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Welcome
to the newest banana republic, formally known as the
Commonwealth of Virginia. In the eyes of the Virginia
Kerry campaign and the Democratic Party of Virginia, voter
fraud runs rampant, violations of state budget laws
swept under the rug, and the skewing of test scores that
leave Virginia children behind are highlight-film
footage for Hizzoner, Da Governor.
It
looks like Gov. Mark "Mollycoddle" Warner's
legacy has finally relegated Virginia to third-world
status.
Yes,
citizens, 400 years of Virginia history, including the
oldest form of state government in the nation, just went
right down a Richmond toilet and into the James River
basin.
Yes
kiddies, it's another moment in time into the looking
glass world of Mark Warner where cookin' the books and
rookin' the votes and hookin' the students are scripted
like fairy tales.
Welcome
to another "Adventure in Warnerland," where
reality is nothing more than bedtime stories filled with
political spin.
Pre-emptive
fibbing
Augusta
Free Press editor
Chris Graham broke the story last week about how the
Kerry-Edwards campaign's voter-protection measures are
modeled on a similar strategy undertaken in Virginia in
2001 to assist the Warner gubernatorial campaign.
This
approach
has morphed into a plan of action that, according to a
campaign manual distributed to Kerry-Edwards volunteers
in Colorado, includes a recommendation that "if no
signs of [voter] intimidation techniques have emerged
yet, launch a pre-emptive strike (particularly
well-suited to states in which there techniques have
been tried in the past)."
But
wait. It gets better.
It
is also recommended in the Colorado manual, which was
ostensibly released to Kerry-Edwards volunteers
nationwide, that Dems issue a press release
"reviewing Republican tactics used in the past in
your area or state" and "quoting
party/minority/civil rights leadership as denouncing
tactics that discourage people from voting."
Suggested
as well: "Prime minority leadership to discuss the
issue in the media; provide talking points."
And:
"Place stories in which minority leadership
expresses concern about the threat of intimidation
tactics."
And:
"Warn local newspapers not to accept advertising
that is not properly disclaimed or that contains false
warnings about voting requirements and/or about what
will happen at the polls."
Faking
intimidation and minority mistruths and bogus
denouncements are unacceptable practices. Had
George Washington listened to that advice, he would have
pinned the blame for chopping down that cherry on the
British monarchy, don't you think?
Yes,
Virginia, the message is clear - "character does
not count," because it's apparently politically
correct to tell a mistruth.
Votergate
Votergate
is alive and well in Virginia.
Bob
Lewis of the Associated Press reported that
"Democrats already have about 500 volunteer lawyers
and are recruiting more for 'our aggressive
voter-protection program here in Virginia' to counter a
Republican 'Halloween message ... to scare people away
from the polls.' "
The
Blue Dog has never been scared away by the conservative
forces of the GOP in the Shenandoah Valley, but Virginia
Democrats lately have been downright frightening. The
local and statewide Democratic Party paranoia is
bordering on clinical.
The
Washington Post reported
that the Democratic Party of Virginia would begin
training 600 attorneys to monitor Virginia voting and
provide legal advice when requested.
The
Post reported that Kerry-Edwards voter-protection
coordinator Michael Signer said, "The attorneys
will stand outside polling places with other campaign
workers and offer advice to voters who want it."
"They
(Virginia Democratic attorneys) will also be on hand to
advise party leaders if voting machines malfunction or
there are other problems," said Signer.
That
sounds like voter intimidation and harassment, not
friendly advisement.
The
AFP reported that Republican Party of Virginia
chair Kate Obenshain Griffin issued the statement,
"I call on Virginia Democrat Party chairman Kerry
Donley to immediately denounce this abhorrent call for
poll watchers to make knowingly false charges of voter
intimidation."
But
the GOP, of course, will have attorneys at the polls as
well - 450 in all, though about a third of them will be
dispatched to swing states, a Republican Party spokesman
told the AFP.
And
the GOP will challenge voters at polls in swing states,
such as Ohio, Arizona, Wisconsin and of course the
hanging-chads state of Florida.
The
Post reported that "Republican Party
officials in Ohio took formal steps ... to place
thousands of recruits inside polling places on Election
Day to challenge the qualifications of voters they
suspect are not eligible to cast ballots."
