A Sweet Blast From The Past

Recently, while working, my thoughts drifted back to the Ron Paul campaign. The meetup group of Greenville, SC often met at a coffee/ice cream shop called Spill The Beans. In the early stages of the primary season, in order to get patrons into the spirit of the event, the shop offered various ice cream combinations based upon many of the candidates. Below were the six choices.

Giuliani, Paul, and Clinton

Romney, Obama, McCain

Some things you should note:
1. Yes, Rudy Giuliani did visit.
2. Unlike Fox News and the New Hampshire debates, this shop included Dr. Paul. Of course I ordered it…pretty tasty too.
3. Check out the price tag associated with Senator Clinton. Given the ingredient list and the price, I’m guessing they didn’t respect her much.
4. Whoops, misspelled the future president’s name.
5. John McCain’s special seemed about as appealing as his plan for government purchased mortgages. If you note, they say, “so far we’ve sold just one, to Mr. L. Graham of Oconee County”. For those unfamiliar with South Carolina politics, they are referring to Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Senator McCain’s biggest supporters in South Carolina and nationwide.

No great revelation here, just thought you might find these pictures interesting.

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A Little Bird Told Me

Tweet! Tweet! That’s the sound of twittering, or so they tell me. Personally, I still don’t understand the value of this service. Most updates I read don’t seem to have any real value. Do you honestly want to read every detail of a person’s life? 8:30 Got up this morning. 8:40 Shaved + took a shower. 8:50 Brkfst. Exciting stuff huh? Heck, I don’t need complete sentences, or even properly spelled words.

So, who really cares and why should I write about this subject? Well, if you will recall, earlier this year a number of Republicans were upset at Jeff Frederick when he tweeted about a potential shift in power in the Virginia Senate. The deal didn’t come to pass and therefore some people blamed Frederick for leaking the deal too early and to the wrong people. It provided additional ammo in the battle to unseat Jeff Frederick’s RPV chairmanship. For some unexplainable reason, the other day I decided to check out Delegate Frederick’s twitter page once more. What I found was surprising. He wrote, “I’d never want to be in the trenches w/ Bill Howell. He’ll cut and run as soon as the first bullet is fired.” 7:00 AM Aug 28th. Now why would Delegate Frederick write such a comment about Speaker Howell? Did they have some sort of recent disagreement over a bill in the General Assembly? Does this conflict extend from Frederick’s removal as chairman? Or is it just sour grapes? Without any additional details, it’s impossible to tell his motives.

Given twitter’s limited nature, I don’t think it a useful tool to express political statements. It creates too much speculation and given that anyone can read it, it can often end up in the wrong hands. It certainly shouldn’t be used for private communication. Then again, should Delegate Frederick or any other public official feel it necessary to air public comments in some form other than a press release, I would suggest a blog. Personally, I’d be happy to offer this blog as a forum and I’m guessing many of my fellow bloggers would feel likewise.

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The Passing of Senator Kennedy

Although he was ill for some time now, I would expect the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy still came as quite a shock to many people. Unlike many other commentators, to borrow a quote from Shakespeare’s Marc Antony, I seek not to praise, but to bury him. Now everyone can agree that Senator Kennedy was a man who was passionate about his politics and I can certainly respect such enthusiasm for American governance. However, he consistently sought to use the federal government as a tool to reshape society in a liberal image, irrespective of the Constitutional limitations. He attempted to tear down our immigration laws and supported the murder of the unborn. So I ask, how can I honor such a man? I could continue on, but out of respect for the dead I shall refrain at this time. Nevertheless, the bottom-line remains that his philosophy and mine are incompatible and I believe he did much harm to the citizens of this nation.

Still, I ask you to join me in praying for the Kennedy family. Although we knew him as the liberal senior Senator from Massachusetts, they knew him as a father, brother, and uncle. Let’s remember them in their time of mourning.

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A Couple of Feathers

Yesterday while browsing Facebook, I ran across the former logo of my Alma Mater, the College of William & Mary. The logo was a green W and M with gold trim accompanied by golden feathers with green tips. I say former logo as it was retired sometime in either 2006 or 2007. The logo did not simply fall out of favor or was in need of a modern facelift; rather, in another case of political correctness gone amuck, it was deemed offensive by the NCAA. But wait! You see Native Americans might take offense to the feathers. What? Feathers?!? First of all, how Native Americans have a monopoly on feather depiction is simply beyond me. Second, if you care to examine potential insensitivity in sports, what about the Washington Redskins or the Chicago Blackhawks? What offends more, Chief Wahoo or a couple of feathers?

