The Commonwealth of Virginia's Ultimate Blog

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Bolten

No "outside gray-beard" like so many nattering nabobs in the MSM have been calling for, today's shake-up in the President's most inner circle brings in a distinctly un-Washington character.

Thank you to Howling Latina, at the new Virginia Progressive group blog, for pointing out this now-ancient 2001 Business week article. While this "Mumbling Honky" definitely agrees it is worth noting that Mr. Bolten has been sighted "canoodling" with Ms. Derek, I think the ultimate value of this piece is that it gives us a chance to see what the convention wisdom on Bolten was, as opposed to what it has become in the hours since he was named COS. The whole article is worth many reads- but two things stand out to me:

1. The Charlie Norwood anecdote certainly doesn't bode well for the administration's interactions with Congress, but at least we can be sure that Bush didn't cave in to Rep. Tom Davis with this pick.
2." With many of his colleagues preoccupied by the war on terrorism, the secretive Bolten is more valuable than ever as he works to keep the rest of the Bush agenda moving. But he'd rather the outside world not know." When the President's approval ratings where they are, with a country that now apparently trusts Democrats on taxes more than Republicans, I hope that Bolten has developed some taste for engaging the public.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

North Korea's Perfect People

Interesting article a friend sent me showing how North Korea kills at birth all infants who are born with birth defects or deformities in order to purify the race and ensure that they aren't a burden on the already starving and malnourished people of North Korea.

Pretty amazing where these things lead.

Monday, March 20, 2006

McCain- The Only Alternative on Iraq?

Inspired by OZ's post, it's occurred to me recently that there's only a semantic difference between the President's position on Iraq, and that of his toughest critics. The Honorable John Murtha and most Democrats in Congress call for the announcement of a timetable of withdrawal, but usually leave plenty of room for the extension of that timetable. The President and most Republicans (rightly) refuse to announce a timetable, but end up frequently dropping hints and clues as to how long they are planning to stay.

But not John McCain. The only guy who isn't calling for a draw-down in '06, lays out his Iraq strategy fairly well in this October 2005 op-ed.
If there's one reason I can overcome the pain in my stomach I feel everytime I hears someone say "Bick-Rah" (Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, which is next only to the Alien and Sedition Act in terms of rank heinosity) it's that he may be the strongest, clearest, voice on Iraq.

Friday, March 17, 2006

Remembering Tom Fox

Tom Fox was a truly extra-ordinary man. Killed last week in Iraq after being taken hostage 4 months ago in Baghdad, the Sprinfield, VA Quaker and peace activist had been keeping a blog of his time in Iraq, living outside the "secure" part of Baghdad since September 2004, at http://waitinginthelight.blogspot.com/. Fox is eulogized in this Connection Newspaper editorial.

Fox's life story, which is well-covered in this Connection Newspaper article, is particularly amazing and inspiring. A friend said Fox would've wanted to be thought of as an ordinary man, but I doubt that friend or many others would agree. I have never been a man of extraordinary faith, but a life like this one, an seemingly average joe (a grocery store assistant manager) who answered a higher calling and did something incredible, inspires me to take a closer examination of my spirituality and relationship to God. It should also inspire all of us to clear our eyes, minds, and hearts from the fog of this war, and look for solutions that bring about peace.

I have been a supporter of the intervention in Iraq since it was announced by the President. I continue to support the presence of the U.S. military in Iraq, but those of us who stand for those American values, those of us who believe in the shining city on the hill, those of us who believe that our men and women are sacrificing there lives for the betterment of the Iraqi people and the safety and security of the world would do well to hold dear to our hearts the memories, principles, and words of Tom Fox.

The only “something in my life” I can hold onto is to do what little I can to bring about the creation of the Peaceable Realm of God. It is my sense that such a realm will always have natural disasters. It is the “man-made” disasters that we are called upon to bring to and end.

Thursday, March 16, 2006

WOW

$30,000 in debt for every American, men, women, and children.

The debt limited increased 3 TRILLION dollars under Bush.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

What Is Hidden Will Be Made Known

As we watch Barry Bonds' reputation fall apart as the truth comes out about his use of steroids ever since the 1998 season, it just reminds me of how true Matthew 10:26-27 is:

Fear not, for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and nothing hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in darkness, you will speak in the light, and what I whisper in your ear, you shall preach on the rooftops.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Go Wahoos v. Stanford

Tonight at 9:30 on ESPN, UVA men's basketball is playing at Stanford. Sean Singletary and company will hopefully give us another postseason victory in the NIT. Hopefully this year next time we will be in the tourney instead.

Next year, with Leitao, Singletary, 3 new recruits two of which are top 100 recruits, and the John Paul Jones arena, I think we may be ballin' in the NCAA tourney.

Monday, March 13, 2006

Wrongful Birth?

This article in the New York Times makes me kinda sick. A woman is suing her obstretician for medical malpractice because he failed to diagnose the Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome that her daughter had. She says that she would have aborted the child if she had fully known the condition that the fetus had. This is part of a growing "wrongful BIRTH" medical malpractice field in which women who want to abort children with Down Syndrome or other deformities sue their doctor for not making them aware of the deformities or retardation or failing to take the proper precautions to determine whether the child might have a problem.

