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Suppose Vermont does secede from the Union. Will thousands of disaffected Americans pour into the new Republic from the 49 states?

It might be appealing to many (including some of our letter writers). No Iraq war. No dictates from Washington. No blue state-red state politics. Just Green.

How would Vermont, all of 9,250 square miles, deal with that -- build a fence along the border?

Can't let the place be overrun with illegal immigrants from Boston and New York, after all.

If you're interested, maybe the time to go is now ... while the border is still open.

Even through today's rain and fog, it's easy to see that the state made a great move in purchasing Chimney Rock Park. The 1,000-acre property rising above Hickory Nut Gorge in Rutherford County stands as one of North Carolina's top natural attractions.

When the Morse family decided to sell the park, fears flew that developers would grab this prime real estate looming over Lake Lure and build million-dollar vacation homes. Instead, the state spent $24 million to preserve it far into the future.

Although the deal closed in May, the Morse family is still operating the park for the time being. They do an outstanding job but charge $14 admission per adult. My guess is the state will have to maintain a similar fee structure, because upkeep is tremendously expensive. There's a three-mile paved road from Chimney Rock Village on U.S. 64, a 26-story elevator, miles of trails and other facilities, all kept in excellent condition.

Well-cared-for grounds are very important, both for visitors' convenience and for safety reasons. Trails edge along sheer cliff faces. Without fences, I imagine people would tumble over the side all the time, especially when it's wet and slippery like today. There are wooden stairways and boardwalks throughout, making hiking as easy an experience as possible, given the steep ascents and descents required to cover the park.

The natural features don't suffer as a result of easy access. They include the 404-foot Hickory Nut Falls, a narrow vertical shaft called the Needle's Eye, the Opera Box, the Subway and, of course, the famous Chimney Rock itself. The place is a photo op at every turn, a joy to explore.

On a clear, sunny day the views would be spectacular. That was not today. Still, when the fog and clouds parted every so often, it was possible to see where a roadway is being carved up the mountainside on the opposite side of the gorge from the park. The state can protect the park but not the view. At least the Chimney Rock acres will stay as they are -- a natural wonder available for the public's enjoyment.

My column today:

Don't try to call me today. I've gone back in time.

Columbus, N.C., my wife's hometown, holds an old-fashioned Fourth of July celebration that I've come to love. ...

Carl Sandburg bought the Connemara estate in Flat Rock, N.C., in 1945, and died there in 1967. Now it's part of the National Park system, preserved pretty much as it was when the Pulitzer prize-winning poet and biographer lived and worked there. In fact, descendents of his wife, Lilian's, champion goats are still in residence.

Our visit this morning took in a performance of "Rootabaga Stories" by actors from the nearby Flat Rock Playhouse, a guided tour of the house and a hike up the Glassy Mountain trail. There's a $5 per adult charge for the guided tour; everything else is free.

The original portion of the house was built in the 1830s. Sandburg fell in love with it as soon as he climbed the stairs to the front porch, which on clear days affords a view of both Mount Pisgah and Mount Mitchell. Today was too hazy, but the rolling green landscape is inspiring all the same.

The interior is furnished and decorated just the way the Sandburgs left it. It's simple and looks comfortably lived in. The most striking features are the bookcases -- everywhere. Sandburg had some 15,000 volumes on the premises, including in several outbuildings -- his least favorite books apparently in the farthest-out outbuildings. His study, where he wrote on a manual typewriter perched on an orange crate, is upstairs. Although he was 67 when he moved in at Connemara, he completed one-third of his life's work there.

Sandburg was the son of Swedish immigrants. His father was illiterate. Sandburg didn't finish college, but his keen ear and eye and powers of expression made him one of America's greatest writers and folk figures. His mountain estate reflects his personality. It's a must-visit for anyone interested in Sandburg and American literature.

Afterward, Margaret and I drove a few miles to downtown Hendersonville for lunch. It's charming, with several blocks offering an attractive array of restaurants, pubs, shops and museums. Plenty of people were out and about, many of them vacationers from out of state.

Some of the most impressive features include Wi-Fi coverage, free three-hour parking, directories of downtown businesses with maps, signs at each corner pointing to the location of businesses on sidestreets and decorated bears capturing various themes unique to the mountains or having something to do with a sponsoring business.

Margaret lived in Flat Rock before we were married and naturally we spent a lot of time in this area. Hendersonville has changed considerably in the last 30 years; fortunately, the Carl Sandburg home is exactly the same as it was -- except the trail up Glassy Mountain is definitely longer and steeper.

