Shaun Kenney | Politics and Religion in Virginia's Public Square

Thursday, August 31, 2006

When Raising Kaine Goes To War...

So let me get this straight: an independent organization gives Senator George Allen an award for his support for historically black colleges. Radicals on the left find out about this, and what do they decide to do? Threaten and cajole the donors of the Thurgood Marshall Foundation:

Do the Thurgood Marshall people realize that George Allen's cuts to education, when he was Governor, took a disproportionate amount away from Virginia's historical African-American universities - Norfolk State and Virginia State? Do they realize that Sen. Allen voted AGAINST programs that improve education for minorities and communities? That he voted against approximately $24.5 billion for Head Start programs? That he voted AGAINST eliminating testing requirements even if Title I programs that aid students in low-income areas were not fully funded? That he voted against increasing Hispanic education funds by $210 million?

Now, in what way does George Allen deserve an award from an organization that bears the name of the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States?

Now typically I don't relay stuff from Raising Kaine, mostly for the way they communicate their viewpoint. Still, sometimes the most ungentlemanly thing you can do is make an obscure man (or in this case, blog) feel their obscurity.

Folks, this goes way over the edge.

Placing pressure on the Marshall Foundation is ludicrous, and the things said in the comments section about the Thurgood Marshall fund is way beyond the pale:

The "fund" gave an award to -- drum roll -- GOPPER Michael J. Steele in 2003 . . .

Rick Santorum! Now there's a fine model of tolerance!

The people giving Allen this award are thuming their nose to Thurgood Marshall, His Family and endorsing Allen's associated with the CCC(KKK) and his remarks to Sidarth.

(T)he TMSF just an organization that is careful not to bite the hand that feeds it? Or are they active supporters of these right-wingers? Who do the members of TMSF give to?

Start calling everyone, press, the people giving this award, black leaders, EVERYONE.

Now folks, I'm getting awful tired of the "Republicans = Racists" meme the lunatic fringe of the Democratic Party continues to spew out unchecked. Personally, I take offense not just at the fact that Republicans presumably can never be on the side of equality, but if organizations like the Thurgood Marshall Foundation are so inclined to recognize Republicans they are immediately branded as disingenuous, or worse for those who remember what Democrats did to Michael Steele in Maryland.

And this isn't the first instance:

Pelting Michael Steele with Oreos? Perfectly acceptable behavior for Dems.

Calling Condoleeza Rice a "house nigga"? Just a harmless comic.

Speaking of harmless comics, no worries if Democrats use caricatures to emphasize the Jewishness of their primary opponents (as if that were something to be ashamed of).

Senator Biden is free to make comments about "speaking with an Indian accent" at 7-11's, but Biden is still considered a Democratic contender for president.

My grandfather was a member of Citizens United for Action (CUA) back in 1964. He ran against the poll tax, and for his stand he came in second-to-last place right next to the African-American candidate for Fredericksburg City Council. He ran as a Liberal because he believed in equality as a virtue despite background or race.

My grandfather would be ashamed at what the Progressives are doing today.

Classic case of a vocal minority blackmailing the Thurgood Marshall Foundation for political points. Thurgood Marshall himself certainly never gave in to such tactics, and shame on Lowell and the radicals at Raising Kaine for threatening his namesake.

The Internet’s Role in Political Campaigns

Interesting reading:

The results clearly showed that while Web use by political candidates increased dramatically since 2002, politicians are still failing to take advantage of all the Internet has to offer. Ninety six percent of this year’s Senate candidates have active websites, while only 55 percent of candidates had websites in 2002. While most candidates use a set of core Web tools, the majority of candidates are refraining from using newer and more sophisticated Web strategies, such as blogs and podcasts, on their campaign websites. Only 23 percent of Senate candidates are blogging, just 15 percent offer Spanish alternatives to their websites, and an even smaller number of candidates, 5 percent, maintain podcasts. In contrast, between 90 percent and 93 percent of candidates offered biographies, contact information, and online donations on their websites. It is obvious from these results that despite a general increase in the use of the Internet for political campaigns, candidates are still hesitant to pour finite financial resources into new campaign strategies.

You can download and read the PDF here.

Richmond War Room: The Webb Challenge

Is Jim Webb committed to victory in Iraq? This is an outstanding question for the entire Democratic Party, not just for Secretary Webb. Not Buck Turgidson has a few other questions too...

GOP Vixen: Pinocchio converts to Islam

Oh my.

I read a book awhile back entitled "The Well Protected Domains," a book that explained the condition of the Ottoman Empire during the late 19th century, especially with regards to multiculturalism and freedom of religion. The Ottomans were obsessed with culture, imposing it in virtually every aspect they could.

It seems as if some of their heirs haven't shaken the old ghost yet.

Dr. Moss Passes Away at 90

The Moss Free Clinic is a well-known charity in Fredericksburg, and Dr. Moss a herald of a bygone era of personal visits and personal touch.

Dr. Moss passed away Monday at the age of 90, but his legacy lives on:

The Moss Free Clinic gave older doctors like himself a chance to continue that intimate style of medicine, increasingly threatened by government entitlement bureaucracies, HMOs, liability suits, and other harpies of modernity. Meanwhile, younger doctors, nurses, dentists, and other health-care experts could, as volunteers, enjoy a respite from medicine-as-business and revel in medicine-as-calling. Nearly 400 such professionals now pitch in at the clinic, which last year served some 1,400 patients--most decent, hardworking people not old enough for Medicare, not poor enough for Medicaid, and not lucky enough to carry employer-provided health insurance.

Now I never had an occasion to visit the Moss Clinic, but I know plenty of folks who did. What's more, I don't know of many places in Virginia that offer the same type of volunteered service to their community.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Gasoline prices could keep falling

Good news from the USA Today:

"The only place they have to go is down," says Fred Rozell, gasoline analyst at the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS). "We'll be closer to $2 than $3 come Thanksgiving."

