CatHouse Chat

Will Virginia reassert its Tenth Amendment rights?

Last month, I referred to a post over at And Rightly So which discussed several states which had taken measures to take back their 10th Amendment rights from the Federal Government.  I wondered why Virginia, which is the Mother of Presidents, hadn't gotten on the bandwagon, and several of my Virginia blog-brothers reminded me of the Virginia Resolution of 1798 (actual text here).

So, Virginia has had this on the books, as it were, for a long time.

I didn't blog it then, but last week, the Old Virginia Blog pointed to some information that Del. Christopher Peace is the chief sponsor of HR 61, State Sovereignty. Virginia *IS* pushing back against the Federal Government's infringement of states' rights!

Full text of the bill is here, and I give my whole hearted support to it - and I pray that, once it passes (God willing), the government of this Commonwealth follows through and tells the Feds where to stick it when Uncle Sam (NannyState version) tries to meddle!

As with the Republican Party of Virginia, so with the National Committee?

With the Republican Party of Virginia making serious moves to oust its currant chairman, Jeff Frederick, will the National Committee be following suit?

*sigh*

Looks like the Republican Party continues to implode. Which is just as well - the RINOs need to be purged (yes, I know it's a strong word), and the Party needs to return to and promote its foundational values: small government, low taxes, economic power, strong national defense, combined with personal integrity and honor at every level.

Virginia senators Warner and Webb: Anti-religious bigots?

I dunno, what do you think? They both voted against an amendment to the soi-disant "stimulus" bill proposed by Sen. DeMint (R - SC). According to Sen. DeMint's website:

Pages 164-165 of the stimulus contain the following prohibitions on the use of $3.5 billion available for renovation of public or private college and university facilities.

(2) PROHIBITED USES OF FUNDS.—No funds awarded under this section may be used for—
(C) modernization, renovation, or repair of facilities—
(i) used for sectarian instruction, religious worship, or a school or department of divinity; or
(ii) in which a substantial portion of the functions of the facilities are subsumed in a religious mission; or construction of new facilities.

Sen. DeMint proposed striking this language because it was a Congressional infringement of our First Amendment rights and that

“This is a direct attack on students of faith, and I’m outraged Democrats are using an economic stimulus bill to promote discrimination,” said Senator DeMint. “Democrats should be ashamed of themselves for siding with the ACLU over millions of students of faith. These students simply want equal access to public facilities, which is their constitutional right. This hostility toward religion must end. Those who voted to for this discrimination are standing in the schoolhouse door to deny people of faith from entering any campus building renovated by this bill."

Of course Virginia's senators voted against it - they're not interested in the Constitution; they're just like the rest of their DemocRAT(ick) cohorts: freedom of speech and religion are too good for the masses.

Sounds to me like Virginia's bitter, religious gun owners ought to band together and vote these reprobates out of office at the next opportunity. Then again, anything these idiots do to piss of their constituents just makes their tenure in Congress that much shorter... many more stupid moves like these, and Virginians wouldn't spit on Webb and Warner even if they were on fire.

(kittipurrs to Gateway Pundit)

Virginia's new smoking ban...

Well. *sigh* This is a difficult one.

Bearing Drift reports that legislation banning smoking in Virginia restaurants has, effectively, passed.  Speaking personally (and as a former smoker), I'm glad because I really really REALLY hate cigarette smoke, especially in restaurants.

However.

Speaking as a freedom-loving citizen of this Republic, I deplore this additional intrusion of the Nanny State into private business. I think that if such a ban is indeed so important and worthy, it ought to have been brought to vote by the residents of this Commonwealth.

Frankly, even though I'm in the heart of tobacco country, I'm seeing less and less smoking inside of restaurants, anyway; it's my opinion that these business owners were already reacting to the natural pressure from their clientele, and that the ban would have been unnecessary in a few years.

But then the government - pernicious and meddling as ever - just has to stick its nosy, interfering self into the mix...

Hey, Republican Party of Virginia - are you listening?

Because Shaun Kenney's got some things to say - and you would be wise to act on his suggestions!

Honored

One thing I didn't say in my previous post is something I don't mention often enough:

I am honored by the friends and allies I have in the Virginia blogosphere, in particular the members of the Jeffersoniad. Scott, Shaun, Jason, Mike, Leslie, Rick, Krystal, Jay, Jim, Jim, Jim and Jim, Jane, DJ - and I know I've left someone(s) out, but you get the idea. These men and women are true patriots, gracious and thoughtful, who can disagree without malice, and who are wonderfully able to explain political points without being dogmatic and arrogant.

These are men and women of character and integrity, and while we may not always agree, I know I can be confident in their honor and their friendship.

Thanks, guys. I am blessed that I'm associated with you!

It's a confederacy of dunces!

