UVA med student dies in Utah cave Thanksgiving day

A University of Virginia medical student and his wife were home in Utah visiting family when he and his brothers went spelunking and he became lodged in a tiny portion of the cave. Rescuers were not able to pull him from the tiny space and he died 28 hours later. Tragic....

John Jones, 26, of Stansbury Park, died early Thursday morning nearly 28 hours after he got stuck in Nutty Putty Cave, a popular spelunking site south of Salt Lake City. It was the first known fatality since cavers began exploring the 1,500-foot cave's narrow passageways in the 1960s, cave access manager Michael Leavitt said.
...
The 6-foot-tall, 190-pound Jones got stuck with his head at an angle below his feet about 9 p.m. Tuesday in an L-shaped area of the cave known as "Bob's Push." The area is only about 18 inches wide and 10 inches high.
On Wednesday, teams used drilling equipment, rope and a pulley system to try to free Jones.

At one point, they had moved him roughly 12 feet out of the tight crevice, far enough to give him some food and water. But he slipped back into the space when an anchor in the cave roof that supported the pulley system failed, Cannon said.

"We all were very optimistic and hopeful. But it became increasingly clear last night after he got re-stuck that there weren't very many options left," Jones' brother, Spencer Jones, 30, of San Francisco, told The Associated Press.

After he succumbed early Thursday, rescuers suspended efforts to recover his body as they considered the options to do so, Cannon said.

He said the cause of death would be released later by the medical examiner. A memorial service is planned for Saturday.

Such a sad Thanksgiving for this family....

Snow in Highland County....

Twitter from Del. Chris Saxman in Highland County this morning....

It's snowing in Highland County. Not much accumulation....but the stores out here don't open at 4am. So...another log on the fire.

Could you send some to Augusta, Mr. Delegate?

Fog lights upgraded to make Afton Mountain's I-64 safer

Afton Mountain is a danger in fog and even more so in ice and/or snow. The runway lights, in place since the 1990s, have been upgraded, according to the Waynesboro News Virginian:

VDOT has upgraded the fog light system on Afton Mountain and a 5-mile stretch of Interstate 64 to a system of LED lamps that have a longer life, require less maintenance and are 75 percent more energy efficient.

Dean Gustafson, regional operations director for VDOT’s Staunton and Culpeper districts, said Tuesday that the project took about 10 months to accomplish and cost about $1.3 million in maintenance funds.
The new LED system replaces incandescent lights in operation since the mid 1990s.

The 841-lamp fog light system serves a 5-mile stretch of the interstate roadway edge from milemarker 98 to milemarker 104.

The light system’s purpose is to help drivers see the roadway edges and avoid running off.

Happy Thanksgiving from Ross Mackenzie

My all-time favorite newspaper editor, Ross Mackenzie offers up a Thanksgiving column that brings it all home....

Boomer Generation: Top Ten reasons to be thankful

John W. Martin wrote in Thursday's Richmond Times-Dispatch his list of the Boomers' top ten reasons to be thankful:

1) Family
2) Health
3) Home
4) Pesonal Time
5) A paycheck
6) End of wretched excess
7) The sound of music
8) The freedom to be
9) The written word
10) The possibility of remaining relevant until the end.

Thanksgiving 2009 ... much to be thankful for

I'm taking a brief break from the kitchen ... sister and brother-in-law put the bird in the oven at 5:30 this morning and the house smells good. We're aiming for a 1:00 dinner time which leaves the afternoon for a walk, playing board games, working over the annual zillion-piece jigsaw puzzle, and jamming guitars as music fills the air on this Virginia Thanksgiving.

Greetings from friends have come from around the country, and we are grateful to celebrate this day together with family and friends ... Thanksgiving 2009.

Good guys can finish first

ABC Good Morning America ... Donnie Osmond wins "Dancing With the Stars."

RPV Network Thanksgiving greetings

From Tom and O.P. who run the Republican Party of Virginia Network....

Happy Thanksgiving!

As we celebrate and give thanks with family and friends, we remember and honor those who came before to make our celebrations possible and those who could not make the journey this year.

It is a time to thank the Lord for all of our blessings, family, friends and Country. A time to reflect on our Pilgrim forefathers who made the long and arduous journey across the sea, bringing their values, principles and faith as they founded this new Country and the Founding Fathers who later gave us our great Republic and our Freedom.

Give thanks to God for being so lucky, but don’t forget to remain ever grateful for those blessings and remember that with Freedom comes the responsibility to protect it.

Rejoice, reflect and recommit to honor, protect and preserve our values, principles, faith and freedom for as another great American once said:

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free”.

Ronald Reagan, 40th president of US (1911 - 2004)

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Tom and O.P.

Chesterfield County School Board okays Bible classes

From Victoria Cobb and the Family Foundation....

Last week, the Chesterfield County School Board voted in a unanimous way to allow their high schools, as one supporter said, “...to teach the Bible as an elective from an academic perspective.”

Any real student of history is aware of the accurate accounting of events that the Bible provides, as well as the multicultural point of view it makes available to it’s reader. Therefore, it deserves its rightful place in educating young minds, and influencing tomorrow’s great thinkers. It is all too easy to assume that because its relevance is obvious that its educational use is appreciated. Yet we have seen time again that this is not the case.

We are pleased that the Chesterfield County School Board has made such a wise decision. Students that choose this course will benefit from not just a more complete education, but exposure to the living Word of God!

We believe it is our responsibility as citizen advocates to publicly and privately thank each of them, and to also encourage Chesterfield High School Principles to make good use of this educational tool. Please let the Chesterfield County School Board know that you are pleased with and appreciate their decision by clicking the link at the bottom of this email and sending them a note of thanks.

Also if you live in the Chesterfield County School district, please also take the time at www.chesterfield.k12.va.us to click on "Schools" and then "High." Here you will find the various high schools in your district and the proper way to contact their corresponding principals. Please, take a moment to write them a kind letter requesting that this already determined curriculum be implemented as an educational elective opportunity for their students.

Too often such victories are too few in our public school systems. Please go out of your way to appropriately thank the Chesterfield School Board for this great opportunity, and let’s please not see this opportunity be taken for granted. Your encouragement will go a long way in seeing future victories come to pass.

Thanksgiving 2009 ... remembering and giving thanks for our military

Thanksgiving 2009 ... remembering and giving thanks for our military men and women around the world, stateside, and especially those in the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan. May God keep them safe ... just as they keep us safe here at home. That's all I ask for anymore.

Thanksgiving "Fun with taters" from Hoops & Yoyo

Fun Thanksgiving time from Hoops & Yoyo....

WKRP "Turkeys Away" ... was it really 31 years ago?

WKRP ... Thanksgiving 1978 ... "As God is my witness ... I thought turkeys could fly." -- Mr. Carlson

"Not since the Hindenburg has there been a tragedy like this! The turkeys are hitting the pavement like bags of wet cement!" -- Les Nessman

H/T to Fishersville Mike

Turkeys of the Year

Tea party bashers ... the stimulus bill ... Green Job Czar Van Jones ... these are among the "Turkeys of the Year" from Michelle Malkin in honor of Thanksgiving 2009.

"Are We Really Thankful?" by Chris Klicka

Long-time home school advocate Chris Klicka passed away on October 12, 2009, after a lengthy battle with Multiple Sclerosis. This is a reprint of his column "Are We Really Thankful?" passed along in this week's newsletter from Home Educators Association of Virginia (HEAV). He reminds us that the trials we face in life are preparing us for the future.

Once again we are enjoying our annual celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday. We spend time with family and friends, take time off work, decorate the house, and eat a great feast. As a family we traditionally write notes and slip them in a homemade mailbox and then hand them out to be read out aloud at the Thanksgiving dinner table. It is a beautiful warm time of meditating on God’s bountiful blessings.

But we all need to analyze our hearts that we do not only limit our thanks to the GOOD THINGS or only give thanks at certain times. Instead we need to get in the habit of giving thanks all the time and faithfully thank God for the “NOT SO GOOD THINGS.” God makes it very clear in I Thess. 5:18, “In everything give thanks for this is God’s will for you through Christ Jesus.” Does this really mean we should thank God for everything? Even thank God for my gradually deteriorating multiple sclerosis---losing my legs little by little and even my right hand ?

Yes, I must because this is God’s will for me at this time. Although my flesh is hurting so much, I cannot deny how I have seen God work through the MS to change many people’s lives. He has simultaneously been doing a continual and awesome work in my heart to conform me to the image of his Son. Nor has my MS been in vain for my children, as they learn that the Christian life isn’t always a smooth road but Jesus will still sustain them--and they are learning to be true servants in the process. God is blessing me with “power" that "is perfected in weakness.” II Cor. 12:9. In fact, Paul says that he would rather “boast about his weakness that Christ may be seen in him.” II Cor. 12:10. I have seen God's promises come true in my life as I daily find that “His grace is sufficient for me.” He is and will enable me to fulfill His calling to me (to be a father to my 7 children, husband, homeschool lawyer author and speaker) through His Holy Spirit's power.

I am thankful for MS!

Remember when the disciples joyfully celebrated being persecuted like their Master Jesus had been persecuted? They were thankful to be counted worthy?

Yes, we are to give thanks for everything, even the “not so good things.”

I heard Pastor Tony Evans on the radio one day, and he explained that there are three types of thanksgiving and praise; the "cum laude" praise, the "magna cum laude," and the "summa cum laude." He said the "cum laude" praise and thanksgiving is when we thank God for our clothes, our marriage, our children, our job------- for the good things in life. Certainly it is important that we live thankful lives. I know that if we have a thankful heart every day we’re going to have a better attitude no matter the circumstances and be an overcomer of obstacles in our way. Jesus will shine brighter through us too.

Then Tony Evans said the "magna cum laude" thanksgiving and praise is when we’re delivered from some bad situation, much like when the ten lepers were healed by Jesus. The one leper came back and was blessed because he thanked God for delivering him from leprosy. How often do we expect the healing when we take the medicine or expect our next paycheck to take care of the problem and don’t lean on Jesus and thank Him for his deliverance?

Finally, Tony Evans said there is the "summa cum laude" praise and thanksgiving. He believes that type of thanksgiving and praise is the most blest of all. God loves to hear us give Him praise and thanksgiving even in the midst of the suffering. When Paul and Silas were in prison, chained up, tortured and beaten, and facing a death sentence, the Bible says that they gave praises to God in the "midnight hour". It must have been some testimony to the other prisoners and the guards in the prison, to hear them praising and thanking God. Did they feel like doing it? Not on your life. Yet they did it, because God deserved the thanks and praise.

The Bible says that we are to glory in our tribulation and count it all joy when we experience diverse suffering.Rom. 5:3-5 and James 1:2-4. Are we being thankful in our "midnight hour?"

This Thanksgiving, let us be truly and wholly thankful, because we are saved by the blood of Jesus, the Son, and are going to heaven, and nothing can change that. Scripture says that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Rom. 8:38-39. Let us be thankful this holiday season because “all things work together for good to those that love god and Are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28. A polio victim who crawled around on her hands in Ghana always had a smile on her face. When Joni Erickson asked her how she could be so happy when she had nothing, and her health was so bad and she didn’t even have a wheelchair. The lady who had a close relationship with her Father God had a puzzled look on her face why Joni would ask her such a question . Then she responded, “Well* I have Jesus!”

I do not have the faith yet of that poor girl in Ghana------but God will complete His good work He has begun in me!

If homeschooling is rough this year, the finances are tight, your health is shaky, or your friends are forsaking you, we still need to be thankful. God is using each and every circumstance to bring us closer to Him, and make us more like Jesus. That is what we want and we have much to be thankful for. Most of all we can be thankful that we have a God who gives Himself to us--His comfort, never-ending love, sustaining strength, wisdom, guidance, and overcoming power! He is there with us and will never leave us nor forsake us.

Newsweak ... newest magazine from The Journey

First we had THYME Magazine ... now we have Newsweak Magazine from Bob at The Journey ... and he's tweaking some liberal noses that have been knocked out of joint by Gov. Sarah Palin, the wildly popular conservative leader currently on a nationwide book tour touting her best selling novel, "Going Rogue: An American Life."