$2/gal isn't bad at all, though "closer to $2" could mean $2.49/gal as opposed to $2.51/gal... ah, semantics.

That should mean better news for the economy too. It just goes to show how smarter technological innovation and the pressures of the free market make a better impact than government interference (or Democratic rhetoric).

Jim Webb: On the Issues Part 1

You gotta love this, straight from the horse's mouth too. Jim Webb asks himself on his website: "What's the greatest challenge today facing America?":

There are many challenges facing Americans today: an unpopular war, skyrocketing health care costs, a shrinking job market and rising inequality in society.

Setting up for the answer, right?

I believe in the strength of American character and the ingenuity of the American people.

Me too, but that's not an answer...

With the right leaders we can overcome all of these obstacles.

True, but where's the answer Jim?

America doesn't lack ideas, it lacks leaders willing to stand up and make courageous decisions.

You said that, Jim. What's the "greatest challenge" facing America, Jim?

I have fought — and continue to fight — to protect American values.

Okaaay...

I fought in Vietnam with the hope that the Vietnamese might share the same freedoms we enjoy.

Yet if those people were say Iraqis or Afghanis, who cares, right?

I fought as a congressional committee counselor to guarantee our veterans the treatment they deserve.

You and every other politician running for office.

I fought as Secretary of the Navy to maintain the excellence of our military.

And failed, but thanks for trying...

I fought, pro bono, on behalf of countless veterans and refugees, in order that they might have their voices heard in the vast government bureaucracy.

ANSWER YOUR OWN QUESTION, JIM!!! Last chance... drumroll please...

And I will fight in the Senate to give all Americans the chance to achieve their dreams.

So where is Jim on Iraq? Taxes? Economy? The Confederate Flag (Webb's prior claim to fame being his defense of all things South)? Terrorism? And which of these issues is Webb willing to sell out on to "balance the budget"?

You know, it's a particularly sad statement when you ask yourself a question on your own website -- and refuse to answer your own question... So what is the greatest challenge facing America, Jim? The non-answer speaks volumes.

Beyond Macaca

More from the causation implying causality department.

Next you'll be hearing that Allen's father worked for a racist organization too...

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Virginia Centrist: Goodbye

Paul Anderson over at Virginia Centrist is leaving the blogosphere. Again.

One less Redskins fan on the internet. Sorry to see him go, we'l miss your presence.

VBC: Martinsville Edition!

Kat has the latest edition of the Virginia Blog Carnival up, with all sorts of Martinsville Blog Conference goodness.

Where's James Webb?

A great point brought up by Jim Riley. Where the heck is James Webb?

Two weeks of great press for him, and not a single apprearance (in Virginia anyhow), no events, nothing.

Where's James Webb?

Monday, August 28, 2006

UK Guardian: Pope prepares to embrace theory of intelligent design

Well this is silly. Just about everyone knows that Catholics (and most Christians for that matter) believe in an intelligent designer.

What bearing this has on evolution as the means for that design, I haven't the foggiest idea. Still, I seriously doubt this will be anything more than an affirmation of what any theist would say about any aspect of the world's existence. God put it here.

QandO: Did he really say that?

Why is it that most Democrats assume Southerners to be racist?

McQ over at QandO explains:

And this is supposed to appeal to southern voters in what way, Mr. Biden? As usual, Democrats - or at least this one - haven't a clue about how to appeal to southern voters, and, if I were a southern Democrat I'd be highly offended that this moron thinks appealing to the fact that his state and southern states were 'slave states' over 100 years ago has any bearing whatsoever on the southern vote today (or his ability to capture it).

But it's not just Biden. Howard Dean does it. Webb caters to it.

Has someone in the Democratic Party made a calculated decision to drive the wedge issue of race home?

For one, I'm offended. But in a day and age where offense is so easily taken and manufactured by so many, that probably doesn't mean much anymore.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Webb 47.9 Allen 46.6

Time to talk, folks.

Yet another Zogby/WSJ Poll, this one conducted over 15-21 August. Results? Webb wins. You lose.

UPDATE: Keep in mind the Zogby poll was (a) done at the same time as the SurveyUSA poll which showed Allen up by 3%, (b) the Zogby poll was done over the course of six days as opposed to the SurveyUSA poll done over far fewer, (3) the Zogby polls are predominantly online polls, while SurveyUSA are telephone polls, and (4) while I have always admired Zogby for accuracy, SurveyUSA continues to impress -- if asked to bet, as of this moment I'd bet on SurveyUSA.

(end update)

So what does this mean? Nothing we didn't already know when it comes to the Allen campaign, other than Virginia will no longer be an easy ride to victory. Republican predominance in the Commonwealth is at stake.

Now it's all grit and gridiron, no magic and no easy ride for the Allen crew. Don't think for a second the Democrats care about "macaca" or anything else but beating Republicans to pieces. Moderates, conservatives, libertarians, classical liberals -- the progressives hate us all.

Angry yet? Time to fight back. Here's how:

(1) Join your local GOP committee. Do that here.
(2) Volunteer with the Allen campaign. Do that here.
(3) Demand some literature and start walking your neighborhood. Meet your neighbors, hold a cookout, talk at church.

Three easy steps you can take today to stop the Democrats from slandering our party. Remember this much: Beating you is important to Democrats - they're not just coming after Allen, they're coming after you and everything you stand for by hiding your values under a veil of racism and ignorance.

Republicans stand for nobler ideas. Republicans ended slavery in this country. Republicans ushered in the era of civil rights when Democrats resisted at every turn. Republicans ended the era of Soviet Communism. Republicans are taking the fight to the terrorists abroad. Republicans ushered in the economic triumphs of the last 20 years. Republicans have stood by small businesses and championed individuals over the social collective. Republicans reformed welfare. Republicans cut taxes while Democrats seek to raise them or bail out on terrorism.

