wv4fred

It's Almost Time

2007-11-04T09:33:00.000-08:00

Over the next 24 hours, I will be part of a very special announcement.

After 7:00 PM (Eastern) today (Sunday, Nov4) you will be able to find it here...

Meanwhile, you can see a sneak preview of our Club's blog here

Our new organization will not be taking a role in the endorsement of a particular Republican candidate, as our focus will be on state and legislative offices. We will have members supporting all GOP Presidential campaigns. If you are interested in running for office or know someone who should be, please contact us ASAP with our information at the website.

News coming soon

2007-10-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

Friends,

I apologize for my absense from this blog for the past three weeks. I have embarked on a special project that has been quite time consuming.

I want to thank everyone for visiting, and I appreciate your support and emails.

I am proud of the progress that Fred has made since his announcement,
and I am pleased to see his West Virginia campaign coming together so well. I am confident that our state will be in the Fred column come February.

The project I am involved in will invovle Republicans from all sides of the presidential primary, and I will be retiring this blog to focus on those very important efforts which I will soon fill everyone in on. I encourage everyone interested in Fred to visit Fred08.com and Gary Abernathy's (his WV campaign director) website: republicangazette.com

Thanks,
Charles

Democrats at the Trough

2007-10-02T15:52:00.000-07:00

Hat Tip: David Freddoso at the National Review's Corner

A Fine Read

2007-10-01T20:04:00.001-07:00

J. Peter Mulhern of the American Thinker weighs in on why he thinks Fred will win in 2008.

First he breaks down what will prevent each of the "big three" running against Fred from winning.

According to Mr. Mulhern, Gov. Romney comes across slick.

Even his greatest admirers usually concede that he is too slick and too packaged to seem entirely trustworthy. As the polling data so far indicates, the great majority of Republican voters are going to choose somebody else when they judge him alongside their other choice.

Then he points to Sen. McCain's fatal flaw, his open defiance of the party on so many issues:

McCain has been at war with the Republican Party for a decade. The idea that he could win the GOP's presidential nomination was never more than a fantasy. His presence in the race will soon become an embarrassment, if it isn't one already.

And he discusses why Rudy would be a disaster as nominee:

With Rudy on the ballot millions of "values voters" would stay home. Millions more who are beguiled by socialism's promise of something for nothing but often vote for Republicans anyway because Democrats are just too weird, would vote for the Dem. With Giuliani as the candidate Republicans would limp into the fall of 2008, both feet riddled with self-inflicted bullet wounds.

Mulhern rightfully dismisses Rudy's chief argument that he can put New York and California in play by appealing to socially liberal urbanites:

Giuliani's supporters like to complain about the petulance of "single issue" voters who would ignore their man's many sterling qualities and help elect Hillary merely because they have some serious disagreements with the former Mayor. This complaint is a waste of time and energy. A Giulliani nomination would hurt Republican prospects. This is as predictable as the tide and just as impervious to argument. If Giulliani's supporters insist on shattering the Republican coalition and, as a result, Hillary wins, they should blame their own arrogance not the petulance of others.

Giuliani had a clear chance to unify the Republican coalition and step forward as it's natural leader. If, at the outset of his campaign he argued forcefully that Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided and needs to be overturned, Republicans could have had confidence that he would stand with society's defenders and against the vandals.

Henry Clay once said he would rather be right than President. Giuliani would rather be wrong about Roe than President and by now his choice is irrevocable. Apparently Rudy doesn't understand that Roe is a travesty, which puts him squarely on the wrong side of the culture war. For both moral and political reasons, Republicans can't choose him as their nominee.

Finally, we learn why he thinks Fred is the best candidate to face Hillary.

Political strategists aren't known for consensus, but they all agree that the public loathes passionate and polarized politics. Attacking Hillary with self-righteous zeal like St. George all set to slay the dragon would be a tactical mistake. The best way for a Republican to beat Hillary is to talk to the American people calmly, simply and sensibly, and let her be the poster child for all the bitterness and anger of the last decade. Fred is just the man to do that.

A lot of comparisons have been made to Reagan, and they are unfair as no one can be expected to fill those shoes, but Fred does share one trait with the Great Communicator: He can articulate our agenda and come across as "one of us".

