"Let Us Now Praise Famous Men"... NOT!

Well, with the retirement of Virginia's long-time senior Senator, Foghorn Leghorn ... er, John Warner, we are --- with few exceptions --- already inundated with lengthy paens to his glories. And I was reminded of the title phrase I once heard (it turns out to be the title of a Depression-era book).

George Allen put it this way:

He is a country gentleman, a legal scholar, a historian, a great storyteller, and an esteemed statesman, all with the joy in life of a 12-year-old boy. We all hope to have his energy and drive at the age of 80.

And John Warner certainly has been around long time.

Nevertheless, I cannot join in with those singing his praises. Just can't do it.

Former Senator Allen has it just about right. A "legal scholar"? The "joy in life of a 12-year-old boy." Given his vote against Robert Bork, it's more like Warner brings to "legal scholar[ship]" the qualifications of a 12-year-old boy.

The fact is, no one singing John Warner's glories has managed to enlighten us with a single significant legislative accomplishment from his nearly-29-year tenure. I certainly can't think of one, and I think I'm fairly well-informed. Sure: he's associated with military spending, but given his finger-in-the-wind attitudes so frequently on display, one cannot help but wonder whether this association arises more out of the fact that it is the best way to bring home the bacon to Virginia (with one of the world's great natural harbors in Hampton Roads) than in any commitment to a strong national security. Say what you will about Teddy Kennedy (D-Chappaquiddick), but he has substantive legislative accomplishments, and is virtually personally associated with socialized medicine. It's substance with which I disagree, but it's substance, nonetheless. Kennedy is in the Senate to do something. Warner seems to be there for no other reason than to be a Senator.

And darn, he certainly looks like a Senator, doesn't he?

John Warner is an accidental Senator who has never taken a risky or courageous legislative stand of which I am aware. Had the first choice of the 1978 GOP State Republican Convention, Dick Obenshain, not tragically died in an airplane crash, John Warner would have been relegated to the oblivion which he so richly deserves. He was the Convention's second choice, probably largely on the power of celebrity (he was married to movie-star Elizabeth Taylor at the time, in her late-Elvis stage), and received the endorsement of the Republican State Central Committee only because the Conservatives which dominated it were willing to give him the loyalty that they would never receive from him.

Jim Riley has a post in which he has offered a prospective bumper sticker for the Mark Warner campaign. It's not for Senate. It's "Mark Warner for Private Citizen. Mediocrity Like This Doesn't Come Around Every Day."

Oh, really, Riley? Virginians have for nearly thirty years been perfectly happy with the mediocrity which is Senator John Warner.

Why should they want to change now?

Why Jonathan Mark Is Not Only A Racist, But A Moron, Too

Jonathan Mark's latest post in his guilt-by-association website that shall not be named attributes to Faisal Gill the actions of his law partner. Well, OK. Not "actions." Alleged actions.

This may be a candidate for the dumbest post in the rather short history of the Virginia blogosphere.

Smear, smear, and more smear. That's all that Mark has to offer.

What is more depressing to contemplate is the fact that he has so much time on his hands that he can spend it investigating casual or professional acquaintances of political candidates.

Most people with that little to live for would simply put shotguns in their mouths and pull the trigger.

Reasonable Doubt

I try to avoid rushes to judgment, as a rule. Probably something to do with my legal training.

Now that the tape of his interview with police has been released, I've got to say that I've got reasonable doubt about whether Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho) actually solicited for sex in a public restroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Certainly more than I had as the story developed before the tape was released. I initially spoke about it here.

I don't even know if I believe it's more likely that he did than he didn't. Reasonable minds can and probably do differ on that question.

But based on what's out there --- and I can't imagine that there's anything more --- I am more than a little discomfitted by the apparent rush to judgment by many of his fellow Republicans.

Far-Left Principles Of Convenience, Volume MCMXCVII

Boy, when it rains, it pours!

Right below, I noted the fact that one of the boys and girls of Ranting Kids ... er, Raising Dough ... er. Raising Kaine was citing Scripture and Christian social doctrine as the basis for making policy, notwithstanding the far Left's situational loathing (i.e., when it is a Christian Conservative's argument) and hand-wringing over "theocracy."

I neglected to mention that is also attacking Greg Letiecq by claiming that he is equating illegal immigrants with child molesters (see headline)!

Hello? Anybody home?

Lowell might want to consider removing the boulder from his own eye before attempting to remove the mote from his neighbor's eye.

While I am loathe to defend Greg (for one thing, he can do just fine on his own, with a much larger readership) for much, he does no such thing (and, of course, Lowell is too intellectually dishonest to even provide a link demonstrating that Greg made the comment attributed to him, and allowing the reader to see it in context). Moreover, it wasn't Greg who equated a political opponent with a child molester.

That was Joe Stanley.

You know. The guy to whom the boys and girls of Ranting Kids ... er, Raising Dough ... er. Raising Kaine gave space to justify his sleazy stunt of linking the Old Dominion Blog Alliance with those who advocate the rape of little boys.