Citizen journalism at its best....

Donnie Osmond wins Dancing With the Stars!

Growing up Osmond ... this is the way it's done. First Marie two years ago ... now Donnie as a competitor on Dancing With the Stars ... and Donnie won the finale last night. Love those Osmonds!

Del. Saxman receives recognition

Retiring Delegate Chris Saxman (R-20th House) has been recognized by the Mental Health America of Augusta organization for his help in saving a local agency during the financial crunch of last year's state budget crisis:

The Mental Health America of Augusta presented awards to area agencies and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to those with mental illness or addictions during the association's 55th annual meeting and silent auction at the Holiday Inn Golf and Conference Center.
...
A.R. "Pete" Giesen Legislator of the Year Award: Del. Christopher B. Saxman, R-Staunton, for his work to preserve Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents in the governor's budget and upon his retirement from the General Assembly.

Del. Saxman, retiring after eight years in the General Assembly, worked tirelessly for the 20th House District which includes Staunton, Highland, and parts of Augusta and Rockingham.

Inaugural website for Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell

The inaugural website for Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell's January 16, 2010, inauguration as Governor of Virginia....

Sarah Palin video arriving in NC to visit Billy Graham

Thanks to Conservatives 4 Palin ... we have video of Sarah Palin arriving at the Asheville, NC, airport earlier this week to visit with Billy Graham at his mountain home. She is met by Rev. Graham's son, Franklin, and others who show up to welcome her to the Tarheel State. Meanwhile, Gov. Palin has sold almost a million books in the past seven days on her book tour.

THYME Magazine ... Nanny State Government

The newest issue of THYME Magazine from Bob over at The Journey. Conservative citizen journalism at its best.

Cantor-sponsored job fair in Culpeper turns out 700

Congressional Whip Eric Cantor (R-7th CD) sponsored a job fair Monday in Culpeper ... and more than 700 unemployed Virginians turned out to take advantage of the opportunity to talk with 50 employers looking for new employees. WVIR NBC-29 was there to cover the event and has details as well as video.

This is the Congressman's second job fair. The first, held earlier this year in Chesterfield, also attracted thousands.

Life's journey ... savor the gusto!

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty, well-preserved body; but rather a journey into God's arms, skidding in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, 'WOW! What a ride!!' "
-- From home school friend Leah

Hope Michael is enjoying his time off from blogging

Does anyone else miss Mike and his writings at The Write Side of My Brain? I know, I know ... he's busy with a number of things during the holiday season ... but that doesn't change the fact that his absence is noted in the Virginia blogosphere. I especially miss his bantering quick wit. Have a blessed Thanksgiving Mike ... wherever you are....

Deen Brothers "making it easy" to cook

It's Thanksgiving and all those who love to cook are planning and shopping and preparing for the big meal with family and friends.

It was fun to see Paula Deen's sons, Jamie and Bobby, on Fox and Friends this morning as they offered up recipes that are not as cumbersome ... something easier to whip up and serve. "The Deen Bros. Take It Easy: Quick and Affordable Meals the Whole Family Will Love" ... the sons learned well from their mom.

ACORN parody has me tapping my feet

OK, I've got to admit I checked out Smitty's parody -- by way of Mike -- because it was a Barry Manilow tune. Sure enough, my foot started tapping as I worked my way through the lyrics of ACORN shenanigans to the tune of Copacabana.

Now I'm ready to rumba back into the kitchen to work on that Thanksgiving meal ... "At the Copa, Copacabana...." Enjoy your Tuesday!

Climate-gate ... global warming is a hoax and now there's proof

For years many prominent scientists raised the alarm that global warming was a hoax and pointed out that Al Gore was not a scientist and was incorrect in promoting global warming. How could the climate turn on a dime from the fear of global cooling just a short 30 years ago to global warming?

Climate-gate has broken and exposed the fraud associated with this hoax. It's about time.

Virginia budget 2010 ... ouch

Twitter from Bill Bolling....

I attended a meeting of the Governor's Advisory Council On Revenue Estimates today in Richmond. The budget outlook is not good for 2010.

The budget is going to be a challenge for the Republican team as they inherit a huge deficit after eight years of Democrat gubernatorial leadership....

H/T Tim

George Allen on Fox News

Got a text message this afternoon from David over at the Augusta Conservative telling me to turn on Fox News because George Allen was on Neil Cavuto's show (although Mr. Cavuto had a fill-in host).

Ten minutes earlier would have found me still out and about on a rainy day but I was back so grabbed the remote to tune in. David said in his post that Gov. Allen was addressing the economy and added, "He wasted no time in making policy points and showing that he has been keeping his finger on the pulse of current events."

Yep. He's paying attention....

August 28, 2010 ... conservatives to meet at Lincoln Memorial in D.C.

Uh-oh. Looks like Washington, DC, is going to be inundated with more than a million conservatives once again on August 28, 2010, because when Glenn Beck invites folks to join him, they come out big-time. Over the weekend 35,000 turned out to hear The Plan at The Villages in Florida ... and in April thousands throughout the country met for We Surround Them parties hosted by Glenn Beck through his Fox News television show.

Now the call has gone out from Mr. Beck for Americans to meet at the feet of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to reveal a conservative platform to elected officials in both political parties.

Then he said something I do not agree with. He suggests that a third party be considered if those leaders do not listen.

I do not believe in a third party. I lived through 1992 and Ross Perot's splitting of the Republican Party that allowed Bill Clinton into office with less than 50% of the vote.

If we split that vote in 2012, it will allow Barack Obama a second term in the White House ... and I'm not sure America can survive a second term of Barack Obama.

I agree with much of what Mr. Beck says ... but not this.

25,000 turn out to hear Glenn Beck in FL

Why are conservative leaders turning people out by the thousands at events around the country? Sarah Palin had 10,000 turn out for one of her book signings last week ... tea parties have seen thousands upon thousands of concerned Americans speaking up about their government ... 1.2 million Americans marched on Washington on 9/12 ... and now Glenn Beck has turned out 25,000 folks -- some have said it was closer to 35,000 -- on Saturday at The Villages in Florida.

Think about it ... 35,000. That is a HUGE mass of people who are sick and tired of not being listened to ... they are sick and tired of being taxed to death ... they are sick and tired of being silent and are now speaking out. A sleeping giant has been awakened.

Glenn Beck announced The Plan on Saturday. Looks like that giant is not going back to sleep anytime soon.

Rev. Graham, Sarah, and Trig

Two of the three individuals in this photo would be at risk from under nationalized health care as proposed by Democrats and Barack Obama ... Rev. Graham for being elderly ... and Trig for having Down's Syndrome. Photo from USA Today.

I saw the photo above in the USA Today showing Gov. Sarah Palin and her son, Trig, visiting with Rev. Billy Graham at his Montreat home in North Carolina ... and I couldn't help but think about what has been revealed in the nationalized health care bill now before the U.S. Senate. If "death panels" is too harsh a term to hear, how about "lack of compassion for those outside the mainstream"?

Rev. Graham, who turned 91 years old earlier this month, keeps a low profile these days ... but his son Franklin arranged the visit. As reported in USA Today:

After a book signing in Roanoke, Va., the former Alaska governor headed to Graham's retreat in the western North Carolina mountains for some spiritual and culinary sustenance. It was an "unusual" visit for Graham, who turned 91 on Nov. 7 and has mostly been restricting his company to family, said spokesman A. Larry Ross. Ross said the visit was arranged by Graham's son and fellow-minister, Franklin. The younger Graham, who owns a home in Alaska and became friends with Palin when she invited him to speak at a prayer breakfast several years ago, joined his father for the dinner.

I would love to have been a guest at that dinner table ... Rev. Graham, Franklin Graham (I very much respect his Samaritan's Purse ministry in Boone, NC), and Gov. Palin. Just think of the conversation with such a gathering of conservative minds!

Climate Depot looks at ClimateGate

Thanks to Mark Morano at Climate Depot for the continuous updates....

Statement by Marc Morano of Climate Depot: 'The ClimateGate scandal exposes man-made global warming fears as quite simply the best science that agenda driven activists can manufacture. Claims that the UN IPCC is the 'gold standard' of scientific research have been forever tarnished.'

For latest info on the unfolding ClimateGate issue, go to www.ClimateDepot.com

WSJ: ClimateGate tarnishes UN IPCC: Reveals 'questionable scientific practices' -- Attempts 'to present a 'unified' view; 'beef up' conclusions to present a 'big public splash'

Fox News: Climate Skeptics See 'Smoking Gun' Evidence of Collusion Among Climatologists and Manipulation of Data'

Warmist Death Star has been destroyed? 'The Death Blow to Climate Science': Climatologist says scandal reveals 'deliberate fraud'

UK Telegraph: 'For links to all the latest updates on this, I recommend Marc Morano's invaluable Climate Depot site'

Global warming alarmists act like a gang of co-conspirators rather than respectable scientists'

Associated Press: ClimateGate is 'stoking debate over whether some scientists have overstated the case for man-made climate change'

UPI: 'Climate change scientists falsified information to prove their case, skeptics of global warming say'

CBS News: 'At the center of the story is the claim that scientists were attempting to fudge temperature data to help bolster the theory that humans are to blame for global warming'

'Credibility of the UN IPCC took a serious hit when email exchanges between some of its senior authors'

Climate Fear Promoters: 'Morano and his site Climate Depot has become the climate conspiracy hub'

ClimateGate 'makes an utter mockery of the alarmists' claim that the science of global warming is settled in their favor'

Claim: Gore Now Wishes He Never Invented The Internet

ClimateGate reveals 'desperate push to pump global warming up' -- 'A political imperative pushed scientists into making ever more desperate professional choices'

'The UN IPCC gatekeepers have lost all credibility'

'The Amazing Revkin': 'Presto! Alarmist Emails Not Such a Big Deal' to NYT reporter

Update: 'CRU director admits emails seem to be genuine' -- Climatic Research Unit Hacked? 'Warmist conspiracy exposed?'

'The warmist conspiracy: The emails that most damn Phil Jones'

Update: CRU Emails - Searchable Database Set Up

Hypocritical Kennedy barred from Catholic communion

Probably the number one issue in the Catholic church is its stand on abortion and protecting the life of the unborn ... so it always amazed me how many high-profile Democrat Catholics were abortion proponents. Now the Catholic church has taken a stand on principle by refusing to allow Patrick Kennedy to partake of communion. The Hill has details.

Politico ... "Forecast for Dem primaries: Ugly"

“It’s going to be beyond ugly,” said Terry Madonna, director of the Franklin and Marshall College poll, speaking to the tone of the May primary. “I think it’s going to be at a level that’s virtually unprecedented.”

The race Madonna was speaking to Politico.com about is in Pennsylvania where Republican turncoat Arlen Specter has stiff competition from a fellow Democrat.

It's turbulent political waters out there ... and Democrats are facing a "sweep them out" mentality across the nation after passing financially backbreaking legislation in the first nine months of Barack Obama's administration.

However, they are also faced with challenges from within the Party as cash-cow MoveOn.org raises its head:

Some in the party privately worry that it might come to that in several states, including one that isn’t even on the radar at the moment. In what was widely perceived as a warning shot to Sen. Blanche Lincoln, an Arkansas Democrat facing a difficult 2010 reelection, the progressive group MoveOn.org announced earlier this month that it has raised $3.5 million to fund a primary to any Senate Democrat who votes against the health care bill.
...
Asked if MoveOn’s threat was a problem for the party, [a senior Democratic] strategist responded: “[Expletive] yes.”

Republicans had better roll up their sleeves and get to work because 2010 going to be a long and rocky campaign season.

"We Must Take America Back"

This song was originally written by Steve Vaus in 1992 ... the words are hauntingly accurate 17 years later as we gather forces to fight a new round of battles against the Democrats and Barack Obama's administration jamming through programs to veer America sharply off in a socialist direction. We Must Take America Back!

Get involved ... join us.

