Asheville Daily Planet - September, 2011

Topless protest leader unveils her views on controversy • Pg. 11

Septembe r 2011

Vol. 7, No. 10

An Independ ent Newspape r Serving Greater Asheville

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Mitchell residents to be among 1st in EMP readiness at author’s urging

Daily Planet Staff Photos

When 2 worlds collide

As part of the GoTopless.org movement, a protest in which around 30 women bared their breasts in public in pushing for what they termed equality with men was held Aug. 21 in downtown Asheville. It drew around 2,000 gawkers, mainly men, many of whom kept busy shooting pictures with their cellphone cameras. At top right, one of the topless women stands atop the fountain near the Vance Memorial. Outraged at what they contended was child sexual abuse, a counterprotest was held Aug. 21 near the Vance Memorial that drew around 100 people, who eventually marched (above) to City Hall before disbanding. State law does not forbid women from going topless in public, but the protesters sought to show solidarity to end the stigma of doing so. Meanwhile, the opponents have filed complaints with the Buncombe County Department of Social Services, state attorney general and State Bureau of Investigation, charging that children were illegally exposed to the sight of female breasts, and some minor females bared their breasts during the Aug. 21 topless protest.

By JOHN NORTH BAKERSVILLE — William R. Forstchen, author of the bestseller “One Second After,” which tells of the consequences around his hometown of Black Mountain of a fictional electromagnetic pulse attack on the United States, successfully urged a contingent of Mitchell County residents on Aug. 16 to take the first steps that could lead it to be one of the first EMP-prepared communities.

Forstchen, a history professor at Montreat College, spoke about 30 minutes on his book, drawing about 110 people to the Mitchell Courthouse’s courtroom. He fielded questions for another hour, after which he received sustained Dr. Bill Forstchen applause. He finished with a book-signing.

In addition, a brief film explaining the nature and ramifications of an EMP attack was shown. The program was co-sponsored by the Mayland Radio Club Inc., the Mitchell County Public Library and the Mitchell County Historical Courthouse Foundation.

Introducing Forstchen was program organizer David Hauser, president of the MRCI, who noted that an EMP strike on the U.S., as researched and presented by Forstchen in “One Second After,” could result in the death of 90 percent of the population “and America likely would become a thirdworld country,” relying on technologies going “back to the 1840s.”

During his presentation, the author-professor asserted, “This is the ideal town to band together. The main things is to start now. Don’t wait for this to happen to begin preparing.”

Toward the end of an often-intense Q&A session, Forstchen said he would field questions for another five or 10 minutes “and then sit down.”

He said he would like to see other people stand up and take charge. “I’d like to walk out of this meeting more optimistic than when I walked in.”

See READINESS, Page 7

Filming of ‘Dirty Dancing’ to be celebrated with 2nd gala

From Staff Reports LAKE LURE — For a second consecutive year, fans of the cult-classic “Dirty Dancing” will be able to relive memories of Baby’s first dance at the “Dirty Dancing Festival” Sept. 15-18 at or near Lake Lure, where much of the classic film was shot.

Last year, the debut of the weekend-long festival was termed a huge success amongst fans of the movie, as well as of music and dance enthusiasts across the country. The festival was attended by people from 24 states and two foreign countries. Due to overwhelming demand, beginning with the end of the 2010 gala, the festival is returning for an encore.

This year’s festival will feature a Lakeside Screening of Dirty Dancing at Morse Park Meadows, a Daytime Dance Festival, a Lakeside Concert with VIP Dinner option, and a charity golf tournament on the golf course featured in the movie.

“Attendees are encouraged to come to scenic Lake Lure to dance, eat, drink, golf,

enjoy great live music, attempt their own ‘Lake Lift,’ carry a watermelon or two, and ultimately have the ‘Time of Their Lives!’” the organizers said.

Festival-related events include the following: • THURSDAY, SEPT. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

— The Foundation Performing Arts Center in nearby Spindale (about a 30-minute drive from the lake). Tickets are $27-$32.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Bill Medley will perform in concert. Medley is best known as half of the duo, The Righteous Brothers, whose raw emotional rhythm and blues sound created the genre “blue-eyed soul.” In the mid-1960s, The Righteous Brothers became a fixture on Top 40 radio, with hits like “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” “Just Once in My Life,” “Rock and Roll Heaven,” “Unchained Melody,” and “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration,” creating an ultra-dramatic take on ‘60s pop romance.

See “DIRTY DANCING,” Page 6

The film “Dirty Dancing” starred Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.

2 —September 2011 - Asheville Daily Planet

Asheville Daily Planet — September 2011 — 3

4 - September 2011 - Asheville Daily Planet

Does U.S. still have a Constitution? Barely, Napolitano says Second in a series of three stories

By JOHN NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Judge Andrew P. Napolitano’s message about threats to the Constitution was among the most enthusiastically received of the keynote speakers at FreedomFest 2011 July 14-16 at Bally’s.

The conference, which drew an estimated 2,400 libertyminded people, also featured major addresses by John Mackey, Peter Schiff, Wayne Allyn Root and Steve Forbes.

Napolitano, a former superior court judge in New Jersey and now a Fox News political and legal analyst, spoke July 14 on “Do We Still Have a Constitution?”

In speaking of the Constitution, the judge prompted much applause when he noted that “your right to bear arms has nothing to do with hunting,” but rather citizens’ rights “to shoot at the government.”

He then paraphrased former president Ronald Reagan, whom he noted was on target when he once said, “Let me remind you that the states formed the federal government and not the other way around ... And the power that the states give the government, they can take back.”

In the founding of the United States, Napolitano said a key battle was between “overweight, pompous” John Adams and other Federalists, “and the small-government guys, like Thomas Jefferson.”

The conflict was important, he said, because “the lust to dominate ... exists in all human situations” — and, fortunately for the U.S., Jefferson sought to limit government.

While it is well known that British kings punished subjects for what they said from the floor of Parliament, it is less well-known that in early American history, “(Vermont) Congressman Matthew Lyons referred to John Adams as ‘Your Rotundity.’ He was prosecuted for violating the Alien and Sedition Acts, convicted and sentenced to two years in prison.” With a smile, the judge added that “Lyons ran for re-election from his jail cell — and he won.

“When Jefferson won the presidency, he ended the practice (of jailing political opponents for their criticisms) and everyone jailed for that reason was freed.”

The practice drifted back later, as former President Abraham Lincoln “incarcerated 3,000 journalists for writing critically about his practices” during the Civil War. “After Lincoln died, a Supreme Court that he appointed let these people out of jail,” noting that there is no exception, such as in wartime, for such incarcerations.

On another constitutional issue, Congress in 1917 enacted the Espionage Act, which, he said with a note of Andrew P. Napolitano amazement, still is in effect.

He told of a man who allegedly hurled into the air copies of pamphlets that said, in Yiddish, “If you are drafted, don’t go.” Napolitano said the absurd aspect was that the courts could find nobody — among those in the area where the pamphlets were tossed — who could read what the man had written. Still, he was sentenced to 20 years in jail “for expressing his opinion.”

The judge blamed the government, led by then-president Woodrow Wilson, for creating “an atmosphere” of repression of free speech.

“In World War II, FDR (then-president Franklin Delano Roosevelt) imprisoned people, mainly Japanese, but others, too,” Napolitano charged. The president, as commander in chief, was allowed to “lock up people if he thinks they could hurt the war effort. Where does he get that? It’s not in the Constitution.”

Napolitano then jumped ahead to current times, taking aim at what he termed “the most abominable act in (America’s) 200 years — the Patriot Act. It allows people to write their own search warrants ... It takes about 25 hours to read the Patriot Act in its entirety.

“Why didn’t Congress read the Patriot Act first, before they voted on it? Because they wanted the soldiers to be

able to write their own search warrants.”

Since America’s founding, “We’ve come 360 degrees — from a king and Parliament that can write a search warrant against anyone — to a popularly elected government that allows its own agents to write their own search warrants,” the judge said.

“We have regulation without end. You want the cash, you accept the strings ... The lust to dominate must be eradicated from everyone in government,” he reiterated.

“The only way to eradicate it is for government (officials) to fear the loss of their power.”

After a pause, Napolitano asserted, “On July 14, 2011, 2,500 lovers of freedom gathered in an air-conditioned room to celebrate freedom. Will there be anything worth celebrating? The answer to that lies in the hearts of each of you. As long as it resides there, no tyrant can take it away.”

Following a standing ovation, Napolitano fielded questions from the audience, begining with a man who asked if libertarians are born or made — “is it nature or nurture?”

“I suppose you could make the case for both,” the judge replied. “Our intellects may be limited, but our free-wills are not ... All living things love freedom. It comes from our existence.”

Another man asked if the judge knew of any major cases of jury nullification.

“Under the Reagan administration, John DeLorean — he was entrapped by the government. That case was nullified,” Napolitano said.

Someone asked, “What can we do to ensure freedom?

“Carefully monitor everything they (government officials) do,” Napolitano said. “Badger them at every turn ... I keep hearing the first job of the president is to keep us safe. We need to say the first job of the president is to keep us free. What use is safety without freedom?”

On the question of President Barack Obama’s actions re-energizing the conservative movement, the judge said, “I take issue with the word ‘conservative.’ What does that mean anymore? Today, we have one political party — the big-government party.”

See FREEDOMFEST, Page 5

FreedomFest

Continued from Page 4 Napolitano charged that the Democrats and Republicans together “basically write laws, so they can stay in power.”

“Does Fox News ever try to silence your voice?” somone asked.

“No,” the judge replied, concluding his program.

Following is a capsule summary of some of the other speakers’ presentations: • Rick Rule, who addressed “Crisis Means Opportunity in 2011,” said that “the greatest risk you face is to the right of your right ear and to the left of your left ear.”

He added, “Try to make changes in your life that make you owners, rather than customers (or employees) of this great casino” of a troubled economy. As a business owner, Rule said, one has the maximum control of his destiny.

• Bert Dohmen, who spoke on “Financial Apocalypse Ahead? Or Prosperity?” projected rough times ahead for the U.S. economy and repeated — several times — the mantra that “timing is everything.”

He said that the total money supply of the world is probably $70 trillion, noting “that’s a lot of confetti.”

