The Red Stater

A Temporary Return

2008-10-22T14:40:00.006-05:00

UPDATE #2: The site has gone live. Check out my first posting.

For the few people that may still be showing up here, I am making my return to blogging. The Republican Party of Virginia has started a blog, which will be receiving submissions from a variety of bloggers. My first post should be going up later today. Currently, my plan is to return on a temporary basis, and I only expect to post a few submissions (all my posts will be submitted to the RPV blog only, no cross-posting) before going back into retirement. But seeing as I figured that I was never going to post here again, never say never.

In the meantime, check out some of the other submissions that have come in so far. The Maistro and Operations/Media Director Tina McArthur both have posted so far. The Maistro has a long history in politics, while Tina McArthur is just starting, but I believe they both have provided a good example of what is to come from the blog. Add the RPV blog to your RSS feed here.

UPDATE: It appears the site has not gone live yet. I have no information currently about when this may happen, but I'll post an update when it does.

Response to Joe Stanley

2007-08-28T12:39:00.000-05:00

Seeing as Ben now thinks my comments register as spam (guess you're having a hard time with the criticism, eh Ben?), I am forced to post this response to Joe Stanley to my blog.

(UPDATE - Apparently, Ben was only banning comments that used the acronym NAMBLA in it, but that is no better. He is ignoring the issue.)

Don't get too excited, this is a one time thing.

Thus, Ben and Joe continue to bring down the value of Virginia's blogging community.

Joe Stanley, you suggest that you believe that the ODBA acts like NAMBLA in only believing in their first amendment rights. You could have released an editorial on this, or wrote a guest piece on a blog, but by registering a site that automatically redirects to another, there is no context to your claims. Instead of appearing that this is a political comparison, it looks like the ODBA is trying to promote something it does not. This was vile, despicable, and deceptive, and there is no reason that anyone within the ODBA should spare you any reprieve. I'm sure you are not looking for forgiveness from us, but make no mistake, this will affect many people outside of the ODBA as well, and I imagine that will include Roscoe Reynolds, who will now forever be tied to this incident; perhaps, this will teach you a little something about karma. While I certainly do not believe in karma on a spiritual level, most often, what goes around, comes around.

And Ben, by encouraging Joe's charade, you only make yourself look worse. Why don't you just go back to doing what you originally did with this blog and simply predict the outcomes of upcoming elections? This blog might actually be worth the server space it takes up then.

This isn't goodbye...

2007-06-17T18:19:00.001-05:00

Because I do not like saying goodbye.

I've been thinking about this for a while recently, but I have had to make the tough decision that I will be ending my blogging days. While I will still be around the Virginia blogosphere (sometimes, I cannot help but comment), I am finding that I cannot devote the kind of time that I would like to for The Red Stater. While not nearly as prolific as many other bloggers, I have written more than 600 posts in the last two years, and quite frankly, it starts to feel like I am repeating myself; there are plenty of bloggers who are more capable of doing this than myself.

While I won't be entirely gone, I will leave here with a few parting thoughts.

- Terror is a real threat, and one we will have to deal with for years to come. For this reason, we cannot leave Afghanistan or Iraq any time soon (unless the government of either country tells us that they believe it is that time). Talking with the enemy will not work. Leaving them alone will not work. Ultimately, this can end one of two ways. Either we win, or they do, and there is no middle ground. Many here do not see this as a religious war, but to the radical Islamists, this is a war against all Western Culture, and there is no victory on their side until everything we know and believe is destroyed.

- Global warming is exaggerated. More and more scientists are coming out against it, and even those who believe that it is a concern suggest that most people know very little about it. There have even been suggestions that for many colder regions, it might be of benefit. Until the science has been better refined, politics should stay out.

- When it comes to Hillary Clinton, just say NO! (I knew that saying would come in handy someday). Today, my candidate of choice is Fred Thompson, and I must say I am glad he is not doing the same thing all the other candidates did by starting to campaign so early. Other decent candidates include Duncan Hunter, if he can get a good following, and Mitt Romney, who is far from my favorite but appears to hold a sufficiently conservative record for me to get behind if he wins the primary. Fred Thompson may be the most conservative candidate in the race, and he can be trusted to stand up for America.

To the ODBA, I say thank you all for welcoming me in.
To those who have commented on this blog, thank you for stimulating debate.
To those who stood by me, thank you for giving me the support to go on.

As I have said before, this isn't goodbye. I do not have any plans to remove The Red Stater (nor to reveal my identity publicly, sorry folks), as I will continue to comment on other blogs. Also, I will not rule out coming back (though do not expect that to be anytime soon). But for now, The Red Stater will remain without updates.

Remain strong Virginia. Things may look down now, but life is filled with ups and downs, and I am sure that Virginia will one day again be the Red State I know it to be.

-CR UVa

SST is Back

2007-06-04T12:02:00.000-05:00

Sic Semper Tyrannis has returned after 14 months of downtime. I guess Addison and Lighthorse Harry could not stay away forever. And this time, they've brought along a few others, including SWxSE, Norm Leahy, and Mason Conservative, not to mention a new site. This is good news for the Virginia blogosphere, as SST was always a reliable source, and the contributors are of the highest caliber. Welcome back SST, this is a good day in Virginia.

Honoring those who protect us

2007-05-28T09:19:00.000-05:00

This Memorial Day, remember all that America's troops have done (and are doing) for us. They can never be thanked enough.

An Early Congratulations to UVa Grads

2007-05-19T20:45:00.000-05:00

The University of Virginia writes her highest degree on the souls of her sons. The parchment page of scholarship-the colored ribbon of a society-the jeweled emblem of a fraternity-the orange symbol of athletic prowess-all these, a year hence, will be at the best mementos of happy hours-like the withered flower a woman presses between the pages of a book for sentiment's sake.

But...

If you live a long, long time, and hold honesty of conscience above honesty of purse:

And turn aside without ostentation to aid the weak;

And treasure ideals more than raw ambition;

And track no man to his undeserved hurt;

And pursue no woman to her tears;

And love the beauty of noble music and mist-veiled mountains and blossoming valleys and great monuments-

If you live a long time and, keeping the faith in all these things hour by hour, still see that the sun gilds your path with real gold and that the moon floats in dream silver;

Then...

Remembering the purple shadows of the lawn, the majesty of the colonnades, and the dream of your youth, you may say in reverence and thankfulness:

"I have worn the honors of Honor, I graduated from Virginia"

-- The Honor Men, James Hay Jr.

Congratulations to the Class of 2007! You all worked very hard to get to this very important day, your graduation tomorrow. Do not forget where you have come from, because the University of Virginia is a very special place. Again, congratulations to the University of Virginia's Class of 2007!

I love Bodo's...

2007-05-19T20:41:00.000-05:00

And apparently, Bodo's loves my photos. Mr. Bodos himself, John Kokola, recently asked me if he could use photos that I had taken from my graduation last year on his website, and I gave him permission to do so. Now, one of the photos is on the front page there. I am certainly no professional photographer, so it is pretty cool to see one of my pictures being used by Bodo's, one of my favorite places to eat in Charlottesville. Thank you Mr. Kokola for a few of my best memories down in C'ville.

Baltimore Orioles versus Washington Nationals

2007-05-18T18:05:00.000-05:00

This three-game series starts tonight. I know a lot of people here got excited about a new team moving in, but I am staying loyal. Go O's!

Iraq is Vietnam?

2007-05-18T13:02:00.000-05:00

Not if you look at the numbers.

It is interesting to note that, more or less, U.S. deaths in Iraq have been consistent from month-to-month. Vietnam peaked at this point, and at are far higher number than Iraq has. In fact, the two bloodies months in Vietnam produced more deaths than all of Iraq. While I in no way mean to lessen the losses we have suffered, this is at least one more piece of evidence that shows that Iraq is far from a quagmire. Iraq will take time, but so did Germany and Japan, countries where we still retain troops. If we had devoted that time to Vietnam, perhaps they would be on their way out right now too.

However, my real concern with this graph is if we someday find ourselves embroiled in another war on the scale of the World Wars. The military is clearly ready to engage in their duties, but the American people are not ready to get behind them. If we find ourselves having to deal with China in a couple decades, what will happen? Clearly, it is time to stand with the troops and let them finish their job; we can only call Iraq Vietnam when the people, not the soldiers or the government, give up.

Do as I say, not as I do

2007-05-16T19:27:00.000-05:00

This seems to be the mantra of the Democratic party these days. A year ago, Democrats were in the middle of a big hissy fit when Republicans were getting in the way of filibusters. So it comes as no surprise that Democrats attempted to do the same sort of thing.

The change has since been withdrawn it appears, but Congressional Democrats should be ashamed. They first appear as hypocrites. Then, they appear weak giving up on this proposal, which they should have never offered in the first place. And most of all, their approval rating is in freefall, now reaching levels that are even lower than that of the President (this could make the 2008 elections something of a peaceful coup with many incumbents competing in danger of losing their seats).

But I guess it should be no surprise that Democrats in Congress would stoop to this. They are clearly learning from their constituents.

Happy Mother's Day All!

2007-05-13T11:39:00.000-05:00

Taking their ball and going home.

2007-05-08T16:11:00.000-05:00

Richmond Democrat, Not Larry Sabato, and Raising Kaine are all tired of not being ranked the most influential blog in Virginia by BNN, so they are whining about it. What I want to know is which is more important; being influential or having it reaffirmed for you? Seems to me that these three blogs will only serve to hinder their efforts; they will be less influential having fewer links their way.

Then again, who am I to complain? I now have a better shot of being in the top twenty!

Yum!

2007-04-27T13:36:00.000-05:00

Hmm, I wonder if PETA will pay any attention to how this online app is being used.

Let's see how long it is before they remove this.

UPDATE 4:51 PM: I would love to claim that this is my idea, but honestly I got the idea from Michelle Malkin. James Young seems to find it funny too. And he's right; KFC is some good stuff.

Idiotic

2007-04-25T13:47:00.000-05:00

I am not happy.

Just a week ago, a gunman at Virginia Tech killed 32 people. So, needless to say, it has become obvious that people should not brandish firearms in public these days (concealed weapons are still a good idea; a student or professor with a concealed firearm could have stopped Cho's rampage). And of all places for students to understand this (outside of Blacksburg), I expected the University of Virginia to be it. Wahoos are intelligent students, and with the shooting hitting so close to home, I figured they would learn a quick lesson.

I was wrong.

Christopher Smith, a student at UVa, decided that now would be a great time to shoot a film for homework that had him roaming around Wilsdorf Hall (which only opened in the past year) with a BB gun. No one was hurt, though reports say that students were hiding and heard guns cocking and threats being yelled.

This disappoints me on so many levels. Unfortunately, we have seen a lot of this recently, and even though no one appears to have been in danger, this was an unnecessary scare.

A night in jail may be just what Smith needs to learn his lesson.