There They Go Again

Theocrats of convenience, that is. Apparently, the boys and girls of Ranting Kids ... er, Raising Dough ... er. Raising Kaine are suggesting that we make national policy on the basis of biblical mandate/Christian social thought. Or at least attacking a Conservative because he doesn't advocate policies based on biblical teaching (which doesn't happen to be a blueprint for government).

Of course, anybody who suggests that abortion is not a constitutional issue, and should be illegal as a matter of policy, no matter the basis, is frequently condemned by the far Left as a "theocrat."

Finally!

It seems that Atlanta radio talk-show host Neal Boortz is finally coming to Washington radio! He'll be heard on WWWT, which broadcasts on three stations: 820 AM, 1500 AM and 107.7 FM.

Neal is a great innovator. I was listening to him and calling in while in law school in Atlanta, pre-syndication and when he was with "the ex-wife" (radio station WGST, AM 640). It was long before Rush Limbaugh went into nationwide syndication. He moved to clear-channel WSB, AM 750, shortly after I left Atlanta in mid-1989, and was replaced by a guy named Sean Hannity. Because he's not heretofore been in Washington, I've only been able to catch him when working late, and I've brought his show in (on tape) from one of his stations in North Carolina.

Neal was probably one of the original bloggers, because --- very early on in the modern Internet --- he was posting his program notes on his website.

Neal's a great host. Irreverant, humorous, and innovative, his latest book is titled with his personal philosophy: Somebody's Gotta Say It. He also authored The FairTax Book with Congressman John Linder, an acquaintance from my law school days. He's also an attorney, having graduated from the same law school as I, Emory (my guess is that the ever-politically-correct Emory doesn't think much of what either of us are doing for a living).

Chris Core on WMAL is good. But I believe I'll be listening to Boortz from now on.

Talk radio in the Nation's Capital just got a whoooooole lot more interesting.

A Milestone Approaching

It seems that one of my hit-counters is fast approaching 100,000 hits.

Who will be the lucky browser? How could I possibly tell who it is?

I regret that I am not computer-savvy enough to find out.

A Good Start

Just received an e-mail from the House Speaker's office, outlining GOP legislative initiatives to deal with illegal immigration.

General Assembly Republicans Unveil Proposals to Address Illegal Immigration
-House & Senate Leaders Advance Measures to Increase Cooperation with Federal Law Enforcement-
-GOP Legislators Unite Behind Proposals to Preserve State Benefits for Legal Residents-

RICHMOND, VA – At a news briefing today, Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) and Senate Majority Leader Walter A. Stosch (R-Henrico), joined by Senator Jay O’Brien (R-Fairfax) and Delegate David B. Albo (R-Fairfax), unveiled a package of legislative measures to address the Commonwealth’s growing influx of illegal aliens and the challenges of providing costly government services and other benefits to them.

The package of legislation includes both proposals that would allow state and local authorities to cooperate with federal immigration officials, as well as strengthen Virginia’s enforcement capabilities in dealing with illegal immigrants who have committed additional crimes. In addition, the proposals would preserve the benefits of state-supported higher education, including lower tuition rates, to legal residents and those with valid student visas.

“Honest, law-abiding Virginia taxpayers have had enough,” declared Senator Stosch. “The time has arrived when we can no longer count on the federal government. In Virginia, we will have to step up and take actions that will preserve the integrity of the delivery of state services, ensuring that they go only to legal residents. We will not promise what we can not deliver. We will hone in on effective measures that the state can take to address the legitimate concerns of our citizens.”

The package of legislative proposals outlined by the Republicans included:

• Mandating that all local Sheriffs, upon a lawful arrest for a crime, confirm that person’s legal presence in the United States using the nationwide databases of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This change will streamline and strengthen statewide immigration enforcement.

• Ensuring that at least one person on duty in every jail at all times has been certified under federal 287(g) authority (named for the section of federal law that allows more effective cooperation between federal immigration officials and state and local governments). This change means that, upon a positive identification of an illegal alien, there will be a person with federal authority readily available to detain and begin deportation proceedings, after that individual has served his or her sentence.

• Creating a presumption of no bail for any person who has been charged with an offense punishable by jail or prison time and who has been determined (through ICE databases) to be illegally present in the United States. This change will help stop controversial “catch and release” activities, one of the primary ways illegal aliens currently pass through existing government systems unchecked.

• Making a federal conviction for hiring illegal aliens grounds for suspension of a business license issued by the Commonwealth of Virginia. This change will serve as an effective deterrent to the unlawful hiring of illegal aliens.

• Prohibiting illegal aliens from attending Virginia public institutions of higher education unless they have a valid student visa. Recognizing that college entrance slots are fixed and limited, this change will preserve state benefits for in-state students and their families.
  