Young National Guardsman: "Thank you for your service"

He's 20 years old ... his blood runs red, white, and blue ... and he's a proud member of the Virginia National Guard. He's my cousin's son who carries the family's trademark long eyelashes that remind me of my dad ... he is another of those everyday heroes around us who are proud members of America's military force.

He had spent the past year as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Not sure if he would be home in time for our family gathering on Sunday or for the holidays, my cousin got the call Saturday to pick him up at the airport that afternoon ... less than 24 hours before we all gathered together to celebrate God, country, family ... and another year together.

He was a young soldier amongst us ... everyone thanked him for his service and talked with him about Afghanistan ... and the proud American military member shone through as he spoke of fellow brother-soldiers and his experiences halfway around the world. Not one complaint was uttered ... though the temperature got to 120 degrees during the summer ... though the winter was brutally cold ... though he was called on to go over and beyond the normal demands of the human body. It was his duty to his God, to America, and to his family.

We owe our freedom to these unsung heroes who walk among us. Please ... remember our active military and veterans in your Thanksgiving prayers and, if you see one on the street, please thank him or her for their service.

We are grateful.

Waynesboro receives visit from mama bear and cubs

Waynesboro, Virginia, is a quiet little city whose eastern edges touch the Shenandoah National Park of the Blue Ridge Mountains. One would think a black bear or two in town would not come as a surprise ... but when residents saw a mama black bear and her two cubs meandering down Main Street on Saturday, it caused much excitement.

Several hundred people ended up watching as the bears climbed a tree for safety ... and then as rescuers moved in to tranquilize and move the bears. It was the second bear sighting in Waynesboro this year but there have been many throughout the central Shenandoah Valley area as the black bear population grows in the nearby national forests.

We haven't seen any at SWAC House yet this year but fellow SWACer Barb had a black bear swat her bird feeder to the ground one night and then sprawled on the ground dining on every single morsel. When he returned the next night he was disappointed because she did not refill the feeder.

SWAC Husband was driving north of Crimora recently when he saw numerous vehicles pulled over to the side of the road and people standing around looking up in a big tree where a mother bear and her cubs had taken refuge. He was surprised that some people were directly under the tree ... kind of in the line of fire if the mother bear decided to scamper down and charge.

Part of the beauty of living in western Virginia is the opportunity to observe nature that surrounds us and that includes bears, deer, wild turkeys, bobcats, and every other manner of wild critter native to these parts.

It's autumn in the Shenandoah Valley....

Sarah! fever hits the Roanoke Valley

"These people adore her. They love her. She's one of us. She's not this policy wonk who talks down to us and talks over us. She's a regular person." --Alyssa Cordova, 23, from Northern Virginia

Who says good old Ronald Reagan conservatism is dead? Just follow former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin around for a day and it becomes clear there are plenty of Americans who want a strong, principled, conservative leader ... and Gov. Palin fills that bill.

She was in Roanoke Sunday to promote her new book, "Going Rogue: An American Life," and thousands turned out to see her including about 500 who camped out in line overnight. They were not disappointed ... they received a surprise visit at midnight when Gov. Palin arrived in the Star City and stopped by Barnes and Noble to thank everyone for coming out.

A couple of my Republican colleagues from the 6th District weighed in on Gov. Palin's visit to their city:

"What's crazy is you walk up and down these lines, and a lot of these people aren't members of the Republican committees," Salem Republican Party Chairman Greg Habeeb said. "She brings out a different crowd. She taps into something that the Republican Party really needs to tap into."

Virginia House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, saw that enthusiasm last year, too: "This is the energy that she brought to the ticket last year. ... We weren't giving out any [John] McCain signs at my office -- because no one was asking for them -- until she was on the ticket. And then we couldn't keep them in. People were getting upset because we didn't have enough."

Is it because many identify with the down-to-earth mom who believes and sticks to principles and conservative beliefs? The Roanoke Times goes on to describe her arrival at the bookstore:

Palin arrived at the bookstore to a chorus of cheers and screams, moving quickly with family members from her tour bus to the music-and-movies section of the store for the signing. Small groups were ushered in, where they stood in a line that wound between shelves before stopping at her table.

Even Tito the Builder stopped by to see his old 2008 campaign buddy:

Tito "The Builder" Munoz, whom Palin referred to in some of her campaign speeches last year, traveled to the event from Northern Virginia and was rewarded with a personalized signature in his book."I'm in the book! I'm right here, page 305," Munoz said as he pointed to a passage in "Going Rogue."

Everyone left with signed books and Gov. Palin, herself a military mom, left Roanoke on her way to Ft. Bragg.

Be sure to check out Roanoke area blogger Jerry Fuhrman who made note of Gov. Palin's visit with a trademark quip.

Monday morning fog delays on Afton Mountain

Foggy conditions on I-64 over Afton Mountain this morning so be careful out there.

Free Range Trout is in the house....

Free Range Trout is in the house ... and it's a mellow, laid-back listening experience as old favorites and new are offered up for all to hear. Family and good music ... doesn't get much better than that....

Diamond Rio ... "God Is There"

The country band Diamond Rio appeared on Fox News Channel's "Huckabee" show Saturday night playing with the Little Rockers band. They sang "God Is There," an uplifting inspirational song that lets folks know that God is present even in the darkest hour. Truly inspiring....

God Is There

Surrounded by the darkness
It all came down too soon
Longing for redemption in this cold hospital room,
God is There.

What will she tell her family
Still her daddy’s little girl
She can’t believe she’s showing
Carrying the weight of the world
God is there.

Where you think he won't come to
That’s where he’ll be
Waiting for you
God is there.

In the middle of your night
In every single moment
In every single light
He’s reaching for you
Right where you are.

The God of the impossible is never very far
Oh, imagine a place He would never be
No height no depth
Not life nor death separate you,
Ever separate you, ever separate you.
God is there.

In the middle of your night
In every single moment
In every single light
He’s reaching for you right where you are
The God of the impossible is never very far
Oh, imagine a place where He would never be,
God is there.
God is there.

Will Obama sink the U.S.S. America?

What are Democrats doing to our country? Their latest attempt to break America's back is the federalized health care bill that moved forward in the Senate on Saturday ... perhaps a giant step toward sinking the U.S.S. America?

Yankee Phil notes:

Blanche Lincoln Like other Democratic moderates who knew a single vote could kill the bill, she took a streetcar named Opportunism, transferred to one called Wavering and made off with concessions of her own.

Fishersville Mike adds:

... if the Democrats don't see the danger, they're marching blind to their own destruction.

David at the Augusta Conservative takes notice that both of Virginia's Democrat senators, Webb and Warner, voted to move the bill forward.

Bob at The Journey posts about the impending economic disaster awaiting the U.S.S. America if the Democrats get their way:

The bill protects trial lawyers. The bill gives money (authorized at "such sums") to states that enact "certificate of merit" (a document signed by a medical professional that says there is a probability that the standard of care was violated) and / or a certificate of "early offer" (an early, confidential apology) laws, as long as the states don't limit attorneys' fees or impose caps on damages.

SWAC Corps ... keeping an eye on Washington....

Happy Thanksgiving from Wallbuilders' David Barton

The tradition of Thanksgiving as a time to focus on God and thank Him for His blessings dates back almost four centuries in America. Colonists held Thanksgiving services in Texas in 1541, in Florida in 1565, and in Virginia in 1607 and 1619, but it is from the Pilgrims that we derive the current tradition of a Thanksgiving that includes prayers to God, a meal with friends, and a time of athletic competition.

The Pilgrims arrived in America in December 1620 and experienced a harsh winter of extreme hunger and starvation in which half of them died. The following summer, the Pilgrims reaped a bountiful harvest. As Pilgrim Edward Winslow (who later became their governor) affirmed, "God be praised, we had a good increase of corn. . . . [and] by the goodness of God, we are far from want."

The grateful Pilgrims therefore declared a three-day feast in December 1621 to thank God and to celebrate with their friends. Ninety Wampanoag Indians joined the fifty Pilgrims for three days of food (which included shellfish, lobsters, turkey, corn bread, berries, deer, and other foods), of athletic games (the young Pilgrim and Wampanoag men engaged in races, wrestling matches, and other athletic events), and of prayer. This celebration – America's first Thanksgiving Festival – was the origin of the holiday that Americans now celebrate each November.

The first national Thanksgiving was proclaimed in 1789 by President George Washington, but after Washington, national Thanksgiving proclamations were sporadic; most official Thanksgiving observances occurred at the state level. In fact, by 1815, state governments had issued no less than 1,400 official prayer proclamations, almost half of which were for days of thanksgiving and prayer.

In the first half of the nineteenth century, Mrs. Sarah Josepha Hale, the editor of Godey's Lady's Book (a popular lady's books containing poetry, art work, and articles by America's leading authors) began to lobby for a national Day of Thanksgiving. For nearly three decades, she contacted president after president until Abraham Lincoln responded in 1863 by setting aside the last Thursday of that November. Over the next seventy-five years, presidents faithfully followed Lincoln's precedent, annually declaring a national Thanksgiving Day, but the date of the celebrations varied widely from proclamation to proclamation.

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt celebrated Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November and maintained that date year by year throughout his presidency. In 1941, Congress permanently established the fourth Thursday in November as the national Thanksgiving holiday.

As you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, there are several ways in which you can enhance the celebration of America's oldest holiday:

Review the full HISTORY OF THANKSGIVING and share that history with others. View ORIGINAL THANKSGIVING PROCLAMATIONS.

We have posted a number of famous Thanksgiving Proclamations, including the first national Thanksgiving Proclamation by President George Washington in 1789, the 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln that started the modern Thanksgiving tradition, the 1933 Thanksgiving Proclamation of President Roosevelt that established the tradition, and a number of Thanksgiving Proclamations by Founding Fathers who signed the Declaration or Constitution.

Read a famous THANKSGIVING SERMON – the notable sermon preached by the Rev. Thomas Baldwin of Boston in response to President George Washington's 1795 Thanksgiving Proclamation. Have a blessed and God-filled Thanksgiving!

David Barton
Wallbuilders.com

November SWAC breakfast ... another standing-room only crowd

Dr. Keith Drake addressed Saturday's SWAC Conservative Round Table breakfast as Tom, Alex, and Kurt look on.

Dean Welty with the Valley Family Forum made announcements about his organization.

Keith emphasized a point about fighting government spending at the local level.

Check out Yankee Phil's posts on Saturday's breakfast:
- November SWAC Conservative Round Table Breakfast
- SWAC Conservative Round Table attended by 67 people

Fishersville Mike has also posted about breakfast:
- They're gonna need a bigger restaurant

Photos by SWAC Girl
Lynn Mitchell
21 November 2009

Will Mark Warner vote anti-business and create unneeded federal agency?

Call Sen. Mark Warner (804.775-2314 or 202.224-2023) and tell him NO new federal agencies.

While most eyes are on the massive federalized government health care bill now making its way through the Senate, Congress is secretly working on other legislation to broaden and expand government even more. We cannot afford this continued spending ... America's back is breaking under the burden of debt.

Maximus at The Contemporary Conservative summed it up very well: Will Senator Mark Warner vote to create a new Frankenstein Federal Agency designed to strangle business recovery?

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) introduced a wide-ranging piece of legislation last week that combines some of the worse anti-business provisions of securities "reform" legislation that was floating around.

Known as “Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2009," the bill would create the Consumer Financial Protection Agency and promote what is referred to as "scheme liability."

There are business impacts that are direct to certain kinds of businesses, those that are indirect (such as to realtors, small banks, and auto dealers who will be harmed further if people can't get home loans or car loans) and those that hit all of us as end consumers either through reduced or eliminated access to certain kinds of loans or through higher prices for products and services (as the increased cost of doing business is passed along).

This thing is massive ... and creates another bureaucratic agency with more layers in government resulting in more taxpayer costs at a time when the federal debt has TRIPLED in the past six months.

One sentence in this massive Senate financial regulatory legislation would leave small businesses, banks, and accountants as well as virtually any other business subject to a flood of new securities class action lawsuits. Class action lawyers, who support the bill, would be allowed to sue virtually anyone who did business with a public company alleged to have engaged in fraud even if they didn't know anything about the alleged fraud.

