Lowell, with all due respect, Mr. Kilgore has no duty to the likes of you and your blawg! ;)

Now this is a funny post! Hey I know you guys hate Kilgore and that's your deal, but the guy grew up on a farm in Southwest Virginia! And you honestly write that you can't imagine him in the outdoors! He tended cattle and hung tobacco, after all you're the ones who spend half your time calling him a country hick! Really, this SPortsmen for Kaine effort is laughable. Here is all you need to know. Kaine: F FROM THE NRA. Kilgore: A FROM THE NRA. That is the end of the conversation as far as gun owners in Virginia are concerned, and even Tim Kaine knows it. An F rating means you are "a true enemy of gun owner rights." No gun owner in Virginia would ever fall for Tim Kaine's election year makeover. This is shameless

Just came in over the grapevine, don?t know if valid or not but the story is one of the major TV networks is working on a special to air this fall about corruption in Scott County and a Family in power. I hear they are going to try expose documented facts, no rumor, we could be famous for something, what will it be?

Vote for Tim Kaine, the moral choice for Virginians. 

One-party majority rule brought a flood of corruption by Republican operatives. 

It's quite obvious that the "anything goes as long as our side wins" trumped the rule of law.

NO MAS!

Voters in the Commonwealth of Virginia must refuse to follow herd mentality against their own self-interest in honest government.

No more pithy tired slogans to hide the moral bankruptcy of conduct; and no more veiling of corruption by the tried and true switch and bait tactics of lying about your opponent. 

Those "10 Weeks of Honest Reform" must have been a challenge for a candidate who, according to this growing scandal, doesn't really get the meaning of the word...

Sportsmen for Kaine? barf. Tim Kaine claiming to support the second amendment is like Judas Iscariot claiming to support Jesus.

How ?bout calling the group ?Obfuscators of Unaccountability? instead? It?s clear the gun grabbers have gotten the message: if you have an anti-second amendment record then you?re going to have trouble being elected in this state or nationally. The fig leaves consequently embraced, however, are an insult to anyone who holds the second amendment dear. Sure PAC members can form straw organizations that sound bona fide and then ballyhoo their support, and sure you can set up a website where fellow travelers can join the chorus, but don?t expect to fool those of us who?ve seen these sorts of smoke and mirrors emerge?and fail?before. 

Today I read the term "latin farmer".  Which in the 1800's refered to guys who would sit on the porch reading latin while their wives plowed the fields.

mmm.....

I've just never been able to picture Jerry Kilgore (Terry maybe) working on a farm, doing the same kind of work my grandfathers on both sides did, and that I've tried my hand at.

Sorry, but I beg to differ with the posts claiming "no duty" on Kilgore's part to come clean on the wiretap case.  He was the state AG.  He was supposed to be the chief interpreter of law for the state, the state's lawyer.  He now runs for Gov.  We, albeit unwillingly, paid his salary.  We are citizens.  He owes us bigtime.  He owes us the truth.  Remember he "trusts us"--all of us.  But I frankly don't trust a word of his "trust the people" snakeoil.  Never have.  Never will.

Lowell,
  All the literature mentioned was Second Amendment.  That's why I found the fishing rod amusing.

The NRA doesn't speak for me; I'm a gun owner for Kaine!

Yes he grew up on a farm on Manville Road but hard working tobacco farmer you are trying to portray him as would be a hard sell around here, people who don?t live in Scott County may believe some of that jargon, I think it would be safe to say he hunted and carried a gun about as much as he hung tobacco, and for most people who lived around him and would tell the truth that would be Zero. Look at these guys and look at their hands that will answer that question

Kilgore's just a bit delicate for that kind of thing.

Anyone find it funny that on Kaine's gun literature he's holding a fishing rod? 

Sportsmen for Kaine?  ROFLMAO!!

Good stuff.  Best laugh I've had in days.

Does anyone actually have a link to where the NRA report card is displayed and explained?

William: His gun literature?  This is "Sportsmen for Kaine." Are you saying that anglers aren't "sportsmen?

I. Publius: Yeah, hilarious, but I sill would love to hear all the stories of Jerry Kilgore in the great outdoors.  I wonder if he brings his SpongeBob SquarePants tapes with him on camping trips...

This is a college kids blog... Do you obsessive Dem's really have nothing better to do than to type "Bob Marshall" in on google, and go to the 512th page to actually find something on him? Dem's made this popular. Ryan Walsh's friends, I'm sure, were the only ones to see this.

How low will you snoop to attempt to find any sort of dirt on Marshall?

Don't put much stock in the New Hampshire decision.  It's contradicted by other decisions.

The New Hampshire state trial-court ruling claiming local law enforcement can't help enforce federal immigration law isn't the only case dealing with the issue.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit has held to the contrary: that nothing in federal law or the Constitution prevents local governments from enforcing immigration law.

I would wager a lot of money that a Virginia state or federal court would follow a published opinion by three federal appellate judges rather than an unpublished trial court decision from a state judge in New Hampshire.

The New Hampshire decision is testament to the skill of the ACLU, which represented the illegal alien in that case.

But Virginia courts are not as sympathetic to the ACLU as New Hampshire courts are.  Expect a different result here.

Lowell, you should leave legal analysis pieces to someone else. 

1) It was a state court judge, not a federal judge in the First Circuit (that seems to be what you meant by First District). 

2) A decision in another federal circuit would be persuasive authority in the Fourth Circuit (which does indeed cover Virginia).  It has nothing to do with jurisdiction, however.  A decision in a state court has absolutely no bearing on Virginia law, state or federal.

3) The most important aspect of this ruling is that it brought publicity to the law enforcement strategy, and hopefully other police departments will implement it... and hopefully state judges in Virginia will allow police to enforce the law. 

This is totally ridiculous. Feds actually have a program to deputize local officials so that they can stop illegals. Is this just lip service then? Or do they just want to control things so they can let the illegals go just as fast as they catch them?

hello all you crazy internet bloggers
this is smith, i played in this band, ryan walsh didnt (we both have the same name), he was our manager, and recorded some songs for us, thats me in that picture, not ryan walsh but the blog was his. to set the record straight, im 100percent certain bob marshall did NOT say that his opponent was gay. that quote was taken out of context. anyways i find all the commenting very hilarious. i wish i had known about this two months ago. personally, i love the story but all the commenters on both sides can go fuck themselves except for Lowell, he seemed informed, temperate unlike all you other internet douche-bags. well it seems bob marshall has been re-elected. kinduv 'gay' muahaha. alright peace out homos

I think Randi should apologize as well. I can't believe she thought Tim was a republican. You would be amazed at the people who actually thought this was Kaine's campaign site. Lowell, I reccomend making sure that no one will ever think that this is Kaine's site. I read an online article from a republican polisci professor from South Dakota and trashed RaisingKaine and apparently thought it was Tim's campaign site. He is obviously an idiot but please post your disclaimer more prominently.

An open letter to Tim Kaine and Randi Rhodes:

Dear Randi and Tim, there's obviously a pretty bad misunderstanding going on here.  How about we take the opportunity to turn lemons into lemonade.

Randi, a Tim Kaine victory this November will make a huge difference in the '06 elections nationwide, and a loss would be a horrible disaster for Democrats nationwide and for Virginia.

Randi, you've obviously made a mistake here, why not use the opportunity to give Tim Kaine a boost using your considerable media clout.

Virginia is the best managed state in the union, and  the Warner/Kaine ticket won by reaching a wide array of constituents.

Anyway, Randi, bring Tim Kaine onto your show and help him leave Jerry Kilgore unemployed on November 8.

Well, both candidates have last names that begin with "K" and this is a problem for those in a hurry who do not pay attention to details in the hate and heat of getting the show on the air.  Or, is this one more example of Democrats shooting themselves in the foot when things are going well for them and no one is around to cause them to stumble.  GET A GRIP! Let's have randi whoever she is take note of Jerry KILGORE's (the REPUBLICAN)

Fireflyinva: you're my kinda Tough Liberal!  nice!

