Round Up

I was told that I am currently radioactive and glowing in the dark. This short round up is the best I can offer as of now.

The Nation released this piece of crap article about Sen Allen and the CCC. Riley, Not O'Reilly quickly slams it to the ground here.

Shaun Kenney has a question Jim Webb asked himself on his site. Webb cant answer his own question? This post is hilarious!

Female Navy plebes are all Horny Women? Ask Jim Webb.

Americas Mayor Rudy Giuliani endorsed Sen Allen today. Here is the press release

Giuliani Enthusiastically Endorses Allen for Reelection

Mayor Calls Allen "Great Senator for the People of Virginia"

Norfolk, VA - Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani emphatically endorsed Senator George Allen's reelection today while accompanying the Senator at a port security briefing in Norfolk. During a press conference with reporters after the meeting, when asked why he was supporting Allen, Giuliani responded by saying he could "think of about a hundred reasons."

"I support Senator Allen for reelection because he's a great Senator," Mayor Giuliani said. "[He] understands what's at stake in the war against terrorism, the danger we're in, the multi-faceted effort that is necessary to reduce the risk of terrorism. We can't go back to the way we were before September 11th, which is to largely be on defense against terrorism; Senator Allen is one of the people who understands that."

"He's important to the State of Virginia," Giuliani said, noting that Senator Allen knows the Commonwealth better than anyone. Speaking as an American, the mayor said, "I'm interested in Senator Allen as a leader for this country. He really understands what's at stake and knows how to fight for it. He's someone that we need all over the United States in the Senate. A lot of dangerous things are going on and we need leaders like Senator Allen who understand what's at stake."

Senator Allen also praised the mayor, calling him a friend of many years. "It's an honor to be with the man who all Americans see as their mayor. In times of crisis he has always shown great cool, poise and leadership. And he proved to be a great hero in the aftermath of the tragedy of September 11th," Allen said.

Earlier, Senator Allen and Mayor Giuliani were briefed on the latest security procedures and new technologies being used to secure the cargo coming in and out of the Port of Virginia. They met with representatives from the Virginia Port Authority (VPA), Virginia International Terminal (VIT), and the Hampton Roads Maritime Association who stressed to them the continued need for federal funding to upgrade security at our nation's ports and improve communications between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.

"One thing we must take from this meeting is that today in this global war on terrorism we need to be looking at advanced technology to keep our ports safe," said Senator Allen. "I'm going to continue doing everything I can in the Senate to ensure that our ports have the resources necessary to keep Americans safe."

In addition to discussing the importance of increasing security procedures at our nation's ports and the Port of Virginia, Senator Allen also touted the economic impact that the port has provided to the nation.

"When I was Governor I made our ports a top priority to attract new businesses and create more jobs," said Senator Allen. "The Port of Virginia has provided the people of Virginia and Hampton Roads with thousands of jobs and the development of a fourth port at Craney Island will further expand economic development in Norfolk and indeed the entire region."

Craney Island? Get Webb a map.

Technorati : George Allen, Jim Webb, Virginia Politics

Josh - I'm not going to write about Martinsville

Josh has his thoughts on the Blogs United conference posted on Raising Kaine. Read it! His words ring true. I hope people can see that this event was special for many reasons. Walls came down and boundaries were crossed. A few of us from both sides shared a unique experience while we talked. We did not see a Republican or a Democrat. We saw fathers, mothers, workers, all concerned about our future. While opinions and political beliefs were not changed, an understanding and dare I say admiration for our fellow bloggers was achieved. I think reading Josh's post shows that. Awesome! What started in controversy turned out to be a groundbreaking event.

This year Alton and his crew sent ripples through the blogoshere. Next year if everyone helps we can make a huge wave. I hope to be there, if not, open four bottles of Beam and raise a glass.

BTW – My email is on the sidebar. If anyone is down my way and wants to hang out at Spark it Up HQ let me know.

Technorati : Blogging

Virginia Centrist Closing Shop?

Paul informs us he is saying goodbye to blogging. He is not specific in the reason and was silent about it at Blogs United. Could it be.....Good Luck Paul!

The Virginia Blog Carnival

The VBC is up! Cathouse Chat syle.

And

Spank that Donkey has his account of an interesting moment from the Blogs United conference. Black Velvet Bruce Li has commented also. Check it out!

Technorati : Blogging, The Virginia Blog Carnival, Virginia

Success

I could write volumes about what the Blogs United accomplished this past weekend. I will try to keep it short.

The Martinsville Crew have set the standard for all future meetings. I think everyone enjoyed the speakers and workshops. To have the awesome line up of political figures take time to acknowledge the blogosphere is quite an accomplishment. Conaway Haskins has it summed up like this:

Where the two Sorensen blogging summits were nods by the so-called "establishment" to the growing prominence of the craft, the Martinsville event, with an agenda and guest list just as prominent, was yet another "Hello, World" moment. This grassroots movement was run by bloggers for bloggers about bloggers, and it drew the attention of notable politicians figures, future statewide and congressional candidates, and the oft-maligned MSM. Add one more notch to our belts. We are now part of the wallpaper.