Irresponsible

2007-04-19T19:44:00.000-05:00

That is the only way I can describe this AP article, headlined Va. Tech Shooter Was Picked on in School.

Newsflash: a lot of kids are picked on in school. I can remember many times when it happened to me. I can remember it happening to other kids. This story suggests that Cho was not responsible for his actions, but a victim of his cruel classmates.

Make no mistake, I think it is cruel for children to pick on each other, but that is children being children. You learn to get through it, and learn that those who tease you tend to be pretty insecure themselves.

Understanding this situation is one thing; but to talk to old classmates and look for evidence of teasing is irresponsible. Cho made a decision to isolate himself (there is always someone willing to be friends around), and he made the decision to go on his rampage.

There are thousands of real victims out there; why not focus on them for now?

Still more on VT

2007-04-19T09:20:00.000-05:00

- No video games were found in the shooter's dorm. We'll see if people stop blaming them for this tragedy.

- Leslie Carbone does not doubt that the shooting was based around leftist notions, and has no qualms in saying so.

- Others posting on the differences that have arised between Virginia Virtucon and Not Larry Sabato:
Black Velvet Bruce Li
Grumpy's Gripes
novatownhall
The Right-Wing Liberal
SWAC Girl
The Ward View
I will also note that Ben at Not Larry Sabato claimed he was going to post a list of all the blogs that link to Virginia Virtucon after removing them from his blogroll. He hasn't done so yet, though I imagine he must feel a little conflicted since everyone in the ODBA includes Virginia Virtucon by default and by rule, even as the ODBA is overwhelmingly in favor of VV at this time.

- In related news, G4, a computer and gaming cable television network, received a bomb threat yesterday and their building was evacuated. Unfortunately, the actions of Cho Seung-Hui does not just appear to have enboldened people like this, but has also left us in fear anytime a threat has been made. This is getting very worrisome. Is this how we are going to react anytime a threat is made from now on?

UPDATE 11:30 AM: Greyhawk has his thoughts. He reminds us that those at VT were not children, even if they still were very innocent, wonders why Cho was able to kill so many with little resistance, and honors one exception to that in Liviu Librescu.

Liviu, in particular, deserves attention, as he survived the Holocaust and stood against communism. Indeed, if it were not for the fact that he was shot while allowing his students to escape, this would be the saddest of deaths. Instead, Liviu will (though still sadly) be remembered as a true hero. I encourage everyone to write their representatives and nominate Liviu Librescu posthumously for the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He has redefined the word "hero".

And Doug reminds us why the media is not to be trusted; they demonize Don Imus while giving Cho Seung-Hui all the attention he was hoping for.

Even more fallout

2007-04-18T18:22:00.000-05:00

- Guess who's coming to dinner? If you said the Westboro Baptist Church and Scientologists, you'd be correct. The WBC is one of the most hateful organizations in existence, completely forgoing the ideals of forgiveness and love and instead sticking with hateful rhetoric; they suggest God hates the sinners, rather than just the sin. They also protest at funerals, suggesting that people die in tragedies like this because of homosexuals. It is hard to even consider them an offshoot of Christianity because they seem to show no love.

And scientology? Well, they are going to Blacksburg simply to corrupt students there. For anyone at VT reading this, do not let them talk you into joining them. They have proven in the past that joining them is dangerous, because they will never let you leave.

I am certainly not encouraging violence against either group, and to be honest, I would suggest avoiding any interaction with either group. It is doubtful that anyone will reach these people, and in such an emotionally charged atmosphere, I doubt anyone will be in a good place to debate them either. Get through your pain with the help of loved ones or a more traditional house of faith; finding faith can be a great treatment for this pain, but scam artists do exist in religion as well.

- Rush Limbaugh reminds us that video games are not to blame, and indeed suggests that targeting violent media may not solve anything here. I would expand on his point; there are alcoholics in this world, far many more than there are extreme violent offenders, so should we engage in a new prohibition? I didn't think so. And yet, some people will completely disregard Rush simply because he is Rush, regardless of where they stand.

It is truly a shame. This event should have united us all. Yet, we continue to see more divisiveness, and more people using this event for their own gain. Cho Seung-Hui was sick, but there are far too many twisted people out there trying to get their own way after this.

The Fallout of the VT Shooting

2007-04-18T10:19:00.000-05:00

I recognized early on that the violence at Virginia Tech would make us all analyze what happened. And I figure a lot of good will come out of this; however, there will also be many mistakes.

- Chris Muir recognizes one of the biggest fallacies believed on college campuses.

Just because you say something should not be somewhere does not mean that it won't.

- Thus, Jerry Fuhrman wonders how Michael Daly comes up with such an idiotic idea. Daly complains about illegal guns, but spends more time on legally obtained weapons. Hey Daly, people who do stuff like this will find ways to obtain weapons illegally if they are unable to get them legally.

- Still, as I said, some good ideas are starting to pop up. E-mail is a good way to message people about problems like this, but the only people who will get them are those who have not left before then and checked their e-mail before doing so. Yet, like computers, a vast majority of students have cell phones, a very easy way to spread word like this. Bill Koslosky suggests that this is not only a good idea, but a very feasible one as well. He suggests that it is relatively inexpensive, so I am sure that many students and their families would not mind if they had to add a small sum to their tuition charges to cover something like this.

- Bigger problems start to arise though. Other people get ideas from Cho Seung-Hui. Threats directly referencing Seung-Hui and otherwise have closed schools in 10 states out of fear of repeated shootings. Now, many of these (if not all) would result in nothing; most people are very unaware of how many threats like these are called into schools (even at the high school level) but never acted upon. The question here is knowing what needs further action and what can be ignored; indeed, this makes for an incredibly difficult question.

- And Facebook has proven to be a very effective tool. While social networks have a bad rep for allowing child predators easy access to children and for actually making some people even less sociable, Facebook became a good place to figure out if some people were all right, when they would put up messages saying so, and as a way to put up online memorials. Having used Facebook for some time now, I have seen hundreds of groups supporting VT, and dozens of my friends have put up either ribbons or the VT symbol with their school symbol (most often, VT accompanied by the V with sabres that symbolizes UVa) as their personal picture (which is usually populated by a picture of that person, sometimes with friends). This makes for a good way to allow people to show their feelings about the shooting. Unfortunately, some people are blaming gun owners (rather than Seung-Hui), Virginia (rather than Seung-Hui), or even President Bush (what?). But most people recognize that this is about giving the students at Virginia Tech support, rather than finding someone to blame.

UPDATE 3:15 PM: A couple more things.

- Riley is getting criticized for suggesting that Seung-Hui was motivated by left-wing politics. Hard to think negatively of Riley when so many on the left are blaming this on the NRA, the right-wing machine, and President Bush (seriously people, find a new obsession; President Bush is not Satan incarnate).

- And for anyone suggesting that video games makes people violent (indeed, I have some rather ignorant friends who actually believe this) comes a report from the BBFC suggesting that violence in video games does not correlate with feelings of violence in real life.

Let us make no mistake here. Errors were made by many parties here. But ultimately, the responsibility lies squarely on the shoulders of Cho Seung-Hui.

Today, we're all Hokies

2007-04-17T05:18:00.000-05:00

As a Wahoo, I always enjoy seeing UVa take on its big rival Virginia Tech in athletics and elsewhere.

But what happened yesterday goes beyond rivalries.

Today, we stand vigilant with the students at Virginia Tech. The games will return another day. The cheer of the crowd urging on the two competing teams will be a great sound to all. But today, as Doug puts so well, we are all Hokies.

Very Sad News

2007-04-16T14:56:00.000-05:00

In what is being described as the worst shooting rampage in United States history, 30 Virginia Tech students were shot and killed by a deranged gunman. What's worse, he did it on seperate ends of the campus.

Keep the students and their families of Virginia Tech in your prayers.

The Imus thing is behind us, but it may have raised some new questions

2007-04-13T19:38:00.000-05:00

Jason Whitlock is mad, and Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are his targets. Hot Air has more.

And Michelle wonders what's up with Barry?

Leno to Dems: What are you, scared?

2007-04-11T16:42:00.000-05:00

I know it is only Jay Leno's monologue, and that it is done in parody, but a good point is still made; if the Dems are scared of Fox News, how can they possibly be trusted to deal with terror?

Particularly funny as Jay Leno is hardly a card-carrying Republican.

The stupidity of Al

2007-04-09T19:22:00.000-05:00

Not Gore this time, but Sharpton. He is angry at Don Imus for his statements about the scrappy Rutgers team, so what does he do? Give Imus free advertising.

While Don Imus has been suspended, he will be back; it sounds as though he has no plan to resign (good for Don, it gets old hearing people call for a person's resignation just because they make one mistake). And now, people who have never heard of him now have. And they may be more likely to listen in when he returns. Instead of driving Don away, Al Sharpton may have given Don a larger audience.

And this is exactly why I do not go on tirades against Rosie O'Donnell (and wish other blogs, particularly those like Hot Air which have a national audience, would do the same). She needs to shut her mouth, but at least for a while (apparently, ratings are now dropping fast), The View's ratings were very high. It is ironic, but these loud voices tend to help more than harm the focus of the story.

So Al, bet you are feeling real proud of yourself now, eh?

Hope you like not having money

2007-04-04T07:57:00.000-05:00

Democrats have proposed a new budget that will increase American's annual taxes by an average of close to $3,000. Worse yet, the Democrat controlled House has passed it.

Such a tax increase will hurt the middle class, as many families are only barely able to support themselves on the income they have now. And people like myself, who are not far removed from college, have a more difficult time trying to get started in life. Is there any doubt why this Congress currently has a lower approval rating than either President Bush or the previous Republican led Congress.

I suspect that this blue shift that Democrats have been excited about may not last very long.

Political Correctness at its Worst

2007-04-04T07:35:00.000-05:00

Next up on the itinerary, getting rid of the phrases "World War II", "Civil Rights Movement", and "Cotton Gin".

Around the Horn

2007-04-03T10:41:00.000-05:00

A quick introduction to this post. Often times, I fall behind, usually due to how busy I am elsewhere. I still read many blogs, and want, at the very least, to point out some of the best of what I'm reading. So, I'll run through a number of links, some of which I will comment on and others which I will let speak for themselves, not unlike a carnival, except I select all the links. They are usually unrelated, and often have at least a couple links that are non-political, though potentially still partisan to some (hey, I cannot help it if you went to Virginia Tech). So, to get the ball rolling...

- Something to soften you all up. A father returns home from Iraq and surprises his son. If any of you watch this and do not feel anything, surely you must be inhuman.

- And that soldier is no doubt doing some good work in Iraq. Chris at the Mason Conservative gives the Department of Defense their props for the acheivements that are happening in Iraq. The media shows all the bad news coming from the country while barely (if at all) noticing the good news there.

- And even if anyone believes the Democrats support the military, the military sure doesn't. Bryan at Hot Air elaborates.

