Conservativa

Mrs. Cheney spoke at a breakfast today to benefit the campaign of Rep. Eric Cantor. This is a huge event every year, and this year was no exception. Cantor introduced Mrs. Cheney, who had very kind words for the Congressman. She also reminded the crowd of what an important election year this is. (Yeah, they all are, but this one really is!)

She shared a couple of cute grandchild stories, but her political insights were excellent. Have you read her biography? She is a formidable Republican woman.

Photo details: Canon EOS5D, 200mm lens, 1/125 at f/5.0, ISO 800.

Hey Democrats: Marsh, Saslaw, Howell, Lucas, Edwards, Puller, Deeds - next time a criminal illegal alien, in your district, murders/rapes/robs a constituent of yours, how will you explain to the victim’s family that you didn’t think Gov. Kaine needed to bother to work with the Feds to deport the criminal illegal alien perpetrator?

Not only should you have voted for this on the grounds that it was, you know, the right thing to do, but has it occurred to you that such a victim or victim’s family could sue the Commonwealth for not taking advantage of these 287(g)s to help expel criminal illegal aliens? I’m not a lawyer, but that looks like a pretty good lawsuit to me.

What’s the deal? I thought Democrats were always for the downtrodden? the victim? the little guys? the voiceless people of our society?

Oh wait, I’m starting to get it - you think criminal illegal aliens ARE victims. Okay, then.

NOT.

Hey Creigh Deeds - thinking about a run for Governor? Do you think this is going to come up again in ads (against you) made by the next Republican gubernatorial nominee? Oh yes, it is. Count on it.

Here’s a nice info sheet on the 287(g)s. Some of what signing the 287(g)s would make possible:

State and local patrol officers, detectives, investigators and correctional officers working in conjunction with ICE gain: necessary resources and authority to pursue investigations relating to violent crimes, human smuggling, gang/organized crime activity, sexual-related offenses, narcotics smuggling and money laundering; and support in more remote geographical locations.

But Democrats don’t want state and local law enforcement folks to have those resources, I guess. What else are we supposed to think, looking at a vote like this?

BVBL is also blogging HB 623.

J. R. over at Bearing Drift has the newest podcast out, Virginia Politics On-Demand. You can listen online, or download it and listen to it later.

Highlights:

• substantive discussion of the Homestead Exemption Amendment, with Northam and Cuccinelli
• Jim Gilmore’s Communications Director Ana Gamonal shreds Mark Warner’s position on immigration

…and much more. Well worth your time.  Take a listen, at Bearing Drift.

From Bolling’s press release:

“I was pleased today to cast my first tie breaking vote of the 2008 legislative session in support of an amendment to prevent taxpayer funds from being directed to Planned Parenthood. At a time when Governor Kaine has chosen to eliminate $250,000 in state funding for programs that teach abstinence education to young people across Virginia, we should not be using taxpayer dollars to fund an organization that uses those funds to provide abortions and abortion related services.”

Want a little insight into Planned Parenthood? Take a look at Dawn Eden’s very pro-life blog. Here are January postings - just start reading.

Good for Lt. Gov. Bolling! It was the right thing to do. (Good for Sen. Cuccinelli as well). Our taxpayer dollars should not be going to Planned Parenthood.

Photo details: (Photo taken in January, not today). Canon EOS5D, 200mm, ISO 800, 1/100 at f/3.2.

Announced at NRO. Probably 99% of readers of this blog would say we owe him a huge debt of gratitude that we can never repay.

Sen. John Warner is in the hospital for observation, with a possible heart problem.

Photo details: Canon EOS3, probably Kodak Portra, ISO 400, 135mm lens, exposure not recorded. I took this at the kickoff for George Allen’s campaign, which seems like a long time ago. Warner is standing in front of a VERY large American flag.

… in last night’s debate. Video linked to here with commentary that I disagree with. I think she won this one point. I think Obama was weaselling. I would like to be charitable and say he was just wandering and a bit unfocused, but no, I think he was trying to leave himself a sliver of room. She pinned him down on it, and good for her. (But overall, she did not do well).

I saw the last 1/2 or 2/3rds of the debate and by the end was wishing McCain could have strolled onstage and rhetorically dispatched them both, to put the audience out of its misery. Did you ever hear such a lot of malarkey from these Democrats about how these two want to “help” the government “help” us all with pretty much every aspect of our lives? [shiver].

The bill (HB 719) introduced by Bill Janis that flew through the House but died in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee, will, according to the Times-Dispatch, be re-introduced today by Sen. Ken Stolle, who is former police officer. The RTD says:

Last week, Janis argued that the mere possession of alcohol by a minor who does not drive now carries a stiffer penalty than an underage drinker could receive for getting behind the wheel.

State criminal justice officials have said that changing the penalty from a status offense to a misdemeanor could prevent the state from collecting more than $800,000 in federal aid for juvenile-justice programs. Stolle said he wanted the bill to be reconsidered after members of both parties on the committee said they did not fully understand the measure.

