Hogg’s Blog

A friend emailed… “Should I be worried about  you, given the lack of posting especially since it is Derby Day? I understand the lack of posting, but it’s odd for you to be out of touch this time of the year.”

Sorry ’bout the silence for these past weeks, just flat out covered up with business.  Double Hung, LLC is going through a growth spurt that I never envisioned, much less planned for.  More about that later… after all, it is Derby Day.

We’ve been throwing this shindig for over 20 years, so I just figure everyone that should know about it knows about it and knows to show up around 3p on the First Saturday in May.  If you are looking for an engraved invite it ain’t gonna show.  We’re way past that.  If you wanna come, you are welcome.  I mean, what’s another 40 surprise guests when you’re already expecting 125.  There are only two rules…

1) First timers aren’t expected to bring anything, repeat revelers can bring their choice of a bottle of Bourbon or your favorite appetizer in enough quantity to feed an army.

2) Once invited, always invited.  It’s up to you to put it on your calendar every year.

Off to the races.

Four Hoggards are holding now-worthless tickets to whatever airport that now-bankrupted airline Skybus touted as being close to New York City.  We were to have traveled up there in September along with some friends to gawk at skyscrapers and take in a show or two over Labor Day weekend.  Total roundtrip fare for four: $400 and change.  Sounded like a helluva deal at the time.

It sounded even better once we experienced and tolerated Skybus’s quirkiness just last week.  They were our carrier of choice for a very pleasant and inexpensive trip to and from Punta Gorda (aka Ft. Myers, Fl - in Skybus lingo) during our kids’ spring break.

Now I’m thinking about sending our worthless tickets to Ben Bernanke for a personal bail-out.  (thanks to neighbor Bruce for the idea)  Since the Fed is currently all about protecting financial entities from losses due to unforseen market forces, the financial entity known as the Hoggard family could really use that $400.

Roch Smith, Jr. on plagiarized information found on Guilford County School Board candidate David Crawford’s Myspace page…  “…Guilford County students get Fs for plagiarism. What was Crawford thinking?”

Answer: He wasn’t.  And somebody needs to inform the man that the seat he is seeking this go ’round doesn’t carry with it the authority to levy taxes.

Crawford’s proclivity to run for whatever office is up for grabs in a given election cycle, as well as his overall cluelessness, provide strong arguments against the public financing of local campaigns.  I would not want my money - not even a dollar of it - to go any where near that guy.

From an emailed GPD press release on the arrest of  Alexander “Pop” Kohanowich during last week’s Obama rally near the Greensboro Coliseum…

“… the Department has received an inordinant number of inquiries regarding the circumstances surrounding the arrest.  Therefore, the Department is conducting a review of the arrest and will provide a statement regarding that review when it is complete.”

The “inordinate number of inquiries” is likely due to less-than-flattering-to-the-GPD coverage by the N&R’s Jeri Rowe, today’s (unposted) Rhino Times story and national exposure via Michelle Malkin (via Noteworthy).

I, like Pop, instinctively touch people when I speak to them.  I’ve had, over the years, people flinch - and even recoil - when I communicate in that way, which comes very naturally to me.  Such reactions of repulsion tell me more about the person I’m addressing than hours of conversation could ever reveal.  Such people are insecure, self-centered, arrogant, generally unfriendly,… and their mama’s didn’t love them near enough.

Pop’s recounting of his ordeal reveals to me that he encountered such a man-jerk.  Hopefully, the Department’s planned inquiry will include a psychological evaluation of the arresting officer which will likely reveal what a maladjusted and unhappy man he really is.  They’ll find that his mama is likely to blame for his turning out to be an ass in uniform.

There had to be a better way to handle a 78 year-old man carrying a sign professing his patriotism even if he was standing in the wrong place.  Had to be.

Although I’m on vacation in Florida for the week, I had to break blog silence to amplify a story in today’s N&R.

N&R on Leatherheads, the movie… “…the preservation of historic structures such as the train depot and Greensboro’s War Memorial Stadium were what drew the film crew to North Carolina.”

