The Washington Post Poll

Tim Kaine is gaining momentum...at least, that is what the Washington Post would have you believe. Of course, Lowell is positively giddy over this news. But is it trustworthy? The Washington Post is not exactly friendly to Republicans, having already endorsed Tim Kaine for governor, so, is there a bias in the poll?

The short answer is, maybe. It would be hard to make a case on this particular poll that the Washington Post rigged this poll, but Chad notes how it might still be biased. Sunday, being the day of church, football, and NASCAR, tends to keep most Republicans (and a few, though far fewer, Democrats) busy. With less Republicans available to poll, the numbers will be skewed. Don't believe me? Then tell me how Southwest Virginia, the reddest region of the Commonwealth, is polling even or behind for Jerry Kilgore. I am sure most reasonable Democrats, not to mention most "moderates" and Republicans, are questioning those numbers.

Regardless, this race is far from over. After attending yesterday's Countdown to Victory rally, it was very apparent from the candidates that they believe this. They are each confident that a win is on the way, but only if they continue to get the support from the grassroots efforts.

On a side note, it was interesting to read the comments following Chad's post on the new poll. I've never seen so many responses by Chad, though Lowell was egging him on (big surprise, right?). Should Tim Kaine pull out a win on November 8th, I am sure we will never hear the end of it, but it should be interesting to see Lowell's response when Jerry Kilgore is named the winner.

Around the Horn

- Nothing yet to report on the potential indictments over Plamegate, though Michelle Malkin speculates on the possibility of no indictments.

- Michelle Malkin also has more to say about the exploitation of the soldiers who have died in the Iraq conflict. Sometimes, I am not surprised by the integrity of some on the left...

- Until I see stuff like this. Lowell and the others at Raising Kaine have made a lot of noise everytime they think that Jerry Kilgore lies, yet they have been quiet about this. Hmm, are they really looking for a liar or just a way to attack Jerry Kilgore?

- The Chicago White Sox have won their first World Series in 88 years. They swept the Houston Astros in four games, though do not let that number fool you; this was a great series, and every game was competitive. For more than seven decades, two pairs of Sox collected filth, only to cleanse themselves in just two seasons, so maybe next year, the Baltimore Orioles can fly high.

- And two pieces to go into the "this is news?" bin. First, white is apparently the new orange this Halloween. Then, since the WNBA does not get her enough attention (though, let's face it, how much attention do any of us pay to it?), Sheryl Swoopes decides she needs all eyes on her, even though there is actual sports news to be covered.

UPDATE 2:00 PM: Looks like Tim Kaine's campaign pulled their ads from the blog featuring the picture of "Sambo". Good move Kaine.

What kind of sicko celebrates this "milestone"?

Michelle Malkin is not too happy with the political exploitation of the military deaths in Iraq. Neither does U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steve Boylan.

Boylan said in an e-mail. "The 2,000 service members killed in Iraq supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom is not a milestone. It is an artificial mark on the wall set by individuals or groups with specific agendas and ulterior motives."

...

"Celebrate the daily milestones, the accomplishments they have secured and look to the future of a free and democratic Iraq and to the day that all of our troops return home to the heroes welcome they deserve," Boylan wrote.

It is quite sad. Many of my friends first think of the deaths in Iraq, but are not as aware of the good works done by coalition troops there. What's worse, this sort of reporting done by the MSM also leads to nuts like Cindy Sheehan.

"I'm going to go to Washington, D.C. and I'm going to give a speech at the White House, and after I do, I'm going to tie myself to the fence and refuse to leave until they agree to bring our troops home," Sheehan said in a telephone interview last week as the milestone approached.

"And I'll probably get arrested, and when I get out, I'll go back and do the same thing," she said.

I empathize with Cindy over the loss of her son, but as I have noted before, these soldiers, including Casey Sheehan, volunteered for duty, knowing full-well the potential risks. To use their sacrifice as nothing more than a political tool is disgraceful and pathetic.

If one must think of the 2,000 soldiers that have died, do not (mistakenly) think of them as mislead pawns; rather, think of the 2,000 men and women who believed so strongly in the ideals of democracy and freedom as heroes, protecting millions of people.

UPDATE 10:40 PM: Cox and Forkum share in this concern.

The 5G iPod

I just received the new iPod video today, and I must say that I am already impressed by this little gadget. 30 GB is far larger than I need for my music, photos, and some video, and the screen is clear and very bright.