Randi has a tendency to do this sort of thing.  I have cringed many times when she seems to misunderstand a caller and jump down their throat.  I love the show and Randi, and one can only do that sincerely if they are willing to be honest.  Randi's passion is simultaneously her greatest attribute and dangerous flaw.  It is one thing to stand up fearlessly, and quite another to shoot your mouth off blindly.  Doing so often creates innocent bystanders i.e. Kaine.  We in VA must see to it that Randi not only corrects her mistake, but we must also recruit her powerful support for Tim.  Unless I am a very poor judge of character, Randi will.  Her mea culpa may not be worded as some on this blog would like, but the apology is infinitely less important than her support.  A simple clarification should suffice.  Agreed?  I must admit though that Dan's post seemed clear enough to me.  Cindy is more powerful as a non-partisan, witness: Republican efforts to paint her as a Dem. operative.  I would think Randi would want to swear off "Cindy as partisan", otherwise she's playing into Republican hands. 

James, Democrats didn't publish this story online. If this is real, it looks like a personal friend of Joey Marshall did. I don't see anyone taking this seriously anywhere except those Republicans here making their goofball claims that Democrats are behind this or that Democrats even care. It is funny though.

Sent on Thursday morning (and no, I didn't get a response):

Dear Randi,

I love your show and your fight for Cindy Sheehan. But I was a little confused by the comments you made yesterday to the Raising Kaine. com blog yesterday (track back- http://www.raisingkaine.com/blog/?p=622#comments). I don't know if you are familiar with it, but the blog is run by a bunch of Democrats who want to get Democratic candidate Tim Kaine elected as governor of Virginia. So, it became quickly clear to everyone that you got your political parties mixed up--at least I HOPE your criticism was of Republican hypocricy and not of the good guys (actually, your assertions would not have made sense applied to Democrats)!

Meanwhile, I hope this will lead you to watching the VA elections. It's becoming the battleground of the fight between right wing wackos and the voices of reason. Our opponent--Jerry Kilgore--is scary. Write back and I can give you an earful!
 

Sent to Randi today...

Dear Randi,

I am a long time fan.  I was really touched by the article on you in the Washington Post and listened to you online faithfully until Progressive Talk Radio 1260 carried you locally in the Washington.  I missed the end of your show Wednesday, but noticed the next morning that someone using your name left a rather wierd, out of context response to the blog supporting the election of Tim Kaine to Governor. Out of concern, I wrote you right away, but the message went unanswered.

Apparently, from what I saw on the archive, you also went on the air and publically criticized Tim Kaine for a misinterpreted blog entry that, in fact, Tim never wrote. It's a great big web out there, the blogging world can get confusing, miistakes are understandable--but a mistake like this really needs to be corrected. That is why I am writing you this open letter.

I am sure you understand by now that Tim Kaine is a Democrat and that this is being used to embarrass the campaign of a good liberal candidate who is struggling to make Virginia blue.

Tim made no statements on War in Iraq or Valerie Plame, since the Governor of Virginia has no authority in these areas. However, I do happen to know Valerie--and that she is supportive of Kaine as well as well (remember, she lives here too).  More information on Kaine's positions can be found at his website, www.kaine2005.org.  He's a darn great candidate, he deserves your support!  I know if you met him, you'd absolutely love him and all the good he is trying to do for our state. 

That article was also written in support of Cindy Sheehan's efforts.  By knocking this article--and by the resulting press your on air remarks are drawing--you are also hurting Cindy's cause.

We understand that you didn't intend to hurt either Tim or Cindy.  But, you have the bully pulpit and there are serious consequences when you speak in error.  However, if you set the record straight and invite Tim to appear on your show, you probably can make good and erase almost all the harm done.  The choice is up to you.

I would appreciate some kind of settlement by next Wednesday.  After that, I will write to my local Air America carrier (WWRC AM) requesting your removal from their program lineup.  I expect many other Virginians will join me in doing this at that time.

Randi--we've always loved you, but you've hurt not only your fan base here, but the very candidates you fight for--and by implication--Cindy Sheehan.  We're ready to love--and listen to you once again--but you have to make things right.

Thank you

This post has been removed because it is completely off-topic.  Last I checked, the subject of this post was Bob Marshall, not Leslie Byrne or CAFTA.  In fact, this blog hasn't even written on CAFTA one way or the other.

Excuse it, I got cut off in mid-sentence (is this deliberate sabotage?) ... take note of Jerry KILGORE's (the REPUBLICAN candidate for Governor) being subpoenaed on an upcoming lawsuit. Do a little research here, Randi, and get this news out. And how about Jerry KILGORE's (the REPUBLICAN) coming from a really questionable small town political machine and now he's playing in the big leagues he isn't cutting it? Let's get our research going, girl. I'm embarrassed for you.

All I can do is point and laugh, especially at the people who think this is "good stuff" on Marshall, for taking this seriously.

I took a listen to Every Night Live, and they are very good. But Ryan should know we're doing everything we can to make sure he doesn't have to run in 2007 so he can stay in the studio. 150 hours on his latest CD, WOW! You gotta hand it to the band. They sure do have this publicity thing down. I just hope Joey continues drumming for them. If that's him on these tracks, he's actually pretty good!

Every Night Lies is actually REALLY good for a young band!  I enjoyed the clips they made available online. 

So Bob Marshall is calling Bruce Roemmelt a "homosexual" now.  Not only does he seem to have the paranoid belief that everyone who wants to see him out of office is a "sodomite", but now his paranoia makes him say his actual opponent (happily married father, retired firefighter and veteran) is gay, too.  It reminds me of Eugene Delgaudio of Loudoun County, who with Dick Black and Bob Marshall is one of the "queen" gay haters in Virginia, who famously wrote in a fundraising letter this year:

"Tonight, after a long day of fighting the Radical Homosexuals, I just feel exhausted.  Beaten down, wrung out, and worn to the bone.[...]The Radical Homosexuals keep coming and coming, and they grow in size daily."

With all of those radical homosexuals in Bob Marshall's head, I can see why he thinks he needs to stop young Joey from leaving his side to pursue his punk band.  He needs Joey's help to fight off the radical homosexuals who keep coming and coming!  He can't fight all those "meany sodomites" on his own, can he?

Weak, Bob.  That's just plain weak, man!

Free Joey Marshall!  Let him tour!

Free Joey and book them at Jammin' Java (oops, yikers, must be another nest of pinko wacko homos--and gasp--feminists)!  Good luck Ryan--just think how far $16,650/yr will get you towards those mounting student loans!  But heck, all for a higher purpose and the chance to wear a green lawn flag as a cape (yeah!).  I hate to admit that your blog had me LMAO, but it was so very cool that you have the good sense to form your own opinions about what was really going on.  I hope Joey gets some gumption--or you find another drummer (heck, I think you should perform at the Dem victory party--with or without Joey)!  Hang tough!

Ryan looks and sounds like a real class act, albeit one with a room temperature IQ.  Y'all definitely deserve him in your camp.  Congrats.

Lowell: How much did you think about the ethics of running this piece?

I hope Bruce Roemmelt whups Bob Marshall in the election. I understand that there are political benefits to be gaining from publicizing what Marshall is alleged to have said about "all these homosexuals running against me". But, did you think about what this exposure to an uncomfortable family drama will do to what is clearly an already strained family relationship between Marshall and his son?

Did you think about it? Was it worth it? I don't know the answer, I just honestly wonder to what extent you thought about it. Maybe this is a good case study for you to talk to your fellow bloggers about at the Sorenson conference.

Duke:
No matter how much you try to change the subject and try to "Dan Rather" Lowell here, the point doesn't change:

Bob Marshall is a completely paranoid freakshow. 

This isn't an isolated thing either.  There's a whole slew of hyperreactionary children running rampant in the GOP since the radicals took over from the Moderates in the 90's.  Bob's just one example.  I think everyone who considers themselves a Republican really needs to reconsider what that has come to mean in light of recent events.

There are a lot of people who want Bob Marshall out of office.  This funny episode just adds a bit of levity to a campaign that is extremely serious.

The fact that Bob Marshall is a psychotic homophobe would be fine, if he weren't responsible for the public good.  As it is, it's just another black mark against a completely incompetent, bizarre, and irresponsible elected manager, and in Karl Rove's words it's:  "Fair Game".