The polls say that dissatisfaction with Washington is at astronomical levels, and I argue that we need someone like Fred that is willing to stand with the voters and against Beltway Politics. Mulhern has a similar observation that Fred is the candidate best suited for this Herculean task.

After a long career in Washington as a staffer and Senator, as a lawyer and a lobbyist Fred Thompson is as well connected as any "insider" here. But for his entire career Thompson has stood outside the bipartisan consensus that, when it comes to government activity, more is better. His commitment to governmental modesty is most often expressed as concern for the principle of federalism. That commitment put him on the short end of some very lopsided votes as a Senator.

As Republicans, we are blessed to have strong, serious candidates seeking office, but in a time in which our own party's own elected officials have so often betrayed our prinicples (2006 Congressional Election) We need to elect a President who we know will not give in to the pressures of Beltway Politics - we need to elect Fred.

Fred on Iran and the UN

2007-09-27T18:30:00.000-07:00

From Fred08.com

Thompson: We Won't Ask UN's Permission to Defend Self-Interest

McLean, VA - Senator Fred Thompson issued the following statement today:

"During last night's debate in New Hampshire, I was appalled that none of the leading Democrats would stand up for Israel's right to defend itself against Iran--a country intent on acquiring nuclear weapons and whose leader has vowed to wipe Israel off the map. A Thompson Administration would stand by Israel and all of our friends in the region. We would not wait for U.N. permission to support an ally or defend our interests abroad. The U.N. has not shown sufficient resolve toward stopping Iran's nuclear ambitions."

Congress' war against working West Virginians

2007-09-26T19:37:00.001-07:00

Democrat John Dingell, Queen Nancy's chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, unveiled a proposal that would devastate our state's economy in the name of global warming.

What exactly does he propose?

An additional 50 cents per gallon tax on gasoline and jet fuel, phased in over 5 years. As a rural state with an already disproportionately high gas tax, our working men and women are more likely to DRIVE to work as our JOBS are spread too thin along rural/suburban areas to use carpooling and we do not have the population to support mass transit. In the private sector, a large portion of our jobs are in the coal mines, natural gas wells, and forests. It is impractical for a lumberjack to telecommute from his kitchen table at a laptop in his pajamas; I don't think you can mine coal in your home office, either.

A $50 a ton tax on CO2 admissions, from burning coal, petroleum or natural gas.
I don't think I need to tell you what mining jobs mean to West Virginia. If you can't understand this, you are beyond help.

Gradual phase-out of the interest tax deduction on mortgages for homes over 3,000 sq.ft., including an entire elimination for homes of at least 4,200 sq.ft. This too, would disproportionately affect West Virginia. Obviously, we want more people to build and move in bigger homes to support our timber, steel, construction, limestone, and utility industries. Just how small can a 4,200 single story home be? (64 x 64, or a 32 x 32 two story home) I don't think this affects just the "wealthy".

Any of these the three proposals would devastate West Virginia's resource industries. All three proposals becoming law would be unthinkable.

Even by his own admission, if Dingell's proposal became law, misery would follow…

"This is going to cause pain," he said, adding that he wants to make certain "the pain is shared in a way that is fair, proper, acceptable and accomplishes the basic purpose" of reducing greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels.

Simply put, the Democrats do not want coal burned to produce electricity, and they do not want more natural gas heating your home. They do not want more our coal used to make steel in the Northern Panhandle, and they do not want our natural gas used in what remains of the already devastated chemical industries in Kanawha and Ohio River valleys.

West Virginia cannot escape the bottom of the heap economically if the Washington Democrats are victorious in their war against coal, timber, and natural gas. Apparently Democrat leaders are not about unleashing capitalism, they are unleashing ON capitalism.

If Byrd, Rockefeller, Manchin, Rahall, Mollohan, and Chairman Casey cannot rebuke their national party leaders over THIS insanity...

Finally Coming Clean

2007-09-24T02:35:00.001-07:00

After a couple of weeks of denials, the New York Times finally came clean yesterday and admitted that it was inappropriate to offer MoveOn.Org a discount to run their disgusting attack on American Hero, General David Petraeus.