I am concerned that it will scratch or break easily, and this fear may persist until I am able to purchase a case for it (the case that came with it is limited, and third-party cases come out much later than the iPods themselves). I also wonder how long the battery will hold out, as many recharges will eventually drain it. However, the iPod is worth it, and I will definitely suggest it for anyone who is looking for a new MP3 player and has the money to purchase one (even with the student discount, the 30 GB iPod came in at $269. Ouch).

A couple questions for Waldo

1) Since when are you the authority on who is "anti-Christian" (you seem to be throwing that around a lot; I know many Christians who would disagree with you and those words are starting to lose their meaning coming from you)?

2) What is your basis for calling Michelle Malkin "anti-Christian"?

Controversy in Afghanistan

The cremation of two terrorists in Afghanistan following a firefight has prompted outrage from the governments of Afghanistan and the United States. The terrorists had been left with the soldiers for at least a day after the fight, and as the soldiers had their instructions to maintain their position, their options were growing slim with rotting corpses in 90 degree heat. Now, rather than typing up why I felt that their decision was not unreasonable, I would like to ask a question. What should these soldiers have done instead, or were there any options other than suffering through one of the worst odors one can imagine?

Wait a second, I have family in Texas.

Chad has a link to Instapundit who is linking to Gateway Pundit over some very important information (though some people are hung up over the Texas BBQ bashing at Instapundit).

Good news!

Kilo has been released from the hospital. Cannot call it a full recovery yet, but I'm sure that getting home will be good medicine for him. He also sounds a little ornery, but that must be a good sign. Get well soon Kilo!

Isn't Stanford supposed to be a school for bright students?

What next, Paris Hilton teaching a course on quantum mechanics?

Beat me to it!

After a recent post at Commonwealth Conservative, I wanted to post about the double standards that we see from Democrats, specifically after this comment made referring to my challenge of Tim Kaine's use of his "Christian beliefs" (and, for clarity, it is written in sarcasm).

I've never heard any Republicans wear their religion on their sleeve and cram it down our throats. Never.

Wait, Paul was mad about Republicans who use religion gratuitously in their campaigns, so he thinks it is all right for Democrats to do so?

Well, I got beat to the punch on commenting about such tactics, but James Young does have a great post about it. As James says, you really can't make this stuff up!

New link

This little button can come in quite handy, eh?

Sacramento Voice appears to have found my humble blog, and added me to his blogroll. As it would not be gentlemanly of me to not add him, so Todd Alvarez's blog has been added to the Allies section. His blog is very new, and has few details in it, but from what I can see, it appears that he may be in the military (if I'm wrong, I invite Todd to correct me so that I may get this right), as he is currently located in Baghdad, Iraq. Give it a look, he's already made a few interesting posts.

Oh, and you can find a lot of interesting blogs hitting that button in the toolbar at the top of this and other Blogger blogs (though be warned, there is some less than appropriate content in some you may hit, and many blogs are in foreign languages or are simply spam), so check it out if you are looking for some different perspectives.

Finally, the O's have plugged in the last major hole

What hole is that you ask? Pitching

Leo Mazzone, formerly of the Braves (aiding in their fourteen straight NL East Championships), has just signed on to become the Baltimore Orioles pitching coach. The last few seasons have shown strength in the bats but weakness in pitching for the Orioles, and Mazzone, who happens to be O's manager Sam Perlozzo's best friend, will likely be able to fix that problem. Do we finally see an end to that infernal Yanks/Sawx rivalry/domination in the AL East this upcoming season?

Meanwhile, the Houston Astros beat the St. Louis Cardinals tonight to win the NLCS, while the Chicago White Sox have held the ALCS Championship for a few days after beating the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (seriously, they should just go back to the California Angels and get rid of the blasted abomination that is their current name). Neither team has been to the World Series in more than forty years; in fact, the Astros have never been to the World Series (the franchise is in its 44th year) and the White Sox have not won since 1917. This should be a very interesting series.

Sad news

It appears that Kilo has been in a bad accident (a friend of his posted here and here about it), and it sounds like he is not in good shape right now. Keep Kilo and his family and friends in your prayers.

UPDATE 5:45 PM: Pictures of Kilo's truck have been posted at his blog, and they are not pretty. Here is one of the images.

There is no doubt in my mind that it is only by the grace of God that Kilo has survived after seeing those pictures.

