Citizen Tom

Check out Raising an American flag on a free standing pole isn’t “aethetically pleasing” at Smash Mouth Politics.  

I first heard about the subject of John Doe’s post, an argument over taste and decor     , on the Mark Levin show.   Levin is caustic, but downloading his show is free, and his show is generally informative.  So I listen. 

When Levin mentioned what the Sussex Square homeowners’ association and their idiot lawyers  (Coates and Davenport) want to do to a 90-year-old veteran, I found myself shaking my head in disgust.   How can lawyers be so arrogant and stupid and still stay in business?  To make the affair impossibly absurd, the senior citizen these fools want to push around earned the  Medal of Honor.  Even at 90 years, Barfoot has more grit than any slick shyster.     

Other Views

United Conservatives of Virginia links to a poll, Take the Poll.  The site with the poll provides a little more background. UCV also has a couple of other posts on the subject.

Decision Virginia notes the politicians who are jumping on the bandwagon.  Here is the latest, Webb sends letter to HOA in defense of Barfoot.

VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local links to a good video, RHIP: Let him fly the flag.

The Lee Brothers Blog makes its position clear.  The Sussex Square community board of directors has No honor!  Honor.  That is a term we hear too little of these days, but we each should be willing to risk death for that in which we believe.  That is what Col Barfoot’s medal says about him.  He risked his life to protect us.  If we allow his service to be dishonored, we shame ourselves.

So who is providing voter guides?

The Prince William-Manassas Family Alliance

During this election year, The Prince William-Manassas Family Alliance has focused on Prince William County’s local House of Delegates races.  Their website both has Voter Guides and the results of detailed candidate questionnaires.   See the following blog posts.

• GETTING THE CANDIDATES’ POSITIONS: THE 13TH DISTRICT OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES; applies to the race between challenger John Bell and Delegate Bob Marshall.
• GETTING THE CANDIDATES’ POSITIONS: THE 50TH DISTRICT OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES; applies to Delegate Jackson Miller and challenger Jeanette Rishell.
• GETTING THE CANDIDATES’ POSITIONS: THE 51ST DISTRICT OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES; applies to the race between challenger Rich Anderson and Delegate Paul Nichols.
• GETTING THE CANDIDATES’ POSITIONS: THE 52ND DISTRICT OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES; applies to the race between challengers Rafael Lopez and Luke Torian.

The Family Family Foundation Action

The Family Family Foundation Action is a Virginia statewide organization; it now has regional guides.  Here is their guide for Prince William County.  If you are unsure your district, click here.

Note also that The Family Family Foundation Action has a Voter Guides that include the statewide offices.  See this website for a guide that reviews the positions of the following candidates.

Governor

• Creigh Deeds (D)
• Bob McDonnell (R)

Lieutenant Governor

• Jody Wagner (D)
• Bill Bolling (R)

Attorney General

• Stephen Shannon (D)
• Ken Cuccinelli (R)

The League of Women Voters of Virginia

The Prince William Area MAL Unit of the League of Women Voters of Virginia has their voter guide here.  This is a guide where the questions are general and the candidates describe themselves.

The Virginia Catholic Conference

The Virginia Catholic Conference is providing Pre-Election Resources on its home page.  Their Voter Guide for the Arlington Diocese is here.

Vote-VA.org

Vote-VA.org is a subsidiary organization to Vote-USA.org.  Vote-VA.org has relatively detailed information on the candidate’s positions here.  This site is well worth checking out.

A Little Voting Advice

When we vote, we want information on the candidates.  That includes where they stand on the issues.  Oddly, however, the candidates seem strangely reluctant to tell us where they stand on the issues.  Why is that?  Well, there are two basic problems.

• The first problem is what you might expect.  Some candidates do take unpopular positions; they do not want us to know what they intend to do when they get elected.
• The other problem is a bit more subtle.  It has to do with us, the electorate, not the candidates.  As human beings, we tend to focus on problems, not solutions.  When we see a candidate, we note our differences before we see those areas where we are in agreement.  So the candidates, in order to get elected, tend to limit their talking points to popular positions on just a few issues.

Therefore, the folks who prepare voter guides have a problem.   For both bad reasons and good reasons, the candidates cooperate reluctantly.  That leaves us voters with insufficient information.  When we vote, we can only guess what the guy we are voting for might do.

So what can we do?  We can demand that the people we elect be honest with us, and we can give them reason to be honest.  Instead of voting against candidates, we can vote for candidates.  What do I mean by that?  Stop and think for a moment what we really want from our elected officials.  Do we not want honorable men and women determined to protect our Rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness?  Well, just who is that?  Is it the politician/operator who knows how to work the system and “bring home the bacon,” or is it the principled leader determined to abide by his or her oath of office?

If we are not careful to elect honest and honorable people, then we will be led by sneaky and ambitious people.  These people may for a time “bring home the bacon,” but the ugly truth is that such operators are swindlers.  Too often this bacon they bring home consists pork barrel projects and welfare programs that rob Peter to pay Paul.  Such swindlers are just as likely to swindle us as they are anyone else.

So when we look at voter guides, let’s make certain of our criteria.  Let’s make our vote about what we are for, not what we are against.

