Blue In VA

Closing Up Shop

2006-06-13T16:00:00.000-04:00

I'll no longer be blogging here at Blue in VA.

This site WILL be left up.

I'm now a regular contributor at The Virginia Progressive. Check it out. As soon as the Senate primary is over, I'm really hoping to delve into a solid analysis of important issues.

The National Journal covers the planking.

2006-04-20T18:52:00.000-04:00

The Shad Planking received national media attention this year from the National Journal's Hotline blog.

Just one problem I have with their article.

It seemed to VASTLY understate the presence of Jim Webb at the Planking. Now I wasn't there, but I've seen numerous pictures of Webb signs lining Rt. 460 and other roads around Wakefield, without an Allen sign to be seen in the area. Hotline, however, had this to say:

"Luckily for Allen, though, the half-dozen or so anti-abortion activists were probably the biggest nuisance he faced all day. His two SEN opponents, ex-technology lobbyist Harris Miller (D) and ex-Navy Secretary Jim Webb (D), both made appearances, but had little of the presence that the GOPer projected."

Oh, so Sen. Allen PROJECTED thousands of Webb signs to dwarf his sign presence? I don't think so.

Pictures courtesy of Kenton Ngo and Raising Kaine, respectively.

Just pointing this out...

2006-04-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

As AG McDonnell gives the keynote at Virginia's most political event of the year, this is worth reflecting on:

"I will use my experience working across the aisle to make the office less political and improve the overall efficiency and responsiveness of our government."

-Senator Creigh Deeds on his goals for the office of Attorney General

Mere months after winning the closest election in Virginia history, and with three shad plankings left before the 2009 Gubernatorial Race, AG McDonnell is campaigning for Governor.

Looks like we have another Jerry Kilgore. The AG's office is just a stepping stone for McDonnell. I hope he uses it for SOME good while he's there...

I'm so glad that George Allen is focusing on issues important to Virginians...

2006-04-19T23:33:00.000-04:00

This is from NewsMax (of all places...) and is kind of old:

"NewsMax caught up with Sen. George Allen at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in Memphis, Tenn. to ask him about his proposed idea of withholding congressional pay when Congress fails to deliver legislation during the regular Congressional season...

...When asked who is actually supportive of the idea, the Senator laughed.
"I haven’t found any yet. However, I am going to try to find a way. [Sen. Tom] Coburn, R-Okla., ought to be with me. I’ll have to talk to him.”

Wow George...

Focusing your attention on legislation that has the support of 1 (ought to be 2, if you count Sen. Coburn) votes really is accomplishing what Virginians want accomplished by their legislators. Then again, so is running for President and Senate simultaneously. I REALLY want Sen. Allen to come up with a creative explaination for the Iowa license plate that was reportedly on his sign truck at the Shad Planking today.

Has our Senator left us for the state he wishes he was born in?

You be the judge (blatantly stolen from Raising Kaine):

Though the shad is being planked in Wakefield, life continues elsewhere.

2006-04-19T16:49:00.000-04:00

On this, the day of the 58th annual Shad Planking down in Wakefield, Virginia, I find myself sitting at home, bored out of my wits.

I wish I could make it down, but tennis practice just wouldn't permit it.

So while everyone else is warring with their 4x8 signs and enjoying their roasted shad, I find myself charged to keep up with the big national stories of the day. Scott McClellan, White House press secretary, has resigned his post. To be quite honest, I always kind of liked McClellan. He did about as well as can be expected for a man who was constantly bombarded with questions relating to the poor conduct and bad policy devised by his superiors. It was almost hard not to feel sorry for him. As he fielded question after question about press leaks, wiretaps, faulty intelligence, poor disaster management, secret CIA prisons, etc. etc., it became painfully obvious that he was a man under enormous stress. Imagine going into work and having an entire corps of people asking you accusatory, pointed questions about things you have no control over. It would get rough. I'm not saying that McClellan didn't believe what he was telling the media, but he was, in effect, the messenger.

And he just kept getting shot from every possible angle.

The second White House resignation of the day creates a bit more complex of a situation. Karl Rove, while staying on as Deputy Chief of Staff, resigned as policy coordinator to focus on his main duty for the 2006 midterm elections:

Finding a way to slander and discredit Democrats all over the country and keep them from gaining control of the House and/or Senate.

My question is this...

If the Deputy Chief of Staff's salary is paid for with tax dollars, why is it right that Karl Rove can keep that position solely as a political strategist? Shouldn't he be paid from campaign treasuries, PAC's, or the Republican Party as a civilian consultant? If Rove stays on the taxpayer's payroll, at least half of America is forced to pay for something they didn't vote for. Besides, a vote for Bush doesn't nessicarily constitute a vote for all Republican Candidates...

Rove will obviously be breaking the Hatch Act by campaigning from his government office. How can he not, if that's his sole job?

I hope everyone gets used to their shad, because when they get home, they'll realize that something fishy is going on in the White House as well.

AP: "Jury Finds Former Ill. Gov. Ryan Guilty"

2006-04-17T16:05:00.000-04:00

The fact that this trial was going on had completely slipped my mind.

This whole debacle, which culminates now with Gov. Ryan being found guilty on charges of racketeering conspriracy, mail fraud, attempted extortion, and money laundering, represents the worst of American democracy. If a similar thing ever happened in our fine Commonwealth, and I pray to God that it doesn't, I'd hope that the offending party receive swift and fair judgement.

And by that, I mean I hope they get locked away for a very, very, very, very long time.

Speaker Howell subverts democracy.

2006-04-17T09:50:00.000-04:00

From the Daily Press:

"It has reached the point of absurdity. Howell demanded new powers in the House Republican caucus earlier this year and got them. A two-thirds vote of the 57 House Republicans binds the entire caucus to a unified position, and the GOP members have stuck to that.

That means 38 Republican delegates out of 140 total state legislators in the House and Senate - what Howell calls the "strong and united majority of the House" - are calling the shots.

Is that what Howell calls democracy?"

Sadly, yes, I think it is. I think its what a lot of House Republicans call democracy.

I hate making blanket statements, because there are a few House Republicans who I can truly respect. However, their numbers are being strangled out by the rest of the party leaders in Richmond. They made an example of Jim Dillard by essentially saying, "Look, if you have your own views and they differ from those of the party, we'll try to make your life a living hell even after you retire." Being a Republican in Virginia seems to be turning into a battle of who's the most Republican (whatever that means). Dissent isn't tolerated within the party. So much for "the big tent..."

House Republicans need a civics lesson. A coalition of 38 votes out of 100 should never dictate the public policy of a state. In such a system, there are 62 groups of constituents who aren't being fairly represented. How is this fair?

It isn't. Its a strongarmed tactic that should never be tolerated by the citizens of Virginia, historically the birthplace of American representative democracy. Speaker Howell and the House Republican caucus are setting a poor example and disgracing the legacy of the legislative body in which they sit.

Deja Vu

2006-04-17T09:43:00.000-04:00

The WaPo reports that "Anger at Bush May Hurt at Polls".

Seems like I've already read this story.

Multiple times.

Oh well, it still makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Just a little thought for Easter.

2006-04-16T22:41:00.000-04:00

"But the goodness of the resurrection news is most evident for those who have lost people they love to any sort of incomprehensible evil - the tragedies of dementia, the apparent meaninglessness of accident, the horrors of violence or injustice. Think back for a moment to the days when death squads operated in countries like Argentina or El Salvador: the Christians there developed a very dramatic way of celebrating their faith, their hope and their resistance. At the liturgy, someone would read out the names of those killed or 'disappeared', and for each name someone would call out from the congregation, Presente, 'Here'. When the assembly is gathered before God, the lost are indeed presente; when we pray at this Eucharist 'with angels and archangels and the whole company of heaven', we say presente of all those the world (including us) would forget and God remembers. With angels and archangels; with the butchered Rwandans of ten years ago and the butchered or brutalised Ugandan children of last week or yesterday; with the young woman dead on a mattress in King's Cross after an overdose and the childless widower with Alzheimer's; with the thief crucified alongside Jesus and all the thousands of other anonymous thieves crucified in Judaea by an efficient imperial administration; with the whole company of heaven, those whom God receives in his mercy. And with Christ our Lord, the firstborn from the dead, by whose death our sinful forgetfulness and lukewarm love can be forgiven and kindled to life, who leaves no human soul in anonymity and oblivion, but gives to all the dignity of a name and a presence. He is risen; he is not here; he is present everywhere and to all. He is risen: presente."

-The Most Revd. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury

A return? For real this time?

2006-04-16T21:49:00.000-04:00

I think I'm back.

Major emphasis on the "I think."

Yesterday, I sat down at my computer and did something I haven't done in ages. I typed in www.baconsrebellion.com, and I started to browse the blogs. A lot has changed since I've been gone. We now have a Senate race to talk about, and I've gone from a "Silver" Blog to an "Aluminum" Blog on NLS (Frankly, I'm shocked to still be on the list.)

On a more personal note, I've been keeping quite busy over the past few months. First of all, I finally got into William and Mary after a long, dramatic wait that included an early admission deferral and a lot of anxiety. I'm relieved to have that settled. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest.

Also, I just finished my term as the President of the Episcopal Youth Community for the Diocese of Southern Virginia. The youth of the diocese are my family, and its sad to have to leave them. Oh, the tribulations of growing up...

On a somewhat related note, I've undergone sort of a personal awakening. For years, I've just run on the assumption that I'll end up as a lawyer or work in some level of Government. Like so many of you, Politics is my passion. I love everything about Government, from elections to parlimentary procedure.

But recently, I've become aware of something. I'm feeling more and more of a calling to finish college and go to Seminary to become an Episcopal clergyman. It could just be a phase, brought on by my departure from my elected position in my diocese, but I'm really not sure. So I plan to head off to W+M next year, set to double major in both Government (or Public Policy) and Religous Studies. I have a lot of prayerful consideration to do in the next four years. We'll see where the spirit leads me.

As for now, since I once again have some free time, I think I'll throw my hat back into the blogging ring. I realized, reading everyone's blogs, that I miss writing on this thing; even if I'm the only one who gets satisfaction from it.

So I'm back, I think. It feels good.

The rejected Jim Dillard appointment: The William and Mary response.

2006-02-20T22:04:00.000-05:00

Seeing as my girlfriend goes there, and its my first choice college, I spend quite a bit of time down at William and Mary. I read this article in the Flat Hat, their student newspaper:

"Senate Condemns Dillard Rejection"

The "Senate" mentioned, of course, refers to the William and Mary Student Assembly. I was already irritated that so many House Republicans had the nerve to reject arguably the most qualified man possible for the job just because he endorsed a Democrat to replace him, a Democrat who just happened to be one of his former aides. Its wrong to play politics with education like that. There are a lot of families who pay a hefty chunk of change to send their kids to college at William and Mary. They deserve the very best from the Governor, who in this case delivered, and the HOD, who certainly didn't.

The most telling quote to come out of all of this...from the Flat Hat:

"'We take retaining our majority very, very seriously,' Del. Leo C. Wardrup Jr. (R-83rd) told the Daily Press the date of the vote. He added that Dillard deserved to be rejected because he betrayed his party. "

You take retaining your majority very, very seriously? More seriously than higher education?

Just another reason why we should take putting you in the minority "very, very seriously."

Abandon ship!

2006-02-20T21:59:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, my "question the candidate" idea didn't generate much response. Maybe i'll try again later.

Probably not. In the mean time, I'll get back to regular programming.

New Feature: Submit Questions for 11th District Candidate Andrew Hurst

2006-02-09T14:22:00.000-05:00

I'll be out of town this weekend, so I'm leaving the blogosphere with a mission.

Andrew Hurst, a Democratic candidate for Congress in the 11th district, Rep. Tom Davis' seat, has graciously agreed to answer some questions provided by the readers. Use the comments in this thread to ask questions of Mr. Hurst. When I come back on Monday, I'll be submitting the questions to Andrew for him to answer.

