The Wilson Daily Times interviewed John Locke Foundation President John Hood for an article about state attempts to fight Internet sweepstakes cafes. (John Hood, president of the John Locke Foundation, said state legislators should stay out of the Internet issue and worry about the recession. “It’s hard for me to understand how state legislators that voted for a state-run lottery complain about privately owned gaming businesses,” Hood said. “The state is afraid of competition. That is why they are attacking Internet cafes. It’s foolish to spend money in there, but this is a free society and the state should not regulate how and where people gamble.”) Hood followed up with a column on the topic that attracted attention from N.C. Senate Republicans and the Casino & Gambling News website. Senate Republicans also promoted Hood’s Daily Journal columns this week on the state pension fund‘s challenges, the bizarre confrontation involving U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, D-2nd, and politicians whose votes fail to match their statements. In other news, Meck Deck blogger Jeff Taylor contributed his thoughts to a Charlotte Business Journal article about the late city council and school board member Susan Burgess. JLF Vice President for Outreach Becki Gray spent much of the week on the road. On Monday, Gray participated in a Flag Day rally in Fayetteville with the We the People group. She speaks at a Smithfield Tea Party today and heads to a FreedomWorks rally Saturday in Burlington.