- Chris has more, citing his pride in the president for standing up for our troops and saying that he will veto the current military spending, er, I mean pork and withdrawl date bill.

- And not to forget the others who have stood up for our troops, SWAC Girl reiterates that the anti-war protestors go too far.

- Iran is a hot topic as well, and The NOVA Townhall wonders if we will be following Britain into Iran, rather than the other way around.

- John Hawkins wonders why Republicans are quiet since Democrats have started calling for the draft again. Seems like a good question to me.

- It seems like we are in a never-ending election season, and the Republican candidates for president seem weak right now, but do not fear, Fred Thompson is pondering a run. Polls suggest he might be able to make a run (and I believe he would rank higher than these polls suggest; the conservative base comes out to vote in those primaries, and they will not likely vote for Rudy or McCain). Moreover, there appears to be an effort in place to draft Fred Thompson to the role. I am still very undecided, but I would certainly entertain this possibility.

- The Earth has a fever, and the only perscription is more cowbell! Or less Al Gore. I'd be fine with either myself, and I'm sure Isophorone agrees.

- And even Sixth graders can tell that the "science" behind global warming is hardly conclusive. Still, some teachers think that students are unable to handle what used to be commonly taught. The Holocaust and the Crusades are slowly being dropped. What next, slavery? Clearly, these teachers never learned that those who do not learn from their history (or even learn their history in general) are doomed to repeat it.

- Jerry Fuhrman notes that James Webb is going to write another book. Wait, what? Senator Webb, you were elected to serve the people of Virginia. Right now, you cannot even keep who is in possession of your firearm straight. Do your job right now; you'll have plenty of time to write after you lose the next election.

- Another baseball season has begun. And other sports are still running, despite the fact that basketball season is over. UVa won in a very strong performance over Maryland in this last weekend's lacrosse game, a game I was fortunate enough to be able to attend. Virginia's baseball team, like the lacrosse team, is now ranked #3.

- And this game is incredibly addicting. Beware if you click, you might find yourself wasting a lot of time.

Polling at its worst

2007-04-02T11:26:00.000-05:00

Anyone who is familiar with this blog knows that I do not like polls. They can give an idea of trends, but are too easily botched up or or mistaken. This has only been further justified by a recent poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International. The poll covers many topics, in particular the following question.

12. Which one of the following statements come closest to your views about the origin and development of human beings? Humans developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process (or) Humans developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God had no part in this process (or) God created humans pretty much in the present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so?

The overall statisitics suggest that 30% of Americans believe that evolution is a God driven process and another 13% believe that evolution exists but it is not driven by God. So, I know what many of you are thinking right now. "Wait a second Red Stater, these days, Christians believe in increasing numbers that evolution is part of God's great plan".

Depends on who you ask. The poll breaks down the numbers further. Catholics and Non-evangelical Protestants do have high numbers, totaling about 50% of each group. However, only about 20% of Evangelical Protestants believe that. And I'm sure some of you are still saying that doesn't sound problematic.

Well, let's include atheists and agnostics. They do seem to believe in evolution, but God is not a native concept to them. Yet, 72% of atheists and agnostics believe that evolution is or is not influenced by God. One can make the argument that the wording used in the case that evolution is not God driven is vague, but that still leaves 27% of atheist/agnostic Americans believing that evolution is driven by God. Now that sounds rather odd. Were they trying to sandbag this poll, or are they just stupid, or was it just a joke? It is hard to tell, but it is clear that something went wrong.

Wow

2007-03-24T18:14:00.000-05:00

The only word that can describe the finish to the 2007 NCAA Division II Basketball Championship. Take a look.

One good turn...

2007-03-23T14:19:00.000-05:00

Some people seem to enjoy using Bushisms, that is, some of the less than proper English that our president has been caught using. However, a lot of people seem to be unaware of what could've been. Al Gore did not lose the 2000 election by much, and if things had gone the other way, we might've had Goreisms instead. Here are a select few.

"I was recently on a tour of Latin America, and the only regret I have was that I didn't study Latin harder in school so I could converse with those people."

*Slaps forehead*

"What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is."

I'm sure no one knows that better than you Mr. Gore.

"The future will be better tomorrow."

What about today?

"A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls."

Again, something Mr. Gore must be familiar with.

"[It's] time for the human race to enter the solar system."

I think Xenu must've gotten Al Gore too.

These are just a few examples. Check out more Goreisms and remember them the next time you are thinking through your "stategery".

Maybe he won't be president...

2007-03-21T21:14:00.000-05:00

Supreme Court?

(h/t to Carl Kilo)

Matt Schaub finally traded

2007-03-21T15:44:00.000-05:00

My first memories of Virginia football are of Matt Schaub leading UVa to many victories (I did not watch college football before 2002), and then seeing him get drafted by Atlanta, who already had Virginia Tech alumnus Michael Vick leading them. It was obvious early on he would not be starting there, and he has sat on the bench for three seasons.

That is finally changing, as Matt Schaub has been traded to the Houston Texans. He will likely get a real shot at starting there as David Carr, Houston's chosen starting QB since its first game in 2002, has not been able to get the team any success (Houston was an expansion team, but Carolina and Jacksonville both made the playoffs in their second seasons as franchises). Here's hoping that Schaub will finally find the NFL success he has long deserved.

UPDATE 6:05 PM: I just remembered that fellow Hoo alum Wali Lundy is also in Houston, allowing for a reunion of sorts.

And what is up with teams in the southwest? They recognize young UVa stars more readily than others it appears. That makes five Wahoos on teams in Texas and Arizona.

Congress: Still not popular

2007-03-21T08:36:00.000-05:00

Despite the change in control, Congress has returned to its abysmally terrible approval ratings, levels below President Bush's even. It is clear that while people were not happy with the previous congressional leadership, they only voted on the current one because of the frustration they felt before. What does this mean for 2008?

A lot could change. If the war in Iraq worsens, it will likely hurt Republicans, but it might not help Democrats; third party candidates at the House and Senate levels will likely gain from it. I do not foresee any third party candidates doing well fighting for the White House, despite the weak field of candidates on both sides. However, a this upcoming election does become harder to predict. Currently, the situation in Iraq has been improving, but the situation in Washington is getting worse. The partisanship on both sides has made for a battle, as Democrats have been at odds with the Republican president since day one. But do not be fooled, the real enemy is not inside the beltway, but rather within the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, where terrorists do not even care about the children they endanger. Many Americans recognize why we must win this war; to preserve life. Though the war is unpopular for a considerably sized group, leaving will isolate many more still.

So where will Washington be heading in January of 2009?

Fly Like an Eagle

2007-03-20T09:41:00.000-05:00

A Gathering of Eagles is mostly ignored by mainstream media.

They may have prevented a number of monuments and memorials from being defaced.

They believe in their cause, and in America.

For so long, those who believed in the cause have remained silent, not wanting to look like war mongerers or like the extreme protesters. Clearly, tolerating them only went so far for some. With Democrats in power in Congress, the Gathering of Eagles has shown that many Americans are not ready to pull out of Iraq, that we still want to win and to bring democracy to the Middle East. Along with the strength of the troop surge, I am more encouraged with the direction things are now going, and clearly, others are as well.

I won't be voting for Obama...

2007-03-20T06:33:00.000-05:00

but whoever made this parody ad did a fantastic job with it. Still, this could be a terribly dirty campaign season if this is any indication.

A movie I've been waiting on for a while

2007-03-19T06:40:00.000-05:00

No, not Spider-Man 3 (though I cannot wait for that one either; Sam Raimi has done fantastic job on the first two). Indoctrinate U is finally coming out, and Evan Coyne Maloney is going to expose "the Great American University" in a way we have never seen before (unless you have been priveleged to see Brainwashing 101, a short film they produced that basically serves as a long preview of the film they intended for theaters). Take a look at the trailer in the link above; is it just me, or do I see an image of the University of Virginia being used? (Thankfully, not a negative one, and thus, hopefully the only one).

What is going on in our Senate?

2007-03-14T13:29:00.000-05:00

Chris notes Democrats going back and forth on an Iraq timetable.

Jerry notes the Senate's decision to unionize baggage screeners.

So when does the Congress start to actually deal with our national defense again?

The Next Big Thing in Blogging?

2007-03-14T13:20:00.000-05:00

Charlie Fugate is "Archvice blogging", as Carl Kilo is calling it. Charlie has taken a look over some of the blogs of the ODBA, and seems to be interested in starting a series of posts covering what he feels are the best posts of the ODBA's past. He covers Carl's analysis of the Sago mining tragedy to start. This could become the next step in blogging, much like the aggregator, carnival, and caption contest.

Some Christians today have it wrong

2007-03-13T00:36:00.000-05:00

These days, a lot of people love to use the phrase "let he who is without sin cast the first stone". Unfortunately, too many people leave off the rest of this, choosing to only take what they want from it rather than understanding the context. Here is the rest of it, John Chapter 8.

1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

11 "No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

Jesus acknowledged that those around him could not claim to be perfect, and questioned their choice of punishment. But there is no doubt that Jesus also judged this woman. He spoke of her adultery as what it was; a sin. In "casting a stone", he is questioning their execution of punishment, not their judgment.

Today, there is a large contingent of Christ followers who miss this, and want to condone sinful choices, not least of which homosexuality. One thing to remember is that God's word cannot conflict with itself. The Bible may be confusing sometimes, but it is consistent. The Old Testament is mostly filled with laws and the prophecy of the coming Messiah. The New Testament shows how to follow in Christ's footsteps and the coming return of the Messiah. Two parts, but one Word.

There is nothing wrong with wishing not to judge others; however, we must recognize that God despises sin, despite his love for the sinner (that is, all of us). I suspect people of other faiths (and yes, this includes atheists; they have faith that there is no God) and agnostics (they may have a case in saying they have no faith) may feel differently, but the context must still be understood. Forgive sin, but do not condone it. We are not above sin, but we ourselves must also work to avoid it.

And also, know the purpose of a Bible verse. Using one short snippet may sound good, but it may not always fully express what God intended. But, I guess in the day and age of the ever-shrinking sound byte, I guess I should not be surprised.

Why we are in Iraq

2007-03-07T00:02:00.000-05:00

My parents sent me a great piece on what the War on Terror and the War in Iraq mean, and it is quite excellent, something I feel that should be shared. They sent me the entire text of it, but not wanting to put too much here, I managed to find a link to it. Here are a couple excerpts.

Sixty-three years ago, Nazi Germany had overrun almost all of Europe and hammered England to the verge of bankruptcy and defeat . The Nazis had sunk more than 400 British ships in their convoys between England and America taking food and war materials .

At that time the US was in an isolationist, pacifist mood, and most Americans wanted nothing to do with the European or the Asian war ..

Then along came Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 , and in outrage Congress unanimously declared war on Japan , and the following day on Germany , who had not yet attacked us .. It was a dicey thing . We had few allies .