But, despite star Renee’ Zellweger’s impression that, “There’s a clear appreciation for the historic value of architecture in this area“,  the current plans are to demolish three-fourths of WMS - one of only two city-owned National Registry of Historic Places properties.

Actor/director George Clooney obviously ‘gets it’ regarding the value of historic preservation.  “You can’t re-create places like this“, says he.

No, but we sure can tear it down, George.  And probably will. 

Are we just stupid, or just blind to the importance that old stadium has played, and should continue to play, in our history?

Since I was interviewed and oft-quoted in Allen Johnson’s column about Bill “Rove” Burckley, I thought I’d add a little more to it.

Allen was genuinely suprisise at Bill’s client list.  I wasn’t.  I’ve know for years that Bill would help anyone he thought he could; just for the asking and (in my case) for little compensation.  When I ran for Council in 2003, he and I were on the same side of that “wierd” stadium issue and it was during that time that I came to appreciate Burckley’s depth of knowledge on how to crunch voter numbers and exploit trends.

One of my opponents in the at-large race was none other than Burckley himself.  He bettered me in the primary placing 4th with me sliding in at the 5th spot which propelled us both into the general election.  Bill called me shortly after and said he would trade out some data to create a “walking list” that contained only high probablility voters.  All he wanted in return was a set of CD’s containing my extensive library of 60’s and 70’s music I had downloaded during the heyday of free Napster.

I agreed and he brought the data right over.  I, however, was quite tardy in getting my in-kind trade to him.  (Actually, I’m not sure if I ever did).  From that list, I and several volunteers went knocking on doors of only voters who had cast a vote in at least 2 of the previous 3 municipal elections.

I whooped Bill’s a*s in the general election finishing just out of the 3-way money in fourth place.  He slid to fifth place and I attribute much of that a*s-whoopin’ to the expertise of my opponent - Bill Burckley.

Bill and I have remained friends ever since.  However… even I have been subjected to an occasional Burckley “(expletive) chewing” from time to time, but I always come away from it with my eyes opened wider to local goings-on and political realities.

Cone and JR have more, mainly about the pitfalls that might befall public officials who blog and subsequently become loose-lipped targets that Bill B. and his ilk live to exploit - as he did in the Carmany/Wade campaign.  My answer to that: if you are in office, go ahead and blog - we desparately need the transparency.  But it would be a good idea to put Bill on retainer before you offer your first post.

The Aycock Neighborhood has a very active notification and information sharing listserv system.  Used for everything from reporting suspicious activity to mobilizing residents for public policy input to finding a dependable roofer, we are probably one of the most connected neighborhoods in the city.

Yesterday, however, a notice came across our neighborhood wire that demands a wider audience.  The email follows…

My neighbor Jackie and I do volunteer work for the SPCA. We were notified via email today that a litter of 10 puppies was found in a garbage bag at the landfill. 9 of the puppies were still alive.  Approximately 4-5 weeks old - appear to be black labs. They are looking for volunteers with a nursing dog or to bottle feed these puppies. If you are interested in helping in this effort or know someone who may be, please email me back and I’ll pass on the info.

They’ve only found 3 volunteers so far.

Here is the email address for neighbor Ann Finn: annefinn@webtv.net

… will be great again if the voters approve the money for Summit Avenue corridor improvements.  But first the issue has to actually get placed on the ballot.  As Wharton’s video clearly explains, some dedicated people have been working on this project for many years.

The Aycock Neighborhood is mobilizing residents to attend every one of the Transportation Department’s city-wide sessions to ascertain what projects are worthy of making the cut for this November’s balloting.  It is the last mile of a long journey, but it is the most important on of them all.

Winston Salem incident… Chapel Hill incident.  Both apparently senseless and random with no suspects in either case.

Compare and contrast the media coverage of both killings during the next hours, days and weeks.

I received an email entitled “Hoover and Eisenhower” which outlined those respective presidents’ efforts to deal with waves of illegal immigration from Mexico from previous eras.  I had never heard about the repatriation projects and thought the details might well be an urban myth because what was described was so, how shall I say… politically incorrect by today’s heightened standards.  The email mentioned that Eisenhower’s deportation program was actually named “Operation Wetback”.

No way, thought I.  Way.