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Sunday, December 25, 2005Bush and the "Great Liberator"I can't help myself on this one. Conservative blogs such as Power Line are watering down the spying on American citizens by invoking what has to be the worst example of all -- President Abraham Lincoln -- which has devolved into a comparison of the Peace Democrats of 1863 with the Peace Democrats of 2005. The argument proceeds - Lincoln sqashed dissenters during the War Between the States, therefore Bush by all rights can squash dissent today. The wisdom of Lincoln: As president and commander-in-chief, he suspended habeas corpus, used martial law, instituted military trials, and exercised power to the limits of his constitutional authority in a manner that illuminates the loose nature of those limits when confronted by necessity. Yet Lincoln preserved the rule of law and became the Great Liberator.Naturally, since Lincoln did all of this, then Bush certainly should be able to spy on you, right? Now comes the sqashing of dissenters, courtesy of the "Great Liberator": Perhaps best known is the case of former Ohio Congressman Clement Vallandingham. As commanding general of the Department of Ohio, Ambrose Burnside prohibited 'the habit of declaring sympathies for the enemy.' In the spring of 1863, Burnside had Vallandingham arrested for violating the order in a speech calling the war 'wicked, cruel and unnecessary.' As Farber recounts, 'he called upon his audience to [use the ballot box to] hurl 'King Lincoln' from his throne.' The echoes of Vallandingham in Senator Kennedy's column this week are surely inadvertent. The Peace Democrats of 1863 nevertheless sound remarkably like today's Peace Democrats.Yes yes, 1863 and 2005 are different times, but the insinuation isn't terribly difficult to see, and it's despicable. Should the NSA be spying on Americans? No - it's against the law. Should we condone the acts Lincoln took to secure the Union? No - it violated the very rule of law he sought to uphold, the consequences of which fuel the "bend but don't get caught breaking the law" mentality we've inherited today... Why on earth do we conservatives have to play apologist to those in power before the rule of law? Did it really take from 1994 to today to become so drunk with the idea of governance that we've forgotten what being a conservative is? Merry Xmas!I'll be leaving this afternoon out of BWI to go see my family out in Missouri for a week. Just got back from Mass, kids are opening presents, coffee is being brewed, and I... am blogging. Merry Christmas everyone. For a real treat, read this editorial from the FLS's Dave Smalley. Saturday, December 24, 2005NORAD Tracks Santa!It's Christmas somewhere! Track where Santa is right now! This is the 50th Anniversary that NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa. The tradition began after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. store advertisement for children to call Santa on a special "hotline" included an inadvertently misprinted telephone number. Instead of Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief's operations "hotline." The Director of Operations, Colonel Harry Shoup, received the first "Santa" call on Christmas Eve 1955. Realizing what had happened, Colonel Shoup had his staff check radar data to see if there was any indication of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Indeed there were signs of Santa and children who called were given an update on Santa's position. Thus, the tradition was born.My kids loved this. I get a feeling we'll be visiting every hour or so (even inbetween the Redskins game). Friday, December 23, 2005Elect Chris Peace for DelegateProbable 97th District GOP Candidate Chris Peace has one of the best website designs I have seen in a long while. Great stuff! Just needs a campaign blog... Mary's veil? A condom.The Jesuits in charge of America have done it again, this time missing this: The apparent prank by a London-based artist offered what he called the "Extra Virgin" statue for sale, "a stunning ... statue of the Virgin Mary standing atop a serpent wearing a delicate veil of latex."Now, how did the Jesuits at America respond? "We're Jesuits," Martin said. "I don't think you could have found anyone in the editors' room who has seen a condom." The mention of a "veil of latex" failed to register, he said.Anyone buy that? The most progressive Catholic magazine in the United States who actively participates in debates concerning whether Catholics should use contraceptives -- and no one on the advertising department, the editorial staff, or folks on the print floor said "hey wait a second... that's a condom!" Of course, all this has done is heaped more shame upon the Catholic Church in America from around the world. America magazine was in hot water in May, when its previous editor, Rev. Thomas Reese, quit under Vatican pressure after printing articles examining issues such as gay priests, Vatican secrecy or the use of condoms to prevent AIDS.Anyone familiar with America knows that topics such as contraception and homosexuality have been primary topics of debate in their pages. To the liberals and progressives on staff at America to shuffle-step and argue ignorance is playing faithful Catholics for fools - which was precisely the point after all. Disgusting. One more reason the progressives are dying off, and the faithful, more traditional Catholics are flourishing. For all the Groh-haters out there