Republicans -- not the Democrats -- have been on the right side of every issue while the Democrats do what they do best; backseat drive.

If you still believe in the principles of free enterprise, free markets, and a free society Republicans need your voice. If this is a future we still believe in, the reality of that future is now. For make no mistake, these principles are the Jeffersonian principles the Democrats are seeking to destroy.

Keep that in mind until November. Dems will pull every trick and deceitful tactic possible, but remember what the wise men of old say about Democrats: NIL ILLEGITIMUS CARBORUNDUM!

Now get to work! :)

Webb Supporters At It Again...

You know, I want to know what would happen if Republican activists did half the things Webb supporters are doing in Staunton.

Disgusting. Reminds me of the behavior you read about with brownshirts in the 1930's...

Gotta Be Kidding Me...

Heh, I went to high school with this guy:

Next month Adam Gentry, 28, could become one of the focal points of American pop culture as part of the cast of the controversial new "Survivor: Cook Islands" season on CBS.

Courtland High School's Class of 1996 sure knows how to get itself in the limelight.

Vivian Paige: The Pulpit Speaks

I love these little sermons. This time, Vivian Paige reprints a letter from her father concerning doing what is popular vs. doing what is right:

I grant you that doing what is popular is most rewarding here and now but what about your future? What are you going to do when the occasion demands a man or a woman of integrity? What are you going to do when you get old and feeble and, because of your constant craving for popularity, you have killed yourself as far as influence is concerned? What are you going to do when human decency speaks out in your very conscious and you can’t answer because you have chosen to do what is popular rather than what is right?

Good stuff! Read it all.

The Jaded JD: Correllation Implies Causality?

Jaded JD openly wonders as to why gas prices have lowered to neatly co-incide with rising popularity for the President and the Republicans in Congress:

A conspiracy theorist might say, given the closeness between the Administration and some oil companies, that the liberal's bogeyman, Karl Rove, is arranging for lower retail gas prices despite market supply/demand mechanics in order to manipulate a political result. I'm not a conspiracy theorist. I'm not attempting to explain the correlation. I'm not going to suggest a causation relationship, and I'm definitely not going to suggest any dark, behind-the-scenes quasi-governmental interference with market mechanics for political purposes.

After all, I'm just a casual observer.

I think the last time someone wondered openly like this, Thomas a Becket got killed.

Will no one rid the Jaded JD of these meddlesome Republicans???

Saturday, August 26, 2006

New Layout

Not necessarily a new design, but we've moved well beyond 800 x 600 for screen size, yes?

For those wondering (or for those who haven't been there), the picture is from Monticello just before the leaves start of autumn.

More to come.

QandO: Howard Dean criticizes George Allen, himself

More from the "Ready, Fire, Aim!" department of the DNC, this time courtesy of Howard Dean:

MATTHEWS: In other words, you‘re saying [George Allen] doesn‘t belong in public service, because of why?

DEAN: Because he‘s always shooting from the hip. He never thinks through what he means, and he caters to the wrong instincts in people.

Jon Henke kindly lists the litany of superior mental judgments Howard Dean's fecund mind has delivered over the past twenty months.

Heh.

Friday, August 25, 2006

Why Removing Terror Regimes Is Important

Israel's struggle against Hezbollah in Northern Israel is a stark reminder of why regimes that sponsor terrorism such as Iran are rightly called part of the "Axis of Evil".

In microcosm, Israel's struggle against it's own al-Qaeda mirrors the efforts of the United States to squash regimes that would use terrorism to acheive its aims, and the Sheba'a Farms in 2006 conjure strong reminders of the Sudetenland before World War II:

A peace that doesn't include the original intent of U.N. resolution 1559, which demands that Hezbollah disarm, is also far-fetched. If Hezbollah was disarmed, it would be in no position to threaten anybody's peace. Without its Iranian rockets and Iranian money, it would be irrelevant.

Israel has demonstrated it is willing to trade land for peace, but it is not willing to cede any land to Iran's terrorist proxy Hezbollah. And the U.N. settled the 'territorial issue' of the Shebaa farms when Israel withdrew from Lebanon. Or so Israel thought.

After President Bush announced his support for a Palestinian state, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon admonished Washington, 'Do not repeat the dreadful mistake of 1938 when enlightened Europeans decided to sacrifice Czechoslovakia for a convenient temporary solution.'

Israel, he added, 'will not be Czechoslovakia.'

Land for Peace is a myth when negotiating with those who know violence as the first resort. Hence why the War on Terrorism is so important and stretches beyond the normal conventions -- giving in to terrorists of any stripe is precisely the sign of weakness that cannot be tolerated.

History has sadly presented one case: Nazi Germany. God forbid history provide a second lesson in the Middle East, and terrifyingly again at the expense of the Jewish people.

But it's JUST a story....

For all the criticism of Catholics who rightly defend themselves and their faith against the slanders of The DaVinci Code, it's worth mentioning how seriously certain fans of the book take the work of "historical fiction".

Apparently someone broke into St. Luke's and started chiseling out sections of the wall to get to the Holy Grail.

Amazing what some people will believe when they want to... then again Catholics have been arguing this for the past few years regarding Dan Brown's anti-Catholic novel, much to the scorn and guffaws of those who have axes to grind against the Church.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

The Jaded JD: Speaker Clinton?

This in a blog entitled Magic 8-ball says, "Stop smoking crack":

(T)he Democrats might want to widen their majority by one in a way even Tom DeLay never tried, that infamous Article I, Section 2 backdoor: the House gets to "chuse their Speaker," who doesn't have to be a member of the House.

And if Democrats want to shore up their standing among their base, and among moderates, and especially among black voters, to whom could they turn? Well, William Jefferson Clinton, obviously. People still love that guy. And talk about street cred on those separation of powers issues. Got a president you don't like using the Constitution in ways you disapprove? Wheel out your own president, and make him Speaker. And there's precedent. Former president John Quincy Adams served in the House (albeit as an elected member) from 1831 to 1848.