As soon as I hear back from him, I'll post his answers on Blue In VA.

This is hopefully the beginning of a segment on Blue in VA that'll give readers an opportunity to ask questions of this year's Democratic candidates for Congress in Virginia. The other Democratic candidate in the 11th, Ken Longmyer, has also agreed to answer your questions. Given the opportunity, I hope we'll be able to make our way, one by one, through all the candidates. It would be awesome if my fellow bloggers could let people know about this new segment on Blue In VA. The more participation we get from both sides of the aisle, the more productive I think these interviews will be. I hope you'll take this opportunity to ask some questions!

So like I said, use this thread to submit your questions for Andrew, and I'll be back on Monday!

A look back at the McDonnell liveblog...

2006-02-08T19:35:00.000-05:00

Really, seriously, kudos to Attorney General McDonnell for taking an hour with the Virginia blogosphere over at Commonwealth Conservative. I hope other elected officials and candidates will follow in his footsteps.

Overall, I was REALLY satisfied with Bob's answers. When I realized this, it was sort of a shock to me as a former Deeds intern who spent a lot of time staring at AG McDonnell's legislative record and hating every bit of it. Then it hit me.

None of the questions that were asked were particularly difficult to answer. The most difficult question was from J. Sarge and was about hiring practices in the AG's office. I tried to submit a question about why he has continually not supported not requiring clergy members to report child abuse and neglect, but time expired before it could be asked.

Us Democratic bloggers really missed the boat on this one. We had a chance to ask some tough questions of our Commonwealth's "top cop," and we, for the most part, blew it. Next time we have a similar opportunity, I hope we step up to the plate and make the liveblogging session a little more ideologically balanced.

On Boehner and the end of McCain v. Obama.

2006-02-08T16:12:00.000-05:00

First off, much to the chagrin of right-wing pundits everywhere who care nothing about lobbying reform, but will go to great lengths to discredit a Democrat, Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Illinois) renewed their committment to work together on reforming the rules under which lobbyists operate and joked about their exchange of letters in front of the Rules Committee today.

Second, newly elected House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) rents his DC apartment from a lobbyist who's had important conflicts of interest relating to Boehner's chairmanship of the Education and the Workforce Committee.

I thought the election of Rep. Boehner was supposed to be the Republicans' internal outcry over DeLay style ethics issues. That, it seems, is just smoke and mirrors.

Boehner, who says that he keeps up his constant tan by playing lots of golf (I wonder how much of it is paid for by lobbyists...), is really just a continuation of the status quo. It seems that most Congressional Republicans aren't yet ready to abandon their culture of corruption and jump on the ethics bandwagon.

With every passing day, it seems more and more likely that at least one house is going to have a new majority party after November is all said and done. Thank God. If the party in power continues to undermine the ethical requirements of public service, then the integrity of our democratic ideals truly depend on its removal from control.

James Webb declares his candidacy.

2006-02-08T14:24:00.000-05:00

Ok. It's official.

James Webb has declared his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for US Senate against IT Millionaire Harris Miller. The winner will, of course, face Sen. George Allen in November.

Now that Webb has actually declared and we have a candidate, I'll make it public. Though I'll support whichever candidate ultimately wins the primary, I'll be casting my ballot for James Webb in the Democratic primary. I signed the "Draft James Webb" petition, but supported Harris Miller as the only declared candidate to date. I refused to publically show favor for Webb, because I thought that if he didn't end up declaring, the negative talk from Democratic pundits would hurt Harris Miller.

Now that we have the choice, James Webb is my candidate. Before, however much it didn't seem like it sometimes, I just wanted him to be.

There are a few simple reasons for this:
1. I seriously believe he has a shot at unseating Allen.
2. Webb is strong in foreign policy. I mean, he was the freaking Secretary of the Navy. His foreign policy ideals reflect mine as a DLC-style, centrist New Democrat. If he's elected, its safe to say that we'll probably have two Virginians on the Armed Services Committee, which would be a huge benefit in dealing with BRAC.
3. James Webb has the power to, once put on the national stage, become an instant Democratic leader. He's not a dove or idealistic peace activist. He just believes that the war in Iraq was a bad move, unlike many Democrats would probably would hold that even justifiable conflicts are wrong. We need that. The American people can't keep perceiving us as the party thats soft on terror and able to be pushed over by foreign powers.

That being said, I'd like to hear more from Webb on social issues. As can probably be deduced from what I've written in the past, I'm a big believer in government's responsibility to the less fortunate in our country. I want to know what James Webb thinks about the President's new budget, which will cut valuable resources from Medicare and Medicaid and eliminate multiple valuable social programs. If he stands where I do on these issues, I've found not only MY candidate, but the ideal candidate.

Alberto Gonzales needs a history lesson.

2006-02-07T19:42:00.000-05:00

From Monday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on the NSA wiretapping program:

"President Washington, President Lincoln, President Wilson, President Roosevelt have all authorized electronic surveillance on a far broader scale. "
-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales

Yes indeed, Alberto, George Washington is quite famous for his ELECTRONIC surveillance methods. He must have used Ben Franklin's kite with the key on it to spy on perceived threats to national security.

Oh man...you have GOT to be kidding me...

Hat tip: Josh at Raising Kaine

I lied.

2006-02-05T17:20:00.000-05:00

Here's another post for the day. Neal tagged me. I must respond.

Four jobs I’ve had
1. Kroger Service Clerk
2. Creigh Deeds for Attorney General Communications Intern
3. Babysitter (blahhh! middle school + the need for money = not at all crazy delicious!)
4. Lawn care.

Four movies I can watch over and over
1. Pulp Fiction
2. Anchorman
3. The Motorcycle Diaries
4. Requiem for a Dream

Four places I’ve lived
1. Birmingham, Alabama
2. Chesterfield, VA
3. Midlothian, VA
4. Bon Air, VA

Four T.V. shows I love
1. Seinfeld
2. The West Wing
3. Family Guy
4. Law and Order (Originial and SVU)

Four places I’ve vacationed
1. Ecos, France (I was an exchange student)
2. Los Angeles, CA
3. All over the Navajo nation (Az, NM, and UT)
4. Boston, MA (my favorite place ever)

Four of my favorite dishes
1. Velveeta Shells and Cheese
2. Bowtie Pasta with Shrimp and Classico Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce
3. Cajun Seafood Pasta
4. Paella

Four sites I visit daily
1. WaPO
2. Bacon's Rebellion
3. Yahoo (for email purposes)
4. The New Republic

Four places I would rather be right now
1. Boston/Brookline/Cambridge
2. Williamsburg with my girlfriend
3. L.A.
4. Somewhere in Italy

Four bloggers I am tagging
1. James Young
2. NLS
3. Willis...do it in the comments somewhere...I'm curious
4. Lowell

Blogger

2006-02-05T14:07:00.000-05:00

This is the first time I've been able to access Blogger all weekend.

BLAH!

Today is Super Bowl Sunday, so there won't be anymore posts from me unless something major happens. Expect a return to regular programming tomorrow.

SOTU

2006-01-31T23:12:00.000-05:00

This sums up pretty well a speech that sounds good until you take a step back and realize it has more holes than a sea sponge.

Herring cleans up in the 33rd.

2006-01-31T22:53:00.000-05:00

The final results are in from the Senate 33rd district special election:

Democrat Mark Herring- 61.63% 12,381
Republican Mick Staton- 38.27% 7,689

Can anyone say beatdown? Democrats won another DC exurb! Looks like Virginia is coming to her senses.

The Virginia Model

2006-01-31T22:28:00.000-05:00

Pardon me for quoting myself, but here's what I wrote on November 14th, 2005:

"...we have the chance to make Virginia the model for a better Democratic Party on the national level, one that governs from the center."

Tonight, the national Democratic party embraced this belief by selecting Gov. Kaine to give the response to President Bush's State of the Union. Governor Kaine repeated refferred to the bipartisan leadership in Virginia and the results that have resulted from co-operation. I think its safe to say that the Democratic party has begun to adopt what I like to call "The Virginia Model". Here in Virginia, we do what's right for our citizens. We protect Medicaid, and we fight the federal government's attempts to cut funding from programs that become the burden of states and localities.

The Virginia model will succeed. As Governor Kaine said multiple times, "there is a better way" than the cronyism that plagues washington today. Though we have our squabbles, anti-tax vs. pro, social conservative vs. social libertarian, I would gladly take the style of government in the great Commonwealth of Virginia over the current administration in Washington. This is the new charge of the Democratic party, co-operation in the face of bitter partisanship. We must do what's right for our citizens. We must take a idealistic stand against the intrusions on the privacy of Americans through unwarranted wiretapping authorized by this administration. It is not Constitutionally defined. Just because the President says it doesn't make it so.

And we must stand firm against the culture of corruption that has plagued the current majority party in Congress. We cannot fall victim to the same immorality. We need to learn from and follow "The Virginia Model," obtaining real results from real reform for real people. If we do this, we will succeed. If we continue to pander to liberal interest groups at every turn, we simply cannot.

I hope that tonight marks the beginning of a party-wide committment. We can keep our ideals. We SHOULD keep our ideals, but at the same time, we must do what's right and work in a bi-partisan manner to secure the promise of liberty that makes America the greatest country in the history of the world.

Questions of the week.

2006-01-31T20:13:00.000-05:00

Is it possible that, in an effort to build up a realistic alternative to Hillary Clinton for the Presidential nomination in '08, Democratic leadership picked Governor Tim Kaine to do the response to the SOTU because they knew he would mention Fmr. Gov. Mark Warner in a very positive light on a national stage?

Is this the first of many attempts by elected Democratic officials to replace Hillary with a more centrist, less polarizing candidate for the 2008 Presidential election?

Would the support of forward-thinking elected officals for Mark Warner or another candidate be enough to save the Democratic party from itself come primary season, when those on the left pole (the Hillary pole, or, rather, the "Hillary lovers" pole) would otherwise blindly cast a vote for Hillary Clinton?

Tonight's the night!

2006-01-31T17:19:00.000-05:00

Tonight, Governor Tim Kaine will give the Democratic response to President Bush's SOTU address.

We're rootin' for you Tim!

Use this post to comment about Tim's speech, as well as the SOTU itself.

Point, Chichester!

2006-01-30T13:07:00.000-05:00

Watching the Senate on public television I just heard a rather interesting exchange.

The topic of SB682, Senator Colgan's (D-Manassas) bill to make "Shenandoah" the temporary state song, came up.

Senator Cuccinelli (R- W. Fairfax), in his infinite wisdom, introduced a floor substitute to instead make "Taxman" the official song of the Commonwealth of Virginia. In response, Senator Houck (D- Spotsylvania) noted that Virginia in fact ranks 45/50 in total tax burden on its citizens.

After Senator Houck finished speaking, Senator Chichester (R- Stafford) took the floor and thanked Senator Houck for bringing up that point. Then he turned his attention to Sen. Cuccinelli's amendment, and what followed was one of the best things I've ever heard. I love when anti-tax hypocrites are put in their place.

"If we enact the Senator (Cuccinelli) from Western Fairfax's budget amendments, we may very well move up to #41."

ZING!

Then Russ Potts (R- Winchester) read a poem about how the free lunch crowd will never win.

And I laughed...

A circus act

2006-01-29T10:31:00.000-05:00

The latest developments in the Saddam Hussein trial confirm something I've believed all along:

We need to turn this thing over to the Hague and let them be the ringmasters of this circus. The last thing we need is this embarassment of a trial as an example of American progress (or lack thereof) in Iraq.

We already look dumb enough to much of the rest of the world for destabilizing a country and helping pave the way for a mass uprising of the people we should have been fighting in the first place. Unfortunately, I think we have to stay the course now. Otherwise (and forgive me for sounding like W) terrorists will completely take control of the government and we'll be worse off than we started.

Well, I think we're worse off than we started right now, but hopefully we can change that. Is it strange that we had to get the Iraqi Baathists out of power before we could fight the terrorists in Iraq? Yes. They weren't active or, in many cases even in the country, until we eliminated Saddam's government.

