Friday, December 18, 2009

Got Tickets to Wayside Theater Tonight, and Work Tomorrow...

...and I might have to dig myself out tomorrow.

10 to 16 inches of snow expected. From 5-8, to 6-10, now 10-16?

This one's gonna be nasty, folks.

UPDATE

Anti-BVBL is hearing 20-25 inches, and a commenter on that post has heard as high as 30 inches. That is crazy!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Virginia Should Brace for Heavy Snowfall

A "Winter Storm Watch" has been issued from late Friday night until late Saturday night for the North and Central Shenandoah Valley. The question is: how much snow will we get?

- The watch states over 5 inches.
- 104.9 FM said 6-10 inches this morning.
- A friend of mine stated that he read that it could be anywhere from 3 inches to a possible 2 feet.

Anyone have any other reports that they have heard?

To Bengals Fans

My heart goes out to the Bengals players, staff, and their families as well as the fans. Us Redskins fans know all too well what it is like to find out that one of your promising young stars, who has made a turn for the better in their life and career, has their life cut tragically short.

How to End a Sharp Recession

Ireland did it through being more fiscally conservative. Yankee Phil has it here.

Marking OUT!!!

As you know, I'm a huge pro wrestling fan...I have been since I was a little kid. Today, I got the greatest news that I could have possibly ever heard as a fan.

The best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be will return to the WWE on a short-term contract, effective January 1, 2010.

That's right, Bret "Hitman" Hart will be coming back to the WWE, and it appears he will be the full-time GM of Raw, and might be wrestling Vince McMahon himself at Wrestlemania XXVI. I'm a huge Hart fan, my favorite wrestler of all time. Nobody, in my opinion, has been as consistently great throughout his career as Hart has. Only a few are in his category as an elite performer. This is most surprising given his rocky relationship with the WWE from 1997 to 2005, and the fact that a stroke (brought on by one too many concussions) ended any possibility to a return to the ring.

Hart prided himself on having never injured another wrestler in his entire career, which began in the late 70's. He was ranked number 39 on the CBC's list of the 50 greatest Canadians in 2004, and was a WWE Hall of Fame inductee in 2006, Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee in 2008, and 1996 Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame inductee.

In the WWF (now WWE), he was a 5-time World Champion, 2-time Intercontinental Champion, 2-time Tag Team Champion, 1994 Slammy winner for "Wrestler of the Year", the second Triple Crown winner in WWF/E history, 1994 Royal Rumble co-winner, and 1991 and 1993 King of the Ring tournament winner. In WCW (where he wrestled for less than 3 years), he was a 2-time World Champion, 4-time United States Champion, and a 1-time Tag Team Champion.

Yes, many of you may ridicule me, but I don't care...I have every reason to mark out like a 10 year old and I intend on doing so for the next 5 months!

Cerrato is GONE!

A bit overdue, but still promising news for the future of the organization.

Actually, as much as Vinny Cerrato is responsible for the problems that the Washington Redskins have had over the past decade, it's players that he specifically sought after that have stepped up and performed well during the past 5 weeks. I'm glad to see him go, the team needs a fresh approach to it's drafting and free agent mentalities, and hopefully Daniel Snyder will stand out of the way.

New GM Bruce Allen has obvious ties to the team and the area, as he is the son of former Skins coach George Allen, and former Virginia Governor and Senator George F. Allen. Bruce Allen, given his track record, should have no problems addressing the team's most glaring weakness...the offensive line. He's done a good job in the past with this.

Now, the question remains, is this a sign that Jon Gruden is coming to DC? Gruden was head coach in Oakland and Tampa Bay during Allen's tenures with both of those teams.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Tuesday Night Music Club - 12/16/09

We here at the Podium are big music fans (funny how I refer to the Podium as a group, but it's just me). While hip-hop, heavy metal, classic rock, blue-eyed soul, and new jack swing are just a sample of what is on our playlist, the Podium has grown to really like Celtic Woman.