Follow that link and read all of what Mr Haskins writes. When I started this blog over two years ago I would have never dreamed of what was accomplished this weekend. That everyday bloggers with hit counts from the teens to thousands would garner attention from political and media figures. That my friends is way cool. I fully believe that the power of the blogosphere will only grow. While it is true that not everyone reads or knows about blogs, it is fast becoming true that everyone knows someone who blogs. We write and we publish, then we talk to our friends who in turn talk to others. We see now that the savvy political figures from both sides are jumping on board. They are smart to do so.

I am not going to get into the specifics of speakers or workshops. My blog sister Kat has the scoop and links up on Cathouse Chat.

I will say meeting Jerry was an honor. He also hates compliments. To meet Will Vehrs and Norman was also great. As most of my friends know I really wanted to meet Flora. Such a graceful and honest lady and I am still in awe. I feel like I made a great friend in Chris from Spank that Donkey. We shared many laughs and many drinks. Susan and Kat have helped me through many bad days and spending time with them was priceless. My brother Alton and I did not get to spend much time together and we both know why(Wink). There will be another day for that I am sure. JR showed us all that we can podcast also. He and Republitarin also were very interested in coal mining. I think that is so cool. Meeting the famous Not Larry Sabato left me with this- He should never criticize how anyone dresses. I look forward to his fashion revue of this event. Watching this young man introduce Leslie Byrne was awesome. His admiration and thoughtfulness came through loud and clear. I think that is lost in the blogoshere most of the time. That we are all real people with real feelings. Spending time with Josh from Raising Kaine is a good example. We have argued in the past and meeting on an elevator was an awkward moment. Things change when you look a person in the eye instead of a page on a monitor. We had some great talks that I will always remember. We talked about goals and family. I came away the better for it and I hope Josh did too. I also met the Virginia Centrist. A very nice young man with a weak constitution. I am kidding buddy. I had a great time talking with you. Libertas has a good post up on Perseverando. We share similar feelings and I was glad to meet him. I want to quote his post

I think enjoyed meeting some of the conservative bloggers more than anything. Not because I was able to take pictures for future photoshopping, but because I realized they didn't have horns and were just as passionate about their beliefs as I am.

I think that was one of the goals of this meeting. That is why the social time was well planned.

This event was a huge success. The standard has been set and it will only get better. Brian Patton and I have wanted to have a SWVA blogger get together. Nothing on the scale of this event except good food and a lot of fun. I think we should get started on it soon. A fall get together would be great. The more interaction among bloggers the better.

Technorati : Blogging, Blogs United for Free Speech, Virginia

From Mousse to Musings- Martinsville Brought It All

I have been hearing the tales about Martinsville and there is an excitement when Kilo talks about meeting all the bloggers that until now were just cardboard characters hiding behind a monitor and clicking out their rhetoric on a keyboard. He had a great experience and I am really glad that Alton and his friends went through with this event. Timing was perfect Alton because I got to go to the Bristol race allowing Kilo to focus his time not on me but on his love of politics.

I was not amused to hear about his consumption of 4 bottles of Beam or the late hours spent with carousing around but as you might have noticed Kilo is a big boy and pretty much does what he wants and smiles and melts my heart and well..... honestly he felt bad enough that I didn't need to beat on him too much. Note to Red Queen: if Kilo tries to make you feel bad about "narcing" him out to me- don't- I really appreciate it. He needs to be held accountable and with your help he had to be honest with both me and himself. I enjoyed talking with you too.

Kilo came home naming names though. Here are some of the things that most impressed him. He had been anxious to meet Flora and he said she is awesome and he enjoyed talking (and drinking) with her into the wee hours. His blog sisters Kat and Red Queen were taking care of him and smothering him with sisterly attention and concern. He enjoyed the class of Conaway and humor of that Spank the Donkey guy. He went on and on about this guy Josh and how great it was that they could realize that while they approach things from different directions their goals are about the same. He hammered out issues with Paul and Josh and even had cigars with them. Kilo was impressed with how many people were interested in coal and the mining process- something that he dearly loves. Alton, I am certain after hearing Kilo go on and on about you that this was the first of many get togethers- I hope that someday soon I will get to meet up with you also.

PS. The race was awesome. So many people, so much excitement. Kilos driver Burton did so well and I really thought a few times that he was gonna win it. His 9th place finish and bonus points moved him to 7th in the overall points for the chase. I have decided that my driver, the gel head McMurray is probably only fast in bed-and I just hope that he is less accident prone there!!!

I sent Kilo off to a busy day at work but he promises to post in his words tonight.

Technorati : Bloggers for Free Speech, Martinsville, Nascar, VA Blogging

Links

I wanted to link a few people with posts about the conference.

