Issa Calls for Special Prosecutor

While I appreciate the motivation behind this and can certainly condemn the abject corruption that this White House is known for, I must wait before I entertain any thoughts concerning the appropriateness about “special prosecutors.” It is my view that government does few things well, at least the things that matter. That said, any quid pro quo that has occurred should be brought to light.

(Yes, I am aware of the circular nature of my statement above. At this point, I simply don’t have a better alternative to the special prosecutor.)

Mike Pence: SRLC 2010

 

The more I hear, the more I like this guy. Darkhorse for 2012? Let me know what you think? Seriously, give me your input on Mike Pence in my comments section. I’ll post the other parts of his speech later.

Heaton: Straight talk

If you want to understand Jeremiah Heaton, you need to go check out his website. There is a video on the front page of his site that voters in the Ninth District need to see. It is entitled “Coal Mining and Leadership.”

While I have respect for other candidates running against Boucher, Jeremiah Heaton talks plain and talks straight. I’ve not had the opportunity to meet Mr. Heaton as yet, but I look forward to having that opportunity to speak with him.

Aside from the snide remarks that J. Todd and the Gang on Morrison had about Mr. Heaton having coal mining on his business card, it is important to understand that Mr. Heaton is a card carrying coal miner.

Another take on SRLC 2010

SWAC Girl has this about the Southern Republican Leadership Conference and Mike Pence’s appearance there. Pence is starting to get noticed as a darkhorse candidate for 2012.  My like for Pence is pretty well known.  This video demonstrates why:

Rep. Mike Pence: Administration Solutions: Spend, Tax, Repeat from RNC New Media on Vimeo.

Crooked what?

Before the claws come out, I’m a supporter of bluegrass and mountain music in every way possible. However, I have a few questions about this “music trail.”

 

1. Has this designation created one new manufacturing or farming job in each of the counties the road winds through?

2. Does this designation entitle Virginia’s Ninth District to a special place at the appropriations table in Congress? Do we benefit in some unseen way?

3. What happens if the Crooked Road becomes straight?

 

I challenge anyone to name one job that’s been created or attracted here because of the “Crooked Road.”  There is however, a place in the upper end of Washington County that could attract a medium or large capital company to create jobs. It is called “The Glade Highlands Industrial Park.” Where are the jobs that were promised? The almost $1 million dollars in low or no interest loans have done little to nothing to draw companies willing to invest in the community or the county instead we keep drawing in transitory cash from the truck stop. Our capital is being send north with the truckers.

Never mind the almost 1,200 jobs a year that Virginia stands to lose if Cap and Tax is enacted.Instead, Washington County is becoming the Meth capital of Southwest Virginia and Rick Boucher and his union cronies are smiling all the way to re-election each term. Kilo sparks things up with his observation about the Feckless One’s inability to deliver on good paying, permanent jobs.

It’s not about trying to chase a pot of gold, it’s not even about trying to get the finer things in life, in some instances, one of these jobs could be the difference between standing in line at the free clinic in Meadowview or being seen by a specialist at The Campus for the kids. A job that a man can hang his hat on and feel secure at. Come on Rick, give us something better than the Crooked Road.

2012: A Darkhorse year?

Brian Kirwin, from Bearing Drift, has an interesting perspective on the 2012 GOP field. While I don’t disagree with his assessment entirely, I have to point out that Ron Paul can put boots to the ground when it’s needed. He does energize younger voters and in my view, still has somewhat of an outsider appeal, although he’s been in Washington for years. Brian asks the question, if not Romney or Palin or Paul, then who?

A credible alternative, in my estimation, would be Mike Pence. Well liked by most conservatives, Pence offers a sensible alternative to Romney and a more experienced alternative to Palin.  His work in the GOP Conference on energy and health care reform make him a natural conservative counterbalance to Obama. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but I’d be persuaded to vote GOP in 2012 instead of Constitution Party for Pence or for Ron Paul. That’s about it.

