HB 1160 still in play!

As pointed out in the comments in the post below Rep Cox voted against an amendment  for good reasons and not the bill so it is still in play and I am still eating my hat, yum, in the meantime please call your rep and urge them to vote to bass Bob Marshall's Bill.


 URGENT: DIRECTLY FROM DEL. MARSHALL ON THE SURVIVABILITY OF HB 1160 NDAA:

CALL AND LEAVE MESSAGES. FAX. PRESENT YOURSELF FRONT AND CENTER.
"THEREFORE, those who support HB 1160 should contact their Senators TONIGHT and ask them to RECEDE FROM THE SENATE AMENDMENTS AND VOTE IN FAVOR OF THE HOUSE PASSED VERSION OF HB 1160 when it comes up for a vote TOMORROW, March 8, 2012.

Cox votes to kill bill protecting Virginians from NDAA

This Bill address the indefinite detention provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

HB 1160 Unlawful detention of U.S. citizens; 
prevents any agency, etc., from assisting in investigation. 
floor: 03/06/12

Please urge your own state Senator to vote in favor of HB 1160.  Since the Governor had previously sent a message to the House of Delegates Subcommittee Chairman that he does not like my bill, unless there is a groundswell of support for it, it may not survive the final vote in the full Senate despite its already passing the House Subcommittee, full Committee, full House floor and Senate Committee.  ~Bob Marshall

House: VOTE: REJECTED (48-Y 51-N) 


YEAS--
Albo, Anderson, Bell, Richard P., Bell, Robert B., Bulova, Byron, Cline, Cole, Crockett-Stark, Englin, Farrell, Filler-Corn, Gilbert, Greason, Herring, Hope, Iaquinto, James, Joannou, Johnson, Keam, Knight, Lewis, Lingamfelter, Marshall, R.G., Morefield, Morrissey, O'Quinn, Peace, Plum, Pogge, Ransone, Robinson, Rush, Rust, Scott, J.M., Sherwood, Sickles, Spruill, Surovell, Torian, Ware, R.L., Watson, Watts, Webert, Wilt, Wright, Yancey--48. 


NAYS--
Alexander, BaCote, Brink, Carr, Comstock, Cosgrove, Cox, J.A., Cox, M.K., Dance, Dudenhefer, Edmunds, Fariss, Garrett, Head, Helsel, Hodges, Howell, A.T., Hugo, Ingram, Jones, Kilgore, Kory, Landes, LeMunyon, Lopez, Loupassi, Marshall, D.W., Massie, May, McClellan, McQuinn, Merricks, Miller, Minchew, Morris, O'Bannon, Orrock, Poindexter, Purkey, Putney, Ramadan, Scott, E.T., Stolle, Tata, Toscano, Tyler, Villanueva, Ward, Ware, O., Yost, Mr. Speaker--51.1


Our own fellow Hanovarian John Cox voted against a provision limiting federal overreach:

 "will prevent the use of any Virginia agency or member of the Virginia National Guard or Virginia Defense Force to assist in any way to unlawfully detain a citizen of Virginia on behalf of the United States Government in violation of the U.S. and Virginia Constitutions."

A nay vote cannot said to reflect conservatism in any manner whatsoever.  

Some action in the GA:

A couple things to take note of:

First is House Bill H.R. 347 which falls under the National Defense Authorization Act which is a big bag of weasels in itself, suffice it to say many have concerns with regard to personal liberties further eroding and the seeming threat of giving the government the authority to dismiss the Constitution outright and snatch citizens off the street.

H.R. 347 contains the following language which seems to give credance to the concern previously mentioned:

...knowingly, and with intent to impede or disrupt the orderly conduct of Government business or official functions, engages in disorderly or disruptive conduct in, or within such proximity to, any restricted building or grounds when, or so that, such conduct, in fact, impedes or disrupts the orderly conduct of Government business or OFFICIAL FUNCTIONS;" 

This means if your standing on the street corner carrying signs, protesting at an event where a Government Official (Employee) is located, you will be arrested.  Not very friendly towards the Tea Party is it?

Now who would vote for such as this?   Why our own Eric Cantor!  But wait it gets better!

The Virginia General assembly passes Bill 1160 Nullifying HR 347! How about that!  Eric Cantor completely out of step with both sides of the aisle in his own state!  Could Virginia deliver a more devastating rebuttal to Cantor? 