Dohmen then asserted, “If you look back the last 3,000 years, gold is the only asset that’s endured” over time.

“The IMF (International Monetary Fund) says European banks will face $3.6 trillion in maturing debt in the next few years,” he said. “There’s not enough in the entire financial system to borrow ... We’ll have periods of inflation scares and deflation scares.”

If one does not time purchases and sales properly, “you will buy high and sell low, which is a difficult way to make money.”

In what was billed as an all-star prediction panel discussion, Rule said, “We are in a recession again. We’re being sold a bill of goods from Washington ... Same with China with its supposed great growth.”

Panelist Hank Brock said, “The stock market is not real. It’s manufactured.”

When Skousen, the moderator, asked him what “is real,” Brock replied, “Inflation.

With inflation, interest rates must always follow the inflation rate. Interest rates will be much higher.” Brock also said the national debt is “real,” adding that it “is so much of a problem” to America’s economy.

“The problem with predicting is you’re either right or you’re wrong,” Brock said.

“It’s better to prepare than to predict because that way you’re OK either way. My message is about preparing” for a rocky U.S. economy ahead.

Panelist Don Luskin said, “Cassandra was a contrarian. I haven’t heard one syllable about contrarianism.” He said predictions of hyper-inflation are “the consensus in this room.”

Luskin asserted, “If you want to be a contrarian, there’s only one thing to do — and that is to be bullish” on the stock market.

As some in the audience mumbled their disagreement with Luskin, Skousen prompted laughter when asked the contrarian, “Do you believe in flying saucers?”

Panelist Ty Andros said of Luskin’s bullish stance, “Not!” He then pointed out “that I believe in history. This financial system is completely insolvent. The stock market is completely an illusion — and it’s a Keynesian illusion ... Make no mistake, we’re in the end game.

The idea of borrowing money” rather than balancing budgets and paying off debt eventually results in disaster.

Asheville Daily Planet — September 2011 - 5

“Incomes (in the U.S.) are collapsing” and the future is clear “if you set your sails according to Austrian economics and history,” Andros said. “There is no income growth (anywhere) in the developed world.”

To wrap up the discussion, Skousen asked Luskin, whom he described as “the only bull on the panel,” to respond to points made by Andros.

Luskin replied, “I can’t. That was a fireand-brimstone sermon ... I’ve got to tell you, the Roman Empire finally collapsed, but there were some hulluva good times” for a long time before that happened.” The crowd laughed appreciatively at his quip.

Skousen then asked Luskin if he was a bull during the 2008 collapse.

“Yes,” Luskin answered. “But what you have to understand is, nobody gets it right all of the time ... Everybody here has been bearish since the earth was cold. In that time (since 2008), the stock market has doubled. They (most experts) missed that ...

You show me someone who’s never wrong — and I’ll show you a liar.”

Brock interjected, “That’s why it’s better to prepared than to predict.”

To Brock, Luskin asked, “Tell me something I’ve never heard of.”

“If you invest for the next couple of weeks, you’re a fool,” Brock replied. “Nobody know exactly how to invest because this is a zigzag” economy.

Next, Skousen asked each of the panelists to give their most contrarian prediction of what will happen to the U.S. economy in the next year.

Andros said, “The collapse of the stock market. You’re going to be given the best buying opportunity in forever,” with hyperinflation looming.

Dohmen asserted, “Beware of the numbers you hear” from the government.

“The market is now worth what it was in 2007.” He predicted “the depreciation of the purchasing power of all currencies. In my opinion, the appreciation of gold is the

only certainty.”

Brock said, “I think it will get so bad in the next few years that the pews in the churches will refill.” Specifically, he predicted that 98 percent of the U.S. population will suffer severely, while 2 percent “will soar.”

Luskin, ever the contrarian, said, “I predict that U.S. stocks will have reobtained their all-time highs” in the next year.

To Luskin’s bullishness, Andros triggered the crowd’s laughter when he quipped, “The greatest-performing stock market in the world has been Zimbabwe’s.”

6 —September 2011 - Asheville Daily Planet

Bill Medley (right), the surviving member of The Righteous Brothers, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 15 in Spindale. The other member of the duo, Bobby Hatfield, died in 2003. The pair recorded from 1963 to 1975, and continued to perform together until Hatfield’s death.

‘Dirty Dancing’ Continued from Page 1 In 1987, Bill Medley scored a monumental hit along with Jennifer Warnes on “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” for the film “Dirty Dancing.” The song earned an Oscar, a Golden Globe, Video of The Year, and a Grammy. In 1990, The Righteous Brothers classic version of “Unchained Melody” appeared in the hit film “Ghost” and ran all the way up the billboard charts, introducing yet another new generation to the works of The Righteous Brothers.

• FRIDAY, SEPT. 16 at 7 p.m. — Lakeside Film Screening at Morse Park Meadows. Admission is free.

Attendees are urged to bring a picnic dinner, some blankets and chairs and cuddle up to watch “Dirty Dancing” on the original site of Johnny’s Cabin, with Lake Lure in the background. There will also be food and beverages for sale on site. Parking will begin at 5 p.m., when early attendees will be able to find a choice spot to view the movie, which will start around 7 p.m.

No alcohol will be allowed. Parking is $5 per car, with cash only.

• SATURDAY, SEPT. 17, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. — Dirty Dancing Daytime Family Dance Festival at Morse Park Meadows. ($25/adult or $10/child) The Daytime Dance Festival will include a main stage with live music and dance performances, a dance lessons tent, games hosted by The National Watermelon Association, and even a lake lift competition! There will also be food and craft vendors and a beer and wine garden. Parking is $5 per car, cash only. A headliner band, The Embers, will perform from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A shag dance competition will be held from 3 to 4 p.m.

• SATURDAY, SEPT. 17, 7-11 p.m. — Dirty Dancing Festival Lakeside Concert at Rumbling Bald Resort ($25/adult, $10/ child, $120/VIP) As the sun sets over Lake Lure, a lakeside concert will rock the resort. Food and drinks will be available on site and attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs if they would like to sit.

A VIP ticket option includes a full private dinner in an outdoor pavilion, complete with door prizes and exclusive entertainment. Parking is $5 per car, cash only.

The featured bands will include opener Billy Scott and the Party Prophets, fol-

lowed by The Clovers.

• SUNDAY, SEPT. 18, 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

— Dirty Dancing Festival Charity Golf Tournament at Rumbling Bald Resort.

The tournament, with tee off at 8 a.m., will benefit local charities and will be followed by a brunch at 11:30 a.m., and an awards ceremony and silent auction at 1 p.m..

Tickets are available for tournament entry which includes the brunch at 11:30 a.m., and tickets for the brunch portion only are also available.

Tickets and bundled ticket packages are now on sale via the festival website www. dirtydancingfestival.com, where updates are bring posted daily as well.

Also fans can keep up to date with the festival’s Facebook page at http://www. facebook.com/dirtydancingfestival.

Funds raised from the weekend will support the Isothermal Foundation Performing Arts Center.

Way beyond hip and trendy Asheville Daily Planet

Readiness

Continued from Page 4 Forstchen recounted some previous efforts at EMP preparedness elsewhere that fell through, prompting him to say, “You see, I’m a little cynical about it all.”

Earlier, the professor began his presentation by asserting, “My first question is: Why are you here? It’s a beautiful evening!”

Then he asked how many members of the audience were involved in community leadership.

About half of the attendees raised their hands.

However, when Forstchen asked how many elected officials, fire fighters or police officers were present, no hands shot up, prompting some audible murmurs of disappointment from the attendees.

He then told how “One Second After” came to be written, noting that he has been friends for about 20 years with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is now seeking the Republican nomination for president.

One day, when Forstchen was at his friend’s office, Gingrich returned from a meeting and threw down his briefcase in disgust, asking, “When are they going to wake up about EMPs?” Forstchen commiserated with Gingrich, who eventually asked, “Bill, maybe you should write a book on the EMP.” (Forstchen has written around 40 books, including several with Gingrich.) There was talk, he said, that the threat of an EMP attack had no consituency to draw attention to the potential danger.

Going slightly off topic, he joked that someone had once told him that “the problem with the Mayan calendar is you have no constituency.” However, Forstchen quipped, “I do know the secret of the Mayan calendar. The guy was carving it out (of stone) and his boss came along and said, ‘You stupid idiot. You didn’t leave enough space for the rest of the years.’ So the carver just ended it (the world) earlier to fill the space” that was left.

As the crowd laughed, Forstchen said, “So stop worrying about May 2012” being the end of the world, based on some misinterpretations of the Mayan calendar.

Returning to his story about the inspiration for“One Second After,” Forstchen told of driving back from Washington, D.C., and arriving at his Black Mountain home about 1 a.m. “At that time, my daughter (Meghan) was 11 years old. I peeked into her room to see her and I broke down crying,” based on his knowledge of the havoc EMPs could wreak in the United States.

“For the next year, I tried to write a book, but I couldn’t quite get the story.

“And then, the (final) inspiration came.

As a professor, I was wearing lots of fancy robes” at a graduation ceremony, he said.

“The speaker droned on for more than an hour. Its was 90 degrees. I looked at the students and realized it (the EMP book) was about them. So the book came out (in March 2009) and, to my editor’s disbelief, it became a New York Times bestseller.”

With a chuckle, he noted that the book riled up some people in Black Mountain, including the local newspaper (The Black Mountain News), which, Forstchen said, “wrote an editorial, complaining that I made the whole town look bad in the book.”

More seriously, Forstchen said evenly, “Something has changed since the book came out.” For one thing, someone with inside connections told the professor that he is “on a ‘watch’ list” with the government. He also told of someone in Poland who had posted the location of his home on the Internet — in the middle of a target.

At that point, he addressed the audience’s concerns about being prepared for

Asheville Daily Planet — September 2011 - 7

emergencies, such as EMPs or other crises.

“I rarely differentiate between ‘survivalists’ and ‘preppers,” Forstchen said. “You are citizens, just folks, like me.”

However, he presumed those present at the meeting Bill Forstchen’s “One were prepSecond After” is billed pers, whom as an apocalyptic he defined as people who thriller. “don’t worry just about themselves, but about everyone else, too.” In contrast, he said survivalists tend to live alone in isolated locales — and are concerned only with themselves.