I think it's worth noting that Ryan Walsh, like Joey Marshall, is an adult and has ample opportunity to correct his personal account he willingly published online for the entire world to read. Bob Marshall is also an adult and can do the same.

Either Bob Marshall said it or he didn't. Who really cares? This is Ryan's account, not Lowell's.

No one had to engage in "Karl Rove's standard" of ethics by pilffering classified intelligence or eavesdroping to read Ryan's story. Ryan Walsh typed it up and published his own personal experience with Bob Marshall on the internets.

Arlington Dem:

Do you really want to use Karl Rove's standard for your ethics? We're better than that.

As to whether this friend-family squabble should have been made public, I think it shed more light on one candidate than a thousand editorials and letters to the editor would have.

Dagnabit, I thought that ended when the old (evangelical) owners of JJ sold the joint over a couple of years ago!  It's a cry back to the past, but I do miss dcspace...

While I'm sure Ryan Walsh will make a great candidate some day.  I don't think he's likely to oppose Mr. Marshall, and I don't think the 13th can afford to wait for him.

Fortunately, we have got a great opposition candidate in Bruce Roemmelt. 

The question that this entire episode leaves me with is:
Does Bob Marshall think that Bruce Roemmelt is a homosexual???

I'm sure Bruce's wife would be surprised that Bob Marshall thinks he's a homosexual. 

I'm certainly surprised.

I'd guess all the Firefighters from the Union who are supporting Bruce's candidacy would like to know where he got that idea.

I'm sure the vets who served in Viet Nam with Bruce would like to know where he got that idea.

How paranoid do you have to be to believe that there are homosexuals lurking around every corner out to get you?  How bizarre is that?

Besides the fact that Bob Marshall has completely failed to address the critical issue of Gridlock in the distrcit, is he also so paranoid that he thinks heroes are homosexuals just because they challenge him?

The people of the 13th need to know that the real issues they care about are in mature, capable hands; issues like responsible leadership and gridlock.

Here's what they're writing about Bruce Roemmelt in the local papers:

Bruce Roemmelt offers a refreshing contrast to Mr. Marshall's ineffective politics as usual. Bruce's whole life has been about public service, problem solving and helping people. He is a veteran - a flight deck firefighter on the USS Intrepid during the Vietnam War - served 21 years as a Prince William County firefighter, and an educator. These experiences have taught him the importance of focusing on solving serious problems through teamwork. He's made the whole theme of his campaign "Trust and Transportation." Printed in the Manassas Journal Messenger 8/9/05

Bob Marshall seems to imagine issues and enemies everywhere.

Bruce Roemmelt is a fighter of real enemies, real fires and real issues. 

No offense to Ryan, but I don't think the 13th can afford to wait for him to unseat Bob Marshall.  Bruce needs win this REAL fight, this November 8th.

I remember lockouts and sit-ins in the 1930's when the original CIO was organizing, hoping to replace the crafts or guild-oriented AFL. Don't forget big unions developed to deal with big business, intending to help the individual little guy against the overwhelming power of the big company.  And then we got Big Government to adjudicate between the two (Big Biz and Big Union).  So there is meerit on both sides here.

Spring, unquestionably...though like Neal, I do love winter when it's snowy in the mountains.  Sadly here in NOVA, winter is usually a rainy icy season.

Another question is: Are "right to work laws" really right to work laws?  Such laws depress workers' rights to near zero, protect employers, and keep wages artificially low, thus protecting company profits, but doing nothing for workers.  And they do nothing to prevent our jobs from being shipped offshore.  So, where's the "right to work" in that?

Holy cow, folks. Easy on the leftist rhetoric, you're scaring the swing voters to death.

I hate these so-called right to work laws. I've always called them the "right to work for low pay" laws, which is similar to what Leslie said. By keeping unions weak, preventing "closed shops," which are common in the North, it keeps wages down. Leslie's problem, though, is that the Virginia Democratic Party caved in on this issue years ago. The late Henry Howell was the last politician in this state who tried to undo that law. You saw Creigh's comment...and I guarantee Tim will say the same thing. I don't think there will even be a "debate," except on blogs. This is a business-controlled state, and that's the way both parties want to keep it. It's not a winnable issue for any Democrat.

Whoah!  I think the name-calling and phony labeling is over the top.  Anyone who calls caring about jobs and employment levels "leftist" doesn't know much about what we think.  It's called American to care about both workers and business.  I'm very much for encouraging business.  And I very much for sound fiscal policies. But I believe that somewhere in the phony "right to work" label --another brilliant (ya gotta admit) GOP frame--the esence of right to work has been lost. It should be a win-win situation for employers and employees.  But it's not in the zero-sum game world of the far right.  It's not "leftist" to want to do the right thing by workers and stock holders, by giving both a fair shake.  It's the right thing to do. 

What is the average income in union states? What is the average income in right-to-work-for-less states?

What is the literacy rates in union states? What is the literacy rates in right-to-work-for-less states?

What is the infant mortality rate in union states? What is the infant mortality rate in right-to-work-for-less states?

What is the divorce rate in union states? What is the divorce rate in right-to-work-for-less states?

Are we done here?

I understand what you were trying to do Lowell. I still maintain that this blog should focus on Kaine...and not right to work.

blue -- kudos to you for putting this issue into terms that VERY FEW Democrats have the courage to use.  Many old-school pro-labor people (like candidate Byrne, apparently) want blue collar workers to be forced to join a union in order to ply their trade.  One of the reasons Virginia and other southern states have booming economies is right-to-work laws.  I invite anyone to spend some time in the rust belt and then come back and argue for forced union membership.

(And some of you call yourselves "progressives."  That's a joke.)

Autumn and the leaves like stained glass against the sky along the Skyline Drive.

Right to Work laws are designed to keep out unions.  Those people who are unfamiliar with unions think they are bad.  Some of us know better.

Compare the pension of a union worker with that of a non-union worker.  There is no comparison (if the non-union worker has any pension at all from his employer).

Compare the health insurance and benefits provided by a union employer compared to the lack of benefits offered by most non-union employers.

Compare the wages paid to a union worker with the lower wages received by his or her non-union counterpart.

Many large employers no longer have any loyalty to their employees.  Quite frankly, the protection of rights offered by unions are needed more than ever.

Too many of today's workers don't understand that unions fostered the 40-hour week, fought for overtime pay, elevated the importance of safety in the workplace, and protect the constitutional rights of our citizens in the workplace.

I have to agree with one of the previous posters that Right to Work really means the right to work for low pay, the right to work without benefits, the right to work without job security, and the right to work (or not work) at the whim of some overseas employer.

I'm a union member. I support unions. Repealing right to work is ridiculous. No one should ever be forced to be a member of a union if they don't want to.

Just a suggestion: Tone it down. I thought this was a Tim Kaine blog. Even if it isn't official, a lot of people associate Raising Kaine with Tim Kaine and his platform. When you post stuff that is contrary to what Tim believes or stuff that he hasn't commented on, people see that. Despite the fact that Raising Kaine isn't official, it sticks in their mind and they associate it with Lt. Gov. Kaine.

MEGABUCKS are being spent on fostering hate virulent enough to end our republic. The latest evidence of its progress is the lead-up to the humiliating loss of New Orleans. Opposition media is good at using shock to alert everyone to the danger. However, just fighting hate with hate may not be a winning hand. Please consider stitching in this POSITIVE message and aim it at the millions of Americans susceptible enough to biblical references to have become fuel for a firestorm that is ending the American Republic. Use THIS biblical reference to start a backfire that deprives it the additional combustible materials needed to burn America to the ground.

YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS - -
BEING AN AMERICAN AND BELIEVING SOME AMERICANS ARE NOT OK
Jeremiah was the living prophet when the first Temple was destroyed. He was known in many lands by many peoples. With the loss of the Temple, Jeremiah had a new message - - replace sacrificial ritual with understanding the Book. One of his proclamations is the Night and Day Covenant.
"By night and by day..."[I will never ignore you. No matter how low you go, by night and by day, everyone, everywhere, is OK. None will ever be abandoned. Even the lowest can aspire through redemptive thoughts and deeds]."