This guilt-by-association provision would hurt innocent companies by forcing them into extortionate settlements. Because securities class action lawsuits tend to seek massive damage awards, many bystander businesses -- even those bearing no culpability whatsoever -- would feel compelled to settle the lawsuits rather than go to trial and risk losing a "bet-the-company" case.

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice are already in place and authorized to prosecute those who aid and abet violations of securities laws so why is another newly-created agency necessary?

There have been news reports in many states of securities class action lawyers engaging in pay-to-play with public pension fund officials, contributing large amounts to their campaigns in return for contracts to represent the pension fund in lawsuits in which the lawyers are likely to make tens of millions of dollars in legal fees.

Aside from specific concerns that certain businesses have because of the direct impact coming from this legislation, it is a given that consumers will be adversely impacted by anything that drives up the cost of doing business.

So whether it is because of increased legal costs in defending against lawsuits, increased costs of complying with regulations or artificial determinations about the cost of products, these new increased costs of doing will will be passed on to the consumer. And that is everyone.

The Heritage Foundation agrees there is absolutely no rationale for creating such an agency:

During last year's presidential campaign, Barack Obama noted that "you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."

This phrase neatly sums up the ongoing ... Financial Services Committee markup of .... the Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA) Act of 2009. Despite honest attempts to improve the bill, the overall concept is still badly flawed, and any result that comes close to the original concept will be a major mistake. There is simply no rationale for creating such an agency that a coordinating council of state and federal financial regulators cannot accomplish easier and at a lower cost.

Sen. Mark Warner is a member of the committee and, as a businessman, should be pulling back in horror at the thought of this overreaching government bureaucracy. Calls and letters are urgently needed to ask Sen. Warner to vote NO on creating another bureaucratic agency. He can be contacted by letter, FAX, or phone call:

The Honorable Sen. Mark Warner
919 East Main Street, Suite 630
Richmond, VA 23219

FAX: (804) 775-2319
PHONE - Richmond Office: (804) 775-2314
PHONE - Washington Office: (202) 224-2023

Congress should rely on legislation already in place, such as the SEC and Department of Justice, to enforce the laws on the books rather than create new bureaucracy, more debt, and more opportunity for ACORN to have access in this Obama administration.

Prayers for blogger warrior Concrete Bob

Shock this morning reading Concrete Bob's post at United Conservatives of Virginia. In his light-hearted way and after quoting W.C. Fields, he wrote:

Short and sweet, I had a serious heart attack on Wednesday night. I'm in the hospital, hooked up to a bunch of tubes. I have had a catheterization done and a stint put in, but there is still some blockage. So next Wednesday the doctors are going to do a little carving and install some new parts. No big deal.

Talk about being an optimist! I'm sure Bob's positive attitude will go a long way toward his complete recovery ... along with the skilled hands of his doctors. It shows how life can turn on a dime ... and it also shows how the Virginia political blogosphere has become a community of caring individuals.

Uncle Jimbo at Blackfive took it a little more seriously than Bob:

Boy I hate writing this, but it's what we do. A great friend of many of ours and a magnificent patriot can use our help. "Concrete Bob" Miller had a heart attack and is in the hospital. His wife called this afternoon and asked if we could keep him in our prayers. I am not much for praying, but God will hear from me. They put a stent in today, but it looks like they are going to do a multiple bypass operation because of some blockages on a couple of arteries.
...
His wife was a little worried he might be mad about her telling us about this. I say, let him get up off his butt and do something about it. See you soon Bob.

As we approach the upcoming holidays, our prayers go out for Bob's recovery and for the doctors who will have his heart in their hands.

And thank goodness the hospital has wireless internet! On top of a heart attack, we wouldn't want Bob to go through internet withdrawal!

Get well, CB! We have battles to fight....

Mark Warner set to vote for cloture?

Is his mind already made up?

Should Palin fan cross-examine MSNBC reporter Norah O'Donnell?

Condescending liberal reporter alert ... MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell staked out the line of supporters waiting for Sarah Palin's Thursday book signing and zeroed in on a young lady to tackle and blindside. Interesting recap and video at Media Research Center.

News Virginian: Augusta County supervisors ignored warning

The Waynesboro News Virginian was a champion of the people of Augusta County throughout the 2009 real estate assessment issue when outrageously high assessments were loudly protested by residents by the hundreds and even as warnings were issued by Supervisor Tracy Pyles.

The NV's Wednesday editorial talked about that very issue which is looming after supervisors ignored Mr. Pyles' warnings that began a year ago about the coming financial abyss.

Writing in "Index nips now, chomps later," the editoral sounds off:

A fireplug of a fellow, Tracy Pyles is accustomed to playing the part of a yapping hound on a tight leash. Having ignored his barks about a bureaucratic bedevilment known as the composite index, Augusta County supervisors now are feeling the bite of the thing at their backsides, and so the people’s.

Somewhere in the smoky mist of his mostly lonely and entirely futile campaign against a massive property reassessment earlier this year, Pyles admonished his colleagues on the supervisors board that heightened values now would cost the county state money later. How? State aid for schools is based on the composite index, which is based on property values, the aim of it all being to ensure that poorer districts get a larger state share. Wealth being defined by property, increased values frequently translate to a smaller helping of state money.

This is one of the reasons Pyles contended, and we agreed with him, that the supervisors ought not assume that simply lowering tax rates would solve the problem of a reassessment that drove up values by roughly a fourth at a time when elsewhere appraisals were plunging. In fact, to Pyles’ particular point, leveling tax revenues by lowering the rate – a move we are almost always inclined to support – opens deeper fiscal wounds when values have soared and the economy is stalled: it means not equal money but less.

Already, Augusta is losing $750,000 in state education aid next year under recently released composite index recalculations. Almost three-fourths of the state’s 134 districts – including Waynesboro and Staunton – face similar predicaments.

It goes on to say the financial hit has not even been factored in yet so worse days are yet to come, as predicted nine months ago by Mr. Pyles.

Just as private citizens in America, Virginia, and Augusta County have had to tighten their belts and decrease spending, so should our government officials at all levels decrease spending of our taxpayer money. As Augusta County continues to reel from lost jobs and a sluggish economy, residents should demand supervisors put a moratorium on new projects until the economic outlook brightens.

"Let your light so shine...."

"Let your light so shine
before men,
that they may see
your good works,
and glorify your
Father
in heaven."
-- Matthew 5:16

Sarah, Alaska, and growing up free

Many are writing about the MSM's irrational obsession with tearing down Sarah Palin. Irrational ... obsession. Are they afraid of a self-confident, strong woman who gets things done?

Donald Douglas at American Power blogs about Gov. Palin's background as described in her new book, Going Rogue: An American Life":

With Palin we have our modern-day political scribe of the frontier existence, the rugged pioneer of traditionalism who rejoices in the Alaskan harvest of the great remaining bounty of the nation's of magnificent destiny.

This is what is so blindingly difficult for radical leftists to accept. For in Sarah Palin, we have the personification of the culture of expansion and power at the core of America's mission. We see it in Going Rogue's regaling of family hunting trips, and Sarah Palin's ethos of sustenence in faith in God. This strength is further congealed in the primacy of family at the center of all life's meaning. Palin's book is just simply an essential testament to the realism of contemporary conservatism, and to the enduring appeal of the classic American ideal.

He then talks about his own youth growing up in California:

I'll have more on this, but I rest in my own supreme satisfaction that Palin's story is my story as well. It reminds me of my own experiences surfing the beach of South Orange County, four-wheeling and shooting in the Southern California outback, and spending summers hiking the raw Sierra Nevadas with my frontiersman uncle, Doug Walton, a man who at 76 years old remains a rugged entrepreneurial explorer and tour guide, and one of my all-time great role-models.

I, too, enjoyed growing up in the outdoors ... camping in Shenandoah National Park, swimming at Virginia Beach and North Carolina's Outer Banks, hiking the Blue Ridge Mountains, exploring the Northern Neck at my aunt's place on the rivah, and learning to shoot a rifle on the sprawling peanut farm of friends in eastern Virginia.

Shooting a gun? Camping with bears? Hiking the wilderness? Those are so foreign to many folks ... but for me it was a freedom-loving childhood just as Donald describes growing up in California, and Sarah Palin describes growing up as part of the Alaskan experience.

The people of Alaska are uninhibited and free and think outside the box. They are not caught up in the same traps and cares of the Lower 48 ... they have a more honest and blunt way of looking at life and disregarding the manure. My sister lived in Alaska as a journalist and I had the pleasure of spending time in that beautiful, wild part of the United States. It is what made Sarah Palin who she is and that, folks, is why so many respect and admire her.

Sarah Palin strikes fear into liberal hearts

Tom White at Virginia Right nails it in his entire post about Sarah Palin and the power of someone not even in public office yet loved by so many. Witness her book tour where thousands are lining up to see her. The woman has a way of turning out people in a way not seen by many other politicians.

Tom writes:

Sarah Palin is not an elected official. She stepped down as Governor of Alaska. She is not running for any office. Yet she still strikes fear and sheer terror into the hearts of Democrats everywhere. So much terror that the left feels an overwhelming need to bash the woman at every opportunity. And as the liberal media has already proven, truth is optional when it comes to lashing out at Palin.

Meanwhile, Dick Morris repeated on Thursday's Greta Van Sustern show on Fox News what he said on Wednesday's Fox and Friends:

"You can teach anyone policy ... but you can't teach integrity, feistiness, and honesty, qualities held by Sarah Palin."

Tonight on Sean Hannity's All American Panel on Fox News, Dr. Carol Swain, a Professor of Political Science and Professor of Law from Vanderbilt University, defended Sarah Palin and said, "She has an ability to make people trust her. What you see is what you get, and that's refreshing."

The naysayers continue their negative spin against Sarah Palin which is, perhaps, continuing to make her a rising star and leader in the conservative movement in America.

Out and about in the SWAC area on a rainy, foggy day

The Bradford Pear tree leaves have finally changed and today's rain caused them to fall to the ground.

Met a friend for lunch Thursday at the Depot Grille located at the historic train station in downtown Staunton. We ate in the glass-enclosed porch with the always-wonderful service from our wait person, Dana. The rain on the roof was a comforting sound as we sat and talked during a leisurely lunch. When leaving, I noticed the golden-colored leaves on the pavement with the old cabooses on an abandoned spur track, a trademark of the Depot. The train station is still used by Amtrak and often the rumble of the passing train can be heard and felt inside the restaurant.

When leaving the Depot, I spotted these two elves at SunSpots hanging greenery over the doorway. The Staunton Christmas parade is Monday, Nov. 30, so everyone is preparing for the big event.

Thursday was a chilly, rainy day ... and FOGGY! This was the view from I-64 heading east at Waynesboro. Afton Mountain was fogged in ahead ... highway fog lights were on ... overhead electronic VDOT signs warned of dangerous travel conditions over the mountain. Thankfully, I was going only as far as Waynesboro.

Photos by SWAC Girl
Lynn Mitchell
19 November 2009

Waynesboro: Invista to lay off 110 employees

Yet more bad news for the central Shenandoah Valley's job situation was announced by Waynesboro's Invista, formerly the DuPont factory, as news came out that they would be laying off 110 employees as the depressed economy continued.

Today's top-of-the-fold headline in the Waynesboro News Virginian spreads the sad news even as we enter the holidays on top of Mohawk Carpet's earlier announcement that they would be closing their Waynesboro plant on Dec. 18.

Layoffs have also been announced for McQuay in Verona, American Safety Razor in Verona, and Western State in Staunton.

Thank you, Oliver North ... American hero

Thank you, Col. Oliver North, for your service to this country as a U.S. Marine and dedicating 22 years of your life to protect the freedoms we enjoy ... for your organization, "Freedom Alliance," to raise funds for children of fallen heroes ... for caring for our troops and reporting about them in "War Stories on Fox News ... and for being an American hero as noted by President Ronald Reagan. Out caps are off to you.