Recovery to begin today in Montcoal

Recovery of the remaining 22 deceased miners will begin today according to CNN. Official estimates say that the recovery will take 2 days. Here are a few blurbs from the article:

"We are going to get to the bottom of this, because families should never have to pray, as they send their loved ones to work every day, that those loved ones will in fact return," Rockefeller said Sunday. "Our heroic coal miners have lost too many brothers and too many sisters, and now we must stop all of this." (emphasis mine)

While I’m certain Senator Rockefeller’s sentiments are well intentioned, it should be noted that mining coal is an inherently dangerous job. Realistically, there can be no way to remove all danger from coal mining. The best that can be hoped for is exactly what Governor Joe Manchin stated:

 

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin said Saturday that even though the cause of the explosion is unclear, there needs to be a focus on better ventilation and on sensors to alert mine personnel when gas levels become dangerous.

Better ventilation and new sensor technologies should be the prime focus. This focus will give miners a better chance before gas levels reach lethal levels. Thanks again to Governor Manchin for the manner in which he has handled this tragic situation.

Did you know?

That the Southern Baptist Convention has provided disaster relief in multiple areas of the world and in our own backyard, here are a few realities

 

2008 Activity Report

Volunteer Days	118,951
Meals Prepared	7,914,391
Mudout Jobs	2,647
Chainsaw Jobs	9,289
Repair Jobs	243
Roofing Jobs	295
Children Cared For	1176
Showers	90,497
Laundry Loads	33,775
Water (Gallons)	247,113
Messages Sent	2,152
Chaplaincy Contacts	9,714
Professions of Faith	448
Gospel Presntations	3,487
Other Decisions	61
Ministry Contacts	20,925

Abingdon Town Council pt. 2

A few days after posting this regarding Abingdon’s town council race, I received visits from Rick Humphreys and Carl Mallory. In the interest of fairness, I cannot claim credit for causing their visits, but it was good to see some door to door stumping nonetheless.

Mr. Humphreys comes from a well known family in Washington County and I must admit, I cannot be totally impartial with my assessment. He is a sincere, well spoken man who seeks to preserve Abingdon’s historical atmosphere while attempting to draw more business to the downtown area.

Mr. Mallory is an interesting fellow. I feel that he is an up and comer in Abingdon politics and while I’m still as yet undecided, I feel more comfortable with him as a candidate.

In my previous post, I did not mention Cathy Castle Lowe is running for reelection. Mrs. Lowe is a business owner in Abingdon and is a first term council member.

Romney wins at SRLC

By one vote. The encouraging news(at least for me) is Ron Paul finished second. Granted, many were probably bused in, but still a strong showing for Paul.

Doug Mataconis from Below the Beltway,has a good snapshot analysis of the vote breakdown and points out:

It’s fascinating that these guys finished ahead of Palin and Gingrich, who get rock star treatment at these sorts of gatherings and, indeed, got rock star treatment at this particular gathering.

I find this interesting as well. I agree with Doug’s assessment that this is meaningless right now, I do believe that the GOP has a healthy sized field for this early in the process.

Sunday morning in the South

 

I love going to church, being with friends, coming home and watching NASCAR. I love where I live.

Will Governor McDonnell join the tribute to the miners

UPDATE: According to a Facebook post by Kilo, Governor McDonnell has called upon Virginians to join in a moment of silence in remembrance of the Montcoal miners. This will take place at 3:30 pm.

 

Kilo has the info here:  We should let our views be know to our Governor. Virginia does indeed share a rich mining heritage with WV, KY, and TN.

Personal

I want to put aside partisan politics for a moment and thank West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin. During his term as governor, he’s seen two deadly mine disasters. In my view, he has handled them both as well as can be hoped for considering the circumstances.

It is my belief that when a politician gets it right, we ought to give credit where it is due as well as criticism when they screw up. Joe Manchin has got it right and I’m thankful for that.

Montcoal Miners – God Be With You

No survivors. My heart breaks for the families of the Montcoal miners.

 

Freedoms in America

My prior post about disappearing occurrence has lit some fires among friends of mine. A good friend I’ve known since Little League called open air preaching “insanity.” That’s fine because I know America is made up of all kinds and that our Constitution guarantees my right to religious expression as well as his.