One must ask why would a congressman who refuses to hold townhall meetings with his constituents seek to have them arrested in the first place?

The Vote in Va's Senate was 39 to 1- veto proof.  Read more- click here.

Moving on here is another great piece of legislative news! HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 3

That the General Assembly shall pass no law whereby private property, the right to which is fundamental, shall be damaged or taken except for public use. No private property shall be damaged or taken for public use without just compensation to the owner thereof. No more private property may be taken than necessary to achieve the stated public use. Just compensation shall be no less than the value of the property taken, lost profits and lost access, and damages to the residue caused by the taking. The terms “lost profits” and “lost access” are to be defined by the General Assembly. A public service company, public service corporation, or railroad exercises the power of eminent domain for public use when such exercise is for the authorized provision of utility, common carrier, or railroad services. In all other cases, a taking or damaging of private property is not for public use if the primary use is for private gain, private benefit, private enterprise, increasing jobs, increasing tax revenue, or economic development, except for the elimination of a public nuisance existing on the property. The condemnor bears the burden of proving that the use is public, without a presumption that it is.

The Richmond Tea Party had this to say:

"On Monday, the Virginia General Assembly passed a landmark resolution affecting private property rights.  It paves the way for Virginians to vote on whether they would like their private property rights amended to the Virginia Constitution.  Later this year, on the same day we Virginians will vote for a US president and a new US senator—Tuesday, November 6—we will also be able to vote to protect our private property rights. "

From Delegate Rob Bell, author of the bill: 

"Dear Friend:

Today the General Assembly endorsed my House Joint Resolution 3, which would place improved property rights protections into the Virginia Constitution.  The measure is intended to prevent abusive use of eminent domain.

HJR 3 passed the State Senate 24-16 and had previously passed the House of Delegates 80-18.  Along with a reciprocal measure, it will now be sent to the Virginia voters in referendum on Election Day, 2012.

HJR 3 would state that the government could only take private property for public use.  In addition, the government would be required to take no more property than necessary for the public use, and the Government would bear the burden of proving that the use was, in fact, public.

I am obviously very excited that the voters will have a chance to stand up for property rights.  I have been concerned about Constitutional protections for property rights since the Supreme Court’s infamous 2005 ruling Kelo v. New London, which held that a local government could use eminent domain to take private property from a homeowner and transfer it to a private company.  I believe property rights are fundamental, and need to be protected by the Constitution." 

Good news all around.  To bad Eric Cantor has so little in common with Virginians- seems he serves Washington DC rather then the concerns of Virginians living in his district.

Observations From Down Under

The Australian people are wonderful and have a great affinity for Americans, while visiting that nation I was surprised to learn that they follow our politics almost as closely as their own.  We were there for a couple of weeks traveling and never missed what was going on here.   Australia even has  "Tea Party"!  Good on ya!
Why they've even made a list and checked it twice:


By The Australian Tea Party

Obama...the list of accomplishments.

He truly is a President of FIRSTS!
A gallon of regular gasoline the day Obama was inaugurated was $1.79 on average in the U.S. Today that price is $3.59, a 100.6% increase. The number of food stamp recipients has risen since Obama took office from 31,983,716 to 43,200,878, a 35.1% jump. Long term unemployment soared 146.2% during the same 34 month period from 2,600,000 to 6,400,000. Staggering hope and change isn’t it?

American citizens living in poverty have risen 9.5% from 39,800,000 to 43,600,000, and the number of unemployed has jumped almost 25% from 11,616,000 to 14,485,000 as of August 31, 2011. The number of unemployed blacks has risen from 12.6% at the end of George Bush’s term to 15.8% today, a 25.4% increase, and finally, our national debt is up 44.3% from 10.627 trillion to 15.337 trillion.