In future years, you will see the mentally retarded and people with down syndrome become a much smaller percentage of the population as people continue to choose what children to have based on the pride and joy the children will provide to the parents themselves. We live in an era when children are treated like ornaments or play things for their parents.
Children who will require extra expenses or attention paid, beyond the neglectful eye that career focused parents are trying to shine on them, will not be introduced into a world that is best able to enable them then ever before.

Claude Allen's Demise?

I must say I was extremely shocked to see the reports of Claude Allen's arrest for stealing $5,000 in merchandise from a Montgomery County Target and Hechts. It just seems so ridiculous to me for a man of his stature to be wasting his time with stealing so little in such a petty way. I'm not saying massive embezzlement of government funds would be justified, but it would perhaps make more sense, perhaps be rationale. But this just lacks any point whatsoever. Why risk such a sterling reputation and job potential for a Bose Wave Radio system?

Claude Allen, former Secretary of Health for Allen and Gilmore's administrations in Virginia, and a filibustered nominee to the 4th Circuit, and most recently Bush's top domestic policy advisor before resigning about a month ago simply doesn't fit the bill of someone who would do this.

I am interested to see whether he will be convicted and how credible the charges are. We can only hope this indeed was a misunderstanding as his attorney claims.

Saturday, March 11, 2006

Sine Die.....for now.

The General Assembly has adjourned, Sine Die ("without delay" right?) which means that session is over. Of course, since they will be reconvening on Monday March 27th at 12 noon at Governor Kaine's call... what is really means is they can finally start fundraising again.

Here are the House Minutes for the final day of the regular 2006 GA session (and here are the Senate)

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Pleased to See SCOTUS Uphold Solomon Amendment

It was encouraging to see the unanimous decision of the Court announced on Monday to uphold the Solomon Amendment. I'm excited to see the Roberts court already making solid decisions. As a JAG officer myself who was recruited on the campus of UVA Law School, I think this is an important decision and a slap in the face to all those Ivy League liberals up in New England. Top of the morning to you all!

LeBlanc rejection

Since just about everyone in the Virginia blogsphere has already commented on LeBlanc's rejection, I won't belabor the point.
However, I think the conservative/Republican side is underestimating the fallout from this event. I think the rejection will hurt Republican among the Commonwealth's independents, especially those who lean libertarian.
However, even if there is no fallout, I strongly disagree with this move. No one would disagree with rejecting a nominee with a felony record, or who was incompetent. But though I dislike LeBlanc and his pro-unionization stance, that's not the allegation against him. Rejecting the executive's nominee because you disagree with his political views is something completely different. In fact, its what the Democrats have been trying to do to President Bush's SCOTUS nominees. That may be what they do in Washington, but it isn't how we do things here in the Commonwealth. I thought we were better than that.

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Singletary First Team All-ACC

Very excited to see Sean Singletary get named First Team All-ACC, the first Virginia Cavalier since Bryant Stith on the First Team since 1992. There have been a lot of good Cavaliers in that time period, so it's quite an honor for him: Travis Watson, Roger Mason, Curtis Staples, Junor Burroughs, Cory Alexander, Harold Deane among others. J.R. Reynolds also was named Third Team All-ACC. Let's hope both of the guys improve over the off season and lead their team to greater accomplishments next year.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Here we go again...

Read this Mike Shear piece from Thursday's WaPo. Then read it again. Take momentary solace in the fact that Mike Shear really lays out the case against Kaine well. Sure, he takes the eyebrow down a 'notch. But The House GOP is starting to act like a teenager with low-self esteem, just repeating the same abusive relationship all over again.

So? How do we break the cycle of abuse? What do we do to get ourselves out from behind the 8 ball?

Hundreds I say, Hundreds!!!

Virginia Belle and these liberal Ohio bloggers need to relax. Citing this Columbus Dispatch story they say Ohio Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell is serving up the online identities of his constituents like Aegeus subjects to Minos' monstrous offspring.
First, Blackwell's statement about his hands being tied by law should not be looked at with this level of ridicule. So far, we've got to take them at their word that they are bound by the Ohio code to do this, and to not alter the documents in any way. Second, if there are hundreds of thousands of these things online, and only a few hundred people have listed their social security number, then I'm going to guess that it's not as bad as let's say a University, maybe one of Virginia, using all of its students SSNs as their principal student ID numbers.

The problem both these blogs and this poster have in commenting on this story is that the Dispatch is admittedly withholding key information (namely, what is the form and who filled it out).

Now I don't have the time brainpower to figure out what this form is and come up with a reasonable explanation to stick with my partisan gut, or to cross the street on this one, but I trust someone out there does (probably the "it" blogger of the weekJaded JD)

Dave Matthews in New UVA Arena on Sept 22 and 23

Just was announced that DMB will be performing in Charlottesville once again, first time since they packed out U-Hall with 60,000 people in 2001, on September 22nd and 23rd in back to back concerts in the newly completed John Paul Jones Arena built for the UVA basketball teams and seating over 15,000 people. Expect these tickets to be several hundred dollars a ticket by as soon as they appear on the market and are gobbled up.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Just stay across the wide Missouri already...

I just spent 20 minutes trying to write a parody song to the tune of Shenandoah about this. Thankfully the House Rules committee has freed us from the burden of having a state song whose only connection to our state was the fact that it was used in a movie of the same name which took place in our state. To everyone from the Valley who blindly championed this song, I say, shame. If you are serious about having a new state song, then you don't pick an interim state song. And if you get rid of your old state song due to racial insensitivity, don't pick Shenandoah as your new state song.