When the PC culture becomes hazardous

No, I am not talking about Microsoft. Political correctness aims to eliminate anything that might be perceived as offensive. So, why is there an issue with getting rid of offensive things? First, there is the concern of encroachment on the freedom of speech; unless speech is threatening (which I believe is worthy of arrest in some cases), outlawing certain forms of speech places all our rights at risk. But, there may be bigger reasons to fear political correctness.

A violent gang rapist should have been given a lesser sentence partly because he was a "cultural time bomb" whose attacks were inevitable, as he had emigrated from a country with traditional views of women, his barrister has argued.
MSK, who, with his three Pakistani brothers, raped several girls at their Ashfield family home over six months in 2002, was affected by "cultural conditioning … in the context of intoxification", Stephen Odgers, SC, told the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal yesterday.

Multiculturism may be one of the biggest problems relating to political correctness. Rape is one of the most heinous, invasive crimes imaginable; I would even venture to say that it may be worse than some forms of murder. But because this rapist was Pakistani, he must have been "culturally conditioned", driving him to the crime. That's funny, because if I tried to say that I was taught that I could drive through a stop sign without stopping, I would still be charged and found guilty, regardless of what any lawyer said.

Fortunately, the judge had enough sense to ignore the lawyer's foolish statement and "MSK", along with his brothers (they have yet to be named), have all been sentenced to long jail sentences, with more trials pending. Still, if this has been tried once, it will be used as an argument again; it may even be enough to give a rapist a not guilty verdict (this scares me for my female friends, as there is a rapist that has long gone uncaught here in Charlottesville). Common sense says that these rapists have committed terrible crimes; perhaps we should pay more attention to common sense.

Remember the Cole

I feel like such a heel for forgetting to post about this last week, but I am atoning for my mistake now. Just over five years ago, the USS Cole was attacked by a small terrorist vessel, killing 17 soldiers in the most cowardly of fashion. As Michelle Malkin notes, we were blind in 2000 to terrorism. I see all too many signs that we are again losing sight. We must stand by our President as he leads the way against forces that will not rest until we are at an end or they are. We must stand by our soldiers who selflessly protect our liberties and our lives everyday. We must stand by each other, because another terrorist attack is certainly possible, and after hearing of other plots, it is more evident than ever that we are all at risk.

Newest SurveyUSA poll out

Chad, Norman, and Lowell all have taken notice of the latest poll, and right now, Tim Kaine has a two point lead among likely voters (with a 3.7 point margin of error). No doubt Kaine supporters are heartened by the news.

However, I have one suggestion for those Kaine supporters. Do not forget last year. The exit polls suggested that John Kerry would win the presidential election of 2004 handidly; instead, President Bush took a solid lead and never looked back. Earlier polls also had suggested that John Kerry would win the election. Complacency is weakness, and I am not convinced that the Democrats have learned their lesson there, particularly after reading the comments over at Raising Kaine (Josh seems to be the exception there; I would suggest all the other commenters take a lesson from him). You can trust me when I say that Republicans have learned from that experience, and this race will certainly not be over until November 8th.

I do find one curiosity in Lowell's post though.

...Jerry Kilgore's relentless lies and negativity...

Yet, here, he advocates Waldo Jaquith's position.

Rebuttal: Jerry Kilgore is anti-Christian.

So, Lowell wants lies in response to the perceieved lies he has seen from the Kilgore campaign? Hypocrisy has never looked good, but perhaps I should not be surprised.

Big win for the Hoos

Between the huge game versus Florida State and a lot of work, it was hard to get here to post, but the workload is down and spirits are way up.

On Saturday night, before a frenzied crowd of more than 63,100, UVa took down #4 (now #11) Florida State, ten years after having done so for the first time (a game which would also hand Florida State its first ACC loss and give UVa its first win over a top five program). Connor Hughes was as automatic as he ws two years ago. The offense was throwing out plays like I have not seen in three years. And the crowd (Oh, the crowd!) was louder and more electric than I have ever seen, with game-time energy, post-game upright riding (valiant effort there, even if they failed), and even the Seminole War Chant (man, I must admit, that chant is incredibly effective).

But the game ball goes to Marques Hagans. Matt Schaub was a spectacular QB here at UVa, but he did not have a single performance that matched Hagans's outing on Saturday. Hagans dodged FSU defenders all night, and though he did not have a positive rushing performance, he had a 75% accuracy for more than 300 yards, 2 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. But don't take my word for it, just ask Bobby Bowden: "The last time that happened to us was [against Oklahoma's] J.C. Watts in the [1981] Orange Bowl."