Jim Black offers to give 2,000 free eye exams annually ... if he isn't sent to prison, The Charlotte Observer reports.

Earlier, federal prosecutors complained that Black isn't cooperating sufficiently in their investigation of more corruption in state government.

I'm no fan of Jim Black, who's done plenty of damage to the reputation of state government. However, because state government obviously enjoyed a better reputation than it deserved, Black may be due some thanks for exposing how rotten things had gotten in Raleigh.

So, some creative sentencing should be considered.

First, everything depends on Black's full cooperation with federal prosecutors. Black surely knows most of the crooks in the state capital and what they've done -- I'm thinking particularly of how the lottery was greased through during the 2005 legislative session -- and he should spill it all.

If he does, he should get a much shorter active federal prison sentence than the 10 years maximum -- maybe six months. But additional time should be suspended on the condition that he indeed does provide free eye exams. It would be a waste not to put his professional skills as an eye doctor to good use.

Black did bad things, but making him spend most or all of the rest of his life in prison accomplishes nothing. He'll be punished plenty with the personal disgrace he's experienced, by spending six months behind bars and having to rat out his political friends, if in fact any of them also broke the law.

From a recent Carolina Issues Poll by NC Policy Watch:

"Right now, state legislators are considering a proposal to cut the income tax rate paid by the wealthiest 2% of North Carolinians. Do you support such a tax cut?"

If you would say no, you agree with two-thirds of the 504 North Carolina residents surveyed.

Now try this question:

"Do you support another extension of the increase in the top state income tax rate that the General Assembly promised was 'temporary' when it was first enacted in 2001?"

NC Policy Watch didn't ask that, of course, but it's simply a restatement of the first question from a different angle.

Nevermind that the taxpayers affected are at the top of the income bracket. Just ponder whether it's really a "tax cut" to allow a temporary tax increase to sunset as previously scheduled -- and as taxpayers were promised it would.

But, from the way survey questions were worded, I have to guess that NC Policy Watch is trying to derive a certain result on its survey.

Look at Question 2, for example. It begins with a declaration: "Right now, when all state and local taxes are combined, the wealthiest 2% of North Carolinians pay a much smaller share of their incomes in taxes than persons of middle and lower income."

Let's forget that this is a gross overgeneralization, besides being totally unclear. How do the questioners define the wealthiest 2%? By income? By the value of their property? By their investments? The answer makes a huge difference in how much they pay in state and local taxes. But, moving on ...

"Some say this is unfair. Others say these lower rates help keep wealthy people from moving out of state. Would you support a law that raised the overall tax rate on the wealthy so that they paid the same as lower and middle income taxpayers?"

Not surprisingly, 72 percent answered in the affirmative. Why, of course those richest of the rich should pay the same rates as the rest of us!

But this is completely confusing the particulars of our tax structure. In fact, the question even contradicts itself.

Remember that it began with a focus on "all state and local taxes." When talking about tax "rates," let's think about some of the major taxes. In terms of sales and property taxes, the rich don't get a special break. Everyone in the same jurisdiction pays the same rate. In terms of income taxes, those with higher incomes pay higher rates, not the same or lower.

So, what's going on with this question? It begins by stating that the rich pay a smaller share of their incomes in total state and local taxes, but then it shifts to a question about tax rates. In other words, you're told about apples but asked about oranges. The difference might change the way you answer.

One question on this survey is quite straightforward, however -- the very first. It asks respondents whether they think state and local taxes in North Carolina are too high, inadequate or about right.

The answers are too high, 64 percent; about right, 25 percent; and inadequate, 11 percent.

Not much of a groundswell for raising taxes there.

Greensboro native Doug Marlette was harshly criticized, and even reported receiving death threats, for his 2002 cartoon, "What would Muhammad drive?"

To his credit, he refused to apologize.

Everyone who appreciates hard-hitting, honest and unapologetic editorial cartooning has lost a champion.

My column today:

Dennis Ross, a Middle East peace envoy during the Clinton and first Bush administrations, offered a telling assessment of Yasser Arafat during a recent radio interview.

Arafat's leadership depended on grievance, Ross said. When changing times required the Palestinian revolutionary to move forward and make something constructive happen, he just didn't have it in him to adapt.

Ross was referring, of course, to Arafat's fateful decision to walk away from a peace agreement with Israel brokered by President Clinton in July 2000. Instead of becoming the father of a viable nation, Arafat died a failure. Today his people are split into murderous factions fighting a civil war.

