Dang It

Via Lowell over at Raising Kaine, we find that former Navy Secretary James Webb won't be challenging George Allen in 2006.

I just jumped on the bandwagon not too long ago, and I was really looking forward to seeing how this race would go. Now I'm afraid I know exactly where this race will go.

I don't like Harris Miller very much. I haven't seen him offer any real ideas. Matter of fact, all I've heard are very broad references to a plank on his website.

We need to "draft" somebody else. We've still got plenty of time to do it. So, my question is this; Who do we draft?
Leslie Byrne
Phillip Puckett
Chap Petersen
Gerald Baliles
Douglas Wilder (Why not? We can at least make things interesting...)

We can't just walk away from this race without a real, viable candidate. We elected a Democrat Governor in November with 52%. One of our state's most liberal (and underfunded) candidates ever got 49% against a pretty well-funded Republican. Our outgoing Governor could very well be the next President of the United States.

I'll volunteer right now to run a "Draft ---- -----" campaign, if most folks can agree on somebody, and will also agree to help me out. So the question remains, who shall it be?

Mark Warner's Cabinet

I'll have a post tomorrow afternoon/evening attacking President Bush, but until then, I'll pose a question/give an opinion to you...

Who should Mark Warner put in his cabinet when he's elected President (I know, it's ridiculously premature, but I live for this kind of stuff)?

Some of my suggestions...
State - John Kerry (Although the GOP would go balistic during the hearings, he could be very powerful in international issues)
Defense - Hugh Shelton (Great JCS Chairman, would be 1000% improvement on Rumsfeld)
Justice - John Edwards (Well, why not?)
Homeland Security - Richard Ben-Veniste (Was a big critic of Bush 43's administration during the 9/11 Hearings) (As a second choice, I like Russ Feingold, just to tick the GOP off)
Labor - Joe Manchin (He did the best he could with the Sago fiasco, and would be sensitive and very helpful to the national labor industries' issues)
Veterans Affairs - Max Cleland (Who else could lead what I believe is one of the most important offices, and one that holds a sentimental place in my heart?)
Transportation- Tim Kaine (Hmmm....Maybe?) :)
Education - Frank Jackson (He's working right now to improve Cleveland's inner city schools. If he can do that there, he can improve on schools nationwide)

If at all possible, there should be something like two Republicans. And at least 1/3 of the cabinet should be female. And I wonder if he could toss Michael Moore in somewhere just so we can see Ann Coulter/Bill O'Reilly/John Gibson/etc, etc's head blow of his/her shoulders?

-Neal

To Win Those Close Games...

How can the Cubs get to the World Series? Hire someone with experience! Hire John Paul Stevens!

Okay, sorry, I couldn't resist. I found this picture, and I just couldn't help but post it.

Would Samuel Alito ever loosen up enough for this? I think not!

-Neal

Bad Idea

Yesterday, Senator John Kerry announced he would lead a filibuster of Samuel Alito's Supreme Court nomination.

I'm against this. Here's why:

First, I'm against Samuel Alito, and I would vote against him if I had the chance. I think he will try to take the laws of our nation too far to the right. But, that being said, he will be confirmed anyhow.

Tim Johnson is voting for him. Ben Nelson is voting for him. Robert Byrd (!) is voting for him. If we can't keep our entire caucus all on one side, there's no way we can do a filibuster. This filibuster will just hold up the Senate, will make the Democrats appear out of the mainstream (especially since at least three will be voting for him), and will hurt us in the 2006 election. I strongly supported Senator Kerry in 2004 (and he would probably be in my top 7 or so for 2008), but I don't support him on this. In doing this, he will gain support among far-left liberals who were pretty lackluster about him last time around, but he may alienate moderates, and will definitly lose much chance of getting crossover GOP votes in a future national race.

That being said, let's just get it over with and vote on him. We can take comfort in knowing that Antonin Scalia, who will be 70 this year, will likely retire during the next few years, and we can't do worse than him (especially if we can get a Democrat into the White House in 2008)!