“Tonight, we’re not just talking about EMPs” and CMEs (coronal mass ejections, which are solar explosions), “we’re talking about survival and being prepared.”

He asked the audience, “What did (Hurricane) Katrina teach us?”

Before anyone could answer, Forstchen asserted, “Do not wait for the Feds ... How many people did we see sitting on top of their roofs with ‘Help me’ signs” after the hurricane hit?

“Suppose we had a national emergency,” would those in attendance be prepared? he asked. With a grin, he noted that, during the big snowstorm last Christmas, “I told my daughter to run out and make a sign to the helicopers above to: ‘Drop cigs and vodka.’” The audience laughed heartily.

The military historian told of a time during the Civil War when it snowed half an inch and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee told his troops the weather was so bad there would be “no war today.” The yankees, with many New England boys (who were used to rough winters), said, “Charge!

Shortly thereafter, the South surrendered at Appomattox.” (Forstchen was born in New Jersey in 1950.)

As for Bakersville, the author said, “This is an ideal town to band together. The main thing is to start now. Don’t wait for this (any disaster) to happen to begin preparing.

Forstchen ended his address by holding up a recently published 122-page manual on preparing for an EMP attack that, he charged, is deficient in several critical ways. For instance, he said it contains no plan and is unrealistic — perhaps because it was written by a committee.

In opening the question-and-answer session, a man asked, “Are there any communities preparing for an EMP?” “Yes, Mitchell County, North Carolina,” Forstchen quipped. On a serious note, he said, “You might be one of the first counties in the country that is doing this.”

Another man queried, “What should communities be doing right now?”

“I’d like to see, leaving here, that you guys tell the mayor — or some other community leader” — of the desire “to put together a team of six or eight people” to lead Mitchell County in preparations for an EMP attack, Forstchen said.

In speaking of America’s top enemies, Forstchen added, “The Iranians, on a regular basis, are putting missiles on container ships in the Caspian Sea” and is able to fire them vertically. “The North Koreans are doing it, too.” Recent evidence shows “it fit the same profile as an EMP ... In fact, it’s believed that the smaller the warhead, the more you can juice it up.”

At least with a CME, Forstchen said,

“You might get some advanced warning.”

As for organizing, Forstchen retierated that he would like to see a committee formed the night of his talk.

Regarding an EMP attack, Forstchen said, “By the way, perhaps the most important doctor in your town is your veterinarian ... The insurance companies have knocked out our general practioners,” while veterinarians have enough medical supplies on hand — and the knowledge — to be able to treat human beings, too.

“What’s likely to happen to automobiles” after an EMP attack? a man asked.

“We’re not sure,” Forstchen replied. “If you have a car made before 1965, or possibly ‘70, you’re cool. If you have a Prius, trade it in.” The audience laughed at his poke at the so-called “green” car.

The professor noted that an EMP’s strength is variable and “we do know the Chinese are doing research on an advanced

The Heart of Downtown Asheville...

gamma ray weapon.”

He added, “If you have an old airplane, like mine, or an old VW Bug, you’re cool ... The only true, real data we have is from the 1960s, before the Test Ban Treaty.”

Somone asked, “How far from the United States would one of these EMP bombs have to be to affect the U.S.?”

Forstchen noted that an EMP attack would be staged above the U.S. and that “an EMP event is a line-of-sight” issue.

He added that CMEs, “as solar flares, can continue on for hours and days.”

In returning to the topic of emergency supplies, Forstchen lamented that, “We don’t make the parts to repair the power grids any more” and, in many cases, they are made by nations that are, at best undependable allies in an emergency and, at worst, would emerge as enemies to the U.S.

See READINESS, PAGE 15

8 - September 2011 - Asheville Daily Planet

Calendar

Send us your calendar items

Please submit items to the Calendar of Events by noon on the third Wednesday of each month, via e-mail, at calendar@ashevilledailyplanet. com, or fax to 252-6567, or mail c/o The Daily Planet, P.O. Box 8490, Asheville, N.C. 288148490. Submissions will be accepted and printed at the discretion of the editor, space permitting.

To place an ad for an event, call 252-6565.

Friday, Sept. 9

MOUNTAIN STATE FAIR, 9 a.m.-midnight, WNC Ag Center, 1301 Fanning Bridge Rd., Fletcher. The Mountain State Fair will be held through Sept. 18. Fair hours are 9 a.m.-midnight Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Sundays, and 3-11 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. General admission tickets are $7.

AUTHORS’ TALK, 7 p.m., Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café, 55 Haywood St., downtown Asheville.

Duke University professors Orrin H. Pilkey and Keith C. Pilkey will discuss their two new books, “Global Climate Change: A Primer” and “The World’s Beaches.”

AUTHOR’S TALK, 7 p.m., City Lights Bookstore, 3 E. Jackson St., Sylva. Martin Dyckman will discuss his new book, “Reubin O’D. Askew and the Golden Age of Florida Politics.”

CONCERT, 9 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, Cherokee. Ron White will perform in concert. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

Saturday, Sept. 10

CONCERT, 3 and 8 p.m., Thomas Wolfe Auditorium,downtownAsheville.JohnAnderson, billed as the George Jones of his generation, will perform in concert.

BBQ DINNER/CONCERT, 5 to 10 p.m., 121 School House Rd., Mills River. A barbecue dinner

— from 5 to 7 — will be followed by a concert featuring the Carolina Misty Band. Barbecue meals are $7 for adults, $4 for children and free for children under 4. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and blankets.The fundraiser, hosted by the Mills River Fire and Rescue and Skyland Fire and Rescue departments, will benefit firefighter Chris Sitton’s family.

OUTDOOR CONCERT/DANCE, 6-8:30 p.m., outside Firehouse Subs, Spartanburg Highway, Hendersonville. Tom Brown “One-Man Band” and Chuck Hill will perform music at the Cruz and Groove concert series. Attendees are encouraged to dance. Admission is free.

CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., Town Square park in front of Hickory Tavern, Biltmore Park, Asheville.

The Vinyl Brothers will perform in a free outdoor concert.

CONCERT, 8 p.m., Diana Wortham Theatre, Pack Place, Pack Square, downtown Asheville.

Greg Ruby’s Hot Club of Seattle will perform jazz and blues. For tickets, call 257-4530.

Sunday, Sept. 11

GREEN PICNIC, noon-6 p.m., French Broad River Park, Amboy Road and Riverside Drive, Asheville. The Buncombe Green Party and Peacetown Asheville are hosting their annual potluck picnic. Attendees are asked to bring a dish to share, as well as a blanket and/or a lawnchair. The hosts will provide soft drinks, tableware and hot coals. All interested may attend.

CONCERT, 3-4:30 p.m., St. Matthias Episcopal Church, 1 Dundee St., Asheville. The Asheville Tango Orchestra will be performing a program of tango music from the golden age of Argentine tango through modern compositions by Astor Piazzolla. Orchestra Director Michael Luchtan will perform a series of songs titled “Tango Down,” designed as a call out for reconciliation, foregiveness and peace in honor of the 10th anniversary of 09/11/01. Admission is free.

CONCERT, 3-5 p.m., Fine and Performing Arts Center, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee.

A “Masters of Motown” show will celebrate the music and style of classic Motown artists, including The Temptations, Gladys Knight and the Pips,

The Masters of Motown will perform a tribune show from 3 to 5 p.m. Sept.

11 at the Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Four Tops, Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Jackson 5 and Stevie Wonder. The show will feature stylish costumes and fully choreographed tributes, backed by a live band. For tickets, which are $20 for the general public, $15 for WCU faculty and staff and $5 for students and children, call the box office at 227-2479.

Sunday, Sept. 11

COFFEEHOUSE CONCERT, 7 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place, Asheville. Sparky and Rhonda Rucker will perform songs and stories. Tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for students and free for children ages 14 and younger.

Monday, Sept. 12

CAMPAIGN KICKOFF, 3 p.m., 344 Rododrendron Building, A-B Tech, Asheville. Community leaders, as well as A-B Tech President Hank Dunn, students, graduates and local employers, will launch the Jobs for the Future campaign, seeking a one-fourth cent increase in the sales tax to upgrade the college’s educational facilities “to provide training for 21st century jobs,” the proponents say. On Nov. 8, Buncombe County voters will be asked to consider a local sales tax increase to help A-B Tech, which is projected to grow from 26,000 students to 38,000 by 2020. A one-fourth cent sales tax boost is the equivalent of 2.5 cents more on a $10 purchase or 25 cents on a $100 purchase, the proponents say.

See CALENDAR, Page 9

Calendar

Continued from Page 8

Monday, Sept. 12

WEST COAST SWING CLASSES, 7:30 and 8 p.m., The Hangar, Clarion Hotel, Fletcher. Free beginners’ lessons for West Coast Swing will be held at 7:30, followed by intermediate lessons at 8 every Monday. The lessons are free. After the lessons, an open dance will be held.

CONTRA DANCE, 8 p.m., Bryson Gym, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa. A contra dance is held weekly, preceded by beginner’s lessons at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $6.

Tuesday, Sept. 13

DINNER MEETING/SPEAKER, 7 p.m., Grass Roots Café, Hwy. 64, Horse Shoe. The Blue Ridge Tea party Patriots will hold a dinner meeting that will feature a speech by Dr. Robert Luebke of the Civitas Institute. Luebke’s primary areas of interest are education policy and reform.

He served as a staff writer for then-presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He has assisteded numerous public and private efforts dedicated to improving education. All are welcome and those interested in dining are being urged to show up before the 7 p.m. program.

VOICE LESSONS, 7:30-9 p.m., Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Asheville. The Land of the Sky Chorus will offer free voice lessons for males, ages 16 and older, through Oct. 11. To register or for more information, call (866) 290-7269 or visit AshevilleBarbershop.com.

OUTDOOR FILM SCREENING, 8 p.m., Cinebarre, 800 Brevard Rd., Asheville. The free outdoor film festival will feature “Animal House.”

Seating begins at 8 p.m., with the film startng at dusk. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and blankets.

Wed., Sept. 14

TEA TIME SOCIAL, 6 p.m., Ryan’s Family Steak House, 1000 Brevard Rd., Asheville. The Asheville Tea Party will hold its weekly Tea Time Social. All who are interested are invited to attend.

