I have spent time in North Carolina and know that there are some good people there. But, I still have always been somewhat suspect of a place that would elect Jessie Helms and their representative. Recent events in the state have done little to dissuade my concerns that NC can be a very mean place.

On Sun., Oct. 19th as Obama stopped by Cape Fear BBQ in Fayetteville, North Carolina some patrons yelled, "Socialist, Socialist, Socialist -- get out of here." Obama was across the room at the time and did not appear to hear Diane Fanning, 54, who was among several patrons who had just come by after services at the local Presbyterian church. She said she was annoyed that the Illinois senator had stopped in at the restaurant that she regularly visits.

Later that evening, authorities say someone slashed tires on at least 30 parked vehicles while their owners were attending a Barack Obama rally in a North Carolina coliseum.
The Fayetteville Observer reported the tires were cut outside Fayetteville's Crown Coliseum. One driver said it cost $120 to get her van towed and repaired.

Also on Sunday, a day of worship in God's Country, as so many right-wing Christians like to refer to NC,  a BEAR cub was shot in the head and dumped, draped in Barack Obama campaign posters, on the grounds of a US university.

Police at Western Carolina University said maintenance workers found the carcass of the 34kg bakc bear cub yesterday morning, the Asheville Citizen-Times website reported.

"It looked like it had been shot in the head as best we can tell. A couple of Obama campaign signs had been stapled together and stuck over its head," said university police chief Tom Johnson.

"Someone evidently was wanting to draw attention to the election."

I would love to see Barack Obama win this state and prove to me that there are good people there who will not tolerate their home being represented by the likes of racist that have been so prominent in the past.