The legislators characterized the Republican proposals as common sense measures to provide more effective enforcement of existing laws and improve coordination between federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities. They also reaffirmed their commitment to restraining the growth in government spending by preserving taxpayer-supported public benefits for those legally residing in the United States. Republican lawmakers indicated that their proposals will continue to be honed between now and January, as they anticipate some legislators will have additional refinements and ideas to be considered during the

2008 General Assembly session which starts January 9. However, they expressed the support of their respective caucuses for the measures detailed at today’s news conference.

“As highlighted by the 400^th Anniversary commemoration at Jamestown, America is a nation of immigrants,” said Speaker Howell. “Our nation and this commonwealth have long been and must always remain a bright beacon of hope and opportunity, a shining place where we welcome new members of the American family. As the foundations of society are based on the rule of law, those who come here are expected to abide by those laws, including the rules that allow entrance to our country. Permitting illegal aliens to circumvent the rule of law not only undermines the integrity and well being of our society and stretches thin limited taxpayer resources at all levels of government, but is an injustice to those immigrants who followed the lawful path in coming to Virginia and the United States. Today, we have unveiled a package of common-sense proposals that deal with this challenge in a thoughtful, measured and responsible way.”

All in all, it sounds like a good start.

The Larry Craig Imbroglio

I've been listening to radio coverage of the burgeoning Larry Craig (R-Idaho) scandal, and I've got to say that I'm confused.

WMAL reports that he's been outed. Craig denies that he's a homo. The Left (you know: the guys who reflexively defended the Great Prevaricator against credible rape charges, aside from serial fondles of aides) is screaming "Hypocrite!"

The evidence seems to me to be rather thin, a combination of a smear campaign by a hostile Idaho newspaper, built upon a bunch of "he said; he said" claims by agenda-driven homosexuals (yes, there is a radical homosexual agenda).

And it all seems to be built on a charge leveled against Craig based upon actions which suggest some kind of secret homo bathroom code.

I don't know if Craig is a homo. Contrary to what some might think, I don't much care at this point, so long as he's not pushing the radical homosexual agenda. Quite the contrary, his public life has been devoted to protecting traditional families.

Of course, he's never going to be able to use the public facilities ever again.

Let's Play The Joe Stanley Game

With the sturm und drang over Joe Stanley's stunt --- linking an ODBA-like domain to the website for the vile organization NAMBLA --- many ODBA members have been rightly fulminating with outrage. I've even said a few things, here and here.

Now, I have a confession: before this little contretemps, I neither knew nor much cared about who Joe Stanley was.

I do now.

It seems that Stanley has now published a commentary on Ben Tribbett's website about his behavior. Since it is so hideously idiotic, and may soon disappear, I reproduce it in full below. Stanley's diatribe is little more than McCarthyism, since it attacks the entirety of the ODBA --- including those, like me, who until a few days ago wouldn't have known him if we tripped over him --- as an organization akin to group advocating the raping of little boys.

Now, as the father of two adorable little boys --- and having once been one (a boy, that is, not "adorable") myself --- I have a non-existent level of tolerance for those who prey sexually upon them. I therefore personally believe that Joe Stanley is due a good horse-whipping. But never mind that.

Those who are not inclined to read the entire turgid and rambling study in the considered sanctimony of the far Left need only focus on the relevant portion, in which Stanley equates actions by certain ODBA members with child homosexual rape:

While the end product is far less repugnant than pedophilia, no fewer individuals are hurt by the organization.

Boy! Old Joe has a point! And now you, too, can play along with the Joe Stanley Game! Just fill in the blank ("While the end product is far less repugnant than pedophilia, no fewer individuals are hurt by ______________") with your favorite organization or disasterous Federal socialist welfare program.

1. "While the end product is far less repugnant than pedophilia, no fewer individuals are hurt by [the Democrat Party]."

2. "While the end product is far less repugnant than pedophilia, no fewer individuals are hurt by [quotas]."

3. "While the end product is far less repugnant than pedophilia, no fewer individuals are hurt by [EMILY's List")."

4. "While the end product is far less repugnant than pedophilia, no fewer individuals are hurt by [labor unions]." (That one's for you, Lowell).

5. "While the end product is far less repugnant than pedophilia, no fewer individuals are hurt by [Ranting Kids... er, Raising Dough... er, Raising Kaine]."

You can do it with individuals, too.

6. "While the end product is far less repugnant than pedophilia, no fewer individuals are hurt by [Tim Kaine]."

7. "While the end product is far less repugnant than pedophilia, no fewer individuals are hurt by [Mark Warner]."

8. "While the end product is far less repugnant than pedophilia, no fewer individuals are hurt by [Bill Clinton]."

9. "While the end product is far less repugnant than pedophilia, no fewer individuals are hurt by [Teddy Kennedy]."

And there you have it: the Joe Stanley Game! Smear your favorite political opponent by claiming that he or she "hurt[s]" "no fewer individuals" than those who would homosexually rape young boys.
_________________________

Here is the entire, pathetic piece:

The Old Dominion Blog Alliance and Their Tactics of Terror

The Old Dominion Blog Alliance is a loose collection of individuals who blog in order to promote a conservative political agenda. That, in and of itself, would be great if that was all it was.