Celtic Woman is a quartet of beautiful Irish women with AMAZING voices that harmonize so well together. They've moved from traditional Celtic music to doing interpretations and interpolations of more recent and recognizable tunes, but they still mix in more traditional Celtic music as well. Luckily for us, they will be performing at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville on February 19th. I may be there if Christmas, New Years, and my birthday (which all fall in a 4 week span) doesn't drain the fun funds before then.

You can tell that these women take their music seriously, and put a lot of effort into what they do. Their pure talent and vocal arrangements are as good as it gets, in my honest opinion.

Here is Celtic Woman performing "O America", a beautiful song that was written specifically for the group. Despite being Irish, they have a strong affinity for America (they broke into the big time here first, as I've been told).

Here is quite possibly the most incredible performance of "Amazing Grace" I have ever seen and heard in my life. Also, here is their performance of "Níl Sé'n Lá", and a performance of Sting's beautiful "Fields of Gold" (which is a hard song for anyone to cover and get kudos from me). Enjoy.

The "Amazing Grace", "Níl Sé'n Lá", and "Fields of Gold" performances are from the "Songs From the Heart" CD and DVD that will be out in January, and the concert DVD is currently showing often on PBS (WVPT for us Valley folk).

NOTE: I do realize that this was posted early Wednesday morning, but it was Tuesday night when I started this post and found the YouTube clips.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The Difference

The difference between Republicans and conservatives. Poignant stuff, I highly suggest you read it and the article it is derived from.

Gay Marriage Passes in D.C.

This is all good and fine as far as I'm concerned, except for one thing.

Apparently, the Catholic Church is being forced by this law to extend it's adoption services and other benefits to same-sex couples. If this is true, I cannot agree with this, because I do not think that a religious organization should not be subject to regulations that direct violate that church's doctrine. It's a violation of the separation of church and state, IMO, and if it is part of this legislation...I would be interested to see if it would actually hold up in the Supreme Court.

Other than that, I've got no problems with this legislation. The SoCons will be up in arms about this, but given that D.C. is a very liberal city, this wasn't exactly an unexpected outcome.

(h/t Anti-BVBL)

Another Podium Endorsement

As I stated in my previous post, I'm endorsing Republican Linda McMahon for Senate in Connecticut.

Ok, so I am a bit biased being a pro wrestling fan/columnist. I mean, after all, she was the CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment. However, she's actually got a lot of qualities I like in a candidate. For example...

- Fiscally conservative, strong business background (her husband was the "face", but she was the fiscal brains behind the company...which has been fiscally sound for a long time). Also known for work in education, and was appointed to the Connecticut Board of Education.

- Made many initiatives that supported our troops by partnering the WWE with the USO. The WWE puts on a free show every year in either Iraq or Afghanistan for the troops that gets aired in the states. BTW, this year's "Tribute to the Troops" will air this Sunday on NBC at 9 pm.

- Clean campaign...limiting contributions to her campaign to $100. Not accepting PAC or special interest money. A clear contrast to the incumbent, Chris Dodd.

I like Linda McMahon's moxie, her fiscal positions, and the fact that she has had a successful career in business. In economic times such as these, it's good to have someone who has some sense on how to manage money.

GOP Liberty Caucus at Odds With NRSC

At least, that is the impression I was left with from this blog post at the RLC. The blog post, put up by Aaron Biterman, is dead on with it's assessments, though.

A headline in this week’s Tampa Tribune is titled “GOP infighting shakes party”. The article talks about a familiar 2009 theme: “An increasingly fractious challenge to the Republican Party from its own conservative base could relegate the party to indefinite minority status,” says author William March.

Yes, a familiar theme from the MSM...the GOP must move to the center, the Dems must move left.