A comparison to J.C. Watts? That is high praise.

Apple releases a whole mess of new products

I've had my eyes on the iPod for a while, but knowing that the 4G iPods had been out for a while, I waited, knowing that the next generation could not be too far away. My patience paid off.

Yesterday, I purchased the new iPod video, but I will have to wait a week for it to arrive. Some of the details are as follows.
- Plays video in the MPEG4 and h.264 formats
- Sports a full color screen with a 320x240 resolution
- Video out to television
- Works with the new iTunes 6, which now offers music videos and television shows
- Still plays music of course
Needless to say, I cannot wait for it to arrive (though I am a little nervous knowing that I won't have a case for it for a few weeks).

Apple has released a number of other products as well.
- Quicktime was updated to 7.0.3.
- The new iMac has a built in iSight, the Mighty Mouse included, and FrontRow and PhotoBooth Apps (built into the new iMacs only, i.e. not available for my iBook, the Powerbook, the PowerMac, etc.).
- The eMac and U2 iPod were discontinued, but the Powerbook and PowerMac are expected to have updates within the week.

Mac Rumors has more details and fellow Commonwealth blogger Waldo Jaquith has his thoughts (Waldo, this may be our best chance to convince the other bloggers that they have a superior computer available).

What Tim Kaine and his supporters do not get about the death penalty debate

Recently, Jerry Kilgore has hit Tim Kaine's campaign hard with ads concerning his active work against the death penalty. Democrats have not taken to kindly to it; Tim Kaine has been adamant that his faith is dictating his viewpoint. Yet, he says that he will uphold the law as governor (that is really reassuring, I usually expect my governors will not uphold the law). Many are arguing that this criticism shows Jerry Kilgore to be anti-Christian.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

As a Christian, I have always held my faith to be central to my life; everything I do and believe politically, socially, and in other areas of my life hold to my faith. My decisions follow my faith, and if I disagree with something because of my faith, I will try to see it changed. While this might seem to be consistent for Tim Kaine through 2004, 2005 has shown an entirely different side.

This issue does not come down to the death penalty. Though I am for the death penalty, I do not have such a strong view on it to make it a primary voting issue. The issue is that Tim Kaine is not acting like the Christian he portrays himself to be. For 99% of his life, Tim Kaine was against the death penalty; for the last year, he just decides to elude questions by waffling on the topic and hiding behind his "faith". This is not the action of a Christian, at least, not any Christians I know. A man of faith stands by his convictions no matter what. I, and many others, have held these criticisms of Tim Kaine for a long time now, just as Kaine has eluded answering the question for many months. Now, the Kilgore campaign is looking at it as well, and with Tim Kaine's campaign running desperate, he lies about Jerry Kilgore.

Chad reflects on this as well, and has this to say.

As a person of faith, that offends me. I want people of faith serving in government. But I don't think candidates should hide behind that faith in order to avoid answering difficult questions. Tell us why your faith informs your positions; I want to hear that. But don't accuse your opponent of attacking your faith because he attacks your extreme positions.

If Tim Kaine continues to claim that Jerry Kilgore is attacking his faith, he has lost all grasp on reality and he will be in full desperation mode. Let's be clear: Jerry Kilgore has never once come remotely close to attacking Kaine's religion, and Tim Kaine knows it. When Kaine says otherwise, he is lying through his teeth to Virginia voters because he sees the election slipping away from him.

Some bloggers on the left believe that Jerry Kilgore has started to lie about Tim Kaine, and some even suggest that lying about Jerry Kilgore (talk about hypocrisy and nasty politics) is their way to even the playing field. Too late.

Politicians who do not take a stand do not get elected

lighthorse harry questions Kaine's "beliefs" and asks why he will not take an active stand on any of them. It is interesting to see, because when Tim Kaine does take a stand on a topic, he seems to place himself at risk at criticism, as Chad notes. Tim Kaine is reeling right now; with four weeks left until the election, the Kilgore campaign just needs to keep up their current strategy and victory can be assured on November 8th.

Really, why did Larry Sabato even bother?

Norman notes a new ad by the Jerry Kilgore campaign. This ad features a father who lost his son to a murderer, defended in trial by none other than Tim Kaine (and if the father made no mistake, Kaine did so by choice). A very strong message is portrayed, and an ad like this run in the southwest region of the Commonwealth will likely put a large roadblock in the way of Tim Kaine.