CHANCELLOR’S GREETING, 6-7:30 p.m., N.C. Arboretum, Asheville. Western Carolina University Chancellor David O. Belcher will meet members of the Greater Asheville community as part of a “get-acquainted tour” that will take WCU’s new chief executive officer to 15 stops during a four-month span. The tour is designed to assist Belcher in crafting a vision for the next phase of development for the university. For information to to RSVP for the reception, contact Cindi Magill at 277-7335.

SHAG DANCE, 7-11 p.m., Shifters, 2310 Hendersonville Rd., Arden. The Mountain Shag Club will offer free shag dancing lessons with a DJ. Admission is $5.

Thurs., Sept. 15

WORKSHOP, 1-5 p.m., Burton Street CommunityCenter,Asheville.Aworkhoptitled“Promoting Environmental Justice for Community Health”will be held. The workshop is free, but registration is requiredathttp://tracs.unc.edue/envijusticeasheville, or call (919) 966-9402.

DEMOCRATIC WOMEN’S LUNCHEON, 6-7 p.m., Buncombe County Democratic Headquarters, 941 Old Fairview Rd., Asheville. The BCDP Women’s Club will hold a dinner for $10 each.

CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., The Foundation Performing Arts Center, Spindale (about a 30-minute drive from Lake Lure). As a special prelude to the Lake Lure “Dirty Dancing” festivity, Bill Medley will perform in concert. Medley, an inductee ito the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, is perhaps best known as half of the duo, the Righteous Brothers, who raw emotional rhythm and blues sound created the genre, “blue-eyed soul.” In the mid-1960s, the groups’ Top 40 hits included “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,”“Just Once in My Life,”“Rock and Roll Heaven,”“Unchained Melody” and “(“You’re My) Soul and Inspiration.” In 1987, Medley scored a big hit with Jennifer Warnes on “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” for the film “Dirty Dancing.” The song earned an Oscar, a Golden Globe, video of the year and a Grammy.”

CONTRA DANCE, 8 p.m., Bryson Gym, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa. A contra dance is held weekly, preceded by beginner’s lessons at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $6.

Friday, Sept. 16

DOWNTOWN AFTER FIVE, 5:15-9 p.m., North LexingtonAvenuenearI-240,downtownAsheville.

The gala will feature Town Mountain and Bobby Miller & The Virginia Daredevils. Town Mountain is billed as “one of the premier young American bluegrass bands.” Bobby Miller & The Virginia Daredevils performs“traditional melody and tone, layed with improvisational solos and textured rhythms, reminiscent of ‘30s swing bands. Admission is free.

LAKESIDE SCREENING, 7-9:30 p.m., Firefly Cove, Lake Lure. As part of the “Dirty Dancing” gala, attendees are invited to bring a picnic dinner, some blankets and chairs and cuddle up to watch “Dirty Dancing” on the original site of Johnny’s Cabin, with the famous Lake Lure in the background. There also will be food and beverages on sale. The organizers urge attendees to show up about 5 p.m. to find a parking space ($5 parking charge) and a spot at which to watch the film.

Saturday, Sept. 17

DAYTIME DANCE FESTIVAL, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Morse Park, Lake Lure. As part of the “Dirty Dancing” gala, the Daytime Dance Festival will include a main stage with live entertainment and a dance lessons tent in which free dance lessons will be offered all day. A shag dance competion will be featured, as well as live dance performances b the Asheville Ballet & Academy. The National Watermelon Association also will be running a seed-spit competition and there will be a lake lift competitionintheafternoon.Inaddition,therewill be food and craft vendors, alongside a beer and wine garden. Performing on the main stage will be The Embers, The Clay Brown Band, Trudy Harris and DJ Spanky Jim Miller. For tickets, visit www. dirtydancingfestival.com.

CONSTITUTION READING, 3-7 p.m., Maggive Valley Pavilion at Town Hall, Soco Road, Maggie Valley. A “We Read the Constitution” event will also feature speakers, food, patriotic crafts, children’s activities. The event, sponsored by the Asheville Tea Party, Blue Ridge Tea Party Patriots and Haywood 9/12, will be held rain or shine.

OUTDOOR CONCERT/DANCE, 6-8:30 p.m., outside Firehouse Subs, Spartanburg Highway, Hendersonville. Tom Brown “One-Man Band” and Chuck Hill will perform music at the Cruz and Groove concert series. Attendees are encouraged to dance. Admission is free.

CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., Town Square park in front of Hickory Tavern, Biltmore Park, Asheville.

The LionZ of Zion will perform in a free outdoor concert.

LAKESIDE CONCERT/VIP DINNER, 7-11 p.m., Rambling Bald Resort Lawn, Lake Lure. As part of the “Dirty Dancing” gala, a Lakeside Concert and VIP Dinner will be offered. The dinner in the Lakeview Restaurant, adjacent to the concert, will feature exclusive entertainment, door prizes, a full buffet dinner and cocktails. After the dinner, VIPs will head down to the concert, where they will have access to a special stage-side VIP lounge.

The featured bands will be Billy Scott & The Party Prophets and The Clovers. General admission tickets just to the concert are $25 for adults and $10 for children. VIP Experience tickets are $120.

For tickets, visit www.dirtydancingfestival.com.

CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, Cherokee. Credence Clearwater Revisited will perform in concert. For tickets, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

Sunday, Sept. 18

GOLF TOURNEY/BRUNCH/AUCTION, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Rambling Bald Resort Golf Course (as featured in the film “Dirty Dancing), Lake Lure.

As part of the “Dirty Dancing” gala, a charity gold tournament,brunchandsilentauctionwillbeheld.

The tourney will benefit local charities and will be followed by a brunch, awards ceremony and silent auction.Ticketsareavailablefortournamententry, which includes the brunch, or for the brunch portion only.

LECTURE/DISCUSSION, 2-3:30 p.m., Ray Auditorium, YMI Cultural Center, 39 S. Market.

St., downtown Asheville. “The Limits of Critical Thinking” will be presented by Michael Carter at the monthly meeting of the Ethical Society of Asheville. Carter is a former hospital chaplain and curreent diversity officer for Mission Hospitals.

Following his presentation, a discussion will be held. All are welcome and admission is free.

Monday, Sept. 19

WEST COAST SWING CLASSES, 7:30 and 8

p.m., The Hangar, Clarion Hotel, Fletcher. Free beginners’ lessons for West Coast Swing will be held at 7:30, followed by intermediate lessons at 8 every Monday.

The lessons are free. After the lessons, an open dance will be held.

CONTRA DANCE, 8 p.m., Bryson Gym, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa. A contra dance is held weekly, preceded by beginner’s lessons at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $6.

Asheville Daily Planet — September 2011 — 9

Tuesday, Sept. 20

DEMOCRATIC LEADERS’ MEETING, 6-8 p.m., Buncombe County Democratic Headquarters, 941 Old Fairview Rd., Asheville.

A meeting of the BCDP and precinct leaders will discuss issues and events relevant to the future of the party. Anyone interested is welcome to attend.

CONCERT, 8 p.m., Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, downtown Asheville. Pretty Lights will perform. For tickets, which are $28, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

OUTDOOR FILM SCREENING, 8 p.m., Cinebarre, 800 Brevard Rd., Asheville. The free outdoor Stephanie Miller and her Sexy Liberal Comedy Tour will perform at 7 p.m. Sept. 24 in Thomas Wolfe Audifilm festival will feature “Dazed and Confused.” torium in downtown Asheville.

Seating begins at 8 p.m., with the film startng at dusk. Attendees are urged CONCERT, 7:30 p.m., Event Center, Harrah’s to bring lawnchairs and blankets.

Cherokee Casino, Cherokee. Rick Springfield will perform in concert. For tickets, visit www. ticketmaster.com.

Wednesday, Sept. 21

PEACE CELEBRATION, 4:30 p.m., Pack Square Park, downtown Asheville. A communitywide celebration of Asheville’s Second Annual International Day of Pace will recognized long-time peace activist Judith Hallock and the community’s young children. Hallock is undergoing treatment for dance.The children will display their pinwheels for peace. In addition to performances by various bands, speakers will include Mike Ferner, forme president of Veterans for Peace. There also will be an obeservation of a global cease-fire of hsoitilies.

Admission is free.

TEA TIME SOCIAL, 6 p.m., Ryan’s Family Steak House, 1000 Brevard Rd., Asheville. The Asheville Tea Party will hold its weekly Tea Time Social. All who are interested are invited to attend.

SHAG DANCE, 7-11 p.m., Shifters, 2310 Hendersonville Rd., Arden. The Mountain Shag Club will offer free shag dancing lessons with a DJ. Admission is $5.

CONTRA DANCE, 8 p.m., Bryson Gym, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa. A contra dance is held weekly, preceded by beginner’s lessons at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $6.

Thursday, Sept. 22

CONTRA DANCE, 8 p.m., Bryson Gym, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa. A contra dance is held weekly, preceded by beginner’s lessons at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $6.

CANDIDATES’ FORUM, 9-11:30 p.m., Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co., 675 Merrimon Ave., Asheville. A forum for candidates for Asheville City Council is being sponsored by the Buncombe County Young Democrats. A meetand-greet begins at 9 p.m., with a question-andanswer forum beginning at 10.

Saturday, Sept. 24

SEXY LIBERAL COMEDY TOUR, 7 p.m., Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, downtown Asheville.

Stephanie Miller’s Sexy Liberal Comedy Tour will be presented, hosted by The Revolution (880-AM) radio station. A portion of the proceeds will go to WNCAP and Campaign for Southern Equality.

CONCERT, 7-9 p.m., Town Square park in front of Hickory Tavern, Biltmore Park, Asheville. Nikki Talley will perform in a free outdoor concert.

Monday, Sept. 26

CANDIDATES’ FORUM, 6:30 p.m., New Mount Olive Baptist Church, 2 Herman St., Asheville.

An African-American caucus will feature a voter education program and meet-the-candidates for Asheville City Council forum.

WEST COAST SWING CLASSES, 7:30 and 8 p.m., The Hangar, Clarion Hotel, Fletcher. Free beginners’ lessons for West Coast Swing will be held at 7:30, followed by intermediate lessons at 8 every Monday. The lessons are free. After the lessons, an open dance will be held.

