John Doe Amendment Killed

Good news, it garnered 57 votes in the Senate. Bad news, the amendment needed 60 votes to pass due to it's non-germaneness to the education bill it was attached to.

Of course, they had to attach it to an education bill because the amendment did not pass in the House as part of new Homeland Security legislation.

All 39 votes against the bill were by Democrats, including Jim Webb. 8 Democrats (including Hillary Clinton) and Joe Lieberman voted in favor of the amendment. So call Sen. Webb's office and thank him for denying you protection should you report suspicious activity that might be related to terrorist activities.

However, this is not over. Keep calling your Senators (Virginians, especially Jim Webb, as John Warner is on board with this), there is a final conference report that needs to be worked out, so this amendment could very well be revived.
Image courtesy of michellemalkin.com.

Thompson Taking Over The Top Spot On Several Polls

However, the races are really, really close with Rudy Guiliani. I must say, though, I have no problem with either candidate, really. Before Fred Thompson caught my attention, I was a Rudy supporter, and I still think he is a fine candidate, as well.

Rasmussen Reports - Thompson 26%, Guiliani 21%
Harris Poll - Thompson 29%, Guiliani 28%
Zogby International - Thompson 22%, Guiliani 21%

Real Clear Politics, which averages out the national polls, has Guiliani holding an aggregate lead of 5 points (25%-20%) over Thompson. However, Guiliani's numbers are buoyed by some unusually large leads over Thompson (which also, coincidentally, have the highest numbers of support for John McCain).

The GOP primary is definitely shaping up to be a 2-horse race at the top, but it's still too early to make any definite projections at this time.

Cantor Putting Virginia First

Rep. Eric Cantor continues to have Virginia's interests at heart during his term on Capitol Hill. H.R. 2116 is the latest piece of legislation that he has introduced in the House of Representatives, and this bill is designed to expand freight rail operations. For those of us in the Valley that drive on I-81 often, this will relieve some of the constant truck traffic we have to compete with every day during our commutes.

I'm sure those who drive I-95 and I-64 often will appreciate Rep. Cantor's efforts as well. Good to see that a real rising star in Congress still puts Virginia's interests at the top of his agenda.

Read about a pro-rail group in Virginia endorsing Cantor's efforts at The New Dominion.

Liberal Blogger Sees NYC Steam Explosion, and Blames Bush

This was at the "Northwest Progressive Institute" blog, h/t Michelle Malkin.

"Regrettable accidents like this could be prevented if we spent our money on actual needs - like maintaining and enhancing our infrastructure instead of launching preemptive attacks against other countries and overextending the military force that is supposed to protect the people of this country, not incite more angry feelings toward America by serving as the de facto police force in another nation whose people do not want us there."

I'd say that whoever wrote this must be a huge advocate of socialism. Want to know why? The maintenence and enhancement of the infrastruction of New York City is the responsibility of...*drumroll please*...New York City! Not the federal government. So I'm failing to see the real connection between the failure of New York City to maintain their pipes (which, to be honest, are pretty aged) and our occupation in Iraq, which is maintained by the federal government.

The only connection can be made by socialist, because the fact is that this person advocates a heavy-handed federal influence and less responsibility and influence from the state and local levels of government...which is part of a socialist government.

Next thing you know, that explosion will be labeled an inside job, as well. Somehow, George W. Bush and his daughters will have placed bombs in those pipes the night before.

The Herd Continues to Thin Out?

Well, it seems that the race for the GOP nomination for President is continuing to thin out.

- Jim Gilmore is now out.
- Ron Paul's initial support is dwindling, to the point that he no longer qualifies for the Pajamas Media poll because his support in the Gallup polls has dropped under 1 percent.
- John McCain's campaign is in disarray and will most likely fold soon.

This reduces us to 8 contenders. I expect that by mid-fall, you will see a few more of the second-tier guys drop out. Expect Duncan Hunter, Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson, Rudy Guiliani, and Mitt Romney to make it through to the February primaries. As for the remaining 3, I don't think they'll make it that far.

But that's just me.

Dems Trying to Kill "John Doe" Amendment

The "John Doe" Amendment is a bill that protects citizens from lawsuits and harrassment if they report suspicious activity that might lead to a terrorist attack. This is part of a much larger set of Homeland Security legislation that come from the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.

Democrats in both the House and the Senate oppose this protection, and believe it is right for groups like CAIR to get lawsuit-happy on citizen whistleblowers who are simply doing their patriotic duty to report suspicious activities and keep our nation safe.

Want more info? Read more about this at National Review Online, The Washington Times, Michelle Malkin, Little Green Footballs, Hot Air, and The American Pundit.

Or, let Congress know that pulling this amendment is wrong (h/t Michelle Malkin).

Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121
Nancy Pelosi's Office: 202-225-4965

Protect the citizens, support the John Doe amendment.

Those Pesky Abuser Fees...

You know, I'll be the first to admit that these new abuser fees (sponsored by Republicans and Democrats alike in the General Assembly) are awfully high and seemingly excessive. However, I do find it a bit odd that people are whining about being punished for driving over 15-20 miles over the speed limit, or driving under the influence/while intoxicated. I almost believe that people think they are entitled to do these illegal acts, at least with some of the verbage being tossed around.

Plus, it's not like all Virginians are suffering the burden of some new tax. Those who are abusing the privilege to drive on Virginia roads are bearing the brunt of this.

There will be no special sessions called to repeal these fees. In fact, there is only one surefire way to make these fees go away.

Simply put...just use better judgment when driving on our roads. Don't drink and drive, don't speed excessively, and don't act reckless behind the wheel. The simple tenets of what we're taught in Driver's Ed are all that we need to abide by to make the fees go away.

If the lawmakers can't raise the kinds of funds necessary to declare the fees a success, they'll eventually repeal the fees.

The biggest problem I had with this whole piece of legislation was that this only applies to Virginia drivers, and not the out-of-state drivers. Wait a minute, who can we blame for that one? Why, our Democratic governor himself, Tim Kaine.

So people, drive slower, avoid road rage, control your vehicles as best as you can, and don't drink and drive. THAT is how we'll eliminate these abuser fees from our lives.

Vogel Speaks Out On Illegal Immigration

Vogel, further proving that she is nothing like soon-to-be-former Senator Russ Potts, has begun voicing her opposition to illegal immigration, and praising efforts to crack down on illegal aliens. Vogel recently praised the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors for enacting a resolution to check the immigration status of anyone arrested in the county.

“I commend the Loudoun Board of Supervisors on their action, and encourage other localities to follow in their actions,” Vogel said.

In comparison, it was a committee chaired by Russ Potts that blocked legislation that would have made illegal immigrants ineligible for in-state tuition.

This is another reason for citizens of the 27th Senate District to vote Vogel in November.

Full article at The New Dominion.