Ross' description of Arafat's critical character flaw got me thinking about leadership -- an appropriate subject now given the fast early pace of the 2008 presidential contest and even the launching of candidate filing for city offices in Greensboro and other local municipalities. It reminds me that we need to look out for people whose claim to leadership derives from grievance, and in most cases avoid them like the plague. ...

Andrew reports on his visit to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania, site of Jane Goodall's chimpanzee research.

Update, July 12: Andrew adds photos.

I was with Leonard Pitts in his column today until he got to this sentence:

"Former Vice President Albert Arnold Gore Jr. has spoken of 'the assault on reason,' meaning the tendency of conservatives in modern political discourse to manipulate people based on emotion or fear, rather than to persuade them based on logic."

Sorry, but playing up fears for political advantage is definitely a bipartisan practice.

Terrorism? Sure, Republicans try to use it in their favor. But so do liberals who say President Bush's policies have made us less safe from terrorists.

In my memory, political fear-mongering goes back to the infamous "mushroom cloud" TV commercial aired by the Johnson presidential campaign, which implied that electing Barry Goldwater would lead to nuclear war. Pretty emotional.

Later, Ronald Reagan was portrayed as a dangerous cowboy by his opponents on the political left. Not only was he pushing the "doomsday clock" to midnight by standing up to the Soviet Union, he was also out to destroy Social Security, spread AIDS and bankrupt the country.

So please don't tell me it's an exclusive tendency of conservatives to manipulate people based on emotion or fear. Politicians of all stripes have been doing that for a long time, and they won't stop as long as voters respond to it.

The North Carolina Democratic Party's statement about Jim Black' sentencing yesterday:

That's right, nothing. One of the state's most powerful political leaders is on his way to federal prison for five years for corruption, and the party that once hailed him as a champion can't bring itself to utter a word.

It does bash Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole for her views on Iraq. Fair enough. That's in the job description for the Democrats.

But good government also should be important to North Carolina's majority political party. To the extent that it's questionable at the moment, thanks to Mr. Black and others, whether we have honest state goverrnment or not, the majority party should speak out. It should denounce Black's crimes, applaud the pursuit of justice that led to his downfall, and pledge to insist that its office holders and candidates follow high standards for ethical behavior.

We won't restore integrity in government in this state until everyone involved in the political process helps with the clean-up. You can't do that by stepping around the messes and pretending they aren't there.

Addendum:

State Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Meek issue this personal statement about Black last winter:

Dear Fellow Democrat:

Just like you, I am furious. And we should be. Someone we know has betrayed us and betrayed the public trust.

For almost a year, Jim Black has personally assured me and our fellow legislators that he's done nothing wrong. When the Speaker of the House looks you in the eye and tells you something, it's hard not to believe him.

In the past week, Jim Black pled guilty to acts that go beyond anything that any of us anticipated. As a citizen, I'm furious that he's betrayed the public trust. But I'm even more furious that he betrayed my trust and the trust of so many Democrats who knew him.

It is, therefore, with great sadness that I write you today. As bad as the earlier press reports about Jim Black were, his recent admission that he took personal bribes to influence legislation shocked us all. That's not why I'm in public service and that's not what democracy is all about.

Our Party believes in the power of government to do good things -- by creating opportunity, protecting freedom, and expanding the horizon of human achievement. Whenever an official undermines the public's trust in government, he makes our Party's mission all the more difficult. And Jim Black has done lasting damage to the public's perception of government.

I cannot and will not apologize for what Jim Black has done. But I will tell you that the Democratic Party remains the people's party. As Democrats, we will work hard to restore full confidence in state government. Last year's ethics reform law was a good start. But there is more that we must do.

With the leadership of Speaker Hackney, Senator Basnight, and Governor Easley, we will put this dark time behind us. Now is the time to focus our energies on moving North Carolina forward.

I believe in the power of average citizens to make a difference in our State and nation. I believe in our ability to create a city on a hill, leaving a legacy of prosperity and security for future generations.

In the past difficult week, I've taken great solace in the fact that thousands of Democratic elected officials and local Democratic Party leaders work every day to make North Carolina flourish. One man's betrayal of trust will not dissuade any of us from continuing this work.

I guess it's not often you see coverage of the U.S. Senate's daily invocation in The Times of India, and it wasn't a good thing that it happened today.

Why? Because, for the first time, a Hindu was asked to pray.