Unfortunately, this group’s most vocal members are a coven of ill-informed, fulminating, bullies so overwrought with political passion that they have lost all sight of fairness, civility, and discretion. Their detachment from reality has led them so far off the path that they know no bounds, no extent, and no depths to which they will not stoop.

After these gutless invertebrate have spent weeks conspiring to destroy an individual for holding a belief or idea that was not pre-approved by the ODBA they then scurry and cry foul when responded to. The sanctimonious among them quote the Old Testament with forked tongues and their chief pettifogger steps away from busting rocks to promise frivolous lawsuits.

The less vocal members of this organization sit on their hands and shake their heads. “It’s not us! We didn’t say anything!” It somehow fails to dawn on them that they have lent this organization credence by lending it their names. Abraham Lincoln once said, “To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men."

These silent sheep are being used as virtual shields to protect the lowest of the ODBA.

In the early summer of 2007, I volunteered my services to Senator Roscoe Reynolds. I believe Senator Reynolds is a strong advocate for Southwest Virginia and all working Virginians. The extent of my volunteer services was to build a pro-Reynolds site. Quite frankly, Mr. Evans poor showing in this race leaves Senator Reynolds virtually unopposed. He has no need to even mention Evans’ name, much less talk about his character or lack thereof.

Unfortunately, Evans’ campaign manager and cowardly ODBA member Alton Foley spoon fed his fellow bloggers some reality-altering kool-aid. It is their fantasy that if they can bloody Reynolds on the net then they’ll beat him at the ballot box. Their first attack on Senator Reynolds was for “hiring” me and a rehash of their outrageous attacks upon me from the 2006 cycle.

What they don’t understand is that attacking the staff, much less a volunteer doesn’t push votes. That is process–inside baseball–and no one cares. When their attacks failed to take root they became harsher, continuing their attacks upon me and my business. They were very persistent and never let the facts get in their way.

Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. Here. And Here.

Don't forget this one where Kat Wilton advises, "Politics is a hard-hitting and frequently rough arena for people to play in, and if you can't take the heat, get the bloody hell out of the kitchen!" I suppose that is a one way street.

It was apparent that the attacks were coordinated and getting more and more personal. When the ODBA cannot win by promoting their ideas, they try and bully everyone else out of the room. If they scare off the staff and volunteers, in their mind, what will Reynolds do? He’ll win. He will win either way because he is the best man in this race and one of the best in the Virginia Senate.

At some point, I was angered at being attacked for no reason and more so by having my business and livelihood targeted. I decided to speculate the domain www.olddominionblogalliance.com. At that point I was still opposed to domain names of the individuals involved.

At no point did I ask anyone for their advice or consent on the path I was taking. What I do in my time is my business and my business alone.

I started to point it to a prominent Democratic site, but I don’t know of anyone who wants to be associated with these hate mongers and flat-earthers. I considered pointing the domain to a jihadist web site to draw a comparison on the extremism present in both groups. While I think the ODBA and their ilk eat away at the very core of what we are as a nation, I don’t think the ODBA is anti-American so decided to look elsewhere. One group stood out as equally loathsome and cowardly.

NAMBLA is an organization that advocates a set of beliefs that turn my stomach. Through misinformation, prevarication, and a false sense of earnestness, they pursue a predatory agenda that brings direct harm to countless innocent individuals. Their primary defense is the first amendment.

It is my opinion that the ODBA conducts itself in much the same way. While the end product is far less repugnant than pedophilia, no fewer individuals are hurt by the organization. The main distinction I can make between the two organizations is that NAMBLA believes in the first amendment, and ODBA only believes in their right to free speech.

I said as much to Jim Riley in an email when I was first asked about the domain.

This was not a joke, a prank, or any other kind of political horseplay. I meant the comparison. In short order, the ODBA proved my point once again. They were shocked that someone would fire back. I had sullied their “good name.” They quoted scripture, made fat jokes, threatened me and promised lawsuits. None of this bothers me as I would expect no less from these miscreants.

They have fabricated my right to political free-speech into a scandal on their blogs. They even issued a laughable press release on a Saturday morning.

They have lied about and attacked my business associates, social acquaintances, and anyone even remotely connected with me. When that didn’t get them anywhere these jackals then attacked my deceased mother, and are now going after my minor-aged daughter. One member, a Portsmouth, Virginia police officer who has a daycare center operated out of his home, published my home address and phone number to the web while his cohorts made unspeakable accusations regarding my fitness as a parent.

The genesis of all this hysteria was a free, positive web site for Sen. Reynolds.

The ODBA is out of control. They need to be stopped.

- Joe Stanley

The only one who needs to be stopped, dearest Joe, are those who would equate their political foes with the lowest of the low, individuals whom even the criminal element hold in contempt.