Look here if you need a laugh....

Amidst the negativity of news out of Washington with Obama and health care and wasted stimulus money and terrorism and everything else we're dealing with ... comes a respite from the storm....

Sarah Palin book signing ... 1,500 in line twelve hours before arrival

Massive crowds are turning out for Sarah Palin's book signing in Michigan and the media is once again aghast at the response. Imagine! That right-wing nut pulling out those crowds!

The Left has no idea of the power of the independent thinker.

A caller to the Glenn Beck radio show Wednesday morning was among a group he estimated at 1,500 people at 7:00 a.m. with Gov. Palin scheduled to appear at 6:00 p.m.

H/T to Riley for this link to a news site from Grand Rapids:

Lucy Vigmostad said the wind that swept through the Woodland Mall parking lot was the the toughest part as she huddled with friends overnight -- but it's worth it for a few fleeting moments with her hero, Sarah Palin.

The 19-year-old from Brighton was the first in line this morning as Barnes & Noble handed out writstbands to allow people to stand in line tonight to have Palin sign their copy of "Going Rogue," her bestseller. This is Palin's only Michigan stop on her book tour.

She's doing it again ... pulling out huge crowds, exciting the base ... a shining exactly of what strong, principled conservative leadership looks like.

We gather together....

Thanksgiving is a week away ... hard to believe it's almost here already ... and we're preparing for my Texas sister and her family to join us. The Middle Sister is coming home to Virginia and we'll all gather as we do each year, cooking and playing board games and being thankful that we could all be together for another year. My parents, sisters, brothers-in-law, nieces, and my husband and children ... savoring our time as a family.

Meanwhile, Christmas is coming as noted by Mike, and I've seen decorations beginning to appear in the area. Many Valley residents hang outdoor lights while it's still warm enough to feel your fingers, and the SWAC house is no exception. It will be very cold in these parts before long and snow could be right around the corner ... lights and outdoor decorations are hard to handle when it's so cold you have to wear gloves.

SWAC Daughter caught the Christmas bug earlier this week so she pulled out the 33 RPM records of Dean Martin and Doris Day's Christmas music for the record player (yes, that old-timey thing where a round disc goes round and round). She was feeling nostalgic ... so we pulled out the tree (this is why we don't have a live tree) and stood it in the corner where it now waits for the lights and decorations to be added.

Then she put the "Charlie Brown Christmas" DVD in as we passed around the popcorn, and we had our first showing of that eternal holiday classic. Others we will be watching in the upcoming weeks will include "White Christmas," "It's a Wonderful Life," "Elf," a Muppets Christmas special featuring John Denver that was taped while the kids were young but still a favorite year in and year out, and others.

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

I support Krystle for Congress!

We need a woman from Virginia in the U.S. Congress! We need a blogger in the U.S. Congress! We need all corners of the Commonwealth represented in Congress!

Therefore, I support Crystal Clear Conservative's run for the (hypothetical) 51st Congressional District which was recently redistricted into Virginia's political boundaries by the Barack Obama administration (thanks to www.Recovery.gov).

Krystle will be a voice for Life, Liberty, and Property! She will listen to the people, she will blog for the people, she will be the people! Please join me in supporting her as she seeks to represent the constituents of the 51st Congressional District!

From the candidate's website:

Lastly, if there were a 51st District in the Commonwealth of Virginia, I would be outspent and working hard to listen to the concerns of my residents. Since the Obama Administration messed up big time on Recovery.gov, I am taking full advantage of their stupidity by running this segment.

Run, Krystle, run!

U.S. House of Representatives ... Wednesday schedule

From Rep. Eric Cantor's office (Republican Whip)....

ANTICIPATED FLOOR SCHEDULE
On Wednesday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for legislative business. Last votes expected: 4:00 p.m.

One Minutes (15 per side)

Suspensions (7 Bills):

1) H.R. 1839 - To amend the Small Business Act to improve SCORE (Sponsored by Rep. Buchanan / Small Business Committee)
2) H.R. 1834 - Native American Business Development Enhancement Act (Sponsored by Rep. Kirkpatrick / Small Business Committee)
3) H.R. 1842 - Expanding Entrepreneurship Act (Sponsored by Rep. Luetkemeyer / Small Business Committee)
4) H.R. 3738 - Small Business Early-Stage Investment Act (Sponsored by Rep. Nye / Small Business Committee)
5) H.R. 3014 - Small Business Health Information Technology Financing Act (Sponsored by Rep. Dahlkemper / Small Business Committee)
6) H.Res. 890 - Welcoming the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, His Excellency Dr. Manmohan Singh, to the United States (Sponsored by Rep. McDermott / Foreign Affairs Committee)
7) H.Con.Res. 212 - Expressing the sense of Congress on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of historic events in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, and reaffirming the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the United States and the Slovak and Czech Republics (Sponsored by Rep. Mica / Foreign Affairs Committee)

H.R. 3791 - Fire Grants Reauthorization Act (Structured Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Mitchell / Science and Technology Committee)

The rule provides for one hour of general debate and makes in order the following amendments:
Titus Amendment (10 minutes)
Perlmutter Amendment (10 minutes)
Flake Amendment (10 minutes)
Holden Amendment (10 minutes)
Cardoza Amendment (10 minutes)

Postponed Suspension Vote (1 Bill):
1) S. 1599 - A bill to amend title 36, United States Code, to include in the Federal charter of the Reserve Officers Association leadership positions (Sponsored by Sen. Leahy / Judiciary Committee)

Special Orders

THURSDAY'S FORECAST
On Thursday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for legislative business.

H.R. 2781 - To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of the Molalla River in Oregon, as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Schrader / Natural Resources Committee)

H.R. 3961 - Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act (Subject to a Rule) (Sponsored by Rep. Dingell / Energy and Commerce Committee)

WEEKLY WASTE WATCH
Halloween or Stimulus? National Park Service to Buy a “Bat Gate” with Taxpayer Funds

Under the House Republican Stimulus Alternative, taxpayer funds would not have been spent on bat-friendly gates. Instead, Republicans would have created twice as many jobs at half the cost.

The Washington Watch Report is available on the House Republican Whip’s website.

"You can't teach integrity...."

"You can teach anyone policy ... but you can't teach integrity, feistiness, and honesty, qualities held by Sarah Palin."

-- Dick Morris in discussing Sarah Palin and why millions of everyday Americans identify wth her (Wednesday's Fox and Friends) [paraphrased]

MSM ... where's your OUTRAGE?

Simulus money went to non-existent districts nationwide

Virginia has eleven congressional districts. Yet DJ at Right-Wing Liberal alerts us that somehow the Obama administration provided over $2.26 million to the 12th Congressional District. There is no such animal ... will there be an investigation by the media?

The same scenario has been repeated throughout the nation as millions in stimulus money was sent to "create jobs" in non-existent districts. This is incompetence at its worst ... and they wonder why we are protesting government handling of health care?

SWAC news roundup

It's an overcast chilly day in the SWAC area so I decided to check out all the hot topics being discussed by my friends in the SWAC blogosphere....

Who knows better the feelings of New Yorkers about the trial of terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed being moved to their city than a native New Yorker? Yankee Phil noted that New York Gov. David Paterson thought it was a stupid idea. Meanwhile, Obama's bowing has been the topic of many while Phil wonders if this was what he meant by hope and change.

Check out the latest issue of THYME Magazine at The Journey as Bob looks into the controversy of whether the Ft. Hood shooting was an act of terrorism and media bashing of conservative types. Then we follow Bob out Rt. 250 west to Shenandoah Mountain on the border between Augusta and Highland Counties as he checks out the Confederate Breastworks and takes us back to an experience none of us can imagine because we have not walked in the shoes of those who lived through the Civil War. His post brings out the history geek in me....

Fishersville Mike is going "Rogue" as he celebrates Sarah Palin's new runaway best seller book that was released today ... and takes particular delight in a passage from page 271. Then he takes a look at the media frenzy and National Review's separate Sarah blog and then wonders what's up for Palin in 2012.

Jason wants to know why so many insist on being politically correct concerning Christmas (and great to see you, Augusta Water Cooler!).

With Obama batting 0-7, David points out that the president is failing in his campaign promises. As an emergency cardiac nurse, the Augusta Conservative also keeps us educated about the health care issue which is helpful when there are hundreds of pages of government double-speak to read. We'll stay tuned for more....

The elephants have arrived ... inauguration team announced

The party planners have been selected ... the date has been chosen ... the venue has been booked. The elephants have arrived ... it's time to celebrate!

Virginia Governor-elect Bob McDonnell announced today the Co-Chairs for his upcoming inauguration as the 71st Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Inaugural Co-Chairs will serve as ambassadors for the Inaugural Celebration. The 2010 inauguration will return to Richmond for the first time since 2002. The 2006 inauguration of current Virginia governor Timothy M. Kaine was held in Colonial Williamsburg due to renovations to the State Capitol which were underway at the time. The inauguration will take place on Saturday, January 16th.

Inauguration co-chairs are listed below:

Richard Gilliam
Gilliam is founder and President of Cumberland Resources Corporation and a leader in the coal mining industry. Additionally he and his wife, Leslie, have focused their energy and resources on healthcare, education and the arts throughout Virginia.

Sheila Johnson
Johnson is a local Middleburg business owner and a noted philanthropist and entrepreneur. She is CEO of Salamander Hospitality and is the only African-American woman to have ownership in three professional sports teams.

Fred Malek
Malek is Founder and Chairman of Thayer Capital Partners and Thayer Lodging Group, former President of Marriott and Northwest Airlines and served as an assistant to Presidents George H.W. Bush and Richard Nixon. He also serves on a number of charitable and educational Boards, including the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library, the Aspen Institute, the America-Israel Friendship League, and the American Friends of the Czech Republic.

Jerry Kilgore
Kilgore served as Attorney General of Virginia from 2002-2005 and was Secretary of Public Safety in the Allen Administration. He is currently a partner and chair of Williams Mullen’s Multistate Corporate Compliance & Public Policy Group.

Susan Allen
Allen served as First Lady of Virginia from 1994-1998 during her husband’s tenure as the Commonwealth’s 67th Governor. She established the First Lady’s Breast Cancer Awareness Initiative and has continued her efforts with cancer related issues as well as other issues including tourism promotion and international affairs.

Ed Gillespie
Gillespie is founder of Ed Gillespie Strategies in Alexandria and volunteered as General Chairman for McDonnell for Governor. He served as Counselor to President George W. Bush during the last 18 months of the Bush Administration and is former Chairman of both the Republican National Committee and the Republican Party of Virginia.

"Why I voted Democrat" ... a tale of two home school moms

I ran into a local home school mom during the 2008 presidential campaign who was wearing an "Obama" pin ... and the only word that came out of my mouth was, "Why?" I was incredulous because, as an independent voter, she had been a George W. Bush supporter when I was volunteering for the 2000 and 2004 campaigns.

My friend's response was, "It's time for something different." She was extremely pro-life and a volunteer in her church ... and even though I tried to explain that voting for Obama was voting for the Democrat platform including abortion and government "nanny state" programs, it didn't persuade her.

When I read, "Why I Voted Democrat," which was passed along by another home school friend, I thought of the first mom and wondered if she was happy with the "something different" that we are now faced with. How many people have been disappointed in the direction Obama has taken our country?

Why I Voted Democrat:

- I voted Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever I want. And ... I've decided to marry my horse.

- I voted Democrat because I believe oil companies' profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn't.

- I voted Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.

- I voted Democrat because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it.

- I voted Democrat because when we pull out of Iraq I trust that the bad guys will stop what they're doing because they now think we're good people.

- I voted Democrat because I'm way too irresponsible to own a gun, and I know that my local police are all I need to protect me from murderers and thieves.

- I voted Democrat because I believe that people who can't tell us if it will rain on Friday can tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don't start driving a Prius.

- I voted Democrat because I'm not concerned about the slaughter of millions of babies so long as we keep all death row inmates alive and we continue to save the whales.

- I voted Democrat because I believe that business should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as THEY see fit.