And, because Rajan Zed's prayer was interrupted by Christian protesters from a group called Operation Save America.

Good grief.

If Christians want protection for their right to express their religious faith in public, they must respect the same right for people of other faiths.

At the same time, I find the statement by Barry Lynn, head of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, to be very hypocritical.

"This shows the intolerance of many Religious Right activists," he said ... before admitting that he opposes prayers by anyone in the Senate. Which makes his own intolerance universal instead of specific.

Opening prayers before meetings of governmental bodies are in keeping with American tradition, from the very founding of our nation. However, we have to recognize the tremendous religious diversity of our population and afford opportunities for people of minority faiths to participate.

Trying to shout someone down during prayer is not only insulting to that person and his or her faith, it's disrespectful of our country's principles.

In my view, that's certainly not how Christians ought to act.

I hope that people in India and elsewhere around the world will be more impressed by the fact that Mr. Zed was invited to pray in the U.S. Senate than by the unfortunate disruption by three rude and misguided individuals.

Thanks to Ed Cone for pointing this out:

The National Conference of State Legislatures is giving its top award to N.C. House Speaker Joe Hackney for "restoring integrity in a chamber tarnished by the actions of its previous leader."

Wow.

From what I hear about Hackney, he is an honest public servant with a lot of personal and professional integrity. That cannot be said about his predecessor, Jim Black, who's heading for the federal pen for five years.

But this award is way premature.

The integrity of the House has not yet been restored. Not by a long shot.

Rep. David Almond resigned yesterday after he was accused of extremely improper behavior.

Rep. Thomas Wright is under criminal investigation.

Rep. Mary McAllister has just been fined by the State Board of Elections for campaign finance irregularities.

The Legislative Black Caucus Foundation has awarded scholarship money on behalf of members' relatives.

And who knows what might boil up next?

You can't blame Hackney for these problems, although I do wonder how he could not have known about Black's shenanigans for all these years.

Regardless, it will take a long time before North Carolinians can trust that the cloud of corruption has been ushered out of the state House of Representatives.

I hope Hackney truly will deserve this award sometime in the next few years, but no one could work fast enough to have earned it already.

Update, 1 p.m. July 17: The city of Greensboro has received the Justice Department's OK to proceed with the recall election. The department says it reserves the right to intervene if additional information requires. Please look for more details in our news section.

It doesn't make sense to me that this column I wrote Feb. 28 got dragged into the Pulpit Forum's request to the Justice Department that it block the Dianne Bellamy-Small recall election.

The Pulpit Forum faults the column for "essentially advocating the return to the pre-1983 at-large system of government, a clear reversal in the progress toward full enfranchisement of minorities."

Actually, the Pulpit Forum completely misunderstood the column. The point was to show what would be necessary, using current logic, to achieve "full enfranchisement of minorities." The district system in place in Greensboro is designed to achieve the election of at least two black representatives on the City Council, but it does nothing for other minority groups such as Asians or Hispanics. In order to guarantee "full enfranchisement of minorities," wouldn't we have to create a lot more electoral ethnic enclaves throughout the city? Well, maybe the Pulpit Forum doesn't think other minority groups are entitled to that much consideration.

Anyway, neither that nor most of the other arguments raised in the PF letter have anything to do with the recall. It's simply not possible to use the Voting Rights Act to defend Councilwoman Bellamy-Small. The petition process used to force the recall election is race-neutral. It doesn't matter legally how many of the petitioners were white or how many black. As long as they are legally registered voters who reside in District 1, they have the necessary standing. It's absurd to contend that the petitions are somehow invalid because many, even most, of those who signed them were white. Would the Pulpic Forum use the same logic to argue that the signatures of black voters living in majority white districts shouldn't count in a similar situation? It might as well argue that only people of certain racial characteristics should be allowed to vote in certain districts.

To further state that the recall election "will have the discriminatory effect of diluting the African American vote, as well as reducing the quality of representation to the African American community of Greensboro" isn't convincing, either. Two-thirds of the voters in District 1 are African American. The recall election does not dilute their vote; on the contrary, it gives them the largest voice in its outcome. They'll determine whether Councilwoman Bellamy-Small has given them the "quality of representation" that they desire. We shouldn't expect the Justice Department to make that determination. I doubt it's going to rule that Ms. Bellamy-Small is the only person capable of providing quality representation for District 1.

