Charlotte woke to news that our president won the Nobel Peace prize. So, of course, the notoriously vitriolic commenters on The Charlotte Observer article about Obama's win immediately started spitting venom on their computer screens instead of congratulating the president, and the country, for the big win.

dcrabby1 wrote:

"I guess if the rest of the world views someone as a pushover (such as previous recipient Jimmy Carter), this qualifies you for the prize. I can hear Rush already today!"

unclegeorge chimed in with:

"The 'Apologist in Chief'. Run around the first year of your term badmouthing your own Country and get rewarded for it."

NCIndependent thought it was a joke:

"I thought I woke up and it was April Fool's Day. What a crock! He's not even in office a year....nothing concrete to show for it. More a slam at Bush."

Mickey123 calls names:

"Even the kool aid drinkers are recognizing the absurdity of this, at least some of them. If Acorn Boy's ego was big enough before. Nothing of any substance here, therefore the surrender weasels will be gloating all day. It's pretty sad for you.

How is that going to help us in Afghanistan, help with the falling dollar, unemployment soon to be at 10% and Iran with a nuclear weapon?

The "Peace Prize" was rendered impotent when they gave to Tie a yellow ribbon around your tree Carter years ago."

That's a small sampling.

What's amazing is these folks, the ones who continually bash our president and his every move, are probably convinced they're super patriots.

But, this isn't unusual for Charlotte. Ever noticed the hornets' nests on the police department's logo? Been to hornets' nest park? Ever wondered what in the hell is up with that reference?

Well, as you know, before the Revolutionary War began, the then colonies sent a Declaration of Independence to the king of England.

What you might not realize is that the residents of Mecklenburg County claimed to have drafted the first Declaration of Independence -- more than a year before the now famous one. The date the document was supposedly signed, May 20, 1775, is a date still displayed on our state flag and officially known as "Mec Dec Day."

For many decades, "Mec Dec Day" was the big independence celebration in town, not the 4th of July.

Historians argue about whether or not the document -- which has since ceased to exist and wasn't published until 1819 -- was real, or a recreation of another document that fell short of declaring independence.

But, that doubt and lack of evidence never stopped the crowds from gathering in Charlotte to party on the 20th of May. (Or, at least the annual party was a big hit for many, many years. Been to one lately?)

For quite a while, when the topic of Charlotte or Mecklenburg County came up, people throughout the country would say things like, "Those people down there in Mecklenburg are a bunch of hornets." And, that's how hornets came to be associated with the people of Charlotte.

"The hornets' nest marker on East Trade commemorates the feisty spirit of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, declaring to British oppressors, 'Let us alone.'," according to local historian Mary Kratt's latest book, Charlotte North Carolina: A Brief History.

So, it's no wonder the Observer's commenters -- and sometimes ours -- seem like they're always out to sting, regardless of the topic.

"I thought I woke up and it was April Fool's Day. What a crock! He's not even in office a year....nothing concrete to show for it. More a slam at Bush."

Mickey123 calls names:

"Even the kool aid drinkers are recognizing the absurdity of this, at least some of them. If Acorn Boy's ego was big enough before. Nothing of any substance here, therefore the surrender weasels will be gloating all day. It's pretty sad for you.

How is that going to help us in Afghanistan, help with the falling dollar, unemployment soon to be at 10% and Iran with a nuclear weapon?

The "Peace Prize" was rendered impotent when they gave to Tie a yellow ribbon around your tree Carter years ago."

That's a small sampling.

What's amazing is these folks, the ones who continually bash our president and his every move, are probably convinced they're super patriots.

But, this isn't unusual for Charlotte. Ever noticed the hornets' nests on the police department's logo? Been to hornets' nest park? Ever wondered what in the hell is up with that reference?

Well, as you know, before the Revolutionary War began, the then colonies sent a Declaration of Independence to the king of England.

What you might not realize is that the residents of Mecklenburg County claimed to have drafted the first Declaration of Independence -- more than a year before the now famous one. The date the document was supposedly signed, May 20, 1775, is a date still displayed on our state flag and officially known as "Mec Dec Day."

For many decades, "Mec Dec Day" was the big independence celebration in town, not the 4th of July.

Historians argue about whether or not the document -- which has since ceased to exist and wasn't published until 1819 -- was real, or a recreation of another document that fell short of declaring independence.

But, that doubt and lack of evidence never stopped the crowds from gathering in Charlotte to party on the 20th of May. (Or, at least the annual party was a big hit for many, many years. Been to one lately?)

For quite a while, when the topic of Charlotte or Mecklenburg County came up, people throughout the country would say things like, "Those people down there in Mecklenburg are a bunch of hornets." And, that's how hornets came to be associated with the people of Charlotte.

"The hornets' nest marker on East Trade commemorates the feisty spirit of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, declaring to British oppressors, 'Let us alone.'," according to local historian Mary Kratt's latest book, Charlotte North Carolina: A Brief History.

So, it's no wonder the Observer's commenters -- and sometimes ours -- seem like they're always out to sting, regardless of the topic.