Now, obviously, there's not a snowball's chance in Hell that this is going to happen, not least because neither Pelosi nor Hoyer are going to gracefully step aside (and that's if the Democrats even win a majority of House seats in November). But, with all that impeachment talk, one does have to concede the historical singularity of an impeached former-president, Speaker Clinton presiding over the House in its deliberation of Articles of Impeachment against President George Walker Bush and/or Vice President Richard Bruce Cheney.

Gotta hand it to the Jaded JD, that's pretty darned interesting reading, though given former President Clinton's hawkish stance on Iraq one questions whether the progressive extremists will ever allow that to enter the realm of consideration...

What?

Scientists at MIT have figured out how to erase the long-term memory of a lab rat:

In the experiment, neuroscientists from MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory targeted the hippocampus, an area of the brain that's key to forming and maintaining memory. They manipulated synapses in the rat's hippocampus in order to erase long-term memories, and study how the rat learns, without affecting the animal's short-term memory, according to the story.

It's a brave new world, folks...

OMT: Oops...

If you're not reading Norm Leahy's posts over at One Man's Trash, you are doing yourself a great disservice. For instance, if I didn't read OMT, I would have never known about liberal bloggers putting words in LaCivita's mouth...

Stuff like that is important to know, yes?

Old Crow Medicine Show

Possibly the best band you've never heard of.

Recommendations are "James River Blues" and "Wagon Wheel".

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Where's the Love for T.J. Duckett???

C'mon Skins fans! With Portis hurt, we've all been begging for that power running back -- that guy who can run 'em over like Riggins, give 'em speed like Stephen Davis, and rack up the TD's like Terry Allen.

Who is this miracle machine? T.J. Duckett:

The Washington Redskins have acquired running back T.J. Duckett from Atlanta as part of a three-team trade, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Duckett, 25, will bolster their depth at that position with star Clinton Portis recovering from a shoulder injury. The Redskins sent a draft pick to Denver as part of the deal, sources said, and the Broncos sent disgruntled wide receiver Ashley Lelie to the Falcons.

Now don't get me wrong -- I'm a Clinton Portis fan, my son has his jersey (the other one has a LaVar Arrington jersey), and he is an incredible back.

T.J. Duckett though is a powerback who can definitely plow through the line and take blockers with him... knowing he worked with Warrick Dunn is a plus too, because between him and Portis that is a powerful running combination.

Now if we could only figure out what the heck we're doing wrong on defense... any thoughts? What are we missing, the mere threat of #56?

Save The GOP: New Santorum Ad

Not bad... not bad at all.

This ad comes on the heels showing Santorum to be within striking distance, and new polls showing Bush's numbers up and Congressional approval ratings way up after the foiled terror attacks over the Atlantic.

Storm's a 'comin...

Anti-terrorism vs. Counterinsurgency

Great article from the New York Times, courtesy of Terence Daly:

Counterinsurgency is work better suited to a police force than a military one. Military forces — by tradition, organization, equipment and training — are best at killing people and breaking things. Police organizations, on the other hand, operate with minimum force. They know their job can’t be done from miles away by technology. They are accustomed to face-to-face contact with their adversaries, and they know how to draw street-level information and support from the populace. The police don’t threaten the governments they work under, because they don’t have the firepower to stage coups.

The United States needs a professional police organization specifically for creating and keeping public order in cooperation with American or foreign troops during international peacekeeping operations. It must be able to help the military control indigenous populations in failing states like Haiti or during insurgencies like the one in Falluja.

The force should include light armored cavalry and air cavalry paramilitary patrol units to deal with armed guerillas, as well as linguistically trained and culturally attuned experts for developing and running informants. It should be skilled and professional at screening and debriefing detainees, and at conducting public information and psychological operations. It must be completely transportable by air and accustomed to working effectively with American and local military forces.

Now obviously, this shouldn't be an argument for a neo-Gestapo or any such nonsense. Rather, it should be a mindset on how to approach 4th Generation Warfare, and it should guide training principles, rules of engagement, and yes -- peacekeeping efforts.

The legislation establishing the police force should firmly anchor it in respect for human rights. Its mission will be to advance American ideals of justice and freedom under the law, and it must do so by example as well as word. That will be both difficult and critical in a place like Iraq, where it would have to wrest control of the population from insurgents who regard beheading hostages with chain saws as acceptable.

Kinda like a cross between the Peace Corps and the French Foreign Legion, eh?

The most compelling argument in favor of a counterinsurgency unit is General Schwartzkopf's observation on all things military: armies kill people and break things. Mr. Daly drives this point home well when discussing why military units are wholly unsuited for counterinsurgency efforts:

The police are used to functioning within legal restraints. Our armed forces, however, are used to obeying only the laws of war and the United States Uniform Code of Military Justice. Soldiers and marines are trained to respond to force with massive force. To expect them to switch overnight to using force only as permitted by a foreign legal code, enforced and reviewed by foreign magistrates and judges, is quite unrealistic. It could also threaten their survival the next time they have to fight a conventional enemy.

Forcing the round peg of our military, which has no equal in speed, firepower, maneuver and shock action, into the square hole of international law enforcement and population control isn’t working. We need a peacekeeping force to complement our war-fighters, and we need to start building it now.

Well said.

Allen Locuta, Causa Finita

Still waiting on Webb to personally apologize to Harris Miller.

The Return of Blogline

From the friendly folks at Virginia Virtucon.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

NLS: Apology not accepted?

So the Democrats have finally conceded that Allen has apologized after having demanded this over and over again.

What caught my eye is that apologies don't seem to be enough anymore:

Welcome to the new Virginia where young Republicans, and Democrats from the suburbs won't stand for racial slurs- apology or not.

Now for those of us who are native Virginians, this should strike you as rather odd.