Now, I happen to agree with the Pulpit Forum that this recall election is both wasteful and ill-timed. I haven't heard a convincing case for why Bellamy-Small should resign or be removed from office before the end of her term. The voters can elect a new representative in November if they want. That's soon enough. The expense of holding a separate recall election is needless.

Nevertheless, the legal requirements for such an election have been met, and no sound legal case has been presented to block it. The Pulpit Forum's complaint just doesn't offer valid reasons to stop it, and I'll be very surprised if it isn't quickly dismissed by the Justice Department.

Its biggest flaw is to confuse voting rights with a particular individual's right to hold office. The right of everyone in District 1 to vote in this recall election is not hindered in any way. And only those voters can decide whether Ms. Bellamy-Small should remain in her council seat.

I appreciate Ed Hardin's report from the Smokies today. We need reminders of the pressures of pollution and other threats to the health of the great park. I would say, however, having been there just last month, that I'd much rather breathe the air up there than down here.

Ed notes that the Cherokees, whose reservation abuts the park, aren't optimistic the federal government will act to relieve these pressures quickly.

Excuse me, but isn't that Cherokee casino adding immensely to the traffic in those mountains? More than 3.5 million visitors annually, according to the Eastern Band's economic development Web site.

The Charlotte Observer editorializes today:

"State Rep. Alma Adams, who chairs the N.C. Legislative Black Caucus Foundation, has embarrassed herself by issuing a silly allegation that investigations of certain members of the state House are racially motivated."

It goes on ...

The News & Observer of Raleigh leveled similar criticism at Adams in an editorial published last week.

Adams raised the racial issue in an op-ed piece published in our paper July 4.

Here's a link to our editorial last week.

When High Point police forced their way into a barricaded bedroom at 805 Tryon Ave. on the evening of Dec. 9, 2004, they found Euvashii Imani Carter hiding under an overturned recliner.

They also found 19.8 grams of crack cocaine, 6.4 grams of marijuana, 17 hydrocodone pills, two counterfeit $100 bills, an electronic scale and a box of plastic bags.

The predictable charges followed, along with this: maintenance of a place to keep and sell controlled substances. Carter was convicted on April 13, 2006, in Guilford County Superior Court, Judge V. Bradford Long presiding.

Routine? Not quite. In one aspect, Carter was the victim of a sloppy prosecution and a bad call by the judge. Today, a three-judge panel of the N.C. Court of Appeals unanimously overturned Carter's conviction on the charge of maintaining a place to keep and sell controlled substances.

The residence at 805 Tryon Ave. was not Carter's place.

"The State presented no evidence indicating that defendant owned the property, bore any expense for renting or maintaining the property, or took any other responsibility for the residence," the decision written by Judge Bob Hunter said.

In fact, Carter's identification listed a different address. And police found a utility bill for 805 Tryon addressed to Carter's brother.

The appeals court upheld Carter's other convictions. Police acted on good information telling them that drug activity was going on at 805 Tryon. But someone overreached a bit in the prosecution, and Judge Long should have recognized that and dismissed the "maintenance" charge. Someone else should have been held accountable for that.

There's a natural desire to throw the book at drug dealers. I'm certainly in favor of charging them with everything that can be legally supported. But this case ended up consuming court time, and expense, at the appellate level not on account of a technicality but because one charge was completely unsubstantiated.

Carter had use of the house for his illegal enterprise, but it wasn't his house. The appeals court did a good job of fixing an error.

Thomas Friedman's column today deals with congestion pricing, "probably the biggest green initiative coming down the road these days ..."

What is it? Here's a detailed description from Transportation Alternatives, which strongly promotes the concept.

Oops. Looks like New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan was dead-ended by the State Assembly.

The proposal certainly carries plenty of logic: If you want less of something -- in this case downtown traffic -- tax it.

It works for cigarette consumption in North Carolina, and if that doesn't demonstrate the power of taxation, nothing will.

I suppose you could apply the concept of congestion pricing to stretches of our interstate highway system here.

But there would be quite a few obstacles to overcome.

You'd need a system to enforce the new rules of the road -- collecting the tax, making sure no one evades paying it and so on.

You'd also have to put in place good alternatives for people who, rather than pay the tax, will look for other ways to get where they're going or simply not go.

London, a congestion pricing pioneer, offers plenty of public transportation options.

The Triad? Not so much. It would require a huge public investment to get there.

Alternatively, more businesses could let employees work from home. Telecommuting actually could do more to relieve traffic congestion in the long run than a billion-dollar light-rail system.