This begs the question: What on Earth are we doing there anyway? Why did we have to sacrifice American lives to invade a country that was no real threat to us when there were (and still are) plenty of other hostile places in the world and terrorist organizations that remain unchecked. Why did we have to divert our forces from the real task at hand to do this?

We owe it to the Iraqi people to stay and clean up our mess. They might not have been able to speak out freely under Saddam, but at least they could go to the market and feed their families without being afraid a bomb would go off. We've given them their freedom, but stolen their stability.

Now its our job to get it back. We can't duck and run now.

And, believe me, I'm damned sorry that it came to this.

Carrico v. Edwards.

2006-01-26T23:08:00.000-05:00

This evening, I had the pleasure of attending the Mattox debate at the University of Richmond's T.C. Williams School of Law. The topic of discussion was whether or not the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, written by Thomas Jefferson himself and passed in 1786, should be amended to provide stronger language protecting people from practicing their religion in public buildings.

Arguing for amending the statute, and therefore the Virginia Constitution, was Del. Bill Carrico (R-Grayson), who actually proposed a bill doing exactly that in 2005. The bill passed the House before being defeated in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee. Arguing against was Sen. John S. Edwards (D-Roanoke), a member of the COJ committee.

While the two distinguished legislators presented their opening statements and rebuttals, the tone remained respectful, and both men stuck to pretty standard arguments.

While Del. Carrico argued that people, particularly Christians, have been barred from privately practicing their religion in school (He used the example of a student who bowed his head to pray and was removed from the lunchroom and expelled. No details were offered.), Sen. Edwards countered that the amendment did nothing to change the law as it stands now. He also challenged the idea that our country was founded solely on Christian principles, saying (rightly) that the founding fathers were as much following the philosophy of the Enlightenment movement as they were the Christian religion.

However, when the floor was opened up for questioning, Del. Carrico's answers got a bit more zealous. More and more, he revealed his true beliefs.

Here are some of them:
1. Students should be allowed in public school to openly and publicly preach the Gospel to their fellow students.
2. Teachers should be allowed to do things such as keep a bible on their desk because "their desk is their property" (usually, its actually the school's property) and pray openly, as long as they aren't trying to impose their views on their students.

In response to these two items, I asked Del. Carrico if he believed that an atheist student had the right to preach to his or her fellow students in the same manner. The question was never answered. Then I asked him if atheist teachers should be allowed to openly proclaim their belief that there is no God, as he believes Christian teachers should be able to openly proclaim their belief in Jesus Christ. I also asked if he believed that keeping a bible on a desk or praying in front of a group of young, impressionable students was imposing a teacher's own religion, since the teacher is a mentor and role model for the children in their class.

His response:
Atheists are allowed to keep atheist textbooks on their desks now.

Last time I checked, I've never been given a textbook that refutes the existance of God.

In addition to revealing his extremism, Del. Carrico also revealed his ignorance. When talking about Islam, Carrico attempted to think of an Islamic ritual and failed, saying "I really don't know much about Islam." Maybe its time "Defender of the Faith" Carrico learns a little bit about religion before he tries to be its primary benefactor.

All this time, Sen. Edwards, who spent a year in Seminary after graduating from college, was championing a piece of legislation that would allow Comparative Religion classes to be taught in Virginia's public schools. My favorite Edwards quote of the night:

"No one can take God out of schools. I mean, he's God!"

He's exactly right.

And no one wants to take God out of schools either. As a devout Christian, I can attest to praying in school, but I'm careful not to impose my views on others. We can carry on our personal relationships with God in any public building in the Commonwealth of Virginia without violating the first amendment. That's exactly the way TJ wanted it.

And that's the way it should be.

May America remain a beacon of freedom for people of all faiths, without the favoring of one religion over another. And may each of us continue to be tolerant and ever mindful of those who don't share our own personal beliefs.

Amen.

Del. Reid sticks to his guns.

2006-01-26T22:49:00.000-05:00

As I'm sure the vast majority of folks already know, Del. Jack Reid (R-Henrico) accidentally fired a loaded handgun into a bullet proof vest that just happened to be hanging on the inside of the door in his General Assembly office this morning. No one was hurt.

That's either a very lucky shot, or something is very fishy. I hope a full investigation will take place to be sure that Reid didn't have other motives for intentionally discharging the weapon. After all, someone could have been killed.

Del. Reid says that he often brings his handgun, which he has a concealed weapons permit to carry, to work with him at the General Assembly.

This presents two questions:

Does Jack Reid always happen to have a bullet proof vest with him? Why?

and...

Does Del. Reid ever bring his handgun to his other job?

If so, we have a problem.

Obama rules out White House bid.

2006-01-25T22:34:00.000-05:00

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

"Who knows if this will end rampant speculation about the future of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), but for the record, he said Sunday he will not run for president in 2008 or accept an invitation to be tapped to run for vice president" (emphasis mine).

Personally, I'm dissapointed. I think a Warner-Obama ticket would do quite well.

Looks like Sen. Obama will have to wait until 2016 to run for President or VP.

Unless, that is, President Warner decides to pick a new VP in 2012; after completing his first term with a 73% approval rating, as he's prone to do.

If I was the type of person to insert random smiley faces, that last line would get one...

A Sad Day

2006-01-25T22:19:00.000-05:00

Today is a sad day for freedom loving people in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

"The state Bill of Rights was last amended in 1996, when voters supported adding a section protecting the rights of crime victims."

This time, unfortunately, we aren't protecting people's rights. We're removing the prospect of them ever having 'em to begin with.

Pathetic.

Well, the next step is for the faulty referrendum question to be posed to the people of Virginia.

Canada Falls

2006-01-24T16:30:00.000-05:00

For the first time in 12 years, Canadians have elected a Conservative plurality in the House of Commons.

Yikes.

The only good news here for Canadians is that together the Liberals, the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois members are going to make it awfully hard for Conservatives to get anything through in the HOC. So for those up there biting their nails over new Prime Minister Stephen Harper's threat to get cozy with American Republicans, rollback gay rights, and remove Canada from the Kyoto Protocol, rest assured, it ain't happenin'.

I predict that this Conservative administration lasts one, maybe two, elections cycles at the most. Canadians frustrated with an ethically impared liberal leadership jumped on with the Conservatives (and its important to note that many also jumped on with the NDP--The New Democratic Party) for reasons that didn't have anything to do with ideology. Polls continue to show support for the components of the liberal platform.

This is only temporary, my friends, Canada will come around.

Then again...so will we...

J. Sarge answers my question

2006-01-24T16:09:00.001-05:00

A couple of days ago, over at Commonwealth Conservative, I posed the question: "When was the last time the TD endorsed a Democrat who had a Republican opponent?"

J. Sarge, over at New Dominion, took it upon himself to find the answer.

Just to recap what he has:

Since 1995, the Times-Dispatch (which I'll now be referring to as the "Offical Newsletter of the Virginia Republican Party") has only endorsed ONE Democrat against a Republican challenger. Here is a list of the endorsements from the ONVRP/T-D since 1995. In red are Republican endorsements over Democrats. In blue are Democratic endorsements over Republicans. In black are non-partisan elections, primaries, and ties (no endorsement):

Peace (R) over Montgomery (D) - 97th House in 2006
Kilgore (R) over Kaine (D) - Governor in 2005
Bolling (R) 0ver Byrne (D) - Lieutenant Governor in 2005
McDonnell (R) over Deeds (D) - Attorney General in 2005
Marrs (R) TIE Waddell (I/R) - 68th House in 2005 [NO endorsement]
Woody (I/D) over Mitchell (D) - Richmond Sheriff in 2005
Miles (D) over McEachin (D) - 74th House in 2005 primary
Law (D/Wilder) over McClellan (D) - 71st House in 2005 primary
Bush (R) over Kerry (D) - President in 2004
Wilder (Wilder/D) over McCollum (D) - Richmond (nonpartisan) Mayoral in 2004
Janis (R) over McGuire (D) - 56th House in 2003
Cantor (R) over Jones (D) - 7th U.S. House in 2002
Earley (R) over Warner (D) - Governor in 2001
Katzen (R) over Kaine (D) - Lieutenant Governor in 2001
Kilgore (R) over McEachin (D) - Attorney General in 2001
McDougle (R) TIE Montgomery (D) - 97th House in 2001
Dance (I/D) over Bland (D) - 63rd House in 2001
Barber (D) over Marrs (R) - 68th House in 2001
Ested (I) over Mitchell (D) - Richmond Sheriff in 2001
Bush (R) over Gore (D) - President in 2000
Allen (R) over Robb (D) - U.S. Senate in 2000
Davis (R) over Davies (D) - 1st U.S. House in 2000
Cantor (R) over Stewart (D) - 7th U.S. House in 2000
Cantor (R) over Martin (R) - 7th U.S. House in 2000 primary
Hull (R) over Pollard (D) - 99th House in 1999
Broman (R) over Lackey (D) - 30th House in 1999
Sheridan (R) over Houck (D) - 16th Senate in 1999
Ware (R) over Barber (D) - 65th House in 1998 (special)
Gilmore (R) over Beyer (D) - Governor in 1997
Hager (R) over Payne (D) - Lieutenant Governor in 1997
Earley (R) over Dolan (D) - Attorney General in 1997
Sisk (R) over Grayson (D) - 97th House in 1997
Dole (R) over Clinton (D) - President in 1996
Warner (R) over Warner (D) - U.S. Senate in 1996
Landrith (R) over Goode (D) - 5th U.S. House in 1996
Republican Candidates (R) over Democratic Candidates (D) - House of Delegates in 1995*
Republican Candidates (R) over Democratic Candidates (D) - Senate in 1995**

* 67 House races were contested between the parties
** 24 Senate races were contested between the parties

Liberal media bias? Find me a newspaper in Virginia with a similar record of only endorsing Dems.

Again, hat tip to J. Sarge.

Virginia Blog Carnival

2006-01-23T21:48:00.000-05:00

This weeks VBC is over at Haduken

Check out the best of the Virginia blogs, including my own submission as well as some other high quality entries from around the blogosphere.

The 97th District Race is a Nasty One!

2006-01-22T18:58:00.000-05:00

I'll be quite honest, I haven't paid much attention to the 97th district HOD race between Republican Chris Peace and Democrat John Montgomery. I support John Montgomery, though he and I differ on a lot of issues. I could certainly be more enthusiastic about his ideology.

The commercials these guys have been putting on the air are terrible.

Montgomery's highlights his military service and role as PTA President at his son's elementary school. So far so good.

But then he starts to talk about Chris Peace, who opted out of public service for lobbying. I don't support Peace, Montgomery is definately the better candidate, but this commerical is just indictative of the tone required to win elections these days. Its an obvious attempt to benefit from the Abramoff scandal, which I'd just assume we keep out of Virginia as much as we possibly can (assuming it hasn't already crossed the Potomac).

I thought Montgomery's commercial was bad, but then I saw Peace's.

I don't even want to talk about this one, other than to say that I never thought I'd hear the words "African Safari Convention" mentioned in a HOD commercial. If you haven't seen it, you don't want to. Trust me.

This lack of ability to disagree with some degree of civility is a major concern of mine.

A celebration and a loss.

2006-01-22T14:59:00.000-05:00

I suppose I'll start with the loss:

NBC Cancels 'West Wing' After 7 Seasons . I'm really gonna miss that show.

And finish strong with the celebration:

This is the 100th post on Blue in VA. I think this blog has come a long way since my first post back in July 2005. Over the course of these 100 posts, I've learned a lot from my fellow bloggers. I'd like to give out a few thank yous.

Will Vehrs- For telling me there are "hundreds of blogs that do hysterical liberal blogging better." He was right. Since then, I've lost a bit of my youthful radical liberalism. I think I've found an ideological home more towards the center (so don't get your hopes up about my "rehabillitation" just yet.) Also, for giving me a lot of tips on getting this blog off the ground.