Honor, chivalry, and character still means something down here. Maybe that's what Allen meant by welcoming our friendly Webb staffer "to the real world of Virginia."

I was always taught to accept an apology for what it was worth. Of course, I'm a Virginian, so those things matter to me...

Monday, August 21, 2006

Make Mine Freedom

A little anti-ism cartoon from 1948, and in defense of the free enterprise system.

Friday, August 18, 2006

HEZBOLLAH 3, ISRAEL 0

Ralph Peters on the condition of the IDF and why Israel lost against Hezbollah:

Israel couldn't wait to throw in the towel and start pulling out troops. Then Hezbollah's fighters emerged from the rubble of towns Israeli leaders lacked the courage to conquer - and the number of terror-soldiers who survived shocked the Israelis.

Politicians and generals everywhere, repeat after me: 'Air power alone can't win wars; you can't defeat terror on the cheap with technology; and (in the timeless words of Nathan Bedford Forrest) War means fighting, and fighting means killing.'

The U.N. resolution called for Hezbollah to disarm - a fantasy only a diplomat could believe. As soon as the refugees began flowing southward and packing the battlefield, Nasrallah told the international community to take a hike. He knows that U.N. peacekeepers won't try to disarm his forces - if they ever show up - and the Lebanese military not only won't try, but couldn't do it.

The world's response? The French (who talked so boldly) took a cold swig of Vichy water: Now they say they won't send in their peacekeepers until Hezbollah is completely disarmed - which isn't going to happen. And Lebanese leaders stated openly that not only wouldn't the Lebanese army attempt to take away the terrorists' weapons, it wouldn't even confiscate caches it stumbled on.

Sucker-punched (well, don't fight with your eyes closed), Israel's complaining to the ref. While staring around in bewilderment.

Now I may disagree as to whether or not a war can be won from the air (Kuwait, Serbia, and Afghanistan are three examples that come to mind), but the IDF failed in its primary objective of destroying Hezbollah's ability to project force.

Now with Hezbollah being invited to Syria in their efforts to retake the Golan Heights, Israel faces several threats, all of them mortal.

1967. 1973. 1982. 2006.

Not a line of success for Zahal... nor has the mission of Israel's neighbors changed one iota.

How's about the E-word?

As in enough, so says Vivian Paige:

Over the last few days, I’ve seen numerous postings about these two words. I think I have seen the actual N-word written more times in the last few days than I have seen in years. And I wince every time I read it.

Racial slurs are racial slurs and nothing is accomplished by continuing to use the terms. Show some sensitivity, folks.

Amen.

Hampton Roads Politics: Top 10 Ways Jim Webb Can Win

Rarely do I forward without comment, but this one is too good to pass up.

James Martin Throws Out the Excuses, Calls Webb a Racist

I'm so glad James Martin and I can agree on the broader topics of racism and "bigatry", especially when it comes to politicians who use race for political gain:

Allen ... doesnt deserve to be in the US Senate. Those who would defend his actions only defend hatred and bigatry. Disgusting.

I wonder then what Martin and others would say about pre-meditated acts of racism, as evidenced by the Virginia Pilot's June 10th article on the anti-Semitic Webb flyer?

The Webb flier, which Webb acknowledged seeing before its distribution, apparently was intended to rally support among union members. It includes a caricature of Miller holding an oversize cigar and with greenbacks bulging from a suit pocket, along with text repeating union charges that he was "the anti-Christ of outsourcing" as a lobbyist for telecommunications companies.

Webb has yet to apologize to the Jewish community for his actions.

Question of the day: This isn't the first time Webb's campaign has used race to drive a wedge between voters. First with African-Americans supporting Miller, then against Miller himself for being Jewish. Now we have Webb staffers dancing around the flames of the "macaca" incident.

What is this fascination with race inside the Webb campaign?

Lest I be seen as being flip or sidestepping other issues here, this is the third time Webb's campaign has used race as a campaign issue... it's a troubling development coming from a gentleman whose advocacy of the Confederacy-as-heritage was his claim to fame post-Reagan administration.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Allen Apologizes; Webb Refuses?

Lest I be haunted by a former ghost:

Republicans and Democrats need to be especially aware whenever the old hatreds of past generations seep into today's politics. It's intolerable, and a sin against the public square.

In that spirit, I think this has gone far enough.

I wrote this in June 2006, shortly before the now-infamous comic of former Democratic candidate Harris Miller came to the fore from the Webb for Senate campaign.

Folks, there is no good explanation here. I know what a "makakah" is and it doesn't mean "mohawk". It's a derogatory word used by Arabs to describe Africans. There is no good context, there is no good explanation for the use of the word other than pure ignorance.

For review:

(1) This is not a case of silliness.
(2) This is not a manufactured controversy.
(3) No, the fact that the fella may have had a mohawk in the past doesn't make "mohawk" sound like "makakah".
(4) This is not a mere case of a harassed politician venting.
(5) Nor can this be dismissed as a statement that sounds like a racial slur, but wasn't.
(6) Nor is Dick Waddhams an idiot.
(7) Most certainly, George Allen is not a Klansman as a result (sorry James...)
(8) And no... this is not some sort of subconscious reach from the senator's youth.

Let us all agree here and now -- this was an insensitive comment made by an otherwise brilliant politician.

Many items come to mind. Firstly, one can't help but draw the comparison to Senator Allen and gentleman he epitomizes, Thomas Jefferson. The Jeffersonian Conservative ideal isn't just a catchy phrase used to win elections. Allen believes in it, as passionately as many Virginians do. It's a genuine third way, rooted in principles many Americans have forgotten.

Jefferson is revered as one of our greatest Founding Fathers, and yet like Jefferson, the junior senator from Virginia is rooted in the past. Has anyone quite forgiven the gentleman who wrote the Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom and the Declaration of Independence as a slaveowner? Certainly that is far worse than any offense Allen (or his competitor, Jim Webb) has offered in speech and print, yes?