Keep these figures in mind as we recount the number of firsts for this presidency:
First President to refuse to show a valid birth certificate.
First President to apply for college aid as a foreign student then denies he was a foreigner.
First President to have a social security number from a state he has never lived in.
First President to preside over a cut to the credit rating of the United States.
First President to violate the War Powers Act.
First President to be held in contempt of court for illegally obstructing oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
First President to defy a Federal Judges court order to cease implementing the Health Care Reform Law.
First President to require all Americans to purchase a product from a third party.
First President to spend a trillion dollars on shovel-ready jobs and later admit there was no such thing as shovel-ready jobs.
First President to abrogate bankruptcy law to turn over control of companies to his union supporters.
First President to by-pass Congress and implement the Dream Act through executive fiat.
First President to order a secret amnesty program that stopped the deportation of illegal immigrants across the U.S., including those with criminal convictions.
First President to demand a company hand-over $20 billion to one of his political appointees.
First President to terminate America’s ability to put a man in space.
First President to encourage racial discrimination and intimidation at polling places.
First President to have a law signed by an auto-pen without being present.
First President to arbitrarily declare an existing law unconstitutional and refuse to enforce it.
First President to threaten insurance companies if they publicly speak-out on the reasons for their rate increases.
First President to tell a major manufacturing company in which state they are allowed to locate a factory.
First President to file lawsuits against the states he swore an oath to protect (AZ, WI, OH, IN).
First President to withdraw an existing coal permit that had been properly issued years ago.
First President to fire an inspector general of Ameri-Corps for catching one of his friends in a corruption case.
First President to appoint 45 Czars to replace elected officials in his office.
First President to golf 73 separate times in his first two and a half years in office.
First President to hide his medical, educational and travel records.
First President to win a Nobel Peace Prize for doing NOTHING to earn it.
First President to coddle American enemies while alienating America’s allies.
First President to go on multiple global apology tours.
First President to go on 17 lavish vacations, including date nights and Wednesday evening White House parties for his friends, paid for by the taxpayer.
First President to refuse to wear the U.S. Flag lapel pin.
First President to have 22 personal servants (taxpayer funded) for his wife.
First President to keep a dog trainer on retainer for $102,000.00 a year at taxpayer expense.
First President to repeat the Holy Qur’an tells us, and openly admits the early morning call of the Azan (Islamic call to worship) is the most beautiful sound on earth.

Remember that in 37months of Obama ‘We the people’ have accumulated national debt at a rate of more than 27 times as fast as during the rest of our nation’s entire history.
Hope and change anyone?

* sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Wall Street Journal, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Dept. of Labor, Standard & Poors/Case-Shiller, Federal Reserve, US Treasury, Heritage Foundation.

Pharaoh's Socialist Experiment

Folks I can't say if this was ever read as a sermon (seems a bit short to me) but it is a fine exposition on a lesson in human nature recorded in Holy Writ. Presented as found:

"VIRGINIA CHURCH SERVICE
This article is supposedly from a Pastor of a predominantly black church in Virginia. Whether this is from a real sermon or not, this sermon makes a valid point. Perhaps each one of us should decide who our real leader is. It is amazing to see that very little has changed in 4,000 years.  Think about the implication in regard to government run healthcare. 

RECENT VIRGINIA CHURCH SERVICE -STIMULUS SERMON 

Genesis 47:13-27Good morning brothers and sisters; it’s always a delight to see the crowded pews on Sunday morning, and so eager to get into God’s Word.  Turn with me in your Bibles, if you will to Genesis 47.  We’ll begin our reading at verse 13, and go through verse 27. 

Brother Ray, would you stand and read that great passage for us?  

….(reading)… 

Thank you for that fine reading, Brother Ray….. 

So we see that economic hard times fell upon Egypt , and the people turned to the government of Pharaoh to deal with this for them.  And Pharaoh nationalized the grain harvest, and placed the grain in great storehouses that he had built.
So the people brought their money to Pharaoh, like a great tax increase, and gave it all to him willingly in return for grain. And this went on until their money ran out, and they were hungry again. 

So when they went to Pharaoh after that, they brought their livestock -their cattle, their horses, their sheep, and their donkey –to barter for grain, and verse 17 says that only took them through the end of that year, But the famine wasn’t over, was it? 

So the next year, the people came before Pharaoh and admitted they had nothing left, except their land and their own lives. ”There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land. 

Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh.” So they surrendered their homes, their land, and their real estate to Pharaoh’s government, and then sold themselves into slavery to him, in return for grain. 

What can we learn from this, brothers and sisters? 

That turning to the government instead of to God to be our provider in hard times only leads to slavery? Yes.. That the only reason government wants to be our provider is to also become our master? Yes. 

But look how that passage ends, brothers and sisters! 

Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt , in the land of Goshen, they gained possessions in it, were fruitful and multiplied greatly.”  God provided for His people, just as he always has! They didn’t end up giving all their possessions to government, no, it says they gained possessions! 

