Change is inevitable

The Virginia blogosphere has been very fluid recently. First, Virginia Centrist signs off, and then Jon Henke becomes the new Netroots Coordinator for the George Allen Senate campaign. Good luck to both in their new ventures.

The Disaster after Katrina

Michelle Malkin and Hot Air commemorate the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina the only way they know how, by exposing those who hope to use it in a politically advantageous way.

A tragedy revisited

CNN.com will replay the events of September 11th, 2001 this coming September 11th. This is receiving a lot of criticism. However, it is becoming more and more apparent how jaded people have become since then.

A full third of the U.S. population may believe conspiracy theories of U.S. involvement in the World Trade Center collapse. Michael Moore suggested that "there is no terrorist threat". On that one day, we put aside politics. But it was not too long after that this event started to be used for political gain.

I remember seeing how everyone reacted after the attacks, and I see everyone now. It is amazing how complacent so many people have become. Democrats have had a reputation for being weak on national defense, and they had a good opportunity to change that after these attacks. But in the time since, they have been unable to make any changes and instead blast the Republican leadership, and President Bush in particular, for not doing things their way. Let us not forget that the disputes that Republicans, Democrats, and unaffiliated/third-party voters/politicians pale compared to the conflict that terror began against western culture.

We should see these images again. As painful as they may be to deal with, a reminder of what happened that day may again show us the reality of today's world. September 11th is just a little over two weeks away; how will you remember it?

A few new things

On the sidebar, I have added a new search box, which will allow for searches to be run on The Red Stater, as well as Yahoo! and Yahoo! News. Also, a couple newer conservative blogs, Tennessean's for Allen and Fact of the Matter. Enjoy.

And for any new Wahoos who may be reading, tonight is the first meeting of the College Republicans at UVa. Make sure you attend the meeting; you will learn of all the exciting events coming up this year. Tell them The Red Stater sent you. (And again, as a note, I am not officially a representative of the UVa CRs, just one who enjoyed the experience I received with them).

UPDATE A few minutes later: Apparently, the search box was a little too wide for the sidebar, so it has been moved down to the bottom of the site.

Red State Blog Project

It appears TC has stumbled onto the Red State Blog Project, allowing a few of us to recognize another link to our blogs. The link has been added to the sidebar.

And for anyone wondering, no, I did not copy RedState in obtaining the name of my blog. I found out about RedState after I had started blogging.

Brain Terminal Turns Five

Evan Coyne Maloney celebrates five years of Brain Terminal. I started reading going to this site years ago, well before I had heard of Instapundit or Commonwealth Conservative, and it remains a favorite of mine to this very day. Thank you for your hard work Evan, and I look forward to seeing Indoctrinate U.

How many doomsdays is that now?

My guess is, tomorrow will not be the end of the world.

That said, I would suggest using a little caution tomorrow. If you see something suspicious (i.e., some guy mumbling to himself before boarding a plane, or something along those lines), report it immediately to the proper authorities. No reason for August 8th, 2006 to be a day that goes down in history.

A New Year Dawns

Today was move in day at UVa. For the first time in four years however, I am not in the mix of the crazy return to UVa. Still, I recognize what is in store on grounds.

First, this return marks a big boost for both the George Allen and James Webb campaigns. The grassroots gets some of its strongest support from college students, and I can assure everyone that the UVa College Republicans are ready to hit the turf to show their support for Senator Allen. And there is no doubt in my mind that the University Democrats are just as ready to step up to the plate (though, as has been common in recent years, I expect they will be disappointed come November). Amber Vervalin, the new chair of the UVa CRs, is extremely capable and is extremely knowledgable about campaigning. Rob Martin and Elizabeth Thomann, the vice chairs of campaigns and events, have been loyal members of the UVa CRs who will ignite a lot of interest from arriving first year students. Michael Gannon, new secretary, and last, but certainly not least, Savanna Rutherford, the new treasurer, are still relatively new to the CR experience. However, they are both very excited to be a part of such a great group, and I have nothing but confidence in these two as leaders, not to mention the rest of the officers and other loyal members. Good luck guys!

