Looking at the demographics of Brad Miller's district, you may be prepared to discount the threat from any challenger, much less one who hovers on the fringe of reality. But Bernie Reeves has media access (print and broadcast), and has developed the skills to lead his audience down the garden path of hyperbole and dubious connections. Before he uses that formula on a fellow BlueNCer and one of the best we've ever sent to Washington, let's take a look at the MO of the man who is challenging him.

This should be interesting:

As U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick issued a third Internet video on terrorism Monday, she pledged to schedule a town hall meeting with the Charlotte Muslim community, saying she wants to embrace "mainstream Muslims" while fighting extremism.

If you follow the arguments and tactics used by the GW denialist movement and the scientific and activist communities they oppose, the interplay begins to take on some of the attributes of a really bad chess match. Poorly thought-out gambits are attempted and soon discarded in lieu of some new Bright Idea, but very few pieces are actually captured by either side. It's very tempting to walk away in disgust at such a lackluster performance, but we can't afford to do that.

A rather harmless sounding name, isn't it? Evoking images of country-club couples thrilled to be part of the dinner party circuit, painstakingly groomed and coiffed in an effort to avoid being grist for the gossip mill, the clink of fine China and crystal and the low hum of conversation eventually silenced so the cause du jour can be addressed. That may sound like a cynical assessment, but it's not. Philanthropy of this nature has brought relief to millions in this world, and we need more of it. But that formula can also be used to manipulate the outcome of elections, leaving us with a government that represents a much smaller percent of the population.

In an effort to give us all a break from the "much wailing and gnashing of teeth" associated with pending Federal health care legislation, I decided to work through a subject that has been on my mind recently: That being the much needed, and hopefully soon mandated, drastic reduction of carbon emissions worldwide. As we all know, weaning ourselves from the combustion of coal is not going to be easy or cheap, but the puzzle is coming together, piece by piece.