(Note: I have no reason for using the above picture other than I thought it was nifty...)

-Neal

(P.S.-Please pray for us--we've had another death in the family. My Dad's sister (my aunt) went home to Heaven this morning at 6 am. Sometimes life seems harsh)

You Can't Make This Stuff Up...

Ann Coulter thought it would be a funny joke to say someone should poison Justice John Paul Stevens.

You can't make this stuff up...

This story just went up at noon or so today on CNN.com, so the Fox News folks haven't gotten to it yet, but I am eager to see what Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity will say about it. You know that if the names were changed (replace "Ann Coulter" with "Michael Moore" and "John Paul Stevens" with "Scalia/Thomas") O'Reilly and Hannity would have messed their pants. They would be all over the story, calling on the government to take legal action against the "evil liberal." But will O'Reilly or Hannity even mention this? I really, seriously doubt it...

I believe I speak for most everyone when I say, Just Go Away, Ann. Just Leave.

-Neal

Fifteen Candidates

I've decided to try something and see how it works. I'm going to try to follow (and support) the campaigns of fifteen Democratic/Progressive candidates, and report on how their campaign is going, where the polls are, etc.

I think in a time when politics has become so negative, it would be good to present positive news about campaigns. Ideas and solutions, not attacks and finger-pointing, are what we need the most.

So, I have 5 candidates picked out right now (They're listed below). Which ten others should I follow? The critera is basically pretty broad. I want to cover state/federal races (so no local races). I'll follow Democrats and progressive-minded Independents (Friedman is an example). I'd like it to be kind of evenly dispersed between Senate, House, and Gubernatorial races, but I doubt it will be.

(Note: I'll also be following the campaign of Rep. Rick Boucher, and, assuming he runs for Senate, James Webb, so they won't count.)

1-Phil Bredesen (D), Incumbent, Governor, Tennessee
2-Robert C. Byrd (D), Incumbent, U.S. Senate, West Virginia.
3-Kinky Friedman (I), Challenger, Governor, Texas.
4-Raúl Grijalva (D), Incumbent, U.S. House, Arizona (7th)
5-Jon Tester (D), Challenger, U.S. Senate, Montana

So what do you want to see?

-Neal

Will The Circle Be Unbroken?

I just received word that today (January 22nd), Janette Carter, the matriarch of the Carter Family, died at age 82 in Kingsport, Tennessee. She was the daughter of A.P. and Sara Carter, the niece of Mother Maybelle Carter, and the cousin of June Carter-Cash. The story can be found (at least temporarily) here.

She had had several surgeries and falls, and suffered from Parkinson's Disease.

Miss Carter's daugher, Rita Forrester, said the Carter Family Fold, the legendary Scott County performance center she started over 30 years ago with her late brother Joe, would carry on. I haven't received word as to whether the performances on January 28th will be cancelled (I doubt it).

I had the honor of going to see a show at the fold in September or October of 2003. Janette played "Church In The Wildwood" and "Anchored In Love," and Joe did his famous animal sounds, told jokes, and sang "Mona Lisa Smile." The Goins Brothers were the headline act. I got to meet Janette very briefly, and, although I didn't realize it until he had passed me, met Joe Carter coming out of the (very little) bathroom. I won't forget my trip over there. I only wish I had the chance to go again. It's one of those "next thing on my list" kind of things.

Rest in peace, Miss Carter.

-Neal

Going To Regionals

Yesterday, the John Battle High School VHSL academic team (of which I'm a member), came in 2nd at theDistrict competition at Holston High School. We'll be going on February 4th to some place near Christiansburg, Virginia called East Montgomery H.S., for the Regional competition. Wish us luck (in advance)!

With all this travelling around (Richmond on January 29-31, Christiansburg on February 4, Lynchburg in March), I'm about ready to be able to sing "I've Been Everywhere" with a good conscience. :)

-Neal

Inauguration Day, 2009

Today is January 20, 2006. Exactly 3 years until Mark Warner is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States.