CONTRA DANCE, 8 p.m., Bryson Gym, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa. A contra dance is held weekly, preceded by beginner’s lessons at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $6.

Tuesday, Sept. 27

OUTDOOR FILM SCREENING, 8 p.m., Cinebarre, 800 Brevard Rd., Asheville. The free outdoor film festival will feature “Clueless.”

Seating begins at 8 p.m., with the film startng at dusk. Attendees are urged to bring lawnchairs and blankets.

Wed., Sept. 28

TEA TIME SOCIAL, 6 p.m., Ryan’s Family Steak House, 1000 Brevard Rd., Asheville. The Asheville Tea Party will hold its weekly Tea Time Social. All who are interested are invited to attend.

SHAG DANCE, 7-11 p.m., Shifters, 2310 Hendersonville Rd., Arden. The Mountain Shag Club will offer free shag dancing lessons with a DJ. Admission is $5.

Thursday, Sept. 29

CONTRA DANCE, 8 p.m., Bryson Gym, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa. A contra dance is held weekly, preceded by beginner’s lessons at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $6.

Saturday, Oct. 1

CONCERT, 6-8 p.m., Little Rainbow Row, downtown Flat Rock. Eliza Lynn, billed as “Appalachian meets celtic and blues,” will perform.

Admission is free.

10 - September 2011 - Asheville Daily Planet

Daily Planet’s Opinion

Bernanke errs on gold’s value When Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, asked him in July whether gold is money, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke proved how being a so-called leading scholar in his field is rendered absurd when one lacks common sense.

Following is a transcript of the interchange: Ron Paul: “Do you think gold is money?”

Ben Bernanke: (…long pause…)

“No. It’s a precious metal.”

Ron Paul: “Even if it has been money for 6,000 years, somebody reversed that and eliminated that economic law?”

Ben Bernanke: “Well, it’s an asset. Would you say Treasury bills are money? I don’t think they’re money either, but they’re a financial asset.”

Ron Paul: “Why do central banks hold it (gold)?”

Ben Bernanke: “It’s a form of reserves.”

Ron Paul: “Why don’t they hold diamonds?”

Ben Bernanke: “Well, it’s tradition.

Long-term tradition.”

Ron Paul: “Some people still think it’s (gold’s) money.”

Besides the fact that many central banks around the world are stocking up on gold, as are investors, perhaps the ultimate objective arbiter of gold’s value are thieves.

An Associated Press story appearing on Sept. 6 noted that, “After a summer of brazen attacks on gold stores, parts of downtown Los Angeles now look more like a militarized zone than a commercial corridor.”

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that, “As the price of gold rests near record highs, people from Spokane to Bangkok are selling jewelry or buying bullion, some are giving up steady jobs to take up panning, while theft of gold chains and watches is on the rise worldwide.”

Thieves’ behavior, we think, is a better indicator of the value of gold than the judgment of our Fed chief.

In the shadow of Cold Mountain, a real Inman

CHAPEL HILL — Driving south on Lake Logan Road, in the Pigeon River Valley and the shadow of Cold Mountain, headed towards Inman’s Chapel the other day, I could not help wondering whether or not the Inman in Charles Frazier’s “Cold Mountain” was a real person.

The dedication of a highway marker at Inman’s Chapel that day gave me some idea that somebody named Inman was important enough to have a chapel named after him.

As I neared the chapel, I passed Inman Branch Road and then Frazier Road. Good evidence that Inmans and Fraziers lived close by—and that they were real.

Other “Cold Mountain” readers and moviegoers may also wonder about the lead character, W.P. Inman, that strong-willed, determined, and principled North Carolina Civil War soldier and his odyssey from battlefield, to a hospital, and a long walk across the state towards his mountain home.

But was he a real person?

Charles Frazier insists that his Inman was a fictional character. But he concedes that family stories about his great-great-grandfather and his ancestor’s brothers inspired the novel.

At the highway marker ceremony, I met two Inman family historians, Cheryl Inman Haney and Phyllis Inman Barnett. Both have written books about the Inman family. I learned from their books that W.P. Inman was indeed a real person. Like the fictional Inman, he fought in the “Battle of the Crater,” was wounded, deserted from a hospital in Raleigh, and made his way back to his mountains.

According to the family historians, in December 1864, the real William Pinkney Inman went to Tennessee, where he signed an oath of allegiance to the United States. On his way back home, he was killed by the Home Guard at a place called “Big Stomp.”

Someone complained to Charles Frazier that the title of his book should have been “Big Stomp,” not “Cold Mountain.”

The family histories report that a few months before his death, W.P. Inman and Margaret Henson had a daughter, Willie Ida Inman. She grew up, married, and had five children and a host of descendants. Thus, the real W.P. Inman’s descendants are scatted across North Carolina and the rest of the world.

D.G. Martin W.P. Inman and five of his brothers went to war. Only two survived.

Although W.P. Inman is, thanks to Charles Frazier’s book, by far the best known of the brothers, the attention at the dedication of the historic marker at the chapel was focused on his oldest brother, James Anderson Inman.

James Anderson and two other Inman brothers were captured early in the war and sent to a prison at Camp Douglas in Chicago.

Conditions were harsh. Although James Anderson survived, the other brothers died in prison.

When he returned to the Pigeon River Valley, James Anderson became a minister in the Universalist church. Universalism was a form of Christianity that emphasized a God of mercy, rejecting the idea that God would condemn any soul to an eternity of suffering in Hell. This and other liberal Universalist beliefs were foreign to the fire and brimstone image of the Bible belt and conservative mountain religion.

Like Cold Mountain’s fictional Inman, James Anderson Inman was ready to stand up against cultural norms if he did not think they were right. Over time he built a loyal congregation, had the chapel constructed, and won the respect of the people of the valley.

His successor in the pulpit, a woman named Hannah Powell, carried on and expanded programs of education and social service that people in the valley still remember.

Inman’s Chapel no longer hosts an active congregation, but it can still inspire and remind us that there was indeed a very real Inman.

In fact, more than one.

• D.G. Martin hosts UNC-TV’s North Carolina Bookwatch, which airs at 9:30 p.m. Fridays and 5 p.m. Sundays. For more information or to view prior programs visit the webpage at www.unctv. org/ncbookwatch/

Letters to the Editor Legislators urged to end N.C.’s ‘spoils system’

The August Daily Planet included a letter, “Fisher blasted for ignoring Dems’ redistricting legacy.” The writer calls Rep. Susan Fisher “stupid” in capital letters for criticizing this year’s Republican redistricting plan.

First, Democrats did indeed do redistricting every 10 years for a long time, and they did draw maps favorable to their cause. But their work over the decades was child’s play compared to the new redistricting Rep. Susan Fisher map proposed by Republicans.

The (Asheville) Citizen-Times noted that the new map has TWICE as many instances of two incumbents’ being put in the same legislative district, to oppose each other, as the Democratic maps of 1990 and 2000. Republicans freely admit that they hired Tom Hofeller, a redistricting specialist at the Republican National Committee for almost 20 years to draw the lines (at state expense). This was the work of sophisticated, computerized, voter-by-voter demographic shuffling.

The result: Republicans hope for is a change in the North Carolina delegation in Congress from seven Democrats, six Republicans to 10 Republicans, three Democrats. The writer insults Republicans by saying they’re merely on a par with Democrats. If Democrats had used 2011 methods in 2000, wouldn’t they have come up with a better ratio than 7-6 in the 2008 election that went Democratic? The North Carolina voter ratio is 45 percent Democratic, 32 percent Republican. Democrats were generous.

Second, the writer’s main point is that Republicans EARNED (caps his) the right to redistrict any way they please because they won the 2010 election. I say no, they didn’t. They earned the right to redistrict, but nobody earns the right to create a dishonest product.

Republicans reveal their dishonesty in the cover letter to their redistricting map: “From the beginning, our goal has remained the same: the development of fair and legal congressional and legislative districts …. We also believe that a majority of North Carolinians will agree that our

proposed plan will establish Congressional districts that are fair to North Carolina voters.”

People who make a show of righteousness are usually hiding mischief. They say, “Look at us how legal we are, look how many hearings we held.” Then they proceed to create Congressional districts where 10 of the 13 districts voted over 55 percent for John McCain in 2008. For years Republicans pleaded for better electoral competition. Then they get power and immediately stifle that competition. Who do they think they’re fooling? Voters know … and remember.

When Democrats retake the General Assembly next year, I personally hope they redress the wrongs of Republican redistricting. In 2003 the Texas legislature did a mid-decade redistricting, and it was upheld by the Supreme Court. I hope NC Democrats do the same thing in Raleigh.

I’m confident they will do their work according to bipartisan HB 824, which takes redistricting out of the hands of politicians.

(Right now HB 824 is stalled in the Republican state Senate.)

A historical note. The “spoils system” of the 19th century was a lot like today’s NC redistricting system that the writer seems to support. The winner got to dole out jobs. In 1881, when James Garfield was assassinated by a frustrated job-seeker, there was a massive public outcry for reform. The Pendleton Civil Service Act was passed with bipartisan support in months.

HB824 would similarly depoliticize redistricting for us. California and other states have done it.

Like the spoils system, partisan redistricting will end only when we tell Raleigh to cut the nonsense and do what’s right.

And, of course, vote in Democrats.

LEE BALLARD Weaverville

Ideas offered for delay in 2 schools’ construction

Why the construction delay at the two new intermediate schools?

Lack of New Strategic Plan (not been updated since 2006) Inadequate budget process — stakeholders and board input not considered. No public hearings. Lack of monthly or quarterly financial reports. R144 millio in debt. No regular monthly board work sessions. No District Policy Review.

RALPH EUBANKS Asheville Continued on Page 11

On the right The Candid Conservative

Celebrating work – not just workers

Labor Day became an official federal holiday in 1894. It was designed as an appeasement to labor unions.

Nothing was ever found to appease their greed. If you’ve ever read Jack London’s classic, “Call of the Wild,” you might remember the bad guys drowned because they wouldn’t let go of their stolen gold.

That’s a good summation of what’s happened to about every unionized activity in America.