Together, Japan and Germany had long-range plans of invading Canada and Mexico , as launching pads to get into the United States over our northern and southern borders, after they finished gaining control of Asia and Europe .

Ironically, Russia saved America 's butt by putting up a desperate fight for two years, until the US got geared up to begin hammering way at Germany .

Russia lost something like 24,000,000 people in the sieges of Stalingrad and Moscow alone . . . 90% of them from cold and starvation, mostly civilians, but also more than a 1,000,000 soldiers

Had Russia surrendered, Hitler would have been able to focus his entire war effort against the Brits, then America. If that had happened, the Nazis could possibly have won the war .

All of this has been brought out to illustrate that turning points in history are often dicey things . Now, we find ourselves at another one of those key moments in history .

The Jihadis, the militant Muslims, are basically Nazis in Kaffiyahs -- they believe that Islam, a radically conservative form of Wahhabi Islam, should own and control the Middle East first, then Europe, then the world. To them, all who do not bow to their will of thinking should be killed, enslaved, or subjugated . They want to finish the Holocaust, destroy Israel , and purge the world of Jews .. This is their mantra . (goal)

If the Reformation movement wins, that is, the moderate Muslims who believe that Islam can respect and tolerate other religions, live in peace with the rest of the world, and move out of the 10th century into the 21st, then the troubles in the Middle East will eventually fade away . A moderate and prosperous Middle East will emerge .

We have to help the Reformation win, and to do that we have to fight the Inquisition, i .. e . , the Wahhabi movement, the Jihad, Al Qaeda and the Islamic terrorist movements . We have to do it somewhere . We can't do it everywhere at once. We have created a focal point for the battle at a time and place of our choosing . . . . .. . . . in Iraq .

I've given away a bit of it already, and may need to just post the whole thing if I add any more, so go check it out now. The War in Iraq is not meaningless, but could change the course of history for the better.

I'm not alone.

2007-03-06T12:25:00.000-05:00

John Hawkins says what I've been saying: The left needs to clean house.

2007-03-04T23:54:00.000-05:00

Chris, The Mason Conservative, describes the raid of Sadr City, Iraq, a major Shiite stronghold that has contained some of the most resistant militants currently in Iraq. Guess that surge must be working; of course, things will look real bad if Democrats in Congress decide to reduce funding for the soldiers in Iraq.

People mad at Ann Coulter for being...

2007-03-03T22:10:00.000-05:00

Ann Coulter.

Miss Coulter made a rather blunt, and arguably daft statement at the CPAC conference this past weekend.

I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word 'f****t,' so I — so kind of an impasse, can't really talk about Edwards.

Now, this was clearly inappropriate and she could have said this in a different way.

However, I find it hard to get mad at her. Is this heartless of me? Am I just helping her to sell books (I cannot believe I am hearing conservatives say this; sounds like a bunch of anti-business types to me)?

No, I have heard too many Democrats and anti-conservative pundits/activists/politicians do the same sort of thing and never apologize. Cindy Sheehan? Regularly committing treason and never having to answer for it. Michael Moore? Deliberately lies and gets an Oscar in return. Bill Maher? High viewership for low IQ. And then there are the racist habits Democrats have, like Hillary Clinton's Ghandi joke, Joe Biden's continued problems, and who can forget Robert Byrd's time in the KKK?

I am numb to it.

They want an apology for something they never apologize for.

And then one almost wonders is it really an insult? "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" became popular; wasn't queer supposed to be a similar insult? It might be if a conservative or heterosexual used it outside of naming that show. And the N-word? Why is it all right when blacks use it while considered to be a slur otherwise? And do not even get me started with the manufactured anger towards George Allen's gaffe from last year; I heard that word used at least ten times more often by those against George Allen than those for, and I am not exaggerating.

I am numb to it.

And now, Riley, Not O'Reilly figures out the main reason Democrats are making a big deal; as a hollow attempt to raise money.

A few observations. First, if Dean and Edwards were really upset about this, they wouldn’t be trying to score political points or raise funds off of this.

I am numb to it.

I can see why some conservatives are mad about this, but I wonder why they have only directed their questions to Ann Coulter. She has capitalized on something liberals have been mastering for longer than she has; and for every Ann Coulter we have, they have a dozen Ward Churchills, Rosie O'Donnells, and Julio Pinos.

Ann Coulter must be feeling numb too. Why feel a need to apologize when so many on the other side insult without remorse and often feel no need to? Particularly when they do it so often.

I'm sure I am unpopular right now, here and on other blogs; I have commented in many places in defense of Miss Coulter. But I do not care. I am simply numb.

And until I see a change on the left, that will not change.

UPDATE 3/4 9:20 PM: SWAC Girl has her thoughts on Ann Coulter.

Questions

2007-03-03T14:31:00.000-05:00

Evan Coyne Maloney wonders why the state pays for a professor to commit treason.

And Jerry Fuhrman wonders when the use of race politics will end in America now that it has been revealed that Obama's ancestors were slave owners.

So let me get this straight...

2007-03-03T00:41:00.000-05:00

Ann Coulter is wrong to slander John Edwards, but Cindy Sheehan (see second item) can time after time slander President Bush with no response from Howard Dean? Well, that's certainly fair. I guess I should have realized that the freedom of speech is reserved for some, not all.

Global warming=Religion

2007-02-28T14:33:00.000-05:00

-paedia has a good look at how global warming has become a large belief system, rather than science, with the jump into the indulgence-like carbon offset.

I always figured the carbon offset was like Bonsai Kitten, but this is a good comparison too.

UPDATE 2:50 PM: McQ adds some very interesting information in the debate. Turns out there is a much higher correlation between sunspots and global temperatures than previously suggested. Not proof positive, but those who have implied that the correlation of carbon dioxide and temperatures is "proof" will look real foolish trying to use the "correlation does not imply causation" argument. (Another possibility is that carbon dioxide increases may be driven by increased sunspot activity or greater temperatures, but this may be harder to prove.)

Apparently, an apology is not enough

2007-02-25T18:48:00.001-05:00

Why am I not surprised?

Consensus? The Debate is Over?

2007-02-24T20:42:00.000-05:00

Al Gore's film might be winning an Oscar for Best Documentary (I guess documentary has changed meaning these days, with pieces of fiction like Fahrenheit 911 winning and all), but he has a lot more opposition than he realizes. Patrick Michaels notes much of the evidence that Gore ignored, while NewsBusters reports a new site that is against the political use of global warming (in a real way, not like Heidi Cullen's so-called stance against politics in climate change). This discussion is far from over.

This gets a little scary

2007-02-22T10:33:00.000-05:00

Carl Kilo has shown me more information concerning my earlier post on the attack on a Republican in Fredericksburg. Michelle Malkin reports that Andrew Stone used Facebook to seek out as many UMW CRs as possible. And this man tries to suggest that he is anti-violence! I have been on Facebook for a while myself, and can see that Stone's profile still exists, though I cannot access information in it (somewhat ironic since Facebook profiles are more open now than they have ever been). I know I will now be restricting further who can see my profile.

So let's review, add a complete loon with a little too much information being available on Facebook, and you have a recipe for danger. And it gets a little more daunting. Michelle Malkin says the attacker is a little over six feet tall and two hundred pounds; I am no shrimp myself, but Stone is clearly larger than I am, and if I had been the target, I would expect to be in a hospital bed right now.

And do not be naive; this isn't happening everyday, but this thought process is. He again shows the moonbattery of the Democratic Underground, and has done so many times in the past. This could very well happen again, so be careful with whom you associate with and, in particular, with who you let in your house.

And thanks for pointing this out to me Carl. I am spreading this one as much as I can (ironically enough, that includes on Facebook).

UPDATE 1:50 PM: Interestingly enough, I have not yet seen any Virginia liberal bloggers post on this topic yet, beyond Richmond Democrat's half-baked theory in my earlier post that it may have been a Republican attacking these young men. Wise move, or are they afraid of the repercussions of this event in general?

This is one reason I have chosen to remain anonymous

2007-02-21T17:12:00.000-05:00

And yet, I'm sure there will be some who will say that this was totally justified.

Talk about counting your chickens before they hatch.

2007-02-19T06:53:00.000-05:00

Some in New York and Congress believe Senator Bill Clinton would ring well with a Hillary Clinton White House win. Haven't Democrats gotten in trouble the last couple of presidential elections when they stated what would happen when (rather than if) they won the White House?

Woodward has it right

2007-02-18T16:56:00.000-05:00

Bob Woodward seems to be all over the map concerning the War in Iraq (his first book, Bush at War seems to show a favorable opinion, while later books are more critical). However, he is nothing if not honest, and reminds us that Democrats had just as big of a part in the build up to war in Iraq, and that they hold a great deal of responsibility concerning what happens next if they cut funding. Why can't more members of the mainstream media just be this honest or acknowledging?

A Message For Our Black Youth

2007-02-16T20:02:00.000-05:00

Jerry Fuhrman has a good message concerning race. This sort of thing needs to be further discussed today; too many people are acting the roles of victims, and if it does not stop soon, we may never be able to see a truly color-blind society.

Coward

2007-02-14T18:44:00.000-05:00

That is the only way I can describe John Murtha without dipping into the four letter words. Write your representatives; your congressman, John Warner, even James Webb. The slow bleed cannot be allowed; by forcing troops to return home before the conditions allow it only put at risk those troops who remain and put at risk any attempts being put forward to bring peace in Iraq.

The Democrats are leading us to defeat, not to mention giving al-Qaeda reason to cheer. We should not be negotiating with Osama bin Laden; we should be serving him a big heaping of justice, and same goes for any terrorist, save for those who surrender or are captured.

al-Anon?

2007-02-13T19:55:00.000-05:00

A murderer is calling out a former alcoholic. Is this supposed to drop moral or give us a few laughs? I think it becomes clear that not only is this a propoganda piece, but also a hint of just how bad things are for al-Qaeda right now. We are winning, and all al-Zawahiri will do is repeat the same joke that has been on late-night talk shows for the last 7 years. At this point, the only other thing he can do is admit defeat.

UPDATE 2/14 1:25 AM: Still don't believe we are winning? Tell that to Muqtada al-Sadr.

Heroes

2007-02-10T01:50:00.000-05:00

They say that the troops are just underpriveleged kids who feel they cannot do better for themselves.

Some even call them "mercenaries".

Clearly, though, they are truly heroes, and Michelle Malkin chronicles the lives of a few of these patriots whom others have derided, not defended.

Jim Webb, the embarassment

2007-02-10T01:27:00.000-05:00

The SWAC Girl posts a good letter to the editor sent to The Free Lance-Star concerning James Webb.

I am very proud to call Virginia my home. I think this is a grand state. However, sometimes we do something foolish, like voting in James Webb as our senator.

Go there to read the whole thing.