:)

-Neal

Odd. Very Odd.

Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) is 81 years old. He previously had been cruising to an easy re-election in 2006, as the GOP can't field a serious candidate.

It was all easy until today. Congressman Ed Case, who is 53, announced he would challenge Akaka in a primary. Case is moe moderate, and rather Hawkish. He is also opposed to ANWR, whereas Akaka isn't.

Case also said he wanted to "phase in" the "next generation" of leaders now, rather than wait until Akaka, 81, and Senator Daniel Inouye, also 81, vacate office.

Now, I'm all for competitive primaries, and I think they usually help the party grow/advance. But I don't really see the reasoning behind this one. Akaka would likely have received 80%-85% in a general election (or possibly more). Now, with a primary, Akaka will have to waste money campaigning against someone who, if he sat out until 2010 (when Daniel Inouye will be 86 and likely retiring) or 2012 (when Akaka would be 88 and definitly retiring), would likely get a free ride into the Senate.

This being said, whether Akaka wins the primary (my top choice), loses, or retires, I'll wholeheartedly support the eventual nominee.

Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are!

-Neal

NEWSFLASH: Kaine To Take On Bush

According to this story from CNN.com, Tim Kaine will deliver the State of the Union Rebuttal on January 31st. Kaine will attack the GOP "Culture of Corruption."

I would write more, but I have to be back at school in like ten minutes for academic team practice.

-Neal

Alright, Ya Got Me

This morning, while sitting in my Information Technologies class (not doing my work, by the way...), I logged on to RaisingKaine, and saw this post concerning James Webb.

Now, as background information, I've been very outspoken that we need to get a proven votegetter to run against George Allen in 2006 (Baliles, Deeds, Byrne, etc.). But, as most of them are downright un-interested, we don't want to be stuck with Harris Miller.

I've now come to the conclusion that James Webb is the Virginia Democratic Party's best hope.

That being said, I want to see Webb out on the road, going to local committee meetings, walking in parades, shaking hands, and getting his name out in the open. In our world of blogging, we sometimes forget that a common name to use will poll something like 15% name recognition (and 2%-3% may think he's the guy who wrote all of Glen Campbell's big hits). We can't win this race unless Webb is 100% committed and out on the road a lot.

That being said, go here and voice your support for James Webb for U.S. Senate!

--------------------------------

Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are...

-Neal

While I'm Thinking About It...

I watched most of the Alito Hearings on C-Span, and I want to say a few things:
1-Arlen Specter completely said two different things during his argument with Ted Kennedy. He first said he did get a letter, then said he didn't.
2-Samuel Alito's wife crying doesn't make me feel sorry for her at all. It just shows me that she doesn't have a very thick skin.
3-We really don't need Senators, whether they be Republicans or Democrats, vying for face time on TV.
4-Joe Biden should never wear a baseball cap in public again. Ever.
5-Orrin Hatch sure does like to ask softball questions.
6-Tom Coburn really can come out of nowhere with some questions.
7-It would be easier to get a hippo to walk a tight rope than it was to get Alito to answer a question straight.

Now, all that being said, go ahead and vote on Alito.

Don't get me wrong. If I were in the Senate, I would vote against him. I believe most of the Democrats will (except for a few who just want to be contrary). But I expect him to be confirmed by a vote of about 59-41 or 60-40. Let's not have a huge fight and try a filibuster, because I know Bill Frist is sitting in some corner, bug-eyed and in a cold sweat, waiting to "push the button" on the nuclear option.

----------------------------

While I'm thinking about it, does anybody know of anyone thinking about challenging State Senator William Wampler when he's up for re-election? Just crossed my mind.

And, to paraphrase Hank Williams: If the Good Lord's willin', and the creeks don't rise, I'll write tomorrow.

-Neal

I Found This Interesting

I thought you might find in interesting, too.