Assuming Native Americans have an exclusive right to feathers, let’s move on and consider other national symbols. How about my ancestors, the Germans? What symbol or symbols do you think of when it comes to Germany? Ok, not that one. Although the swastika originated somewhere in India and Pakistan, and was used by the Roman Empire, in the hands of the Nazis it was infused with much evil. That symbol is pretty much beyond redemption in the western world given its association with totalitarianism, rabid nationalism, militarism, and genocide. So how about the Tatzenkreuz? The what? You should know it as the shape of the Iron Cross. Although originating much earlier than the Iron Cross, the Tatzenkreuz came to symbolize the rise of the modern German state both before and during the Nazi Era. Not only used as awards, it also appeared on a number of versions of the flag of the Second Reich. Therefore, should I, as a descendent of Germans, be offended when I see it used by others? Hardly. But, Joshua, you say, that’s different! Is it really? Is it just because of Native Americans minority status? Although whites make up a majority of the American population, I assure you that those of German ancestry are in the minority. Should we be afforded special rights and privileges too? Taking this argument to its illogical conclusion, I wonder if we want a society where every person and every group is treated the same under the law or do we wish to be divided and pitted against each other in racial warfare?

All I ask for is my college logo back. Are two feathers that offensive and racially inconsiderate? If you think so, feel free to tell me why. Unfortunately, I know that the W&M debate is over. Common sense fell prey to liberal/feel-good sensibilities back in 2006, but that doesn’t mean that it has to in the future. Honestly, can you imagine all that fuss over a couple of feathers?

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The Return of the Virginia Conservative

Good evening everyone and welcome back to my blog, The Virginia Conservative. I know that it has been a bit of time since my last post (two whole weeks!) and I wanted to apologize for the delay. For those who follow my writing, you will know that although I was employed until very recently, I had been in the job market for some time. Now you may think it odd for me to apologize to you, the reader, for this gap. After all, this blog is free…I haven’t seen a single dime in profit. Still, I take pride in this blog and hope to offer ongoing commentary in a timely fashion. In truth, I really do enjoy writing this blog, even if it doesn’t put bread on the table. Like you, I’ve visited those supposedly great sites that now only update every couple of months and I think to myself, what’s the point? The Virginia Conservative must not die. So yes, updates will return…though as Election Day draws closer here in Virginia I would expect they might get a bit scarce. Nevertheless, I’m happy to be back.

For Liberty With Responsibility!

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Faith, Freedom, and Free Lunch

“We believe that the greatness of America lies not in the federal government but in the character of our people.” I wholeheartedly agree. Such is the motto of the newly created Faith & Freedom Coalition. About a week ago I received an email from these folks. The purpose of the message was for the group to contact conservatives in the Shenandoah Valley, promising a free lunch to activists and pastors alike. Headlining the event was the head of the national organization, Ralph Reed. If you will recall, Ralph Reed’s major claim to fame was as the former Executive Director of the Christian Coalition. Not surprisingly, like the Christian Coalition this group seeks to educate, activate, and motivate conservative Christians. It is not as easy of a task as you would think as unfortunately a considerable number of Christians still feel uncomfortable participating in politics.

But, besides the above tag line, for what does this group stand? According to a handout presented at the lunch, the principles of the Faith & Freedom Coalition are:
– Respect for the sanctity and dignity of life, family, and marriage as the foundations of a free society.
– Limited government, lower taxes and fiscal responsibility to unleash the creative energy of entrepreneurs.
– Education reform that puts children first.
– Help the poor, the needy, and those who have been left behind.
– Free markets and free minds to create opportunity for all.
– Victory in the struggle with terrorism and tyranny while supporting our democratic allies, including Israel.
Although I’d like a few more details, especially when it comes to the topics of education reform and help for the needy, they do seem to promote the same values as I. Nevertheless, the last point could present problems, if they embrace the neoconservative agenda of global domination and preemptive war…and blanket support for any nation is troubling. We should certainly work with our allies, but not unconditionally, for nations often change based upon what person or group presently leads them. One needs only to look to Post World War I Germany and Italy, the fall of the Shah in Iran, or Castro’s Cuba.

I’m always glad to see a new conservative organization. In conjunction with the national organization, Virginia also has it’s own chapter led by Jack Rohrer. You can find the national website here and the Virginia website is here. Go check them out and get connected.

Oh and here’s a couple of pictures from the event.

Partial Crowd From the Faith & Freedom Meeting

Ralph Reed

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