- I voted Democrat because I believe liberal judges need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who would never get their agendas past the voters.

- I voted Democrat because I firmly believe that children should have every Tylenol and Motrin monitored by their school officials, but that minor girls should be allowed abortions without their parents knowing -- because no one should be "punished with a child." (quote by Obama)

-I voted Democrat because I am excited about the possibilities with this new health care plan. I look forward to standing in long lines to receive care and then be denied the best treatment if it is too expensive or if I am very sick or if I'm old.

"A LIBERAL IS A PERSON WHO WILL GIVE AWAY EVERYTHING THEY DON'T OWN."

H/T to Leah who adds, "WHY are government officials and their families NOT required to participate in this health care plan if it is the most wonderful thing? Because it isn't and they know it. READ BETWEEN THE LINES, AMERICA!"

American Spectator: "Palin's popularity vs media mania"

If the AP ever decides to start fact-checking what is written about Sarah Palin as rigorously as it fact-checks what is written by Sarah Palin, maybe they'll be doing a service to journalism. -- American Spectator

Sarah Palin's book, Going Rogue: An Amerian Life," hits the stores today ... and the MSM is in an uproar even as it flies off the shelves as a runaway best seller:

Palin announced the schedule, as she announces everything else, on her Facebook page, which has a readership larger than Andrea Mitchell's MSNBC audience.

Avoiding large cities, Sarah is taking her book tour to the smaller towns and cities of America including Roanoke, Virginia, where she will appear this Sunday, Nov. 22. She apparently has enraged media elitists even further by not including an index in her book ... you know, the pages in the back where someone who doesn't read the book can look up a name and flip to that page rather than read the entire book:

At this point, Palin controls her own destiny. She is independent, and has no need to court the approval of the media "gatekeepers." She's the hottest topic in political news, and if the New York Times or the TV networks want a piece of the action, they have to play by her rules. They're so used to dictating the rules -- every book must have an index! -- that Palin's rogue refusal to follow their rules is even more offensive to them than her good looks, her handsome husband, and her five children.

Read all of Robert Stacy McCain's article in American Spectator ... he hits the nail on the head over and over and over.... And then pop out to your local bookstore and pick up a copy of Going Rogue ... and be thankful we have a strong, conservative woman like Sarah Palin who is willing to withstand the barbs and arrows and be a principled leader for millions.

American Power's Donald Douglas tears into CBS News blogger

Heh! Don't mess with Donald! It's blogger wars ... and the MSM is feeling the pinch after Donald scorches them with When Some Bloggers Really Should Hang Up Their Keyboards.

CBS' Charles Cooper must have been trying to help Donald fulfil Stacy McCain's Rule #4 -- "make some enemies" -- when he specifically named American Power and Donald in his post ... and we all know the mainstream media enjoy (or stir up) controversy to help drive the news.

Donald fact-checks Mr. Cooper's post beginning with the misspelling of his last name:

Cooper misspells my name. I'm not sure why exactly, but my guess is that having checked my sidebar profile, with my picture there, Cooper noticed my black American background, and then inferred incorrectly that my last name must be spelled with a double "s". It's not an uncommon mistake, actually, because for some reason folks in the past have automatically assumed that I'm somehow related to Frederick Douglass. This mostly happens among people who've only listened to my name, not actually read it, so Cooper loses double points for poor reading comprehension. (I'll leave aside the question of whether the "Douglass" inference is a form of subtle racial profiling, although clearly to be black with that last name means you must be related to the great 19th century emancipator.)

It's a triple whammy ... Cooper also goes after the fact that Donald is a professor in leftist California, and wrongly attributes a quote on the blog to Donald. Read his entire post as he sets the record straight.

It's a small world....

A chance email conversation....

A long-time friend and GOP volunteer in Augusta County emailed to say he and his wife were heading to Richmond's MCV Hospital because she was undergoing major back surgery. While responding and saying we would keep them in our prayers, I mentioned I was born at MCV Hospital in such-and-such year. The response that came back surprised me and showed just how small a world we live in and how paths cross throughout our lives:

Wow! What a small world. I was near finishing my first year of Med School at MCV when you came upon the scene! Draft board interrupted all school plans, and another career was in store for me. And then I came to Augusta County in '97, and there you were- Again!! I'm glad.

We often never know that our paths have crossed along life's journey or that we have impacted a life along the way. This volunteer ... a Virginia gentleman with a kind heart, a love of history, and a desire to give back to the community ... left an impression on my life here in Augusta County ... and now I know the rest of the story.

In memory of Gabe

Gabe was tall and handsome ... but he wasn't like most 27-year-olds. He had had Addison's disease since high school when he almost died after being rushed to the emergency room but recuperated to graduate and attend college and live a full life while taking medication to control the disease. After graduating from college, though job opportunities were narrowed because of the Addison's, he found a job, moved out on his own, and was living and working like others his age.

Gabe was our neighbors' first grandchild. I heard of the death from a friend ... I knew the neighbors would be gone, returning to the midwest where their family lived and would gather for the funeral. Gabe's brother was in Iraq when news arrived of his brother's passing.

Today I learned the rest of the story ... and grieved with them at the pain and hurt but marveled at the joyfulness in remembering Gabe.

Friends and family and work associates turned out to honor Gabe, sharing stories and memories of this gifted and talented young man who had made All State Band playing the clarinet. That talent was remembered during the funeral by a clarinet soloist who played the hymn, "In the Sweet By and By," a sound so sweet that my neighbor said it almost ripped her heart out because it sounded like Gabe playing just for them.

His parents read from the Bible the Scripture that had been the most comforting and appropriate for the service ... and the pastor gave a wonderful and healing sermon, saying he felt the Lord had held out His hand and said, "Come, Gabriel, it's time to go home."

As my neighbor shared more details, she said it was healing to be able to talk about it even as it hurt knowing she would not be seeing his smiling face again. He left behind many friends, she said ... and they all turned out for a separate memorial service in the city he had worked in, a service that went on and on as his friends and work associates shared with his parents their memories and love for Gabe. Grown men cried ... everyone seemed to love him ... and it provided a time of healing for his parents.

My neighbor ended by saying, "There is something about the first grandchild that you never forget ... holding, feeding, looking at them for hours, and that they made you a grandmother!"

This is in memory of Gabe who was just two years older than my own son ... and in honor of my good and kind Christian neighbors. Our prayers go out to Gabe's family, both here and in the midwest, and to all who loved him.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." -- John 14:1-4

"Read my lips"

The Christmas commercials are rolling out and every year, just like the Super Bowl, there are some that stand out. I've written previously about the Wal-Mart Christmas commercial for our troops ... and now I'm seeing another one that is heart-warming at this heart-warming time of year.

Kay Jewelers has a Christmas commercial featuring a young man who is learning American sign language and a young lady who is hearing impaired. They are sitting under a Christmas tree and he tells her he learned a new sign ... "Merry Christmas" ... and then gives her a gold bracelet. When he asks if she likes it, she signs, "Read my lips," and kisses him. It's another for my 2009 stable of good Christmas ads ... and thank you to Kay Jewelers for using the word "Christmas" in this politically correct time in our history.

Joe Wilson

The Staunton News Leader's Sunday editorial criticized Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) -- he of "You lie!" fame -- for helping fellow Republicans at fundraisers around the country.

Do they agree with Bill "Depends on what the meaning of is is" Clinton who acted inappropriatedly in the Oval Office as he goes around the country helping raise money for Democrats? Their criticism seems misplaced. They even said:

Joe Wilson's behavior in Congress on Sept. 9 was not only an embarrassment to his state, but also an embarrassment to this country.

Are they kidding? Of all the issues we are dealing with, that is the one they chose to zero in on?

An area resident saw the hypocrisy of the NL editorial and wrote a letter to the editor that may not be published so he sent it to me and I have printed it, with his permission:

Dear Editor:

I am not surprised at the naivete of the kool-aid drinking editorial board of the News-Leader. To express surprise at the attraction of Cong. Wilson for his shout out is to ignore the ire of the public generated by Obama's failure to be truthful with the American people.

His promise of transparency was the first lie. No reading of legislation, no posting of legislation and the appointment of unaccountable czars was plenty but then he followed up by proposing government-run healthcare instead of a program to insure the uninsured. Had he been "transparent" with that plan, he would still be a community organizer which appears to be the only job he is qualified for.

In less than a year, he has become the worst president in history and the only person smiling is Jimmy Carter, who no longer carries that distinction.

So I say to Cong. Wilson, "Well Done" and where do I send my check?

Emory Burleson
Staunton, VA 24401

Well said, and thank you Mr. Burleson.

An evening with Free Range Trout ...

... mellow, laid back music ... Houston style.

Tea party patriots help California farmers

You've heard of the farmers in California who have had water cut to their crops due to radical environmentalists. Sean Hannity has taken his Fox News show to the fields to spotlight the tragedy ... and now Pajamas Media has spotlighted the tea partiers who are going to the aid of the farmers:

The Farmer Relief and Freedom Relay is collecting aid for the Central California farmers rocked by environmental extremism and big government.
...
The Farmer Relief and Freedom Relay will take two weeks to reach Fresno for a large rally, stopping along the way in places like Sioux Falls and Lexington, Kentucky. Though winter is fast approaching — or has already made an appearance — in these areas, these brave and kind souls are determined to aid the farmers.

Each tour group will have a California farmer with them to speak of the current situation. Each group will also include a featured speaker who will be along for the entire ride. Groups will travel in SUVs to handle any road conditions. One route — which I am taking — will travel roughly 4,000 miles across the top of the country and down the West Coast.

The tour is sponsored by Tea Party Patriots and Saving the Valley That Hope Forgot.

H/T to Connie

Obama's worldwide apology tour continues....

American pride. Apparently it's missing with Barack Obama who continues his worldwide apology tour for the evil United States. American Power has video and links to those who have covered The Bowing One.

Some changes at the Kenney household....

There are going to be some changes at the Kenney household, as noted by Shaun:

For those of you who do not know already, last Tuesday, November 03rd I won in a general election for county supervisor here in Fluvanna County by a 3.5% margin. It was a tremendous win, backed by some of the most wonderful human beings and supporters a candidate could ask for.

The difference now is shifting gears from mere commentator and blogger to a blogging elected official.

We hear ya. Congratulations on the win, Supervisor-elect Kenney.

Laughing at the AP "Rogue" fact checkers ... too funny

Mark Steyn over at National Review Online takes the AP to task for its "fact checking" of Sarah Palin's new book, "Going Rogue" ... and it's a hilarious read. And pathetic, too, seeing the negative MSM spin put on everything Sarah....


H/T to Fishersville Mike

Sarah Palin "Going Rogue" in Roanoke Nov. 22

[UPDATE: Sarah! fever hits Roanoke Valley ... update of Sarah Palin's visit on Nov. 22.]

She's the woman conservatives love to love ... liberals love to hate ... and some Republicans love to stab in the back.

Former Republican Alaska governor Sarah Palin is coming to Roanoke, Virginia, on Sunday, November 22, as part of her book tour for "Going Rogue: An American Life." Appearing at Barnes & Noble in the Valley View Mall, supporters are expected to begin lining up by 6:00 a.m.

Already a runaway best seller that will not be released until Tuesday, "Going Rogue" sets the record straight as she fights back against the liberal press and her own Republican Party.

The last time Mrs. Palin appeared in the Roanoke Valley was during her run as the Republican vice presidental nominee in the 2008 presidential campaign ... and she brought out 16,000 supporters.

The Wall Street Journal reveals the new media strategy used by the Palin team in promoting her book, noting:

Sarah Palin will launch her national book tour next week, one part of a carefully crafted strategy that has allowed the former vice-presidential candidate to leapfrog traditional media outlets and appeal directly to her dedicated and vocal fan base.

Now communicating with 1 million friends through Facebook and with Sarah-friendly blogs supporting her, she has also established SarahPAC which is "dedicated to building America's future, supporting fresh ideas and candidates who share our vision for reform and innovation."

With her continued popularity, Sarah Palin's Roanoke stop is sure to see a large crowd.