And Jason is merely pointing it out:

By organizing around the old guard, by being openly hostile to Republican bloggers, by failing to understand that you are not truly anonymous on the internet, by failing to grasp a basic understanding of new media, by having access to RPV dealings, these individuals are representing themselves as mouth pieces of the Republican Party Of Virginia and threatening the message and direction that the party so desperately needs if it is going to organize and pull itself out of the downward trend of the last few elections.

All of this shows a lack of understanding of the New Media on the part of the current Republican Party of Virginia leadership.  Efforts by bloggers to reach out to the RPV and help were met with invitations to blog for the RPV but no real avenue for input in how the RPV conducts its online outreach.  Serious questions are raised about the organization of the current leadership and the state of the future of this party, whether it belongs to new voices and new ideas or the same, old, bitter trends that have gotten the party to where it is today.

Leslie expands upon the theme:

I prefer the term social media (although a fair argument can be made that new media is more encompassing). What's special about blogs, micro-blogs like twitter, social networking sites like facebook, and most everything else that gets lumped under the rubric of "new media" is that it's interactive. People post something; other people respond; there's communication; knowledge spreads; ideas are refined. At least that's the ideal.

But if those who want to lead aren't engaged, well, then they can't really lead. The "Here's our content; you spread it, and otherwise don't bother me because I'm too important" days are over.

And several others have chimed in as well:

• Scott's Morning Brew
• Crystal Clear Conservative
• Virginia Virtucon
  
• Below the Beltway
• The Write Side of My Brain

They are all prominent conservative and right-leaning bloggers, and they all agree with Jason that the RPV's ham-handed handling of the blogosphere bodes ill for the GOP.

Hampton Roads GOP, one of the blogs Jason singles out for chastising, attempted to put their own two cents in, but with their first trackback (which is from a post that does not reference Jason's post in any way), displays their fumble-footed lack of savvy regarding the blogosphere. Their second trackback does link Jason's post (oh, look! They can learn - if you whap them upside the head enough.), but it's merely a plaintive "Can't we all just get along?" which doesn't address the foundational issue. (And, no, I'm not going to send those arrogant minions a link. Go find your own.)

What is that issue? Well, how about I quote Jeff Frederick's comment over on Jason's post?

As you may know, I rarely read blogs. Nothing personal, just a time management thing. But occasionally, people forward me links and I read. Thus, I landed here.

Before I address the critique of my leadership on new media in this post (I’m not going to get into the turf battle among bloggers), let me just say that I am surprised that a group of people who spend so much time communicating have failed to communicate with me directly regarding these concerns on the Party’s efforts with new media. I’m easy to get ahold of. Email me. Call me. As the many people that write me everyday will tell you, I respond.

Uh-huh. You rarely read blogs. Well, than, it's no wonder you are apparently so out of touch with the base! As for the time management issue, if you did some research and chose about 6-12 blogs to monitor (I'd suggest that Bearing Drift, for one, ought to be at the top of the list), you wouldn't overwhelm that poor, sore head of yours, and would still be able to keep up with what YOUR EMPLOYERS really want.

Yes, I said "YOUR EMPLOYERS." We, the citizens. We,  the right-leaning, small government, low-tax, secure-borders, fiscal-responsibility people who might actually VOTE for RPV candidates. Without us, Jeffy, you're gone, gone, gone, as is the RNC and RPC, and all the Republican organizations which have failed so spectacularly at fielding candidates who reflect OUR values and concerns.

Oh, and as for us contacting you? As a member of the Jeffersoniad, I have personal knowledge that we DID contact you, and the RPV appeared to immediately try to force us into the cookie-cutter image of what they thought would work. Nuh-uh. We are no one's yes-men here in the Virginia blogosphere. Give us issues, give us arguments, listen to our discussions and our refutations and suggestions, but - as I learned through a painful experience last year - you can't herd cats. You can guide them, you can sway them, but the moment you "put your foot down," you've lost them.

The GOP hasn't listened to its base for years. How's that working for you, guys?

So, Jeffy, you and the upitty-ups of the Republican Party need to get off the fence and ENGAGE.

Or your jobs will disappear faster than ice in the Mojave Desert at high noon - and so will the GOP.

(BTW, for those of you who think this is overly harsh, yeah, well, I'm sick, I'm feeling quite temperamental, and I just don't feel like "making nice." Deal with it.)

Well, here's some good news

The Virginia Uranium study is going to be done:

The Virginia Commission on Coal and Energy voted 12-0 for the study. A state House of Delegates committee killed a study proposal in March. But the commission’s chairman, Del. Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, said that panel is probably the best group to oversee a study.

On Tuesday, outside the polls, I saw a couple of people who were taking signatures to stop any sort of study. I wanted to ask them why; after all, if their case is so strong, wouldn't the science and facts confirm that?

If the study shows that uranium mining cannot be done safely, then I will be among the first to step up and tell Virginia Uranium "No. Not here." But, if the study shows that it CAN - and I mean REASONABLY safely; don't ask for a 100% guarantee, because nothing comes with that level of safety - then Pittsylvania needs the jobs and the revenue desperately.