In the past month, here's what folks typed into search engines, that eventually brought them here:

rebuild america first (3%)
President 2028 (3%)
james webb senate 2006 (3%)
chap peterson for governor 2009 (3%)
"merle haggard" "rebuild america first" (3%)
don+beyer (3%)
jerry garcia quote supreme being (2%)
blueinva (2%)
june carter cash and nascar (2%)
senator herb kohl and gay (2%)
god bless britain (2%)
run 2008 "because of his age" (2%)
2028 presidential race (2%)
"I keep a close watch on this heart of mine" (2%)
"ethan berkowitz" 2006 (2%)
john denver vietnam sniper sunshine on my shoulder (2%)
'rebuild america first' (2%)
"ethan berkowitz" (2%)
oswald rocky top song (2%)
president+2028 (2%)
who is L.D.Booher (2%)
first day of 2028 (2%)
was vivian liberto hispanic (2%)
lyrics "what i've been meaning to say" merle haggard (2%)
herb kohl gay rumor (2%)
barry goldwater 3rd (2%)
Jeff bolling and tennessee (2%)
neal2028.blogspot.com (2%)
"sheldon whitehouse" AND embryonic (2%)
merle haggard "rebuild america first" (2%)
"Walk the Line" "you should have left me" (2%)
quizilla class of 2006 (2%)
against alito (2%)
Merle Haggard Video "America First" (2%)
"i keep a close watch" (2%)
"I keep a close watch" (2%)
"james webb" senate 2006 (2%)
"rebuild america first" (2%)
"for president" 2028 (2%)
"james webb" senate 2006 Navy (2%)
bill carrico announcement (2%)
Neil Jay Warner (2%)
june carter cash baked potato salad (2%)
"Merle Haggard" "Rebuild America First" lyrics (2%)
i keep a close watch on this heart of mine (2%)
kilgore + 2009 (2%)
Harold Ford Jr blog (2%)
merle haggard america first "chicago wind" (2%)
vivian liberto marriage photo (2%)
shea cook (2%)
Jackie Stump for Delegate bristol (2%)
Who said "Goodnight Mrs. Calabash wherever you are (2%)
phil puckett (2%)
"I keep a close watch on this" (2%)

----------------

So, for what it's worth (I estimate it to be less than 25 cents), there you go.

-Neal

Voter Outreach

Well, I would like to get your all's opinion on something that the BVDC (Bristol Virginia Democratic Committee) is working to get together.

As we are a small committee compared to others, and seeing as how I'm the only member under about 40, I am consistently referred to as "the youth movement." Right now, "the youth movement" is working with the Vice Chairman and one of the Precinct Captains, in conjunction (well, actually, we're still in planning) with the Washington County Virginia Democratic Committee, to do some kind of event--potluck, party, dinner, whatever--to get high school and college students involved in the party.

We held a mock election at my high school before the 2005 election, and Russ Potts got more votes than Tim Kaine did (Leslie Byrne was the only one to win, oddly enough), but, that being said, I would still put our number of Democrats (at least in the senior class) as something like 45 (of 98).

I've been working, one-by-one, on converting some folks, and I've received a fair amount of success. After you convince the more "country" folks that abortion and gay marriage won't bring about Armageddon, and that no Democrat wants to take your hunting rifle (and you don't need an AK-47 to shoot a deer unless the deer is armed, too), the rest is easy. The tax stuff makes sense to them, the national health care sounds like the best thing to them to come around the bend, they're all for unions, and think stem cell research could save all kinds of lives.

So I see no problem with growing our base exponentialy in rural Virginia. The problem is, "I'm only one man," in other words, I can't convert all of them.

So, now to my question; Would something like this work? Would people show up (as the food is free), and should some semi-notable Democrat be invited to speak?

Thoughts? Opinions?

The Nats Could Have A Chance

As some of you may know, I'm a big Washington Nationals fan (with the Cleveland Indians a close second favorite). The Nationals/Expos/Senators (I still like that name) finished 81-81 in 2005. I would like to see them in the playoffs, although I admit it'll be hard, since they're in the same division as the Braves, the Mets, the Phillies, and the Marlins.