No state has more of a fight on its hands than Florida, where Republican Party Chair Jim Greer has, no doubt, acted illegally to prop up his favorite candidates and help his friends defeat his enemies. This was already clear when Greer had his cronies boot Republican Liberty Caucus members from the party in September. Now there are increasingly vocal calls for Greer to resign as party boss.

Considering that it's usually the moderate candidates who lose, and the principled candidates seemed to keep their jobs for the most part after 2006 and 2008, you'd think that the non-moderates would be given a few more opportunities. Jim Greer should lose his job...you don't kick out the guys who, with their fiscally conservative principles, actually capture the growing mood of the populous.

After knocking the NRSC for supporting moderate candidates in GOP primaries (instead of supporting the nominated candidate), the RLC goes after Karl Rove.

Whatsmore, the NRSC is now encouraging its readers to take advice from Karl Rove. In an e-mail the NRSC sent out yesterday, its Communications team forwarded an article from Karl Rove to all NRSC subscribers. Rove’s article was published in The Wall Street Journal, and the NRSC team said it’s a “WSJ Editorial You Should See”.

I saw it, and — shock! — I am not impressed.

Why is the NRSC encouraging its members to listen to Karl Rove? Rove’s name has come up in many political scandals, including the Valerie Plame affair, the Bush White House e-mail controversy and the dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy. Moreover, his strategy of “compassionate conservatism” along with his support of the Bush Doctrine are among the main reasons why Republicans lost in 2006 and 2008.

In the article, Rove says, “In Connecticut, Sen. Chris Dodd trails former Republican Rep. Rob Simmons 35% to 48% in the latest Quinnipiac poll.” Rove does not acknowledge that two other Republican candidates also poll ahead of Chris Dodd: Linda McMahon and RLC-endorsed candidate Peter Schiff. This “ignore at all costs” strategy has been something that Republican establishment candidates have been very skilled at, but has not yielded successful results.

Linda McMahon automatically gets my endorsement. Those who know me know why ;) In fact, I will add that endorsement soon (though I do think she is an excellent candidate on many issues). The blog closes out with this succinct statement.

The NRSC cannot be allowed to select Republican Senate candidates for GOP primary voters.

Registered Republicans in CA, CT, FL, IL, KY, and other states should select the best candidate to represent the state — without NRSC interference.

This is certainly a firebrand blog post with a lot of truth in it. However, the GOP needs to tread carefully. I don't know how well a conservative candidate like Chuck DeVore will do in California, where Carly Fiorina is already ahead of Barbara Boxer in early polling and the electorate tends to lean moderate-to-left in the populated areas.

I think Rubio will give Crist a run for his money in Florida. Also, I think Rand Paul should get a ton of support in his primary campaign given that he is the son of the RLC's favorite son, and he should have a great shot at taking Jim Bunning's soon-to-be-open seat.

Bottom line of advice to the NRSC (and the NRCC)...don't ignore the conservatives and the conservatarians.

Blogroll Additions (Link Pimpin')

On the Virginia front, I've added...
- Fishersville Mike
- Fred Malek
- Tidewater Liberty
- Andrew Clem (don't know how I didn't have this on there before)

On the National front, I've added...
- The Humble Libertarian
- Republican Liberty Caucus blog
- Libertarian Party blog
- Free State Blogs

Check 'em out!

Running for Office Tip # 167

"Keep your campaign debts paid"

Apparently, 87th House District challenger John Amiral has skipped town and owes a number of people some money (including thousands to media outlets in campaign ads), and was fined by the State Board of Elections for failing to file his final campaign finance report. According to a GOP official, he is in Azerbaijan visiting family. The official did stress that if Amiral is in debt, he needs to get these debts taken care of, and that leaving them unpaid reflects poorly upon the party.

Gotta pay those bills and file those reports, John...those are pretty important functions for an elected official.

(h/t Vivian Paige)

Best of Luck, Joe...