The Living Wage campaign may also pop up again. To what extent, I do not know. The same goes for the Single Sanction. While each tends to cycle at the University, the question this year will be whether they hold the momentum they had from last year. Many of the strongest supporters of the living wage have graduated, and the rest will need to depend on a new group of students if they wish to be taken seriously (though, they may need to grow up a little too). The single sanction also has its critics, but I think this will remain a hot topic as it has for the past two years.

Football starts up in a few weeks. Not political, but certainly important for the University in raising awareness of the school. This might be a disappointment for many, as UVa is predicted by many to finish only a little over .500, likely at 7-5. A surprise season would be great for the school, even if it may be a bit much to hope for. Also, the John Paul Jones Arena will open up for its first basketball games and a season filled with high hopes.

And while I was a student, I was fairly vocal against the use of social security numbers as student IDs. I had talked to a couple representatives in StudCo about it, who have made helped to make it an issue that has received some attention, but the University has basically ignored our pleas and placed ever increasing numbers of students at risk. It is time for admissions to assign a student ID to each and every incoming student seperate from their SSNs.

NeW begins its first year without its founder, Karin Agness, at the helm. Their new chair is also a capable leader, and this new leadership will doubtlessly shape the direction that UVa's chapter of NeW takes for the next few years.

Big things are in store at the University of Virginia. I am sure I will have a lot to look forward to in my coming visits to Charlottesville. Wahoowa!

The Constitution and Terrorists

John Gibson and Bob Maistros do a great job at analyzing the recent decision to prevent the NSA from using warrantless wiretaps. First, John Gibson notes that the Constitution was left entirely unaddressed in the anti-Bush rant made by the deciding judge. And Bob Maistros one-ups Gibson, noting something interesting. There are some conspiracy-theorists among the Democrats that believe President Bush will try to become a dictator, ensuring his rule for the rest of his life. However, judges may be the ones that fill that role. Jimmy Carter's appointment, and others, can, in some cases, have all the power that the President or Congress (or even both) has, and can never leave office.

But what really takes the cake is the jurist's snide comment that "there are no hereditary Kings in America and no powers not created by the Constitution."

Oh, really? Then inform me, kindly, where it says in the Constitution that the judiciary can mandate on-demand abortions. Or equal rights for homosexuals. Or restrictions on prayer and religious activities in schools. Or open-the-floodgates, break-the-bank expansions of tort liability and medical malpractice.

"No kings in America?" Judiciary, heal thyself.

Such decisions can be overturned, but can we always rely on appeals to ensure that bad decisions do not continue?

The point of wiretaps is to protect us. A friend of mine, who happens to be a Democrat, recently said that she has nothing to hide, and for that reason, she will not hide anything. If we have nothing to hide, then why should any of us be applauding a decision which will make terror plots that much easier to plan?

Race tightens up

The Daily Kos reports that the race has closed to a five-percent lead for Senator Allen. Do not get to excited Webb-heads; unless James Webb actually starts campaigning, this is probably as close as he will get.

Change in Hollywood? Don't bet on it.

Conservative blogs are abuzz over the condemnation made by some Hollywood powerhouses concerning Hezbollah. Certainly, it is good to hear that there is some sense in L.A., but I would not get to excited about this. Some of the actors included are the following:

Michael Douglas, Dennis Hopper, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Danny De Vito, Don Johnson, James Woods, Kelly Preston, Patricia Heaton and William Hurt...Directors Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Michael Mann, Dick Donner and Sam Raimi also signed their names.

Haim Saban and Sumner Redstone also placed support in this ad. Most of the names are not surprises. Patricia Heaton is a known and active pro-life advocate, and James Woods and Bruce Willis are both conservative. Haim Saban, though a Democrat, has placed his support behind the reelection campaign of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and seeing the Spider-man films, Sam Raimi being included does not surprise me either (and it makes me all the more look forward to seeing Spider-man 3).

Still, where is the condemnation from Susan Sarandon? Alec Baldwin? Danny Glover? Indeed, Celiberal.com does not list any of these actors on their "Whine Rack" (the most liberal and outspoken members of Hollywood), and only Michael Douglas and Michael Mann are listed on the "Whine List" (less outspoken and less extreme but confirmed liberals). Is it any wonder that there is such a disconnect between Hollywood and the rest of America?

