IS SANFRAUD.COM WITHERING?

Apparently, it’s so.

Sanfraud.com, the Web site that began shortly after Gov. Mark Sanford was inaugurated in January, was vociferous in its criticism of the new governor — as if its name didn’t give it away.

The site specialized in taking items from newspapers and Web sites and zinging the Republican Sanford. Consider this headline from Aug. 30: “Sanford to Upstate: Drop dead.”

The mind behind sanfraud.com has always been something of a mystery. The Buzz always figured it was some Democrat, but most of the usual suspects have denied it.

Internet searches of the domain name produce a dead end as well.

But the site hasn’t been updated since Oct. 10, and an e-mail sent through a link on the site has gone unanswered.

The Buzz expected Sanford’s aides to be ecstatic at the news that one of its most biting critics was silent. But no, two Sanford spokesmen declined to comment.

NEAL GOES BIG TIME

The Buzz doesn’t like to refer its loyal readers to other publications, but the Wall Street Journal recently ran an editorial on “smart growth,” accompanied by a picture of our own state Rep. Joe Neal, D-Richland.

Of course it wasn’t really a picture. The Journal doesn’t run pictures. It’s like a sketch — more venerable that way.

Neal is opposed to so-called “smart growth,” which is basically a new way of zoning property that encourages controlled growth. Neal, who is black, fears that Richland County’s smart-growth concept will rob rural blacks of rights to develop their property, which he says is the key for them to accumulate wealth to pass on to their children.

Neal has turned into something of a media celebrity on this issue. He said he also was interviewed by CNN. He says national media have been paying more attention to the issue than local media.

The Journal’s editorial page, known for its conservative slant, agrees with Neal that smart growth “often turns out to be pretty dumb.”

But that’s not the point. We were just pleased to see Neal’s sketch in the big-city press.