Kat has this full post. Chris at STD has this. Black Velvet Bruce Li who was great in person has this. My friend Flora has a great round up. Brain Patton writes that he had a good time. Is there anyone who does not like Gen Patton? Thanks for coming Brian. Republitarian and Wife were in the house. The Blue Dog is barking. I am sure there will be more posts about it. Check out the new stuff on the Blogs United site. Notice the clock has been reset! If you have time, leave a comment on Will and Mary's pic in my short post below. Thanks.

Technorati : Virginia, blogging

Back Home

The Blogs United for Free Speech event is over. I have a lot to catch up on here at Spark It Up HQ. I have a little “splaining to do” to Wise Girl about my trip. She had operatives reporting my every move to her via cell phone and email. I was informed of my diet, my drink (bottle) count, and what time I left the hospitality suite. What a life!

Alton, Anne, Mary, Barnie, and Will deserve thunderous applause for their work on this event. I can honestly say I had a great time and enjoyed meeting everyone. I will write more about the conference and my thoughts on what was accomplished tomorrow.

I would like to have the first ever Spark it Up caption contest. Talk of this conference started with the Will Vehrs incident. A caption contest comment and a reply by Mary. I just happen to have this photo of them from Chatmoss Friday night.

(Click to Embiggen)

Blogging Virginia style vs. Bad Boy Racing Bristol style

Kilo is pulling out the suitcase to head for the Blogs United in Martinsville for Free Speech conference. With two tickets and a big smile on his face he is sending me off to the races at Bristol. We had a good laugh when he reminded me about those Casey Kaine commercials on TV and suggested that I be more careful then that girl- I said it was no problem because Casey Kaine doesn't do THAT much to me, but then there are others that might. I said since we are talking commercials I really like those Las Vegas ones- you know the ones with the punchline "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" and I was thinking about filming a couple of those for Bristol.

So while Kilo will be sitting around with all his blog buds talking politics and the blog world, I will be jumping up and down and screaming for my favorite drivers... at least that is the story I will be sticking to on Sunday- *wink*! Enjoy your weekend Baby, I know I am going to!

Technorati : Blogs United, Bristol, Nascar

The Shame

Virginia Virtucon had the breaking news yesterday. Today the return of Blogline. The shameful saga continues.

Technorati : Humor, Jim Webb

Bias?

Cal Thomas asks "Will Allen's denouncers be equal-opportunity critics?" Not likely. I did not buy into the issue as racial. I still don't. One blogger is writing those who did not denounce this as racism will pay for it in the future. At the same time we see the supposedly highly offensive word used on most democratic blogs, with some actually calling Sen Allen the same (supposed)racial slur. I think in the end, most thinking people see the political bias of those who yell racism during a campaign. Cal writes

"If the mockers, bloggers and columnists who jumped on George Allen don't jump with at least equal fervor on Andrew Young, their political bias is showing. Maybe Mr. Allen (and Mr. Gibson) can send Mr. Young a sympathy card and wait to see if equal-opportunity ridicule for Mr. Young shows up on Comedy Central."

The WAPO writes that Sen Allen was in NOVA yesterday and macaca was not the subject point.

"There were no questions from the public about his remarks yesterday; voters preferred to talk about energy independence, health care and Iraq."

I think voters understand the bias of the left on this issue.

Webb was behind closed doors with Gov Kaine trying gain support from black leaders. Since when does a democrat have to work so hard to get the black vote? Very interesting indeed.

Technorati : George Allen, Jim Webb, Virginia Politics

New Poll

I guess some people were surprised by the new poll showing Sen Allen only leading by three points. With the negative press he has received, I was not surprised. What I see from this poll is the urban areas support Webb while the suburban and rural areas are supporting Allen. This poll should be a eye opener for the Allen campaign. The Mason Conservative has this. Jim Riley has this view.

The other poll released shows the marriage amendment, if voted on today, would pass with 65% of the vote. Virginia Conservative Analysis has a good view.

Technorati : Jim Webb. George Allen, Virginia Politics

I remember

A year ago today. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of him.

Last Chance

The deadline to register for the Blogs United in Martinsville for Free Speech conference is tonight at 8pm. The best blogs in the state will be represented. Join in on the fun!

Technorati : Virginia, blogging

Jim Webb at the Wise Fair

Brian Patton has some good pics of Webb at the fair. My question is who was handling crowd control? What a crowd! The times have changed. In my youth the fair on Friday and Saturday night was a sea of people. I guess they are all at the Wal Mart. I applaud candidate Webb for his visit.

I was thinking of going but with a fresh batch of Wise Girls cookies waiting after work, I stayed home. Good job Brian!

Technorati : Jim Webb, Virginia Politics, Wise County Virginia

Pickin' a Winner Again

My Baby has been working really hard lately and I had to watch the NASCAR Nextel Cup qualifying laps by myself today. He is gonna be so happy when he gets home and discovers that his driver ( Jeff Burton , #31) is sitting on the pole for Sundays race at Michigan International Speedway with an 188 mph lap. Burton has really been making a great comeback this year. My driver Jamie McMurray is starting 40th. I will never hear that end of that one tonight. GRIN! I have to admit that Kilo definitely knows a winner when he sees one!