Check out Fishersville Mike as he sets the record straight with a fact check of the "fact checkers" of Sarah's book.

How much is $1 trillion?

The Democrat Obama administration throws around trillions of dollars with seemingly no concern for how much they are sinking America into debt.

So exactly how much is $1 Trillion? Check out this graphic.

H/T to Rick Sincere

Home....

"Home is a

gift to be opened

every day."

--Mary Anne Radmacher

Wal-Mart Christmas commercial ... for the troops

"Christmas Anthem -- Thank You to the Troops"

I was watching Fox News earlier this week and a Wal-Mart commercial came on that was heart-touching.

If you missed it, here is the video. Be prepared to have a lump in your throat.

The scene is American soldiers in a desert setting with tents ... light snowflakes begin to fall ... they all look up in wonderment ... "It's snow!" The camera pulls out for a long shot of the desert covered with snow as the white stuff continues to fall ... and then it fades into a scene in America with a little boy about seven years old who has just visited with Santa. His mom leans down and says, "So what did you ask for?" The little boy looks up at her and says, "Something for Dad."

As the camera fades back into the snowy desert scene and the American soldiers, the voice-over says, "To all our troops and their families, we thank you. Because of you, we are all living better."

I get a lump in my throat everytime I see it ... the music, the snow, the little boy, the message to our troops, and the chance of miracles that happen at Christmas.

Who came up with such a touching commercial? Richmond, Virginia's, own award-winning Martin Agency.

Thanks, Wal-Mart.

Former Bush bashers thank President for his leadership

We know absolutely no one in Bush family circles and have never met former President George W. Bush or his wife Laura.

If you have been reading us for any length of time, you know that we used to make fun of “Dubya” nearly every day…parroting the same comedic bits we heard in our Democrat circles, where Bush is still, to this day, lampooned as a chimp, a bumbling idiot, and a poor, clumsy public speaker.

So begins a post by the bloggers at HillBuzz. They go on from there ...

The world needed George W. Bush, his bullhorn, and his indominable spirit that day [on the 9/11 Trade Center pile of rubble] ... and we will forever be grateful to this man for that.

As we will always be grateful for what George and Laura Bush did this week, with no media attention, when they very quietly went to Ft. Hood and met personally with the families of the victims of this terrorist attack.

FOR HOURS.

The Bushes went and met privately with these families for HOURS, hugging them, holding them, comforting them.

If there are any of you out there with any connection at all to the Bushes, we implore you to give them our thanks…you tell them that a bunch of gay Hillary guys in Boystown, Chicago were wrong about the Bushes…and are deeply, deeply sorry for any jokes we told about them in the past, any bad thoughts we had about these good, good people.

Read the entire post ... and then read the hundreds of comments that have been left.

Sometimes it just takes time for the truth to come out....

H/T to Josh

Rep. Grayson (D-FL) throws constituents out of DC office

Question with boldness, is what Glenn Beck says ... and this Florida resident did just that. In a visit to Rep. Alan Grayson's office in Washington, DC, she questioned him about aspects of the health care bill ... and then the following exchange:

CALLER: So I then asked him about illegal immigrants being covered. And he said that on Page 642 it stated that illegal immigrants would not be covered. And when I asked him if everybody would be IDed when they went in for healthcare, he said of course not. So I stated then they will be covered. Again he switched gears. The final thing that I asked that set him off and caused him just to go crazy was whenever I asked about the healthcare coverage and congress being covered by it. And I asked him if he and his family would have the same exact healthcare coverage that they were expecting the rest of the Americans to have. He started spinning the truth and he said that he is already covered with what you people consider socialized medicine and will be. When I caught him spinning the truth, I asked him the question again, and I was very, very specific in what I asked, and I made sure I asked him the exact same coverage, without the public option. And he said yes. So I asked him if he would mind signing the back of a piece of paper. I flipped my notes over, asked him if he would write that out and put it, sign his name to it. He went crazy. He demanded that I leave his office, started screaming and yelling at me.

Read the entire exchange ... it is an interesting exercise in Freedom of Speech.

Health Care Reform: There is a Better Way

By Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA 6th CD)

The House of Representatives recently passed sweeping health care reform legislation pushed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi that will dramatically impact every family, taxpayer and small business in America. It creates a new “Health Choices Commissioner,” a bureaucrat given vast authority over what benefits health insurance plans may and may not offer to you and your family. It also creates a “government insurance option” that will have an unfair competitive advantage and run other insurance options out of business, resulting in fewer choices for consumers. In fact, it is estimated that as many as 114 million people will lose their current health coverage under the bill.

This legislation amounts to a big government takeover of our health care system – one that will lead to fewer choices, higher prices and rationed care. Furthermore, the bill creates more than 140 new government agencies and programs at a cost of well over $1 trillion.

To pay for this massive new government expansion, the legislation cuts Medicare for our nation’s seniors by $500 billion. It also contains more than $730 billion in devastating new tax increases imposed on individuals, small businesses, health insurance companies and health care providers. Estimates indicate that as many as 5.5 million jobs could be lost as small businesses are forced to take money from salaries to pay new taxes. For all of these reasons, I voted against this bill.

We can all agree that our health care system needs reform, but there is a better way. I supported an alternative that would have empowered patients with choices, made high quality coverage more affordable and protected and preserved the doctor-patient relationship.

Unlike the Pelosi health care bill, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office confirmed that the plan offered by House Republicans would lower premiums by up to 10 percent and reduce the deficit by $68 billion over 10 years, all without imposing tax increases on families and small businesses and while improving the quality of health care.

The Republican proposal allows for the purchase of health insurance across state lines, allows individuals and small businesses to join large pools to get more competitive rates, provides tort reform to cut down the high cost of defensive medicine, allows full tax deductibility of health insurance premiums, portability of health insurance and protection against pre-existing condition exclusions. In addition, I support health insurance tax credits for individuals and families who don’t have access to employer-based health insurance, a prohibition on pre-existing condition clauses, increasing the number of community health centers, and encouraging the use of health information technology to achieve greater efficiencies.

We must focus on strategies that help Americans obtain the best quality health care at the least cost, and ensure that the government fosters increased access to quality care based on individual choice, not by taking away choices from people on the grounds that government knows best.

Bill O'Reilly-Glenn Beck teaming up for "Bold & Fresh Tour 2010"

It's time for the truth – straight up, whether you like it or not. Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck are teaming up and going on tour. Your town may never be the same.

The Big Announcement had been postponed a week because of Glenn Beck's emergency appendectomy last week ... but tonight Beck appeared on O'Reilly's show and the Big Announcement was made.

They are going on tour together, taking the Bold & Fresh Tour on the road to four cities after New Year's including Norfolk, Virginia.

Glenn Beck's Friday show featured conservative African-Americans

Glenn Beck's Friday show on Fox News featured an audience made up entirely of conservative African-Americans from across America (and many disagreed with the "African-American" label).

They touched on many subjects. One talked about changing the image of black conservatives ... another said black children should not be ridiculed for speaking proper English or earning straight As in school or teased for "talking white" or "dressing white" ... they stressed education and one lady called it "plantation politics" at the White House because people were standing around waiting for their bills to be paid. A young investment broker said it was nonsense to redistribute wealth ... this administration's policies were called racist ... one man who was a tea party organizer said he had been called a tea bagger and redneck.

Again the education issue was important with one lady saying she had raised her children in a strict, Christian home with rules to follow. Kids, she said, should be taught the Constitution and Bill of Rights ... they know rap and pop songs but not our history.

There was so much more they talked about but I couldn't take notes fast enough. I was impressed by those who spoke and what they did for a living, and here are the ones I was able to jot down:

- Robin Martin, accountant
- Angel Robinson, Campaign for Liberty
- David Webb, Founder, Tea Party 365
- Barbara Summers, Former real estate agent
- Robert Broadus, Computer Programer
- Jibreel Riley, Student (who noted that we should wake up every day and thank God that we live in America)
- Rafiq Jenkins, data specialist
- Gordon Jenkins, Mayor of Monticello, NY
- Lenny McAllister, author of "Diary of a Mad Black P.Y.C."
- James Davemann, financial analyst
- Francisco Dan'Lyn, financial service company owner
- Shakera Jones, NYU School of Law Admissions Office
- Brandon Brice, Republican Strategist from Harlem
- Deneen Borelli, Project 21 Fellow
- Kevin Jackson, "The Big Black Lie" author
- Richard Fair, Government Affairs Specialist
- Khalid Thomas, Guest Service Representative
- Mychael Massie, Project 21
- Jerome Hudson, Retail Sales Consultant
- Lisa Fritsch, Radio Talk Show Host
- Maurice Sherrod, Bartender

Good show and good to hear from conservative black Americans who have definite opinions about the direction of this country.

Senior advisors appointed for McDonnell transition team

From Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell's office....

RICHMOND- Virginia Governor-elect Bob McDonnell announced today senior advisors to the transition. The advisors will assist the five official transition Co-Chairs, as well as the transition staff, with preparations for McDonnell taking office as the 71st Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia on January 16th. In addition, McDonnell announced four additional transition staff appointments. The appointments can be found at the bottom of this release.

For more information on the McDonnell Transition Co-Chairs, and the members of the transition staff, click here.

Senior Advisors to the Gubernatorial Transition

Michel Zajur- Richmond: Founder and President/CEO of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

W. Heywood Fralin- Roanoke: Chief executive officer of Medical Facilities of America. He is the Rector of the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia.

Ed Gillespie- Fairfax: Volunteered as General Chairman for McDonnell for Governor. He served as Counselor to President George W. Bush during the last 18 months of the Bush Administration and is former Chairman of both the Republican National Committee and the Republican Party of Virginia.

Frank Atkinson- Richmond: Chairman of McGuireWoods Consulting LLC and a partner in McGuireWoods LLP. He served as Counselor and Director of Policy in Governor George Allen’s administration.

Betsy Beamer- Richmond: Served as Secretary of the Commonwealth in Governor George Allen’s administration.

Thelma Drake- Norfolk: Represented Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives from 2004-2008. She formerly served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1996-2004.

Tom Davis- Fairfax: Represented Virginia’s 11th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives from 1995-2008. He served as Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee from 1998-2002.

Diana Cantor- Richmond: A lawyer, CPA and former investment banker at Goldman Sachs is a managing director of NY Private Bank & Trust. She served as the founder and Executive Director of the Virginia College Savings Plan from 1996-2007, an independent state agency. She is the wife of United States Congressman Eric Cantor, the House Republican Whip.

Glen Huff- Virginia Beach: Founder and a co-managing shareholder of Huff, Poole & Mahoney, P.C. in Virginia Beach.

Dave Barrett- Richmond: Vice Chairman of The Virginia Family Foundation.

Chuck Cunningham- Fairfax: Director of federal affairs for the National Rifle Association.

James S. Cheng- Fairfax: President of Totus Lighting Solutions. He formerly owned Computer and Hi-Tech Management, Inc. (CMH).

Judy Ford Wason- Williamsburg: Headed “Virginians for McDonnell” during the 2009 campaign. She was Executive Director of “Virginians for Mark Warner” in the 2001 gubernatorial race. She served as a Special Assistant for Intergovernmental Affairs for President Ronald Reagan, and managed Senatorial campaigns for former Senators Paul Trible and John Warner. She currently is involved with a number of Virginia civic and community groups, including the Christopher Newport University Center for Public Policy.

Laura Bush tonight on Greta Van Sustern

Former First Lady Laura Bush will be on Greta Van Sustern's show at 10:00 Eastern time tonight on the Fox News Channel talking about life after the White House and other topics.

After one year of Obama, there's little to celebrate

Never in American politics has someone come to power on such a bubble of expectation; never, inevitably, has the pricking of that bubble caused such shock. -- The London Telegraph, 11/3/09

Some may say there is nothing to celebrate after one year of Barack Obama's presidency as the country reels from a staggering debt, Democrats in Washington with a deaf ear toward citizens, and unemployment that has steadily risen to over 10% even though Obama promised more jobs if the stimulus bill was passed -- instead, there are less jobs.