Conundrum - - Living by the rules can enable you to succeed at what you do, eventually gaining the power to do whatever you want.

When lead by vanity, you strive to feel good with no thought to how much others are inconvenienced. That's decadence.

When lead by civility, you strive to do the greatest good for the greatest many, knowing you can only be your strongest when everyone is strong.

If according to the Day and Night Covenant, everything is OK, then vanity is just as OK as civility. How then can civility win over vanity to maximize convenience for all?

When enough people seek redemption as a means to offset their vanity, even as they slip into decadence, good trumps bad most of the time. The resulting republic rewards all, particularly the strong who prosper even more by sharing than taking, while even the weakest prosper greatly.

Republics are a simple covenant between its leaders and the lead wherein each conscious being is perceived as being OK by everyone else. Everybody is in one room. Everybody in this one room is OK. Everything is OK except treating others as though they are not OK.

It's fine to think that you are better than others. Think it night & day! That's vanity.

Sharing those thoughts with no one else, ever, that's civility.

The uncomfortable feeling you get when overcoming your biases, that's redemption.

An occasional gaff is OK. That's hypocrisy, without which human republics are too demanding to be possible.

Overt and constant disrespect for some because they are considered as not OK is contradiction. Contradiction is NOT OK.

Slavery did not work. Though free will is very good at hypocrisy,
the Civil War is tragic proof that free just can't do contradiction, at all.

So, you see Susie, America is not easy - - Constantly looking right at the deal, forever turning it on all sides, waking up every morning in the land of the brave
(there is no free without brave).

The payoff is the American Republic and its four sidekicks - - comfort, security, justice and equity for all.

Autumn means football season!

Well, I do like Autumn and Spring, but there is nothing like the snow laying on Clinch Mountain and Brumley Mountain in January.

Dan, 

Please think carefully before doing this.  Right now you have the moral high ground.  I'm not suggesting equivocating, but rather looking closely at whether the battle will really bring any benefits to the campaign.

Randi screwed up--and she ended up hurting herself more than anyone else.  But this isn't a game where anyone wins by seeking  retribution against bad talk show errors--it's about how we can get Tim to win the election.

Randi is probably in a very defensive mode now, since she's made a really big mistake that could bring her horrible career consequenses.  She already knows that she made a mistake.  It won't help anyone to humiliate her more than she's already done herself. 

Also, take into consideration that Randi (and Air America) have almost no impact on Virginia politics.  She is only carried on one very, very low wattage AM station in DC with a signal so low that doesn't even reach to most of Arlington. 

Ultimately, whether Randi appologizes or not probably will make no difference to Tim's campaign. But we have to keep above that, no matter how we feel personally--because this blog is important, because we cannot disgrace the campaign, because Tim needs us to go beyond our personal concerns and to look to the higher mission of moving Virginia forward.

Randi's mistake may have moved herself backwards. But she is in trouble by her own actions--an we don't have to join her there, even if she fails to acknowledge it.

In a nutshell, Randi's actions are probably meaningless to the campaign.  Your actions, as a prominent writer in one of the most important blogs supporting the campaign, however, are meaningful--and that may mean letting the issue go.

Call, if you absolutely must--but anyone who does--be well mannered, don't get angry and don't push Randi into anything she doesn't feel comfortable with.  Try to use it as a chance to understand her perspective.

Good luck--

My family has been the the victim of violent crime--I cannot vote for you-- I have supported you for months-- I cannot vote for Kilgore eithor --I hate the NRA--not the right to own  guns-- I DO RESPECT THE RIGHT TO OWN A GUN-- BUT I DO RESPECT THE RIGHT TO A INDIVDUAL TO BE LIABLE  FOR THE RESULUTS OF THAT OWNEWSHIP OF THAT GUN. Just like a vehicle.

This year I will not vote--first time in many years--Dear GOD!!---KAINE JUST JUSTFIED BUSH INTERFERED  in the death of a very private matte.  Sorry out of here  you both stink

This Iraq war is a shame, we attacked those people under false pretence, and then expected them to love us, we detroyed their country, killed a bunch of their relatives, and allowed terrorist to roam free killing more innocent Irai's. A country that did not have terrorist running around bombing their country. Now this Saddam trial is a shame also, now he is on trial for retailiating because they tried to kill him, wow!!!! If George Bush is not responsilbe for the abuse at Abu-Grab prison, how is Saddam responsible for what his guards did. I am American I love my country. But this incompent president is ruining our standing in the world. And that crooked Dick Chaney, he is the new tricky Dick, Nixon didn't have anything on this man. And the Republicans, do you supposed to be what is best for the country instead of whats best for your party?, I know they are trying to shift it and say the Democrats are speaking up for political reasons.  The Democrats are speaking up to try to save American lives, and get a handle on what is really going on over there. So Randi keep speaking up, don't let the Republicans turn this around, like they did at the start of the war. Everyone that was agansit the war was unpatriotic, see Dixie Chicks and others. I hope come 2006 elections they kick every snob crooked Republican out of there. Then we would possibly have a chance to impeach this Grim Repping President. Like you say this man is responsilbe for thousands of deaths going way back to when he Texas governer, other people lives don't mean anything to him, he pretends but America needs to wake up. Thanks Randi keep up the good work!!!!

Lowell, this is astounding.
I knew about the "realignments" but this stuff about overstating the savings is jaw-dropping.

We're talking about closing bases all over the country, disrupting lives and leaving thousands of people unemployed, for what now may amount to a mere $25bn.  Does that make sense?

I mean hasn't Mr. Bush already spent nearly $300bn on his misguided war of choice in Iraq?  Seems to me that we could make up $25bn by maybe repealing some of the massive tax cuts he's given to the "free lunch" rich and the corporate socialists that made them billionaires.  Or we could maybe stop giving billion dollar raises to the likes of Haliburton for no increased responsibility.  Man, a billion dollar raise for nothing, I want some of that!

But maybe the best thing he could do would be to just start bringing the troops back home.  What a win for the troops that would be, no giant military base shuffle, and some of our guys would get to see Christmas at home.

Why does Mr. Bush do so much for the Military and so little for the Troops?

Brooks is a bright conservative. Kilgore is a redneck racist conservative!

No, David Brooks doesn't "get it right," and neither does your organization.

Brooks is just parroting the bald face lie that we need hordes of cheap foreign workers to do those jobs Americans "won't do."  If you're going to write about the immigration issue then you'd better get your facts straight.

Who did those jobs 25 years ago but for better wages and in better working conditions?  Who, until their unions were broken,worked as meatpackers and janitors?  Who used to make a good living hanging drywall or as construction workers?

There are 14 million underemployed Americans out there, a disproportionate number of them with little education or skills who, as I said, once did many of these jobs and would gladly do so again if they were paid enough to support a family. So why is the White House and their media lap dogs telling the American people there is no way out except to hire foreigners?

There are no "labor shortages" in these various jobs.  If this was the case, why have wages remained depressed for the past 30 years? Does Brooks know that when adjusted for inflation, these wages are at the same level they were 30 years ago?

You folks should do your homework before you start demagoguing on behalf of the open-borders lobby.

Sincerely,

Dave Gorak
Executive Director
Midwest Coalition to Reduce Immigration
LaValle, WI

As for the job hiring hall proposed by Fairfax County (what used to be called the union hiring hall until unions were crushed-- you're right about that, Mr. Gorak) let's not lose sight of the fact that it's really a good idea, Jerry K notwithstanding. I've seen the congregation of hopeful workers at more than one 7-11, and I can understand why neighbors might object, and why a centralized location would be better. Moreover, many of the men seeking work are NOT "illegals," and the small businesses that wheel by of a morning and hire them need to have a place to find them. And, it's also true: immigration is a FEDERAL problem (not a local police problem). To Jerry K and his bigotry I say, lay off the local jurisdictions... I thought you "trusted the peepl," until, of course The Peepl (through their local government) did something you didn't like, and you saw a chance to stir the pot.  Ironical, The People didn't suit you in this case, eh?