"Ohio
election officials said that by state law, the parties'
challengers would have to show 'reasonable'
justification for doubting the qualifications of a voter
before asking a poll worker to question that person.
And, the officials said, challenges could be made on
four main grounds: whether the voter is a citizen, is at
least 18, is a resident of the county and has lived in
Ohio for the previous 30 days."
Are
the political parties being encouraged to attempt a
politically shaded version of voter fraud and
intimidation as well as instructing their party
membership to tell untruths?
Yes
indeed they are, but more so ... the Blue Dog believes
the Democrats and Republicans are using political scare
tactics to get out the vote on Election Day.
The
Democratic Party has been playing the voter scare game
for decades.
In
the past, the votes of women and blacks, along with
other minorities, have been secured with the veiled
threat of losing equal treatment and their civil rights.
Recently,
the Kerry-Edwards campaign and the Democratic National
Committee announced the mission of the Election
Protection Advisory Task Force, and focused their
efforts on African-American and Hispanic voters
nationwide and are using the Warner strategy to enlist
and dupe minority leadership assistance to falsify their
claims.
According
to the DNC Web site, the Election Protection Advisory
Task Force mission is "to ensure every citizen is
able to register to vote, to cast their vote and to know
that every vote will be counted."
But
it's really nothing more than a scare tactic - of Jim
Crow-styled voter disenfranchisement.
A
Democratic political handler told me once, "If you
can scare senior citizens to vote for you by threatening
the loss of Medicare and Social Security, you're
obviously a proud member of the Democratic Party."
Case
in point: John Kerry and the Democrats are using the
recent flu-shot shortage in order to frighten senior
citizens to the election polls.
Let's
be honest, there is not been a guarded flu advisory or
major worldwide outbreak of influenza this year.
But
the politicization has dramatically increased the
lengthy lines at doctor's offices and regular
flu-inoculation centers, often filled with the poor and
the elderly. How justified was that?
It's
comparable to the frantic weather reporting that
sensationalizes winter snowstorms, which results in
consumer panic shopping for basic items such as milk and
bread at your local grocery stores. Those panic-driven
shopping binges result are the direct cause of consumer
shortages.
It's
ironic that Democrats are suggesting preemptive
voting-fraud actions while playing politics as usual
with issues such as a potential military draft and the
influenza-inoculation shortage.
And
yet, stranger than life, are the Republican strategists,
Karl Rove's indoctrinated army, who are going about the
country crying voter tampering and political foul.
But
that's the norm this year.
Expect
both major political parties to be out in force at the
precincts Nov. 2.
Tell
that Democrat or Republican attorney to go chase
ambulances, not voters.
If
you are harassed at the voter precincts ...
Please
inform the election precinct chief in charge at the
polls. There are individuals assigned at each precinct
to oversee and regulate voting activities. In addition,
citizens of the Commonwealth can also contact the local
voter registrar office and file a formal complaint
against the offending political parties.
Don't
hesitate to blow the whistle on the political thought
police!
Mollycoddle
math
The
Warner administration, a 26-employee operation, has been
cooking the books in Virginia.
In
2004, to the tune of $1.1 million in taxpayer dollars.
An
auditor for the Virginia General Assembly told members
of the House Appropriation committee that Gov. Warner
and his youthful Third Floor violated the state's budget
laws in order to pay salaries and office expenses for
his miscreant staff.
But
wait a New York auditor's minute (i.e., the AAA Bond
rating auditors)!
Didn't
Warner's staff claim that the nip and tuck financial
budget practice is justified because past Virginia
governors have broken the law since 1995?
Say,
what?
The
Washington Post reported,
"Senior aides to Warner defended their actions,
saying the practice of transferring money from other
agencies has been the norm for almost a decade. They
said the practice dates to 1995, when lawmakers slashed
the budget for George Allen's office during a
legislative spat with the Republican governor."
Whoa,
Nelly!
Let
me get this straight: It's OK for Warner to break the
law? Because the Republicans did it!
Apparently,
the practice of leading by example or misleading
misfeasance has become old hat in Richmond and the
governor's mansion. And Virginia Democrats are no longer
interested in honest and open, responsive state
government - and obviously not interested in doing the
right thing.
Yes,
it's not a matter of being a beacon of truth.