Okay then.

…for the first time. Did you know about the cyanide part of the attack? I didn’t until I read this Andy McCarthy piece. That part of the attack failed, fortunately.

And what is the U. S. House doing right now? Making sure we can listen in on the plans of the next attack? Don’t be silly! (They are considering funding for HUD). ‘Cause if we just cover our ears and chant “La, la, la, I can’t hear you,” and pretend that terrorism doesn’t exist, then terrorism won’t exist.

Sorry, Democrats, no. Terrorist continue to plan, and you are making it easier for them.

Six people died in the first World Trade Center attack. They have names.

Guess what the U. S. House was working on today? H. Res. 978,

expressing support for the designation of the week of March 3-7, 2008, as “School Social Work Week” to promote awareness of the vital role of school social workers in schools, and in the community as a whole, in helping students prepare for their future as productive citizens

Isn’t that nice. It’s good to promote such awareness. Certainly those who well prepare students for the future are to be encouraged and commended. But…

Guess what the House was not doing today? Lifting a finger to improve awareness, via wiretapping, in our intelligence community about what our sworn enemies might be doing. Nah, who needs that kind of awareness.

Eric Cantor’s blog has several posts on this.

Just as a side note - you have to wonder that Democrats don’t seem to get that this nonsense just provides us with a lot of footage to use against them in our campaign commercials this fall. I’m just sayin’.

The term comes from an article in Sunday’s Washington Post that will leave you shaking your head. “Hot Issues, Cold Feet” speaks approvingly about a bill sponsored by Bill Janis that would stiffen the penalties for juveniles convicted of drunk driving. (Unusual for the WaPo to refrain from using the terms ultra-conservative, very conservative, right-wing, etc. of Janis, which it surely would if the article’s author didn’t like the bill).

The article reports that while the House passed the bill with overwhelming support (96-3), the bill failed in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee. The article doesn’t say so, but the vote was on straight party lines:
YEAS - Cuccinelli, Obenshain, McDougle, Hurt–4
NAYS - Marsh, Saslaw, Howell, Lucas, Edwards, Reynolds, Puller–7

The article concludes,

“How many more grim roadside scenes will it take to capture the attention of a callous committee? As the deaths continue, how long will the Virginia Senate remain a legislative graveyard?”

Another question: how is it that the Democratic senators on the committee decided that not only were the House Republicans wrong, but nearly all of the House Democrats were wrong, too? Looks to me like they voted this bill down for only one reason: it was sponsored by a Republican they don’t like. If I’m wrong, I would be happy to hear it from any of the Democrats on the committee, and would post such a response here.

Elections matter.

Had the chance to hear from Sen. Cuccinelli yesterday. More later, but here are a few highlights. He says that for Republicans running, the solution to winning in NoVa is the solution to winning in Virginia: run on your principles, and you had better be wearing out shoe leather, i.e., walking, talking, door-knocking, etc. When attacked on your principles, seize that chance to talk to others about their positions. He still considers himself very much a grass-roots activist, even though now an elected official.

HB 623 is still in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee and should come up next week, maybe Monday.

Photo details: Sen. Cuccinelli stands by Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling’s desk on the floor of the Senate, in January. Canon EOS5D, ISO 800, 1/80 at f/4.0.

Satellite successfully shot down. Story from navy.mil here. Extremely cool story. Even CNN online has this as its lead story at the moment.

“It was unknown whether the missile hit its precise target — the satellite’s full fuel tank. The Department of Defense said it wouldn’t know for certain for 24 hours whether the fuel tank had been hit. However, several defense officials told The Associated Press the missile did apparently destroy the fuel tank. “

Looking like some precision shooting, at an object travelling 17,000 mph.

Senate Courts of Justice adjourns without HB623 being heard? BVBL has a couple of guesses why.

Criminal illegal sex offenders to be deported, courtesy of AG Bob McDonnell, the Virginia State Police, and ICE (Times-Dispatch article at link). In a press release, the AG’s office says:

“McDonnell continued remarking, ‘I trust all Virginians agree that there is no place in Virginia for criminal alien sex offenders. We must take every possible step to remove these dangerous criminals from our Commonwealth and nation. Criminal aliens threaten our citizens and our communities, and they undermine the rule of law. I thank the dedicated officers at ICE and the Virginia State Police for their important, and continuing, work on this public safety initiative. Virginia will be safer because of what we have accomplished today.’”

Speaking of dealing with criminial illegal aliens, keep an eye on HB 623, to be heard in a Senate committee today,  which says:

It shall be the responsibility of the Governor, or other eligible authority, to enter into memorandum of agreement with the United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to permit designated state and local law-enforcement officers to perform certain federal immigration law functions in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Because Gov. Tim Kaine is still dragging his feet on the 287(g)s. Thanks to Del. Jackson Miller, who is also a police officer, for introducing HB 623.