So in the face of such a comment, what has Senator Allen done?

Something his predecessor Thomas Jefferson never had the chance to do. Apologize.

"I would never want to demean him as an individual. I do apologize if he's offended by that. That was no way the point."

Yet this cannot pass without a contrast to Democrat Jim Webb's gaffe when he attacked Harris Miller. yet what was Jim Webb's response to his anti-Semitic comic?

"Harris hasn't apologized for distorting my views on affirmative action, I'd kind of like to hear that."

So now you have it.

Both Senate candidates have made gaffes such as these during this election.

Allen had the character to apologize.

Webb has yet to apologize.

Friends, that tells me all I need to know.

Monday, August 14, 2006

NLS: Another Bust?

Looks like we have another letdown over at NLS with a potentially damaging news story. Allegedly, there is a video with George Allen introducing a Jim Webb staffer at an Allen event, and Allen was kind enough to greet him... with a few added words that at this point are either innocuous or incredibly coarse.

Without the video it's hard to characterize Allen's comments, so it's hearsay (and given the serious nature of the charge, slanderous) until it can be proven.

Of course, I have a different bone to pick. NLS on brown people and George Allen:

Welcome an American citizen to America? Because he is brown? And what in the world does Mukakkah mean?

Beats me, but I hate the idea of calling someone brown. Unintentional to be sure, but allow me to pontificate for just a moment...

Liberals in particular have come to call everyone who is not white, but certainly isn't black, a "brown person." That includes Indians and Arabs, Native Americans, or any shade thereof that's not a naturalized American and not of Oriental origin.

I hate the term "brown" people; I refuse to be categorized and stereotyped as such. Granted, I certainly don't like the idea of any racial stereotyping at all, whether the gentleman in question was called Macaque, Macaca, or Mustafa (unless his name really is Mustafa of course), but the tendency of people to stereotype and group according to skin color repulses me.

May I interject a plea with my fellow Virginians to stop using the term "brown people" please?

Just a personal pet peeve, little else. Everyone back to refreshing NLS' page on the Allen video!

FLS: Davis isn't pushing Rumsfeld out

More on the shoddy reporting by the Daily Press, courtesy of the Free Lance-Star.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Virginia Blog Carnival: THE PODCAST!

The VBC breaks new grounds as a podcast, and if you've never listened to one before now is your chance.

Great stuff!

Shame on the Daily Press!

If there's one thing I know folks can't stand, it's journalists who editorialize for political points. Bloggers are routinely criticized for being nothing more than sounding boards for opinion and "echo chambers" for what is, but facts remain facts.

So when journalists misinform the public as they did with Rep. Jo Ann Davis' remarks concerning Iraq, bloggers should all take note:

Davis said she still supports the U.S. involvement in the war in Iraq because of "the intelligence we've picked up over there that's protected us here," but she is having second thoughts about American troops being there in the first place.

"It's hard for me, especially being one who voted for (the war), when I go and visit a young soldier or airman or Marine and they've been lamed for life by the war," she told the ASMC.

"I feel a little guilt there because I voted for the war. ... It makes you feel like, 'My vote caused this.' ... But I still believe it was the right decision at the time."

...

"All of the intelligence we were given says we should be over there," she said. "If I had known that the intelligence they gave us wasn't correct, I don't know how I would have voted."

I'm sorry but when... someone takes a quote... and adds things... like this... little snips of information... to put words in the... mouth of others, should we... take exception with those trying to... insult our... intelligence?

I think so, and it's now coming out that Rep. Jo Ann Davis' comments in Hampton Roads were inappropriately taken out of context.

For Democrats to be going out on a limb and suggesting that Rep. Davis is "switching sides" on Iraq is just plain wrong.

Secondly, we're all entitled to debate the best way to prosecute the Iraq war. Davis supported General Shinseki's opinion that we should have had more boots on the ground. Rumsfeld disagreed. Jo Ann offered a joking comment to the Hampton Roads Chapter of the American Society of Military Comptrollers that this was "probably the only thing in my life I've ever agreed with Hillary Clinton about," the folks in the room laughed.

Instead of reporting what happened though, someone at the Daily Press decided to turn this into something else, as if Rep. Jo Ann Davis were backtracking on Iraq. Clearly not the case, but for some odd reason, someone made the decision to generate a news story (no matter how conflicting it is with truth) for whatever ends.

Of course, if a blogger were to do this, the entire medium is shamed. When a journalist does it, they're a superior breed.

Strike number 1,034,435: When someone mentions the standards of journalism vs. the standards of blogging, remind them of this little episode.

How the White House Tracked the Terror Plot

Jaded JD preemptively speculated as to what connection there was between U.S. anti-terror efforts and uncovering of the transatlantic flight plot, and TIME articulates as to that exact connection.

Short answer: If this terror attack were planned in 2001, it would have succeeded.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

Raising Kaine: Webb the Hun

Anyone else curious as to why Jim Webb supporters are placing their signs so close to George Allen signs?

Despicable...

Bush reads Camus's 'The Stranger'

Oh, I'm sure the anti-war crowd is going to have a field day with this:

White House spokesman Tony Snow said Friday that Bush, here on his Texas ranch enjoying a 10-day vacation from Washington, had made quick work of the Algerian-born writer's 1946 novel -- in English.

The US president, often spoofed as an intellectual lightweight, quoted Camus in a February 21, 2005 speech in Brussels praising the US-Europe alliance and urging other nations to help Washington spread democracy in the world.

'We know there are many obstacles, and we know the road is long. Albert Camus said that 'freedom is a long-distance race.' We're in that race for the duration,' Bush said in those remarks.

I've written about Camus' The Stranger before:

The Stranger, for those unfamiliar with the book, is a novel centering around a man who murders, yet feels no remorse. While on trial, the jury is less concerned with his crime, but more concerned with the perpetrator's ability to feel remorse for either the previous death of his mother or the man whom he killed, or more accurately his lack of any visible remorse whatsoever.

