“Horse trails” letter to the editor

The N.C. GOP sent out mailers against candidate for state senate Sig Hutchinson in which they called Raleigh’s greenways “horse trails.” Well, being the chair of the Parks board, I don’t take kindly to that so I wrote a letter to the editor this morning. With any luck it will run tomorrow:

Contrary to what the N.C. GOP would have you believe, you won’t find any horses on Raleigh’s 80 miles of beautiful greenways. What you WILL find are citizens of all political stripes appreciating one of Raleigh’s more popular and unique amenities.

That’s why our citizens have consistently and enthusiastically supported the parks bonds, the same ones shepherded by Sig Hutchinson and other civic and business leaders. Our voters know these parks and greenways are a savvy investment in the health and well-being of our citizens (and future generations as well). These are benefits that even former city councilor Neal Hunt couldn’t say “neigh” to.

Mark Turner
Chair, Raleigh’s Parks, Recreation, and Greenway Advisory Board
Raleigh

(And with any luck, the N&O will fix my typos!)

N&O’s Steve Ford gets it right

I took a swipe at the N&O for its coverage of the firing of Tony Tata the other day and I stand by my criticism. If I’m going to point out the bad, though, it’s only fair that I should also praise the good.

Editorial page editor Steve Ford took up the issue in his column today and does so with a fairer, far more deft touch than most anything else I’ve read in the paper. Ford’s sober consideration of the issue was what I’d been looking for from the newspaper.

That I can say this even while not necessarily buying into every point he makes shows Ford struck the right balance. More of this, please.

Campaign consultant Perry Woods, who often pops up to assist Democratic candidates hereabouts, does his best to rebut the notion that the firing of Wake County school superintendent Tony Tata was an exercise in partisanship.

In a letter that we ran yesterday, Woods – noting he had advised all five of the Democrats who won seats on the school board last fall and who now have told Tata to make himself scarce – said that from a partisan political standpoint, the timing was wrong.

via Ford: The battle Tata couldn't win – Ford – NewsObserver.com.

Rights, wrongs, and royalties

So for my audition Friday night I decided to buy the sheet music for the song I sang, Somebody’s Baby by Jackson Browne. An outfit called sheetmusicplus.com sold me the song’s sheet music for $5.

After thinking it over a bit I realized just how absurd a price that is. I can buy the song in MP3 form for a buck with Jackson Browne singing and playing it (far better than I can), or I can spend five bucks and do all of the singing and playing myself. Seems a bit backwards that with the sheet music I’m paying more and getting less.
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Israel and Iran

Oh, Israel. You have a right to exist, but you don’t have a right to be a bully and an asshole to the countries around you. Or towards the United States, for that matter.

If Israel wants to pick a fight against Iran, let them have at it. Being involved in yet another war is the last thing the U.S. wants or needs right now. If Israel wants to flex its muscles, it can do so without our help.

I’ve got no problem with America defending Israel if Israel is ever attacked. I do have a problem with Israel dragging America along on a misguided, ill-timed adventure against Iran. Yes, Iran is a rogue nation, supports terrorism, and doesn’t like us much. There are better ways of dealing with that than war. If Israel wants to start its own war it can fight it, too.

If nukes are so dangerous and destabilizing, why not renounce the possession of them, dismantle them, and find other solutions to our problems? It’s funny how hypocritical nuclear-armed countries are about other countries becoming nuclear-armed. This includes Israel and the United States, too.

Log Cabin Republicans for Romney?


I found this tweet today that raised my eyebrows:

Britt Marsh
@designlessthts

the facebook says that two of my gay friends “like” mitt romney. I’m gonna hope that was some fluke. now I really want to puke even more.

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9:21 AM – 27 Sep 12 ·

Could this be more Hacked by Mitt Romney hijinks?