I've got to respectfully disagree - Brooks indeed gets a lot right in his column but he overlooks a major flaw of temporary guest worker programs: they create a whole class of citizens who lack equal rights and any incentive to assimilate as Americans. I make a detailed argument against such programs here.

As an employer, I can tell you that most Americans do not want to do menial
labor on farms. 
I think David Brooks has it right until he gets to the part about fines and punitive measures against the illegals that are already here. Personally, I do not know of any that "have their own houses" and no way could they afford a fine of $2,000. plus having to pay back taxes for the years they've been here.
Most get paid minimum wage and lots get paid even less than that. They barely scrape by living with many families under the same roof.
If we admit the system was faulty to begin with (letting in way too few legally), why should they be punished for doing the reasonable thing which was to come here where the jobs are, so they can make a decent living compared to the meager existence they had in Mexico.

I think if they are going to legalize them as temporary workers, the ones that are here, should have their employer  sponsor them . Those without jobs would not get legalized.
If they were regulated, employers would not get away with paying them less than minimum wage like some do.

The southwestern Virginia coal economy is "boom-n-bust" time and again over 20th
Century. The latest coal boom will too
dissolve as modernity advances. Pleasing
it is that Lieutenant Governor Tim Kaine
realizes that coal prices are fleeting and
supports the state's backup Data Center
being placed at the University of Virginia's College in the southwestern region near Wise.
The university's college hopes to soon launch a software engineering school and a Data Center will only boost it and serve as a building block for greater human intellectual capital (as opposed to coal mining brawn).
Let us hope that the Information Technology Investment Board will see it the same way as the Lieutenant Governor.

I think it's pretty amazing how many Republican pols and pundits here in Virginia still try to misinform about which party is really the party of big government and fiscal recklessness.  Nationally, GW Bush and Reagan before him had larger governments than Bill Clinton.  And the Clinton surplus has been squandered.  Now, due to new predicitons, we are supposed to be happy that the deficit will only be in the three-hundred billions instead of trillions.  Sorry, but as we taxpayers are supposed to keep our houses in order, so too are the administrations elected to serve us.  And, as the reckless budgeting of the Allen-Gilmore years show, having a Republican in the governor's mansion paves the road to fiscal chaos.  I'm a fiscal conservative myself.  And here in Virginia Democrats pay the bills, balance the budget and assure our state bond rating.  This is good for all Virginians. And, we won't have our diligence to fiscal responsibility discounted without rebuttal ever again.

Dave Albo hates immigrants. That's enough for me.

Let's be fair. Dave Albo may have screwed up and put in a bill that lowered the penalty for child molestation, but doesn't mean he's not against child molestation. He's just a careless legislator.

And I think some people appreciate his forthrightedness on the subject of DUI. He's looking to make a quick buck here, and that's fine. We have citizen legislators. When the founding fathers set up the virginia legislature, they wanted to make sure they could not only legislate, but also make a quick buck on selling an extra slave or two.

Dave Albo embodies that pioneering spirit.

Dave Albo has really set himself up with an astonishingly negative record.  Not only this carpetbagger, DUI protector stuff, but also the fact that he wanted to make it possible for childmolesters to get off by paying a fine.

Werkheiser, wisely I believe, has fought an unendingly positive campaign.  Werkheiser is a GREAT candidate, smart, solid, capable.

How do we get the message out to voters in his district that Albo can't be said to reflect the values of Virginia?

Dave Albo: friend of drunks and child molesters.

Wasn't Kilgore trying to say recently that he was closer to Warner's politics than Kaine?

I guess when that childish fabrication was thrown back in his face, he decided to just start crying about everything. 

Will Virginians ignore reality and listen to Kilgore's "the sky is falling" ravings without considering the source?  We'll find out on November 8. 

I pray there's enough wisdom left in the Old Dominion to send Jerry Kilgore back to the sandbox where the damage he can do is minimal.

Still laughing.  Greatest.  Snark.  Ever!

To Arlington Dem
Thanks, that's exactly what I mean. It goes further than that, but that's a good start. Now to get a feature article in Times Dispatch or various southside and southwest newspapers. Are you game for a submission?

also note.  When you take money away from thousands of small farmers and give it to big businesses total subsidies go up.

It's called corporate socialism.  Nothing "free" about these markets.

Hey Teddy:
The best example of this that I can think of is the disastrous "Freedom to Farm" act, which recently took effect.  I like to refer to it as the "Freedom to Drive Small Farms Out of Business" act.

Thanks to New Deal protections, farmers were encouraged not to overproduce.  That kept prices high enough that consumers never noticed the difference, but allowed small farmers to earn a living wage for their labors.  "Freedom to Drive Small Farmers Out of Business" ended those government interventions.  Now there is only a race to overproduction in which smaller farmers cannot compete.  Agricultural Trusts like ADM now dominate the landscape and despite popular efforts to raise awarness like "Farm Aid", the small family farmer is paying the price.

Romsdahl believes Freedom to Farm has launched the agricultural economy on a damaging cycle of overproduction. By eventually ending government payments and leaving farmers on their own, the legislation leaves it to farmers, not the government, to decide how much grain they grow. That may sound like a no-brainer, but for more than 60 years, until Freedom to Farm passed, the government was involved in deciding how much grain a farmer produced. Romsdahl says the system wasn't perfect, but it held down production when elevators bulged with grain, helping to prop up prices. He says left on their own, farmers will do what comes naturally, grow as much as they can.  - Brian Romsdahl, small farmer Butterfield Minnesota

"In 1996, Congress passed the "Freedom to Farm Act" to
liberate American agriculture from the "East German socialist programs of
the New Deal," as Newt Gingrich put it. Subsidies quickly tripled, reaching
a record $23 billion in 1999. The market does work its magic, however: the
taxpayer subsidies go disproportionately to large agribusiness and the
"corporate oligopolies" that dominate the input and output side, as Nicholas
Kristof correctly observed in the _NY Times_. Those with market power in the
food chain (from energy corporations to restaurant chains) are enjoying
great profits while the "agricultural crisis," which is real, is
concentrated among smaller farmers in the middle of the chain, who produce
the food." Noam Chomsky

---
"Freedom to Farm" is a classic example of how blind faith in the power of "free" markets is manipulated by corporate oligopolies for their benefits and to the detrement of others.

1.  Under the New Deal, production was managed and small farmers were protected from shocks. 

2.  While agricultural trusts can insulate themselves from shocks, small farmers can't.  You can't tell your kids they'll be able to eat next year when the harvest is better.

3.  Agribusiness can "DUMP" massive amounts of a product onto a market and drive smaller farms out of business.  That's the power of Monopolists and that's why "free" market mentality isn't a science, but a dangerous cult. 

For some reason the glamour of "pro-business" still clings to the Republican Party, inducing befuddled business people to support blindly any GOP candidate, not realizing that the Republicans are only pro-BIG business (and then only BIG businesses which happen to be BIG campaign contrbutors). Some how we have to get the word out that small (and even mid-size) businesses are not benefited by Republican policies, and are often seriously injured. How about it, Lowell?

Ha.  Way to work in a good plug for the data center, Jack. 

Maybe Kaine should look into this by way of having Virginia pursue coal liquefaction research and development, the way California decided to pursue stem cell research on a state level. Coal liquefaction is an alternative fuel that would benefit Virginia (instead of pursuing so much nuclear power?). Anybody have thoughts on this?

I checked out your page musegirl... nice stuff.

"DECODE THIS, JERRY!"  He's so bizarre.

So coool!

Any investment ideas?  I just read the article mentioned here in the Sunday Boston Globe, and from now until 3d quarter '06 there should be opportunities to make some money on this.

I'm just starting my research now, but does anyone know more about the new underground mining technology...ie, cost, durability, maintenance costs, gaps in production due to equipment breaking down, etc? 

Dan
I just thought I would point out the fact that currently the most efficient way of getting pure hydrogen is through burning oil in one process or another, so it's really not that much better.. Instead of the consumers using it the companies do.  That, along with what you said, is what needs to be developed.