And speaking of winners, I am gonna go make some of these right now. These are my favorite "gotta have homemade cookies real fast" cookies and they are really easy. I would pass them out to all of Kilo's readers but it seems that some of you are still busy chewing on his latest post.

Wise Girl's Peanut butter Cookies

1 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Cup Sugar
1 egg unbeaten
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix throughly and drop by spoonful on a greased cookie sheet, Press with a fork dipped in sugar. Bake at 300 degrees for 15-18 Min's. Watch carefully at the end as they they go from just right to burnt pretty fast. If you decide to double the recipe you can cut the sugar to 1 1/2 cups. These are much richer then the peanut butter cookies you are used to. Stir up some of these and you will be a winner too.

Technorati : Jeff Burton, Nascar, Peanut butter cookies

Round Up

Jim Webb's son on My Space....Very Interesting. Racist? We aint talking one word!! Check out Wonkette. Where is the outrage from those lefty blogs?

Poll shows macaca not a racial slur- 47% say no 45% say yes. So if you think like James Martin that means half of the people in Virginia are racist. Does that include making racist remarks against the Chinese?

Jerry Fuhrman-A media lap dog no longer

Technorati : George Allen, Macaca. Jim Webb, Virginia

Veterans for Allen

Bearing Drift has a awesome post with audio about the event last night in Norfolk. The Bearing Drift crew really outdid themselves on this coverage. Great Job!!! The McCain speech is very good and worth a listen. I am sure tapes of the event are making their way to VFW's across the state. A crowd of 200 helped kick of the event that only emphasizes Allen's popularity after the great standing ovation he received at the American Legion event a while back.

McCain Praises Allen’s Leadership in the Senate

McCain Praises Allen’s Leadership in the Senate

ARLINGTON, VA – Arizona Senator John McCain strongly endorsed Senator George Allen’s reelection campaign last night at a ‘Veterans for Allen’ rally in Norfolk. In front of a crowd of more than 150 supporters made up of veterans and their families, Senator McCain praised Senator Allen’s leadership and dedication in the Senate and talked of the importance of returning the former Virginia Governor to the U.S. Senate for a second term.

“I have a friend in Washington who believes in this greatness of this nation... and I have a friend who has the utmost confidence and belief that in this terrible, titanic struggle that’s going on now between good and evil in the world, that we will and must prevail,” Senator McCain said of Senator Allen during the rally. “And one of the reasons why we will prevail is because of his leadership and his vision and his courage and his ability to stand up for what he believes in. And I thank you for sending him [to the Senate] and I want him back. I want him back for purely selfish reasons because we in Arizona need him just as badly as the people of Virginia do. Thank you for your support of him and God bless you for it.”

During his speech, Senator McCain specifically thanked Senator Allen for his work in the Senate to raise the death benefit for the families of our fallen military heroes. “He works hard; he believes in what he does; he’s dedicated; he understands a lot of issues; [and] he studies everyday,” McCain said of Allen’s Senate leadership.

Senator Allen called Senator McCain a “genuine American hero” during his speech at the rally. Speaking to all the veterans in the crowd, he said “I thank God for each and every one of you being on our side. I know that with patriots like you, America will stand as that beacon of freedom, liberty and justice.”

Technorati : George Allen, Virginia Politics

Sen Allen - Press Conference after meeting with Indian-American Community

I just received this transcript to share with my readers.

Today, Senator Allen met with friends and leaders in the Indian-American community. Following the private meeting, Senator Allen spoke to the press. I wanted to share some of his comments with you.

Senator Allen: "This matter was my mistake. I have apologized for it. And, it's one that I wanted to hear from my friends and their views and for them to hear me, a heart-felt apology. The whole point of what happened was to use sarcasm and humor directed to my opponent not having been to these small towns and rural areas where he had sent a tracker to video tape. These are areas that we have gotten jobs, a school of pharmacy and a variety of beneficial aspects for the area. The point was not the photographer; the point was to send a message to Jim Webb that he hadn't been to these places and probably never would never go to these small towns. However, I made a mistake. I have apologized for it and we need move forward and that's what we were talking about here. We talked about ways to continue to work together and even redoubling the efforts. You have heard me say this on many occasions: this needs to be a land of opportunity for all regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or religion. I have said we need to be a meritocracy and we also need to be the World Capital of Innovation. For us to be that World Capital of Innovation, all people, all Americans need to be involved for us. And that is a key area where all of us will work together in the future."

Question: Are you going to call Mr. Sidarth and give him a personal apology?

Senator Allen: "I have apologized to him and I look forward to seeing him on trail ahead. We will be leaving directly for Norfolk where we will be having a rally with our veterans-Veterans for Allen-and John McCain is coming down as well as Paul Gillanti who is my chairman and former POW. I suspect that Sidarth will be there and I hope to have the opportunity to see him and personally apologize."

Question: Senator, what did you mean by macaca and 'welcome to America'?