Groh's offensive coordinator Ron Prince was named head coach of Kansas State; defensive coordinator Al Golden will take over head coaching duties at Temple; outside linebackers coach Danny Rocco will lead Liberty; and inside linebackers/special teams coach Mark D'Onofrio will join Golden's staff.Now you can't tell me for one second that, with all of this talent on staff, that Groh is the problem at Virginia. It's a super-competitive ACC that makes winning that much more difficult. Give UVA football time. If Pete Gillen were still coaching UVA basketball, Virginia would be awesome this year... Thursday, December 22, 2005Cato: Budget Cuts Not Cutting ItCourtesy of the friendly folks at the Cato Institute: 'The Senate yesterday passed nearly $40 billion in spending reductions in a furious pre-Christmas finish marked by testy floor debate and a rare tie-breaking vote cast by Vice President Dick Cheney,' Knight Ridder reports. Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies at the Cato Institute, comments: 'Passage of the bill is an important symbolic victory for fiscal conservatives in Congress, but the bill would reduce baseline spending by just a microscopic 0.3%. Note also that the bill would not actually 'cut' spending, it would just slightly reduce the explosive growth in programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.0.3% you say? My... we should all be so grateful for the crumbs off such a table. Edwards is right. 0.3% of a budget that is exploding with tax dollars isn't a step in the right direction - it's a bone tossed to conservatives to keep us quiet. Just like any baseball club not performing to its potential, conservatives should have the guts to throw the ball back into the field. When Republicans start ending federal programs, then I'll be impressed. Underfunding programs isn't conservative, it's just half-assed. Virginia Centrist: Challenging Allen, Part IINow the conversation has turned towards who would benefit, not necessarily a win in 2006, but a loss against Allen and a comeback in '08. Some good comments (if you're a Dem). However, recall Jim Miller against Oliver North in 1994, and the boomerang in 1996 when he tried to run against John Warner. Warner is still a U.S. Senator... All this aside, however likely or unlikely the Dems will put up a viable challenger to Senator Allen, Republicans cannot become complacent in 2006. Ask Jerry Kilgore about 10-point leads and complacency. Wednesday, December 21, 2005Tell us how you really feel...Courtesy of The Political Teen, an 77-year old Iraqi voter offers her thoughts on critics of President Bush and America: "Anybody who doesn't appreciate what America has done and President Bush, let them go to hell"With video goodness. Betcha won't see this on CNN, eh? Virginia Centrist: Challenging AllenVirginia Centrist has this post regarding who - if anyone - can seriously challenge Senator Allen in 2006. For the most part, he's right: Running a credible Senate campaign against a longtime incumbent requires a few things:All of that is true. However, I can think of two notable exceptions that might buck that trend. Leslie Byrne might be a socialist, a liberal, a feminist, a name-her-whatever-you-want. But despite having been beaten by Bill Bolling, for a Northern Virginian so radical to run so well has to raise an eyebrow. Ancedotally, she seems remarkably personable, and if we add to the stack of wood the fact that 2006 just might shape up to be a Democratic backlash, who knows? Byrne just might - might - be able to pull it off. Of course, she is entirely contrary to just about every single policy position conservatives hold dear. She might fire up the NOVA base, but conservative across the Commonwealth would turn out to both punish her and coronate George Allen as the '08 nominee. Virginia Dems running Leslie Byrne is the political equivelant of pushing all their chips into the center of the table... if they win, stop the presses. If they lose... However, there is another consideration that I believe would be one hell of a race. Chap Petersen outraised his opposition 3 to 1. He has statewide name recognition, time on his hands, is young, and is of the same mold as Kaine and Warner. Furthermore, Senator Petersen would be the ideal cheerleader for Warner's '08 Democratic presidential bid. Can you see the kickoff now with a victorious Petersen and Governor Kaine holding the raised hands of Presidential candidate Mark Warner now? It would be the perfect launching pad for a new Democratic Party that so-called centrists would prefer over the Howard Dean faction. Question is, can he pull it off? Or will he have the same problems with his base as Kilgore did amongst conservatives? My answer to this is that Petersen can certainly do it. He had plenty of Young Democrats working for him during the primary. Furthermore, Petersen has what Byrne cannot do: run to the right of George Allen. Where? Abortion. Petersen supported the defunding of Planned Parenthood, supported the ban on partial birth abortion, and supported legislation that made the killing of a unborn child a separate crime in commission of a homicide. Granted, the man is still pro-choice (safe, legal, and rare), but Allen's pro-life record isn't all that stellar either, which means pro-lifers who typically are motivated to vote for candidates such as Bill Bolling will have to be convinced. If they have to be convinced, then they are "in play", and if so then Petersen can certainly muddy the waters. The difference will come down to taxes. If the Warner approach is more palatable in 2006, then David can certainly knock down Goliath. However, if the conservative base is up in arms, Allen is uniquely positioned as a tax-cutting, no-nonsense, libertarian-leaning "Jeffersonian conservative" that can take any and all challengers. Democrats have a choice between a very liberal candidate in Leslie Byrne that can bleed Allen in roll of the dice, or a not-so-liberal candidate in Chap Petersen that could certainly do rebuild the DPVA's future. Byrne cripples, Petersen builds. That's the way I see it. The question the Dems have to answer is where do they want the party to go? If with Byrne, then the lessons of 2000 and 2004 have gone unheeded and we'll continue to run candidates like George Bush (and for as moronic as the radical Dems continue to lambast that man, I submit to all that this "moron" Bush beat both Prince Albert and John Kerry). If Petersen, the Dems are taking that critical step to the right and the GOP needs to rediscover what its roots are (I've opined on what I think