Ha! Yeah that's the ticket, and if the NRA failed to endorse Kilgore it would represent a "diverse" GOP ticket! Ha! Great one Lowell. The pro-choice base Kaine has to have is now dancing with Russ Potts, yeah, that won't hurt a bit! Kaine's double talk just talked him right out of a crucial endorsement. Goes to show, if you're everything to everybody, eventually nobody buys it.

Too bad for NARAL, but I hear he's ok by Emily's List...

One thing I noticed with these listings is the Republican bashing goin on. Come on guys we have had oil problems since 72',remember? Just a note that the efficiency of todays car in miles per gallon per ton of vehicle hasn't changed much since 1950. What other industry do you know of has not had a some sort of technological breakthrough in over 50 years! Sure MPG has gone up but ton miles per gallon has remained fairly constant. So before you start in on either party it might be worth  griping at a different industry because that is where the problems lie. Congress does not invent or market products.

"And if you?re REALLY successful, maybe some day, someone might start doing a series on how your blog actually HURTS Tim Kaine." Gee, I can hardly wait ;-)  Thanks for the shout out!

There is one thing that is really annoying about this type of article: Plug-in hybrids have two modes. One is batteries only, the other is hybrid gas/electric. In the electric mode, what gas mileage do they get? You could say "infinite" or DNA (does not apply). Instead what they do is make some arbitrary choice. For example assume the car can go 20 miles on the batteries alone and after that it gets 25 mpg in hybrid mode (like a Honda Accord). If you want the headline to scream about "250 miles per gallon", then assume the total miles driven for the day is about 22 miles.

Is there any significance underlying this? Possibly. If you are trying to cut our "dependence on foreign oil" then substituting domestic electricity for some foreign oil is a step in the desired direction. (How much this really matters is a complex question. Relevant fact: Our largest foreign oil supplier is Canada!)

We're not saying that electricity is free, only that it is not produced by burning oil (overwhelmingly).

Other questions: Would it be cheaper to run cars on electricty than on gasoline? Would converting cars to electricty increase or decrease pollution?

My final question: If electricity is so hot, then why not do totally electric vehicles (EVs)? -Plug-in hybrids and EVs would both require better batteries. Suppose you could get batteries that would carry a car 200 miles on a charge and could be recharged in just a couple of minutes? Check back in 5 years and see what the market has brought us!

Tom:  what a funny story.  I had kind of a similar moment recently.  Once I get passed being pissed off which, I admit, takes some effort and emotional maturity, it just make me sad.

I mean, there's just a lot of people out there feeling victimized and filled with anger, thanks to the opportunists who take advantage of them by spreading self-loathing and hate, while demonizing liberals.  While I pity those who fall for it, they are still responsible for their actions.  If the guy in your story had caused an accident he should at least have been held for criminal negligence in addition to whatever damage or death he might have caused.  I wonder if it would even qualify as a "hate crime":  Criminal negligence brought on by blind hate.  I'm no lawyer, but I wonder.

Dan:  how right you are.  Bush and Cheny aren't public servants, they're private interests masquerading in statesman's costumes.

Three bucks in MD...cheapest I can find is in Fredericksburg this past weekend 2.30.  Speaking of wasting gas check this out.

Today the average price for gas in VA is something like $2.54.  A year ago it was $1.78.

There really is no end to this in sight.  If we haven't already, we will soon reach peak oil capacity for the planet.  That means flat supply.  Meanwhile, all of Asia is about to achieve automobile-based economies.  Increasing demand. 

I'll go out on a limb here and say that we'll see gas at $100/barrel before the next Presidential election.

If some backyard engineer can do this, imagine what large corporations will start doing (or are already doing behind their walls), now that there is a huge demand for vehicles with extreme efficiency.

The rise in gas prices are forcing us as consumers to rethink our habits and routines when it comes to driving and consuming fuel, and with demand, the new technology WILL follow.  The federal government doesn't really need to get involved to make it happen.

So, that electricity on the home outlet is free?  Google "perpetual motion" sometime.  ;-)

Waldo said it best.  This is nothing more than a shell game.

Do you all know already that the famous "de-coder ring" is made in-- CHINA? Leslie Byrne revealed this delightful new example of Jerry K's concern for Virginia industry and Virginia workers (and whom he claims to be protecting by railing against "immigrant labor" at Herndon hiring halls. Ha. Ha. Ha. Poor Jerry couldn't even find a local plastics outfit to fill his need?

I moved here in December from Alexandria where the only exciting thing was the occasional Moran indiscretion.  The GOP candidates in this neck of the suburbs are embarassing.  What do they drink at their parties, corn likker?  I was a lifelong Republican until W came along -- held three R Schedule C jobs in my career before I retired -- W makes these guys look good.  Oh, someone wrote a letter to the Connection and Times papers asking Chris Craddock about Grover Norquist being a shill for the "sin" industries.  It's time to take him to task -- and issue a "you're not invited to our state" anti-invitation.

Why don't Virginia Republicans like Catholics...?

Tim Kaine is a man rooted in faith who will always uphold the laws of the Commonwealth.

I think they're the same guys over at Bacon's Rebellion who are in a frenzy over this.  I'll tell ya, the people in my neighborhood who go over to Herndon to hire these guys for their yardwork like the deal.  Our two youngest were raised by Latina nannies who worked for their citizenship over time -- we had two longtime ones and three substitutes when the others went on vacation -- and they and their families were the nicest people you'd ever want to meet.  Great family culture. 

Yep, paying for early childhood is truly caring about the "children" the Republicans profess to care so darn much about.

Words without deeds is sin and worth nothing.

Like the keyboard chickenhawks who wear their patriotism on their shirt sleeve but refuse to serve in the military, any Virginian who purports to be "pro-life" and then gripes about providing each child the tools to succeed in school needs to rethink their priorities and either come clean and acknowledge they truly don't care a whit about the children of 'others' or get aboard and support the candidate who is truly is pro-life and has his priorities in order. 

Dorsett:
$3.5 Billion?  You act like that's going to all be spent per year on 4-year olds.  Do the math my friend.  That comes out to roughly $26 Million per school district a year on 4-year olds!!!  Don't be ridiculous when throwing out numbers like that.  It sure looks like this is what you're implying, running around like the chicken little of new taxes.

We have yet to see if Kaine's plan is an idea that he's willing to throw out there right away, or let incubate gradually, investing in the pre-k program as it can be afforded.  Knowing the type of man he is, I'm willing to bet on the latter, and I commend him for bringing forth an excellent idea for the future of this state.

Really? Can you tell me one thing that Mark Warner has done that has led to a good economy in VA? Something that has effected short-term (he's only been in office 3 1/2 years) economic benefits? Also, the "general fund" belongs to the people, not the politicians. The General fund surplus is the direct result of Mark Warner's lies.

I thought it was clear that $3.5 billion is the total cost of ALL of Mr. Kaine's proposals, not just the pre-school proposal alone. I even noted specifically that the pre-school plan is "in the hundreds of millions." My post is pretty clear.

Anonymous #1 and Anonymous #2: you're forgetting the main factor here...NOT ALL DAY LABORERS ARE ILLEGALS.  Therefore, you ARE turning this into a race issue when you lump together an entire group of hard working, mostly hispanic people, who may have a few people here illegally, as ALL being illegals.  Your words are nothing but coding, trying to paint a picture of all hispanic laborers as being illegal and a threat to some mystic part of our state and country.

I'm all for local law enforcement detaining and reporting illegals.  But don't shut out the laborers who are here legally and just looking for work.  Don't try to undermine the town of Herndon, who obviously don't want the gathering center to be a local 7-11, and are trying to make things better for their town and their laborers.

I'm all for letting immigrants in, legal or illegal.  It's the right, Christian thing to do.  Many prominent Republicans support expansive immigration because it's good for the economy.  Here's a quote from The Hill newspaper:

"Bush is wrestling with how best to handle the divisive issue. During his first term, he publicly supported the expansion of federal guest-worker programs, which included protections for workers who are already here illegally. But the president has been quiet on the topic this year, focusing instead on Social Security reform and judicial appointments.

He is expected to renew his push when Congress returns in the fall. A new coalition of business interests, led by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) and former Rep. Cal Dooley (D-Calif.), recently announced White House support for its drive to create a new national guest-worker program. The coalition will be organized by former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie.

