Monday, January 28, 2008...Jones County...On our ride through Wayne County we passed four patrol cars pulled over to the side of Highway 70, lights flashing. The officers all turned around and vigorously waved to the bus - we were proud. We wished everyone knew how well respected Fred Smith is among law enforcement. He's a believer in the Rule of Law and often points out that when the law breaks down, society loses. In some ways, Jones County was our first challenge in the 100 County Extra Effort BBQ Tour. With few Republicans and a GOP that is currently reorganizing, it was difficult to find appointments for Fred. And yet, the media interviewed him and Senator Harry Brown and new GOP chair Russell Metts met with him to discuss the countywide GOP meeting on February 7 and the future for Republicans in Jones County.

Ten percent of our Jones invitations yielded guests who listened attentively to Fred periodically interrupting with applause or an Amen! When Fred finished, Senator Brown asked him to share some statistics about voter registration in Jones. Fred noted that the Democrats had lost 250 registered voters since 2004; Republicans gained 35 and Unaffiliated gained 75. He noted that approximately two-thirds of unaffiliated voters tend to vote Republican so in general those changes mean a 350 vote swing our way.

On our ride to our accommodations in Carteret County we listened to President Bush's final State of the Union. God Bless America and God Bless North Carolina!