UPDATE 8:50 PM: It appears that the ad that Norman went over was one of a pair of ads. After seeing the second on TV, I tracked it down at the Kilgore campaign website. Again, a strong message, this time with a woman named Kelly.

More on last night's debate

Chad has allowed a good night's rest to fully absorb and reflect on the gubernatorial debate last night.

Kilo feels there was no winner, but still thought Jerry Kilgore made progress.

Old Zach is tired of hearing about Mark Warner 2.0.

Shaun Kenney saw nothing to take from the debate other than further reasoning not to vote for Tim Kaine.

Cari disagrees on the winner, and believes that last night's debate was a bore.

Mike Slaven disagrees with Cari on the quality of the debate, and even as he feels that Tim Kaine won, he has some nice words for Jerry Kilgore.

Waldo Jaquith disagrees with them all, as he feels that the voters in the Commonwealth have been cheated.

T-minus twenty-nine days and counting. Will the debate favor either candidate, or did it fall flat? In another month, we may have our answer.

The military, war, and our soldiers

About two and a half years ago, the United States was preparing to head into war with Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein, in the hope of uncovering illegal weapons programs and with the view of displaying the development of a new democracy in an attempt to bring about change in the Middle East. A year and a half before that, young Americans went to Afghanistan, looking for justice for more than three thousand killed in New York City and Washington D.C. And many times before, the United States went to war, with draftees and volunteers. Protest and dissent has followed every war, some more than others, and the main concern is the security of our armed forces. Regardless of the goal of each war, there is one thing that protesters have been most adamant about; they believe that the United States is sending their sons and daughters out to die. Withholding the draft (which has not been used for decades), this should not be a concern.

I have had many family members who have served for this nation, and they have all told me the same thing. They joined the military with the understanding that they would see active time in combat. They did not enter the military to impress someone, to pad their resume, or simply because they thought it was the right thing to do. They knew that their country needed them, and that a military conflict could break out at any time. If they were enlisted, but not ready to head out, they were in the wrong place.

Protesters often want to act as a voice for members of the military. Cindy Sheehan was one of the most vocal opponents. Yet, even as she has shown such feelings in the past, her son still served, knowing full well the risks that awaited him. They go after recruiters on college campuses, believing that the recruiters mislead students about joining the military. Nothing could be further from the truth; most people who join the military always had the intention to do so, and the rest recognize it as a calling, not as a way to pay the bills.

But why do we hear so little from the soldiers themselves? It is hard to tell. The occasional letter from a member of the military gets published, but most stay quiet. Perhaps it is humility. Maybe they fear being seen as a vocal group which already has the support of the government behind it. What I do know is that the real shame is that we even have to consider that soldiers defend their decisions.

The young men and women, my very peers, are brave and selfless individuals who believe in the ideals and freedoms that were established by a very similar group of people more than two hundred years ago. The very freedoms that the protesters use (but do very little to defend) are available thanks to those in uniform, but this does not give others the knowledge or reasoning of a soldier. Let the actions of our armed forces speak for themselves. They joined up for Uncle Sam; for me; for you. Regardless of the war or how controversial it is, do not question the judgment of these adults. Yes, they may be someone's child, but they have the legal rights, recognition, and respect of an adult. They are only doing what they knew they would have to do.

Two more links to the sidebar

Tongue Tied covers all instances of political correctness (by both liberals and conservatives, though it is far more common from groups friendly to the left).

The College Republcan National Committee is (obviously) a central hub for the College Republican organizations across the country.

Albemarle County Board of Supervisors election

My time at the University of Virginia is slowly coming to an end, and I have found that I wish to stay in Charlottesville after I graduate. With issues like housing costs and unemployment, I need to be certain that I will have opportunities after I graduate. For this reason, I am endorsing Christian Schoenewald for Supervisor of the Jack Jouett district of Albemarle County. I recently heard Christian Schoenewald speak and can say that he has my interests (as well as the interests of other students looking to stay in Charlottesville) at hand.