?There is nothing contradictory about letting people working here stay and having stronger borders,? said Norquist, who heads Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) and strongly supports allowing more temporary foreign workers into this country.

He said the rhetoric of anti-immigration Republicans such as Rep. Tom Tancredo (Colo.) has made rational debate difficult and undermines the party among immigrants.

The conservative media have also played a part, Norquist added. ?The vast majority of Republicans are with the president, but if you start the conversation you?ll get yelled at by all the talking heads on talk radio,? Norquist said. ?Why bother with the headache??
Norquist said he doubts that GOP candidates who aggressively pursue immigration restrictions would win extra votes. ?It?s not clear to me that opposition to immigration is a vote-moving issue,? he said.

They're also the same people who would complain in an instant if the supply and prices of things like construction and produce went up...

They just don't get it.

errr...that should read supply went down and price went up.

The planned day labor center won't even attempt to differentiate between legal and illegal (undocumented) workers, lumping them both in the same boat of suspicion.

The racism that some extremists have attached to this issue is uncalled for to be sure. It doesn't mean though that illegal immigration isn't a legitimate issue for discussion.

Those who simply tag all opponents of illegal immigration as "nativist" and/or "racist" are being unfair too.

This is classic scapegoat politics that the far right has always used, unfortunately at times to good effect.  I won't use the F- word here, but a stinkweed by any other name...

Understand this, right wing politics are all about creating a class-based society. It happens every day that true believers are manipulated by political opportunists like Kilgore to foster the economic interests of the wealthy. 

Immigration needs an overhaul.  Kilgore doesn't know the first thing about it.  He's barely qualified to be governor, has no public presence, no executive experience and wouldn't know efficient government if it sat on his face and wiggled. 

This illegal immigration grandstand just riles up the townsfolk so they vote for the whitest white guy running.

If Kilgore wants to effect immigration policy he should run for congress, but he's not serious.  He's just using people's fears to get elected, because at the end of the day, that's all he has.

A agree that the national immigration policy is fair for debate.  I read an article somewhere today -- the Post? -- about how American business is afraid that restrictive immigration policies are keeping top foreign students away.  Typically, foreign countries send their best here, and some stay, to our huge benefit.  But after 9-11 we've made foreign student immigration more difficult.  (The "internationalist" in me says that it would be nice if there wasn't a brain drain in places like India, Pakistan, etc., however.)

Yep-  Dorsett would rather keep children ignorant instead of educating them.  Remember Dorsett you will have a Republican legislature so it will be incumbent on YOUR party to not pass tax increases.  Why don't you just admit that the REPUBLICANS were also a part of your tax woes?

I know one thing, if we elected a Republican in 2001, we would be in a huge mess right now and we would have screwed our reputation as a state to do business.

I think it's commendable that unlike Kilgore, our hearty candidate is willing to take his chances, even though Potts could hurt him and is prepared to let the chips falls where they will.

I hope Kaine can, in the course of the debate, lay to rest business fears for private property rights when he says "transportation cannot be solved without looking at land use." While this is true, and those of us who served on the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance and saw what happened to proposed dense deveopment at the Vienna Metro, know only too well how important land use is when designing or improving transportation routes. Unhappily, when these business people get in the voting booth they vote their fears, not their reason. I'm looking forward to seeing how Tim can finesse Jerry on this.

So I was thinking...what if they DID decide to let Potts in?  What's Kilgore going to do?  Pull out of THE major debate?  Not happening, that would be political suicide.  Kigore will be forced to debate, and he knows it.  It's so obvious he's shaking in his boots just thinking about it, which is why they're trying to deny that it will happen at every turn.

This could be hilarious.

Um, they are from the Democrat LG candidate in 2001, everyone in Richmond has heard, seen, and read these quotes. Sorry if they create problems for the "new" Tim Kaine, but in 2001 he was against all restrictions on abortion, now he claims he is for restrictions. This really isn't new stuff, most people following the race are aware of Kaine's flip-flops on this issue because his pronouncements have been so public.

Kaine spending chart: Over $3.5 Billion and counting. How big is that surplus Lowell? Answer: NOT $3.5 billion. When even the Washington Post writes an editorial saying Kaine is full of it, you know he's in trouble. The fact is his pre-school plan is in the hundreds of millions, before accounting for the new facilities that will have to be built to handle all the students. This is called a budget buster. He has no plans on how to pay for anything, but if you know Tim Kaine you know how he will pay for it: here come the tax increases! There is a reason liberal editorial boards: Va. Pilot, Daily Press, and Washington Post, have been giving Kaine hell this week, he's becoming the stereotype of liberal tax and spender, and that ain't going to win many elections in Virginia.

Dorsett...do you have these choice Tim Kaine quotes from 2001?  My guess is no. 

Now I've talked to Tim Kaine about this on a couple of occasions.  He has told me that he would like the exsisting laws on the books on abortion to stay there.  He also said he wouldn't sign any NEW abortion laws.  I know that's tough for you to understand with your either/or mentality but people can have complex views on an issue. 

Again where are the quotes...if they are out there they should be readily available...

Here's his stance from his website in 2005:

"I have a faith-based opposition to abortion. As governor, I will work in good faith to reduce abortions by:

Enforcing the current Virginia restrictions on abortion and passing an enforceable ban on partial birth abortion that protects the life and health of the mother;
Fighting teen pregnancy through abstinence-focused education;
Ensuring women's access to health care (including legal contraception) and economic opportunity; and
Promoting adoption as an alternative for women facing unwanted pregnancies.
We should reduce abortion in this manner, rather than by criminalizing women and doctors."

By the way, you do not know what you are talking about.  I was at an exclusive function in February 2002, just a month after he was sworn in and I asked him about the PBA bill being looked at in the General Assembly.  He said that he was against it because it did not pass certain legal tests and that he was for "enforcing the laws on the books".  He told me that as a matter of faith he was against abortion but that he thought the best way to reduce abortions were by offering better alternatives (adoption). 

So really do you know him?  Where are his quotes from 2001 that will vary from what he said here?  Did he really change in a couple of months from the campaign to his office?  I don't think so. 

Ok...so he supports Roe v. Wade.  Do you know what that court case was about?  It's about the right of privacy.  Now it also says that states can do during the THIRD trimester. 

"And so while there can be moral debate, from a legal standpoint the general protections of Roe versus Wade in Virginia law need to be respected.?

Duh.  So you have proven that Kaine supports Roe v. Wade and I've proven that he wants to support the laws on the books.  Now where is his flip flop?  Or is hard for people to understand that these are complex issues that aren't black or white?

Another point

From your quotes:

"But I believe very strongly that the current legal framework in Virginia, where a woman?s right to make a decision to terminate a pregnancy ? in early stages of a pregnancy ? is one that she can decide with whoever she chooses ? her doctor, her conscience, her god ?is one that shouldn?t be regulated overly by the Commonwealth of Virginia."

"no public funding and parental consent, and I worked to pass a state law banning partial birth abortion.?

PBA is third trimester...not early stages...so again where's the flip flop?

Well...that liberal commie paper, the Washington Post, just mischaracterized Kaine's educational campaign proposals as pie-in-the-sky shameful vote pandering as he tries to become the next governor.

The paper took Kaine to task for putting forth a plan to provide universal access to preschool education in Virginia without detailing every minutia of how he plans to fund it.

Well...investing in pre-kindergarten schooling should be a fait accompli. Same as the state was able to unearth added revenue to reopen DMV offices after Gilmore's disastrous administration, fund nursing care for veterans, maintain the state's credit rating, and so on, resources to ensure every child has equal footing in education from the start, as the Post knows, is a matter of priority funding.

The op-ed begrudgingly notes long-term financial and social benefits from early childhood education, yet fails to mention how state spending is four times as much for remedial instruction than for early childhood education, a disparate order of priorities.

Unlike the Post, Virginians will be smart enough to realize Kaine?s educational platform is a simple statement of his central concern for early education; an issue derided by smiley face, I haven't got a clue, Jerry Kilgore who opposed every educational initiative put forth by the Warner/Kaine administration.