this will be once before) in order to win. Petersen is the reason why the GOP cannot fight over so-called moderates and centrists. They aren't limited government types, they aren't pro-life, they aren't going to cut taxes and lessen the size and scope of government's power. Fighting for the middle is ludicrous for the long-term health of the party... unless we really want to see the Libertarian Party become viable. Republicans take notice: Don't believe the hype about Allen being invincible. Kilgore was invincible with a 10-point lead. The Democratic bench is deeper now than it was two months ago thanks to a Kaine victory. When the Virginia Dems figure out who they are and what they stand for, they are going to attack with everything they have. Republicans have a year at most to figure out where we stand, act on those principles, and fend off the Democratic challenger in 2006 - whomever that person might be. ApocalyptoMel Gibson has released a teaser trailer of his upcoming movie Apocalypto. Tuesday, December 20, 2005How 'bout that Darrell Armstrong!Dallas Mavericks guard Darrell Armstrong is a true Redskins fan: As part of the pregame ceremonies, guard Devin Harris wished the crowd a happy holiday. Then Armstrong, who wasn't scheduled to speak, asked for the microphone. He added his holiday wishes, then made his fine-inducing proclamation, a twist on a famous line by former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson.After uttering his "How 'bout them Redskins!" comment, he was promptly fined $1000. Someone ought to pass the collection plate! Monday, December 19, 2005Say No to RINOsA possible addition to the ODBA might be in the works. Say No to RINOs is lookin' good (and a product of Norm, Rick, and my admonishments to the Tuesday Morning Group last week). The name of the blog says it all. I'm tired of Republicans In Name Only (RINOs) from the federal level down. We need some conservative Republicans with a spine to stand up for what they believe in. We need less legislation, regulation, and taxation.That's less legislation, less regulation, and less taxation. Excellent. Pope Benedict XVI to France: Man up...and do something constructive after the riots rather than ignore them: Pope Benedict said on Monday that France had to heed the warning from the riots that rocked cities across the country last month and urged the French to do more to promote racial integration.Given JP II's focus on the younger generation, B16 is certainly following the trend. Interesting nonetheless that the secular French government has only seen fit to deride and attack the youth, while the Vatican condemns the violence yet seeks understanding. And we're the close-minded fanatics? Sunday, December 18, 2005WE WANT NEW YORK!Oh my... what a game, what a crowd. After witnessing first hand the 35-7 drubbing received by the Cowboys by the Washington Redskins, I can tell you this team is ready for the playoffs. The crowd was into it, the team wanted the win, the atmosphere was electric, and the poor Cowboys just could not compete. Dallas looked terrible. Bledsoe was rattled by the crowd, and it showed. With Pittsburgh winning against Minnesota, and Tampa Bay losing as well, the playoff picture for the Skins just keeps getting brighter and brighter. Saturday, December 17, 2005Cowboys vs. Redskins!I'll be at the game in Section 111 thanks to a good friend of mine. Here's hoping that Kansas City can pull it off against the Giants in the 4th quarter! And for the first time in a long time, my wife's New England Patriots found a willing cheerleader in me as they punished Tampa Bay... GO SKINS! Friday, December 16, 2005F-22 is operational...Oooooo... General Ronald E. Keys, Commander of Air Combat Command, made the historic announcement at Langley Air Force Base, Va., from a Raptor hangar near his headquarters. 'The F-22A fulfills a long quest to bring 5th generation capabilities of stealth, supercruise, and precision to the warfighter today and for decades to come,' said General Keys in an Air Force news release. 'If we go to war tomorrow, the Raptor will go with us.'Twelve are operational now, with a full 107 to be implemented by the end of the contract with Lockheed Martin. How cool is the 5th-generation warplane? Think F-14 speed, F-15 weapons, F-117 stealth, A-6E radar, a Tomahawk missle (two JDAMs to be precise), Tiger Woods, and LaVar Arrington all rolled into one. Now imagine a bunch of those bad boys being unleashed on some primitive socialist terror-supporting backwater dictatorship anywhere in the world? Enemies of freedom; look out! Thursday, December 15, 2005Spotsylvania Republican Women's DinnerJust came back from the Spotsylvania Republican Women's Unit Christmas Dinner, with former Lt. Governor John Hager as the keynote speaker. Hager had plenty to say about Homeland Security and President Bush's leadership on education. Worth the talk. Naturally, there was the passing of the torch to new leadership (congratulations Cheryl!) and it was well attended given the weather conditions. The SRWU has really come into it's own over the last few years, and I'm very happy to see them emerge as a constant, steady resource. They, along with the Dominion Republican Women's Unit (primarily Stafford, but overlapping into Spotsy) and the Susan Allen Republican Women's Unit in Lake of the Woods (Orange County, overlapping into Spotsy as well) really represent what the GOP should be about. Of course, the real buzz wasn't the even the 17th or 4th Senate Districts (though Stuber and Yakabouski were present). The talk is the McDonnell recount. Folks are interested in helping out in any way they can, which is great news for folks like me. Christmas time is always a bit touchy for volunteers for much of anything, and in Spotsylvania even more so thanks to our commuter population. To see people fired up about McDonnell is, in short, refreshing. People are taking the recount very seriously and are very suspicious of any Democratic 11th hour dirty tricks ("Where did that 2000 vote lead go to?" was the question, followed by a wink and a smirk). The news from Spotsylvania, for what it's worth! Ya'alon: Saddam's WMD Moved to SyriaIDF Lt. Gen. Yoshe Ya'alon re-asserts that Saddam's WMD stockpiles went to Syria shortly before Operation Enduring Freedom began: The Israeli officer, Lieutenant General Moshe Yaalon, asserted that Saddam spirited his chemical weapons out of the country on the eve of the war. 