But the biggest obstacle would be political. Taxpayers likely would resent being made to pay what amounts to a special privilege tax to drive on public highways that they're already paying for through other taxes. And elected officials who cross those taxpayers might not remain in office after the next election.

It probably takes really horrendous traffic conditions to create a groundswell of support for congestion pricing. If New York City hasn't gotten there yet, then we're a long. long way from it here in North Carolina. And that's a good thing.

My column is included in our online edition today, under the Opinion tab.

So are both of today's editorials, plus op-ed columns by David Hoggard and Joe McDonald.

We recently have begun putting more Editorial/Opinion content online.

This is evidence of evolving thinking at the N&R and, more generally, in the newspaper industry. Traditionally, there's been some resistance to the idea of putting too much content online -- essentially giving it away. Will readers still buy the print edition if they can read almost everything online?

Candidly, the answer is probably not as many. At the same time, there are advantages to cultivating a larger online audience. That obviously increases the value of our site to online advertisers. And, well, we have to do it anyway. There's a big segment of the market out there that isn't going to read print, and if they don't get their news from news-record.com, they'll go somewhere else on the Web. We have to compete with everything we've got, or at least more of what we've got. Plus, of course, some features you can't get in print, like video interviews with newsmakers.

So, thanks for visiting this space, and if you're not already a regular reader of our online Opinion section, I invite you to become one. There's more to read there now.

Our Editorial Department has just launched a new blog.

Please check it out.

I have only contempt for a purse-snatcher who picks out a 78-year-old woman for his victim.

He should grab Marion Jones' purse and see how far he gets.

Getting enough John Edwards news this week?

I have to give him credit for his promotional abilities.

He's trailing in fundraising and in the polls. Similar circumstances for John McCain have been practically fatal for his campaign. Media coverage has been intensely negative.

But Edwards launched his poverty tour, attracting generally enthusiastic national media coverage.

It even drew a response from Barack Obama, who pointed out that he has actually worked with and for the poor during his public service career -- painting a contrast to Edwards' career of accumulating a personal fortune in the tens of millions of dollars, I suppose.

Edwards has to shake off all the contrasts -- working for a hedge fund, using the Poverty Center at UNC to promote his political viability, charging big fees to speak about poverty -- but he's scrappy, determined and creative. He knows how to draw attention to himself. And, unlike Obama and HIllary Clinton, he doesn't have a job to limit the time he can spend campaigning.

McCain may be on his way out of the race, but Edwards isn't. He's been running for four years already, and he'll keep running until the race is over.

BusinessWeek examines the dealing that landed a Google facility in Lenoir.

This is an appalling story, yet, understandable from their perspective, some people in Caldwell County still consider it a victory. I hope it turns out as well as they expect, although Google has made no guarantees.

It's significant that a key factor, not involving incentives, that drew Google to Western North Carolina was the availability of inexpensive electricity from Duke Energy.

Interesting that, rather than studying ways to rein in outlandish incentives, our legislature is working on ways to raise energy costs.

I'm stunned and deeply disappointed by the arrest of Coy Privette on prostitution charges.

As president of the Christian Action League of North Carolina, he's been one of the state's most prominent advocates for conservative Christian values. So, what in the world was he doing?

I don't know Privette, and although I don't agree with a lot of his views, I thought he made many positive contributions to public discourse in North Carolina. In particular, he and the CAL presented a strong obstacle to the establishment of a state lottery for many years.

Now this. If these allegations about his conduct are true -- and maybe some crazy mistake has been made -- he'll be ruined. Some may point to him as another example of a Christian hypocrite and seek to discredit the causes he's proclaimed.. But I'd caution anyone not to confuse the man with the mission. Judge them separately.

Before today, I would have said it was possible to respect Privette even when disagreeing with him. Now I'd say you can still agree with his causes even if he has lost your respect.

Friday: Jack Betts' take on Coy Privette.

Greensboro's city elections are nonpartisan, and they ought to stay that way.

Up in Asheville, the City Council recently moved in the opposite direction. It voted 4-3 to hold partisan elections, starting immediately.

It rejected calls to allow citizens to vote on the proposal.

The move was seen as a power play by Democrats, who outnumber Republicans 58 percent to 20 percent in voter registration.

Maybe that's the way you play politics.

But there's an injustice concerning the other 22 percent of Asheville's registered voters who aren't Democrats or Republicans. It's suddenly much more difficult for them to run for City Council seats.

Democrats and Republicans can simply file to get a place on the primary ballot -- or the general election ballot if there aren't enough candidates for a primary.