This should not be surprising; James Webb has used his status as a veteran to get votes, and I imagine veterans do not vote for candidates simply because they also happen to be veterans. With unimpressive approval ratings so early in his position as United States Senator, James Webb appears to be a waste of the Virginia voter's vote. Is he actually going to do anything for this state, or is he just going to continue to complain about George W. Bush? Democrats in other states actually do things in the Senate, whether we agree with them or not; has Webb quit already?

Ladies and gentlemen, your unbiased media

2007-02-07T11:28:00.000-05:00

Chris Matthews is explicit this time. Caution: language and video in this link contain some foul language.

This is stupid

2007-02-06T22:59:00.000-05:00

Are there no Democrat Party blogs worth reading?

Credit where credit is due

2007-02-05T12:25:00.000-05:00

While the media was going out of their way to notice that there were two black coaches in the Super Bowl (I'm pretty sure these two men are more than just their race, despite what the MSM seems to imply), Tony Dungy noted the importance of their faith over all else.

I tell you what. I'm proud to be representing African-American coaches, to be the first African-American to win this. It means an awful lot to our country. But again, more than anything, I've said it before, Lovie Smith and I, not only the first two African-Americans, but Christian coaches, showing that you can win doing it the Lord's way. We're more proud of that.

Do not expect to hear more of this from our media; they will continue ot go on and on about Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy being black.

In the end, what does it matter? This does not help foster a color blind society. Dungy and Smith did not deserve to be in the Super Bowl because they were black; they deserved to be there because they built strong teams and proved themselves to be good leaders. And more so, they relied on God to guide their decisions and judgments, and while only one team could win it all, God blessed both coaches for their faith, not for the color of their skin.

It is true; we have a long way to go when it comes to race relations; but I believe that blacks have just as much responsibility as whites to break down the divide. Marking every thing that a black person does for the first time cannot help that.

Problems with global warming

2007-02-02T17:22:00.000-05:00

Recent reports suggest that global warming may lead to an average temperature increase of 3° C (that's about 5.5° F for anyone still unsure of metric measurements) and sea levels rising by 1.5 meters (that is, about 4.8 feet). Global warming fanatics love to flaunt numbers behind the science, but some of these numbers just don't add up.

Global warming claim: There is a consensus!
Fact: They use consensus as if they are to imply that all scientists agree with it. Clearly, that is untrue, with an increased number of scientists coming out against it. And when a conference brings in 600 scientists who overwhelmingly believe global warming is a threat, what kind of response would you expect? Think George W. Bush would be president if 600 Democrats got together to make such a selection?

But if we really want to be accurate, science has never been about the "consensus". Theory is all well and good, but quite simply, theory is not fact. More importantly, just because 4 out of every 5 experts believe something does not make it true. Or do you still believe that the Earth is flat too?

Claim: Deniers say that global cooling used to be used as a form of fear-mongering, but it was nothing more than media hype.
Fact: So global warming supporters does not utilize the media? On the contrary, the media has played a greater part in the spread of this theory than any scientist ever could. And while the noise may not have been as loud in the past, similar trends have been documented in the past, showing a regular two to three decade cycle in climate change. And yes, scientists did believe it; Newsweek even admits as much.

Claim: Well look at the last (50, 100, 200, 10000, million, whatever number) years. We can show that there has been warming over that period of time that can clearly be attributed to humans.
Fact: First off, accurate temperature records only extend back about a century and a half. Claims that temperature records go further back are somewhat misleading; they are nowhere near as accurate as today's records, nor as extensive. Still, let's give them the benefit of the doubt and say that the last 500 years of temperature records are accurate. Wikipedia displays the following image.

First off, note the black trend line. That shows actual differences from the suggested average. Again, note it only goes back 150 years. The trend going back from that black line is near linear. So clearly, it must've done the same for the 500 years before that as well.

Now lets consider just the last 150 years. If you take that data and extend it backward similarly, it would suggest that average temperatures have increased 4° C (at least 7° F) in the past millenium. See how easy a line works?

Now, we will consider a similar 150 year period of time, but take a look at this graph.

Look at the last 150 years. Somewhat similar to the graph produced by the scientists, but the years before that show a cyclical pattern. More realistically is the following graph, showing shorter periods within larger ones, building on the suggested couple decade long period.

While I cannot conclusively claim that these graphs are correct or even close to correct, neither can scientists with theirs. A simple understanding of statistics will tell you two things. First, you can do anything with numbers that you want; if you can suggest some sort of realistic trend, then it is easy enough to show why it may be true. And secondly (and more importantly), without accurate and consistently measured values, spread out randomly over the long run, then a trend cannot be trusted. Yeah, the trend of the past 150 years suggests warming; is that what happened before? How sure can we be since the mid-1800s was when the last mini-ice age ended?

Claim: Regardless, there is no doubt that global warming is real, is caused by humans, and is bad.
Fact: Global warming may very well exist; Venus and Earth both seem to suggest that a greenhouse effect does take place, as a planet without an atmosphere will be much cooler (and potentially warmer) at the extremes. But can it be proven that humans caused this? Well, what other possibilities may there be?

Plenty. Is it possible that the Earth's own heat production could vary and also increase temperatures? I haven't seen anything contrary to this, and would be interested to see some research there. Is it possible that the Sun could actually be more active right now, increasing temperatures? That is a definitive yes. One new theory already suggests that the Sun periodically enters increasing and decreasing periods of energy output. Moreover, it is very possible that a shorter period exists; we already know that the sunspot cycle (11 years) and magnetic oscillation cycle (22 years; interesting, in the 20-30 year period mentioned earlier) operate on a much shorter time period.

And is it bad? Average temperature increases are apparent based on data, but Antarctic ice seems to be getting thicker, certainly not supporting warmer temperatures there. Increased carbon dioxide levels are blamed, but greater levels of carbon dioxideare proven to be great for plants who feed on it almost the same way animals and humans live on oxygen. An increase of carbon dioxide could increase plant life and self-regulate the planet by taking that carbon dioxide and making it oxygen again. And just how solid are the numbers for increased sea levels? This may depend greatly on just where the warming occurs. Again, if more ice is being frozen into the Antarctic, it seems doubtful that sea levels could rise.

The fact is, global warming is not known to be fact. Enough noise though will make anyone believe anything. Good science suggests that any theory is falsifiable. The media and these "scientists" would have you believe global warming is not. This is bad theory, and bad science. When global warming is able to stand up for itself against other theories, and not needing to be defended, then global warming skeptics (myself included) will pay attention. Until then, keep that hot air in; you might just be aiding the global warming.

UPDATE 2/3 12:20 PM: CNS reports that the summary the UN found does not truly represent the scientific data.

A terrible day for someone

2007-02-02T14:32:00.000-05:00

I got up early for work.

I felt terrible after working a full week and having little sleep last night.

The day nearly felt like it would not end.

And yet...

I remember there are some people I must feel better than.

Virginia 68, Duke 66. Go Hoos!

UPDATE A FEW MINUTES LATER: Virginia needs to stay on their toes still. They face Miami only a couple days after this game against a tough tenth-ranked team, and this is the classic set-up for a let-down. Sean and JR need to rest up and be ready to light up the scoreboard. If they can get to 7-2 in the ACC, a tournament run almost becomes easy.

Democratic, Democratic, Democratic, Democratic, Democratic, Democratic,...

2007-02-01T21:24:00.000-05:00

Just had to tease those so-easily offended Democratics, er, Democrats.

Can someone explain to me why being called the Democratic Party is such a bad thing? You'd think people were using a racial slur the way they have responded recently.

As for me, I do not care what they think. The Democrats of the Democratic Party can deal with it.

There's no warming up to the Nobel Foundation

2007-02-01T18:35:00.000-05:00

Al Gore has been nominated for his work concerning global warming.

In other news, Heidi Cullen says that those who disagree with the theory of global warming are playing a political game.

Should I be laughing or shaking my head at such idiocy?

Common sense is dead

2007-01-31T17:55:00.000-05:00

Does this make any sense?

Two Osceola County parents said their son was humiliated at school when he was suspected of wearing "gang-style" clothing. Saint Cloud Middle School said only a handful of students were searched last week when they got a complaint.

The parents told Eyewitness News, if their son was wearing low baggy pants or a bandana, by all means he should have been sent home, but he wasn't. He was wearing a Florida Gators t-shirt.

Robert and Sara Crosby can't understand how their son could be connected to gang activity, especially by wearing a Gators t-shirt.

Now, if it were a Virginia Tech shirt, I could understand...

But seriously, who is really providing the distraction? I remember wearing various different t-shirts in school and never was accused of wearing gang apparel; no one I know was. Why? Because t-shirts showing your favorite team or school generally is not gang apparel. In fact, last I checked, most gangs do not have a strong affinity for school.

I also see little reason to believe that getting rid of "gang apparel" will stop or even slow down gangs. There are other ways around this; are schools going to start sending home every kid who has a tattoo next? Hard to change those, and forcing kids out of schools will only accelerate any moves they might make towards joining a gang.

Common sense people. The one place children are best suited is school, and making them feel unwelcome there is foolhardy at best. I am not saying not to look for the signs; I am saying that, sometimes, you need to look at more than one piece of evidence.

James Webb: John Kerry's long-lost son?

2007-01-29T20:25:00.000-05:00

DJ notes the flip-flop.

"The majority of the nation no longer supports the way this war is being fought; nor does the majority of our military"

James Webb after the SOTU.

"I don't believe that there is any politician who has the right to say that he or she is speaking for the troops, for the military"

James Webb on Face the Nation.

Seriously, what do Democrats see in politicians like this? Whatever happened to taking a stand for what you believe in?

More on our failing teachers

2007-01-27T19:14:00.000-05:00

Coryoth of kuro5hin shares the concerns I noted earlier this week.

The real tragedy is that, because mathematics is a heavily layered subject, each new topic building upon the previous ones, once students fall behind catching up can be a nightmare. Indeed, students often meet a rude awakening in late high school or at college when their limited mathematical repertoire fails to provide the necessary tools to fully grasp the next topic. Even worse, by failing to impart the core skills of abstraction, and logical systematic approaches to dealing with abstract objects, we are denying students the very skills necessary to even begin to expand their mathematical toolkit. At its heart mathematics is about abstract and logical thought, and without these core skills no student can hope to succeed in mathematics.

This elaborates on a point I had made.

...down the road, they need a mastery of the standard algorithms... To understand the more advanced mathematics, I definitely needed the basics. Middle school teachers cannot be expected to have to teach students why multiplication and division work because they did not learn by the fifth grade

And I think we are already seeing the results. They were sure there would be 100,000, but they cannot even seem to count.

Congrats Chad!

2007-01-23T15:17:00.000-05:00

Word is coming in from the Richmond War Room: Chad Dotson is the new District Court Judge for Wise County.

