Apr
09

Thought Experiments – Campbell, Armor, and Mumpower

By

forartikkel12323.jpgFrom the URTV debate:

“I can tell you about 90% of these I would not have supported.”
[...]
“Those who are looking for handouts from Washington would do well to vote for another candidate beside me.”

- Carl Mumpower on the earmarks Heath Shuler has gotten for western North Carolina.

“When you talk about the militia, I assume you mean the Minutemen, right? O.K. Every American has a right to go anywhere in the United States and, if they care to, to risk their life to make a point. I see no difference between the motives of the Minutemen at the Arizona border than Dr. Martin Luther King and the other people who went to Selma. It’s the same thing.” – John Armor on the Minutemen militia.

“Global Warming – One of the major frauds of the 20th century.” – John Armor

“Since I’m not a scientist, and I haven’t heard any consensus views from the scientific community about global warming, my own opinion is – until there is a predominant evidence, body of evidence, that we are causing it, I have to think that what’s really causing it is the natural progression of the globe.” – Spence Campbell

“I think this is a war that’s been going on for a thousand years, and it’s now being fought in the middle east” – Spence Campbell in response to a question about the War in Iraq.

14 Comments

1

Global warming, a major fraud? When I was an infant, circa 1959, we got snowed in so hard (this was up toward Roan Mountain) that the Army sent helicopters to drop us food, I’ve been told. We probably had fifty Ball jars full of preserved food, but they did it anyway.

I moved up north in 1979 and moved back here in 2006. We’ve since seen two winters that were really more like a long autumn. When I was a kid it was NEVER like this. Never.

1959: big snowstorm, not really abnormal, government brings food to people who are probably dealing with it by staying in the house and whittling.

2005: abnormal hurricane, arguably exacerbated by global warming, major city drowned because the pumping stations failed, 1836 officially dead (the real number is probably hundreds more). National government waits three days to act.

2105: 50% chance human race is extinct, according to Sir Martin Rees, a scientist who says many other scientists consider him “an optimist.”

Quote: “The choices we make in the next few decades, Rees contends, could decide the fate of life not only on Earth but beyond, either ensuring its survival — if we can diversify into space — or dooming it forever. ”It may not be absurd hyperbole — indeed, it may not even be an overstatement — to assert that the most crucial location in space and time (apart from the Big Bang itself) could be here and now,” he writes.”

As you may infer from my comment, I think two of the three candidates here are dangerous madmen. Since the third is a licensed mental health professional, he should commit them to an institution where they can get the care they need (that institution not being the House of Representatives). His way would then be clear to run against Rep. Shuler and, it is to be hoped, when they met for debate and shook hands, the two would somehow mutually annihilate in the manner of a particle/antiparticle pair, leaving behind a shower of photons and a newly formed Rep. Cecil Bothwell.

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2

Er, I seem to have somehow done that hyperlink improperly. It works, though.

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3

I fixed it. You forgot to close the anchor (“a”) tag.

A basic rule of thumb when commenting: if you’re not sure how to use basic HTML, don’t use it.

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4

One must surmise that neither Armor nor Campbell can read.

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5

This is why I think Spence Campbell is going to end up with the Republican nomination:

“In his nearly seven-year political career, Asheville City Councilman Carl Mumpower has been called plenty of names.

Now he can add “arrogant ass” to the list—and it comes from a pretty high source: the mayor of Flat Rock.

Flat Rock Mayor Bob Staton used that language in an email to Mumpower, after a dustup over rules for an upcoming debate this Thursday for the Republican candidates for Congress. Mumpower objected to a rule prohibiting larger signs and placards and had said he would not participate, a decision he has now reversed.

“In my three decades of practicing law in our Nation’s Capitol, I encountered my share of arrogant asses, but none could hold a candle to you!” Staton wrote in the email to Mumpower. “And you want to be my Congressman??? I think not!”

Mumpower just plain pisses people off with his holier-than-thou game. It’s been true in Asheville, and it’s true everywhere else. Carl hasn’t figured out how to be principled without making everyone dislike him. I wonder if he doesn’t really value others’ disdain.

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6

Gordon,

To get you up to speed with the “correct” information I will share with you a leter from Terry Hicks – moderator of the debate. Its very clear to see that Dr. Mumpower stood strong on the facts.

This Gordon is a great example of how Dr. Mumpower will stand by his words & actions. After the primary I hope we both can get the two men into a face to face debate on URTV.

I look forward in working with you to alllow the “sunshine” on both parties.

Richard Bernier
Member/Producer
URTV Public Access TV
Buncombe & Madison Counties

Gentlemen;

I have received several comments indicating misunderstanding of our approach to handling campaign signage. If so, the error is mine and my responsibility to clarify.

The guidelines sent to candidates with their official invitation to participate in the Village of Flat Rock “Meet the Candidates Issues Forum ” encouraged each candidate to bring promotional materials to place on each seat in the auditorium for citizens who attend to take home and study. It failed to state that banners and other large signs are not to be used in the auditorium.