Unions thrive where they have all the control and no competition – such as in the public sector where they can buy political favor.

Unfortunately, unions are resistant to sacrifice and have a habit of killing the hand that feeds them. Their peers are crony capitalists whose matching greed, arrogance, and sense of entitlement is milking America from the other ditch.

Going forward, as our foolishness begins

Carl Mumpower to catch up with us, Labor Day is going to be less about those who labor and more about the chance to labor.

And so it should be – a job remains our best social service. We’ll miss the ones we’ve thrown away.

• Carl Mumpower, a former member of Asheville City Council, may be contacted at drmumpower@thecandidconservative.com

Asheville Daily Planet — September 2011 — 11

Topless protest leader urges removing the stigma Livienne Love, an Asheville resident, was the organizer of the recent topless rally and march in the downtown area.

• The breasts have been bared, the pot has been stirred. The GoTopless demonstration held on Sunday, Aug. 21, has been making waves here in Asheville. And while some viewed the demonstration as silly, I saw that it brought many important issues to light.

Some folks expressed that the large turnout of observers was counterproductive.

What I saw in the hundreds of men who came to take photos of women’s breasts, as well as the hundreds of women who felt uncomfortable going topless, was a reaction to a repressed society.

We need to remove these harmful social stigmas — mostly stemming from religious indoctrination - that exist around breasts, nudity and sex.

Livienne Love There once was a time when women were shunned for wearing skirts that fell above the knees. Nowadays, we wouldn’t see hundreds of people showing up to watch women walk around town simply because they’re wearing shorts. If we move society forward with top freedom for women, there will come a time when people won’t think twice about seeing a topless woman in public, much less take photos and cheer.

The most absurd argument behind the so-called logic of requiring women to cover their chests is that children are traumatized

by the sight of female breasts.

During the march, not one child I passed even looked at my breasts, much less cried and turned to their mommies and daddies in horror.

And yet, there are currently two local politicians who are claiming that the women who participated in the GoTopless Asheville demonstration “sexually molested a large group of children.”

I find it embarrassing for these men that they would use such a term — one that evokes in our imagination truly traumatizing acts performed on children — to describe a group of women walking around town without shirts on.

This way of thinking isn’t healthy for our society; on the contrary, it keeps us stagnant in antiquated religious notions that continue to oppress us to this very day.

It’s time to once and for all remove religious values from our politics and law-

making. After all, it was this same kind of religious mindset that once argued slavery was acceptable and that women were the property of the men they married.

The shame that women endure for simply having breasts is harmful not only to women, but to our society as a whole.

I have yet to hear a truly intelligible reason as to why a woman shouldn’t have the freedoms of a man in all areas, including being top-free.

Topless rights is not an issue to be brushed off. By belittling the importance of any of our rights, we only stall the progress of our society’s maturity — in this case, in the areas of respect for and freedom of women.

So, while there are many people who are ready for the topless talk to end, I would suggest that it has only just begun and will benefit us all that it continues.

Twilight Zone” — Aug. 4th’s Buncombe County School Board meeting talked to the same issue — a new end all curriculums — and the teachers’ training required in its implementation.

My purpose in attending the school board meeting was to see how the board’s initial people-talk-first meeting worked out. The school board is the first in Buncombe County to allow public comment before the vote on action items. Hopefully, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will also see the light and implement the same pro-

cedure.

Fifteen years ago, parents attended school board meetings. Last Thursday night, there were either no parents there or at least very few. Attitudes must be very different today — or perhaps parents have got a message that it is pointless to attend. Pointless perhaps, but still necessary if students are to be the focus in education. Parents are the only reliable student advocates.

There was a learning experience in the meeting that parents needed to take part in.

Continued on Page 15

Letters

Continued from Page 10

Why are Rep. Ron Paul, his backers, marginalized?

I find it interesting that (Rep.) Ron Paul (R-Texas), and his supporters like me, always seem to be considered outside of “Republican Partyism” and “Conservatism.”

At the same time, anyone else joining the elephant party or conservative movement is welcomed with open arms, “RINOs included, but not the Paulites. Of course, the irony is, Ron Paul more than anyone else, has identified the spirit of the founding fathers and has defined a way back to their vision of an American Liberty. For Ron Paul, the Constitution is the answer to everything. (For our Congress, it appears to be a door mat.) Yet, Ron Paul, Rep. Ron Paul unlike most other presidential candidates in this race has to fight his party by challenging its soul. (This was also true of Goldwater and Reagan.)

It is interesting that one of the founders of the modern social conservative movement, Paul Weyrich, recently wrote a book (Along with William S. Lind) that touches on many of these issues. Weyrich’s book is called “The Next Conservatism” and subtitled, “Paul Weyrich’s Last Testament.”

Weyrich’s book is not as well thought out as “Ron Paul’s Great Compromise of 2012” below, but I would think that if Weyrich were alive today, he might embrace Craig White’s appeal.

To those of you who believe there is not a snowball’s chance in Hell that Ron Paul can get elected to be the president of the United States of America, who then is going to make a real difference in business as usual in D.C.? Perry, Romney, Bachmann, Huntsman, Cain or Pawlenty?

The U.S. government is quickly facing a day of reckoning for too much spending, too much borrowing and too much interference in what should be matters of personal liberty. Our federal government is going to crumble as a consequence.

Average Americans must take their collectivist head out of the sand and say “NO!” to Washington. Republicans do have a real choice in 2012. They must choose wisely. Failing to do so will likely be the

end of the Republican Party and more important than that, we will lose our American way of life as we know it.

GARY SHOEMAKER Weaverville

Support urged for Cain,

businessman, conservative

Who has had the HIGHEST positive intensity score for 10 straight weeks? Who has the HIGHEST strongly favorable rating among the candidates? Who has the LOWEST strongly unfavorable rating?

Herman Cain, a businessman from Georgia! He accomplishes all of this while being known by less than half the electorate. Why is this? Herman Cain’s ideas are rooted Herman Cain in common sense solutions. He knows that you have to work on the right problem, ask the right questions, and surround yourself with the right people. He has a specific plan to bring jobs back to America quickly and clean up the mess left by the Obama administration.

His positions on immigration and energy independence are also essential to taking back this country!

What would you choose: a tested leader or a reader? Do you want the same old typical politician, or a successful businessman that knows how to balance a budget, create jobs, and manage people? If you are sick and tired of being lied to, worrying about job security, and believe, as I do, that this country needs real change, visit http:// www.hermancain.com, http://arealleader. hermancain.com or http://electcain.com and GET INVOLVED! Consider making a donation to Friends of Herman Cain through http://www.hermancain.com or http://arealleader.hermancain.com. Want to volunteer? Visit http://electcain.com.

In the words of Herman Cain’s father, “Them that’s going, get on the wagon ...

Them that ain’t, get out the way!”

BETHANY WHITE Canton, Ga. EDITOR’S NOTE: White is a grassroots volunteer for the Elect Cain Georgia organization.

School board meeting likened to ‘Twilight Zone’

It has been nearly 15 years since I attended a school board meeting. Talk about “The

12 - September 2011 - Asheville Daily Planet

On the left The Progressive-Libertarian

Bold ideas about veterans

Since the invasion of Afghanistan in 200l, politicians and speech-makers have continually urged us to honor the brave men and women who serve as America’s soldiers. Returning veterans, on the other hand, attract far less coverage or public interest. Clearly there is a disconnect between our promise to “support the brave troops,” who ship out for deployment in a war and our determination to care for those same troops when they return.

Honorably discharged veterans who serve in Afghanistan, Iraq or any other American theater of military operations deserve all the help and support they need when they come home. For those who return without injuries, we should, at minimum, honor their service by providing free vocational and/or college education and job placement, assistance in obtaining low-interest mortgages, guaranteed pension rights and lifetime free medical care for each veteran and his/her family.

For veterans who have suffered physical and/or psychological disabilities, benefits should also include unlimited medical care, rehabilitation, therapy and assistance as well as necessary modification to homes and/or vehicles and a guaranteed lifetime income that includes realistic cost-of-living adjustments.

Under the current system, veterans are entitled to a variety of diffuse benefits which depend on their officially determined “degree of disability.” Too often, neither the veterans nor their families are able to navigate the system; as a result, many disabled veterans fail to obtain the benefits, help, and medical care that should be readily available. My solution would be to assign each returning veteran to a government-operated social work unit where a designated case worker would act as his/her advocate. The advocate’s responsibility would be to ascertain that the veteran is treated with dignity, receiving all applicable benefits in a timely, efficient manner.

Great advances continue to be made in medical science, enabling medics to treat wounded soldiers on site and transport them rapidly to state of the art hospitals for

further care. Because of the new, sophisticated equipment now available to highly skilled medical personnel, many wounded troops who would previously have died as the result of serious injury are now able to survive. Caring for these patients over the long term, however, remains a challenge.

Soldiers who sustain severe injuries to the brain and/or spinal cord, or who lose limbs or their sense of sight or hearing may require a lifetime of specialized care and assistance. And this is precisely where we fail those soldiers. Many end up in facilities that are badly in need of updating and repair. Some never get the level of care that they require. And often, severely injured troops lose their spouses, families and support systems because, without receiving adequate assistance, caregivers are unable to cope and ultimately give up.

We also fail to respect the impact of severe psychological shock, disorientation and trauma on our troops. Americans are raised to respect and care for life. Once trained and deployed as soldiers, however, young men and women must be willing to take lives while putting their own on the line. They may bond with fellow soldiers and risk life and limb to help or protect a “buddy;” but they are also supposed to commit acts of extreme violence when circumstances demand. What does it do to a young soldier who realizes that he/she has just mistakenly shot a child? And how can anyone deal with watching a friend’s head explode in a burst of sudden, unexpected gunfire? For that matter, simply walking or driving in a combat zone where IEDs may horribly alter your world at any moment is a form of psychological punishment few of us will ever experience.

While serving, soldiers are surrounded by men and women who understand and share their experiences. Returning vets,

Continued from Page 11 A vote was made on the acceptance of the school calendar. The vote followed a recommendation from the thirty plus member calendar committee.

Thirty-plus members who are all paid school employees except for one token volunteer parent. The parent filed an oral minority report with Lisa Baldwin, a member of the school board. The parent, evidently wasn’t able to get the minority report out through the committee leadership.