J.R. at Bearing Drift- For always keeping the tone civil, and for being the first conservative blogger to link to me.

Neal- For sticking up for me when I came up with that terrible "Democratic Blog Alliance" idea and for going into the Young Voters for Warner thing with me. I sort of lost touch with that whole idea in the course of applying for college and all. Let's get it moving again.

Jim Bacon- For putting me on the blogroll on Bacon's Rebellion before you had any good reason to believe I was worth anything.

The Folks at Raising Kaine- For putting up with me when I complained about some of your posts, and for fighting the good fight.

Kenton- For putting up with me when I called you "Kenneth" and for fighting the good fight.

NLS/Ben Tribbett- For providing a lot of amazing commentary on the HOD elections and for linking to me.

Chad Dotson of Commonwealth Conservative- For often refferring to Blue In VA and for giving me honorable mention once in a caption contest.

Bruce Roemmelt, Greg Werkheiser,Del. Katherine Waddell and her campaign staff- For taking the time to acknowledge a 17/18 year old kid and his measly little blog.

Sen. Creigh Deeds and his campaign staff- For giving me the invaluable opportunity to work with you over the course of the AG campaign. I'll never forget that your campaign was where I first got the opportunity to participate in the political process firsthand.

To the ever-expanding Virginia blogosphere and to everyone else that I forgot who has helped me along the way. Thank you. You guys rock.

Bacon's Rebellion: Economic Illiteracy at Work

2006-01-22T00:49:00.000-05:00

Bacon's Rebellion: Economic Illiteracy at Work

Jim Bacon is right in principle, though I don't know about the method he suggests for decreasing driving demand.

I'm of the belief that taxes and proper funding are certainly the answer to some things, but throwing money at transportation is just postponing the problem.

As I said in my last post. Demand control is the key.

No to the Kaine Transportation Plan

2006-01-21T22:28:00.000-05:00

Its rare that I find myself aligned with the anti-tax crowd, but Governor Kaine's proposed transportation plan is just plain stupid. Of course, I still wholeheartly support Governor Kaine. I'm not letting one difference in transportation policy get in the way of that. I look forward to listening to his response to the State of the Union. Generally, Kaine is my kind of guy, but I just can't stomach this particular proposal.

When it comes to transportation, there really is something to be said for demand control. Constructing more roads to handle traffic helps to spur even more development and, as a result, even more traffic. This game of "catch up to the new development" can just keep going on forever. Just allocating money for public transit ain't gonna cut it if people have no incentive to use it. I guess its not so much the money I'm concerned about, because it certainly will be necessary to put some serious dollars into transportation to fix the problems plaguing Virginia. Its more how its allocated.

For example, there is simply no way that out of all the extra income from taxes and fees proposed by the Governor that only 60 million should go to "Improving Statewide Planning" and "Managing Demand." These are the areas that should be focused on the most. That really just seems obvious to me.

Increasing mass transit won't do any good if it isn't accessible. There is simply no need to create bus lines that people won't use. Richmond has plenty of those to show for its horrendous public transit fiasco. Tidewater certainly doesn't need that. There is no need to waste the money.

Of course, all of this being said, I really have no room to talk, seeing as I have no practical solutions of my own.

Then again, nobody elected me.

A quick update on me.

2006-01-21T15:33:00.000-05:00

Amid all the hustle and bustle of the General Assembly session, I'm just going to take a post and let everyone know what's going on in my life.

As a high school senior, applying to college and checking out scholarships is taking up a good bit of my time. My last application is due on February 1st and then hopefully by about the middle of March I'll start hearing from some places.

I hope to study public policy, political science, or, if I end up at American U., CLEG (Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics, and Government) with a strong focus (possibly a minor) in economics. Wish me luck folks. Hopefully next near I'll be a proud member of the Tribe at W+M.

Reaching way into the future, after I get my undergrad degree, I hope to go to grad school somewhere where I can do a joint law and public policy program. Hopefully I'll be studying Constitutional Law. Of course, that could very well change.

The new top ten bills.

2006-01-19T23:16:00.000-05:00

I'm going to start posting these each Monday and Thursday.

The following are the ten most frequently accessed bills on the Virginia Legislative Information System:

1) HB 187 Unmarried women; prohibition on provision of certain intervening medical technology. (Note: This bill was already passed by indefinately in Health, Welfare, and Institutions)
2) HB 30 Budget Bill. Appropriations for 2006-2008 biennium.
3) HB 1 Highways; adjustment of claims resulting from certain contracts. (Note: This is the only other bill on the list that has actually faced a vote. It was unianimously approved by Transportation.)
4) HB 89 Retirement System; increases benefits of certain future retirees.
5) SB 30 Budget Bill. Appropriations for 2006-2008 biennium.
6) HB 101 Constitutional amendment; marriage may exist only between a man and woman.
7) HB 8 Alcoholic beverages; penalty for possession of open container in a motor vehicle.
8) HB 3 Teachers; health insurance credit increased for those retired.
9) HB 369 Retirement System; changes in benefits for state employees, state police & law-enforcement officers.
10) HB 15 State employees; restricts severance benefits for those authorized by General Assembly.

What are y'all's thoughts on these particular bills? Surprised to see the infamous HB187 still topping the list?

I guess Virginia Republicans don't really trust the people.

2006-01-19T22:34:00.001-05:00

I promise, until the final Senate vote on the anti-civil union Constitutional amendment, I won't post anymore about this bill.

This, however, needs to be noted.

HB101, which was approved by the house 76Y-20N, not only provides the amendment to the Constitution, but also the question to be asked at the polls next November when Virginians have the opportunity to vote the amendment into existance.

The question as it passed the house is:

"Question: Shall Article I (the Bill of Rights) of the Constitution of Virginia be amended to state, in part, that 'only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this Commonwealth and its political subdivisions' and to add provisions relating to the legal status of other relationships?"

Add provisions related to the legal status of other relationships?

What provisions? This ballot question gives the average Virginian no indication that the amendment actually prohibits civil unions as well as gay marriage.

Del. Sickles (D-43rd) attempted to remedy this situation. He offered an amendment to the bill that made no change in the amendment itself, but changed the ballot question to read:

"Question: Shall Article I (the Bill of Rights) of the Constitution of Virginia be amended to state, in part, that 'only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this Commonwealth and its political subdivisions' and to prohibit the creation or recognition of civil unions, domestic partnerships or other legal status for unmarried relationships."

Obviously, the only goal of this amendment is to make the question posed to voters more clear. Instead of being intentionally ambiguous, it flat out states what the amendment will indeed do.

Del. Sickles amendment was voted down 37Y-57N. This means that seventeen proponents of the final bill thought it to be a good idea to actually inform Virginians what they were voting for, rather than trying to purposefully deceive them. Bravo to them.

Only one Republican voted for the amendment, he is Del. Thomas Rust (R-86). Delegate Rust trusts the people. He trusts the people and the regions of this Commonwealth to make their own decision after seeing what the Consititutional amendment actually affects. He trusts the people too much to present them with vague, ambiguous wording that doesn't indicate what they're actually voting for.

Hmmm...trusting the people. Sound familiar?

Why don't the rest of the House Republicans (as well as Independent Dels. Abbitt and Putney and Democrats Del. Bowling (sorry Neil, he REALLY blew it on this one) and Del. Johnson) trust the people of this Commonwealth to make their own decisions without being deceived?

Senate Privileges and Elections committee set to consider amendment banning gay marriage/civil unions.

2006-01-16T22:43:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow at 4PM, the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee will meet and, among other things, vote on the amendment to the Virginia Consitution banning not only gay marriage, but also any type of domestic partnership or civil union.

Members of this committee are:

Sen. Steven H. Martin (Chair-R)
Sen. Benjamin J. Lambert III (D)
Sen. Charles R. Hawkins (R)
Sen. Janet D. Howell (D)
Sen. H. Russell Potts (R)
Sen. Kenneth W. Stolle (R)
Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (D)
Sen. Jay O'Brien (R)
Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple (D)
Sen. W. Roscoe Reynolds (D)
Sen. J. Brandon Bell II (R)
Sen. Jeannemarie Devolities Davis (R)
Sen. Mark D. Obenshain (R)
Sen. Phillip P. Puckett (D)

If any of these folks is your Senator, call them and urge them to vote against this counterproductive, bigoted legislation. If all goes right, this thing could be tabled in committee tomorrow. All we need are all the Democrats and Russ Potts.

The key votes will probably be Roscoe Reynolds, Creigh Deeds, and Phil Puckett. I admire all of these men and hope that their vote will reflect what is right for all Virginians.
If you live in their districts, call them tomorrow before four and tell them that you don't believe it right to solidify discrimination in the constitution of our Commonwealth.

Not ever.

Citizens of Virginia ponder HB187.

2006-01-16T18:53:00.000-05:00

Looking at the Virginia Legislative Information System, I see that Del. Bob Marshall's infamous HB187, which prohibits unmarried women from artificially conceiving, is the most frequently accessed bill so far this session on the web-based system.

Here is the top 10 list as it stands today (ripped from the LIS website):

1) HB 187 Unmarried women; prohibition on provision of certain intervening medical technology.
2) HB 1 Highways; adjustment of claims resulting from certain contracts.
3) HB 30 Budget Bill. Appropriations for 2006-2008 biennium.
4) SB 30 Budget Bill. Appropriations for 2006-2008 biennium.
5) HB 89 Retirement System; increases benefits of certain future retirees.
6) HB 8 Alcoholic beverages; penalty for possession of open container in a motor vehicle.
7) HB 3 Teachers; health insurance credit increased for those retired.
8) HB 101 Constitutional amendment; marriage may exist only between a man and woman.
9) HB 15 State employees; restricts severance benefits for those authorized by General Assembly.
10) HB 7 Legislation; limiting introduction.

In similar news, Virginia Centrist "dare[s] you to vote for HB187."

I, personally, dare you to vote for HB7, which is a blatant attack on the first amendment and would never hold up in court.

A smidgen of Finnish politics.

2006-01-16T16:03:00.000-05:00

This is in the very early runnings for funniest news story of the year.

More on Del. Englin

2006-01-16T14:21:00.000-05:00

From his website:

"Some people wonder why David used to have a different last name. Before they were married, David was David English and Shayna was Shayna Wolin. At their wedding, they combined their names into Englin as a way to honor both of their families equally and as a meaningful symbol of their new life together."

Can this guy possibly be any cooler?

Kudos to Jaquith

2006-01-16T13:51:00.000-05:00

Kudos go to Waldo Jaquith for explaining the world of RSS for those of us who were completely clueless.

Kudos also go to Waldo for mentioning Blue In VA on the post.

Del. David Englin

2006-01-15T23:14:00.000-05:00

I first read this speech at Raising Kaine. It needs to be heard by as many people as possible. A couple of days ago, I wrote about the Democrats who crossed over to the dark side and voted for the constitutional amendment banning same sex unions in the Commonwealth of Virginia. I was, and continue to be, pretty angry that members of my party can be so prejudiced. I simply cannot fathom why our legislators don't have anything better to do. This type of legislation benefits no one. If this legislation passes the Senate, not a single person in our Commonwealth will wake up tomorrow with any new rights. A lot will wake up with the prospect of one ripped from the realm of possibility. That is inherently un-American. It is terribly misguided.