Senator Allen: "I didn't know what his name was. I didn't know where he was from… The whole point was to send a message to Jim Webb that while he is sending this tracker along where we had been going all week from the Northern Neck to Fredericksburg to the Richmond area to southwest Virginia and small towns in these rural areas…we'd send a message, 'Jim, this is real America. Welcome to real America, in Virginia with real people in the real world. It's a place outside the beltway.' This tracker was giving Webb a travelogue and maybe he could learn something about Virginia and the real world."

Question: You have made this a priority in damage control?

Senator Allen: "I have made it a priority …one makes mistakes and folks are going to pile on…but I have no one to blame but myself. What bothers me the most, it so contrary to who I am. It tears my guts up. It is so contrary to how Sudhakar [Shenoy] has known me… I have known a long time, before I was governor. He was on my steering committee. The Indian American community is an outstanding group of individuals who have been long time friends and allies. The portrayal of this is so contrary, so contrary to the way I honestly, genuinely believe. It hurts me personally. It was touching to me that so many outstanding leaders in this community would take time come here and offer support, working together in the future as we have in the past. And also, to see how some of this has been portrayed in a way that is hurtful and I certainly did not mean to hurt any individual or demean any individual."

Question: Sidarth felt that you singled him out and continued to insult him.

Senator Allen: "The point is, it wasn't Sidarth. It was the person he is working for, my opponent. Who was with Hollywood moguls that week raising money and we were out in the real world with real Virginians. That was the point. I have apologized not only to Sidarth, but to anybody who found it to be a hurtful statement."

Comments welcome

Technorati : George Allen, Jim Webb, Virginia Politics

Deadline

Alton says the registration deadline for the Blogs United for Free Speech is August 20^th. He also has the menu for Friday nights dinner at Chatmoss here. Sounds very good to me!

Technorati : Blogs United for Free Speech

Webb demeaning Indians

Indian American Republican Council jumped to Allen's support (LINK)

However, the Indian American Republican Council jumped to Allen's support, saying his Democratic political opponent Jim Webb was using an Indian volunteer in a "demeaning fashion" to garner support for his political campaign.

"We don't believe Senator George Allen was making a reference to the ethnicity of Jim Webb's campaign volunteer. He has apologized for any misunderstanding this statement has caused," IARC Chairman R Vijay said.

"We do know that Senator Allen has worked closely with Indian Americans when he was Governor and as US Senator, and he has always garnered strong support from the community. He has visited India and showed strong leadership in supporting the US-India civilian nuclear agreement," Vijay said in his statement.

It looks like the only ones offended are democrats. Figures. This is only an issue to those Allen haters.

Technorati : George Allen, Jim Webb, Virginia Politics

What a bunch of macaca pt.2

Chad puts it in the right perspective. The haters will continue the race baiting because that is all they have. They lied saying no mohawk and now we have a picture with a mohawk. Why would old paid blogger Lowell post a deceiving picture and act like a mohawk was out of the question? The main thing everyone is noticing is that it took three days for this to become a racial issue. Manufactured is the correct word. When it requires dictionaries and research to define the word in question, three days worth of research, I find it hilarious. Flora thinks it is DEMacaca Officionalis.

The Mason Conservative is asking Where is Webb? He writes

"I am now waiting for someone in the media to specifically ask Mr. Webb if he thinks Allen is racist."

I agree. Since Webb was Allen's buddy and he endorsed him he should know the answer. I also agree we wont get that answer from Webb. He has paid bloggers with disclaimers to do that dirty work for him. My grampa called that chicken shit politics. I guess I would have to agree with him. Macaca is not a issue, but they want it to be one. Sen Allen has apologized, which is more than than Webb did for his anti semitic cartoons and anti Christ name calling in the primary. Time will tell what the Webb campaign will manufacture next.

Others blogging about this are Shaun, James, Kat. Two Conservatives has three good posts up- One -Two - Three. The third asks Why did the dems lie about the haircut? Manufactured is the word.

Technorati : George Allen, Jim Webb, Virginia Politics

Disgusting Conduct

Buried beneath the not a racial scandal yesterday was this story that deserves headlines. While it was taking Saddirth or whatever his name is a couple days to decide he had been slurred, Flora had this post titled Fallen Marine Mocked by Webb Campaign Worker. She follows this up today with Augusta Co. Dems Insult Fallen Warrior & His Mom.

Disgusting conduct by the Webb crew. Should we expect an apology? Heh-Dont hold your breath.

Technorati : Democrats, Jim Webb, Virginia Politics

What a bunch of macaca

We all know what it being said on the blogs and in the WAPO. I watched the video and Sen Allen said the young mans name was Macaca. He did not call him "a macaca"- He said his name was macaca. So are there people named macaca? There are many. Real Clear Politics has this and this. Here is the best analysis so far.

Watch the video for yourself. It is pretty clear, at least to me, that Allen is good naturedly ribbing a guy who is following him around and harassing him. The reason for him being singled out is not because the Webb volunteer, is non-white, but rather because the guy is following Allen around, unwanted, trying to catch him on film in an embarrassing incident. Do you honestly mean to tell me that if Sidarth was just there all alone, among a hundred people Allen would have singled him out because of his ethnicity? Gimme a break. The guy was singled out because he is there unwanted, filming. James Webb has a lot of things going for him that many Democrats do not have, but stooping to cheap racial tactics isn't helpful and it is not smart politics in Virginia. He'd be better off sticking to the issues.

