Soucek's ETJ Bill Fails in House Committee

BREAKING
The NC House committee charged with considering Sen. Dan Soucek's "local bill" to deprive Boone of its ability to hold the Templeton family to certain development ordinances (steep slope ordinance, tops among them) failed in the House committee, 12-15.

Eye witnesses tell us that it was Republican Majority Leader Rep. Edgar Starnes of Caldwell who swayed the vote most passionately in his remarks to the committee. Jeff Templeton also spoke, along with Boone Mayor Andy Ball and Seven Oaks resident Lee Stroupe.

Starnes is a real estate "investor" with property in the Boone ETJ.

Soucek dies in the House, once again.

He faces reelection this November against Democrat Jim Sponenberg, a Lenoir banker.

ADDENDUM
Rep. Starnes said in the hearing, "This would be the only time in the history of North Carolina that we have removed a town's ETJ authority," Starnes said. "I think it sets a dangerous precedent."

WRAL coverage suggested that several Republican members of the committee made a hasty exit after Starnes spoke, deciding perhaps that it was better to visit the restroom rather than go on the record voting for Mr. Soucek's special interest bill.

O Goody! When NC Establishes a State Religion, Can I Be High Priest?

We would have suspected an April Fool's joke, but House Joint Resolution 494 was filed on April 2, so we guess The Honorables are as serious as a heart attack:

The North Carolina General Assembly does not recognize federal court rulings which prohibit and otherwise regulate the State of North Carolina, its public schools, or any political subdivisions of the State from making laws respecting an establishment of religion.

And guess who's a co-sponsor of this appalling piece of sapience, which seeks to overturn the Bill of Rights and a couple of hundred years of judicial wisdom about forcing their goddamn religion on other folks....

Yep. Jonathan Jordan.

Along with Carl Ford and Harry Warren of Rowan County, chief sponsors (and you can read the background on how Rowan County is this unbelieveably beleaguered Christian bunker holding out for Christ against improbable odds), and Justin Burr, Jeff Collins, Debra Conrad, Bert Jones, Allen McNeill, Larry Pittman (who wants to execute abortion doctors), Michele Presnell, Edgar Starnes (who also thinks that voting on Sundays is of the devil), and Chris Whtmire.

Maybe some of these are actually good people and wouldn't kick a dog. I don't know. But they're trying to do bad things to this state (not to mention to our founding principles and documents).

Republican Bastards Go Home for Easter

I love the "Urban Dictionary" for defining words accurately. To wit:

bastard: noun, an uncaring and destructive person; you covered dog shit with a leaf and left it outside your brothers' front door because you thought it was funny, you bastard. You killed Kenny, you bastard.

The Republicans currently populating the General Assembly in Raleigh are bastards. As Jim Jenkins said Wednesday, the legislative Republicans "are more interested in destruction than in building.” That's what bastards do.

Bastards don't want you to vote. Bastards have only one good reason to limit the Early Voting period. Bastards are hypocrites about Sunday voting. One of the biggest bastards, Rep. Edgar Starnes of nearby Caldwell County, said, "I think Sundays just should be – some things you just shouldn't do on Sundays, so I am just opposed to voting on Sunday." What a bastard!

Are we going to allow the bastards to keep us down? That is the only question.

The bastards have all gone home now for Easter, because as Rep. Starnes suggested, Sundays are for smug bastards to gather in their churches and thank God they are not as other men (and women) are.