Richard Viguerie's Ten Suggested Replacements For Alberto Gonzales

An outstanding list:

Chris Cox, Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) since 2005. Received his JD from Harvard Law School. Associate Counsel to President Reagan. Member, U.S. House of Representatives, 1989-2005.

Miguel Estrada, nominated in 2001 to U.S. Court of Appeals for Second Circuit (D.C.), but filibustered by Democrats.

Jim Gilmore, former Virginia Attorney General (1993-1997) and Virginia Governor (1998-2002). From 1999 to 2003 chaired the Congressional terrorism commission known as the Gilmore Commission. Chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2001-2002.

Edith Jones, nominated by President Reagan and now chief judge of U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The other finalist for the Supreme Court vacancy given instead to David Souter. Had the honor of being named one of five worst judges in Texas by the liberal Texas Observer.

Ed Meese, Ronald Reagan’s distinguished Attorney General. Though retired, he is active with the Heritage Foundation and would undoubtedly agree to serve his country again for a 17-month interim term.

Ted Olson, U.S. Solicitor General 2001-2004. Assistant Attorney General in the Reagan administration. Successfully litigated Bush v. Gore. Wife Barbara K. Olson was passenger on hijacked airplane on 9/11.

Priscilla Owen, federal judge on U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Previously a justice on the Texas Supreme Court.

Charles W. Pickering, Sr., appointed by President George H. W. Bush to U.S. District Court for Southern District of Mississippi. In 1976, he chaired the subcommittee of the Republican Platform Committee that called for a constitutional amendment to overturn Roe v. Wade.

William H. Pryor Jr., Alabama Attorney General from 1997 to 2004. Presently a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Rick Santorum, former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, where he was chairman of the Senate Republican Conference.

I would add Bob McDonnell to the list, too. The difficulty here will be getting any qualified Conservative past the rabidly partisan Democrat-controlled Senate. We shall see.

WaPo Panders To The Islamo-Nazis

Thanks to Waldo and Salon.com, we learn that Pravda on the Potomac ... er, The Washington Post is pandering to Islamofascists by refusing to run two weekly editions of Berkeley Breathed's Opus strip (ironically, distributed by the Washington Post Writers' Group) because of its humorous take on Islam.

I wonder when the last time was that Pravda on the Potomac ... er, The Washington Post declined to run something because it might be offensive to Christians?

Banned For Insufficient Moonbattery

It seems that The Richmond Democrat is updating his blogroll to remove The Daily Whackjob from the blogroll listing those on "the Left."

The sin of those from DWJ? According to TRD, "the owner and contributors of 'The Daily Whackjob' served as useful idiots and then did everything they could to shift the blame for their role."

I don't know what "their role" was, but equating the ODBA with the freaky perverts of NAMBLA seems to have been a project of Joe Stanley (primarily), with an assist from Ben, but with no aid from DWJ. DWJ's sin really seems to have been that its contributors condemned this stunt with vigor, rather than the "Move along; nothing to see here" attitude of most of those on the Left side of the Virginia blogosphere.

I know that this is probably anathema to the blogosphere, but frankly, it would be refreshing if the adults on both sides asserted themselves to end the carnage.

The perpetrators of this stunt should be political poison to anyone who associates with them. Equating Conservatives with NAMBLA is so far beyond the pale that it virtually defies one's ability to condemn it. Rendering them political pariahs strikes me as the most appropriate --- and effective --- response. Just as political operatives who attempt to enlist the criminal justice system to kneecap their political enemies should be ostracized, so should those who violate simple rules of decency to demonize their political opponents.

As David Ben-Gurion once commented, "Forgive, but never forget."

Moreover, threats of legal action strike me as empty, with little chance of success. While it violates my "union's" rules to recognize it, it is a stone-cold fact that not every wrong can be righted by litigation. Particularly in the rough and tumble arena of the blogosphere.

Irony, Sweet Irony!

Well, I've been out-of-touch a little lately, with the family in Alaska on vacation. More later (like, when I can figure out how to download some photos onto my laptop).

In any case, in my absence, it appears that some Democrat consultant has decided to purchase a domain name similar to the Old Dominion Blog Alliance, and link it to a website for NAMBLA, the "North American Man-Boy Love Association."

NAMBLA is a group of perverts advocating legalization of pedophilia. I first heard of it years ago, when I bought a book called Best, Worst, and Most Unusual, which listed that organization (along with one with the truly nauseating motto "Sex before eight, or else it's too late") as the "worst" organization. And no, I won't find a link to it and put it here.

What's ironic is that a Democrat consultant, one whose party is formally affiliated with legalizing/normalizing the perversion which is homosexuality has accused the ODBA --- which is, so far as I have ascertained, largely against mainstreaming homosexuality --- of advocating perversion. Jim Riley has this consultant's apologia here.

The typical sanctimony of the far Left is fairly dripping from his communique.

And the irony is worthy of an Alanis Morrissette song.