Indeed

Technorati : George Allen, Jim Webb, Virginia Politics

Rant

Recently Ben had this post about carpooling to the Blogs United for Free Speech to be held in Martinsville. I encourage everyone to read the comments by James Martin of the Virginia Progressive blog. We have Ben trying to help attendees and James being an ass. We also have a comment by phriendlyjaime saying "What? I thought this thread was about carpooling. Ben-will you drive? I can only go to this thing if I am good and hammered the whole time." I see why she is called "phriendly" I hope she attends as I think the spirits will be flowing and a great time will be had by all.

It seems to me that the so called party of open minds and progressive thought is against this conference. I will bring this point up to Dickie Cranwell, Mary Sue Terry, and Leslie Byrne when we meet. I am sure they will be proud.

I am looking forward to meeting everyone there, especially the bloggers and speakers from the left. I predict much complaining will arise from some who chose not to attend. They will scream partisanship or something. That will not work with this conference. There have been at least 50 posts on many blogs asking for input and help. No idea or person has been rejected. Every blogger has been asked. The free time and round tables allow all thoughts and views to be easily aired. As I said months ago this will be a conference for bloggers, by bloggers. If you have complaints look in the mirror and address the one at fault.

Technorati : Blogging, Virginia

Virginia Blog Carnival

Bearing Drift has the VBC up as a podcast. Great Job !!! I will remind everyone that the Bearing Drift crew will be conducting a podcasting workshop at the Blogs United for Free Speech in a couple weeks.

Technorati : Virginia Blog Carnival

Paid Bloggers

Ben has a good talking point up about paid bloggers. Alton has offered to add this subject to the Blogs United agenda if there is interest. This shows how open minded the organizers are. They want subjects bloggers are interested in. SIGN UP to ATTEND!!

I think this is a good topic. In my view paid blogging will increase in the future. It would be nice to have a paid blogger attending to discuss this subject. Lowell? Vince? This would make a great round table indeed.

Technorati : Blogging, Virginia

Wise County Drug Bust

Drugs are a problem in SWVA. In a large drug bust Wednesday police rounded up over 20 individuals for selling dope. The big story is that most of these dealers received their pills from Internet sources. Our Commonwealth Attorney Chad Dotson (You may have heard of him) had this to say:

"Much of the investigation undertaken involves the use of the Internet to procure drugs for resale," Dotson said. "We have information that there is a pretty substantial network (locally) that uses the Internet for their purposes. (Street Sweeper 2) represents a strike at the heart of that."

He said the county's latest crackdown is meant to send a message to those in Wise County who flout drug laws.

"The nature of the investigation is that it's in the shadows, it's watching, it's listening, it's gathering evidence. You are being watched, and you will be caught eventually," Dotson said.

The latest crackdown is merely another phase "in an ongoing battle" to get illicit drugs "off our streets and keep them off our streets for as long as we can," Dotson said. (LINK) Bold print by me.

This forward thinking should be applauded in my county. I wonder how many of those drugs came from Canada? That is something we should consider when they talk about opening up trade for drugs with them. Just how many of these drugs will end up on the street is the question. Sure we all want cheaper meds , but how can we regulate the buyers?

Technorati : Drugs, Wise County Virginia

Fraternal Order of Police

Alton reports Jim Webb is MIA. Riley has the Press release up that the Fraternal Order of Police endorse Sen Allen. I want to link this video of Sen Allen from his appearance last night in Cville. Sen Allen takes questions and answers them on TV. He addresses the upcoming visit with Bush and takes a couple shots at Webb!!! Webb chooses to let paid mouthpieces like Denney Todd and Feld speak for him. I know I cant be the only one who notices that Webb relies on his team to answer for him. Born Hiding.

Technorati : George Allen, Jim Webb, Virginia Politics

Barr Labs is in Virginia - Jim Webb is in Cali

Much has been made of Sen Allen's stock holdings in Barr Labs. He holds stock valued at $1000 to $15,000 in the company who makes over 100 different types of drugs. The WAPO has the story here. This is a non issue to me. I look at Sen Allen's voting record not his portfolio. I am sure the Webb campaign wants this to be an issue after Webb was outed for owning over $100,000 in Exxon stock while damning the big oil companies with every breath. While Barr makes a plan B pill, they also make a hundred other useful drugs that save lives or improve the quality of life for many people. Can Exxon say the same? Barr Labs also has a factory in Bedford, Virginia that employs 300 people. Allen states

Allen said he is proud to own the stock because, he said, Barr Laboratories -- which is based in New York and operates a plant in southern Virginia -- is vital to the state's economy and has been a leader in efforts to treat breast cancer. In 1996, when he was governor, Allen said, he helped lure the company to Bedford County, where it employs more than 300 people.

