ReOpenNC Wants Governor Cooper Impeached

The notoriously reckless Reopen NC co-founder Ashley Smith, who does not live in Boone (as far as we know), is circulating a petition calling on state lawmakers to impeach Gov. Roy Cooper because he issued shutdown orders restricting commercial activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. The petition cites a lack of concurrence from the Council of State -- Republican members Dan Forest, Dale Folwell, Cherie Berry, Steve Troxler, and Mark Johnson, who apparently liked better the cavalier refusal to take the coronavirus seriously, like the governors of Florida, Texas, and Arizona. Ashley Smith's petition for impeachment accuses the governor of infringing on North Carolinians' rights of free speech and the enjoyment of the fruits of their labor.

Lt. Gov. Dan Forest is already suing Governor Cooper over the same issue.

Impeachment would have to begin in the NC House. Republican House Speaker Tim Moore "did not return requests for comment on the petition. Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger's office said it would be out of turn for Berger to comment, given that any impeachment proceedings would have to start in the House."

In other words, don't hold your breath, Ashley Smith.

Boone Joins Raleigh in Requiring Masks in Indoor Public Spaces

Yesterday both the Raleigh City Council and the Boone Town Council voted to require masks for everyone visiting establishments open to the public. In Boone, council members Nancy LaPlaca and Dustin Hicks continue to oppose the measure while members Furgiuele, Clawson, and Ulmer voted for mask-wearing, as numbers of both infections and hospitalizations continue to rise across the state.

Even so, Boone is tiptoeing toward enforcing compliance: "Violation of the restriction would be punishable by an infraction, but police would be directed to first educate upon the first offense, and then give a warning before citing someone with an infraction. The restriction is slated to take effect at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 20, with enforcement of any penalties to be delayed by an additional three weeks" (Watauga Democrat).

Ashley Smith, the founder of ReOpenNC who is not from Boone, displayed her astounding level of intelligence on the issue by burning a face mask and posting it to Facebook. Yeah. That'll show the tyrants!

Your Weekend Update on ReOpenNC

Thankful for EQV Analytics (@AnalyticsEqv) for updating us on developments in the ReOpenNC movement, which we understand (really) as a surrogate re-elect Trump subset in the Republican/Libertarian universe, because -- let's get real here -- anyone wearing a mask must be an effing Democrat.

ReOpenNC leader Ashley Smith (not from Boone) has started a GoFundMe page:

I became fixated on a protest sign clearly shown in the lower righthand corner of the photograph above. "NO FAUCI NO GATES NO VACCINE." I know who Fauci is, and I understand how he's offended the person who painted that sign: Fauci has occasionally contradicted Trumpolini. But "Gates"? Bill Gates? Oh, okay, because he secretly launched the whole virus to make money, and he and his wife Melinda have been publicly critical of Trumpolini's inept and bungled response to the pandemic.

But "NO VACCINE"??? It takes a graduate class in stupidity to advocate against finding a cure, but maybe it makes some sense if you believe -- along with the Trump of approximately two months ago -- that coronavirus is all a hoax. You can't vaccinate a hoax. Makes perfect sense now.

But I digress.

Back to not-from-Boone Ashley Smith. She's taking some heat on the ReOpenNC Facebook page over the loosey-goosey GoFundMe effort above.

ReOpenNC Organizer Urges Fellow Idiots To "Double-Down!"

I believe this video features the voice of not-from-Boone ReOpenNC organizer Ashley Smith, along with video footage of her recent arrest in Raleigh by the Capitol police. All of this by way of characterizing Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Forest as the head idiot.

Update on Not-From-Boone Ashley Smith, Leader of ReOpenNC

Ashley Smith
Capitol Police mug shot from
her arrest last week

Yesterday in Raleigh, about 200 people, led by a grandstanding Ashley Smith, gathered at the legislative building to protest the governor's stay-at-home order (which, in fact, he's beginning to relax as of this Friday, 5 p.m., which is another bone of contention for the rest of us). About 30 of those marched to the governor's mansion. Few were wearing masks. In fact, Smith is promoting a boycott of CostCo and Whole Foods because those two businesses are requiring shoppers to wear masks.

Membership in Smith's ReOpenNC group appears to be dwindling, especially with the defection last week of a co-organizer who disagreed with Smith's version of civil disobedience. She accused Smith of "nearly inciting a riot."

Yesterday outside the General Assembly, "Speakers took turns at the microphone for nearly an hour. They prayed, recited the Pledge of Allegiance and made references to those killed at Waco and Ruby Ridge." Their minds just naturally go to bloody violence because the governor -- a jack-booted thug if there ever was one! -- wants them to wear masks and stand six feet apart.

According to the News and Observer, "ReOpenNC leader Ashley Smith said the group will become a nonprofit and begin a fundraising campaign. She said upcoming legal fights require funds. The group had wanted to file a class-action writ of habeas corpus, but doing so required a filing fee of $200 a person." "A class-action writ of habeas corpus"? Jeffrey Billman: "I’m fairly certain that’s not a real thing."

Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article242506046.html?utm_source=INDY+Week+-+Pico&utm_campaign=2234b8ccb2-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_05_06_03_29&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4bfd26c21a-2234b8ccb2-220514609#storylink=cpy

Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article242506046.html?utm_source=INDY+Week+-+Pico&utm_campaign=2234b8ccb2-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_05_06_03_29&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4bfd26c21a-2234b8ccb2-220514609#storylink=cpy

Smith doesn't like Governor Cooper's phased reopening plan. She proclaimed that it "will change little and lead to economic downfall." “It’s time to make a stand,” she said. “I think I’ve shown willingness to put skin in the game in a tactile way.”

Indeed, yes. She's caused a good stink.

The Founder of ReopenNC Is From Morganton, Not Boone

Guest Blogging: Boone Nonnymouse

Special to WataugaWatch:

I keep seeing reports that Ashley Smith of ReopenNC is identifying herself as a small business owner in Boone. Does anyone in Boone actually know her? Boone is still a small town, and you’d think somebody would know her.

I’ve Googled extensively. There’s an Ashley Smith who is involved in management at Greystone Eye, but they actually issued a statement and posted it on their website stating the Smith involved with ReopenNC is not the same.

There’s an Ashley Smith who is an Allen Tate Insurance Agent. She’s affiliated with the Blowing Rock offices of Allen Tate, but she is in Charlotte. Also photo doesn’t match mug shot of the Smith arrested in Raleigh last Tuesday (see above).

And then there’s the Facebook page for the Smith of  ReopenNC. No likes, friends, or photographs of anyone related to Boone or the High Country. Here it is: https://www.facebook.com/AshleyESmith77

I guess a copy of the police report of her arrest by Capitol Police would have her information, including address, employer, etc.

This is she in Morganton yesterday:

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/charlotte/news/2020/05/02/dozens-of-protestors-were-in-downtown-morganton-saturday

This story says Morganton is her hometown. She says she and her husband run a business called Blue Ridge Merchants, a credit card processor. No mention of Boone at all.

https://www.morganton.com/news/local/political-protest-group-gaining-statewide-attention-has-local-ties/article_d3197d7d-efaf-5e97-87c4-4443215d8f73.html

And this is the business’s website. Nothing about Boone here either.

https://www.facebook.com/Blueridgemerchants/

So wherefore did it get started that Ashley Smith of ReopenNC was from Boone?