But I also tell you a great truth today, and an ominous one. We see the same thing happening today – the government today wants to “share the wealth “once again, to take it from us and redistribute it back to us. It wants to take control of healthcare, just as it has taken control of education, and ration it back to us. When government rations it, government decides who gets it, the amount, and what kind. If we go along with it, and do it willingly, then we will wind up no differently than the people of Egypt did four thousand years ago —as slaves to the government, and as slaves to our leaders. 

What Mr. Obama’s government is doing now is no different from what Pharaoh’s government did then, and it will end the same. And a lot of people like to call Mr. Obama a “Messiah,” don’t they? 

Is he a Messiah? Is he a savior? Didn’t the Egyptians say, after Pharaoh made them his slaves, “You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh”? 

Well, I tell you this –I know the Messiah; the Messiah is a friend of mine; and Mr. Obama is no Messiah! No, brothers and sisters, if Mr. Obama is a character from the Bible, then he is Pharaoh. 

Bow with me in prayer, if you will.
Lord, You alone are worthy to be served, we rely on You, and alone. We confess that the government is not our deliverer, and never will be. 

We read in the eighth chapter of 1st Samuel, when Samuel warned the people of what a ruler would do, where it says “And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day….” And Lord, we acknowledge that day has come. We cry out to you because of the ruler that we have chosen for ourselves as a nation. Lord, we pray for this nation. We pray for revival, and we pray for deliverance from those who would be our masters. Give us hearts to seek You and hands to serve You, and protect Your people from the atrocities of Pharaoh’s government.
In God We Trust…Amen and Amen

Chesterfield Get's it - No Agenda 21!

"Chesterfield County, VA residents, the Board of Supervisors pushed away the Comprehensive Plan Draft and gave the Planning Commission instruction to go back and develop an entirely new and different plan that works for Chesterfield and not for the supporters of Agenda 21. The new plan will be based on thecurrent plan in place with changes that will help everyone in our county based on the specifics of your area, not a cookie cutter plan. Area's of Chesterfield need to retain their distinction and look forward to new plan that is developed. Just two weeks ago, the board admitted it was headed in a very different direction. The involvement of many citizens have made such an impact of explaining Agenda 21, and how the plan that was shown the door today would affect our lives as residents. Citizens of Chesterfield Co., this would never have happened if we all stay at home and never speak out on how we feel about our community. Today, all citizens win, and I want to thank the entire board for their willingness to listen to the citizens that chose to get involved, and to the citizens who did, you should be commended as well. ~ Daren L. Gardner (FB)"

 People are waking up to the reality of Agenda 21.   Hanoverians need to step up and press for the same result here.  

Congratulations are in order for the perseverance of Chesterfields patriots!  Way to go!

Romney's Record from the McCain 08 Campaign

Mitt Romney

A lot of people endorsing Mitt Romney to be the Nominee including John McCain, Jimmy Carter, Bob Dole, Chris Christie, Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Party, Ann Coulter, the Dinosaur Media and FOX has all but changed their name to MITT.

What gives?  Rush Limbaugh believes the GOP Elite want Romney because they don't care about the Presidency and don' want a pot stirrer to damage their chances in the Senate.

McCain trounced Romney in the 08 primary- much harder on Willard then he was on Barry and here is what he dug up on Romney in that campaign  CLICK HERE.  Surely Ann Coulter has read this.  So why are conservatives and Obama's allies in league with one another for a man who lost to the man who lost to Obama?


Here is a sampling of Romney's record:

 State spending increased at well over rate of inflation under Romney’s watch, estimated at 24% - more than $5 billion – over Romney’s final three years. 

 Under Romney, Massachusetts dramatically underperformed the rest of the nation in terms of job growth. 

 Romney has been criticized by experts for failing to deliver on issues of business development and economic growth after selling himself as the “CEO governor.” 

 2006 report issued by quasi-public Massachusetts Technology Collaborative warned the state was losing its grip as leader in “innovation economy” and that tech job was alarmingly slow. 

 Romney left his successor to fill a budget deficit exceeding $1 billion. 

 Romney raised state fees and taxes more than $700 million per year, according to independent experts. 

 Romney raised fees by roughly $500 million in his first year alone, a figure that was highest in the nation. 

 Romney quadrupled gun licensing fees and raised fees on first responders, real estate transactions, the blind, golfers and many others. 