But they're getting a really good team together. They've signed Alfonso Soriano, Mike Stanton, and Ryan Zimmerman, and have unloaded Brad Wilkerson. Frank Robinson has been re-signed as the manager for 2006, and the coaching staff is being almost entirely re-tooled. There are reports that the Nationals will be meeting with Sammy Sosa soon to discuss bringing him into the organization.

Okay, so here's how I would like to see Opening Day, April 1, 2006, in Baltimore;
1st Base: Nick Johnson
2nd Base: Jose Vidro
3rd Base: Ryan Zimmerman
Shortstop: Jamey Carroll (I'm no fan of Christian Guzman)
Right Field: Jose Guillen
Center Field: Brandon Watson (My first choice is Sammy Sosa-assuming they can get him)
Left Field: Alfonso Soriano
Catcher: Brian Schneider (Process of elimination...)
Starting Pitcher: John Patterson, Livan Hernandez, Ramon Ortiz, or Tony Armas
And, of course, bring in Chad Cordero when it's cruch time if the Nats are losing.

I think the Nationals, with some know-how, some expertise, and a little luck, can make it to the playoffs.

Keep your fingers crossed.

-Neal

Allen Has An Opponent

Harris Miller, who is, apparently either loved or hated (more of the second one), has officialy announced that he will be a candidate in 2006 for the U.S. Senate against George Allen.

I'm not too big on Miller. Most folks know however, that I haven't been a supporter of James Webb, either, but he's looking more and more like our best bet.

Don't get me wrong. I would much rather have Creigh Deeds, Leslie Byrne, Don Beyer, L.F. Payne, Gerald Baliles, Claudia Kennedy, etc., as the nominee, but, then again, beggars can't be choosers, can we?

-Neal

An Amount of Clarification

The guy who runs SW Virginia Law Blog, a guy named Steve Minor (hey! I passed his office the other day!), made mention of my most recent post here. He makes mention that I say "all the elected officials in Bristol are Democrats but for the Commonwealth's attorney." Perhaps clarification is needed.

First, we can establish that Mayor Paul Weberling is a Democrat, as is Councilman Harold Leonard and Sheriff Jack Weisenburger. As for all the other Constitutional officers, when I worked the polls this past November, handing out the sample ballots printed by the BVDC, the names of Jack Weisenburger, Terry Frye, and Wilma Gill were all marked (along with Kaine-Byrne-Deeds, of course). The only city official on the ballot whose name was not marked, but was on the Republican sample ballot, was Commonwealth's Attorney Jerry Wolfe. His predecessor, Larry Kirksey, now a judge, was also a Republican (and, as an interesting side note, I think his law office was where Steve Minor's law office is now--let me know if I'm wrong).

As for the School Board, one member of the city school board is also a teacher at the high school I attend (I go to school in the county, and he teaches there because if one is on the school board, they apparently can't teach in that jurisdiction), and I know him to be an avid Democrat.

So, while I cannot say for certain that "all the elected officials in Bristol are Democrats but for the Commonwealth's attorney," we can safely say quite a few are.

(Also, I liked the title of his post: "Today Bristol, tomorrow the world"; I wouldn't go that far. More like "Today Bristol, Several years from now, the City Council")

-Neal

Democratic Committee

On Thursday afternoon, I filed with the Bristol Democratic Party Chairman to run in Monday night's caucus to elect committee members.

I was told that, because each precinct (he called them wards) elects 6 members, and, with 45 minutes left until filing closed, and only 5 members from my precinct had filed, I was guaranteed a seat. He called me back after filing closed to verify that I would be the sixth member.

With the exception of the Commonwealth's Attorney, and a school board member or two, just about all of our citywide elected officials are Democrats, so obviously I'll be working to help maintain that in the upcoming year, and work to elect Democrats to the offices we don't hold.

I also look forward to hearing from candidates for statewide office, assuming they visit our Committee (Chap Petersen and Phillip Puckett sent representatives-Petersen's regional manager, Puckett's wife-before the primary in 2005, and it's my understanding Deeds came by at some point). That would hopefully include Harris Miller, James Webb, and whomever else may run for the Senate.