He [Times Public Editor Clark Hoyt] quoted Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis as saying the advertising representative who sold the ad failed to make it clear that for the standby rate of $65,000, The Times could not guarantee it would run it on the day of Petraeus' testimony.
That standby rate is offered to political and advocacy groups willing to be flexible about the day their ads run.

"We made a mistake," Mathis was quoted as saying.

And if that wasn't enough, Times Public Editor Clark Hoyt says that the ad violated its own acceptability standards - as if it had any for its leftist allies.

"The ad appears to fly in the face of an internal advertising acceptability manual that says, 'We do not accept opinion advertisements that are attacks of a personal nature,"' he wrote, adding that the phrase "Betray Us" was "a particularly low blow when aimed at a soldier."

He quoted Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis as saying the advertising representative who sold the ad failed to make it clear that for the standby rate of $65,000, The Times could not guarantee it would run it on the day of Petraeus' testimony.

That standby rate is offered to political and advocacy groups willing to be flexible about the day their ads run.

"We made a mistake," Mathis was quoted as saying.

Finally, it appears that MoveOn.Org will have to pay the full and fair price for their abomination.

Moveon.org said that it would wire the difference between the standby rate and the full rate of $142,083 to The Times.

"Now that the Times has revealed this mistake for the first time, and while we believe that the $142,083 figure is above the market rate paid by most organizations, out of an abundance of caution we have decided to pay that rate for this ad," it said in statement.

They appear to not to be sweating too much about the money, thanks to the deep pockets of George Soros, the chief financier of virtually every national Democrat party organization. (MoveOn.org, Media Matters, ACT, pro-union Campaign for America's Future, Center for American Progress, etc.)

Quite simply, the National Democrat Party is owned by George Soros and his armies of lefty loons.

You can read the Times' Clark Hoyt's editorial here.

WV now officially has a Fred'08 Director

2007-09-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

From Fred's campaign HQ...

McLean, VA - The Fred Thompson campaign announced today that Gary Abernathy would lead the campaign's efforts in West Virginia as its State Director.

Gary Abernathy, a consultant at Abernathy Strategies, is the former Executive Director of the West Virginia Republican Party.

Abernathy is a veteran of campaigns on the local, state, and federal levels. Prior to becoming Executive Director, Abernathy served as Communications Director for the Ohio Republican Party and Deputy District Director for Ohio Congressman Frank Cremeans.

As a political professional, he has directed the growth of party organizations, helped elect numerous candidates, and has worked with companies and industry groups around the country on successful grassroots campaigns. Abernathy, a journalist from 1984 until 1996, served as newspaper editor, columnist, reporter, and has been the recipient of a number of distinguished awards.

"Gary Abernathy brings a wealth of grassroots and communications experience to our organization in West Virginia," said Thompson's National Political Director Randy Enwright.

"His political and communications experience, along with his knowledge of issues specific to West Virginia, will be a great asset to our campaign."

Fred on HillaryCare

2007-09-20T00:31:00.000-07:00

Almost as loopy as those "Open for Business" signs

2007-09-20T00:14:00.000-07:00

President Hugo Chavez wants Venezuelan clocks turned back half an hour and he wants it done in record time -- next Monday.

"I don't care if they call me crazy, the new time will go ahead, let them call me whatever they want," Chavez said on his weekly TV show. "I'm not to blame. I received a recommendation and said I liked the idea."

The few dozen IT remaining professionals in Venezuela will likely be joining whatever passes for a resistance in that new "worker's paradise" after Hugo's latest declaration.

The change will put Venezuela on its own time zone, shared by no other country. Several countries have adopted times that put them half an hour ahead or behind neighbours, and Nepal's official time is just 15 minutes ahead of that of India.

Venezuelan businesses are now scrambling to call in technicians to reprogram their computers for the time change.

Most countries advertise in the media any planned changes in clock times for months before the implementation date.

But Chavez's government has only aired slots promoting the idea in principle without educating people on how to do it. (Sounds kinda like the way our minuscule reduction on the sales tax on food was implemented doesn't it?)

Hugo must be smoking the same stuff Governor Manchin was that same fateful day he came up with an idea equally ludicrous:

"Owning" the issue, no matter how much it hurts

2007-09-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

"I was for Wild, Wonderful All Along, Right Hill-err Gayle!"