Sure seems strange that Shaun Hannity, Ann Coulter, Bill OReilly as well as Jimmy Carter, Nancy Pelosi are all so eager to see this guy get the nod.

Senator McDougle's Weekly Session Update - Week 1

Forwarding this from Senator McDougle's :

The Virginia General Assembly began its 2012 Session on Wednesday, January 11, 2012, with all 100 Delegates and 40 Senators taking their oaths of office marking the beginning of their terms.

As you could probably tell from the news coverage, media attention was focused squarely on the Senate, where the day’s business took considerably longer to complete.  The election of 20 Republican and 20 Democratic Senators guaranteed that every aspect of opening day activities in the Senate would be closely monitored.  The media was waiting for a pitched partisan battle.  What they got instead was a Senate with members disagreeing, but doing so in a thoroughly professional, courteous “senatorial” way.

The most contentious debates in the Senate were marked by civility.  Instead of over-the-top rhetoric and wild accusations, discussions over the merits of changes to the Rules, assignments to standing committees, and the constitutional prerogatives and responsibilities of the Lieutenant Governor were the focus of the day.  These are not debate topics that guarantee excitement among viewers and spectators.  But, they are important nonetheless.

The core of the disagreement between the two parties is the role of Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor, who presides over the Senate and is empowered by the Constitution of Virginia to break tie votes in all but a few circumstances.  The Lieutenant Governor’s responsibilities in Virginia are similar to those of the Vice President of the United States, who is the presiding officer of the United States Senate and empowered to break ties in that body.  Because Lieutenant Governor Bolling is a Republican, the Senate’s partisan “tie” effectively becomes a 21-to-20 Republican majority.  So for the first time in four years, Republicans are the majority caucus in the Virginia Senate.

STATE OF THE COMMONWEALTH

The first day of every General Assembly session concludes with the Governor’s State of Commonwealth Address to a joint session of the House and Senate.  This year, Governor McDonnell’s address marked the impressive progress Virginia has made over the last two years and detailed his legislative priorities.  Virginia now has the distinction of having the lowest unemployment rate in our region, and the Governor is committed to continuing that progress.  His agenda includes multiple measures to further strengthen Virginia’s business environment to create jobs.

Continuing his efforts to make state government more efficient and effective, Governor McDonnell also outlined his proposals to streamline state government by reducing and consolidating some state agencies, departments, boards and commissions.  To keep government spending under control, the Governor announced a new effort to study and address unfunded federal mandates.  And to ensure that Virginia does not experience a pension crisis like the ones plaguing several states, he is proposing the greatest employer funding of the Virginia Retirement System in Virginia history.

Making improvements and instituting reforms to Virginia’s education system is a major component of Governor McDonnell’s agenda.  He is proposing that Virginia’s state-supported colleges and universities receive a significant funding boost.  He is also proposing major reforms and increased funding for Virginia’s public schools.           

COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS

            Like most legislative bodies, the Senate uses a committee system to review legislation.  After a bill is submitted, it is sent to one of eleven standing committees for review.  Each of the committees considers specific areas of legislation.  The members of the committees screen bills, sometimes suggesting amendments and determining whether or not they should be considered by the entire Senate.

I’ve been appointed to serve on five Senate Committees and am excited to have been appointed as the new Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee.  The Rules Committee, which handles a myriad number of responsibilities relating to managing and operating the Senate of Virginia and the General Assembly, is comprised of members of the leadership of both parties and the body’s most senior members.

In addition to my appointment as Chairman of the Rules Committee, I’ve been named as a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which is responsible for all legislation relating to spending and taxation and is charged with crafting a budget for the Commonwealth.

I will continue to serve as a member of the Senate Transportation, Courts of Justice, and Rehabilitation and Social Services Committees.

We are now set up in our offices in Richmond.  My legislative assistant, Anne Creasy, is staffing our office here, located in Room 314 of the General Assembly Building.  You can contact us by sending an e-mail toDistrict04@senate.virginia.gov, or by sending a letter to me at Senate of Virginia, P.O. Box 396, Richmond VA 23218-0396.  You can also call us at 804.698.7504.

This newspaper has generously agreed to print these columns during the General Assembly session.  This is a public service on their part, one for which I am very grateful.

Look here next week for more news from Richmond.

Ryan T. McDougle