His opponent, Dennis Rooker, does not appear to be too concerned with what happens to students of the University of Virginia after they graduate. But Christian spoke directly to the needs of the recent graduate. While there has been some apparent growth in Charlottesville, there appears to be very few opportunities to start a career in this area; Christian has promised to bring higher paying jobs to the county. He also looks to lower property taxes, a big plus for someone like myself who would like to not waste money on renting a home. Rooker argues that property taxes were lowered, but Christian argues that the Board of Supervisors revised the numbers back up by about six cents. Sure, taxes are at 74 cents per hundred dollars, but they could have been at 68 cents per hundred dollars, with the local government still receiving the needed funds. We all hope to earn that first million, but such a raise can take a lot of money out of our pockets.

Also, with the recent Supreme Court decision concerning Kelo v. New London, Christian takes the high road, pledging not to allow the county to take land for the use of another. He also is campaigning for a government that fixes problems before they get bigger, and holding the School Board accountable for the edcuation needs of the county. Christian is not a large or loud man, but he struck me as honest, and a county that goes by these standards is definitely a place I would like to start my life.

Jim Duncan over at Central VA real estate news has more on Christian Schoenewald, and the endorsement he and David Slutzky (of the Rio district) received from Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors. Also, the official website for Christian Schoenewald's campaign will be added to the sidebar.

Tonight's gubernatorial debate

Since the Redskins/Broncos game ran late tonight, I did not get to see the entire debate, catching only the last ten minutes. Chad and Norman have already posted their thoughts, and I have to say, from what little I saw, I agree with both of them.

Kaine was savage -- you're not fit to be governor, Jerry. Kilgore was biting -- cesspool! cesspool!

Norman's analysis of the atmosphere seemed dead on. Both candidates were hitting hard, even though this is hardly a shift from the past few months. Though Tim Kaine pledged to keep at least half of his ads positive (admittedly, Jerry Kilgore did waffle on this question), I seriously suspect that we have not even seen the harshest criticisms yet.

In retrospect, Kilgore really did succeed in drawing contrasts between himself and Kaine. Kilgore kept highlighting his own record, his own achievements, and his own proposals…and he pointed out that Kaine’s record is so abysmal that he wants to run on Gov. Warner’s record.

While I am not a huge fan of negative politics, Kaine has been a rather easy target the past few months and Kilgore appeared to jump on it tonight. One might be able to argue that Kaine won tonight (contrary to what Chad said, but again, he did see more of the debate than I), but probably not by much, and even in the win, Kaine could take a lot of damage from this debate should much of the Commonwealth watched tonight.

But Norman did note one more thing from tonight's debate.

But the only clear-cut winner on all counts tonight was Larry Sabato. He was the star, he got the best lines and he was clearly enjoying the attention. He got his show on in spite of the antics of Russ Potts and was able to reassert his dominance as Virginia's supreme political pundit.

I took Larry Sabato's politics course here at the University of Virginia some time ago, and to say I am surprised would be a flat-out lie. I did enjoy Sabato's course, and felt he was very knowledgable about what he taught us, but it does not take a genius to notice that he is very aware of his status as a celebrity (of sorts). While I will not fault Larry Sabato for seeking unity in the Commonwealth and the United States, it is hard to see his moderation of the debate as anything other than grandstanding. I do not think this will affect the outcome of the election, but then again, the distraction of the "lightning round" might not secure any swing-voters.

Big endorsements for Jerry Kilgore

Chad Dotson reports on a big momentum shift for Jerry Kilgore in the gubernatorial elections. The NRA came out in favor of Jerry Kilgore and sharply criticized Tim Kaine for claiming to have their support. Jerry Kilgore also recieved the endorsement of the NOVABizPAC, the political action committee of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce. Considering that Northern Virginia is Tim Kaine's to lose, this may greatly aid the Kilgore campaign. With recent polls suggesting a gap that is quickly closing, this brings the advantage back in the Kilgore camp, but now is not the time to get complacent.

With thirty-three days until Election Day, the race is far from over, and ensuring that a liberal is not sitting in the Governor's mansion in January will require still more work. November 9th will bring rest (though November 10th will likely bring the beginning of campaign for the opponent of George Allen).

The Rolling Stones at Scott Stadium

The Strolling Bones are in town, and the hype is as big as any of the football games from the last three seasons.

The concert is set to start soon, but the weather is not looking too favorable. Rain is possible tonight (with near certain heavy rains expected tomorrow), so that might be a little bit of a spoiler.