"I very much like them," Allen said after a campaign speech at a senior citizens home here. "It's a good company. I don't use their products, but it's a good company that works hard in the community."

I am sure the people of Bedford agree. The question is answered. Now Mr Webb- Please explain your $100,000 in Exxon stock. I am sure he would but he is in California again raising those liberal dollars.

Technorati : George Allen, Jim Webb, Virginia Politics

Sign Up!!!

The Blogs United in Martinsville for Free Speech is starting to get lively. Check out the current posts here. There is talk of future stars:

" How about Brian Patton? He's young, attractive, and working hard for the Democrats. Does anyone doubt he's thinking of making a run in the future?"

"Will Conaway Haskins be able to resist entreaties that are already on the table urging him to run in Chesterfield County? The sky would be the limit after that."

And Rumors

Blue Dog-Rumor has it that he'll be bringing a surprise that might just rock the proceedings.

Dont forget the workshops. Eric Helms Monday on Libel, with Conaway Haskins and Greg Letiecq. This workshop will ROCK!!!! I know they are doing a lot of prep work for this. Steve Minor on Net Neutrality....Jim Hoeft on Podcasting....Forrest Landon on Open Government and FOIA requests .....There is something for everyone! Lets add the Lt Gov Bill Bolling and the AG Bob McDonnell and two of the most popular women in Virginia politics Mary Sue Terry and Leslie Byrne.

I am registered and my suite is booked. Sign up Now!

Technorati : Blogging, Blogs United in Martinsville for Free Speech, Virginia Politics

Changes

Have you noticed a change in the attitude of bloggers who support Jim Webb? The daily posts of what Jim and this campaign will do are now gone. Have you noticed that the comments on the threads that are about Webb are no longer full of the feverish rhetoric that existed before the primary? One Webb blogger I read had this the other day. Then yesterday Mr. Wilmore published this. These are two very revealing posts from one of Webb's strongest and smartest supporters. This morning as I work my way through my RSS feeder I see Mr Rea has a post up of a similar nature.

I can understand the frustration they must have with the Webb campaign. To be blunt, calling it a campaign is pushing the meaning of the word. I read now that Jim Webb is dropping the Born Fighting slogan. I talked about that last week. This campaign put Jim Webb in the kitchen meeting a handful of chosen democrats right before Sen Allen starts his annual tour meeting thousands of people as he has for years. I wish I could blame the campaign, but I cant. At Gate City I said his team let him down. I wrote then

This kick off event could have been better, way better. Here we have a war hero, acclaimed author, and senate candidate who kicks off this event in his home town. His campaign team and grass roots people let him down.

From what I read there is nothing different happening since that time. That event was well over 100 days ago. The blame now should be directed at Webb himself. The Born Fighting slogan may be gone, as it should be. Jim Webb's actions do not support the slogan.

Technorati : Jim Webb, Virginia, Virginia Politics

Tradesports

Shaun points us to the The Best Poll in the Universe. I figured it was time I put up the current charts for Allen and Webb.





Allen at 88 and Webb at 12.

Technorati : George Allen, Jim Webb

Note to the Webb campaign – It works both ways

Sen Allen kicks of his 11^th annual listening tour today. Chad has a great post about that here. Chad writes

On Friday, he'll be here in Wise for a Town Hall Meeting that is open to everyone, even Raising Kaine writers! Seriously, Allen will speak for about five or ten minutes, then he will take questions from anyone and everyone who is there for as long as he can.

No hiding in the kitchen tour for Sen Allen! Paid Jim Webb mouthpiece Lowell Feld last week called for Webb heads to show up at the events. Well duh Lowell...for 11 years these events have been open to the public. Do they plan to be disruptive? I hope so. The real thing is that Sen Allen has answered all questions that are asked of him, so there will be nothing new here. I see Webb supporters making fools of themselves. When I attended the Webb rally in Gate City I was respectful. If Jim ever gets out of the kitchen to face the public again in my area I will be there. This time with a video camera and some local Veterans who have some questions of their own for Webb. The Webb campaign should remember that this tactic works both ways. With Webb's tongue tied debate performance I don't think he will want to field many questions from any audience. I would like to ask if he enjoys the profits he is making of his Exxon stock ownership? Why was Vietnam the right war? The list is endless. I think Jim Webb will stay in the kitchen.

Flora has a Find Jim Webb game up here. Can you find Jim Webb?

Technorati : George Allen, Jim Webb, Virginia Politics

Sunday

Today I planted three Weigela Wine and Roses shrubs at my family cemetery. I also placed this marker honoring my uncle from his special friends. I missed the race, but visiting old friends was more important.

DSCC passes on Jim Webb

But in the first major spending decision of the fall campaign, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee - which Schumer heads - took a pass on Virginia.

The committee, which helps elect Democratic senators, has reserved a reported $25 million worth of television ads in states where Republican incumbents are considered vulnerable. Virginia is not one of them.

The spending plan, first reported by The Associated Press, came within days of a Mason-Dixon poll showing Allen leading Webb by 16 percentage points. (LINK)

Is the fat lady singing?

