Berg v. Obama: in the event you're not keeping up with this...please note Obama's folks are engaged.

It is time to call things as they are - something, apparently, the candidates both of parties do not have the courage to do. This election is about ideologies: the ideology of Capitalism and that of neo-Marxism.

Capitalism has served our country well - very well. We, as a nation, would not be enjoying the luxuries we possess (and, yes, we have profound luxuries - but we are all to often ignorant of them) were it not for our Capitalistic ideology.

Capitalism is more than an economic state of business; it is a way of life. Unfortunately, our present leadership is profoundly afraid to say such. And until our leadership is willing to educate the people of this great nation, it will continue to fail.

Neo-marxist ideology is the extreme side of the Democratic Party. The current Democratic presidential candidate and the leadership of the Democratic Party - Pelosi, Reid, et al, embody it.

That the Democratic presidential candidate is a neo-Marxist is evident by his beliefs, statements, and willingness to crawl across the finish line. What matters is power, nothing more. What matters is attaining power to 'change' our Nation into a neo-Marxist state.

First, when Obama was finally compelled to confront the Rev. Jeremiah Wright debacle, he (Obama) had to confront not only the reverend, but also his own lies and the truth of his ideology. Knowing Rev. Wright's ideology would not be acceptable to the nation, Obama cut-and-run. Later when asked what church he would go to, he replied with words to the effect that, the church he would attend would not determine his beliefs.

This begs a question: what are his beliefs? If you were to ask him, no doubt he would come up an answer. Whether we could believe him, we will never know. One might ask why? The answer is simple inasmuch as he has no beliefs; by this I mean, no overriding Godly core beliefs. Obama is the child of today's relevance, i.e., what it means to me is more important than what it means to God. Obama, as with all neo-Marxists, believes that he, not God, knows best. Therefore, Obama is a god.

The second statement occurred at the last debate when Brokaw asked if health care was a 'right' or 'responsibility.' One candidate stated it was a 'responsibility,' the second candidate (Obama) stated it was a 'right.' He we go again. If it is a right, as every Marxist nation would agree, then there is no need for man to work and aspire to earning their state of good health. Why should man do such when they will be taken care of anyway by the all-knowing State.

With this neo-Marxist approach to health care, it will be up to the State to determine how long one lives and how much medical care one deserves, not to mention whether one may enter the world.

We thought Marxism died when the Wall fell. It lives, well and vibrantly, in our nation.

The mainstream media have gone over the line and are now straight-out propagandists for the Obama campaign.

While they have been liberal and blinkered in their worldview for decades, in 2007-08, for the first time, the major media consciously are covering for one candidate for president and consciously are knifing the other. This is no longer journalism; it is simply propaganda. (The American left-wing version of the Völkischer Beobachter cannot be far behind.) More...

I know this might be a 'duh' article...but it merits reading, talking about, and spreading...

Virginia's status as a battleground state in the presidential election for the first time in more than four decades has led to a dramatic increase in donations from state residents, especially among Democrats in Northern Virginia.

Virginians have donated a record $25.3 million to candidates during this two-year election cycle, more than 85 percent of that from Northern Virginia donors, according to campaign finance reports filed last month. The total is nearly double the $14.2 million given during the same period in the run-up to the 2004 election and more than four times the $6.3 million raised before the 2000 election.

The Democratic nominee, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, received $8.1 million from Virginia donors through July 31, and the Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, took in $5 million. More...

Virginia, a traditionally conservative state, has become a key battleground, with 13 electoral votes at stake in the election. A Democrat has not carried the state of Virginia since 1964, and few have seriously competed in Virginia -- until Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

Victoria McCullough, regional field director of the Obama campaign, is part of Obama's small army that seeks to sway undecided voters in local neighborhoods.

"This is a fantastic crowd for a Sunday afternoon," McCullough said, impressed at the turnout for the recent event in Williamsburg, Va. "This looks great." More...

We can only pray this is not so...we can also act.

Virginia officials said yesterday that the state budget shortfall may be as wide as $3 billion over two years, triple what they estimated a month ago...more...

And who gets blamed for this? This issue has recently been used against Gilmore in his run for the Senate...not it plagues the man who would have been a vice presidential candidate.

WASHINGTONPOST.COM: Taking no one for granted, the GOP reaches out to ethnic minorities in Northern Virginia...

Virginia will be a battleground state in at least one election...unfortunately not in the Senatorial contest...

Washington Post: High Turnout, New Procedures May Cause Problems At The Polls - CBS News

Virginia has more than 280,000 new voters since the beginning of the year...