I love campaigning and politics probably more than rules, procedures, etc., but I definitly need to know how the arcane end of the governmental spectrum works, too.

And, who knows? If all goes well, a couple years down the road, I may just run for the City Council and see if I can change some things...

----------------------

Also, a big than you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. I'll return the favor whenever y'alls rolls around. Also, I had a great day and evening that I won't soon forget.

-Neal

There's One Present!

12:47 pm: According to CNN.com, Tom DeLay won't attempt a return to the House Leadership.

I'll let the other Democrat blogging folks take care of this story. Of to birthday-ing...

-Neal

When Do I Get My Presents?

I won't be blogging much this weekend, because today (January 7th) is my birthday. 18! So Hope everybody has as good a weekend as I intend to!

-Neal

If I Hired The Acts...

Much has been made about the announcement that the Beach Boys will headline Tim Kaine's inaugural ball.

I'll be 100% honest and say I've never listed to a full Beach Boys song, and the only ones I have heard at least part of are "Kokomo" and another one used in a commercial.

I think the Inaugural Ball should feature Virginia acts. The Dave Matthews Band, Dr. Ralph Stanley, Jesse McReynolds and the Virginia Boys, Mac Wiseman, Bruce Hornsby, Roy Clark, Janette Carter, Tom T. Hall, etc.

Of course the huge majority of the acts I named are country/bluegrass singers, because that's my area of musical knowledge.

I would very likely turn the inaugural ball into a giant "Hills of Home" festival. But would that be such a bad thing?

-Neal

Former GOP Senator Unhappy With Conservatives

Former Republican Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado announced today he won't run for Governor of his state in 2006.

Campbell is a former Democrat.

He said, in part, "You can't be held to a strict ideological code that you can't do anything about," and "What they want is absolute obedience," in reference to the right-wing Conservative wing of his Republican party.

During his tenure in Washington, Senator Campbell was known to ride his motorcycle, and was also quite a maverick.

It seems to me it's a really bad sign when one of the reasons the Colorado GOP's strongest candidate gives for not running for Governor basically is that the Conservatives are nutjobs who won't support moderates.

The Democrats are the big-tent party. That being said, you know, we still have a chair we're holding for him on our side.

Miller For Senate?

According to reports, Harris N. Miller, a Fairfax businessman, will enter the race for U.S. Senate in 2006 against George Allen next week.

Miller is 54 years old, and currently the President of the Information Technology Association of America. He describes himself as "a shorter, and poorer version of Mark Warner."

I'm not too excited about this race yet, but he can self-finance. We know that much.

We'll have to see what else he can offer.

But, if he can keep Allen under 55%, we can consider it a win.

-Neal

About The Old Homeplace

My family is from Russell County. I have cousins all over--Castlewood, St. Paul, Hansonville (plenty there), Lebanon, Swords Creek, etc.

I always love to hear about economic development coming into that area. Read this article from the Washington Post concerning Lebanon. The county seat of Russell County will be home to two high-tech companies in the near future.

This line kills me: "Speculation about when a Starbucks will appear is rampant on the streets of Lebanon."

Nobody is going to pay 4 or 5 dollars for coffee when they can go down the street a mile and get it for like a dollar at McDonald's. But it would be nifty to see one in town. Has anything moved in where Heilig-Meyers used to be?

-Neal

Delegate Bowling

With 100% of precincts reporting, Democrat Dan Bowling has defeated Republican Shea Cook and Independents Jerry Elkins and Brian Wright by a vote of 60%-28%-9%-2%.

Also interesting, there was a 25% voter turnout, which is actually pretty good for a special election. The UMWA really can turn them out.

Breaking it down, Bowling won Buchanan County with 57%, Tazewell County with 61%, and Russell County with 71%. I would point out that the reason he "only" got 57% in Buchanan County is due to the 18% that Elkins carried.

This seat is one of the Democrats' safest. I had been guessing all along that Bowling would win by 15% or so. I underguessed it quite a bit. But that's fine.