According
to the dimly lighted governor's staff, it's
within the state law to break the state law.
Gov.
Mollycoddle has yet to make an official statement about
Budgetgate, while his press secretary, Ellen
"Disingenuous" Qualls, for the time, has only
commented the governor "will stop the practice used
to fund his staff."
But
the governor's office has not issue a personal public
statement of regret for his actions.
Because
that would be an admission of the truth (besides, Warner
was too busy lobbying for a Kerry Cabinet position on
the Pennsylvania campaign trail to be bothered).
The
Blue Dog questions how hypocritical it is of Warner to
invoke a budget crisis and hoodwink public support for a
tax increase last year while being less than honest
about the state's finances and fudging the 2004 state
budget.
Finance
Secretary John Bennett claimed the governor's
notification of the transfer of funds wasn't required by
law and used his best bafflegab to navigate through the
media's questions.
But
let the truth be known ...
According
to The Daily Press, the state law specifically
states that "up to 15 percent of a state agency's
budget can be transferred to another agency for a
closely and definitely related purpose."
That
15 percent transfer equals roughly $348,000.
Ladies
and gentlemen, that is not even close to the whopping
$1.1 million that was illegally relegated to Warner's
Third Floor staff during the recent state budget crisis.
As
a member of the state budget-writing committee, local
Republican House of Delegate member Steve Landes,
sarcastically told the Post, "What's good
for the goose is not good for the gander, I guess."
Del.
Leo Wardrup, R-Virginia Beach, compared the governor's
cooking the books scheme to the criminal, corporate
fiasco - the Enron scandal.
The
Post reported that Wardrup called the financial
debacle "absolutely wild," considering that
the transfer of funds reduced the money available to
other state agencies, such as public safety,
transportation and education.
At
that point, the crusty, old salt perked up to say,
"Dear God!"
Sorry
Leo, but had God actually been there for the budget
process - I'm guessing the truth would have mattered.
But
keep an eye on www.amazon.com featured books, because
the probable joint-venture publication, Cooking the
Books with Mark & Martha, could be in the works.
And
then, you can read more about it.
Standards
of fudging test scores
When
it rains, it pours on the Third Floor in Richmond.
First
it's Votergate, then Budgetgate, and now ... the public
is catching wind of SOLgate.
Gov.
Mollycoddle's recent announcement of a Virginia
graduation rate of 94 percent has been debunked by the
parent-teacher organization, Parents Across Virginia
United to Reform SOLs.
In
a recent governor's office media release, Warner
claimed, "These results show it is possible to now
require achievement on the SOL tests to earn a
high-school diploma and not face a graduation
crisis."
Come
on, Gov. Warner! Cook your own budget numbers, but don't
sacrifice our children's education with your insatiable
need for public attention and adoration.
In
a recent e-mail, Mickey VanDerwerker, the spokesperson
for PAVURSOL, wrote, "Gov. Warner's recent
announcement of a graduation rate of 94.3 percent for
the class of 2004 plays fast and loose with the figures
in an effort to divert attention from yet another
negative consequence of high-stakes testing. In fact,
only 73.5 percent of the original class of 2004, i.e.,
those who entered ninth grade four years before,
graduated."
PAVURSOL
elaborated on what is counted as a Virginia diploma.
VanDerwerker
wrote, "Additionally, Gov. Warner's definition of
graduation, and thereby his reported graduation rate,
includes all diploma options, including modified
standard diplomas, which do not count towards graduation
under No Child Left Behind rules. Only 69.4 percent
of the students that Gov. Warner called graduates
received a standard or advanced diploma. This is a
decrease from the original class of 2003, of whom 74.4
percent earned a regular diploma four years after
entering ninth grade."
"This
diversion of students from regular diplomas, along with
the almost 26,000 students who didn't make it to
graduation day, was not mentioned at all in the
governor's glowing comments about students exceed(ing)
our highest expectations."
Honestly,
folks, it's really a shame the governor continues plays
politics with the Virginia education system and the
state budget process.
With
all those nonsensical numbers - dealing with voters,
budgets and test scores - the Blue Dog sincerely
believes Gov. Warner and his staff could face a serious
challenge with the mathematical portion of the SOL test.
Better
hit the books, Gov, because you're FAILING in Virginia.
--
November 1, 2004
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