To counterbalance my shock and dismay, it seems fitting that I dedicate a post to a Delegate who stood up for what is right. That man is freshman Delegate David Englin (D-45th), who boldly made this speech in opposition to the backward piece of bigotry recently passed by the House of Delegates. Here is the speech in its entirety:

"Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this resolution. I’m not going to talk about same-sex marriage. I’m no fool — although others might make a different judgement about a freshman delegate rising in this chamber on the third day of session. But I understand that on the issue of marriage, I’m in the minority, perhaps even in my own caucus. I also sleep very well at night knowing that at some point in the future of this great Commonwealth, those of us of my opinion will be judged to have been on the right side of history. But let’s for a moment forget about the question of same-sex marriage, because this amendment addresses much more than that. We need to be clear and honest: This amendment also outlaws civil unions and domestic partnerships and other similar private legal arrangements.
We have heard from the other side that this constitutional amendment is necessary to protect conventional marriage. I am blessed with a beautiful and brilliant wife who is the love of my life. In June, Shayna and I will celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary, and I would fight with every ounce of my strength anything that would threaten my marriage. So I would like to know, how exactly civil unions and domestic partnerships and other similar arrangements threaten my marriage?
We have heard from the other side that this amendment will protect families. Shayna and I are blessed with a strong and bright six-year-old son, Caleb, and we have a strong family. My friend the gentleman from Rockingham County, Delegate Lohr, and I have discussed how we come from different backgrounds and different parts of this great Commonwealth, yet we share a deep and abiding commitment to our families. I want nothing more than to protect my family. I spent 12 years wearing the uniform of the United States Air Force to protect my family. I’ve been in harm’s way to protect my family. So I would like to know, how exactly do civil unions and domestic partnerships and other similar arrangements threaten my family? Because if they do, I will be the first one to stand up and fight, because nobody better threaten my family.
Moreover, we have heard from the other side that this amendment must pass sooner rather than later, as if there is some kind of crisis that is more important than issues like transportation or education or health care. Why else would this be our first order of business? Yet Virginia law already makes same-sex marriage and civil unions and domestic partnerships illegal.
So if this amendment doesn’t help protect my marriage, and doesn’t help protect my family, and if it doesn’t even change the status of same-sex marriage and civil unions and domestic partnership contracts, then what exactly does this amendment do? I submit to my fair-minded colleagues that this amendment sends a message. And that message is, if you are gay, or lesbian, or even a man and a woman living together and committed to each other who are not married, you are not welcome in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
And who are these people whom we are shutting out in the cold? They are my dear friends Karen and Sue, who have been together for years and are as loving and committed to each other as any husband and wife. They are my friend Lou, who served with me at the Pentagon, and continues to serve our country today. They are Father Mychal Judge, the gay priest who died in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 while ministering to fallen firefighters. They are Mark Bingham, a gay passenger on United Airlines Flight 93, who fought back against Al Queda hijackers and sacrificed his life to save others. They are Ronald Gamboa and his partner Dan Brandhorst, who, along with their 3 year old son David, were killed when Al Quaeda flew United Airlines Flight 175 into the World Trade Center. They are David Charlebois, the co-pilot of American Airlines Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon when Al Qaeda tried to kill me and my comrades who were on duty inside the Pentagon at the time. They are friends and neighbors and teachers and doctors and soldiers and loving parents who want nothing more than to live life without fear that the government will tear their families apart.
I’m a student of history, and I find our Founding Fathers to be a great source of wisdom on many matters, so I want to close my remarks by reading from a letter that great Virginian named George Washington wrote more than two centuries ago:
“The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for giving to Mankind . . . a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection, should demean themselves as good citizens.
May the Children of the Stock of Abraham who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.”
Ladies and gentlemen, I implore you, be strong and of good courage and vote down this resolution."

Again, I commend Delegate Englin for his courage in making this speech so early into his first term. I hope it will be the first in a long line of speeches inspiring our legislators to do what is right for each and every citizen of this Commonwealth. The citizens of the 45th district should be proud to be represented by a man of such high moral fiber.

Fairweather Skins?

2006-01-15T19:34:00.000-05:00

Now that the Redskins' playoff run has come to an end, I wonder how many people will be returning that brand new team apparel I've been seeing around Richmond lately.

Redskins fans. They were just coming out of the woodwork.

Ugh. So much for equality!

2006-01-13T18:35:00.000-05:00

73 Y- 22N!

I expected this from the Republicans, but I certainly can't say I'm happy with Democratic Del's:

Alexander
Armstrong
Barlow
Bowling (not off to a good start)
Dance
Hall
Howell
Johnson
Jones
Lewis
McEachin
Miller
Phillips
Shannon
Ware

This would be an ok bill if not for the last sentence of the summary:

"Further, the proposed amendment prohibits the Commonwealth or its political subdivisions from creating or recognizing "another union, partnership, or other legal status to which is assigned the rights, benefits, obligations, qualities, or effects of marriage."

In other words, civil unions. I'm not for gay 'marriage', I wouldn't vote against this amendment if it didn't contain the last sentence, which, in my eyes, is an attack on equal protection. Shame on the fifteen members of my party who voted against equal rights.

And, it goes without saying, shame on every member of the other party who also did so. Along with my new Delegate, Independent Katherine Waddell, who campaigned as an open minded social moderate.

Well, I suppose its on to the Senate.

Senate Democrats should really give it a rest.

2006-01-13T18:00:00.000-05:00

Yeah...I know...I said it.

As much as I think Judge Samuel Alito could be a threat to a lot of privacy rights I hold dear, the man is unquestionably qualified for the Supreme Court. I watched nearly all of the nomination hearings on C-SPAN over the past few days, and while Alito was evasive about some questions, he was actually, for the most part, remarkably forthcoming. Over and over again he was pounded by Democrats on the Judiciary Committee. While some of it was definately warranted, some of the behavior and repetitive battering by the minority party was unprecidented. Sen. Schumer (D-NY) was downright belittling to Judge Alito throughout the process. It was actually upsetting for me to watch. This is, of course, coming from a dyed in the wool Democrat.

Republicans didn't resist the nomination Ruth Bader Ginsberg, a former ACLU lawyer with nearly as much vigor. Alito is qualified. He should be confirmed. The Senate's role isn't to reject those with whom they disagree with ideologically.

Arlen Specter (R-PA) is every bit as pro-choice as Diane Feinstein (D-CA), yet he was dignified in his questioning. I hate to say it, but Democrats on the committee could definately learn from how Specter carries himself.

Sit down Riley...

2006-01-13T17:46:00.000-05:00

Riley Ingram seems like a nice enough guy, but this bill is ridiculous. Legislating morality has just always seemed odd to me. I particularly like this little snippet:

"'Sexual conduct' means actual or explicitly simulated acts of...homosexuality..."

That's right folks. When two men or two women hold hands, that is "sexual conduct" according to Del. Ingram. Yikes!

I also like this particular section of the bill:

"'Sadomasochistic abuse' means actual or explicitly simulated flagellation or torture by or upon a person who is nude or clad in undergarments, a mask or bizarre costume, or the condition of being fettered, bound or otherwise physically restrained on the part of one so clothed. "

How is "bizarre costume" interpreted in the code of Virginia?

Hat tip to 750 Volts.

There is simply nothing else as fun as...

2006-01-12T21:46:00.000-05:00

...picking on Del. Marshall!

In all the fuss of "Sideshow" Bob Marshall's latest anti-abortion, anti-contraceptive, and anti-in vitro fertilization bills. Everyone seems to have missed what is possibly the dumbest bill in the history of the Commonwealth. I guess because it isn't really a gross breach of privacy rights, it isn't really as relevant, but with out further adieu I present to you:

HB 197 Marriage licenses; requires parties contemplating marriage to choose one of two types.

Just for kicks, lets take a look at the summary of this dandy:

"Requires the parties contemplating marriage to choose one of two types of marriage license: a license with grounds for divorce or a license without grounds for divorce. A license with grounds for divorce requires the parties to prove either adultery, a felony conviction, or cruelty to be granted a divorce. A license without grounds for divorce allows the parties to get a divorce based on any grounds including living separate and apart for the requisite time currently allowed under the law."

I suppose that this one will protect marriage by creating animosity at the outset between couples when one wants to order a marriage license, light on the committment.

It could be a world of fun down the road when two people get the "grounds for divorce" license one spouse suspects, but can't actually prove adultery. I suspect this bill will be well liked by private investigators everywhere.

Love him or hate him, he's on the web now.

2006-01-09T18:57:00.000-05:00

Via Lowell at Raising Kaine, we know that Harris Miller is now an official Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and he has a website up here.

Let's see how this whole thing plays out.

Some changes.

2006-01-09T16:43:00.000-05:00

As you can see, I took off the list of endorsed candidates on the sidebar and nabbed the newest blogroll from Bacon's Rebellion because its very thorough and I couldn't do a better job myself. I hope Jim Bacon doesn't care.

Even the T-D editorial page comes out on the sensible side.

2006-01-09T16:30:00.000-05:00

I just happen to be a Christian who thinks that this debate about secular symbols overtaking Christmas in America is ridiculous. Christmas is alive and well, and any American Christian who thinks they're the target of discrimination is a little off their rocker.

The Times Dispatch agrees. Take that O'Reilly!

Russ Potts introduces a good bill.

2006-01-08T10:43:00.000-05:00

Russ Potts is up to something constructive. Hooray!

As speculation that Sen. Potts could be Governor-Elect Kaine's Secretary of Education, which ultimately proved to be unwarranted, swirled around amongst the Virginia punditry, Sen. Potts was busy introducing SB33, an education bill that makes a whole lot of sense to me.

Essentially, the bill provides that those who are expelled from a Virginia school be eligible to participate in a GED program and exempts GED holders from the compulsory education laws. It also gives courts the power to order defendants to participate in a GED program.

I've seen too many kids expelled from school and forgotten. Often, they get in trouble with the law and, as a direct result of their lack of education, never really have the tools to make it in society. With this bill, the first time a 18 year old high school dropout is arrested, the judge could order them to participate in GED program as part of their sentence, granting them an education that could in some cases help to get their life on the right track.

Bravo to Sen. Potts for acknowledging the indisputable link between lack of education and crime and trying to remedy it.

Marcus Vick gets the boot.

2006-01-06T18:51:00.000-05:00

It's about freaking time.

PR Stunt Extraordinaire.

2006-01-05T21:09:00.000-05:00

Do these Republicans think that giving back the money they may have illegally received from Jack Abramoff clears their namem, even if the money was taken as a bribe?

What about these ones?

This one too?!

Wow, I hope the American people don't fall for this stunt. Why would these folks try to hard to seperate themselves from this money is they didn't obtain it illegally? I guess it could be to save face to avoid the "guilt-by-association" factor, but there is no doubt in my mind that some of these 'pubs are guilty of corruption. Its just not logical that all of them would run away with their tails between their legs if some of them aren't guilty.

Come on, America, don't let them off the hook because they donated their money to charity AFTER the guilty plea. Each individual who received Abramoff money should be thoroughly investigated. Period.

This matter should be taken extremely seriously. In our stable representative democracy, there is little that can undermine the system or demolish our democratic ideal as we know it. We won't have a revolution anytime soon and we aren't under threat of foreign invasion. This leaves the biggest threat to popular sovereignty in our country as corruption within the system. It simply cannot be allowed to exist on such a large scale.

Could we possibly see a "House Select Committee on Corruption" created to deal with this? What do you guys think?

Another guilty plea for Jack Abramoff.

2006-01-04T15:14:00.000-05:00

This time Abramoff pleaded guilty to fraud charges in Florida.

Coal Mining Calamity

2006-01-04T14:25:00.000-05:00

What on Earth was SAGO Mining Company thinking?

Between this company's neglegence (206 violations of mining safety guidelines) and giving false hope to the families of the trapped miners, I'd say SAGO isn't going to make it through the storm of lawsuits and barrage of negative press that is about to ensue from the disaster that took the lives of 12 miners in West Virginia a couple of days ago.

My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those killed in the SAGO disaster. I hope from this disaster comes a renewed focus on mine safety because, as my girlfriend sadly noted, "Its 2006. This kind of thing shouldn't happen anymore."

I spent a couple of weeks this past summer at the Applalachian Folklife Center in Pipestem, West Virginia. One of the men that spoke to us, like so many people from that area, came from a family of miners. I'll never forget how it brought a tear to my eye when he chronicled how the big coal companies damaged the lives of so many people. A close eye should be kept on these companies to be sure that the safety of their employees is given the utmost attention.