Very probably, Bowling will be able to hold this seat as long as he wants.

----------------------------
Also...
I think it's pretty nifty Chap Petersen made his way down this way to campaign for Bowling. Let's add some things up:
1-Outgoing Delegate from Northern Virginia
2-Received 22% in 2005 LG primary
3-37 years old
4-Raising name ID in SWVA
5-Gaining support among new members of the House of Delegates
When we add 1+2+3+4+5, that equals a future run for statewide office. LG? AG? Governor? Senator 2008?

We'll see.

-Neal

Coalfield Election

Tomorrow (January 3rd) is the special election in the 3rd Legislative district of Virginia, which encompasses part of Russell County, part of Tazewell County, and all of Buchanan County. The Democrat, Dan Bowling (pictured above), is a great candidate. He works at SVCC as an Engineering Professor. He's on the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors. He wants to fund the fiber optic line in order to attract new, high-tech jobs to the area. He will fight to build the Coalfields Expressway and work to make teachers' salaries more on the level with the rest of the country and to increase school funding.

The Republican, Shea Cook (pictured above), is running a coattails campaign. The only strange thing, however, is that he's not running on the coattails of Jerry Kilgore, George Allen, John Warner, or George W. Bush. He's running on Jackie Stump's coattails. I've heard radio ads over and over on WMEV 93.9 out of Marion saying "Shea Cook will continue to uphold Jackie's conservative principles," or something similar to that (By the way, I take issue with the ad because he seems to have hired people with fake oe slightly exaggerated accents to read the lines).

He says he wants to cut the "red tape" to help businesses grow. That's likely a way of saying he won't support unions (like the UMWA) that need to strike to guarantee fair wages and safe condidtions. Real nice, Mr. Cook. Real nice.

But, getting back to what I was planning on saying; It's a pretty bad sign when the Republican running in an open-seat election has to try to connect himself to the outgoing Democrat. Could it be because he know's he couldn't win if he preaches the anti-union, anti-worker idealogy of the Virginia Republican Party? Nothing disgusts me more than people who don't support unions, and, in turn, don't support the working man.

I'm not sure how many people in Tazewell/Russell/Buchanan Counties read this site, but I encourage all who do to get out and vote for Dan Bowling for House of Delegates!

-Neal

Go Figure

I put in a request for tickets to Tim Kaine's inaugural ceremony the second day the website was up. I haven't heard anything back yet.

I didn't request invitations for anything from Bill Bolling or Bob McDonnell. But I got them anyway.

I've received invitations ball invitations and swearing-in invitations before; I've got them for Jim McGreevy 2001, Ed Rendell 2002, Mitt Romney 2002, Gray Davis 2002, Bob Taft 2002, Phil Bredesen 2002, Robert Ehrlich 2002, Kathleen Blacno 2003, Joe Manchin 2004, and Ruth Minner 2004. I keep them in a litttle shoebox, so you know.

But, unlike all those, if I get tickets to Tim Kaine's inaugural, I'll be going on a road trip...

We'll Look Back

As I'm writing this, it's 40 minutes until 2006. I've been scouring my CD's to find the words to an appropriate song. While it's not exactly New Year-related, it talks about the passage of time (that, and I only know the first verse of "Auld Lang Syne").
Someday We'll Look Back
By Merle Haggard
Someday when our dream world finds us
And these hard times are gone
We'll laugh and count our blessings
In a mansion all our own
If we both pull together tomorrow's sure to come
Someday we'll look back and say it was fun

We live on love and pennies And the day dream out of sight
And I'm amazed the way you smile
When things don't turn out right
We climb each hill together each step one by one
And someday we'll look back and say it was fun

Someday when our dream world finds us
And these hard times are gone
We'll laugh and count our blessings
In a mansion all our own
If we both pull together tomorrow's sure to come
Someday we'll look back and say it was fun
And someday we'll look back and say it was fun

Happy New Year to everyone.

Until 2006,

-Neal