That said, I’ll leave you with this quote from G.K. Chesterton

"These are the days when the Christian is expected to praise every creed except his own."

A disappearing occurance

Bold preaching in public squares are becoming a thing of the past. I thank God for men like these who call our nation to repentance.

Jeffersonian notion,Modern necessity

I will not endeavor to synthesize this article from Campaign for Liberty, but liberty loving Americans should give it a read and then some serious though.

First Team Update

Ninth District politics

While Delegate Morgan Griffith will pick up the Ninth District GOP nod to run against Rick Boucher and has extensive experience within the House of Delegates, I submit that politics as usual will not cut it in the Ninth this year. Need an example? This year is the first in recent memory that a true independent candidate is running. Jeremiah Heaton has already been on the stump in significant ways.

Traditionally, the Ninth has reelected Boucher on the strength of his efforts in the coalfield counties such as Buchanan, Wise and Dickenson. Why does Boucher perform well in coal country? He’s in the pocket of Cecil Roberts and the UMWA. Boucher will spend most of his time in District in Abingdon or in the coal counties. I can understand that, one has to keep his bread buttered. I submit that this year may present a different outcome.

Current dissatisfaction with Congress is not necessarily limited to just Democrats. Anger with incumbents reach across party lines. Mr. Morgan, Mr. Heaton and Mr. Boucher would all be well advised to remember this. The American people and the people of the Ninth District want real solutions. They want real, good paying jobs in the manufacturing sector. They want our coal jobs to remain where they are, in the Ninth District. The people of the Ninth District do not want politics as usual.

Washington County is in dire need of good manufacturing jobs to bolster a sagging economy. The new Lowe’s has provided much needed jobs, but we have several industrial parks sitting empty with infrastructure available to companies who would be willing to invest in the site and in the community. Companies rumored to have been interested are TRW, Toyota among others. Why is the Glade Highlands Industrial Park sitting empty? Where are the good paying jobs Mr. Boucher assured us would come.

Perhaps the most indicative indicator is Mr. Boucher’s support of the so-called Cap and Trade legislation. According to the Heritage Foundation, Virginia will lose 26,604 jobs while raising electricity prices by $532.18 per household. These numbers are for the timeframe 2012 – 2035, or 23 years.On average, Virginia will lose almost 1,200 jobs a year. Why did Boucher vote for Cap and Tax?

Last year, Crystal Clear Conservative asked if Boucher could kiss his seat goodbye. At the time, I was skeptical. Now, not so much.

This figures…

H/T to Riley from Virginia Virtucon

 

“Dear Lord … this year you have taken away my favorite actor, Patrick Swayze, my favorite actress, Farrah Fawcett, my favorite singer, Michael Jackson, and my favorite salesman, Billy Mays. … I just wanted to let you know that Chris Christie is my favorite governor.”

Does it strike anyone else that union rhetoric is typically virulent and without any value whatsoever?

Good Sense: 600 posts

Good Sense has reached a milestone. We have reached 600 posts plus. Thank you to all the readers and friends.

Stupak: Cut and Run Democrat to Retire

According to The Hill, Bart Stupak, Michigan Democrat, will retire at the end of this term. Considering his vote on the Health Care debacle, it should not surprise anyone.

Stupak duped pro-life activists AND legislators across the country with his and other “undecided” yea vote. Bart Stupak is the worse kind of politician. He bends with every political breeze that floats along the Potomac.

He may well be ready to quit, but his decision has deprived voters of his district of the opportunity to speak on his last term.

The old Southwest Virginia saying holds true here: “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!!”

Meth still on the rise in Washington County

At least, that’s according to Sheriff Fred Newman in today’s BHC. Relatively simple to make and highly dangerous and addictive, Newman has renewed efforts to clamp down on mobile manufacturing of the substance.

At the risk of sounding like my father, it wasn’t that long ago that the worst parents had to fear was catching their kids sneaking a sip of hooch behind the barn. Then we see the use of marijuana increase, and now meth is the drug du jour. Of course, we can’t discount the abuse of prescription pain killers either.

