tarmac, and let out a whoop." Lastly, here's Moomin Light's luminous offering to the one-day-late April Fools edition of the Tarheel Tavern, a trio of sassy penguins and one miserable nature photographer. The Tarheel Tavern is looking for hosts. It's a great way to get a ton of traffic, meet your fellow bloggers, and read some of the best work in North Carolina. Email me at scrutinyhooligans (A t) yahoo <[dot]> com if you're interested in hosting #111, 112, or 113.

Woodfin residents: Monday is your chance!

All are welcome but only Woodfin residents can speak out against the proposed oil-burning plant tomorrow night at the Woodfin Planning and Zoning Board, Monday, April 2, 6:30, Woodfin Town Hall. If the good people of Woodfin don't stop this, it's in the hands of boards whose members may or may not have our best interests at heart. Just look at the Public Utilities Commission. According to IndyWeek's Lisa Sorg, "Four of seven members have ties to industries they regulate." NC WARN's Executive Director Jim Warren calls Governor Easley's last appointment "a gift to the power companies." He writes: This state’s big power companies have for years acted like they own the legislature, along with the Utilities Commission and its so-called Public Staff. Governor Mike Easley’s appointment of Edward Finley to the Commission yesterday represents solid reassurance to Duke Energy and Progress Energy that good-ole-boy politics are firmly in place in North Carolina. So, here's hoping the officials of Woodfin figure out (with your help) that this is NOT the best option for our future. It's wrong for our air, our heath, our pocketbooks, and it certainly is not going to decrease our dependence on foreign oil, (remember, this is supposedly the goal of every patriotically-minded American . . . right?) From the Canary Coalition: The Woodfin Planning and Zoning Board will decide whether to grant a Conditional Use Permit to Progress Energy for building and operating an oil-burning power plant. This hearing and the following decision by the Board could stop the construction of this power plant. If you can attend this hearing, it's important to do so. Come at about 5:30 so we can coordinate speakers and strategy. We're getting good signals from Woodfin public officials. Public support is crucial. Go to Mountain Voices Alliance for more info. (Scroll down for the cool "click-and-print" posters.

syntax's Record Collection: The Flaming Lips

"Talkin' 'Bout the Smiling Deathporn Immortality Blues (Everyone Wants to Live Forever)", from Hit to Death in the Future Head (Happy Saturday, everyone. See you at the bowling alley...)

Will NC-11 Republicans Get in Bed With Rove?

It's understandable that, given the bruised egos of western North Carolina's disgraced Republican leaders, they would welcome a visit from a nationally renowned strategist like Karl Rove. God knows the National Republican Campaign Committee left former Congressman Charles Taylor twisting in the wind during the 2006 race, spending millions of his own dollars, running unsophisticated ad after unsophisticated ad on radio and television. The NRCC spent hundreds of millions of dollars for the privilege of losing to Democrats across America, but they didn't spend it in NC-11. NC-11's Republican Party leaders have decided to hitch their wagons to Bush's dying star. Karl Rove's visit to Hendersonville, NC in late April is the beginning of a concerted effort among George Bush/Charles Taylor Republicans to desperately cling to Rove's slash-and-burn style of politics. We've seen the GSA testimony reveal the depth of corruption of this administration, spending taxpayer dollars to teach government employees how best to target and defeat Democrats in 2008. We've seen Alberto Gonzales lie to Congress while his President stands by him. We've seen Karl Rove mock the Congress of the United States at the Correspondent's Dinner. Rove's tactics are uncivil, misleading, and bad for democracy. Take the new NRCC attack site. The Shuler page is filled with poorly referenced disinformation. Rove's partisan hit squad accuses Shuler of turning over "United States homeland security protections to the United Nations" for voting to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. For voting to strengthen our national security based on the findings of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission, Rove and his colleagues attack Heath Shuler. Why? Because they are not interested in truth. They are interested only in retaking Washington to restore the unaccountable systematic culture of corruption they worked to create since 2000. The entire attack site is riddled with inaccuracies like the one I mention above. Rove and the Bush/Taylor Republicans plan to retake Congress with lies, spin, and fury. NC-11 Republicans will likely be hypnotized by Rove's promises of money. They will likely turn the Congressional race over to Washington consultants who will stroke their tender egos. Our district will likely see a campaign so dirty that people will pine for the days of Taylor's stupid graphics and grade school scripts. This is not good for us or for anyone. Even Bush/Taylor Republicans must know that Karl Rove and George Bush's era of lies is ending, so I must conclude that this pack of Republicans are desperate, desperate enough to sacrifice their principles for Rove's dark star power. Contact your local Republican party today to let them know that Rove's slash-and-burn politics aren't welcome in our mountains, or take this opportunity to donate to Heath Shuler. He's going to need some major resources to fight this sort of underhanded, well-funded, dirty politicking.

Mad Miss Mattie announces Rove visit

Can you believe WNCNN's Mad Miss Mattie is pimping for the Republicans? I'm shocked. Check it out. She's disgusting.

Rove coming to 11th District April 28!!!!!!

Mark your calendars. In a move of obvious and excessive desperation, the Republicans of the 11th District are scraping the bottom of the political barrel and dragging disgraced (and disgusting) political hack extraordinaire Karl Rove to their convention April 28. West Henderson High School. We'll get you the time when we have it. Could it be that Taylor is coming back from the crypt to run again? Maybe Rove'll do this rap song: Rumor has it that Mad Miss Mattie is all excited about it.

Rove targeted Shuler, Part II: We paid for it

Didn't think about it in my last post on the subject but this power point pdf where Rove was targeting our own Congressman in the next election was paid for by you and me. Nothing like subverting the political process by using government money to undermine your opponents. For years we've all been talking about how totalitarian things are getting. Now more and more evidence is popping up. Aren't you lovin' the two-party system? Subpoena-power is so much fun. Here's the video testimony.