On the question of freedom, Camus' idea of freedom isn't exactly what most people would call freedom -- most would call it license.

Of course, for those of you who read this blog regularly and have read my rants on the differences between freedom as liberty vs. freedom as license, I'll spare you the rhetoric, if only to say that Camus is not what I would consider the best philosopher to look to for moral guidance.

Friday, August 11, 2006

I've Been Put On Notice

Yikes!

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Bacon's Rebellion: The Real Class Divide

Jim Bacon discusses the housing divide between haves and have-nots, and comes to the following conclusion:

Local governments don't let developers build housing for poor people! (Increasingly, local governments are even making it difficult to build housing for working-class and middle-class people.) That's because homeowners don't want poor people living anywhere near them.

That's a terrible snip of an otherwise thought-instigating post, but the argument in a nutshell. Americans have their wealth tied up in homes, so no one wants to build "affordable housing" near otherwise well-to-do properties, etc.

Now I argue a different tack, that local governments don't want affordable housing because that means more kids, more schools, more strain on transportation, and certainly more headaches for local leaders too weak-kneed to force growth to pay it's own way.

Why build five one-acre lots at $200,000 a piece when you can build one five-acre lot at $1,000,000? Since property taxes make the world go 'round in Virginia, the logical conclusion is to push out affordable housing in favor of plywood palaces.

Until Virginia has the courage to abolish the property tax with a more equitable system, we will never get our hands around the affordable housing question.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Hizbullah leader calls on Haifa's Arab residents to leave

Hezbollah is asking the Arab residents of Haifa to vacate the city.

Historically, Haifa was one of the few cities in Israel the Arabs did not leave during the 1948 War for Independence. Consequently, it has one of the largest Arab populations within the State of Israel and shares much in character with towns such as Nazareth and Bethlehem in this regard.

Question: What is the deterrent against Hezbollah that prevents them from using WMD?

Post-Lieberman

Connecticut for Lieberman Party.

It doesn't quite have the right ring, but it'll do for a short three-month sprint to election day (which Lieberman will inevitably win). The good news is that such a scenario gives Republicans just the type of perfect storm to - perhaps - elect a Republican senator in Connecticut.

Elsewhere in the country, conservative Republicans had many instances to cheer about. With President Bush's numbers now breaking into the 40's (better than 29% at it's lowest ebb), the Democratic storm may very well have been weathered.

We'll see, but the big news has to be the split in the Democratic Party. Lieberman vs. Lamont, Miller vs. Webb... the battle for the heart and soul of the Democratic Party has begun in earnest.

Monday, August 07, 2006

Best Poll in the Universe

Forget polling. The best, most scientific poll on who is going to win?

Bookies.

Of course, the margin of victory isn't there unless you get a spread. Mercifully, it appears as if Lieberman will be spared that indignity, but Lamont at the time of this post is running a 5:1 margin over Lieberman.

If people are willing to put their money to it, it's a pretty darned good hunch.

China e-Lobby: Ignorant Comment of the Day

At least now we know why Jim Webb dropped the "Born Fighting" slogan; so he could negotiate with regimes supporting terrorism:

Ignorant Comment of the Day: Normally, the author of a piece takes this dubious honor, not a subject. However, an exception must be made for Virginia Senate candidate James Webb, who proposed negotiations with the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad (Washington Times). What earned Webb the ICOD label was his reason for believing Assad could be convinced to break off his alliance with Tehran: "There is a way to cut Syria away from Iran. It is not a natural alliance. The Sunnis are a secular society" (emphasis added). Putting aside the Khomeinists' ability to work with Osama bin Laden's son and heir, Webb apparently is unaware that Assad is an Allawite Shiite. As for the larger issue of Syria, former Pentagon official David Schenker details the reasons why those who think like Webb are so far off base (Weekly Standard).

Talk about a shallow understanding of the Middle East. Mr. McGuire is correct in the analysis that there is no separating Syria and Iran. Even if the differences could be emphasized, there is a common bond between the two: a hate for Israel.

If you aren't reading D.J. McGuire's blog, you are missing out.

Not Born Fighting?

Chad over at Commonwealth Conservative sheds some light:

Don’t you love the fact that James Webb is dropping his “Born Fighting” slogan all of a sudden, three months before the election? Does that campaign have a clue what they’re doing?

All signs points to no.

And he gives evidence -- go check it out!

Saturday, August 05, 2006

SLANTblog: Art Monk excluded again from HOF

F.T. Rea speaks on the greatest crime in the history of the NFL, that being Art Monk's non-induction into the Hall of Fame:

Monk’s problem? He was a quiet, dutiful player who didn’t promote himself. He was a possession receiver and a great blocker, rather than a game-breaker. Monk simply played football in every game in a way that his teammates and his opponents, alike, respected. He was as stoic as Deion Sanders was loquacious.

Hall of Fame defensive back Ronnie Lott said, “Art Monk was an example for Jerry Rice. That’s what Jerry always told me. There's nothing negative to say. He has the numbers, the catches, the championships. You have a Hall of Fame for all it represents. I know he represents all that it’s about: Integrity, love and passion for the game, community, what he gave back. Look how he conducted himself. Nobody I know deserves it more.”

I remember towards the disasterous Ritchie Petitbon experiment in 1993 that the Skins chose to bench (!) Art Monk because they were trying to put new recievers into the rotation.

Sure enough, us fans wouldn't tolerate that, and when the cry of "We Want Monk" lasted long enough, Petitbon put Monk back into the game. Today, Redskins fans should take up the cry "We Want Monk" one last time... especially in the year we're going to win the Super Bowl!

'Hezbollah aren't suckers, they know how to fight.'

The entire Israeli-Hezbollah conflict summed up:

"It’s a lose-lose situation," said one. "They’re a bunch of terrorists. We are an army. We can never beat them completely because we have to obey certain rules. They operate from within civilian populations, and can do whatever they like. They don’t give a shit about these things."