Quebecois Victorious: Canada Abandons English Altogether

OK, not really. But it appears that our friends to the North don't even know what "marriage" means, since they allow perverts to call their couplings "marriage."

H/T to Daily Whackjob. I doubt he wants it.

Demonstrating The Non-Existent Values Of The Far Left

More moral relativism from our friends on the far Left, skewed even by their "standards": from Lowell, one of the chief lunatics at Ranting Kids ... er, Raising Dough ... er, Raising Kaine, we're offered this little gem:

China's government undoubtedly does some nasty things in its own country and around the world, but it's certainly not Nazi Germany.

Gee, Lowell, you're right. After all, the Communist dictators of China make Adolf Hitler look like a piker, when one compares their relative accomplishments as mass murderers.

I suppose Lowell subscribes to the old Red creed "No enemies to the Left!"

Jenna Bush Engaged To Henry Hager

The daughter of the President of the United States, Jenna Bush, is engaged to Henry Hager, son of the former Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, and current Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia.

Unless I'm mistaken, this could provide the opportunity for the first White House wedding since the Nixon Administration.

Congratulations to Jenna and Henry, and to the families.

Oh, The Arrogance

Via Ranting Kids ... er, Raising Dough ... er, Raising Kaine, we learn of another far Lefty's dismissal of the first decade of the Twenty-First Century as "the Stupid Decade."

It is this level of self-satisfied arrogance (remember: it's not arrogance if you are actually as good as you think you are) that makes me hopeful for the future of Conservatism.

New Virginia Traffic Offense

As a "damn Yankee" --- I was told long ago that the difference between a Yankee and a damn Yankee is that a Yankee goes home --- I worried when I came south of the Mason-Dixon line for college and law school that my Pennsylvania tax would be a big, fat target for the local constabulary.

Well, I found that this --- along with quite a few other stereotypes about the South --- was false, never having had the occasion to answer the question "Do you know why I stopped you?" with the flip remark "Uhhh, out-of-state tags?"

With the new abuser fees, one has to wonder whether those passing through Virginia have obtained a license to speed. After all, what officer in his right mind --- when faced with two vehicles committing the same "serious violation," one with out-of-state tags, and one with Virginia tags --- is going to stop the out-of-state driver?

Yet another perverse incentive created in the name of government revenue.

Lucas Appeal At This Point Designed To Lose Race

Given all of the sturm und drang over Tom Kopko's nearly-two-month delay in deciding Julie Lucas' appeal attempting to overturn the results of the 51st District Convention, it is necessary to get ahead of the curve.

Lucas has now waited a week, but there is no hint that she will appeal from Kopko's ruling. Now that a decision has been made, further delay serves only the cloud the nominee, which is certainly the goal of the Gill-haters. Is it Lucas' goal? One could certainly make that case, based upon the lack of merit to her appeal.

If she appeals to the 11th Congressional District Committee at this point or later (she has thirty days), having temporized for a week, one is hard-pressed to conclude that her goal is other than to smear the nominee, given that it will force the appeal into prime campaign season.

I hope that she doesn't do so.

Will Julie Lucas Appeal?

Haven't heard anything about this, but one wonders whether Julie Lucas will appeal further from the ruling, discussed here, rejecting her attack upon the convention nominating Faisal Gill to carry the GOP nomination to succeed Michele McQuigg in the House of Delegates.

As I've said here and elsewhere, the ruling seems to me to be unassailable. It highlights the rather embarrassing fact that Lucas failed to do that which is necessary to perfect an appeal, as well as rejecting her complaints on the merits. None of the commentary about the decision amounts to more than an ad hominem attack on Tom Kopko, who is a committee of one constituting the 51st District Legislative Committee. He issued his opinion one week ago today.

Lucas has thirty days to file her appeal, per the State Party Plan. Given that one of the many complaints leveled against Kopko was the length of time that he took to make his decision, one wonders whether it's safe to conclude that her failure to appeal means that she has determined to accept her defeat and rightly focus her energies on retaining her School Board seat.

Welcome Missive From An Old Ally

Received a note from an old ally in the YR battles, someone who is now watching the Gill/Nichols race to succeed Michele McQuigg with much interest. He/she has given me permission to post it anonymously:

I don't know if you remember me or not, I was a TAR and YR back in the 90's who worked on campaigns like French Slaughter, Mark Siljander, Mike Farris, Ollie North, etc. Lots has changed since then.

I have been purposefully absent from politics for the 10 years - and this is reinforced by some of the hate filled folks who are attacking Faisal Gill. I have never met him, but I do cringe when people attack him for being associated with others who may have said things that are politically incorrect.

I noticed your very honorable, and thoughtful comments on bvbl.net - and wanted to thank you. I remember long ago, when you were backing Farris when you once said that (I'm paraphrasing) "some people just want to be around their own kind, and frankly, I'm getting tired of what is class-ism in our Party". You expressed, rather eloquently then, as you continue to now, your frustration against those who seek to divide rather than unite - those who want a closed society not based on beliefs or values, but hatred.