'He transferred the chemical agents from Iraq to Syria,' General Yaalon told The New York Sun over dinner in New York on Tuesday night. 'No one went to Syria to find it.'The Israelis aren't the only ones who believe this, as the article continues: An Iraqi politician, Mithal Al-Alusi, whose sons were both assassinated in Iraq last year, told The New York Sun's Eli Lake last month that his party would press the Iraqi government to renew the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Mr. Al-Alusi said he believes Saddam clearly had the weapons before the invasion. "They will find the weapons, I am sure they will," Mr. Al-Alusi said.Despite all of this, despite the assertions in 2003 by the entire intelligence community that believed Iraq had WMD, can reasonable people still maintain we were lied to by the Bush administration to go to war? When the IDF's top general says Iraq had WMDs, that's probably a good indication they were there - especially since Israel was the target of SCUD attacks in 1991 that could very well have carried chemical or biological weapons if so desired. The 10 Most Puzzling Ancient ArtifactsWeird, but cool. Don King: Republican?This I did not know. More thoughts on the riots in SydneyLebanese Muslims have targeted Lebanese Christian churches in Australia: On Tuesday, Cardinal George Pell asked gangs of Middle Eastern descent not to target Christmas celebrations, after families were abused and gunshots fired into cars at a primary school's carols night in western Sydney on Monday.The reason why this is worthy of mention is because this is the plight of many Christians in the Holy Land. In Nazareth for example, the Israelis will mistreat the Palestinians because they are Palestinian, while amongst the Palestinians the Palestinian Muslims will attack the Palestinian Christians because they are not Muslim. In Australia, the dynamic seems to be no different. Stateside, I hear that kind of talk all the time, Arabs and Muslims seemingly an interchangable term, and most always associated with some form of reference to being a terrorist, a fanatic, or some paraphrasing of Team America's "dirka, dirka, Muhummad jihad" nonsense. Now with the last name of Kenney, I certainly don't get anything direct unless I see it going on. I can remember shortly after 9/11, my brother working in a Borders was called a dunecoon, sand nigger, and "one of them" for telling a group of people (not kids, grown men) to quit harassing a Muslim family. He proudly announced that he was Lebanese, and he got blasted for it. You hear it in bars, coffeehouses, from Democrats and Republicans, sensible conservatives and open-minded liberals. Does this mean I'm against the war on terror or any of that? Heck no. But it does mean that I am much more sensitive to the violence shown towards Arabs than most, and it has certainly opened my eyes to the idea of racism. It was always the counter-argument "you don't know what racism is like, you're not (fill in your ethnicity here)" that always trumped debate on what society owed to oppressed groups, because it was entirely ancedotal. Post 9/11, I can truly say that I have an understanding of what that meant. Society generalizes because it is an easy, efficient way to categorize and deal with perceived problems. We've done it to Native Americans, the Irish, Catholics, Slavs, African-Americans, the underclass through eugenics programs, Jews, Latinos, and now Arabs. Is it part of human nature to act in this way? I'm beginning to think so. But perhaps this is why, at least in the American experience, education has always been the first and best tool to fight prejudice? The right to be stupidSeems as if someone has decided to start a publication in Spotsylania entitled The Aryan Alternative: The 16-page paper, The Aryan Alternative, is loaded with venom against blacks, Jews, Mexicans and others.One of the prices of living in a free society is hearing stuff you don't want to hear, even stuff that is simply beyond the pale. Of course, what is the best prescription against bad speech? Good speech. And sometimes, certain ideas simply don't merit a response. FLS: Raze Maury School, city planners are toldThe calls for demolishing Maury School are picking up. With the price tag for repairing the interior and replacing the roof slated at $8 million, I can understand why this would be a recommendation. I have an idea. Move City Hall to Maury. The City of Fredericksburg is begging for offices. Some offices moved into Executive Plaza awhile back (the large, 1970's era monstrosity downtown), and $8 million to refurbish a school is far less than the cost of a new building in a similar area. In addition, it would be plenty of room for city government for years to come, and the auditorium could be used for community events. Parts could be gifted to the Arts Center (or the "old" City Hall could be turned into a museum or kept as office space itself), and by planting our "foot-on-far" out towards Kenmore Avenue, it would definitely help the businesses on William and George Streets respectively. Move City Hall to Maury! I think this would be a teriffic and judicious use of city resources, spur business along William Street, and most importantly keep Maury School. Vote QandO!Three clicks is all it takes to vote QandO! Once a day every day! Wednesday, December 14, 2005The Decline and Fall of the Roman EmpireHans Mast's nine-year old sister has taken up Gibbon's magnum opus, emulating Thomas Edison. Hmm. I wonder if I could get Jonathan and Matthew reading the Summa Theologicae by the time they are nine? At least the condensed version... Tuesday, December 