Technorati : Jim Webb

Where in the world is Jim Webb?

Webb goes from the kitchen to the Windy City. With his dismal fundraising so far, Jim Webb has decided to try Chicago calling on Dick Durbin and Carol Moseley Braun. I see a pattern as Webb has also traveled to California stumping for those liberal dollars and now Chicago. What is next? Cincinnati? Cleveland? You can bet it wont be Coeburn or Clintwood.

Meanwhile Sen Allen kicks off his 11^th annual statewide listening tour August 11! You don't have to worry about him coming to your area because he will! Stops in SWVA include Clintwood, Norton, Duffield, Pennington Gap, Gate City, Marion, Pulaski, Bland, Bluefield, Galax, Wytheville, The Breaks....You get the picture. The first week schedule is here.

Technorati : George Allen, Jim Webb, Virginia Politics

Tennessee Results

Tennessee voters showed that the GOP may not be in trouble. Some say 2006 is the year of the democrat, but these results do not support that. I see a lot of R's in the winning category.

Technorati : Democrats, Republicans, Tennessee Election

New Voting Machines in Tennessee

Today is election day in Tennessee. I found this article in the Kingsport Times interesting.

Sullivan County may not put live election returns on Internet - computer security issue may also mean no precinct totals until 10 p.m. Published 08/03/2006 By J.H. OSBORNE

It seems new machines are the hold up.

"The system is in no way connected to the Internet or any other computer system," Frye said. "For this election we will not be able to download the individual results as we have in the past. We will download a total at the end, when all precincts have reported. It's a security issue. The old system was connected to the Internet on election night and (could) be downloaded and had software. This one does not have that. It is a stand-alone computer. So we're having to work with the vendor to get a program to move the results to the Internet, but not to allow the system to in any way be accessible to breaches. We hope that by November we'll be able to go back to doing the postings as we have in the past. We just didn't have time to get the software in place this time."

Conspiracy nuts opine now!

Technorati : Election

Hot Kitchens

Jim Webb has no name recognition in the state. The not ready for prime time campaign sets out on a kitchen table tour. That will get the word out! VCA has a good take on that. The kitchens in the coalfields must be too hot as again candidate Webb leaves Wise, Scott, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott and Buchanan counties of his list. Where in the world is Jim Webb? He damn sure is not in the coalfields! That is a great talking point here.

In other related news we see that Jim Webb may not be Born Fighting. From this RK article:

Jim was aware of the sign wars going on down here. Some people don't care for the "born fighting" theme, and there are new bumper stickers without it.

That is confusing. Born Fighting or just Born? Tastes great or less filling? Maybe a kitchen table poll about the subject is in order. Now that is an important issue! As I write this, Sen Allen is on TV talking about Hezbollah and Israel with millions watching! They bring up that the President of Iraq Jalal Talabani is now saying his forces will be able to take over nationwide security by the end of this year. Sen Allen talked about bringing troops home if this worked out as planned. We have one man on TV showing leadership and one man sitting in the kitchen.....

Technorati : George Allen, Jim Webb, Virginia Politics

Blogs United for Free Speech

Alton has reserved blocks of rooms and group rates at 3 nice motels for the Blogs United for Free Speech conference. He has made it easy for everyone with his post here. You can register for the conference and book a room in just a few minutes! I did it in under 5 mins, so most of you can do it in 3.

Friday night dinner is at the Chatmoss Country Club. The online menu is here. Saturday lunch is catered by Pigs R Us. You can read about the best BarBQue in the state here. I have been lucky enough to sample their offerings at NASCAR events. The ham is unreal! When asked about his secrets, owner Tommy Houston has this:

Q:You've developed quite a reputation for a unique barbecue specialty. The smoked ham! Can you tell us your secret?
A:There is no secret. It's the same thing I've been doing since I started. I use whole hams, big ones, around 20 pounds. I smoke them for 12 hours at 225°, and they come out like nothing you've ever tasted before. You're right about THAT. For the most part, I smoke them with hickory or cherry. This is not your stringy, pulled pork. I use a special chopper to chop it up into small chunks. We serve it with a thin Worcestershire and vinegar-based sauce and mmmmm-um-it is downright delicious.

From Chatmoss to Pigs R Us, Alton and crew have laid out a great conference. Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling - Attorney General Bob McDonnell - U.S.Attorney John Brownlee - Forrest M. "Frosty" Landon- Delegate Chris Saxman - Jeff Schapiro - Conaway Haskins - Jim Hoeft - Greg Letiecq - Steve Minor - Eric Helms Monday- NLS - Steven "Blue Dog" Sisson - Brian Patton - Will Vehrs and there will be more to come! Recently Leslie Byrne has accepted. I also hear that Mary Sue Terry, the first elected official in Virginia to receive more than one million votes in a single election. She was the first woman to serve as Attorney General of Virginia and the second woman to serve as Attorney General of any state.

So sign up today and join in on the fun!

Technorati : Blogging, Blogs United for Free Speech, Virginia