I ramble through that to point out that even with on going law enforcement efforts, manufacturers are becoming harder to catch. I’m glad that Sheriff Newman places such a high priority on this. Let me give you some simple statistics:

• 26 meth labs were seized in Washington County alone in 2005
• Approximately 80 to 90 percent of Washington County’s crime is drug related
• We’re starting to see a large influx of meth from out of state.

They say there’s lies, danged lies, and statistics. I generally agree, but 26 meth labs in one year is a problem.

Now I know that my libertarian friends will argue with me about the use of marijuana and I respect their views, but meth isn’t marijuana and meth carries a higher danger in the production of it. I support Sheriff Newman, and I believe he is doing the best he can with the resources we have.

A Friend

Since I don’t have him in my blogrolls and since I haven’t mentioned him in a long time, go check out my friend Citizen Tom. He’s a breath of fresh air in a maelstrom of car exhaust and hot air in NOVA.

No more school cuts eh?

Or at least that’s what the Falls Church News Press is calling for in its editorial. I happen to partially agree with this editorial. The quote:

It is absurd for the Council to insist that further spending cuts should come equally from the schools as from the general government. Cutting the baby down the middle, King Solomon style, will only kill the baby. The Council needs to make qualitative, not merely quantitative, value judgments, and above all, that means to recognize the City's school system as its most valuable, and valued, asset.

What an absurd analogy!!! Cutting the baby down the middle? I dare any member of any school board in this great Commonwealth to show me where cuts are being made to harm any child in any regard whether physically or through loss of personnel. I submit that the Department of Education be dismantled and that control over education be returned to the states.

As for qualitative values judgments? (Yes, Northern Virginia, we know what that means.) When a school superintendent is facing budget cuts, his first reaction is not qualitative, it is almost assuredly a quantitative assessment. In other words, Where can we make these cuts with the least amount of disruption of our school system?

Sadly, I have to admit that arts programs are usually on the cutting block first. I say sadly because I am a beneficiary of arts in the schools. Particularly the performing arts.

What I find humorous is…

… those in the liberal camp STILL can’t rid themselves of Sarah Palin. I’m not a die hard Sarah Palin supporter but if she still causes this much heat from the left, I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing. Good grief, if her presence on a Presidential ticket scares you that much, get over it.

 

UPDATE Jerry, at From on High seems to agree.

I love this guys thinking…

My good friend Jim Bowden has a short, sweet and honest appeal that ought to ring loudly in the ears of American patriots. Welcome back JAB from across the pond. By the way, his post “Another English Baptist Church and More Questions than Answers.”  is another great read!!!

Local, Local races

Well, it is getting close to election day. Yes, that’s right Virginia, there is an election being held on May 4. In Abingdon, there are several seats up for grabs which includes long time Council Member Dr. French Moore. Carl Mallory, Rick Humphreys and Bob Howard. Very little is being done by any of the candidates to be honest and the one who has made door knocks is the one candidate I think I’m less inclined to support. He’s a personable fellow and have reviewed his literature and bio sketch. There may be more candidates in the wood works, but doubtful since filing time has passed. I know what I get with Dr. Moore, but the appeal of fresh ideas on the town council is pretty intense as well. I look forward to seeing them get out more.

In my view, if the election were decided to day, here’s my top 3:

1. French Moore

2. Bob Howard

3. Rick Humphreys

 

Abingdon politics is a fluttering with this upcoming election, but will it flutter afterward or will we see more of the same. We want to see real jobs come to the outlying areas of town such as across from the new Lowe’s. We’d like to see a larger industrial base move into some of our older shell buildings. We’d like to see a company like TRW move to the Glade Spring Industrial Park where only Utility Trailer now resides.

Something to think about. When businesses want to relocate or open in Abingdon, why does the zoning commission and architectural review dictate why businesses should blend in to these quaint little antique shoppes when we really need is a large company with capital to invest in a site and also in the community. We should be actively searching for these kinds of opportunities. Instead, we quivel over the color of the paint or the tone of the masonry work. I hope Abingdon makes smart moves this May.

Heaton – The clear choice against Boucher

 

Go, check his website out. Another former GOP guy going independent.  This is a great year for true independents. I’m with Kilo on this one.