13, 2005Commonwealth Conservative: More on the 17th Senate districtIt looks as if the speculation has begun in earnest. I'll tell you what I know from sources close to the ground... Edd Houck has not been offered a spot in the Kaine administration, and there has been nothing to suggest it is even on the table. All this having been said, I have spoken with both Jay Hughes and Chris Yakabouski, as well as a handful of other probable contenders. There has been zero movement from among the Democrats in Spotsylvania, and zero indication Houck would take the spot if offered. The 17th is a very Republican district, so it isn't a stretch to say the next state senator will more than likely be a Republican if Houck moves out. Are the Dems willing to lose a seat? I doubt it. Open seats are like fumbled footballs. A lot of folks from both sides of the team scramble for the ball. One problem here though: no fumble yet. So until the hammer drops... be still, O blogosphere. UPDATE: Wow. Not only Commonwealth Conservative, but Too Conservative, SST, and GOPHokie have all gotten into the game. Heh! You guys know something I don't? CATO: How Republicans Became Big SpendersIs it any small wonder why conservatives are rallying 'round the flag? President Bush has presided over the largest overall increase in inflation-adjusted federal spending since Lyndon B. Johnson. Even after excluding spending on defense and homeland security, Bush is still the biggest-spending president in 30 years. His 2006 budget doesn't cut enough spending to change his place in history, either.Bush outspends LBJ. What is going on?! Keep Voting QandO!Duty calls! Keep voting for ODBA's QandO for best group blog! Tuesday Morning GroupFirst time having been there, and needless to say I was impressed! Norm has already touched on some of the conversation (McDonnell looked very relaxed and confident), and I was gratified to see that blogging has broken out of the periphery and into the mainstream in terms of information (practically everyone raised their hands when asked if they read blogs). Good news is that some folks seemed interested! Good! But how? May I suggest: (1) Find a group of people interested in blogging, or go it alone! Good examples of group blogs would be places like Bacon's Rebellion, Commonwealth Watch, and Sic Semper Tyrannis. It helps if you have a wide group of people with similar interests who all enjoy talking about a specific set of issues. Alternatively, you have one man shows such as what you see here. Whatever you feel will be the most effective, go for it! (2) Take the plunge! Blogger is the most popular website for blogs online, but there are other places such as Typepad. There are many other online communities as well that offer blogging-type services, but for worry-free starts, Blogger might be your best bet. Just follow the instructions, pick your template (and Blogger has some very good templates) and e-mail me if you have questions... (3) Get blogging! Here's where stuff becomes fun! Post something great: a good op-ed, the reason for the blog, a good policy idea, who you are, anything to get going. (4) Take a tour of the Virginia blogosphere. If you're reading this, you've started here... but check out (and link to) other websites as well. Everything on the left is a great read! Be sure to comment on posts you like on other websites -- it's a good tip to others to check out what you have to offer. That's the quick-and-dirty how to manual. Hope to see a flush of great blogs emerge soon! Monday, December 12, 2005That Vision ThingPhil Rodokanakis takes it to 'em again, this time on vision in the House of Delegates and raising taxes: One person that gets the vision thing is Lt. Governor-elect, Bill Bolling (R). In a fiery speech he told the faithful,“We understand that the best way to keep government small and focused on its core responsibility is to let working Virginians and their families keep more of their hard earned money and the government take less. That’s why we believe in keeping taxes low for Virginia’s families and businesses.”Agreed. Conservatives will be very keen to watch who will and who will not be representing our values this 2006 session. January 3rdThe special election in the 4th District will be held on 03 January 2006. Thought folks might want to know! Did you know...Voting begins today in Iraq to elect a new parliament. Of course, don't feel bad if you knew Cindy Sheehan's shoe size before you knew of this important step -- who bothers to report on success, right? Far better to report on the 'quagmire' in Iraq rather than point to the successes there - as well as in Afghanistan. Sunday, December 11, 2005Last chance to VOTE!QandO needs your final vote this Sunday! Go vote and give them that last push! Bacon's Rebellion: Sen George Allen Fixes His Position, Protects His FlankJim Bowden offers this bit of insight on Senator Allen's repudiation of hate crime legislation: Sen. Allen's position helps him with his Right Flank during the 2006. But, frankly, I am surprised and pleased to see this movement when the conventional wisdom is to moderate, mush, weaken, pander, pacify and wimp Conservative positions to run for President in 08.Hooah indeed, and to hell with "conventional wisdom". Raising Kaine: Are Virginia's Conservative Blogs More Effective?Short answer? Yes. Why? (1) Conservatives make a better, systematic argument for their cause. That is an entirely ancedotal reason (refuted easily by reading Waldo Jaquith and Virginia Centrist), but I think most neutral observers would say conservatives are much better at articulating it's political philosophy than the left-wing of the Democratic Party. (2) Liberals who truly believe in the principles of the Democratic Party tend to be way too extreme for Virginia politics, and therefore unpalatable. (3) The conservative blogosphere seems more "mature" than the liberal one, for no other reason than we have been doing it longer and instinctively look for alternatives to the MSM for our news. (4) Republicans are