For in-depth coverage of the mining accident, check out Kilo's blog, Spark it Up!!!. As an industry insider, Kilo is able to give some real insight and analysis into what might have gone wrong.

I think its safe to say that Kilo may be an (very) early candidate for a hypothetical award given to the Virginia blogger who best covers an individual, non-political news story. Nice job, Kilo.

Just how much has the Abramoff "culture of corruption" crossed the Potomac?

2006-01-03T18:00:00.000-05:00

This afternoon, conservative-leaning lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to conspiracy, mail fraud, and tax evasion. In addition to his guilty plea, it appears as though the judge presiding over the case is tying sentencing to just how thorough Abramoff is in giving the names of the various legislators who have accepted his bribes.

Although Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota has been mentioned among those with close ties to Abramoff (despite the fact he has never received contributions from Abramoff himself and claims never to have met him), a laundry list comprised completely of Republicans who have accepted Abramoff money is starting to form. At the top of the list is former Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas. Despite the fact that DeLay is the most publicized Abramoff connection, Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio is the only one actually mentioned thus far by Abramoff himself. Other names expected to appear on the list of Abramoff's private legislative army include Sen. Conrad Burns of Montana. Our own Rep. Virgil Goode of Virginia has also been mentioned as a possible lawbreaker.

Via Waldo Jaquith, we know that Attorney General Elect McDonnell can be deeply connected to Abramoff money. What I find to be most startling about this is the fact that when his Faith and Family Alliance (which, according to former McDonnell campaign manager and convicted child sexual predator Robin Vanderwall existed essentially to secretly launder money for political purposes) was created, he was but a lowely Virginia Delegate. Since then he's been cast into the forefront as Attorney General Elect. This spotlight has led Waldo and others to especially scrutinize McDonnell's role in the Abramoff scandal.

But surely it doesn't stop with McDonnell. It would be a shocking coincidence if Bob McDonnell was the only member of the General Assembly to be involved in the scandal. He's simply been the only one looked into thus far. My guess is that the Washington based Republican "culture of corruption" has crossed the Potomac in ways that we don't yet fully understand.

With this guilty plea should come a vast investigation of statehouses all over the country. It is essential that this General Assembly session, an investigation is undertaken of those members tied to Abramoff funds in Virginia. It is simply too much of a coincidence that the only Republican state legislator looked into thus far would be the only one with blood on his hands. If anything, it serves to indicate the possibility of mulitiple Abramoff connected legislators operating within our own Commonwealth.

Virginia is being invaded by an evil force from across the Potomac, one that disrespects the American people and serves as an obstacle to the fluid workings of our great representative democracy. Write your Delegate and your Senator and tell them you want a full investigation of Attorney General elect Bob McDonnell and others who could be implicated in this scandal.

Merry Christmas. Happy Hannukah and Kwanzaa.

2005-12-25T13:20:00.000-05:00

I said in my last post that i'd begin blogging regularly again. I didn't, and I'm sorry.

So, as my holiday gift to my beloved blogosphere, I have returned once and for all.

For Christmas, I got a copy of Barnie Day and Becky Dale's "Notes from the Sausage Factory." I'm more excited about it than most other gifts I've received over the years, thus confirming my dorkiness and inevitable destiny to grow up a policy wonk. Further confirming this is the fact that I've already read 100 pages of it. Thank you guys for pieceing together one of the greatest saga's in American history. I love it.

May everyone have a blessed holiday season, and remember those less fortunate during this festive time of year.

I have returned

2005-12-14T12:57:00.000-05:00

After nearly a month of absence, I'm returning to blogging on a regular schedule.

College applications (and a deferral letter, yikes...) have taken up an inordinate amount of my time over the past few weeks. Fortionately, I'm heading into the home stretch and I can actually get back to doing this. I've missed it.

And while I'm on the topic of colleges....

Some 2006 Democratic challengers have already raised some cash. (pt. 1)

2005-11-20T22:54:00.000-05:00

Ever heard of Andrew Lawrence Hurst?

Me either, but you might very soon.

According to www.opensecrets.org, a campaign finance watchdog group, Hurst has already raised $39,590 in his quest to unseat Rep. Tom Davis in the 11th Congressional District. While this pales in comparison to Davis' $700,000+ in contributions, its certainly a start for the challeger.

But just who is Andrew Lawrence Hurst? I was curious myself. Luckily, he already has a website.

Hurst is a lawyer with Reed Smith LLP, in Falls Church. Originally from New Jersey, he's lived in Northern Virginia for a decade. He graduated from Seton Hall Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in History and earned his law degree from Georgetown, graduating Cum Laude in 1996.

In 2004, he served on Senator John Edwards National Finance Committee during Edwards' Presidential bid. Hurst shares Senator Edwards dream of helping the impoverished in our nation.

Tomorrow: Part 2, a bio of Troy Farlow, who is running to unseat Rep. Thelma Drake in the 2nd.

Will Democrats make '08 another '92 or another '88?

2005-11-20T21:45:00.000-05:00

The 2008 Presidential election brings up an interesting dilemma. Will the Democratic Party learn from its past mistakes?

The last time there was a Presidential election directly following a two term Republican Presidency was 1988, when VP George Bush took on very liberal Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis.

Dukakis got hammered.

Granted, Ronald Reagan had been a very popular President and Americans weren't prepared to jump the ship on Republican ideology just yet. A more fair comparison to what '08 has in store would probably be 1992.

By '92, Bush's approval ratings had sagged (sound familiar?), and Democrats nominated a centrist Southern Governor named Bill Clinton. The rest is history.

So the question is: Will Democrats make '08 another '92 or another '88?

Will they nominate another, but much more polarizing Clinton?

Will they nominate a certain Senator with his name tied to bipartisanship in the form of the BCRA (McCain-Feingold) , but his record more liberal than any other in the Senate today? As much as the base loves Senator Feingold, this Democrat hopes not.

Or will Democrats again pick a centrist, DLC Governor from a southern state?

Compromise within the Democratic Party served America well 13 years ago. It'll serve America well 3 years from now.

In politics it isn't ALL about pleasing the base. Sometimes, its about what's right for the nation as a whole.

The Republican Party has lost sight of that fact completely. In an era of growing polarization, when "energizing the base" is all the rage, it seems that Democrats have stumbled as well.

This does nothing but let the other 60% of America down, for the real silent majority are those who don't hold an allegiance to either the right or the left. The Democratic Party currently has a legitimate claim to the ideological center. They have numerous candidates who don't pander to only the liberal side of the spectrum. Can the Republicans really claim the same on their end?

They couldn't in '92 and they still can't today.

A letter to the almighty.

2005-11-18T16:44:00.000-05:00

Dear God,

Please help our party.

Some of us have become delusional and lost our ways.

Some of us fail to see that, even though we've gotten ourselves into a mess in Iraq (one that needs to be gotten out of), we need to provide that country with some degree of stability.

If we don't, we've caused for the Iraqi people a problem that they can't handle on their own.

In other words, what we need isn't a timetable, but rather an actual EXIT STRATEGY.

The current state of Iraq is worse than it was under Saddam Hussein. Much worse.

We made this mess. We must clean it up as quickly and efficiently as possible.
If we just pack up and leave, it doesn't fix what we've broken, but rather thrusts the responsibilty on the Iraqi people.

And we owe them more than that.

Thanks a lot,
Ben Kyber

I can't believe we've topped 6000 visits!

2005-11-17T22:31:00.000-05:00

Whoever is #10000 should email me. I'll send you an ecard.

Young Voters for Warner

2005-11-16T06:39:00.000-05:00

Check it out.

Time to begin the campaign: '08

2005-11-14T22:03:00.000-05:00

www.forwardtogetherpac.com

Who's with me in doing everything humanly possible to make sure Mark Warner is on the Democratic ticket in November 2008?

As I said last week, we have the chance to make Virginia the model for a better Democratic Party on the national level, one that governs from the center.

We're already halfway there.

Step one was electing Mark Warner in 2001. We came through.

Step two was uniting the Republican legislature in dealing with our fiscal problems. Even though there are those in the anti-tax wing that still fail to see the merit of doing this, we accomplished something great.

Step three was electing Tim Kaine to continue the work Warner had started.

Now come the hard parts:

Step Four: We need a credible candidate to challenge Sen. George Allen next year. Though it may seem impossible, we need to trade conservative (and ultra popular) Allen for a moderate. Personally, I'd like to see Sen. Phil Puckett run because I think he has the kind of appeal that can win over a lot of rural voters.

As of right now, my personal choice would be Del. Franklin Hall, but I haven't even heard that name mentioned.

Of course all of this is contingent on the results of the AG race. My TRUE number one choice to challenge Allen next year will hopefully be otherwise occupied after that's all said and done.

Now on to step five:

We must overcome the celebrity of a certain Democratic Presidential candidate and get Mark Warner on the ballot in 2008. Our nation can no longer afford to be governed from the extremes, right OR left.

As Virginians, we have the opportunity to show our nation that we can come together to end the polarization that plagues our political landscape.

Mark Warner is the man for the job.

Update on Deeds v. McDonnell

2005-11-11T16:47:00.000-05:00

619 votes are now all that seperate Creigh Deeds and Bob McDonnell in the race for AG.

Please comment on this post as the number changes...

CAPs and the AG Race

2005-11-09T14:56:00.000-05:00

The AG race is far from over, folks, so let's not go declaring victory or conceding defeat just yet.

I just checked out some numbers. Many localities in Virginia have adopted what are called CAPs for reporting absentee ballots. CAP stands for Central Absentee Precinct. Essentially, the localities that have CAPs are able to report their absentee ballots as if they are another precinct on election night.

However, many localities haven't instituted CAPs and therefore have not yet reported their absentee ballots. They are as follows:

Alleghany County
Amelia County
Appomattox County
Bath County
Bland County
Brunswick County
Buckingham County
Buena Vista City
Caroline County
Charles City County
Covington City
Craig County
Cumberland County
Dinwiddie County
Emporia City
Essex County
Floyd County
Franklin City

Grayson County

Greene County

Greensville County

Highland County

King George County

King William County

King and Queen County

Louisa County

Lunenburg County

Madison County

Mecklenburg County

Middlesex County

Northhampton County

Northumberland County

Norton City

Nottoway County

Orange County

Petersburg City

Poquoson City

Prince Edward County

Rappahannock County

Richmond County

Rockbridge County

Southhampton County

Surry County

Sussex County

Warren County

In these localities, without regard to population, Sen. Deeds leads Bob McDonnell 50.96 % to 49.04%.

If one takes into account the fact that the largest of these localities is Peterburg (78.39% for Sen. Deeds) as well as the fact that absentee ballots tend to be slightly more Dem leaning than the rest of the electorate, Senator Deeds is VERY MUCH in the race for Attorney General.

Who knows when we'll actually know for sure.

Survey USA has Kaine up 9%!

2005-11-07T15:38:00.000-05:00

Holy cow! This is huge: Kaine 52% Kilgore 43%!

That being said:

This is by no means a done deal. Get out and vote. Get your friends and neighbors out to vote. Put up some signs. Do whatever you possibly can to ensure a Democratic sweep tomorrow! The Republican party thought they could get away with putting up their most right-wing bunch of candidates in history. Let's prove them wrong!

On C-SPAN last night, Governor Warner talked about the need for a return to the "sensible center" in the national Democratic Party. We have the rare opportunity to make our Commonwealth the forefront of a national movement. Get out tomorrow and show the nation that here in Virginia, centrist Democrats CAN win.

Let's make tomorrow the beginning of a new era in the Democratic party. Not just in Virginia, but the entire nation. Vote Kaine, Byrne, and Deeds!

