McCrory & Tillis Duck Out of Memorial Service

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Erskine Bowles was asked to speak rather than either McCrory or Tillis, but this intercepted email asks a burning question:

"I thought I'd share this little story with you from the Dean E. Smith memorial service last Sunday. My wife and I were lucky enough to be in the area and had the chance to go. It was a beautiful service for a true leader of North Carolina culture and students for many decades. At the beginning, Woody Durham politely recognized that Pat McCrory and Thom Tillis were in attendance, sitting side by side, no less. After nearly an hour of the service had gone by, I looked down on the court to see that both McCrory and Tillis had LEFT. They left before Dean's preacher had spoken, before the benediction, before the Alma Mater. Where did those two have to go that was so important they couldn't finish a Sunday afternoon service for a North Carolina legend? That really burned us up, and I thought someone else should at least hear about it."

Dean Smith Endorses Barack Obama

Lengendary UNC basketball coach Dean Smith (along with his wife Linnea) has endorsed Barack Obama in an e-mailing many received yesterday.

"There is a point in every contest when sitting on the sidelines is not an option. That is why Linnea and I are writing to urge you to join Barack Obama's campaign for President.

"There are pivotal moments in history when the right decision by a nation can change its course for the better -- opening up new paths before us and providing future generations with opportunities that we had not thought possible. This coming election provides one of those moments. Linnea and I believe Barack Obama is the right leader at this critical juncture. I have written that when coaching a team, you must be prepared to make changes to meet new challenges and obstacles. We must be prepared to do the same as a nation. Now, it is the United States that needs a change in direction... and a change in leadership...."

He means to add one more to those 879 career wins.