Ruffini may well be right...(no pun intended)...

The strategic landscape in Virginia...

A tsunami of new voters...a five percent increase in registered voters, 42% younger than age 24, and 53% of the first-time registrants were women...more...

Well, this is going to be a very interesting weekend.

I just spoke with Philip Berg, the lawyer who filed the the lawsuit in Pennsylvania contesting Obama's citizenship qualifications to run for and become the President of the United States. In our conversation I learned that more verifiable information will be posted on Obama Crimes in the coming 48 hours furthering, if not proving, the case.

I posited to Mr. Berg that if his information was bogus, would it not be logical for the Obama campaign to "publicly squash his efforts?" He agreed. I asked if the Obama campaign or lawyers had been in contact with him? He said, "No one has been in contact with me."

I don't know about you, but the fact no one has been in contact with Mr. Berg - especially since a lawsuit is pending - is a bit curious.

I asked if the Republicans have been in contact with him and he said, "No." I asked about the 'fact checker' sites that dispelled his claims and Mr. Berg said, "They are wrong and do not know what they are looking at." In fact Mr. Berg said that a simple review of the difference between a Certificate of Marriage and a Certificate of Live Birth (the former, albeit altered, is what Obama's campaign is displaying) would readily reveal the "blatant lies" coming from the Obama campaign.

The lawsuit is attached: berg_v_obama.pdf

Berg v. Obama

Filed Friday in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by Philip Berg.

RED COUNTY
You have addressed an array of issues in your capacity as Prince William County's (PWC) Chairman At-Large ranging from illegal immigration to parking at mass transit sites. Of all the issues you've engaged in, the most controversial topic has been that of enforcing the laws vis-a-vis illegal immigration and its impact on the local community. As a result of your leadership you have been demonized, called a racist, and been subjected to innumerable attacks; yet, you've stood fast on your principles when many in similar positions would have caved-in to the pressure. Given all you've endured & looking back, would you do things any differently? What advise would you give to other city and county leaders across the country confronting illegal immigration and the resultant pressures on city and county infrastructures and society?  

CHAIRMAN STEWART
First, regarding the Rule of Law Resolution crafted to address the adverse effects of the presence of large numbers of illegal aliens in our jurisdiction:  Looking back would I have done things differently?  

Well, sure.  We now have the benefit of hindsight.  Remember, Prince William County has been the national trailblazer on this issue.  Through the process of finding the points of balance on this important policy topic, it is inevitable that there will be some trial and error moments.  Trailblazers usually discover they could have found a less difficult way.  Localities that follow our lead will have an easier go of it than we did.  But, having said that, where we have ended up is exactly where we wanted to be.  

We have a fair but firm policy in place that is sending a clear message that if you are arrested, your legal presence status will be verified, and if you are in the country illegally, once you have completed the judicial process, rather than being released back into the community, you will be deported.  Period.  The results of that policy have made the County a much better place to live:

● an astonishing 19.30 % drop in the rate of crime against persons (For a large county like Prince William, with 400,000 residents, that is a massive drop in the rate);

● a 62% drop in housing overcrowding complaints;

● anecdotal evidence of shorter lines at hospital emergency rooms and fewer non-paying self-pay patients; and

● a decrease by over 600 students in the limited-English speaking student population in our schools.

What advice would I give other localities on this issue?  First and foremost, I would say that localities do have the ability to deal with this issue in a fair and effective manner.  Those who say it's a federal problem and there is nothing that states or localities can do are simply wrong.  We have proved that here in Prince William County.  By working with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Service, through the 287(g) program, localities can get the job done.  I would encourage localities to do the hard work to take back their communities, especially from the activities of criminal gangs like MS13, which are populated mostly by illegal aliens, by attacking the problem head on.  

RED COUNTY
Have federal authorities been supportive of PWC's initiatives regarding you law enforcement efforts regarding illegal immigrants?

CHAIRMAN STEWART
Federal law enforcement authorities have been very helpful and supportive of our efforts.  Federal and local enforcement personnel had a little bit of a learning curve to climb in actually implementing the 287(g) program last year, but it wasn't onerous and it is working well.  Federal elected officials, especially Congress, on the other hand, have done nothing meaningful to help address the problem of illegal aliens in the country.  This is the fact on the ground that forced our hand to deal with it ourselves.  

RED COUNTY
The illegal immigration issue aside, what do you consider as Prince William County's Chairman to be your top 3 priorities?