Predictions

2005-11-02T14:44:00.000-05:00

With less than a week left in the 2005 campaigns, the time has come for everyone to begin calling the races. Here are my predictions:

Kaine 51% Kilgore 47% Potts 2%
Bolling 50% Byrne 49% Potts 1% or less
Deeds 52% McDonnell 48%

Selected House of Delegates winners:
Werkheiser d. Albo
Marshall (ahhhhhhh!!!) d. Roemmelt (sorry Bruce...still pulling for you though!)
Poisson d. Black
Waddell d. Marrs (this may be the closest race in the state)

Why?:
Kaine, quite simply, has the momentum going into this election. More and more things just seem to be going wrong for Jerry Kilgore everyday. I can't see his numbers going up. I just can't see it.

Byrne is simply too liberal for Virginia. It'll be a close race; enough so that I honestly believe that the few voters that will write in Potts because of the Virginian-Pilot's endorsement (yes...there will be some...) could burn Byrne.

Deeds will ultimately ride Kaine's coattails. The undecideds in this race are so high that many voters will probably vote for their gubanatorial candidate's party for AG. Since Kaine wins, Deeds, too, will win. Plus, McDonnell is beginning to struggle with his campaign contribution scandal. Deeds is a strong candidate with awful name recognition, but he will win in a fairly close race.

What do y'all think?

Senator Obama, Tim Kaine, Creigh, and Company Rally the Troops at VCU

2005-11-01T17:17:00.000-05:00

Creigh gets the crowd hyped!

You bet it is!

Even the animals sport the Tim Kaine gear.

Senator Obama points to the next Governor, Lieutenent Governor, and AG of Virginia.

Unfortionately I moved to the back before Tim spoke.

Rep. Bobby Scott speaks to the crowd.

(Right to Left:) Your's Truly, Some Woman I Don't Know, Leslie Byrne

Chris Craddock

2005-10-27T23:48:00.000-04:00

"Africans will have sex with anything with a pulse."
-67th district candidate Chris Craddock

If he said that in my AP Gov. class...

What's wrong with that guy?

Well someone had to do it.

2005-10-26T22:27:00.000-04:00

To the tune of "Old McDonald":

"Bob McDonnell"

Bob McDonnell has some cash.

Where'd he get that dough?

The source of it's a mystery,

a detail we don't know.

A hundred thousand here and a hundred thousand there.

Here a hundred, there a hundred.

Looks like ol' Bob has made a blunder.

They say he broke election law,

We can't just let him go!

For a little background (if you're oblivious to the situation).

As if people need anymore evidence not to smoke.

2005-10-24T16:18:00.000-04:00

This is pretty interesting. Not really surprising at all, but interesting nonetheless.

Just an educated guess...

2005-10-23T13:05:00.000-04:00

The T-D probably didn't flip a coin to decide that the Republican ticket will get their bios printed a week closer to the election (next Sunday) than the Democratic ticket (today).

More newspapers say: "Can it Kilgore!"

2005-10-13T21:16:00.000-04:00

Check out these two editorials denouncing the shocking low-blows that Jerry Kilgore calls "ads."

The Roanoke Times

The Virginian Pilot

Who I am.

2005-10-13T20:50:00.000-04:00

On account of the fact that I'm now 18, I feel the time has come to reveal my name and a little about myself.

First of all, my name is Ben Kyber and I'm a senior at James River High School in Midlothian. I live just a few minutes away from Midlothian, in Bon Air. I'm sure it won't surprise any of you that I've volunteered/interned with the Deeds campaign.

My name is now "Ben Kyber" and not "blueinthecommonwealth_VA". Also, my email is up on the contact info on Blue In VA.

Criminal Justice

2005-10-13T15:15:00.000-04:00

Lost in all this hoopla over Kaine's stance on the Death Penalty (Which, it seems to me, is either anti-Catholic rhetoric or a horrible exploitation of people's ignorance. Probably the latter.) is something else. In the recent NBC 12 debate, the first question related to the Taylor Behl case. It made me a little uncomfortable at first. After all, that girl was younger than me, and for her murder to be used as a political wedge seemed to be in poor taste.

Then I realized just how crucial the case is to public opinion. It's an issue fresh in the minds of Virginians. Scott Howell and company obviously figured this out when they decided to take advantage of the public's attention on the case to suddenly attempt to discredit Tim Kaine's Christian values.

Ben Fawley, the Richmond photographer who is most likely to be the main suspect in the case, has been arrested on an illegal gun charge.

Thanks in part to Tim Kaine if, God forbid, Fawley manages to slip through any murder charges, he'll be going to federal prison for 20 years for owning an illegal gun.

Project Exile: Now THAT'S criminal justice.

More Kilgore ads stoop to pathetic levels.

2005-10-12T15:21:00.000-04:00

Jerry Kigore's ads have reached a level previously unmatched by a candidate for office in my lifetime.

Pathetic.

Yeah Jerry, because thats what Tim MEANT to convey to people when he said he didn't believe that even Hitler should be executed. You should know about God being the only being having the power to give and take life Mr. "Only Pro-Life Candidate for Governor." Give me a freaking break.

I'm sick of Jerry Kilgore. If he becomes our next governor, I'm afraid to say that it means I'll be ashamed and appalled by the majority of Virginians. Open your eyes people... The man is just plain nasty and mean-spirited.

Update: Not that its much of a surprise, but the Washington Post agrees.

A disgrace to political advertising.

2005-10-06T15:53:00.000-04:00

Negative ads always irk me a little bit, but this Jerry Kilgore ad has simply crossed the line.

It's mean-spirited and is just all around vicious.

Creigh Deeds, your next Attorney General

2005-10-04T21:40:00.000-04:00

Those of you who read my blog on a regular basis have probably noticed that, while I support everyone on the Democratic ticket, I'm particularly fond of Creigh. He's a very down-to-earth, all-around good guy. There isn't a speck of slick politician attitude in his manner. It's refreshing to see.

Check out his new video, here, and see why Creigh Deeds is the right choice for Virginia's next Attorney General.

Internet Situation

2005-10-02T21:00:00.000-04:00

After 5 days of no internet access at home, I've finally been able to get through to Verizon tech support and have my DSL connection fixed.

Thank you to the woman from Bangledesh for helping me.

NRA Endorses Deeds for AG

2005-09-29T15:04:00.000-04:00

The NRA has announced they're endorsing Creigh Deeds for Attorney General. This may be the only time in history i've agreed with them.

Check out the endorsement letter on Creigh's website: here.

Is this even really a race after this? With a Democrat getting the NRA's endorsement, does any Republican really have a legitimate chance of making up for the votes they're certain to lose?

Clearing up the controversy.

2005-09-27T21:40:00.000-04:00

Up until recently (tonight), for some reason I had my timezone set to Pacific time.

James Young picked up on this and essentially accused me of being a fraud, something that I DON'T take kindly to.

Steve Sisson, Virginia's answer to Zell Miller, also chimed in; especially when i got on him a little for his seemingly limitless ego. I hate to say anything negative to another blogger about their blogging, and I never have before other than to say that I disagreed with a specific point, but I could no longer remain quiet about that. Its been bothering me for a long time.

The timezone thing was a mistake. A simple instance of human error.

As for anonymity, I remain anonymous for one reason and one reason only. I'm 17 years old and not even in college. I've considered disclosing my name, but have decided that, at least for the time being, its better this way. Maybe i'll come out soon, maybe I won't. We'll just have to see.

Deeds-McDonnell debate.

2005-09-27T18:46:00.000-04:00

If you live in or around the Richmond area, check out the debate from last week between Attorney General candidates Creigh Deeds and Bob McDonnell on WCVE 88.9, our local NPR station. Its tonight at 7:06 PM.

Listen to Creigh whip "Taliban"Bob. Its pretty entertaining.

Let our leaders lead!

2005-09-19T22:07:00.000-04:00

A tip of the hat to Jerry Kilgore, who wants to throw out the representative system created by our founding fathers in favor of referendums. According to Jerry, shirking the power of the legislative branch in Virginia, made up of those elected by the people to represent and lead the people, is trusting the people. Legislators, in Mr. Kilgore's mind, should not be trusted to perform the duty they have been elected to perform. The fact that 70% of Virginians polled agree with the bi-partisan budget created in 2004 by their elected officials in the legislature is evidence that the legislature continues to be in touch with and representative of the values and beliefs of this commonwealth.

Just after the formation of our country, America tried, though through different means, limiting the power of a centralized government. It failed miserably. Without the strength of leaders who had the power to lead, our young democracy was doomed. In Jerry Kilgore's Virginia, where we always trust the people, but never those they elect to govern, I'm afraid we're headed down the path to a similar fate.

Virginia needs our leaders to lead us and not undercut our nearly 400 year old system of representative democracy, always have, always will.

Jazz...oh man...i love it

2005-09-18T01:20:00.000-04:00

Right now I'm watching "Higher Ground: A Concert for Relief" on PBS, a benefit jazz concert at the Lincoln Center for Hurricane Katrina.

Wow.

If you get a chance to see a repeat of this, I'd HIGHLY suggest watching it.

Marcus Roberts...that man can play the piano. Holy cow!

Re-examining the Social Gospel.

2005-09-16T01:55:00.000-04:00

Christianity and progressivism are not mutually exclusive.

Unfortionately, if you listen to the mindless rhetoric spewed out by pundits on both sides of the aisle, you wouldn't ever know it. Our society has engraved into its collective conciousness that Christians should be Conservatives and moral values are restricted to the realm of the Republican Party. Far-left ideologues that claim to be Democrats, Bill Maher being the most readily thought-of example, insult people of faith in the name of the party. Ordinary people take it to mean that the Democratic party is somehow, as a whole, "less-Christian" than they are. The Right helps them along this path of disowning progressives, claiming to have the key to salvation, claiming over and over that they are the party of moral values.

But conservativism didn't always reflect the core of Christianity in the United States.

A century ago, the situation was reversed. Rather than preaching "moral values" to exclude and defame like so many Conservative ministers of today, Christian leaders preached a social gospel. They taught that society's ills could be addressed through the teachings of Christ himself. Then, preachers taught that, through progressive political action to benefit the disenfranchised, we could emulate the life and work of Jesus Christ. They preached a graduated income tax. They preached a minimum wage, an eight hour day, and a 40 hour week. The gospels, they taught, contain scriptural basis for each of those concepts. Now "Christian moral values," in the mind of so many Americans, often come from ancient Jewish laws about homosexuallity and personal sin. In this Christian's mind, placing so much importance on such "values" neglects the teachings of the very person who's life here on earth created Christianity to begin with.

Its simply the economic principle of opportunity cost at work. For every moment a preacher harps on the sin of homosexuality, they sacrifice a minute with which to preach reaching out and pulling all of God's children in from the cold of poverty. They lose a chance to use Christ's teachings improve the lives of those who suffer.

So many Liberals in our country have written off Christianity as an ineffective tool for social change. Sadly, they have taken the rhetoric hook, line and sinker. In believing this, they are more wrong than the Conservatives that have fed it to them. Christianity is the ultimate tool for social change. Its very basis, its very intent is progressive social change. In reality, the goals Jesus sought to accomplish during his time on earth have been echoed by progressive thinkers for centuries.

The very doctrine of Liberal thinking is, for the most part, straight out of the gospels. With the huge exception of promoting abortion, which a good percentage of Democrats (including myself) are beginning to push against, the Democratic party consistantly stands in line with the teachings of Christ even more so than those on the other side of the aisle who claim to be His chosen political operatives. Rather than downplay the importance of faith in politics, Democrats should be highlighting it. In today's America, Progressives have let themselves be robbed of the claim to a set of values that almost exactly mirrors their own.

Now is the time to take that claim back. I call on Progressives to stop before every political decision they make, and recall the motto of one of the most prominent proponents of the "Social Gospel," the Rev. Charles M. Sheldon, who, in 1905, instructed his followers to ask themselves, "What would Jesus Do?" before they had to make tough decisions in life.

To the surprise of most American Progressives, I think they would start to realize the answer to that question is more often than not "The same thing you were already about to."

Note: I liked this so much...i decided to repost it for the blog carnival...enjoy...

Debate

2005-09-14T00:41:00.000-04:00

If i'm not mistaken, there was a Kaine-Kilgore debate today. Unfortionately I was at school and didn't get to watch it.