The Village does encourage each candidate to bring signage for use by those who desire to promote their candidacy. We anticipate candidates will make their availability known as a part of their presentations. There is space in the lobby for candidates to place and hand out these larger promotional items. I

In addition candidates are free to place banners and other signage on the grounds approaching the auditorium. It is best for these to be placed within the hour before the forum and removed shortly after the forum ends.

The Village has held many forums over the years and has always handled promotional materials and other signage in this manner.

Terry Hicks
Moderator

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7

Richard,

Yes. The facts are the facts. However, the facts don’t have much to do with the Flat Rock Mayor calling Mumpower an arrogant ass. That has more to do with attitude and comportment.

While I’ve got you here. Can you explain why my questions at the Republican debate were edited int he final cut to exclude portions?

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8

Gordon,

As far as words coming from the Mayor of Flat Rock, the ending result determind that they were outt of line for preventing one from posting signs.

Once the facts have come out, I would think this clearly shows what an “ass” the mayor is. (my thoughts, not that of the gop)

Ralph Roberts did the editing from the debate, which you show address your questions to Ralph, however I do recall him saying we ran over about 4 to 5mins so, that may be the reason.

Just ask Ralph, Im sure he will be happy to address your concerns.

Thanks
Richard Bernier

PS…. I hope you will try to encourage Shular to debate on URTV, a radio debate seems lame to myself!! Maybe the next debate we should go “Live” – NO EDITTING!!!
Two Full Hours of Debate with Live Calls – One can wish right!!

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9

I grew up in Hendersonville/Flat Rock (first set foot in a school room at East Flat Rock Elementary). I tell you this only because I pissed off plenty of people there myself.

From this, we can conclude that Carl Mumpower is a hygienically challenged teenager who performs far below his ability and daydreams all through algebra class. And won’t get a date for ten years. So against Shuler he would have that whole nerd/jock animus going.

But anyway, Republicans just get under my skin. As far as I am concerned, the Republican Party is a few decent guys: Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and maybe Dwight David Eisenhower; and several million arrogant asses.

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10

Richard,

Unless he gets some sort of guarantee he won’t have his words edited, I wouldn’t count on it.

If Ralph had told me I might get edited down, I might have conducted myself differently. As it stands, I was told I could ask anything. I asked my questions, but they were truncated. If it weren’t for my overwhelming positive regard for Republicans I might worry that I was censored, particularly in regards to my question on Iraq.

I don’t have Ralph’s contact info. Maybe you can help me out with that. The fact as it stands is that the panelists were edited without their knowledge or consent.

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12

Douche BagGordon, I will break my boycott of your site long enough to answer your questions on this matter; since your asking is legitimate.

You were not censored (i.e. as I feel I was here) you were EDITED, a standard practice in both print and video. Here were my constraints — the debate, by definition, consisted of the answers by the candidates, not the questions. I could not very well cut anything the candidates said. If I had cut a candidate, he and his campaign manager would have burned through me like Sherman burned through Atlanta, yelling that I was unfair and favoring the other two over them — and they would have been right. You panelists, however, were there as a courtesy merely to ask questions, not to preach liberalism — this was not your forum. But, thankfully, two of you did preach (the other gentleman being thankfully terse), and that gave me the slop to cut to 90 minutes exactly for broadcast. So I am in your debt for that.

I was careful, when editing, to keep your QUESTION while excising the prefatory verbiage, and most people seem quite happy with the result.

But, I do sympathize with you, Gordon. I was once interviewed by Tom Brokaw and expounded learnedly on the subject (computer viruses, I had written a book) for about 10 minutes. I got 15 seconds on the Evening News. Still, I WAS on national TV and it did my career an amazing amount of good.

But I did learn from that, also. You’ve got to couch your material in a way that’s hard to cut. If you catch me on the History Channel (in “The Cola Wars”, I wrote a book on that, as well, and the documentary has been playing pretty often) you’ll see I get good “face time.”

But, in short, YOU were on TV and did not look stupid, Gordon.

I take full credit for that. ;-) I AM a good editor.

And my contact info is ralph@abooks.com.

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13

Thanks for responding, Ralph.

Any way you can have a less edited version for folks who are interested in seeing the uncut version?

“You panelists, however, were there as a courtesy merely to ask questions, not to preach liberalism”

I was told by the Chair of the Republican Party to ask whatever questions I chose. He was very clear that his intention was to allow for the freest possible exchange of ideas. I understand that editing is, by nature, editorial and that the cuts were your choice, not the Party’s per se.

Would you care to clarify what I preached? And would you be willing to share those excised sections?

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14

Ralph – not that it matters since you’re boycotting us and everything, but you’ll be happy to know that we’ve decided to move to a locally-based webhost with less database demand. So the next time you break your boycott, chances are we’ll be faster.

I still have you on my ignore list @ MountainX, though. If that constitutes some form of “micro-censorship” in your mind, so be it.

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