socially trained to look for alternatives to the Washington Post and other so-called liberal news outlets. Democrats aren't, so why bother with blogs, etc. Just some quick, on-the-fly thoughts. We are in much better shape than the Dems, but the folks at Raising Kaine are right - to what ends? Mob of 5,000 attacks Middle Easterners in SydneyThis bothers me tremendously: One of the messages had urged 'Aussies' to take revenge against 'Lebs and wogs'. Another urged locals to rally at a point on the beach today to take retaliation against 'middle eastern' gangs.I read this as I just finished reading an article concerning Pope Benedict XVI's appeal to Catholics in Rome about preserving Christian identity against materialism. This is really the root of the "clash of civilizations." Will the West approach with dialouge or violence? And which West will approach - the secular West or the Christian West? If secular, will it be the free market or the socialist version? If Christian, will it be Pope John Paul II's vision of a secular yet identifiably Christian culture, or will it be the more violent fundamentalist tack that pervaded the Crusader period? Ironically, the "Lebs" (Lebanese expatriates fleeing the Ottoman purges from 1880-1920 and the 1975-1991 Civil War, I imagine) are ambassadors of a cultural crossroads between Islam and the West. Lebanon has a large Maronite Christian community, Lebanon was the site for the Crusader citadels of Acre and Tyre, and Lebanese Christians remained to absorb Islamic culture long after the Crusader states had been swept away. Lebanese history and culture has much to offer and much to teach. My family on my mother's side is Lebanese, and I wince every time I hear someone today speak Arabs as ragheads, towelheads, or terrorists as if the culture could be dismissed and crushed into nothing. Alternatively, every time I hear a secularist whine about the challenge of Islam I can't help but rage at the cultural selfishness we've grown in the West concerning materialism and abortion. Not only have we pruned the next generation to the point it cannot support its elderly, the Muslim population continues to grow to the point of emigrating to Europe and elsewhere. This is why dialouge, ecumenism, and the preservation of Christian identity are so very important for the West. The alternative is for the West to be remembered for our fanaticism, rigidity, and secular approach that bathed the 20th century in so much blood. NLS: Dotson for Attorney General?The gentle push begins? All this speculation for '07 and '09 is too much for me. Granted, we all do it. Still, so much can happen in the course of a month that all this speculation - while entertaining - is ultimately useless in the long term. There's only two things that count: grassroots and message. Hold both and you win. Four years is an awful long time to muster both, but there's a reason why the establishment is established, you know... Legacy of the Baby Boomers... and how the next generation might judge their legacy. Interesting article. Saturday, December 10, 2005Is Lieberman a Right-Wing Extremist Too?I can't help but snicker whenever I read the calls for a watered-down approach to conservativism, especially when I read how the radical liberals in the Democratic Party are tearing Senator Lieberman to pieces over his stance on Iraq, among other issues. Liberal physician, heal thyself. Still, the fact that Bill Clinton and Joe Lieberman are steering the Democratic Party more to the right in recent years gives all the more evidence that the American political electorate has indeed taken a step to the right. We're more conservative than ever, and Lieberman's distance from the radical liberal position is just one more notch in the shellelagh. The reason why Democrats are promoting so-called "centrism" is simple: conservatives are winning. So long as we can continue to stick to our ideals and effectively put them into practice - and not become enamored with the idea of "being in power" - we'll win the fight to bring that power back to families and individuals, and out of the hands of big government. FLS: Ballots will not be rescannedSo this is what the big hullabaloo was about: A three-judge panel dealt a blow yesterday to Democrat Creigh Deeds' efforts to get all ballots recounted in the attorney general's election.Ideally to prove that if there is a discrepancy between the scan and the official results, then Deeds would have other options in court. Ah, for 20 December to come and go... Friday, December 09, 2005A Very Beazley ChristmasSkip to about 5:40 to see President Bush end a White House controversy. "You have to remember the true meaning of the holiday season." Holiday season? Oh, say it ain't so, Mr. President... The daily reminder...Take ten seconds and vote for QandO as best group blog. Blogroll (of sorts)Seems to be all the rage to ID what one considers to be the top blogs in Virginia (and elsewhere - blame NLS). I guess mine starts with whatever I have on the ol' blog aggregator. Sure there's good blogs and bad, and some I read just by linking (if you're on the ODBA, I check in all the time). The cool thing about blog aggregators is that new posts come in like e-mail, so you can check 20 websites and get five or so new posts from different people. Not too shabby... So in no order whatsoever, here's my list: The (not so) Daily Me: Recent addition, but I'm impressed as hell. CATO Unbound: I think I caught word of this from Norm, but I'm intrigued as to how this is going to turn out. Experimental blogging styles are always interesting to watch, and frankly as a debate format, I like it. FLS Letters to the Editor: Local paper here in Fredericksburg. Thankfully they have jumped on the RSS bandwagon. Mason Conservative: The man watches his soaps (WWE for those less cultured), and tells it like it is. Another recent addition to the list, and a good read. Virginia Centrist: It's always nice to read a Democrat's thoughts who truly lives up to the centrist title... even though VC is still