Applause should be given where due, and it takes a lot of courage to stand up to lunatics like Hezbollah, but the silence towards (and in some cases, the support for) terror from Hollywood is deafening. If actors feel that their pedestal should be used to push their political beliefs, then let us hope that more conservatives can find their voices there. Until then, it will be hard to take Hollywood seriously as they stifle and shun anyone to the right of them.

More snow in South Africa, more bad science closer to home

I bet South Africa does not have a lot of people complaining of global warming right now.

But don't tell that to Senator Obama, proud owner of a "gas guzzling" GMC envoy.

UPDATE a couple minutes later: Controversial/beloved Republican/RINO John McCain and controversial/beloved Democrat/Independant Joe Lieberman have shown that it is not only liberals who fall for it.

To be clear

I personally am greatly disgusted when I hear overt racism. It strikes me rather oddly that people still think that the amount of melanin in a person's skin defines who the person is.

That said, it digusts me even more when Democrats, the same party that prides itself on being the "minority party", tries to use racism, not because it is truly disgusted by it, but because they hope to see some political gain from it. Polls suggest that Senator Allen would win the upcoming election, and many Democrats have expressed frustration at this. When NLS jumped on this "story", I did not see reactions of people saying that they think that racism is wrong, but more along the lines of "we've got him, we've got George Allen." They had to take a video and stretch a few things around it (though, with no one being sure, admittedly even Republicans had to stretch a little for some explanations) so that they could say that George Allen was wrong. Meanwhile, crickets from the members of the "minority party" when one of their own says something, even when it is far more overt.

I am sorry. Wait, no, I am not. I do not believe that Democrats really have any feelings about racism. They only appear to be opportunistic when it comes down to elections like these. While this matter may have a couple of more days of life around it, I consider the matter closed. The burden of proof lies with opponents of George Allen.

And to this point, I have not yet donated money to any of the campaigns for this year, as being a recent college graduate places some strain (though nothing too bad) on my resources. However, a check made out to the Allen campaign starts to sound pretty good right now, if only to add to his resources to allow him a greater opportunity to discredit his critics.

Do Democrats get it?

NLS reports that George Allen is a racist. The Virginia blogosphere explodes. Or is it that simple?

The video and story is available at the Washington Post.

The accusation is that a word used by George Allen, and recorded by and pointed towards a Webb staffer, was an ethnic slur. Democrats have been calling George Allen stupid and a sure loser after this. Seems like a stretch to me.

George Allen certainly seemed to be familiar with the cameraman, and believed that the name he used was the name of the staffer. Democrats believe that Senator Allen was trying to use a term that is the Indian word for "monkey". So Democrats want us to believe that Allen is a huge doofus, but is familiar with a language from halfway around the world? That is certainly not consistent.

This is a blatant use of race baiting. James Webb is seriously hurting right now, and Democrats are obviously afraid of the possibility of George Allen running for president in 2008. So what's the solution? How about taking up a weak case for racism? Never mind Joe Biden's explicit reference to Indians in 7-11s or Dunkin Donuts.

No doubt, the blogosphere is loud about this, and will be for the next couple weeks. But most people will recognize this issue for what it is and will drop it; do not expect it to be too persistent in the MSM, particularly with issues like Lebanon and Iraq maintaining the interests of the country and the Commonwealth.

UPDATE 9:50 PM: Kilo, wise as ever, gives a calm and reasoned response to WaPo's analysis.

And there is something I am still wondering about; why have so many passed judgment on Senator Allen when (1) we see nothing that happened outside of this short clip between Allen and Siddarth (could Siddarth have lied to the Allen campaign about his name?) and (2) Senator Allen has not had a chance to explain his side of the story? Support on this blog will remain with Senator Allen, because I am not a one-issue voter and I believe that even if Senator Allen was being derogatory towards Siddarth, he deserves a second chance.

UPDATE 2 8/15/06 1:10 AM: eirishis at A Shot of Southern Comfort gives a fair analysis, sounding quite a bit like Jaded JD in the comments at NLS. And meanwhile, Waldo and Chad are nowhere to be found on this topic. Perhaps they knew best in this all by not knee-jerking.

Terror and the upcoming elections

With the news today that Britain stopped a terrorist plot, Democrats need to be getting a little concerned. It is no secret that Democrats have been seen as weak on national security, and this foiled plot will be a quick little reminder to the voters that terror is still a great concern. Rather interesting that it also happened the day after the Connecticut primary (BREAK OUT THE TIN FOIL HATS!), as it will showcase one of the major differences between Ned Lamont and Joe Lieberman.