Chad's Commonwealth Conservative, then blogged under the pen name John Behan, was the first Virginia blog I read; it was only a couple weeks after that that I got to meet Chad for the very first time. As well spoken as he is written, he encouraged us to get into blogging, and to let him know if we were blogging so he could help to spread it further. That initial meeting gave me a big push into blogging, and I have continued to write since.

If Chad is half as good a judge as he was a blogger, then there is no doubt that justice will be served for the next six years in Wise County.

No wonder the US is falling behind in education

2007-01-22T02:27:00.000-05:00

As a student in elementary school, I learned the basics of mathematics using the classic algorithms thankfully. I am completely unfamiliar with the methods displayed in this video, and should I have kids one day, would be unable to help them if they are taught improperly. I would like to think that I have a mastery of the basic, if not some of the more advanced, mathematics, and I credit that with an effecient, methodical approach.

Unfortunately, this is consistent with the criticisms of education today. Some of the textbooks Miss McDermott displays do not focus solely on math, but also move into geography (in my time, part of the broader course of social studies). Do the teachers not have enough time to teach social studies seperately? I guess between all the time they teach students about diversity, acceptance, and other politically charged topics, there is very little time left to teach them the basics they will desperately need in an ever-more competetive world. The biggest complaint I have about my early education was that we failed to make it to the Cold War in my history courses, leaving me to have to learn about it on my own later on, and this can only be blamed on the end of the school year. Yes, it proves there may not always be enough time to teach everything, but if the basics are there, the rest can follow.

And let's face it. How stupid will a student look guessing and checking their multiplication while solving a calculus problem? If any of you out there reading this are educators, please take this into consideration. There are ways to get to the students who need more help, but it is foolish to place at risk students who are capable of learning and mastering mathematics, let alone any other subjects that appear to be sorely neglected.

Playing Catch-up

2007-01-21T23:46:00.000-05:00

Work has set me a little behind, and as the snow (and the subsquent change to ice) will be giving me a day off tomorrow, I felt it would be a good time to run through a number of interesting links I have found recently.

- Still against the War in Iraq? Feel that Democrats have always been the voice against it? Free Republic has complied a very convincing list of quotes concerning conflict, many of which show the former problems of Iraq and the support of many now-antiwar Democrats.

- Speaking of the war, Evan Coyne Maloney notes the problems of a politically correct war, which is what he suggests is a war of appeasement, rather than victory. Well worth the read, and while you are there, check out some of his videos as well, a small series of short documentaries.

- For the trifecta, a father speaks out against a pull-out, wanting his son's service to not be in vain. Kingsman Green served Britain well, and he is a hero here in America as well.

- James Young links to The House of Erastothenes to question Bush Derangement Syndrome. To put it simply, Democrats avoid action and hate Bush because he feels that action must be taken. I imagine President Bush's speech given on the fifth anniversary of September 11th might drive them insane.

- Debate over an apology for slavery here in Virginia has been raging, and Vivian has led the way. Such an apology makes no sense, because those who were responsible of it are no longer around, and I find it hard to believe that the topic will be dropped even if it were to pass. Vivian is a smart woman, but I often wonder if she thinks that blacks were the only oppressed race. Jerry Fuhrman has something to say about the debate too, and he thinks that it would be best to not dwell on the past.

- And UVa basketball posted two good wins this week, against Maryland and Wake Forest, after a rough stetch where they lost three straight games. The ACC is stacked this year, and UVa has remained in the thick of it all. It would be good to see the Hoos finally make it back to the NCAA tournament, even if the last time they made it was before I started college. Wahoowa!

Near light speed travel?

2007-01-19T17:29:00.000-05:00

I think DC must be near a spatial anomaly. I know that more than two weeks have passed since the new Congress took office, yet Democrats are hailing the time it took them to pass their six primary items at only 42 1/4 hours, claiming to be within the first 100 hours they promised. Time is a funny thing, and very dependent on perception I guess. Either that or taking a day off to watch a football game set at night throws them for a loop.

A meteorologist finally chimes in

2007-01-19T13:09:00.000-05:00

James Spann, a meterologist from Alabama has chimed in on the global warming debate because of Heidi Cullen's statements, and he's blowing the lid off of the work of "climate experts".

I have been in operational meteorology since 1978, and I know dozens and dozens of broadcast meteorologists all over the country. Our big job: look at a large volume of raw data and come up with a public weather forecast for the next seven days. I do not know of a single TV meteorologist who buys into the man-made global warming hype. I know there must be a few out there, but I can’t find them. Here are the basic facts you need to know:

*Billions of dollars of grant money is flowing into the pockets of those on the man-made global warming bandwagon. No man-made global warming, the money dries up. This is big money, make no mistake about it. Always follow the money trail and it tells a story. Even the lady at “The Weather Channel” probably gets paid good money for a prime time show on climate change. No man-made global warming, no show, and no salary. Nothing wrong with making money at all, but when money becomes the motivation for a scientific conclusion, then we have a problem. For many, global warming is a big cash grab.

*The climate of this planet has been changing since God put the planet here. It will always change, and the warming in the last 10 years is not much difference than the warming we saw in the 1930s and other decades. And, lets not forget we are at the end of the ice age in which ice covered most of North America and Northern Europe.

It comes as no surprise to me that money is a motivating factor for global warming. The government is infamous for handing out lots of money for scientific research, but what sense would it make to give money for research to suggest there is no global warming? If there is no global warming, it would make no sense to waste money on it, right? Yeah, if you have some common sense apparently.

And natural changes in the weather patterns are almost always ignored, because again it is hard to hype up something that we do not have any impact on. Where would the money go if we did?

It is clear why those like Mr. Spann have remained quiet. They see nothing to get worked up about. Now, though, their credibility may be called into question when they all appear to hold the same view on a widely disputed (no, there is not a consensus) "theory", and their very jobs may be at stake if they do nothing. It is time for more of them to speak up and question Heidi Cullen; maybe it might make Al Gore shut up when he has so many qualified experts speaking against global warming.

Flipping faster than a flapjack

2007-01-18T14:54:00.000-05:00

A Democrat calls for action in Iraq, and when President Bush endorses it, the Democrat backpedals. And this time, it isn't John Kerry.

On Dec. 5, Newsweek magazine touted an interview with then-incoming House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Rep. Silvestre Reyes as an "exclusive." And for good reason.

"In a surprise twist in the debate over Iraq," the story began, Mr. Reyes "said he wants to see an increase of 20,000 to 30,000 U.S. troops as part of a 'stepped up effort to dismantle the militias.' "

"We have to consider the need for additional troops to be in Iraq, to take out the militias and stabilize Iraq," the Texas Democrat said to the surprise of many, "I would say 20,000 to 30,000."

Then came President Bush's expected announcement last week, virtually matching Mr. Reyes' recommendation and argument word-for-word -- albeit the president proposed only 21,500 troops.

Wouldn't you know, hours after Mr. Bush announced his proposal, Mr. Reyes told the El Paso Times that such a troop buildup was unthinkable.

To add insult to injury (both self imposed interestingly enough), he made another key mistake. While I would not expect the average American to know which Muslim sects are associated with terrorist organizations, one would think that a politician should be knowledgable on the subject, particularly one who has had to deal with the topic for a few years now.

Unfortunately for the new House intelligence chief, this is his second (some would argue his third) major blunder in the space of one month. When asked by Congressional Quarterly reporter Jeff Stein whether al Qaeda was a Sunni or Shi'ite organization, he answered: "Predominantly, probably Shi'ite."

As Mr. Stein wrote later: "He couldn't have been more wrong. Al Qaeda is profoundly Sunni. If a Shi'ite showed up at an al Qaeda clubhouse, they'd slice his head off and use it for a soccer ball."

Guess I gave him too much credit.

Undermining Science

2007-01-18T14:22:00.000-05:00

Heidi Cullen lacks a knowledge in the basic workings of science; what is funny about this is she is a climate expert at The Weather Channel. She believes strongly that global warming is a big problem for this planet. Now, this is, in and of itself, not the basis for the criticism; while I find people who believe global warming to be rather naive, at least she can try to back it up with experimental findings. However, she now is suggesting that anyone who disagrees with the theory should lose their scientific certification.

"If a meteorologist can't speak to the fundamental science of climate change, then maybe the AMS shouldn't give them a Seal of Approval. Clearly, the AMS doesn't agree that global warming can be blamed on cyclical weather patterns.

What she fails to note in all this is that scientific theory is not a perfect thing. Scientific theory, to be good theory, must be falsifiable; that is, a scientific theory cannot be made in a way so that it is not challengable. Good theory should be able to stand on its own against criticism. She claims that she is tired of politics getting involved in the debate, but she introduced politics on her own by calling for those in charge to rescind the status given to these scientists.

Many comment on her blog concerning her views. One commenter named Dan wrote:

It is really good to know that this country and its so called professionals, have gotten to the point that they belive that someone who does not think like they do should be stripped of there AMS Creds. Welcome to the new USSR.

Throckmorton stated:

The Weather Channel is not a scientific institution. It is a media outlet. It is known in meteorological circles as "The Commercial Channel". It is known for male talking heads with egos, and female talking head with low cut sweaters. Nice. I am a meteorologist and on the rare occasion when I watch it, I do only that: turn the sound down and watch a quick view of radar and satellite loops. Then I get on the internet and look up actual model data and output for myself. Watching the Weather Channel for scientific reasons is like watching SpongeBob to get oceanographic information.

And a Michael posts a good response to her "theory":

...for the last 11 years the sun has actually been far more active than usual. It is now nearing the end of a CYCLE that will see a reduction in solar flares and general solar activity. Sit tight for the next 10 years, because the MAIN HEATER OF THE EARTH is cooling off for a while. Look it up. (http://www.sec.noaa.gov).

There are a lot more comments, including more criticism, some who are bashing those criticizing Miss Cullen (apparently, those who call out "fascists" don't seem to have any trouble using it for their needs), and a few Christians using scare tactics to convert people (ugh, see here and here if you want my opinion on scare tactics within Christianity). And if you go there, let Heidi Cullen know that science is supposed to promote many different theories, not censor people.

Jimmy Carter: Terrorism is A-OK

2007-01-16T12:11:00.000-05:00

Just when you think that Carter could not be any more foolish.

It is imperative that the general Arab community and all significant Palestinian groups make it clear that they will end the suicide bombings and other acts of terrorism when international laws and the ultimate goals of the Roadmap for Peace are accepted by Israel.

Wait a second. What was that again?

It is imperative that the general Arab community and all significant Palestinian groups make it clear that they will end the suicide bombings...

Jimmy Carter just put a condition on the end of terror by Islamic radicals. While it is not entirely surprising to hear this, as so many Democrats these days seem to be anti-Israel or anti-semitic, you would think Jimmy Carter would have learned after spending 444 days watching Iran stick their tongues out at us while Ronald Reagan was whipping his butt in the polls (hmm, I wonder why?).

Why do I feel that it would take something like this to get through to him? And worse yet, did we (and I mean we in the entirely encompassing manner) just elect a bunch of Carter clones to Congress recently?