CHAIRMAN STEWART
The number one priority right now, aside from standing firm on the Rule of Law Resolution, is to bring balance back to our county budget.  For decades Prince William County has allowed, even encouraged, out of control residential development without adequate public facilities or infrastructure.  Even worse, we have not done what we have needed to do to bring commercial development to the County on pace with residential growth.  Non-residential development should account for between 25 - 30% of the county's revenues.  Right now it only accounts for about 14%, and it has been heading in the wrong direction for years.  We need to reverse that trend by encouraging commercial growth in a business friendly environment, while at the same time tampering down residential growth and making sure that what residential growth is approved pays its own way rather than being subsidized by taxpayers.  

The second priority is to continue to address transportation needs in the county.  Prince William County had done more than just about any other locality in the state to try to deal with our transportation needs rather than just waiting for the state to fix the problems.  We have made very significant progress in this area but there is still a lot more to do.

My third priority is to get county government spending under better control.  Last year, my first budget year as Chairman, we accomplished what I have been told is unprecedented in the county.  We actually passed a budget that expanded the police force, expanded spending for schools including healthy pay raises for teachers, and met all our other spending priorities while actually reducing citizens' tax bills.  That's not a reduction in the cosmetic tax rate, which some politicians use to divert attention from the fact that actual dollar amounts in the tax bills are increasing.  We actually cut tax bills in real dollar amounts.  That was quite an accomplishment.  I was not happy with the way the budget unfolded this year.  We can do a much better job of putting a reign on spending and I expect during the next budget cycle that will be our main focus.

RED COUNTY
What is next after your term as PWC's Chairman At-Large?

CHAIRMAN STEWART
My current term as Chairman runs through 2010.  It's really too early to make any firm plans but there are many options.  I could run for another term as County Chair.  Last year I took a look at running for Lieutenant Governor, though I was committed to supporting Gov. Bolling if he decided to seek re-election, which he did.  That remains an option for the future.  I think Virginia is a wonderful commonwealth and I am confident that when the time comes, I will have much to bring to the table, much to offer our citizens in terms of experience, energy, and new ideas for our future.   I am very optimistic about the future of Prince William County and the Commonwealth of Virginia.  I want to help make that future the best it can be for us, our children, and for generations yet to come.

Robert M. (Mike) Duncan, a 30-year political strategist and veteran of Republican politics, was elected as the 60th Chairman of the Republican National Committee in January 2007.

1. The 2008 Presidential election is critical for national security, the economy, and faith & values, etc., all of which transcend across national and state concerns.  What single issue do you foresee as most impacting on state and local politics?

As you say, the 2008 election will have far-reaching consequences for Americans in areas including national security, the economy, and faith and values.  I personally believe that pocketbook issues will have the deepest impact on state and local politics, though. 

Americans are concerned about ensuring future economic growth, creating more and better jobs, and guaranteeing greater prosperity.  Americans are also hurting right now and they expect solutions.  I'd add that there's a bright-line distinction at the national level between John McCain, who is offering solutions to bring down gas prices, economic policies that would drive job creation, and a plan to keep taxes low for working families while Barack Obama is focused on higher taxes and bigger government, and really has very little to offer where energy is concerned.  Whether you live in Reston or Richmond, that contrast can't be missed. Voters will remember it in November.

2. Given the recent decisions of the Supreme Court and the fact its partisanship is more evident than ever, how big a role do you see the issue of judges playing in the 2008 election?

Judges are always important, but that's especially true this year.  If Barack Obama is elected, he'll likely have the option of nominating at least one, but probably two, Supreme Court justices.  It's clear that he would nominate activists with pre-determined agendas, and we'd see more legislating from the bench.  Although Obama spoke positively about the court's decision on the D.C. handgun ban, and negatively about its decision regarding the ability of the death penalty to be used in cases of child rape, the fact is that he has said he would nominate justices like those who favored upholding that handgun ban, and who ruled that the death penalty could not be used in child-rape cases.  Those positions are not consistent with the provisions of our Constitution; nor are they consistent with Virginian values.

3. Our dependence on foreign oil is more evident today than ever, what can state legislatures do to mitigate this dependency?

We really need a comprehensive, national plan to guarantee our energy independence, but there's plenty that state legislatures can do to move the ball forward, too.  For example, John McCain wants to make the federal R&D tax credit permanent to help develop new energy-efficient technologies and clean, alternative sources of energy.  State legislatures could focus on offering similar incentives.  In addition, John McCain has proposed lifting the moratorium on domestic exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf, and allowing states to have more control over offshore parcels.  A bill already has been introduced this year in the Virginia Legislature to allow offshore exploration.  If the moratorium is lifted, then Virginia and other states will be able to act to increase energy exploration and production, which would in turn reduce our dependence on foreign oil.  Coal also is an abundant resource in states like Virginia, and legislators can take steps to promote development of clean coal technology.  That is, incidentally, something that John McCain supports, whereas Barack Obama proposes taxing coal and has talked about banning traditional coal facilities -- policies that would not help us achieve energy independence or help Virginians.