But an unaffiliated candidate has to turn in a petition containing the signatures of more than 2,000 registered voters to get on the ballot.

That stinks, and the members of the Asheville City Council who voted to put up that barrier to full and fair participation in the democratic system ought to be ashamed.

Partisan elections likely won't improve the quality of local government in Asheville, just as they wouldn't in Greensboro, High Point or other towns in Guilford County. No one is pushing to make municipal elections partisan around here, and I hope no one does.

High Point's Drew Weaver shoots a 72 in today's second round at the British Open (Tiger hit a 74, Phil 77) but misses the cut by two strokes. He was hurt by some late bogeys yesterday but bounced back with an excellent round today.

Congratulations to Drew and his family for an impressive showing at his first major -- but not his last. He has a spot at next spring's Masters, thanks to his British Amateur title.

And he may play in many more majors after that.

Mark's been keeping up with Mike Easley today.

By gosh, sometimes our governor does show up for work.

Legislators have been screwing around long enough without passing a budget yet. Easley's putting pressure on them -- like he should have done with ethics reform, oh, at least two years ago.

It's been a long time since American track and field fans, like me, could get this excited about a U.S. miler.

Alan Webb has got us going.

Last night in Belgium, he broke Steve Scott's 25-year-old American record with a clocking of 3:46.91.

Yes, you read that right: It took a quarter-century for an American to run faster than Steve Scott -- who, unfortunately, won no Olympic medals during his long and distinguished running career.

Dare we hope that Webb, who exploded onto the world scene by running a 3:53 mile as a high schooler, might take the gold at next year's Olympics in Beijing? Only 24, Webb should continue to improve.

Who was the last American to win the Olympic 1,500-meter run? You remember Mel Sheppard, of course. No? Well, I guess not. After all, it was way back in 1908 when he took the gold.

I'd say 100 years has been long enough. Let's get behind Alan Webb.

Trivia: Webb's best time at 1,500 meters is a half-minute faster than Sheppard's 1908 world record.

State Rep. Beverly Earle filed Friday to run for mayor of Charlotte.

Her likely opponent in November will be incumbent Mayor Pat McCrory.

Why's that interesting around here? Because both have strong local connections.

Earle is a Greensboro native and Dudley graduate, who also attended A&T.

McCrory was born in Ohio but grew up in these parts. He graduated from Ragsdale, then Catawba College in Salisbury.

Charlotte's municipal elections are partisan. Earle, a Democrat, is serving her seventh term in the N.C. House of Representatives. McCrory, a Republican, is seeking his seventh term as mayor. He has to get through a GOP primary.

Our editorial today about Tolly Carr's proposal to speak to Guilford County students about the dangers of drinking and driving.

What he and his attorney, Locke Clifford, have in mind is a suspended sentence. Instead of going to prison, beyond the jail time he's already serving, Carr would help educate young people about making good choices.

The editorial points out that he could do that, while serving an active prison sentence, through the Department of Correction's Think Smart program.

A felony death by motor vehicle conviction warrants an active jail sentence, no two ways about it. That law was strengthened last year for the express purpose of making sure that a drunken driver who kills someone goes to prison for a significant amount of time -- up to almost four years.

Carr can make productive use of that time by communicating an important message to teenagers.

There wasn't space in the editorial to include some additional details. While a judge could recommend that Carr participate in Think Smart, the Department of Correction would decide, a spokesman told me.

The department also would decide where Carr would serve his time, assuming he receives an active sentence. After spending several weeks at a processing facility, where he would undergo routine evaluation, Carr would be assigned to the unit deemed most appropriate for him and where there would be room for him. It could be somewhere a long way from Guilford County -- somewhere the local schoolkids have no idea who Tolly Carr is.

I hope, however, that if Carr is sent to prison, he's placed at the Guilford Correctional Center in McLeansville, gets involved in the Think Smart program and teaches valuable lessons to local young people.

Carr is a young man who made a serious, tragic mistake, but he has talents that should be put to the best possible use.

This well-meaning letter makes me wonder if we've cultivated the entitlement mentality too much.

The writer wants Greensboro's HEAT buses, which run routes connecting college campuses at no charge to students, to continue during the summer.

Some students can't afford to take classes if they have to pay the regular bus fare ($1.10 one-way).

The thing is, these aren't free rides. The colleges and universities in effect pay part of the fares on behalf of the students who ride. They get the money from student fees, tuition and other sources. I doubt all students ride the buses, and those who don't are helping to subsidize those who do.