I love how so called "pro-lifers" act like there's going to be some magic button that Kilgore can hit when he gets into office that will get rid of abortions once and for all.

If that were the case, shouldn't Gilmore have hit that button?  Allen?  Or what about Bush and the Republican controlled Congress?

BUT WAIT.  There's a little road block called Roe vs. Wade.  Not something that can be so easily overturned.  Kilgore knows this.  Kaine knows this.  Bush knows this.  Clinton knew this.  SO WHY DOESN'T ANYONE ELSE KNOW THIS?  Because rather than focus on positive results, rather than commit their power to reducing the need for abortions, it's tragically been turned into a political issue.  Major Republicans almost don't want it to go away.  It's their moral wedge issue. 

They care more about holding it over their base like a carrot in front of a donkey than they care about actually making good on their stances and doing what they can to reduce it.

This is where people like Tim Kaine come in.  He's actually committing himself to the issue, recognizing that it's a tragic situation.  He knows there is no "magic button" to get rid of them all together, so he will do what he can, the things in his power to reduce them, including possibly putting forth a law that would actually pass federal regulations regarding late-term abortions, something that Jerry "I'm more pro-life than you" Kilgore FAILED at doing.  A FREAKIN LAWYER FAILED AT DRAFTING A LAW ABOUT ABORTIONS AND NOW HE WANTS US TO THINK HE'S MORE PRO-LIFE.  That to me shows Kilgore's and the Republican Party?s lack of wanting to do anything about their political wedge issue. 

They'd rather pretend to look tough for political points rather than do something, and to me that is despicable.  This is why, as someone who normally considers himself ?pro-life? I have turned towards people like Tim Kaine, rather than continue to follow the GOP crowd with my tongue hanging out looking at the tasty, but ultimately unattainable carrot hanging above me.

No, you should substitute "the Moran machine."

Reinhold Niebur's writings and thoughts are particularly relevant for our time. Lowell, it is striking how familiar the rhetoric of the ruling class is to that of a 100 years ago. Let us forget that Karl Rove is obessive student of history and his hero is William McKinely's campaign manager Mark Hanna.

Now let us make this connection explicit. Thomas Frank in his celebrated book, "What's  the Matter with Kanasas?" writes forcefully about the justification of the ruling class:

"The trick never ages; the illusion never wears off. Vote to stop abortion; receive a rollback in the capital gains taxes. Vote to nake our country strong again, receive deindustrialization. . . Vote to stand tall against terrorists, receive Social Security privatization. . . receive a social order in which wealth is ever more concentrated than before in our life times" (pg. 7).

Unfortunately as brilliant as Frank is on diagnosing our troubles today, he has little to say about solutions. Now we should return Niebhur, who does have something to say about solutions. First the ruthless and rapacious forces of inequality (ever expanding CEO salaries) must be countered by the power of labor unions or government. Perhaps Andy Stern of SEIU is on to something with his expanding and inconolast efforts to get labor out of its decades long slump. More importantly, however, is that if we are going to take our country back from a short sighted elisted few, it is going to take a majority of us working on behalf of better government and justice.

The Progresives did this 100 years ago, the New Dealers 70 years ago, the Civil Rights activists 40 years ago. Today we are long past due the time to renew our democracy.

Kyle:  Being a huge Tolkien fan, I'm jealous of anyone who gets to live in Middle Earth, even for a short time.  Sounds beautiful...

Good luck with the music!

Hello! I stumbled in here seeking more information on a Protestant theologian (courtesy of Yahoo) and find myself in Aladdin's Cave.  I moved back to this mountain fastness two years ago--way down in the Blue Ridge, almost in Carolina, where the weather changes about every 20 minutes from sun to mist to horizontal snowflakes. We call it Middle Earth. We live across the hollow from some fifth-generation Old Time musicians whose music we are recording in an effort to save it and get the 17-year-old boy a start (he wants to stay here, but there is no work).  Is there anyone else out there who is writing music? (contemporary ballads, here).

Lowell, stop explaining yourself to people.  I think all your stuff is good.  Now let's Raise Kaine, Byrne Bolling, and show "Taliban Bob" some good Deeds.

I still think it's rather sad that while GOP approval plummets, Democrat approval pretty much stays the same.  I pray every day that someone can step up from the other site and take advantage of this, and gain the favor of the people.

Step one: muzzel Howard Dean.

Great points y'all.

Let me say this one more time so everyone can hear:

The GOP looooves abortion. 

Without issues like abortion, immigration, gays, and the so-called evils of Liberal America, they'd never be able to give billion dollar kickbacks to their Big Sleeze backers.

Roe is the best friend the opportunists in the GOP ever had.  Without it they couldn't take advantage of a huge cohort of true believers across America.

The day Roe V. Wade is overturned will be the end of American Conservatism and the GOP.

Ohh... that did it for me... Overturn Roe NOW!

Oh ok. Tim Kaine was against parental consent in 2001, but says he's for it now. Tim Kaine was against any restrictions on abortion in 2001, but now says he's for restrictions on abortion. In rural Virginia he says he's "conservative" on life, but in NOVa he reads from the pro-choice talking points. Yeah, he's crystal clear alright, no confusion there!

Dorsett:  Do you have ANYTHING constructive to say?  Now you're insulting Iraq War veteran David Ashe?  That's just sad...sadly predictable.

I disagree on Kate Hanley.  Her time has come and gone.

Oh, and sorry to comment so many times, but Leslie Byrne would be an outstanding U.S. Senator.

I have a suggestion that Alice Marshall, Ben Tribbett and I can all agree on.

Jim Moran has done such an incredible job as Congressman that he simply must give up his House seat to run for Senate in 2006.

I challenge Alice Marshall, Ben Tribbett and all of the people who support Jim Moran to join me in a "Draft Jim Moran For U.S. Senate" campaign.

Jonathan, I would rather see a young candidate step up and use it like Mark Warner did in 1996 to build their statewide name ID.

The young candidate cannot win. We need a proven vote getter to have a shot at beating Allen.

As I mentioned, Jim Moran has an absolutely unbelievable record as congressman.

Sure he might not win if he gave up his House seat to run for Senate against an incumbent. But George Allen gave up his house seat to run for governor.

Do you think that Jim Moran is any less popular than George Allen was when Allen gave up his House seat to successfully run for office?

Jim Moran owes it to the Democratic Party  of Virginia to run against George Allen. 

No, George Allen was drawn out of his seat to run for Governor.  The closer analogy to him is Leslie Byrne.

Don't you think that Jim Moran could beat George Allen?

People who don't have half the age and experience that Jim Moran have become senators. If you really believed that Jim Moran was popular you would join this effort to "Draft Jim Moran for Senate 2006."

Everyone is talking about the job that Jim Moran is doing as congressman.

This is like reading the Onion! Oh how the mighty have fallen. The Democrat Party picking between Jim Moran, Leslie Byrne, and David Ashe to run for Senate!!! It's like some kind of Republican dream world!

I'm a fan of Chap, I supported him in the primary, but I don't think he should run against Allen. He has young children who deserve to have their father be close to them for the next few years.

I would, however, suggest another candidate who has just completed a bid for the nomination who also traveled the state and who could challenge Allen as strongly as Bob Casey Jr. is challenging Santorum: Sen. Phil Puckett.

He has the experience, the poise and the character to thump Allen.

Puckett for Senate ... again.

"Other than seeking the Democratic nomination in 2004, what evidence is there that Rosenberg is a Democrat"

What evidence is there that any of us who habitually vote for Democratic candidates are Democrats? The government does not store records of who voted for who. There is no official evidence that my father is a Democrat, yet he probably has not voted Republican in decades. Indeed, he gets upset if he sees President Bush on television.

"He has never voted in a Democratic primary"

How do you know that? Andy has been a legal voter for almost 20 years and lived in several states. Have you checked all of the records?

"he has never given money to any Democratic candidate,"

How do you know? Records of federal donations of less than $250 are often not recorded online. Records of state and local donations are often not available online in some areas. How do you know?

"so far as I am aware he has done nothing for the 2005 candidates?"

Ask around in Alexandria and tell us what you find out.