a lefty in my book. Good common sense stuff. What impresses me more is that VC can be convinced on the merits. Much respect for VC, glad he came back to the Virginia blogosphere. China e-Lobby: D.J. McGuire's long running tabs on the Communist Chinese government. I can't say enough about what a resource this is; a classic case of summarizing the news the MSM doesn't have the time or inclination to do. QandO: Home of the New Libertarian (for which I owe Jon an article) and probably the most in-tune with my political leanings at the moment. Whatever "neolibertarianism" is becoming, Suarez and Aquinas would approve. Waldo Jaquith: You and I both know it. Waldo is hands down the best Democrat(ic) blog in Virginia. Disagree with the content all you want, his posts and style often leave the partisan in me going "hey, wait just a damn minute..." then pausing for an adequate response before shuffling off to do something I deem more important at the time... in short, you're doing yourself a great disservice not reading Waldo's blog. Rick Sincere: Heck, I guess I just read this hoping the RLCVA gets started in earnest! Not Larry Sabato: Ben Tribbet's little train that could. It's a rumor mill, it's sharp commentary, it's funny, and never quite too full of himself. I've never read anything here that was off too terribly, and he's quick to call out BS. Plus, he nailed the dynamic in the 54th in June, so I can't help but give him credit for a race well called. PNS News: Short for "Philosophy News Service," this has the potential to be a huge hit. Not very productive as of yet, but I'm sure it'll pick up as the spring semester rolls back into session. Bacon's Rebellion: If there's one thing cooler than reading Bacon's Rebellion online web magazine, it's reading Bacon's Rebellion in blog form. The best place to instigate some real solutions in Virginia. If conservatives figure out the difference between policy and practice, you will read about it on Jim Bacon's blog first. CNet News: Yes yes yes, I read all the tekkie news... Commonwealth Conservative: What could I possibly add to the Godfather of Virginia's conservative blogs? Some might cringe at yet another blog placating itself at the foot of CC, but the "Instapundit of Virginia" title isn't undeserved. Great job Chad. Commonwealth Watch: My earliest favorite (even before Commonwealth Conservative), I really miss the days when this site was hopping! Poli Amateur seems to keep injecting life into the project. Hope to see it keep coming. J's Notes: Kenney the Younger as he is now known, Jason was the one who got me started into blogging. I blame him for this, and you should too. Lew Rockwell: Anti-war, anti-state, anti-everything. Every once in awhile something good comes out of this, but I have very little patience for the Rothbardian anarchist approach to the world. Fanciful, but this old Aristotlean believes otherwise! One Man's Trash: I gotta play favorites, and Norm over at OMT is my favorite Virginia blog. Norm has a talent for striking at the root and leaving nothing left of a bad argument. More often than not I read and say "hey, that's right! I gotta use that!" Awesome stuff, usually my first read. Open Source Intelligence (OSINT): Heavy traffic Yahoo list, but I know everything that is going on hours before anyone else. Sic Semper Tyrannis: If ShaunKenney.com did not exist, I would beg to join this group blog. Not only do I get good politics, I get good ACC stuff too. And just because I can: Go Hoos. SkepticalObservor: Last but far from least, James Young stomps 'em. When he sets his thoughts to blog (paper? bah...), you know you're in for a treat. Dems don't like it too much, but SkepticalObservor is red meat for Republicans. That's it! Americans for ProsperityI think they're for real guys. Returning from the Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania meeting of AFP, I have to say I'm interested. I asked Rob directly what - if any - collaboration there would be with existing organizations (VIPP, TJI, Club for Growth) and it seems as if AFP is keen to work with all three, but to a much lesser extent with the Club for Growth as AFP cannot endorse. Privately, there was a bit of heartburn regarding Rob Whitney's past having worked for Tom Davis and Sean Connaughton. Furthermore, I know there is a lot of talk AFP is really a front for a Davis/Connaughton/moderates-trying-a-different-tack to peel off some of the conservative anti-tax base. However, given the speech I heard from Rob and talking with him briefly, he is either gung-ho and believes in the mission, or is bluffing us all and doing a really good job at it. Surrounded by former Del. Harris, Del. Saxman, and Jim Miller, I believe the former. TABOR came up more than once, as well as a laundry list of effective grassroots organizing. In short, if a tax hike even surfaces in 2006, you can bet that AFP will do everything in it's power to activate the grassroots. If there is a path to limited government, Americans for Prosperity's approach is tackling the spending side of the issue, not the tax side. Get control of spending, then we can get control of taxes; so goes the argument. In effect, it will be what our think-tanks have been mission all along: a do-tank. Looking forward to the statewide meeting in January. Thursday, December 08, 2005The (not so) Daily MeHans Mast. What I can't believe here is that (1) the content is so good, and (2) that this fella is 17-year old himself. If you haven't made this part of your daily read, go check out the (not so) Daily Me. Good, good stuff there. Virginia Humanities Conference on EthicsSo I finished reading my recently picked-up Autumn edition of Virginia Quarterly Review (thanks Waldo for becoming their webmaster - would never have picked it up otherwise) and towards the end I see there is a Conference on Ethics being sponsored by the University of Mary Washington. The wheels in my mind got turning. Mrs. Kenney casually offered I should submit a paper of ethics and blogging, with a more fanciful title of