Isn't it ironic - that those who malign folks like Faisal and his supporters - overtly refer to him as a "terrorist" - and they are in fact the ones who share the ideology of hate that the terror networks espouse.

I hope you and the family are well. All the best,

The differences between this individual and the Gill-haters are stark. Unlike those smearing Faisal Gill, this individual was willing to sign his/her name. And while I sure don't remember saying anything quite so memorable as he apparently remembers, it is certainly gratifying to hear from someone who thinks you once did. And it is entirely a pleasure to reprint here his contribution.

Many thanks to the individual in question. One can only hope that he/she will be willing to re-enter the fray, lest it be left to the likes of the nutroots in places like Ranting Kids ... er, Raising Dough ... er, "Raising Kaine," as well as the Gill-haters.

Perhaps Not This Week

This blog doesn't normally talk about fictional television shows. I spoke about the cancelled CBS series Jericho a few months back.

Nevertheless, I'm a big fan of cable dramas and comedies, and am of the opinion that some of the finest acting on television appears on FX Network shows like Rescue Me, The Shield, Nip/Tuck, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Riches, and Damages.

Members of the Young family are also big fans of USA Network original series like The 4400, The Dead Zone, Psych, Burn Notice, and Monk.

The more that I think about it, though, the more I think that I won't let my boys watch this week's advertised episode of Monk. Tony Shalhoub is, of course, brilliant as a detective suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Nevertheless, there's just something a little weird and wrong about a show in which a middle-aged man is going to be charged with talking about sex to the teen-aged daughter of his assistant, who is not a family member.

Gill-Haters Outraged; Electorate Yawns

As I read more and more of the mostly-anonymous/pseudonymous commentary attacking Tom Kopko's decision rejecting Julie Lucas' effort to reverse the results of the 51st District Republican Convention....

Well, OK. It really doesn't attack Kopko's decision. It attacks, variously, Kopko, Gill, and anyone who has bothered to read (or authored) the various governing Party Plans. The decision itself hasn't been "attacked" at all, since it is virtually unassailable.

Nevertheless, I'm reminded of a comment that Judge Robert Bork made at the Federalist Society's 1988 Student Convention, held in Charlottesville. I had occasion to attend, as the Emory chapter's president (one of my professors told me upon my return to Atlanta that he had spent the weekend watching me on C-SPAN in the foreground as Bork spoke).

One of the comments that Bork made at his keynote dinner address was to quote former Hampden-Sydney political science professor Jim McClellan, who observed that those attacking Bork "aren't Liberals, really. I don't know what they are. Nihilists, maybe?"

Yeah. That works.

51st District Committee Rejects Lucas Appeal

Opened my e-mail this morning, and found that the 51st House of Delegates District Committee --- a committee of one, PWC GOP Chairman Tom Kopko --- has rejected Julie Lucas' efforts to overturn the results of the Convention nominating Faisal Gill. The decision was issued early this morning, according to the time stamp on my e-mail.

Kopko's ten-page opinion is virtually unassailable. It initially rejects the Lucas appeal as entirely out of order, in defiance of Roberts' Rules of Order, but goes on to note that it lacks merits on the facts, as well.

To my mind, the heart of the decision is here:

It is noted that throwing out entire precincts because of an over-vote [the remedy sought by Lucas] would encourage the practice of voting sabotage. If throwing out entire precincts were the proper remedy, an unscrupulous candidate would simply ensure his opponent's best precincts were over-voted and thereby invalidate a large portion of the opposition votes. This is yet another reason why wholesal jettison of legal votes is not a proper solution.

More immediately, the Lucas Appeal requesting that entire precincts be thrown out is a request to disenfranchise the voters of these precincts. While, again, it is a misapplication, at least RONR says that, "the entire ballot is null and void and a new ballot must be taken." (emphasis added) The Lucas Appeal did not request a new ballot. The Lucas Appeal's remedy to throw out entire precincts' votes is rejected in every case.

It must be further noted that the convention minutes show that the Lucas camp sought to invalidate just the Lake Ridge precinct which favored her opponent so heavily that, when eliminated, would have changed the outcome in Lucas' favor. The Committee further notes that the suggestion during the convention of applying the same rule to all over-voted precincts was rejected by the Lucas camp; doing so would not have changed the outcome in her favor. In the Appeal, Lucas seeks to also invalidate a second precinct that was won by her opponent. The Committee deplores the very idea of disenfranchisement but looks especially dimly at the suggestion when it changes the election outcome in the complainant's favor.

Appeal Ruling, pages 8-9. While Kopko didn't say so in so many words, it is utterly clear that the Lucas camp attempted to play the rules for its own advantage, rather than seeking strict adherence to the rules no matter the outcome.

Al Gore, call your office.

I used to think better of Julie Lucas than to believe she would allow such activity to go on in her name, though many --- not all, by any means --- of those who number themselves as her most vehement supporters has always given me pause.