The minority report meant to give an alternative to one of the days for teacher training, which appeared to be the only topic in the committee’s report.

It seemed to me to that the volunteer parent could have been bullied in that the minority report was excluded from the committee report.

Ms. Baldwin took up the parent’s advocacy, speaking both to the details of the minority report and commenting unfavorably on the procedure that made it necessary for a minority report not to have come out in the committee report in the first place.

Surprise! The attitude of the other school board members, as strongly spoken by the

chairman, was that the thirty paid committee members were clearly the victims and the parent and advocate were the oppressors.

The reverse of logic seemed to be around the blanket notion that obviously all school administrators and teachers are totally committed to the students, know better than parents and are all unsung heroes to be protected at all costs.

No one on the school board admitted to knowing by name and experience the 30plus members of the calendar committee but stated with surety that the committee members were to be admired.

This nonsense does no credit to the hardworking members of the calendar committee, turns off parents, is insulting to all who practice student advocacy, and embarrasses those that attend school board meetings.

The school calendar, as recommended by the 10-plus calendar committee, was passed with no remarks as to the reason for not accepting the minority report and with one member opposed.

CHARLES DURAND Asheville

Letters

Cecil Bothwell

however, may be isolated from military comrades and must readjust to civilian life in areas where the people know little and care less about war. Veterans not already suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder easily fall prey to depression and other psychological disturbances. There is an unusually high rate of suicides and homicides committed by psychologically disturbed but untreated soldiers.

While veterans comprise eight percent of the population, they constitute 20 percent of the homeless. Roughly 56 percent of all homeless veterans are African American or Hispanic, despite only accounting for 12.8 percent and 15.4 percent of the U.S. population respectively. As the number of women serving in the military has grown, we have seen a corresponding rise in the number of homeless female veterans as well, and programs have been too slow to catch up with their growing ranks. There are many organizations, (both governmental and private) dedicated to assist and treat veterans; but rehabilitating the disabled, unemployed and/or homeless former soldiers to the point where they can fully reintegrate into society remains an elusive goal.

Prussian military historian Von Clausewitz wrote “War is a continuation of policy by other means.” Others have called war a failure of diplomacy and a failure of communication. Perhaps we should simply call it “a failure.”

Civilians and soldiers who are directly involved in war always suffer terribly, losing loved ones, body parts and faculties, homes, possessions and even their lives.

Therefore, it follows that the best way to support our troops is to keep them out of harm’s way. In the 21st Century, it is time to commit ourselves to solving problems through negotiation, cooperation and international law.

• Cecil Bothwell, a member of Asheville City Council and a self-proclaimed progressive-libertarian, is running for the Democratic nomination for the seat now held by U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, DWaynesville.

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Asheville Daily Planet — September 2011 — 13

Faith Notes

Saturday, Sept. 3

CONCERT, 6 p.m., First Baptist Church, 130 Montreat Rd., Black Mountain. Bobby & Blue Ridge Tradition will perform. Both admission to the concert and refreshments will be free.

OLD-FASHIONED COUNTRY BREAKFAST, 7:30-10 a.m., Carson’s Chapel, Tom’s Creek Road, Marion. An old-fashioned country breakfast will be offered in an all-you-can-eat format, at $6 for adults, $3 for children ages 6-12, and free for ages 5 and younger.

Sunday, Sept. 4

PROSPERITY PROGRAM, 2 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. Dan Beckett will be offering a program on “Prosperity: Living a Life of Joy and Abundance”for five straight Sundays through Sept. 18. The program is billed as offering participants the opportunity to learn how to experience more joy, serenity, inner peace and financial freedom in their lives and to be a shining example to others. Topics include cultivating a consciousness of abundance, developing one’s spiritual compass, breaking down barriers to success, getting what one wants in life and living a life of joyful service. Admission is free, but a love offering will be taken.

CONTEMPORARY SERVICE, 5 p.m., St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 10 N. Liberty St., Asheville. A Cross+Wired contemporary Service will be held.

Casual dress and a relaxed atmosphere will be featured. After the service, an ice cream social will be held.

Tuesday, Sept. 6

TRUTH ON TAP, 6 p.m., Mezzaluna restaurant, 226 N. Main St., downtownHendersonville. Attendees are urged to join the Rev. Chad O’Shea and Unity Center for a “pub chat” on matters spiritual and otherwise.

Wednesday, Sept. 7

HEALING CIRCLE, 7 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. A program, “Stop Living Like a Mere Mortal: Healing Circle to Manifest Your Dreams Now,” will be led by Deborah-Marie Diamond. She will raise questions, such as: Is something nudging you inside? Is there something you always wanted to do or be, but haven’t found the time or gateway? Diamond, will help attendees define a clear path to their dream sand how to get out of limbo into action! Using the Universal Laws tosupporttheirgoasl,participantswillbeamazedat what they can achieve. A love offering will be taken.

Thursday, Sept. 8

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER, 12:01 a.m.-midnight, Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. “Unity World Day of Prayer” a 24-hour prayer vigil, will be held. Unity created World Day of Prayer 18 years ago as a global effort to uplift participants, their loved ones, and the world. Attendees are urged to join Unity members from all over the world in prayer. In addition, there will be a special prayer service at 7 p.m. led by the Rev. Chad O’Shea. A love offering will be taken.

Saturday, Sept. 10

RUMMAGE/HOT DOG SALE, 8 a.m., Varick Chapel AME Zion Church, 109 S. French Broad Ave., Asheville. A rummage and hot dog sale will begin at 8 a.m., followed at 6 p.m. by a gospel sonfest.

WORKSHOP, 9 a.m.-noon, Hill Street Baptist Church, 135 Hill St., Asheville. A laity and leaders workshop wll feature as Dr. Gary Williams Sr. of Florida as the speaker. He is from Florida. Admission is free.

Sunday, Sept. 11

HOMECOMING, 9:15 a.m., Beaver Dam Baptist Church, 399 Beaverdam Rd., Asheville. The BBC will hold coffeetime at 9:15 a.m., Sunday school at 10 and a service at 11.

HOMECOMING, 10 a.m., Morgan Hill Baptist Church, 594 Barnardsville Hwy., Weaverville.

The MCBC Homecoming will feature music by The Haney Family at 10 a.m., followed at 11 by a service.

PASTORAL ANNIVERSARY, 10 a.m., Hill Street Baptist Church, 135 Hill St., Asheville. An anniversary for Dr. Ketih A. Ogden, senior pastor; and

Patricia A. Ogden, First Lady, will be held.

HOMECOMING, 10 a.m., West Canton Baptist Church, 75 Lowe St. (off Old Clyde Road), Canton.

The WCBC will feature music by the Land of the Sky Boys at 10 a.m., followed by the service at 11.

3K/5K WALK OF AWARENSS, 4 p.m., Haywood Street CongregationWelcomeTable, 296 Haywood St., Asheville. A 3K/5 Walk of Awareness will begin at 4 with a walk, follwed at 5:30 with dinner. The registration fee is $25. Proceeds will benefit the Welcome Table and other outreach ministries. For more information or to register, call 337-4944 or visit www.haywoodstreet.org.

SIMULCAST, 6 p.m., Crossroads Assembly, 20 S. Bear Creek Rd., Asheville. Crossroads will host a simulcast with Anne Graham Lotz and Joel Rosenberg titled “A Wake-Up Call for God’s People.

Tuesday, Sept. 13

RETREAT, various times, Kanuga Conference Center, Hendersonville. “U.M.M.A.S. Mountain Top Retreat”will be held through Sept. 16. The public is invited tp the retreat full of music. Keynote speakers will include Bishop Carlton Pearson, the Rev. Dr. Thomas Shepherd and Dr. Charlotte Shelton. Other features include meditation, classes led by the ministers of UMMAS, a talent show, a labyrinth walk and tai chi classes. Participants may stay on site or travel back and forth as a commuter. For details or to register, visit www.ummas.org/Retreat.html.

Wednesday, Sept. 14

SPEAKER, 7 p.m., Crossroads Assembly, 20 S. Bear Creek Rd., Asheville. Matthew Barnett, author of “The Cause Within You” and pastor of Dream Center in Los Angeles, will speak.

Saturday, Sept. 17

WORKSHOP, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Calvary Episcopal Church, 2840 Hendersonville Rd., Fletcher. A workshop on“Hildegard of Binger: A Feather on the Breath of God” will be held. The $30 fee includes lunch. To register, call 684-6266,

Sunday, Sept. 18

FRIENDSHIP POTLUCK, 12:45 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. A FriendshipPotluckluncheonwillbeheld.Attendees are asked to bring food to share, including six to eight servings of a main dish, salad or dessert.

HARP CONCERT, 3 p.m., St. Mary’s Church, 337 Charlotte St., Asheville. Harpist Linda Barton Paul will perform in concert.

Wednesday, Sept. 21

QUANTUM TOUCH PROGRAM, 7 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River.

Wednesday, A program, “Quantum Touch: The Power to Heal,” will be led by Pam Hurst. This is an introduction to quantum touch; how it came about and how it works. Quantum touch will be offered to any one who chooses. Past attendees have said they have healed, sitting in the audience. The program is billed as enabling attendees to experience the true power of your love. Quantum touch is done sitting or standing and is a light touch or no touch. It is billed as affecting emotional, physical, spiritualandmentallevels,withbonesstraightening and pain disappearing. A love offering will be taken.

Wednesday, Sept. 28

DRAMA MELLOWING, 7-9 p.m., Unity Center, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd., Mills River. The program, led by the Rev. Chad O’Shea, will explore a deeper way of looking at life and what one perceives as their stress at times the individual labels challenging. O’Shea claims that one’s reality is a “do-it-yourself project.” The program will include a bit of discourse, some discussion and a time of meditation together. Admission is free, but a love offering will be taken.

14 - September 2011 - Asheville Daily Planet

Hubby advised to haggle with wife over intimacy needs Recently, you published a letter from a married man complaining about his wife’s letting their two young children sleep in their marital bed with them.