"So it doesn’t matter if we are there for another couple of days or two weeks. But what is very important is that this is a just war on our part. Because they are a bunch of f***ing terrorists."

How succinct, if not utterly correct.

Before and After

Before Hezbollah killed Israelis, after Hezbollah kills Israelis.

Friday, August 04, 2006

Save The GOP: Santorum Back in the Saddle?

The folks over at Save the GOP are wondering how Casey blew a 20 point lead against Rick Santorum, and just to make matters worse the Green Party submitted 90,000 signatures to get on the ballot.

Pennsylvania just became a lot more interesting.

ABC News: Lieberman Hopes Poll Will Jolt Backers

Best of luck, Senator Lieberman, because if Lieberman falls, it will herald the death knell of American liberalism once and for all.

Progressives are for real folks, and they aren't your father's Democrats either.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

NLS: What's the problem?

Ben Tribbett over at Not Larry Sabato instigates a worthwhile conversation about running for public office and the amount of money it takes:

I see Republican bloggers... attacking Jim Webb for saying this:

"Webb said the need for campaign money has been the biggest surprise of his campaign for the U.S. Senate"

What's the problem with saying that? When I wanted to run last year, I never did a fundraiser, but 53 people handed me checks at different events over the two weeks I was running. My opponent was able to write himself a personal check larger than all 53 of those contributions combined. The fact is politics is slanted to the old, the wealthy and the powerful, and Webb is exactly right for what he is saying.

I somehow don't see Harris Miller making that sort of comment, but that's an old axe. Heh.

All things aside, Ben is 100% correct about this. Rasing money for a political campaign is the toughest thing to do, and for potential candidates for public office, you'd be surprised at the ceiling. Money still comes in checks of $100, $500, or $1,000 -- and the small checks count just as much as the big ones.

Now go out and raise millions knowing that.

Candidates new to politics are often shocked (1) by the negativity in politics, and (2) by how hard it is to fundraise to keep your race going. When I ran for House of Delegates, I had three weeks raise $30,000. In the end we raised $90,000 in just three short months. Looking back, it was a phenomenal acheivement, VCAP or no, but the fact that a candidate must absolutely spend so much time fundraising is a drain without question.

People blast politicians all the time for being gladhanders, but put yourself in Webb or Allen's shoes. The challenger has it far easier in this regard. It's tough, but then again this is why politics and running for public office isn't for everyone. No small reason why Republicans and Democrats in the end can disagree so vociferously on issues, yet in the end share a drink (in Virginia anyhow).

UPDATE: Welcome to the big leagues, Secretary Webb.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Babel

This looks interesting.

The Virtues of Development

Rev. Sirico of the Acton Institute talks about the idealism of capitalism vs. the idealism of socialism:

Only a few decades ago, we saw a political left that celebrated wealth for all and sought redistribution precisely so that people would no longer experience radical material deprivation. Now that it is increasingly clear that the means toward that end is markets and freedom—the democratization of the means of production, not forced redistribution, it seems that the left is more attached to its statist means than its material ends.

Others are driven by a more legitimate, if misguided, view that wealth necessarily corrupts the soul. Certainly wealth can corrupt. But so can poverty, or nearly anything else if misused. Wealth without morality leads to vice and moral corruption. So the answer is not an imposed poverty, but evangelism and conversion. This is why entrepreneurs and advocates of market freedom have a special obligation to emphasize the responsible use of prosperity, leisure, and charity.

Still others become very upset that wealth is not shared equally by all. This is a dangerous conviction because it can only lead to the celebration of expropriation. We need to realize that material equality should not be a policy goal; what we should seek is the universal increase in material well-being, even when its benefits are inequitably distributed. All of human experience and study suggests that there is only one means for bringing about this ideal: the market economy within a strong juridical framework that protects the right to property and life.

There is a tightrope to be walked between the excesses of capitalism and the excesses of socialism. Neither system should be institutionalized by government, and this is where so many go wrong when it comes to political theory (and public policy for that matter).

Does central planning have a role? Sirico makes the argument not just for the state, but for "a strong juridical framework that protects the right to property and life" that provides that framework, so what we have here is not an argument for anarchy. Rather, it is an argument for the classical liberal state -- the Thomistic state the Scholastics perfected to some degree during the 16th century and brought to light during the Second Vatican Council.

I have my thoughts on this that are slowly emerging, somewhat as a response to John Dean's Conservatives Without Conscience (and hence why I haven't posted a review). They are forthcoming though.

Castro's Not Dead (Yet)

Just taking a several week vacation and letting his brother rule in his stead...

...nothing to see here. Move along quietly. Long live the proletariat revolution, all that stuff.

More Evidence of Hezbollah Using Human Shields

This article comes with pictures, pictures that had to be smuggled out of Lebanon to be shown to the world at large:

The images, obtained exclusively by the Sunday Herald Sun, show Hezbollah using high-density residential areas as launch pads for rockets and heavy-calibre weapons.

Dressed in civilian clothing so they can quickly disappear, the militants carrying automatic assault rifles and ride in on trucks mounted with cannon.

The photographs, from the Christian area of Wadi Chahrour in the east of Beirut, were taken by a visiting journalist and smuggled out by a friend.

Hezbollah using Lebanese Christians as human shields? Who would have thought?

What concerns me is that these are the same Lebanese Christians so willing to fight during the 1980's, whom now are unwilling (or worse, unable) to get Hezbollah out of their neighborhoods. Yes, the spectre of civil war always looms in the distance. While no one wants to return to those days, at some point in time someone needs to come to their defense.

It doesn't have to be the IDF.

JEFFERSONIAD POLL: Whom do you support for Virginia Attorney General?

1) John Brownlee
2) Ken Cuccinelli

View Results

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ShaunKenney.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.

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