course. Not a bad idea at all, considering Virginia's political blogosphere is probably one of the more advanced in terms of quality and networking. Deadline is 10 January 2006. We'll see if the lightning bolt hits me. Wednesday, December 07, 2005Go vote!Go vote for our friends at Q and O for best group blog! A day of infamyDecember 7th, 1941. Be sure to thank a veteran today for their service, and let today be a reminder that freedom is never free. OMT: House GOP AgendaNorm has his take on it: At least that's what we learn here. Looking over the list, most of the items seem rather...pedestrian.That's what I was thinking. Not much to get excited over, which means Governor Kaine will be dealing the cards this session. Tighten your belts and hold onto your wallets, it's gonna be a bumpy ride... Bacon's Rebellion: A Blow to Virginia PunditryBarnie Day, after helping to collect his magnum opus on Virginia politics, has laid down his pen in pursuit of better things. Entirely understood. Best wishes. Tuesday, December 06, 2005SST: Generation Why... and congratulations to Chairman Andrew Lamar of Mary Washington, who was elected state chair of the College Republicans this weekend. Much to the dismay of some. I supported Andrew from my lowly position as Spotsylvania GOP Chairman, both through endorsement and monetarily. Here's why: (1) I know from whence the UMWCRs have come. Mr. Lamar has revitalized that group. (2) The CRs at Mary Washington are top notch, involved, energized, and simply an outstanding bunch. I can't say enough, and while we all know no one does it alone (Mr. Lamar had a lot of help), it takes a degree of leadership to get it done. (3) Lamar can bring that "can do" spirit to the CRs in Virginia. I disagree with the assessment over at SST that the CRs are a useless and meaningless organization. To the contrary, this is where the future leaders of the GOP are. When they graduate, it is they - and no one else - that will grease the wheels of the Republican machine. As a local chairman, I can't tell you how many times the CRs have bailed us out of tight spots, dropped literature, made phone calls, or done a number of things for our local and state candidates in the area. I'm sure SST's Mr. Coleman is upset with the loss, and that's to be expected. I can only ask that he work just as hard into turning the CRs into what he wants it to be. I think Andrew would welcome the support. Sunday, December 04, 2005Israel: Bashar Assad? A-OK!Regime change in Syria? Not if the Israelis have a say in it: At a strategic-dialogue meeting this week among senior officials, Israel laid out for the United States three scenarios if Bashar Assad is toppled: chaos, an Islamist regime or another strongman from Assad's minority Alawite sect. Israel fears all those options, saying Assad provides a measure of stability.This isn't interesting for what it says, but rather how it is said. Firstly, the article talks about scenarios "if Bashar Assad is toppled," meaning that for all intents and purposes the Bush Administration is backpedaling on nation building and moving more towards decapitation as a method of regime-change. Secondly, given the choices (chaos, Islamic fundamentalism, or a new leader), we can infer one of two things: (a) Either Assad is a willing broker for peace, or (b) Assad is utterly incompetent and the Israelis like that. Whether the administration likes that assessment is another matter altogether. But it does seem as if nation building such as we're seeing in the new Iraq is no longer the first method of removing dangerous regimes to American interests. Allen: Stick to principlesFrom the RPV Advance courtesy of WaPo reporter Chris Jenkins: Sen. George Allen rallied fellow Virginia Republicans to his 2006 reelection campaign Saturday, telling them that he would stand for low taxes, energy independence and opposition to 'activist judges' on the U.S. Supreme Court.Sounds familiar, doesn't it? GordonsvilleMrs. Kenney and the family went out to Historic Gordonsville today, where we stopped off at the 007 Cafe (James Bond themed, so to speak) and the Exchange Hotel, a Civil War museum where Santa Claus himself was there at 3:00pm! A great afternoon trip. Very glad to have toured the downtown district and visited the Museum. Gordonsville is a neat little town, provided they can keep it that way -- the Silver Companies have bought up a bunch of land in that area and are trying to develop it against the wishes of the folks in the town. The "Don't Supersize Gordonsville" signs were in number and in force coming into the town, reminding me of the "Don't Fairfax Fredericksburg" bumper stickers some years earlier... Saturday, December 03, 2005Sargeant: No ifs, ands, or rebutsBob Sargeant has always been one of my favorite local editorialists (Arch DiPeppie and the late John Goolrick being among them), and he offers an excellent rebuttal for the short-sighted apologists for the whitewashing of Islam: The Golden Age of Spain under the caliphs was a long time ago, and tolerance was spotty, at best. Look around: Beheading, the "honor killing" of female relatives who have sex outside of marriage (even if a, say, a sister is raped), punitive amputation, and stoning are no longer practiced in the West.You can't get much better than this! Dishonest politics a threat to morality
'We need reminding of our gullibility. But what explains our gullibility and our passivity when we discover that we have been deceived? It seems that we expect no higher standard of honesty from our public institutions.Bold statement, and he's right. The article is here, and the book can be found here.
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JEFFERSONIAD POLL: Whom do you support for Virginia Attorney General?1) John Brownlee2) Ken Cuccinelli AboutShaunKenney.com is one of Virginia's oldest political blogs, focusing on the role of religion and politics in public life. Shaun Kenney, 30, lives in Fluvanna County, Virginia.ContactThe Jeffersoniad
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