I have also been a little concerned about how this concert will affect the field, though any fears there may be unfounded as I have heard that there is supposed to be an elevated surface above the field to keep it from taking too much damage (with Florida State coming to play the Wahoos next Saturday, the field being in bad shape would likely play out worse for Virginia). With the current weather concerns, this will also prevent the field from becoming a big mudpit, much to the benefit of those in attendance.

Regardless, with more than 50,000 expected to attend, and speakers the size of a car, anyone within a couple blocks of Scott Stadium (myself included) should probably be able to hear the concert, or at least all the screaming fans. Who needs to spend $100 anyway?

I will blog further about this later (incidents, what could be heard, perhaps the political stances taken by The Rolling Stones).

UPDATE 10/9 9:30 PM: The music was loud enough to be heard from my residence, but not recognizable at this distance. So much for figuring on a free show.

The only incident was a bomb threat (wait a second, I didn't know they were holding a midterm in Scott Stadium on Thursday), but after a half hour delay, the show went on. Other than roommates who reeked of pot (all those cops in the stadium and people were still smoking marijuana?), there is not much else that can be said of the concert. It appears everyone who went enjoyed it and there were no serious issues.

Though, I do hope that the stage construction and destruction did not do too much damage to the field. Florida State will be hard enough to take on with a clean field.

President Bush on Terror and Iraq

Earlier today, President Bush spoke about the War in Iraq and how it applies to the overall War on Terror, and at this point, the actions in Iraq are critical.

"The militants believe that controlling one country will rally the Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow all moderate governments in the region and establish a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to Indonesia," Bush said.

Radical Islam has shown no slowing in the past few years. Regardless of one's opinion concerning the initial reasoning for invading Iraq, the United States is there now and has to finish the job. With much work left before fully establishing the new government and training the Iraqi military, pulling out now could spell disaster, if not for the world then at least for Iraq.

Bush said if U.S. forces withdraw from Iraq, insurgents would "use the vacuum created by an American retreat to gain control of a country, a base from which to launch attacks and conduct their war against nonradical Muslim governments."

While al Qaeda does not act very often (large-scale terror operations can be years apart), their attacks are notoriously destructive; if only al Qaeda was the sole terror threat in Iraq. While their number two operative was killed in Iraq recently, militants from al Qaeda and many other terror operations are still active. The removal of American and British troops before preperations are complete could lead to a quick coup, leaving the people of Iraq at the mercy of a government that will make Saddam Hussein look like King Arthur.

Michael Moore famously said "there is no terrorist threat" in this country. According to President Bush, that is utterly false.

Bush indicated that the public is unaware of many anti-terrorism victories. He said the United States and its allies have disrupted 10 al Qaeda terrorism plots since September 11, 2001, including three inside the United States.

While they are hardly as active here as terrorist groups are in Iraq, this is a significant block placed in front of al Qaeda. This is good news, as it confirms that intelligence has improved since September 11th. But it is also a confirmation that the War on Terror is far from over, and withdrawing troops from this operation might lead the terrorists to the belief that they are winning, and further emboldening them in future attacks. Fortunately, even considering the recent criticisms of President Bush in many domestic issues, he is still a strong leader militarily.

As for Dick Durbin,

"He owes it to the American people -- and the Democrats are calling on him to tell the American people -- how will this end? How can we measure success? How can we get beyond the generalities of the speech that we heard today?" Durbin said.

"I believe the president has offered America a false choice between resolve and retreat," Durbin said. "The real choice is between the strategy of accountability and more vague generalities. We must move beyond the policies of fear to a forceful commitment to protect the United States and its values."

His complaints are nothing more than political rhetoric; complaining of a problem without offering a solution, Durbin only looks for political gain here. Would someone please remind the esteemed senator that our own security may very well ride on the security of Iraq?

UPDATE 7:10 PM: Michelle Malkin wastes no time in further disproving Moore, noting that there is a heightened sense of alert in New York over a plot to bomb the Subway system, which is frightenly reminiscent of the attacks in London.

The Next Apple Product

The people at Apple must not have very tight lips. Trying (and once again, failing) to keep the new product secret, Apple is preparing for a large unveling on October 12th, and the rumor is that they will be releasing a new, video-enabled iPod. This rumor has spread though, and is now being reported by the Associated Press, as seen at FOXNews.com.

Regardless, I am hopeful that the rumor is true. I have been waiting to purchase a new iPod for a few months, declining to purchase until the next upgrade. Being an avid Apple user (I publish to this blog using a 1 GHz iBook G4), I look forward to getting their signature product.

