We're the Blogland and we approve this message - Mick Mulvaney's first TV ad.

Muslim groups are proposing a 13-story $100 million mosque in the most prominent spot in America – the heart of downtown New York City near the World Trade Center site.

Is this mosque a sign of America's tolerance, or is it a sign of Muslim conquest?

The past may hold answers.

We received an email from Beaufort State Rep. Shannon Erickson with a survey she has been circulating via email to get feedback for setting priorities for state government:

I hope that this email finds you well and prospering. As I hope you read in The Beaufort Gazette article yesterday, I am circulating a short questionnaire and would very much appreciate your input.

I have attached one in a “Word” document and pasted the contents below as well. I hope you will take a few minutes to mull over the questions, then please share your thoughts with me.

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  Tarrance Group polling showing recently-elected Hawaii-1 GOP House member Charles Djou holding an 8 point lead in his re-election bid (50-42%), 14 point lead in voters who feel he deserves re-election (45-31%), and a 58% approval rating.
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  Joseph Cao, who won a New Orleans-based House seat several weeks after Obama won the district handily, holds a modest lead in early polling over his Democratic challenger.  With an overall 51%-26% margin, Cao leads by a 67%-13% margin among white voters, and by a narrower 39%-36% margin among African American voters.  While it's likely the overwhelming majority of undecided black voters will throw their support behind the Democrat, his strong lead with white voters is equally likely to grow, so winning even 20-25% of the black vote could be sufficient to keep the seat in the GOP column. 

When Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) shouted at President Obama during an address to a joint session of Congress, a beefed up online presence became an overnight necessity for Wilson. In the aftermath of “You lie,” Wesley Donehue helped Wilson raise more than $2 million in just two weeks as Democratic activists led by MoveOn.org and ActBlue started successfully raising money online for Wilson’s challenger. Despite facing an initial fundraising deficit, the Republican caught up, surpassing the online haul Democrats were able to generate. “I really have grown to love the tech stuff,” says Donehue, who also helped build Sen. Jim DeMint’s (R-S.C.) online presence into one of the largest for a sitting Republican Senator.

Donehue says fellow Republican new media consultant David All introduced him to the emerging technical side of politics while working on Republican Mike Bouchard’s 2006 Senate campaign.

At 30, Donehue just opened Donehue Direct, his own consulting firm with a focus on new media and technology. “You tend to see a lot of Internet guys with just Internet backgrounds,” says Donehue. “But I come from the grassroots and campaign side, so I like to think we offer something more comprehensive.” Based in his home state, Donehue says he’s already had some discussions with potential GOP presidential candidates about that all-important South Carolina primary.

Finally unhindered by his wife Tipper's 25-year-long household ban on violent and sexually explicit music, former vice president Al Gore, 62, reportedly embraced his newfound independence this week by listening to the albums of the heavy metal band W.A.S.P.

"For the first time in decades, I get to play the kind of music I like without someone nagging me about what a bad influence it is," said Gore, sitting on the floor of his living room as he cued up the song "Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)" on his stereo. "And I get to crank it up as loud as I want."

"These guys are kicking some serious ass," added the two-term U.S. Senator. "Check out this guitar break coming up—it's nasty."

Gore, who was prohibited from hearing music with graphic sex, violence, or drug references since Tipper founded the Parents Music Resource Center in 1985, confirmed yesterday that her crusade was "total bullcrap." In addition, Gore said that listening to the forbidden W.A.S.P. albums over and over again had not turned him into a satanic dope fiend as his wife and her associates had warned.

Two long-time African American U.S. House members, Charlie Rangel of New York and Maxine Waters of California, are facing pending ethics trials. In total eight African American members of Congress have been targeted for investigation since 2009. Appearing on MSNBC Monday, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina was asked if he thought black congressmen were being unfairly targeted. Leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus has suggested that they were.

Last week saw the results of a massive cockfighting sting operation as three people were sentenced to prison for their roles in organizing the fights. A husband and wife in Lexington County were sent to prison for their roles in leading major cockfighting rings. Pelion natives, Wayne and Sheri Hutto, were sentenced to a year in prison and given a $3,000 fine for running one operation.

One day later, Buster Moore of Andrews was given a 21-month sentence for leading a ring in Williamsburg County that was tracked by undercover agents for almost a year. Twenty other people received either probation, fines or both for their parts in the illegal sport. Most of those sentenced were referees or money collectors. The existence of the two rings was revealed by Attorney General Henry McMaster in December.