Nail on the Head

2007-01-12T16:42:00.000-05:00

Senator McCain has never been my senator of choice, but he understands the importance of winning in Iraq.

100 hours of hypocrisy and obnoxiousness

2007-01-12T10:03:00.000-05:00

Democrats planned big things for their first 100 hours; unsurprisingly, they have shown little class and have had some difficulty keeping their promises.

First off, their simple promise of getting things done in the first 100 hours. Little did we know that they would define what 100 hours meant (sound familiar?). When I went to the polls, I did not expect that the new leaders would take a whole day off to see a football game played that night. I am pretty sure that that was a wasted 24 hours. The AP article referenced above suggests that Democrats are on pace to finish their promised legislation on time, but counting Championship Friday (as should be done), they are clearly behind.

The Democrats made a big deal about minimum wage hikes (something that will cause more problems for a strong economy and many people right now then it will fix), but apparently only for those whom do not represent some interest. Democrats accuse Republicans of being "for big business", but when Nancy Pelosi allows American Samoa to be ignored because Del Monte is among her representation (Del Monte has a large portion of employees in American Samoa), she shows there is little to trust when it comes to the new leadership.

And then, there is, as Bill O'Reilly might put it, "the most ridiculous item of the day." In a tasteless attack, she hit Condoleeza Rice for not having children. Suddenly, having children is a prerequisite for assuming some form of leadership in the federal government.

I do not pretend to know Condi's feelings, but I would not at all be surprised if this greatly hurt her. Say what you want about the war, but when the Democrats, who claim to be the party of the minority and claim to support non-traditional families, go after someone because they do not have a traditional family, they show they do not have the moral high ground. And they can complain of the war "hurting families", but last I checked, our military was still meant for volunteers. My father, a man in the military himself, always had this to say: "if you do not think you will be going to war when you join the military, you should not join at all." War is not a given at any point in history, but if you are a soldier, you know that it can happen at any time, and this should likewise be understood by the family of a soldier.

Once again, the only Democrat who seems to show any class is Joseph Lieberman.

I applaud the president for rejecting the fatalism of failure and pursuing a new course to achieve success in Iraq

While so many are criticizing President Bush for a plan that has not even been tested yet, Senator Lieberman still stands for national defense.

But his comrades (if they can be called that after the recent election cycle) have continued to show that why Republicans would have been the better choice. 2008 is not too far away, and some new blood in the Republican party should reinvigorate the base and bring back the leadership that this country deserves.

Fun with statistics

2007-01-07T13:48:00.000-05:00

Overall American military deaths and casualties are down in Iraq in 2006 from 2005, but some media outlets still are trying to make 2006 out to be the worst year in Iraq. Just like in most cases, it is easy to distort the numbers; how can people be expected to come up with an accurate conclusion if they are given the wrong idea?

UVa destroys Gonzaga; Final Four in their future?

2007-01-04T14:55:00.000-05:00

UVa had a rough few games after exams in San Juan. But they are back and looking even better than in their first win of the season over then #10 Arizona. Yesterday, they destroyed Gonzaga, a team that has been a power player in NCAA basketball for a few years now, 108-87 at the JPJ. They led by 34 at the half, scored a UVa record 18 3-pointers, and Sean Singletary scored a personal record 37 points. UVa is 8-0 at home, but still struggling away from C'ville, 0-1 on the road and 1-2 at neutral sites. UVa next plays Stanford, with vengeance on their minds (Stanford knocked UVa out of the NIT last season) and momentum on their side.

Earlier this season, many sports commentators picked UVa as a sleeper for the Final Four. If they play like this the rest of the season, they may stand a good chance. Even in a tough ACC, games regularly played like this should get UVa a 10-win season in conference and 20-wins overall.

Go Hoos!

UVa is producing some leaders

2007-01-02T21:39:00.000-05:00

First, Karin Agness started the next big thing in conservative activism. Now, Whitney Blake of The Cavalier Daily and Politickchick is a writer for The Weekly Standard (link goes to her most recent article posted online). Congratulations on the great opportunity Whitney!

Now, all we need is another president from the University of Virginia. How about Chad Dotson or Lighthorse Harry?

What are they smoking?

2006-12-31T20:15:00.000-05:00

They mourn this tyrant, yet condemn unborn children to death? Really, have these people even heard the words "common sense"?

Gerald Ford, RIP

2006-12-27T00:21:00.000-05:00

The only man to never be elected to the presidency yet serve in the highest office has died at the age of 93. While people remember him for being bumbling because of a couple of stumbles and as the man who pardoned Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford was given a very difficult challenge. Coming up because of the impeachment was no small feat, and having to deal with an ever-worsening war in Vietnam (part of which can be blamed on the Democrats, who decided to blame Richard Nixon for all the troubles while being the ones themselves to hinder the efforts). He was also one of the greatest athletes to ever become president (and many recent presidents have shown some athletic ability). He survived two assasination attempts, starting a trend that continues to this day (Reagan shot by Hinckley, Bush-41 targeted by Saddam, and Bush-43 being targeted by a faulty grenade in the nation of Georgia). The four remaining living presidents are both Bushes, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter.

Rest in peace Gerald Ford.

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T10:40:00.001-05:00

Goode, Democrats, and Muslims

2006-12-23T14:58:00.000-05:00

Recently, Virgil Goode made a comment concerning Muslims running for public office. This has sparked some controversy, even though the evidence appears to support his concerns. Even still, Democrats have tried to take advantage of this situation the same way they did with George Allen in the now infamous moment with Sidarth. Rather than address the concerns in Goode's letter, they have made the decision to call him a racist and refrain from any real debate.

Then, more recently, a Virginia blogger decided to post a picture showing a beheading, trying to remind us what it is that we are fighting. As many other blogs are, this was shown on the Virginia Political Blogs. Waldo decided to immediately pull the blog from the aggregator. Some feel that this was a good decision

As the result, Waldo removed the blog from the aggregator. I wholeheartedly support his decision. Contrary to the postings of some others, this isn’t about censorship. This is about common decency. The exact same decency that keeps out of the blogsphere profanity-laden posts. The image was profane.

I'll note that I respect Vivian and find her to be a very intelligent woman. But again, I believe she and others are avoiding debate to instead focus on the shock value and discuss how that is wrong.

This concerns me, as we are seeing claims by jihadists that it is they that beat the Republicans, not Democrats. Perhaps I have simply missed it recently, but I do not believe I have seen a response to this. Again, it is as if liberals are afraid to respond because they think they will offend someone, instead of addressing a problem.

This cannot be emphasized enough. We are not fighting a religious war, but the jihadists believe we are. We are not fighting a political war, but the Democrats sure are. Political correctness and the fear of a few deaths (even though they may prevent countless others) are tying our hands down, and they know it.

The Virgil Goode story may pass, as he is not up for office right now the way George Allen was. The beheading picture will be forgotten. And Democrats will claim in the future that al Qaeda and other terrorist groups can be negotiated with. But we need to remember that we are not dealing with people who want peace with us. In their eyes, we have two options; convert and change our culture, or die. And despite Democrats fear of offending Muslims, I highly suspect that they would find a government run by many conservative Muslims would not be seen very favorably by Christians, conservatives, libertarians, environmentalists, feminists, gays,...

Or maybe I'm wrong and Democrats are already consulting maps on how to find Mecca?

Ethics in politics may be entering a whole new era

2006-12-13T23:12:00.000-05:00

Shaun Kenney has recently discovered that some Webb campaigners may have done some less than ethical research on many of Virginia's bloggers. He lists many of the more well known ones, but seems to suggest that the range of bloggers hit may be greater than just Chad Dotson; Waldo Jaquith and even Lowell Feld were included, in case they might turn away from Webb (Waldo, maybe, but Lowell, I seriously doubt it) and some of the smaller conservative blogs may have been targeted as well if his tone is any suggestion. NLS, another target, suggests that this accusation holds water.

If James Webb was aware of this, I am very concerned of what Virginia can expect over the next six years. If not, I hope that he either pushes the responsible party (or parties) to apologize or apologizes for them.

Is there much to find on Virginia bloggers? My guess is no; despite my opposition to the tactics used by some bloggers, I do not believe that there is any reason for us to concern. We should not have anything to hide, but undertaking such an effort to discredit those who oppose (or might someday oppose) James Webb is disgusting.

Should this gain more attention, it would be nice to see some campaigns clean house to avoid similar problems in the future.

On a side note, NLS's post suggests that the Webb campaign controlled the use of the so-called m-word. Disturbing, but somehow, unsurprising.

Somebody call the WAAAAAAAmbulance

2006-11-29T19:21:00.000-05:00

James Webb is not yet in office and he has already managed to make a fool of himself. Jim Hoeft is more forgiving of Webb.

Apparently Webb, as any parent would, declared that he wanted his son home after the president asked about his son's well-being. The president, as commander-in-chief, appropriately stated that was not the question.

The president absolutely put Webb back in his proper place as one of 100. And, even more appropriately, as one of several 100,000 who would like their sons and daughters home.

Howling Latina is, well, howling.

Hmmm, guess Webb wasn't drinking any of the president's kool-aid with happy-talk and insincere reflection about how important the mission in Iraq is and just how very proud Bush is of our soldiers.

“I didn’t ask you that, I asked how he’s doing,” Bush retorted, according to the
source.
Hit me with a feather; and excuse the living hell out of me!

And NLS seems to find the whole thing funny.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

James Webb has embarrassed himself and Virginia, and could have easily remembered one thing and saved himself this whole incident. There is no doubt that President Bush is aware of Webb's views on the War in Iraq. President Bush was asking James Webb about his family, and Webb decided to tell President Bush something he was fully aware of. Does James Webb think he has absolute authority over President Bush? Must be getting a big head knowing he is number 51.

Senator-to-be Webb, you will represent Virginia. Please do not do so poorly. Being a hot-head will get you nothing. And not everything President Bush says is an attack on Democrats; is it not possible that he was simply asking a question about your family?

What to do in Iraq

2006-11-25T16:21:00.000-05:00

Jon Henke returns from his blogging for Senator Allen and posts a big question about Iraq.

Allowing the best available faction to conquer rivals and stabilize Iraq with US support is far from a "good outcome". . . . .but the rest of our options are much worse.

It appears more and more obvious that a presence there may need to be more prolonged (though a lesser number of troops will be sufficient in the future). John Murtha's "solution" could only make things worse in Iraq; patience is a virtue after all.

Democrats say Republicans will reinstate the draft

2006-11-20T15:56:00.000-05:00

So why is Charles Rangel submitting a draft bill? And anyone want to take bets that Congress Democrats will try to blame this on Republicans?

On a side note, do not expect it to pass. It was soundly defeated the last time around, and it would be political suicide for Democrats, particularly those who only have just been elected to office.