The American mainstream media, ever walking lockstep with this president that they love, will not write about his shortfalls. But the European press will ... and has. Take a look at Britain's Telegraph as it looks back at Obama's first year as president.

On the health care bill:

The rhetoric that bore Mr Obama to office proved equal to electoral success, but not to economic management. Moreover, Mr Obama's most coveted legislative aim, the creation of a sort of national health service, remains elusive. The Wall Street Journal, the newspaper here of serious money, has just savaged the Bill as perhaps the worst inflicted on the American people since the era of Roosevelt. Its projected cost – $1.055 trillion over 10 years – is regarded as madness when America has a level of debt so astronomical that it (just) exceeds, per capita, that of Britain; and few outside a hard core of Obama devotees see it delivering what is needed, where it is needed.

On the Nobel Peace Prize:

Internationally, the lustre has worn off, too. Mr Obama might have won the Nobel Peace Prize, but the less said about that the better. The award was apparently decided in February, days after he entered the Oval Office.

On the European missile defense America had in place to protect our allies:

He gave up his missile defence system in eastern Europe: we all imagined the Russians would give something in return, but we are still waiting.

On trying to obtain the Olympics for Chicago:

More recently, he went to Copenhagen to try to secure the 2016 Olympics for Chicago, and failed.

On Afghanistan:

Now he is immersed in a deliberative exercise about whether to send more troops to Afghanistan. ... What the dilemma illustrates is that governing is not so easy as it might once have seemed; ... the expertise of the Obama campaign in managing image is useless when managing a country.

On America's staggering debt:

For all the difficulties of America's imperial burden, it is the domestic, and particularly the economic, front that Mr Obama and his colleagues are finding hardest to defend. America rejoiced when unemployment dropped in July, but the dawn was false. In the next two months it rose again by nearly 700,000. The projected cumulative deficit for the next 10 years is now $9 trillion, having just been revised upwards by $2 trillion. Perhaps it is because these sums are incomprehensible that Americans are no longer shocked by them: but someone will have to pay. There is no sign of the budget going into the black in any of the next 10 years....

On his attack of Fox News Channel:

Mr. Obama seems also to have made another bad mistake. Apparently shocked by the virulence of Fox News Channel's attacks on him, he has declared war on the network. ... Many voters feel the President has diminished himself by admitting to being so bothered by Fox, which for its part has turned up the abuse.

On his attack of conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh:

... Rush Limbaugh, the talk radio presenter, whom Mr. Obama and his friends have made the mistake of branding the leader of the Republican Party. That was meant to be an insult to the Republicans: it has transmuted into a further proof of the administration's weakness, and has elevated Mr. Limbaugh to an even higher position of influence. The President appears thin-skinned, immature and inexperienced. Mr. Limbaugh now taunts him outrageously to see what reaction he can provoke, such as by saying last weekend (on Fox, of course) that the President's attendance at the repatriation of dead American servicemen was a "photo opportunity" contrived because his popularity was slumping. The gloves are not just off; the knuckledusters are on.

The article goes on to say that Mr. Obama had better grow up fast because the 2010 Congressional elections may cause a shockwave through the Democrat Party. Sadly, America has been damaged and no amount of growing up is going to make it better.

CNN calls Rep. Eric Cantor a Republican on the rise

CNN has called U.S. House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA 7th CD) a Republican on the rise. Check out the video of his CNN interview.

Obama makes Americans wistful for George W. Bush

"I never thought I'd hear myself say it," one Democrat told me. "But Obama makes you feel that at least with Bush you knew where he was on something."

You won't read that in American newspapers ... but in Europe they are beginning to question Barack Obama's "coldness" and detached attitude toward Americans and the issues they face including the Fort Hood terrorist massacre.

The Telegraph took a look into the two presidents:

When Mr Bush's Republicans were defeated in the 2006 mid-term elections, it was the President himself who stepped up and declared that his party had received "a thumpin'". The Democratic defeats on Tuesday were not on anything like the same scale but Mr Obama acted as if nothing at all had happened.

Mr Obama had campaigned for Jon Corzine, New Jersey's Democratic governor, five times, twice just last Sunday. But when Mr Corzine lost by four points in a state Mr Obama won by 15 last year - a 19-point swing to Republicans - White House aides just shrugged.

In Virginia, which Mr Obama won by six points last year, prompting Democrats to declare an historic political realignment in the state, the Democratic candidate went down by 17 points in the biggest landslide since 1961 - a 23-point swing to the Grand Old Party.

It took Senator Mark Warner of Virginia to admit that his party "got walloped". For three days, Mr Obama maintained a studied silence about the results while his aides blamed them on local factors that had nothing to do with the President. And to think that it was Mr Bush who was always accused of being "in denial".

Our European neighbors took note of the President's strange national message of "condolence" after the Fort Hood terrorist massacre:

When the television networks cut to the President, viewers listened to him spend more than two surreal minutes talking to a gathering of Native Americans about their "extraordinary" and "extremely productive" conference, pausing to give a cheery "shout out" to a man named Dr Joe Medicine Crow. Only then did he briefly and mechanically address what had happened in Texas.

Even more telling was this observation:

Completely missing was the eloquence that Mr Obama employs when talking about himself. Absent too was any sense that the President empathised with the families and comrades of those murdered.

As to the Telegraph's suggestion that perhaps Barack Obama should try becoming more like President George W. Bush, I disagree. While Mr. Bush was heart-felt and sincere in his actions, I would prefer not to see a contrived Obama put on his acting cap and fake his way through, acting as if he cared. We have enough of that already.

Related post: Thank you former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush

This afternoon on Glenn Beck's TV show....

[UPDATE #1: Recap of Glenn Beck TV show featuring conservative African-Americans on Friday, Nov. 13, 2009.]

[UPDATE #2: Recap of Bill O'Reilly TV show featuring Glenn Beck with the Big Announcement.]

Glenn Beck will be hosting an entire audience of conservative African-Americans on this afternoon's 5:00 Glenn Beck show on Fox News Channel. Taped on Thursday, he said it was very insightful and well worth watching.

Than, at 8:00, he will be on Bill O'Reilly's show for a major announcement, something that was postponed after Mr. Beck's emergency appendectomedy last week.

Brigitte Gabriel: "Scourge of Political Correctness"

This lady impressed me the first time I heard her with her personal knowledge of radical Islam ... and she continues to impress as her organization, Act for America, spreads the message of terrorism and the dangers of political correctness.

Now she has come out with a video blasting those who refuse to speak the word "terrorist" and who suppress terrorism news thereby endangering all of America.

From Act for America:

Did you know that, from November 5th to November 10th, 85% of the news stories about the Ft. Hood attack produced by ABC, CBS and NBC did not mention the words “terror” or “terrorist”?

Did you know that investigators found personal business cards belonging to Nidal Hasan that had the initials “S.O.A” — “Soldier of Allah”? Only now are more and more news reports and commentators acknowledging, some very grudgingly, that Hasan was a jihadist.

There simply is too much evidence to ignore — even for the most stubborn politically correct apologists for radical Islam. Brigitte Gabriel has, of course, been following the Ft. Hood terrorist attack very closely, conducting numerous interviews since it happened. Today she gives her take on how this happened, why it could have been prevented, and what this means for the future. Click here to watch this very important message from Brigitte Gabriel.

And if you haven’t yet signed the petition calling for a government investigation of CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, click here to do so today. As of Friday morning, November 13th, nearly 19,000 people have added their names to this petition.

Act for America, located in Pensacola, FL, is an issues advocacy organization dedicated to effectively organizing and mobilizing the most powerful grassroots citizen action network in America, a grassroots network committed to informed and coordinated civic action that will lead to public policies that promote America’s national security and the defense of American democratic values against the assault of radical Islam.

School Choice news conference Monday

A news conference will be held Monday, November 16, 2009, at 11:30 am, to discuss the results of a survey of Virginia voters on education reform and school choice issues. Representatives from several state and national education, business, religious, and policy organizations will be there.

Those speaking at the news conference will include:

- Christian Braunlich, Vice President of the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy;
- Paul DiPerna, Research Director at the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice;
- Chris Saxman, Delegate, 20th District, and Chairman of School Choice Virginia;
- Virginia Walden Ford, Executive Director of DC Parents for School Choice;
- Jeff Caruso, Executive Director of the Virginia Catholic Conference.

The survey was sponsored by Virginia and regional organizations including the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy, Virginia Catholic Conference, the Family Foundation, the Chase Foundation of Virginia, the Alderson Family Foundation, Virginia Council for Private Education, Mid-Atlantic Catholic Schools Consortium, Old Dominion Association of Church Schools, Agudath Israel of America -- Mid-Atlantic Region, Verizon Virginia, Markel Corporation, Joe Ragan's Coffee and Office Products, School Choice Virginia, the Lexington Institute, and Americans for Prosperity -- Virginia.

National organizations include the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO), Association of Christian Schools International, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, National Catholic Educational Association, and United States-Mexico Cultural and Educational Foundation.

Del. Chris Saxman (R-20th House) continues his work on the school choice front, a cause he took up when first entering office in 2001. Not seeking reelection, he is expected to step up his efforts to provide this important choice for families.

President Bush secretly visited Fort Hood soldiers

President and Mrs. Bush grieve with traumatized soldiers

In the dignified manner we saw during his eight years in the White House, President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, made a secret visit to Fort Hood last Friday to visit and comfort grief-stricken military families.

With the Bush Crawford ranch only 30 miles away, the President wanted to make the trip but instructed that there be no publicity. That's typical of a President who had a genuine affection for the military men and women who served under him ... and the affection is returned by the majority of the troops.

According to Fox News:

Former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura secretly visited Fort Hood last night and spent "considerable time" consoling those who were wounded in Thursday's shooting spree, Fox News has learned.

The Bushes entered and departed the sprawling military facility in secret, having told the base commander they did not want press coverage of their visit, a source told Fox News.

The couple was described as "deeply concerned" about military families on Fort Hood after Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan allegedly opened fire on soldiers and civilians, killing 13 and wounding 38.

The LA Times wrote that the President and Larua spent their time "meeting with the wounded, family and soldiers, talking quietly and at times hugging them as they did in private at other times of crisis such as post-9/11."

A fellow Support the Troops organizer called my attention to Hillbuzz, a former Bush basher, and his blog entry, "Thank you former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush":

If you have been reading us for any length of time, you know that we used to make fun of “Dubya” nearly every day…parroting the same comedic bits we heard in our Democrat circles, where Bush is still, to this day, lampooned as a chimp, a bumbling idiot, and a poor, clumsy public speaker.

Oh, how we RAILED against Bush in 2000…and how we RAILED against the surge in support Bush received post-9/11 when he went to Ground Zero and stood there with his bullhorn in the ruins on that hideous day.

We were convinced that ANYONE who was president would have done what Bush did, and would have set that right tone of leadership in the wake of that disaster. President Gore, President Perot, President Nader, you name it. ANYONE, we assumed, would have filled that role perfectly.

Well, we told you before how much the current president, Dr. Utopia, made us realize just how wrong we were about Bush. We shudder to think what Dr. Utopia would have done post-9/11. He would have not gone there with a bullhorn and struck that right tone. More likely than not, he would have been his usual fey, apologetic self and waxed professorially about how evil America is and how justified Muslims are for attacking us, with a sidebar on how good the attacks were because they would humble us.

Honestly, we don’t think [a] President Gore would have been much better that day. The world needed George W. Bush, his bullhorn, and his indominable spirit that day…and we will forever be grateful to this man for that.

As we will always be grateful for what George and Laura Bush did this week, with no media attention, when they very quietly went to Ft. Hood and met personally with the families of the victims of this terrorist attack.

FOR HOURS.

The Bushes went and met privately with these families for HOURS, hugging them, holding them, comforting them.

The post goes on to thank them and apologize for past remarks.

President Bush's visit to Fort Hood came amid increasing reports from European newspapers that have noted the cold demeanor of President Barack Obama as compared to the previous compassionate president. More on that in another post.