They’d gone from being a couple who didn’t have much sex to a nearly sexless one. You seemed to suggest that the guy bargain for sex from his wife: “Talk about how much sex you’d like, and how much she’s willing to provide, and work out a compromise.” My question is, “Why bother?” Since they’re married, it’s unlikely he’s a sex object or love object to her. It seems more likely that he’s just a trapped meal ticket. If that’s the case, he should get his wife to sign an OK for extramarital activity. Life is too short to put up with people who don’t appreciate you.

— Take My Advice The extramarital sex treaty. Brilliant.

A man need only ask his wife to sign on the dotted line, and she’ll start rummaging through her purse for her favorite pen.

Before long, he’ll be stumbling through the door all skanko at 11:30 p.m., and she’ll look up from her Sudoku and chirp, “Did you have a nice night with the hookers, dear?”

Yes, life is too short to put up with someone who doesn’t appreciate you — until you and that someone say to each other, “Wouldn’t it be totally cute if we made little people who look just like us?!”

Divorce eats children and only seems to be the step to take if the parents’ marriage is chronically and intensely ugly.

In reviewing the body of research on divorce, Dr. Paul R. Amato found that children of divorced parents “score lower … on measures of academic success, conduct, psychological adjustment, self-concept, social competence, and long-term health.”

On the bright side, they’re usually able to play their parents against each other so they can get more sugary snacks and much cooler toys.

Of course, on a pure fairness level, you don’t get to be married to somebody and be all “I’m retiring from sexual activity” — not unless you answer “That’s nice, dear” to your spouse’s “I’m just running over to borrow a cup of sex from the lady next door.”

Fairness aside, sending the husband out to shop elsewhere for nookie is a bad idea.

Sex between people in a relationship isn’t just a day in naked Disneyland but a way they cleave to each other emotionally and even biochemically and maintain a relationship that goes deeper than a roommate situation with a lifetime lease.

Was I suggesting that they haggle over sex like it’s a scarf in a bazaar? Well, yes, but it sounds better when you call it “coming to a marital compromise.” By talking about how often he’d like to have sex and how often she’s willing to put out, they may stem the resentment that builds up when needs go ignored and find out whether there’s anything she needs that he isn’t providing.

I wrote recently about Dr. Rosemary Basson’s breakthrough work on female sexual desire — how women in long-term relationships sometimes have to start fooling around for desire to come. Even if these two don’t know that, if they start scheduling sex dates, they’re likely to find out. In the process, they should develop conflict resolution skills beyond simply refusing to put up with anyone who doesn’t appreciate them. That idea’s great in concept, but take it to its inevitable conclusion and, well, who’s going to take care of the millions of children who get dropped off at the fire station with a bag lunch and a note?

The Advice Goddess

Amy Alkon

Sex and the cellar

I’m 26, and I’m trying to start my own business as an events photographer. To save money, I’ve moved into my parents’ house. I have been dating some and get the feeling that girls aren’t so keen that I live with my parents. But then, part of me thinks, so what? I’m saving and doing the right thing.

— Basement Dweller Living at home puts a certain crimp in sexytime. A woman can’t help but picture getting it on with you only to have your mom interrupt with “Hey, you kids, just lift your feet while I vacuum.”

In this economy, moving in with your parents is somewhat more acceptable than it’s been, but 26 is kind of pushing it in many women’s eyes.

Women look for a man to show potential — and not just the potential to mooch off his parents for the next five decades. You’ll improve your chances with the ladies if you present your current living situation as part of a serious business plan, which suggests that there’s light at the end of the basement, and not just from the furnace pilot. That’s right; you’re a man who’s going places.

Just as soon as your mom pulls your laundry out of the dryer.

Guru, interrupted

My husband is extremely analytical, to the point where he has a negative or argumentative response to almost anything I say — including positive or even insignificant things. Then, when he makes some remark, unless I respond with “I agree” or “uh-huh,” he debates me. I’ve repeatedly asked him to stop making everything an argument, but he insists that he’s just giving his “honest opinion.” I go for counseling, but he refuses to, saying he won’t talk to “some stranger” about us. He’s turning my happy self into a miserable, depressed self.

— Always Wrong Nothing brings out the eighth-grade debate champion in a man like being asked to weigh in on life’s big philosophical questions: “What is death, and should we fear it?”, “Why is there something rather than nothing?” and “More orange juice, dear?”

How fun that you never know whether you’ll be enjoying breakfast with your husband or petitioning him for a new trial.

Of course, he knows, as we all do, that there are remarks that aren’t meant to be responded to as if one were testifying before Congress. “Nice weather we’re having”?

Just say “Yes, dear.” No need to counter with data on sunspots, cloud cover, and death rates of baby polar bears.

A man doesn’t make his wife’s every innocuous comment a springboard for an intellectual death match because he’s “analytical” and “honest” but because he feels like a skin tag among men. What your husband’s showing you isn’t love; it’s narcissism. The term “narcissist” comes from the story of Narcissus, who fell in love with his reflection in the water -- how he appeared, not who he really was. Narcissists are self-absorbed, manipulative users. What

they lack in empathy they make up for in a sucking need for admiration. To a narcissist, other people aren’t so much people as they are staging areas for the narcissist’s greatness.

A loving husband understands that there’s a right answer and a more-right answer — the one that doesn’t leave his wife feeling depressed and beaten down. You need to decide whether staying married is more important to you than being happy, because if he is a narcissist, he’s unlikely to change. Narcissists rarely agree to therapy, as they can’t take the challenge to their manufactured authority or let anyone expose them as the tiny little people they actually are.

You may be able to control your husband’s behavior by giving him boundaries for what you’ll put up with and being truly willing to walk if he keeps crossing them.

But, if that’s what your marriage comes down to — a husband who acts like less of a bully so you won’t leave — is that enough? You could actually have love in your life … if you’re with a man capable of loving. That man will watch you as you sleep — because he can’t take his eyes off you, not because he’s waiting for you to talk in your sleep so he can shake you awake and correct you: “Honey! ... Honey!

You are the weakest link.”

Wait training

Use of technology in dating is leaving my single girlfriends bewildered and annoyed. For example, one went on a date with this guy. The date went well, then silence ... for two weeks — until he texted her, inviting her over for dinner. She’s ir-

ritated that he didn’t even call, and that he waited so long, and is considering not accepting. Is texting instead of calling a valid reason to write a guy off?

— Wondering Not every guy’s a talking-on-the-phone person, and that’s okay, but there’s much to be said for polite timing.

Texting a girl the day after a date (even just “great time, call u soon”) says a guy’s interested. Texting two weeks later says he’s explored every other option, including hookers and suicide, and settled for her.

Unless this guy followed up his text by calling from a hospital bed and explaining “A dog ate my iPhone — and part of my arm,” he should no longer be in the running. Behavior predicts behavior. It also illustrates character (like an interest in others’ feelings).

But, let’s say vanishing for two weeks without a word (or even a “wrd”) is out of character for this guy. He might’ve redeemed himself if he’d just manned up — called to express some remorse for disappearing and apologized.

At least then he’d be telling your friend “I know I don’t get to do this to you” instead of “You seem like a woman who lets men walk all over her. My turn Tuesday at 7:30? And don’t worry, I promise — no hard-soled shoes or muddy hiking boots until the third date.”

• (c) 2011, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or e-mail AdviceAmy@aol. com (www.advicegoddess.com)

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Asheville Daily Planet — September 2011 — 15

Readiness Continued from Page 7

Thus, he said, “That’s why you, in Mitchell County, should start getting ready, rather than waiting for something terrible to happen.”

A woman asked how long, after an EMP attack, it would be before electrical service was restored and how could one protect electrical items from being rendered inoperable.

“What you want is a Faraday cage,” a conductive structure that acts as a shield, Forstchen answered. “All of you’ve got a Faraday cage in your houses — it’s called a mircrowave oven.” However, he cautioned that if one stores laptop computers and other components in a microwave, be sure that it is not accidentally switched on.

He added that “80 percent of the electricty-generating system in the Eastern United States would still be down five years” after an EMP attack, according to some projections.

“We live in a just-in-time society,” so parts would not be available on a massive scale.

Forstchen also warned of the dangers of “high-tension wires exploding during an EMP — the big ceramic insulators.” On the bright side, “I’m saying 20 percent of the Eastern United States would be up again (with electrical service) in five years.”

After a pause, he said, “I go with the assumption that Mitchell County” would weather such difficulties better than most of the region, as many of its rural mountain residents still have skills carried over from the pioneer days that would help them survive.

Another person asked if buildings could be modified to provide Faraday cage protection. ”Yes,” Forstchen replied. “You know what I’d like to see in your town is a Faraday” the size of a large lectern, “filled with 40 old computers ... If you do it beforehand, you could be saving a lot of lives. You can’t wait till one second after.”

Returning to preparedness, he listed priorities as “getting your community through the first 24 hours,” maintenance of civil order (a period he projected to last several months) and building an emergency stockpile of food in advance.

The history professor added, “You don’t want to be 1941 Leningrad (Russia),” where those who could work or fight (as soldiers) and expectant mothers were given sufficient rations to survive, while others were given faux food mainly composed of wood pulp. As a result, 1.5 million people died of starvation.

With proper preparation, Forstchen said that, instead of the projection of 90 percent of the population dying after an EMP attack, “it could be 10 percent. But we’d still be a nation” reduced to third-world status.

In Mitchell, he said, “We’ve got a lot of hydro (power capability) around here,” with the proliferation of fast-moving creeks and rivers. “A lot of people around here know about survival,” and still hunt, fish and know how to can food.

Forstchen concluded his presentation by stating, “Let me close with this. This is an American town meeting the way it’s supposed to be. I’m going to sit down (now) — you guys figure it out” for the future.

Forstchen received sustained applause from the audience members, most of whom stayed during the entire program, prompting him to state, “We have these resources and we’ll make plans to move forward. Thank you and goodnight!”

Afterward, David Hauser, meeting organizer, organized a committee that — at that point — included four volunteers beside himself to pursue EMP preparedness in Mitchell. While he acknowledged that no elected officials were present at the meeting, Hauser, said, “We did have the county emergency manager” in attendance.

Regarding the response afterward to launching a group, Hauser said, “I’m overwhelmed. I’m encouraged. ... If town and county officials are not willing to step forward” on the EMP preparedness project, he said his committee will “go ahead anyway.”

16 -September 2011 - Asheville Daily Planet

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