Other expenses are covered by state and federal grants. Taxpayers subsidize the riders.

I'm not saying these aren't proper public expenditures, but people who demand "free" service ought to at least understand that somebody always pays.

Anyway, would there be enough college students riding during the summer to justify the expense of "free rides" on the HEAT buses?

My column today.

Is it safe to head for the beach?

I'm not sure about the shark situation, but at least one forecaster has revised downward its predictions for 2007 hurricanes and tropical storms.

"According to WSI seasonal forecaster Dr. Todd Crawford, 'The tropical Atlantic Ocean temperature anomalies have remained cool into July, relative to recent years, and now compare best to 2000 and 2002. Because the ocean temperatures have not yet rebounded from the significant drop in late spring, we have decided to reduce our forecast numbers slightly. However, both 2000 and 2002 were active seasons, and we continue to expect an active season, relative to both 2006 and long-term averages. Finally, our seasonal temperature forecast is now less bullish on late-summer heat in the Southeast, with the subtropical ridge migrating farther to the north than originally expected. Because of this, we feel that the general threat to the western Gulf is reduced slightly, with a corresponding increase in the threat to the eastern Gulf and Florida.' ”

Here's Bill Gray's forecast (latest issue May 31).

The National Hurricane Center reports nothing happening out there right now.

Even state legislators couldn't get away with this anymore:

"At least 500 members of local Alcoholic Beverage Control boards gathered at the Grove Park Inn this week for a three-day conference where companies that do business with the boards provided premium drinks, subsidized golf games and other freebies," The Charlotte Observer reports today
.
"Liquor brokers poured free drinks from a buffet of liquor brands for several hours on Monday and Tuesday evenings."

This is no different than lobbyists wining and dining lawmakers, which isn't allowed anymore. Businesses with ABC contracts obviously have an interest in keeping board members -- what, fat, drunk and happy?

And why is the state in the business of selling liquor anyway?

Today's terrible news about Wake Forest basketball coach Skip Prosser is shocking and sad.

He was just the right kind of man for college athletics. What a loss for Wake Forest and ACC basketball.

My condolences to his family and all Deacons.

Mike Nifong's apology yesterday isn't quite right.

The key sentence is this:

"I agree with the attorney general's statement that there is no credible evidence that Mr. Seligmann, Mr. Finnerty or Mr. Evans committed any of the crimes for which they were indicted -- or any other crimes against (the accuser) -- during the party."

But that's not an accurate representation of what Attorney General Roy Cooper said. Cooper's investigation found no credible evidence that any crimes occurred at all. Nifong's careful phrasing gives the impression that he still thinks crimes did occur, only they weren't committed by the three Duke students he charged. Well, by whom? And what evidence does he have that Cooper couldn't find?

More importantly, however, if Nifong now admits there was no credible evidence against Seligmann, Finnerty and Evans, when is he going to explain why he sought indictments against them? For what reason did he pursue a prosecution of the three men when he had no evidence indicating their guilt?

I'm glad Nifong apologized, but I'm still waiting for a full confession.

For the life of me I can't remember who said it, but the comment itself by a law-enforcement officer has stuck with me:

If the bad guys could shoot straight, the murder rate would be out of sight.

More proof in Greensboro today.

The ACLU gets it right sometimes, but not this time.

A depiction of Jesus in a courtroom, with the words, "To know peace, obey these laws," should not be considered an unconstitutional establishment of religion. A picture of Jesus is just a picture of Jesus. It's not a means of spirtual coercion.

The judge might have put up a picture of Muhammad, too, but then the ACLU would be the least of his worries.

Taliban terrorists are killing their Korean hostages one by one.

They threaten to continue until the Afghan government frees Taliban prisoners. No deal is likely.

What should the government do?

One response could be to execute a Taliban prisoner every time a Korean hostage is murdered. That might very well put a stop to the killing of hostages. Is it morally unacceptable? Yes, according to our Western codes of conduct -- even though, ironically, it's probably the only way to save the lives of 21 innocent people, and it might require the execution of no more than one or two Taliban prisoners.

However, I fear that the Koreans are doomed anyway. As Christian missionaries, they are regarded as enemies by their fanatic Islamic captors. The fact that they were in Afghanistan to provide medical services doesn't matter. This sad drama certainly illustrates stark differences in values and human compassion between the Christian martyrs from Korea and the cold-blooded killers who claim to be acting in the name of their God.

I hope I'm wrong about how this will play out.