We have General Election on November 3, 2009 (See the Virginia State Board of Elections for the list of the candidates running in your district.).  How can you prepare?  Do you want to know where the candidates stand on issues that affect you and your family.  Then please check out the voter guides provided by the following organizations.

• The Family Family Foundation Action (TFFA) provides voter guides for both statewide and the House of Delegates races.  See here.
• The Prince William-Manassas Family Alliance (PWMFA) provides voter guides for Prince William County’s House Delegates races.   See here.

PWMFA’s voter guides cover the following candidates for following races.

• 13th District of the House of Delegates — Challenger John Bell and Delegate Bob Marshall
• 50th District of the House of Delegates — Delegate Jackson Miller and challenger Jeanette Rishell
• 51st District of the House of Delegates — Challenger Rich Anderson and Delegate Paul Nichols
• 52nd District of the House of Delegates — Challengers Rafael Lopez and Luke Torian

The deadline to register to vote for the November 2009 statewide election is 5 p.m. Monday, October 5.   In this election, the citizens of Virginia will choose the members of the House of Delegates, the governor, the lieutenant governor and the attorney general.

When we vote, followers of Christ have the opportunity to express their love for their families and neighbors.   When we take the time to register, learn about the candidates and prayerfully vote, we can do so out of concern for the welfare of others.  We can do our best to discern which candidates are most honest and prudent and help them get elected.

The information you need to register to vote is located at the Virginia State Board of Elections.

Here is the list of the candidates for whom citizens in Prince William County will have the opportunity to cast their vote.

Last Tuesday I attended the debate between challenger John Bell and Delegate Bob Marshall.  The Prince William Committee of 100 (PWC100) sponsored the debate.  The PWC100, a well respected nonpartisan organization, strives to provide an educational forum on issues of local interest.  That includes hosting debates between local candidates for political office.

Currently, the PWC100 is hosting a series of debates related to the election of delegates whose districts include portions Prince William County.  In addition, the PWC100 has had some success hosting the debates of candidates for statewide offices.  The PWC100’s home page (here) includes a listing of the time and location of these debates.

Did you miss the debate between Bell and Marshall or between Delegate Jackson Miller and candidate Jeanette Rishell?  Then check out the videos of the debates.  Links to the videos are also on the same home page.

What was my impression of the debate between Bell and Marshall?  I think Marshall clearly won the debate.  Why do I think that?  Marshall distinguished himself by demonstrating expertise, a positive agenda, and a record for integrity.

In particular, Marshall demonstrated respect for our rights.  In that respect, we are unfortunate in that Marshall is in the minority of the General Assembly.  When the General Assembly voted to impose an unconstitutional taxation authority on Northern Virginia (see here, here and here), Marshall fought the legislation and got the Virginia Supreme Court to overturn the law 7 – 0.  In doing so, Marshall kept his oath of office to support and defend the Virginia Constitution.

Unbelievably,  Bell thinks that when Marshall kept his oath of office he made a mistake.  In other words, whenever the Constitution becomes a hindrance to his plans, Bell will set it aside.  On the public’s behalf, Bell is apparently willing to ignore his oath of office.  While Bell may be well intentioned, such behavior is not and would not be honorable.

The Virginia Constitution protects our rights.   Yet those such as Bell would ignore and undermine the Constitution when they think it necessary.  For the sake of short term gains, such dishonorable men ultimately do us far more harm than good.

Once again Marshall needs our help.  Because he has been effective, the Liberals are out to get him.  So as usual Marshall faces a well financed opponent.  As of the last report (here), Bell had raised $224,593.  Marshall has raised only $93,616 (see here).

How can you help Marshall win?  Money would be nice.  Volunteering your time can help even more.  Please contact Marshall’s campaign (go here) and volunteer.

News Reports

Surprisingly, the blogs had little to say.   The news reports generally favored Marshall.

On his website, Marshall cites Dan Roem’s report, Marshall, Bell debate transportation, priorities in race for 13th, on his campaign web site.  This LoudounTimes.com article demonstrates two facts.

• The debate covered a wide range of state issues.
• Marshall knows the issues.

Nonetheless, Roem “corrected” Marshall’s reference to an article by Charles Krauthammer.   Roem complained that Krauthammer says that health care bill we all have been arguing about does not contain death panels, and that is true.   However, Roem apparently did not read the whole article.   Here is the part of Krauthammer’s article Marshall referenced.

So why get Medicare to pay the doctor to do the counseling? Because we know that if this white-coated authority whose chosen vocation is curing and healing is the one opening your mind to hospice and palliative care, we’ve nudged you ever so slightly toward letting go.

It’s not an outrage. It’s surely not a death panel. But it is subtle pressure applied by society through your doctor. And when you include it in a health care reform whose major objective is to bend the cost curve downward, you have to be a fool or a knave to deny that it’s intended to gently point you in a certain direction, toward the corner of the sick room where stands a ghostly figure, scythe in hand, offering release.  (from here)

On his website, Bell cites Jonathan Hunley’s report, Bell pushes Marshall on social issues in debate.   This InsideNoVA.com publication highlighted Bell’s effort to paint Marshall as a Conservative focused solely on social issues.  Oddly, however, the article provides little to demonstrate Marshall’s supposed myopia.  Why?  What is implied is that Bell’s effort flopped.