While voters seem to tiring of Republicans in office, there is little faith that Democrats will do what is necessary in protecting this country. This election cycle will bring many issues to the forefront, but it may still be a referendum on the War in Iraq and, more importantly, the greater War on Terror. It is too late for Democrats to change their image, and if the Republican base is motivated and lightning strikes twice (as Clinton had avoided Larry Sabato's "six-year itch"), Democrats will once again be disappointed with the results in November.

Who Really Won Last Night

I'll give you a hint. It was not the Democrats.

Congresswoman McKinney lost, that is good for us all. She has had some form of hubris since taking office and this has only grown with the Capitol Hill incident. Of course, the conspiracy theories will persist.

But more importantly was the race in Connecticut. Ned Lamont defeated Joe Lieberman. Being the Democratic candidate, many might presume he would be the favorite, but a quick look at the numbers shows that it will be an uphill climb with Joe Lieberman running as an independent. Connecticut has a large portion of its population unaffiliated with a political party. The primary finished fairly close, at 52-48. Alan Schlesinger, the Republican, has some apparent character issues and little support, so Lieberman, being the anti-Lamont in some key areas, will still be an acceptable pick for many Republicans, and a favorite pick for many Democrats and independants. With such a small margin amongst Democrats, even if a number switch to stay loyal to the party (rather than the candidate who has represented Connecticut with a certain integrity), Lieberman will be a clear favorite.

Many liberal blogs are claiming victory, but do appear to understand the consequences. They claim that a Republican could sneak up and win in Connecticut; that sounds like a cover to me. I think they understand the type of threat Lieberman poses to their candidate and do not want to say so yet. Lieberman, unlike Ross Perot or Ralph Nader, is not an extremist and has mass appeal; thus, he would represent the people (heh, imagine that, a representative). Without Lieberman, Lamont would be a lock, as Schlesinger would not bring out the Republicans; but with another option, Republicans and some independents would have a lot of motivation to keep a Kos-liberal out of office.

In the end, I believe that Lieberman will switch his party loyalties back to that of a Democrat when (not if, when) elected, though with a chip on his shoulder. But Democrats will be split between the progressive and old school Democrats, leaving races around the country in question for the next couple years. And even now, in Virginia, I am sure Webb could get good use out of the money spent instead in Connecticut. But, who needs to gain a seat in the Senate anyway?

Around the Horn

- Shaun Kenney notes the continuing futility of Lamont supporters in Connecticut. Does Kos realize what he is doing, supporting not only the likely loser in November, but also supporting a Wal-Mart hypocrite?

- And Democrats are not having a whole lot of luck everywhere. Carl Kilo points out the elections in Tennessee. Republican voters may not be as frustrated with Republican politicians as Democrats like to think.

- Not to be outdone, Jerry Fuhrman observes that Democrats have blocked a new minimum wage initiative. Wait, aren't Democrats for higher wages? I guess only when they can take credit for it.

- Think this summer has been hot? People from 1930 would beg to differ, because it has not been as hot this year as it was then. Funny, I figured that if we had global warming, there would have been at least a couple summers that would have beaten out that 1930 summer. Of note, Waldo's new obsession Patrick Michaels is spoken to in this article, but referred to incorrectly as a professor at VPI; rather, he is a professor at my alma mater, the University of Virginia. It is good to see a dissenting opinion at UVa, though Waldo seems to think otherwise; Al Gore's "consensus" does not exist, and people who think otherwise are foolish.

- Speaking of foolish people, a third of Americans think that the United States government is somehow responsible for the 9/11 attacks. It is amazing how some people think just because they hate who is in power or has a voice in any certain field.

- And finally, it appears that Colin Cowherd of ESPN Radio has it out for UVa football fans. Sounds like the guy holds some sort of jealous grudge to me; is Cowherd a Terp or something?

“Some clown ... I don’t know who he is or if he ever played football in his life." - Marcus Hamilton

I think Marcus has it right.

Charles in Charge no longer?

Michelle Malkin reports that Charlie Rangel will quit the House of Representatives if the GOP retains Congressional control. If I was not motivated to vote before, I sure am now.