I have thought long and hard about whether or not to write about this topic. But I cannot let this pass without comment.

I am a pastor of an Eastern Orthodox parish in Northern Virginia. I have the best of parishes and situations any priest could ask for. I minister to 15 different nationalities at our parish: Carpatho-Russian, Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Antiochian, Egyptian, Lebanese, Palestinian, French, Sicilian, Macedonian, Irish, Bulgarian, Serbian, American, and a few Greeks. All of our services are traditionally in English - although we do toss in a few languages on occassion.

More importantly, nearly half of my parishioners are immigrants to our great nation. The remainder are first and second generation Americans.

One of the joys I am blessed to share with my parishioners is when they receive their Green Card...and when they are selected to receive American citizenship. I have received joyous phone calls - a joy that I cannot describe adequately on this page - when Green Cards are received in the mail.

The voices on the other end of the phone are elated to the point of tears - elated to the point of relief, thanks, and glorifying God. Dreams do come true.

I remember greeting a young couple - a beautiful Indian and Romanian, both PhDs educated in America -  after divine liturgy. I had officiated at their marriage about 9 months earlier and had only seen them intermittently since the ceremony given their residence was in Maryland.  They showed up a unexpectedly, much to my delight.

When I asked them how they were doing, they said: "Father, we wanted to come to church today to tell you we've received our Green Cards!" Their emotion...the joy on their faces...the sheer excitement within them could barely be contained. They were living the American dream.

I have also received the phone calls from parishioners who wanted to inform me that they were going to the immigration office for an interview - an interview regarding their citizenship. They asked me to pray for them. If a person could sweat blood, it was these parishioners who had waited so long and worked so hard.

One particular family comes to mind. Their history is long. Their family was originally from Turkey - albeit they are not Turkish. They had to leave when the Ottomans took control and began 'encouraging' Christians to depart. The family fled from Turkey to Syria - taking only that which could be carried on their backs.

Then Syria was taken over by a dictator and once again the family had to flee, this time to Lebanon. They settled in Beirut, develop a prosperous business, had a wonderful home, and proceeded to raise their family.

But this was for nought. The Lebanese civil war broke out, they spent nights in the cellar with other families avoiding the bombs, mortars, and snipers. The war drove them from Lebanon to Cyprus, a place of refuge and, yet, isolation.

In Cyprus, because they were not citizens, they were not allowed to work - at least not legally. The husband struggled to carry-on in Lebanon and with work outside the country. The wife and children struggled to survive in Cyprus.

The family applied to immigrate to America while in Cyprus. They followed the American immigration rules and they waited and waited and waited. They waited about 7 years and when approved to immigrate, they once again left all they had accumulated and brought only that which they could carry - just as their grandparents had done when leaving Turkey and Syria.

The one constant they had throughout their journey was their church and faith. From Turkey, to Syria, to Lebanon, to Cyprus, to Virginia - they had the church, their beloved church, their life's touchstone.

It was within the last three years, I remember receiving their phone calls, that they were interviewed for and ultimately received their citizenship. They were so proud. So proud that they had a celebration at home to share their joy at becoming U.S. citizens. Their dream was realized. They love America and they thank God daily for allowing them to become Americans.

This was a joy they shared with me. It was my blessing to be a part of their lives.

You might ask, why am I sharing this with you. I will tell you why. On July 4th of this year, at Monticello, President Bush welcomed 72 men and women who were to become U.S. citizens. They hailed from 30 countries. The President referred to the event as an "incredible journey." He is precisely correct.

It was to be a joyous day. I know that type of joy, as I said, I have seen it and shared in the experience. But that joy was interrupted by callousness and liberal self-righteousness that showed no concern for the men and women and their incredible journey.

The Americans who sought to disrupt this event ought to be ashamed, but I suspect they are not. The Americans who did disrupt this incredible journey, I suspect, have no idea what they have done. Their ignorance befits their acts. While the disrupters are, no doubt, not ashamed, they have shamed their nation. They have committed the 'crime' of indifference akin to that which caused my parish family to leave Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon. The disrupters simply did not and do not care enough to show respect for people on an incredible journey. Do we really believe they will care more for our fellow man when they assume political power?

