All Republican members of the North Carolina congressional delegation are supporting Joe Boylan for the District 52 seat in the state House.

Boylan, whose defeat of Rep. Richard Morgan in the May primary was surrounded by controversy, announced Tuesday that he has picked up endorsements from both U.S. senators and all seven GOP members of the U.S. House.

He previously received the backing of 6th District Congressman Howard Coble. Another feather in his cap is the recent announcement that former Gov. James E. Holshouser is serving as his campaign chairman.

A news release from the Boylan campaign cites his congressional supporters as Senators Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr, Representatives Howard Coble, Walter Jones, Virginia Foxx, Robin Hayes, Sue Myrick, Patrick McHenry and Charles Taylor.

SHAVER -- Also this week, Manila G. "Bud" Shaver, one of Boylan's two opponents on the Nov. 7 ballot, lashed out at corruption in state government.

Shaver, a Republican, is running as an unaffiliated candidate. The other unaffiliated candidate is Gerald Galloway, a former Democrat now registered independent.

In a statement released Thursday morning, Shaver cites testimony in federal court, where former state Rep. Michael Decker said state House Speaker Jim Black was involved in the $50,000 bribery scheme to which Decker has already pleaded guilty. Decker was accused of accepting a bribe with the understanding that he would switch party affiliation from Republican to Democrat to enable Black to retain the House leadership in 2003.

"This speaks to the widespread climate of corruption in Raleigh, where big money flows and legislative actions are bought and sold at the expense of the taxpayer by both Democrats and Republicans. This may only represent the 'tip of the iceberg.' Word on the street is that additional indictments are coming," Shaver said.

Shaver added that he has "consistently decried the flow of big money into Moore County from outside interests that enabled Joe Boylan to win the Republican primary." He said that Boylan received more than $209,000 with 61 percent coming from Raleigh and other areas outside the county, including $16,000 from the Pope family. Shaver says that no more than 33 individuals donated $100 or less to the Boylan campaign.

"The voters should know that he will represent the interests of his big contributors, not theirs," Shaver said.

Much of the Boylan campaign money came from the state GOP.

Then he directed more sharp remarks toward Democrats.

"Raleigh needs a house cleaning," he said. "It is time for the voters to demand that such corruption as illustrated by the Decker-Black affair be brought to an immediate halt by letting their votes speak forcefully on Nov. 7."

VETERANS -- The Moore County Veterans Memorial dedication is planned for Veterans Day, Saturday, Nov. 11, at 10 a.m.

Details will be announced later, but Ruby Hendrick, secretary-treasurer of the Veterans Memorial Committee, says the ceremony was planned early in order to avoid scheduling conflicts with other Veterans Day programs on the same day.

She also said that anyone planning to attend may wish to bring a folding chair, because seating will be limited.

The site is in the Carriage Oaks complex at the intersection of U.S. 15-501 and N.C. 24-27 in Carthage.

COBLE -- Congressman Howard Coble was back in Moore County today, but it was by telephone.

He made a "live appearance via telephone" on the Steve Adams Show on WEEB-AM 990 in Southern Pines.

Coble, a Greensboro Republican, has been campaigning throughout the 6th District in recent weeks.

He addressed a church group and was in Asheboro later this morning for a talk at a credit union luncheon. He will speak to the VFW and Ladies Auxiliary Southern Conference late this afternoon and attend an Industries of the Blind reception afterwards, both in Greensboro.

His Saturday schedule calls for attendance at an Eagle Scout ceremony in Summerfield and a chicken pot pie dinner at a church in Greensboro. In addition to attending church services Sunday, he will ride in a Veterans Day parade in High Point Sunday. He will address the Gate City Kiwanis Club in Greensboro Monday.

DEMOCRATS -- Democrats across the country were in damage control mode after a joke misfired on U.S. Sen. John Kerry.

Kerry, the former presidential candidate, apparently botched a joke intended to poke fun at President Bush but coming off as a dig at the background of the nation's military.

Kerry issued an apology shortly after the mishap, but his party is continuing to take flak about the incident.

"This is a nonissue that is another attempt to get us off message," said George H. Wilson Jr., chairman of the Moore County Democratic Party and himself a military veteran. "We won't let them do that to us again."

His comment came on the heels of a call from North Carolina Democratic Chairman Jerry Meek for Kerry to apologize.

"John Kerry's botched joke was wrong, and he should apologize," Meek said. "We absolutely disassociate ourselves from any criticism of our troops, misunderstood or otherwise.

"The Republicans want John Kerry to be an issue in the final days of this campaign so they don't have to talk about the president's record in Iraq. Our brave troops in harm's way deserve better than a failed strategy."

Florence Gilkeson can be reached at 947-4962 or by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.