DNC In NC? We'll See!

Last week, Democratic National Chairman Tim Kaine sent a letter to the Democratic National Committee announcing the four finalist cities for hosting the 2012 Democratic Convention: Charlotte, NC, Cleveland, Minneapolis, and St. Louis.

Charlotte officials always get their undies in a wad when “NC” is tacked on to the name, so I’m sure they were mortified, but Kaine is from Virginia and he probably didn’t want any confusion with Charlottesville, VA.

I studied the list and believe it was simply a case of incorrect placement of the “NC,” since THREE of the towns are actually in North Carolina. The announcement should have read: NC– Charlotte, Cleveland, Minneapolis, and St. Louis.

East of Charlotte is Cleveland, NC, a town of about 800 in Rowan County which proudly promotes itself as having evolved from indian trails and buffalo wallows. It contains only 1.5 sq. land miles, none of which happens to hold lodging accommodations, but the Motel 6 up the road in Statesville leaves the light on.

I don’t want to assume too much, for there is the famous Cleveland, Georgia, where Cabbage Patch dolls are grown and nurtured until adoption.

There is also a Cleveland in Texas and another in Ohio.

Minneapolis? Yep, it’s in the mountains of North Carolina not very far from the Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in the Eastern U.S., at 6,684 feet. I reckon that would make it easy enough to find. Minneapolis used to have a railroad until it was moved to go through Cranberry and Montezuma instead, because of their iron and coal mines. Minneapolis townfolk removed the rails and used the bed as the base of the Old Toe River Road. They get points for ingenuity, but not so much for road naming.

I know, I know… there’s another Minneapolis up in Tim Pawlenty/Michelle Bachmann country, across the Mississippi River from St. Paul, where the Republican convention launched Sarah Palin and the delegates shouted Drill, Baby, Drill. ’Nuff said?

Don’t, Democrats, Don’t!

St. Louis is the fourth city in the running. Would that be the one in Missouri or Illinois?

You may not know that the first verified gold find in the US was in Charlotte. It happened when a 12-year-old boy found a 17-lb. rock and toted it home to use as a doorstop. The rock turned out to be gold.

Since the NRA held their last national convention recently in Charlotte, the city could use a left-leaning event to get itself upright again. Vote for Charlotte, DNC.

You can take home any rocks you find.