Allran has primary challenger

Catawba's State Senator Austin Allran attracts competition like blood in the water attracts sharks. They sense his weakness. After all, there's no need to do opposition research. No one has to make the effort to attack him. They just have to remind people that he's the reason the roads they travel every day are so damn bad.

From the Hickory Record:

Catawba County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Kitty Barnes said she will challenge N.C. Sen. Austin Allran in the May Republican primary. Allran’s district comprises all of Catawba County and a northern section of Iredell County. . . . Barnes is past president of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners. She also served on the Catawba County Board of Education from 1986 to 1998.

Here's a little insight into Catawba Republican politics:

Other Republicans also described the decision as unexpected.

N.C. Rep. Mark Hilton believes the race will add to the bitterness within the party still lingering from the 2004 congressional race between Patrick McHenry and Catawba County Sheriff David Huffman.

“This is not helping when you’ve got an incumbent in Allran being challenged by another elected official. It can’t help the current situation. I think this will further divide our party,” Hilton said.

One of Barnes’ fellow commissioners, Barbara Beatty, didn’t know of the move until a phone call Tuesday.

“It will certainly be an interesting race,” she said.

Someone's in for a sad moment. Except for a judicial election Allran lost in 1978, neither Barnes nor Allran has lost an election before or since.

Equality for NC

Do you live in Iredell, Gaston, or Lincoln counties? Do you know your state senator, James Forrester, is the primary sponsor of Senate bill 13, which is hate legislation?

How about residents of Burke or Caldwell? Catawba or Iredell? Jim Jacumin, Austin Allran, Fletcher Hartsell, Jr. are co-sponsors.

They are trucking in anti-gay activists from all over the country to Raleigh Tuesday, March 6th to tell us why we're ungodly if we support civil rights for all.

Don't worry, though, a group called Equality NC plans to "turn lemons into lemonade" and turn the rally into a fundraiser for equal rights. Read more about that below.

My point here at Pat Go Bye-Bye: let's do the same. Let's turn lemons into lemonade. Why are our legislators so obsessed with sexuality? Are Allran, Forrester, Hartsell and Jacumin doing things to improve education, help alleviate poverty, improve the economy, what else? Copy the email address below and tell your Senator that you disapprove of this bill and that you want him to spend his time working for a bill like Representative Verla Insko's Health Care for All. Tell them whatever you'd like them to do. That would be at least a start in the right direction.

And, while you're at it, be thinking about 2008. We can also turn lemons into by using this as motivation to find the wonderful candidates (we know you're out there) who can run against these hate-filled senators.

Thanks to Pam Spaulding for pointing out the planned alternative productive activities and for keeping the BlueNC statewide progressive community aware of this unconstitutional legislation.

Our friends at the far right, radical Christian organizations Called2Action and Return America, "a new Christian organization in North Carolina," are planning a rally for THIS TUESDAY, MARCH 6, at the NC General Assembly to support their anti-gay, anti-marriage state constitutional amendment.

Let's turn lemons into lemonade once again. Make your pledge today to give 25, 50, 75 cents, or a dollar to Equality North Carolina for every minute this rally of hate and bigotry goes on. When we did this last year, we raised $12,000. Let's see if we can raise even more this year!

To make your pledge by the time the rally starts on Tuesday at 11 AM, simply choose your amount per minute and email Shawn Long with it at shawn@equalitync.org. When the rally starts, we'll count up the minutes, then send you a follow-up email with your total and payment information.

Be sure to visit the websites of Called2Action (www.called2action.org) and Return America (www.returnamerica.org) to get a better idea of what we're up against.

Here's more to chew on:

Their agenda is not only anti-LGBT, but also anti-woman, anti-diversity, anti-people. Return for America does credit the "homosexual advocacy group" Equality NC with holding back the marriage amendment for the past three years, and we thank them for that!

With your help, every minute of their divisive rhetoric will support our continuing partnership with people like you to make North Carolina a more tolerant place.

Email sponsor Forrester at Jamesf@ncleg.net

Email co-sponsor Allred at Austina@ncleg.net

Email co-sponsor Hartsell at Fletcherh@ncleg.net

Email co-sponsor Jacumin at Jimja@ncleg.net