Former Mayor of Harrisonburg Joe Fitzgerald is seeking the Democratic Party nomination to run for H-Burg city council. Joe previously served on the city council from 2000-2004 and has been an editor/contributer over at hburg news for over 2 years.

Joe and I have butted heads often over at hburg news, mainly over immigration issues and other things (we do sit on different sections of the ideological spectrum). However, despite my differences with Joe on many issues (and there are plenty of them), I do believe that Joe truly feels he is doing the right things for the city of Harrisonburg. They may not always be what I consider to be the right things, but he doesn't pander to certain groups nor does he seem entrenched in good ol' boy politics. That deserves a tip of the hat in and of itself.

Is this an endorsement? No, not at all, because I have my differences with him. However, it is a "best wishes" and "good luck" to a member of the loyal opposition.

Nike's Phil Knight on Tiger Woods

Despite what you may think about Tiger Woods right now, I think Phil Knight made a very honest statement yesterday. If only for the fact that this is what happens when things become hindsight. The crux of what Knight said came in these sentences:

"When his career is over, you'll look back on these indiscretions as a minor blip, but the media is making a big deal out of it right now."

While some will see it as a bigger blip than others, let's not kid ourselves. Unless these kinds of incidents continue to plague him throughout the rest of his career, and he's constantly getting into some kind of trouble from here on out, society as a whole will give him a pass when assessing his career 10 or 20 years from now. America is a pretty forgiving nation, so I believe Knight is absolutely correct in saying that.

Reviving Federalism

Common sense to some of us, a compelling argument for others to read.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Tiger Woods...Our Generation's Wilt Chamberlain?

Wilt Chamberlain once claimed to have slept with over 20,000 women. With the roll call of Tiger's mistresses growing longer and longer each day, I imagine there are many more women who are simply keeping quiet or were one-night stands, compared to being long-term mistresses. I begin to think...was Tiger bound to become the next Wilt Chamberlain?

The reason why I ask this is because we're now up to 14 mistresses for the greatest golfer of all time (that proclaimation is arguable to some, not to me). He's got everything from waitresses at Perkins, to hardcore porn stars, to nightclub hostesses and bartenders, to wannabe reality TV stars.

The man certainly has gotten around.

Shenandoah County Growing in the Blogosphere

I had gone away for a while, and now I'm back. However, it appears that a few other Shenandoah County-based bloggers have come about.

- Craig Orndorff (not the one from WSVG mornings) has a very good political blog. I've only corresponded with Craig a few times, but I do enjoy his site.
- The 7 Bends of the Shenandoah Valley website has a blog that has been up and running since October.
- The Tea Party group in Strasburg did have a blog-styled site going until very recently.

Nice to see some other Shenandoah County-based bloggers hitting the scene.

Also, I have done some blogroll updates, both statewide and national. Added some good blogs, removed some that became inactive or just weren't reading anymore.

LeBron James Wants Fries With That

A little harmless fun and showboating by one of the best players in the league today...

Ron Paul for Senate or Governor in 2010?

I'm hearing rumors of both. Would be interesting if Kay Bailey Hutchinson does indeed step down. Then again, if she doesn't step down until after 2010, current Texas Governor Rick Perry would be waiting in the wings as well, and he's got solid approval ratings and a pretty decent campaign machine behind him.

I like Perry, I also like Ron Paul, though there are some differences between them and there are some different reasons why I like each of them...both seem to have a pretty good handle on the Constitution and the limits it places on the federal government.

The Thanks I Get for Being a Friend to Conservatives...

I guess I'm too libertarian to be in the club, despite being ranked number 17 ;)

Ah well, the SWAC group never really liked me anyway, though I've never really known why (except that I backed Myron once or twice, that seemed to irk them). I've always thought I've shown them a good amount of respect.

*shrugs shoulders*, c'est la vie.

CORRECTION: Megan reminded me that there were three who sat on the right side of things over at DWJ, not two as I had stated in the comments below. It's been a while since I reminisced over the old DWJ days.