Apparently, Abramoff is a swing hitter

2006-11-14T23:40:00.000-05:00

Again, just after the election, some very interesting news comes out, this time suggesting that Jack Abramoff may have been involved with a few Democratic Senators as well. The next two years could be very interesting.

The NYT stands for honesty...later

2006-11-13T10:53:00.000-05:00

Evan Coyne Maloney noticed that the New York Times finally is questioning the Democrats about their plans for Iraq. Funny how they wait until after the elections to make such an observation.

Waiting to hear what they have to say? Isn’t that what campaigns are for? You’d think the Times would have noticed that the Democrats had nothing to say before the election, but for some reason the paper thought that minor detail wasn’t worthy of coverage until now. I wonder why that is.

Indeed.

Even more scary, Nancy Pelosi standing behind Jack Murtha for House Majority Leader. So many Democrats love to claim that they are "moderates". Where are they right now?

The guys at the top must like puppies too

2006-11-10T08:45:00.000-05:00

Michael Steele has been offered the position to head the RNC. This is a great move and it will no doubt breathe new life into the Republican party. It is good to see that Steele will still be able to represent the Republican party well over the next few years, even if not as a Senator.

The lights have dimmed a little more in Virginia

2006-11-10T00:20:00.000-05:00

Chad Dotson is saying goodbye to blogging. Very early in my blog, I met Chad and he invited me to send him my link. While I do not have even close to the readership or name recognition that Chad has, it is him whom I credit for having come this far, if not for simply giving me a couple more hits a day. Commonwealth Conservative has always been a great blog with some good insight, and Chad is a man of great integrity. All the more for that reason, he is going to put more focus on his career (he has a re-election campaign coming up next year) and on his family.

I must say this is turning out to be quite a sad week. First, George Allen loses. Than, President Bush caves and has Donald Rumsfeld resign. And now, Chad Dotson is leaving full-time blogging. Hope things turn around soon.

Thank you Chad, for everything. I hope to see you come back in the future.

It's official...

2006-11-08T21:51:00.000-05:00

and I think both Democrats and Republicans can agree, Kevin Federline is the most pathetic person in the world.

What to take from this election

2006-11-08T20:34:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to James Webb. While I have been no fan of the way the Democrats have run this race, as I have said before, it all comes down to the Election Day. ~~Barring any huge scandals (and it is rare that recounts, and there will be one, show such problems to overturn a race), we~~ (UPDATE 11/9/06 5:30 PM: So much for the recount. Selfless move by Senator Allen, even if it stings that he is not making one last attempt to win this race) We will all have to deal with the fact that James Webb represents us, and that Democrats have a (tenuous, thanks to Joe Lieberman who may still be disappointed in his loss of support from the Democrats) hold on Congress. What can we learn?

- First off, I would like to state that I still believe that George Allen has been a great servent to this Commonwealth, and I truly hope he continues to be one. Same with Michael Steele in Maryland. Despite all the race baiting the Democrats did on these two, they are very honorable men, and still could very well hold office in the future (George Allen for governor in 2009? Then again, I best be careful, so he is not cursed as he was with the presidential hopes).

- Republicans dropped, conservatives held on. Measure 1 passed here, and similar measures have passed in other states. Emminent domain is being restricted. The oil tax in California is going to fail. While I like to put faith in people that, perhaps, they might have some character, I recognize that our ideals are still going strong, and with the right people to back them, Republicans will be back in power soon enough.

- Democrats will likely push back the tax cuts; we need to shove even harder. Get loud about it. Many have shown that they will vote in Congress with the polls, not their hearts, and if tax cuts are what the people want, we might get enough of them to back them to make them permanant.

- Democrats ultimately hold the legislative power for the next two years (potentially more, but no point in forecasting right now). They must make some decisions. They still want to cut and run in Iraq, but they might not have enough votes right now to do so; with a Webb win, they will get 51 seats, but one of those seats belongs to Joe Lieberman. Dick Cheney may be President of the Senate, the Democrats will no doubt pick another to be the majority leader, but Lieberman is king right now. He could potentially swing a lot of votes, simply out of pure frustration, if not for his views on national defense. And with the Middle East staying hot, there may be more reason for concern. Democrats have a huge chance here if they wish to take it; get hard on terror and ensure that they stay in power for years to come, or let terror test us for a couple years and allow the voters to take a serious look at our security. What say you, Congressional Democrats?

- The economy is soaring. Why have some tried to convince us that it is not?

- Nancy Pelosi has pledged to work with Republicans and George Bush. How long does this last?

We have a new Congress, like it or not. Unlike many liberals in 2004, I do not think this is the end of the world, but it could be a very trying two years. If we stay on top of things though, at least they may not be unbearable.

UPDATE 9:15 PM: One more thing; readership is up here at The Red Stater. Way up, in fact, over the last week or so. Thank you all for reading!

Too Close to Call

2006-11-08T00:13:00.000-05:00

Measures 1-3 will all pass with little opposition. Thelma Drake and Virgil Goode, big targets of the Democrats here in Virginia, will each retain their seats. However, just past midnight on November 8th, the Senate race is still too close to call. With 20 precincts left (0.82% of the total precincts), George Allen leads by the slimmest of margins, 1,141,753 (49.44% of the vote) to 1,139,885 (49.36%). The remaining votes went to Gail Parker and write-ins (one must note that Gail Parker's votes would clearly give James Webb the lead if he instead had them; whom did she hurt more by her campaign?). What follows will no doubt be a recount (hopefully only one this time, regardless of who is winning after it) and possibly the difference between a Republican or Democrat controlled Senate. Unfortunately, I cannot follow it anymore tonight, but I imagine as close as it is, we will all be following it for at least a little while longer.

Even with a win though, tonight will be bittersweet. Democrats will hold a clear majority in the House, and the Senate majority will be as small as possible, meaning that President Bush truly is a lame duck now and it will be very difficult for anything to happen; if a Supreme Court justice passes away, for example, it seems highly unlikely any candidate would pass, even one that was aimed towards the Senate as a "moderate" judge.

So, Democrats will gain some power (at least) of the legislature. I say if they really want that power, they should take all the responsibility for anything going on right now. It would be nice to instead blame a Democratic Congress for current problems in Iraq.

Three localities

2006-11-07T22:40:00.000-05:00

That is what this race appears to be coming too. Enough precincts from most localities appear to have reported to suggest that most will not have any more (or a minimal) impact on the race. Still left a lot of precincts are Loudoun County, Prince William County, and Richmond (none of Criag County has reported, but it is too small to consider a major player; sorry Craig County). Senator Allen is now up 12,000 votes with about 6% of precincts (139) still left to report. Amazing that this, of all races, is the only major race that is so close. It's got my heart pounding.

Swings back like that...

2006-11-07T21:58:00.000-05:00

George Allen just got a big jump (as of 9:56 PM), now up by more than 26,000 votes in Virginia with less than 10% of precincts left. Still to close to call, but good news nontheless.

No Major Surprises in Virginia Yet

2006-11-07T21:41:00.000-05:00

Right now, Senator Allen holds a very slim lead on James Webb, but many of the precincts in Northern Virginia have voted, so there is reason for (guarded) optimism. Each of the measures are passing by wide margins, currently holding at least one million votes each; the only one that is even seeing a little challenge is Measure One, and it is a full 300,000 back right now. Davis, Drake, Wolf (Republicans), Boucher, and Moran (Democrats) are all winning; Virgil Goode is, of course, smoking Al Weed.

Elsewhere, Democrats do appear to be making some gains though, which might make tonight bittersweet if current trends hold up. Steele is called to lose, as is Ehrlich, at a very early point. Too much reliance on exit polling? We'll see. It's not all over though. Joe Lieberman is projected to win, further proving that Markos Moulitsas is the fringe, not the mainstream. Corker in TN is looking safe.

326 precincts left in Virginia, and the lead stands at 1,333 votes. Cross your fingers everyone.

It is Finally Upon Us

2006-11-06T17:57:00.000-05:00

Election Day is tomorrow, and rather than prognosticate, attack, or even ramble about it, I am going to do what all candidates and pundits should do on the Monday before Election Day: give only a short statement (seriously, who is going to change their mind about who to vote for or whether or not to vote at this point?). My endorsements are here if you really have not yet made your mind up. The choices are obvious. All that is left is for turnout, so if you are Republican, remind your Republican friends to vote. Remind your friends who support George Allen to vote. Remind your friends who support Measure One to vote.

The polls mean nothing (particularly as none seem to agree). The pundits know nothing. The media impacts nothing. Cindy Sheehan is nothing (geez, along with Bill Clinton, James Webb has lost all integrity letting these people campaign for him). If enough of us get out and vote, none of those things will matter. Let's prove that Virginia is indeed a Red State.

Vote George Allen November 7th!

2006-11-03T20:19:00.001-05:00

Webb's lead gone? Waldo's questionable post?

2006-11-03T14:17:00.000-05:00

The newest Rasmussen poll out today shows Webb and Allen in a dead heat. And Roanoke College, who called the race correctly for Tim Kaine last year, has George Allen up three points in their recent poll.

Yet, some still will stoop to any level to take out George Allen, even posting stories better left to the National Enquirer. Waldo Jaquith is now stating that Anne Waddell confessed to being abused to a random person on a flight from Phoenix, and this person posted the alleged story to a web board for fans of the band Widespread Panic. This story has persisted when there is some very flimsy evidence used to support it. Meanwhile, Anne Waddell has stated the following:

“Let me make it perfectly clear. If I were still a resident of Virginia, I would proudly cast my vote for George Allen.

“I admire him as a person and as a dedicated public servant. Unlike some others in Washington, he is a man of integrity and character who has always been a loyal friend and hard-working elected official."

It strikes me as highly unlikely that she would make such a statement if she had been abused. Even if she had been and preferred not to make it public knowledge, my guess is she would not have given her comments towards this race.

The sherriff of Albemarle County at the time of these alleged abuses was George W. Bailey, and he had the following to say:

“At no time during my service as sheriff was he arrested or brought up on any offense in Albemarle County. It would have crossed my desk, and would not have escaped my notice.

“I understand there is some question about two entries for warrants or summonses in the County docket book in 1973 and/or 1974, while George was a student. This could have been for anything as small as an unpaid parking ticket or hunting or fishing license violation. An entry in that book does not mean there was an arrest, conviction or anything of the kind.

“The fact that there is no record of a trial or judgment settles the matter -- this was for some minor infraction. If George Allen -- a member of the football team and a prominent student -- has committed some offense, even as an undergraduate, it is certain I would have been informed, and likely that I would have dealt with the matter personally. But there was no such offense, and consequently nothing more to be said about the matter.”

Senator Allen is not under trial, nor are any allegations of abuse by him even taken seriously beyond the level of the tin foil hat clan. This attempt to smear Senator Allen is incredibly disrespectful and distasteful, and unless these allegations can be better backed up or George Allen states that these allegations are true, they should not be taken seriously.