Taking joy in the suffering of others

No, I am certainly not talking about myself. When someone makes a mistake or does something wrong, I do not look to celebrate it. However, I do not always see this from others.

In particular is the recent indictment of Tom DeLay. I do not know enough about this situation to judge guilt or lack thereof, nor do any of my fellow bloggers. Yet, this is the kind of stuff I see. Waldo Jaquith describing his "Joy!" and "Rapture!" Cari saying that it was "he BEST birthday EVER!" because of the indictment. And The Jaded JD saying that it was "sweeter" than the Miers nomination, citing his libertarian viewpoints leading to his frustration. (At this point, I'm glad I did not try to look at the Democratic Underground or I would have been writing a far longer post).

Waldo tried to make the following point.

Celebrating the capture of a criminal is as old as society and culture, and there ain't a damned thing wrong with it.

Funny, slavery and sexism against women are just as old, does that make them acceptable?

Celebrating that others are not being harmed any further is one thing. Celebrating the frustration (well deserved or not) of a criminal (in this case, quite a presumption with the ideal of innocence until proven guilt) is immature.

They are happy someone is suffering? These are the open-minded liberal and libertarian types? They may have good reason to show concern that DeLay held a high position in the House of Representatives (should he be found guilty). But taking amusement from this shows a lack of maturity from these bloggers. I will not say this is excludes conservatives; there are certainly some Republicans who act similarly when misfortune falls on a liberal. But for three bloggers who I generally have a lot of respect for to show such childishness and pettiness is very disappointing.

Pathetic.

Blogroll updated

I have made a few small changes to the blogroll, nothing large. A couple new links for some delegates of note, one link removed (Paper Mercenary is now run by a completely different party), and a little rearrangement. I also have added a link to the Network of Enlightened Women, and I intend to add a link to the University of Virginia College Republicans should they restart their website.

Virginia Blog Carnival V

The newest VBC has been posted by Not Larry Sabato. Though I have not contributed since the very first one, I would encourage any and all Virginia bloggers to submit for next week; it is a good opportunity to share the talent and knowledge of the entire Commonwealth. If you wish to participate, visit Too Conservative for details.

The next pick for the Supreme Court is...

Harriet Miers. And so far, the response is strong. Many conservatives have knee-jerked into a position of fear over this pick. For the time being, I will also call myself a skeptic, but I am hopeful. I placed my vote in President Bush last year because I believe I can trust him; to this point, I have but a few political quibbles with the president and do not feel that he has yet committed a catastrophic mistake. Like Chief Justice John Roberts, Miers is relatively unknown, and despite no experience as a judge, she has headed a law firm and has been given enough confidence to be elected head of the Texas state bar. There remain some concerns that she gave money to Al Gore in 1988, but reports also suggest that she has given money to Republican candidates since.

It may take some time for many to accept this pick, particuarly as there is some uncertainty. Still, Vice President Cheney went on Rush Limbaugh and had this to say.

I'm confident that she has a conservative judicial philosophy that you will be comfortable with, Rush... You'll be proud of Harriet's record. Trust me.

Could this be another stealth pick by President Bush, making it difficult for Senate Democrats to block? For now, I'll choose to remain optimistic, but cautious, with this nomination.

UPDATE 5:30 PM: I do remember that conservative values in government size and spending have not been very strong for President Bush; I will fault him on this. However, I think this is a problem that goes beyond President Bush in the Republican ranks. While he has done little to help in terms of the budget deficits, this additional spending is far from catastrophic, and some of it comes from unfortunate incidents such as September 11th and hurricane relief, issues that required immediate attention regardless of readily available (or the lack thereof) revenue.

A month until Election Day

Thanks to an increase in my workload recently, I have been unable to post to TRS. With any luck, this period should be over for the time being.

Back on topic, I took a short trip to Fredericksburg today to visit some family, and I took back roads, rather than hassling with I-64 and I-95 or US-29 and US-17. I was surprised at what I saw along the way; signs for the gubernatorial race the whole way there on private property, and many of them were Kaine signs. The middle of Virginia, mostly farm land and rural area, seemed to show some favor for Kaine, though there was no shortage of Kilgore signs either. With Election Day only a little more than a month away, there is still much work to do.

It was also interesting that the only LG or AG signs I saw were a couple Bill Bolling signs placed right next to a Sportsmen for Kilgore sign. That makes me curious what that means for those races.