One question though:

Why is no one who did (other than Lowell at Raising Kaine) covering it? I'd like to know what happened, but no one seems to be very interested. Did Kilgore really get stomped like Lowell indicated and you guys just haven't thought of a way to spin it to make him look good? Oh well, thats besides the point.

If anyone comes across a video, audio clip, or transcript of the debate, PLEASE let me know.

Update: In light of this enlightening article that has appeared on the WaPo website, Virginia's bloggers seem to be beginning to acknowledge that there was indeed a debate today. The post on One Man's Trash seems to confirm what I initially believed to be the cause of the silence.

Even Kilgore's supporters seem to be pretty much speechless.

Just to enlighten everyone:

2005-09-11T22:55:00.000-04:00

"Chutes too Narrow," the album by The Shins, is among the greatest masterpieces I've ever heard. Who knew a band could sound so dreamy and happy and still rock so freaking hard.

Kilgore and the Blue Dog

2005-09-07T17:57:00.000-04:00

At first, I was really starting to admire Jerry Kilgore for putting himself out there and agreeing to blog with the Blue Dog.

"Wow," I thought, "That takes a lot of courage for a candidate to do."

After reading his responses...I'm left disgusted.

There is NO DOUBT that Kilgore just used the blogosphere as a publicity stunt. His answers were scripted for sure. I, as a blogger, am offended. Kilgore just used us to be able to say "Well, I did it and Tim didn't," when in reality, he didn't do jack except repeat talking points over and over. There was no substance. There was nothing.

Between this and Jerry's boasting about donating money to hurricane relief rather than using signs in Buena Vista, Scott Howell is certainly leaving a negative mark on the Kilgore campaign. Jerry Kilgore has taken every opportunity to exploit the Katrina tragedy for his own gain.

Tell us Jerry, why is it so compassionate of you to donate "the money that would have been spent on additional signs" for hurricane relief? Those signs were printed months and months ago, long before Katrina even had a name. There was no money spent on signs JUST for Buena Vista.

Donating money is one thing. The sign gimmick was sickening. It was only done to make sure the voters knew that a donation was made. People noticed the missing signs, and they noticed Jerry bragging about why they were gone. What they might not have noticed was the fact that the Kaine campaign ALSO gave money.

"When therefore you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men." Matthew 6:2

The beginning of the end...

2005-09-06T18:10:00.000-04:00

Today marks the beginning of my last year of high school. Time flies...

I'm still here.

2005-09-02T15:24:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed my conspicuous absence from blogging over the past couple of days. More likely, you probably didn't. Oh well.

The atmosphere in the Virginia blogosphere, and throughout the nation for that matter, has become unbearable for the time being. People on both the left and right are politicizing Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Fingers are being pointed for not doing enough to help the situation. Fingers are being pointed back for pointing fingers in the first place. I refuse to play any part in it. It's simply despicable and devoid of any morals or compassion.

Stop pointing fingers. Give the partisanship a rest for once. When it comes to a natural disaster, there is no excuse to sit back and be part of the problem. At a time like this, everyone should strive to be part of the solution.

I feel like I'm going to vomit...

2005-08-30T19:12:00.000-04:00

From the Elephant Ears blog:

"republitarian said...
I will pray for God's will to be done.God destroyed Sodom and Gomorra for their wickedness. Maybe you don't know what goes on down there but most of it has to do with debauchery, drunkedness, and witchcraft. It's not exactly the "Godliness" capital of the world.Let the will of the Lord be done.
8/28/2005 6:10 PM
GOPHokie said...
Very true. I read somewhere once that New Orleans was the most evil city in America.Maybe the Lord is getting ready to fix that, once and for all.

and later...

republitarian said...
No one is "innocent" save the children.According to the word of God he pronounces judgement....not I. Nineveh repented, Tyre did not. Do you think parts of California that produce large amounts of porn will go unpunished, how about Vegas? God has consistently used natural disasters to punish certain cities. READ YOUR BIBLE, don't be surprised when it happens.Of course I feel sorry for the people, but if God wants to punish the evildoers who am I to question his judgement. God allows people to shake their fists in sin and defiance at him but for so long.BTW, God accidently let those hijackers fly those planes into the twin towers on 9/11."

So as innocent people are suffering horribly, mostly the poor and elderly, Republitarian has decided that the city had it coming to them...

Absolutely, completely and utterly sickening. I didn't know Republitarian decided when God meant to do something and when he didn't. Turns out that God didn't mean for people to die on 9/11 (I agree. Sometimes, briefly, the devil wins.), but He did mean for people to die in New Orleans (I couldn't disagree more).

All that aside, its just speculation, none of us could ever know why such a storm would happen. With that in mind, I think we should try not to offend people by claiming to know God's will. Thats inconsiderate and a disservice to those who have lost their lives.

Republitarian, if you can share with everyone how you acquired your gift of knowing God's will, you might just make the evening news.

I'm appauled...

2005-08-26T20:54:00.000-04:00

I am a pro-life, devout Christian Democrat.

This is what I believe:

1. A culture of life must be upheld in our country.

2. The practice of abortion is contrary to such a culture, unfortionately it's been made so accessible that it can't be abolished in one fell swoop. Strides must be taken to slowly recind abortion rights until it's no longer expected to be an option.

3. Capital punishment is contrary to my Christian values. We have only one judge, God. Its his job to decide whether or not to remove people from earth. Murderers have it coming to them when they God chooses for them to die and there is no need to speed up the process. Plus, with the appeals process, it costs as much to execute an inmate as it does to keep them imprisoned for life.

4. Killing is wrong. Period. Its recently come to light that some of the more conservative VA bloggers (ie James Young and Too Conservative) don't even call themselves "pro-life." They say they're "pro-innocent life." The basis for such a belief is contrary to my Christian values. When Pat Robertson calls for someone to be "taken out," he is calling for the work of God to be taken into human hands. This is wrong, it is contrary to my Christian values.

5. Killing is wrong. Period. It doesn't matter how anti-American someone is, dislike of a country or a set of beliefs isn't basis enough to take God's work into our own hands. I said it once and I'll say it again: To believe otherwise is radical jingoism at its worst.

The religious right is appauling to me. They're agenda forsakes the teachings of Jesus Christ and preaches a "pro-innocent life" stance that has NO BASIS in scripture. A fetus's life is sacred. A child's life is sacred. A college students life is sacred. An adults life is sacred.

And, yes, even a "strong-armed dictator's" life is sacred.

So, tooconservative should enjoy this one:

Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic.

The religious right is neither religious nor right. Discuss!

Pat Robertson: Television Evangelist or the "Religious" Right's Violent Equivalent of a Jihadist Cleric?

2005-08-23T23:43:00.000-04:00

I'm certainly not the first person to post on this topic, and I probably won't be the last, but Virginia's right-leaning blogs aren't reporting the story from a local standpoint, and I feel it necessary to do so.

As I'm sure most everyone that would be browsing through the blogosphere knows by now, last night on the 700 Club, Pat Robertson called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Since I'm farely confident that my readers know the story, I'm not going to tell it in full, but just in case, here's a link to the Reuters article about Robertson's remarks:

Both Democratic and Republican blogs have decried Robertson's remarks, with perhaps the strongest condemnation coming from J.R. over at the very conservative Bearing Drift, who offered a prayer saying,

"Lord, we ask that our friends on the left not completely believe that everyone on the right is as crazy and insane as these comments made by Rev. Robertson make us out to be. Lord, in your mercy..."

Don't worry J.R, we don't think every right-winger is as "crazy and insane" as Pat Robertson, but as for those right-wing politicians that readily and willingly accept his cash, I have to wonder...

There is a distinct and unmistakable link between the Rev. Pat Robertson, the host of the 700 Club, and many Virginia politicans, namely Del. Bob McDonnell (R- Virginia Beach), the Republican candidate for Attorney General. McDonnell graduated from the Regent University law school, which is run by Rev. Robertson, and Robertson himself is the second largest individual donor to the McDonnell campaign.

As prominent Republicans throughout the country have spent the day distancing themselves from Robertson and denouncing his remarks, the one politician with the most explaining to do, McDonnell, has been silent. Is he afraid to speak up for fear the Robertson will cut him off financially?

He shouldn't worry about being cut off financially, he should return Robertson's money immediately anyway. McDonnell has held his hand out and let an extremist fill his pockets with cash. In the past, Robertson has been involved in shady business practices with Liberian Dictator Charles Taylor, a man who did much to support terrorism and has, in some circles, been linked to Al-Qaida. He and Taylor both had money in a Liberian gold mine that was operating against Liberian law. Doesn't this mean that, since McDonnell has accepted this money, the money trail on McDonnell goes back to Liberia? I'm not saying that Robertson uses money he made from his Liberian mine venture to fund McDonnell's campaign, but accepting any money at all from someone who has such shady business ties is despicable. McDonnell, and every other politician who accepts money from Pat Robertson, should be ashamed of himself.

It isn't possible to distance yourself politically from someone when you're on their payroll. If a candidate was accepting contributions from David Duke, they obviously would be a worthwhile candidate for David Duke's cause, or they would never take his money to begin with. The same applies here, and we as Virginians need to ask ourselves, "Is Pat Robertson's cause our cause?" I sure hope not.

I hope J.R., and other Republicans throughout the state, will rethink their support for Bob McDonnell, and join me in demanding that he distance himself from Robertson and his remarks. The burden is on him. Until he does so, his silence speaks volumes. Besides, his opponent, Creigh Deeds, is a stong centrist with a proven record that shows his constant representation of the values Virginia holds dear.

In other words, memo to centrist Republicans: If you're sick and tired of Robertson and his shenanigans, Bob McDonnell may not be the best option for you this November.

Maybe the best idea i've ever had...

2005-08-16T16:51:00.000-04:00

Fellow Democratic Bloggers of VA:

For the past couple of days, Lowell Feld of Raising Kaine and I have been discussing an idea that just kind of came to me a few mornings ago.

Right-leaning blogs in our state have the "Old Dominion Blog Alliance" to connect them as a single entity. Why can we not do the same thing, only take it a few steps further?

We can! What i'm proposing here is an organization, United Commonwealth Bloggers for Progress, to unite Democratic bloggers throughout the Commonwealth as a single entity. While still maintaining individual blogger's autonomy, it would increase the influence of Democratic blogging by uniting every Democratic blogger in Virginia into an organization that encompasses all ideological sections of the Democratic Party. Through such a group, we can do certain things that would make our voices heard (these are just ideas at this point):

1. We could send out a monthly "Blog Roundup" to newspapers around the state with highlights from each of the member blogs. This could even be done on UCBP letterhead. The mainstream media is a lot more likely to pay attention to a de facto organization than a lot of individuals.

2. We can use the organization to lobby for important issues.

3. Maybe, if membership is high enough, we could start accepting donations as a non-profit interest group. I bet there are donors out there who would recognize the influence the UCBP could have on State politics. We could use these donations to pay for a P.O. Box, postage, and other expenses. It wouldn't take much money to keep up the organization. I think the cash is definately out there. If neccesary, we could even charge a small membership fee to cover costs, but only IF NECCESARY.

4. We can encourage the election of Democratic candidates by endorsing them publicly. To decide endorsements, we could vote, with a 2/3 majority necessary for an endorsement.

5. If we can find someone willing to do so, we could keep up a website with links to the individual blogs, info about UCBP, and information and links to endorsed candidate websites.

Endorsement...

2005-08-14T01:11:00.000-04:00

Greg Werkheiser, a Democrat, is challenging Republican Delegate Dave Albo for the 42nd District (Fairfax) HOD seat. Take a look at Greg's website, especially this section, which details the many leadership positions Greg has held, and in some cases, continues to hold. Trust me, it will blow your mind. Never have I seen a candidate for HOD with such solid credentials.

Prediction: Werkheiser's star will someday rise to a much higher level than the Virginia House of Delegates.