Now that the Committee has ruled, Julie has the option of appealing, and cementing her "Sore-Loserman" credentials, or uniting the Party, endorsing GOP nominee Faisal Gill, and steeling herself to a race against a radical to retain her School Board seat against a challenge from a man who is clearly a radical.

One hopes that discretion is the better part of valor in this case. However, it remains to be seen whether her supporters are motivated more by what is best for the GOP, or by their hatred of Faisal Gill and those who work most earnestly for the Conservative agenda of the GOP.

However, that is not the case in one more-read corner of the blogosphere: Greg Letiecq is already spreading falsehoods about the ruling:

Kopko’s decision here essentially argues that it is inconsistent with Robert’s Rules and the Republican Party Plan for anyone to challenge a convention result after the convention ends. In effect, if you can rig the result of a convention and manage to hide the details of the subterfuge long enough to have a convention gavel a convention to a close, there’s no recourse. That’s quite a concept.

Of course, that's not what Kopko said at all. To the contrary, as to one part of the appeal, he noted that "the time to challenge the credentials report is during the convention, not afterwards," and that "no challenge to the credentials report was made at any time." Appeal Ruling, page 3. Therefore, "Applying RONR page 247, ... the appeal is not in order." Similarly, as to Lucas' efforts to disenfranchise entire precincts, Kopko notes that "RONR page 247 requires that a question be appealed at the time, i.e. during the convention, for a ruling to be later criticized," and that "The Lucas Appeal must follow on from a challenge to the chairman at the convention." He also accurately notes that the challenge that was contemplated at the convention was withdrawn. Appeal Ruling, page 3.

So Greg is wrong in his premise and in his conclusion. He asserts that the ruling means, in effect, that "if you can rig the result of a convention and manage to hide the details of the subterfuge long enough to have a convention gavel a convention to a close, there’s no recourse." But of course, as the Convention minutes make clear, the "subterfuge," if any, was known to the Lucas camp, and it failed to preserve its rights by appealing to the Convention.

One might conclude that the "brain trust" --- charitably described --- of the Lucas camp was too ignorant to know this. One might also conclude that the Lucas camp was well aware of the fact that --- as the election results demonstrate --- it lacked the votes to prevail, and simply didn't bother, preferring instead to slime the winner with specious allegations of wrongdoing.

And we all know that Greg wouldn't have anything to do with a venture such as that, don't we? We also know that sliming the winner and challenging his legitimacy is something that's just not done (see far Left commentaries on GWB's "selection"), don't we?

Sad to say, Greg has quite a few nihilistic --- but largely anonymous, and therefore cowardly --- readers and commenters who will believe every word he spews, and the facts be damned.

Happy Nuke Day!

On this date 62 years ago, a virtually unprecedented era of peace --- peace in the sense that there was not a catastrophic war between the world's major powers --- was ushered in with the use of the first atomic bomb, Little Boy, dropped from the Enola Gay on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, the last atomic shot to be fired in anger was aimed at Nagasaki, Japan.

I'm proud to say that two other native Pineknotters --- i.e., natives of my hometown, Northumberland, Pennsylvania --- played key roles in accomplishing this mission. General Uzal G. Ent was the officer who chose Colonel Paul Tibbetts to lead the 509th Composite Group, the outfit that accomplished the mission. A man much younger than Ent, also from Northumberland, Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk, was the navigator on Tibbetts' plane, the Enola Gay. He later told me that he bought his first Pontiac from my grandfather, a local automobile dealer after the war.

While the far Left, those who believe that you can appease your way to peace, and other moonbats are bemoaning the development of atomic weapons and their use to end the most devastating conflict in human history, realists recognize that it probably was only the existence of such weaponry and fear over their use which has prevented the devastation and catastrophe of another direct major power conflict for the last 62 years, and counting, a period unrivaled since the years after the Congress of Vienna (1815).

So Happy Nuke Day! Contrary to what you will read elsewhere, the Nuclear Age is something we should be celebrating, not bemoaning.

The End Of Anonymity

Haven't posted much recently, due to other obligations.

However, a post from about a week ago provoked a number of comments. They were rather silly, but I am getting rather tired of anonymous little weasels who cast aspersions yet lack the courage and/or integrity to sign their names. Of course, I have railed elsewhere against the type of cowardly, anonymous smears that are as nearly as common in the blogosphere as pornography is on the rest of the Internet, i.e., the Number One business.

So I've gone and done it. Henceforth, if one wishes to comment, one must sign one's name. If you are afraid to do so, well, then, you can just spread your bile elsewhere.

If you therefore can't comment, well, then, good riddance to bad garbage.

UPDATE: Well, it's nice to see that at least one person agrees. For those few of you who care, recognize that this decision is made in recognition of the fact that fairly regular, respectful, entertaining commenters like "MOM," for "Marty's Oversized Melon" (respectful to me, anyway), may no longer be able to comment. That is a loss. Sadly, the scum of the anonymous blogosphere tends to outweigh --- or at least outshout --- the good.