Yes, the title sounds a bit damning...and perhaps it is deservingly such.

I am old enough to have lived through a Carter presidency and I recall his moral teaching. I am seeing this replay itself in Obama.

Ronald Reagan was my Commander-in-Chief and I see Obama attempting to follow in Reagan's footsteps.

I see elitism from Obama; he is telling us what we ought to be learning in school. This despite the fact he does not know a foreign language. This gives new meaning to: don't do as I do, do as I say.

Having said the foregoing, he merits of the endorsement of the teachers union? This is shameful and reflects ill of the union, but accurately reflects its agenda.

Now Obama is truly showing he is 'just another politician' by his dramatic shift to the center - something his far left compatriots recognize and hold in disdain. But I guess 'they just haven't been listening' either.

Obama's radicalism continues to haunt him and yet he cannot acknowledge who he really is. I sometimes wonder if he knows who he is. Having said this, Newsweek believe it knows what Obama believes - on newsstands July 14th.

Obama believes the country is in a recession - yet there is no single economist who, abiding by the definition of the word "recession" - two economic quarters of negative growth, would agree with him.

It is obvious, from all of the above, that, to Obama, words have neither meaning nor consequences. This is  dangerous...

This is an abomination - an indicator as to what we can expect from an Obamanation.

I know this is not a Virginia-originated story, but it does apply to Virginia and its citizenry. It is a story that you will not find in the popular U.S. media (at least I've not seen it). This alone begs the question: why not? Why haven't we heard more about this. This is also the miracle of the Internet wherein we no longer have to receive our news locally (as this blog has demonstrated by the posting of articles from The Economist).

How aware is the public that McCain has raised seven children? Or that he adopted his two oldest sons as small boys (children from his wife's prior marriage)? Or that he has raised a Bangladeshi girl with severe health problems adopted from Mother Theresa's orphanage? Or that his own sons have served in the military, including in Iraq?

Of McCain's four sons, three have gone the military route. One was a Navy pilot like his father, one enlisted in the Marines at age 17 and recently completed a tour in Iraq, and one is completing his education at the Naval Academy (raising the strong possibility that, for the first time in half a century, the United States will have a president with a son at war).

Also little-known is the story of McCain's youngest child. As a result of a 1991 Cindy McCain visit to Mother Teresa's orphanage in Bangladesh, the McCains adopted an infant daughter dying from a host of health issues. The orphanage could not provide the medical care needed to save the little girl's life, so the McCains, already the parents of six children, brought the child home to America, and paid for desperately needed surgeries and years of rehabilitation.

So, it turns out that McCain, standard-bearer of the party constantly slandered as racist, has, without fanfare, raised as his own a Bengali daughter of color. But the character demonstrations regarding his daughter are even more impressive: during his 2000 presidential run, as he was on the verge of becoming the front-runner, rogue staffers of other candidates reportedly conducted a whisper campaign in South Carolina disparaging the McCains for having a "black baby."

Yet, with every justification to unload with both barrels for such nasty politicking, and with as great an opportunity to set the record straight and tell the world about the heroics of being an adoptive father, McCain chose to shield his child by ignoring the smear. Some analysts believe that move may have ultimately cost him the nomination. But McCain has never questioned his choice. It says a lot about the man that he would readily sacrifice the pinnacle of personal political achievement to protect his family's feelings and privacy.

Need we know more? Do you want to read more? Go here.

Prince William County's enforcement of anti-immigration laws...the initial results follow:

County jail officials have turned over 757 illegal immigrant inmates to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in the past year through an agreement that county supervisors approved as part of the crackdown.

Police have referred more than 300 additional suspects to the immigration and customs branch since March, when the county's patrol officers began screening for residency status.

Catching illegal immigrants has made Prince William safer, said Corey A. Stewart (R-At-Large), chairman of the board of county supervisors said. Stewart also said the county's policies have led to "a plummeting of the crime rate.

More.

Fairfax County's crackdown on illegal boarding houses...& after one year the results are:

Fairfax County's code enforcement "strike teams" marked their one-year anniversary by winning the county's largest fines to date against the owner of an illegal boardinghouse, county leaders said this month.

The teams are represented 15 county agencies, with zoning, building, fire and health code inspectors. The inspectors are supported by police officers, sheriff's deputies, lawyers and others.

The teams first seek voluntary compliance but are authorized to pursue criminal or civil actions to stop landlords who are profiting from "systematically violating zoning, building and safety ordinances," according to the county's Office of Public Affairs.

To report a suspected illegal boardinghouse, go to http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/opa/striketeam/.

More.