From Today's Charleston Daily Mail:

Manchin added his two cents worth to a statewide telephone and online poll that seeks to determine whether the state should adopt a permanent greeting. If that's what state residents want, the governor said, he favors going back to an old phrase first adopted in 1975: "Wild Wonderful West Virginia."

"He's always been a supporter of that phrase and thinks if we're going to have a permanent slogan that should be it,'' Manchin spokeswoman Lara Ramsburg said Monday.

Hmm.. If that's the case,

then why was this petition necessary?!

Instead of trying to "Clinton" this controversy away, perhaps Joe Manchin should present WVU Student D. Logan Wheatcraft some sort of token of appreciation on behalf of all West Virginians. Leading the fight to get rid of those stupid signs definitely counts as a good deed.

I am not sure if Joe would have ever taken down his stupid signs if this certain college student hadn't decided to exercise his right to petition his government. He was certainly much more effective than any elected official or editorial writer in getting our collective points across.

Maybe we can learn a lesson in all of this: Joe Manchin is not infallible after all.

Fred's WV team taking shape?

2007-09-17T15:35:00.000-07:00

We are now learning from Chris Stirewalt's The Rail Blog that Fred may be hiring a familiar name to work on the campaign in West Virginia:

Fredly As He Goes
Posted: Monday, September 17, 2007 : 02:04PM
Word just into the Rail that the Fred Thompson campaign has retained former West Virginia Republican Party executive director Gary Abernathy and that, accordingly, Abernathy has stepped aside from his role as consultant to the state party. Developing...

On the heels of breaking the news of Beth Walker's flirtation with a Supreme Court run , we learn why Stirewalt is entrusted with the postion of political editor for West Virginia Media Corp.

West Virginia is Fred Thompson country, and it is exciting to see his campaign start to set up shop here. Feburary 5th will be here before we know it.

The Story of Owen Schmitt

2007-09-13T08:10:00.000-07:00

By now, everyone knows the story of WVU's two Heisman candidates Pat White and Steve Slaton, but one must not overlook the third starter in that incredible backfield.

Today's Charleston Daily Mail features a Washington Post Article on WVU Fullback Owen Schmitt. Apparently, it was not an easy path from Division III to Division-1A

MORGANTOWN -- Owen Schmitt and his mother woke up before dawn in Fairfax on a January morning in 2003. They borrowed a car from a family friend, filled the gas tank and drove 215 miles through snow to West Virginia University. When they finally pulled into the parking lot behind Mountaineer Field, Schmitt suggested they turn around.

Already during his winter vacation, Schmitt had made a half-dozen similar trips to colleges within driving distance of Fairfax. He had peddled a tape of his football highlights to coaches at Maryland, James Madison and Virginia Military Institute -- only to be turned away each time. As Schmitt sat in the car, he watched West Virginia players walk to and from Mountaineer Field and felt convinced that failure loomed again.

It is a very compelling read and I strongly suggest you follow this link.

Here is my favorite quote:

"Whatever legend you've heard about Owen Schmitt, double it and you're getting close to the truth," said Bill Stewart, a West Virginia assistant coach. "The pro scouts come in here and leave drooling over him. This guy emulates everything you'd want in a football program. He's happy to do anything. And then he does everything well."

The "Four Horsemen" of Notre Dame were considered by many the finest offensive backfield of the 20th Century.

I think we are looking at the best backfield of the 21st Century right now in Morgantown.(And the second string is pretty good too!)

Not all protesters "support the troops"

2007-09-12T19:48:00.000-07:00

From Michelle Malkin

Early returns are in

2007-09-12T08:56:00.000-07:00

Less than a week after getting into the race, Fred Thompson is on the verge of unseating Rudy Giuliani as the front runner, and he has only begun to scratch the surface.

Just today, CNN has released a poll that shows Fred now stands just one point behind former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani - well within the margin of error.

Fred's rise in the polls has also been noticed by John McIntyre of the Time-Blog.com. Renowned pollster Scott Rassmussen reports that Fred is already the GOP frontrunner.

No other candidate in this Republican Primary field has managed this sort of momentum indicating that Fred is the first real alternative for conservatives. I predict that several weeks from now, we will see better "satisfaction" numbers among GOP voters in opinion the field in the internals of the major polls.

Another sign that Fred is not yet polling as well as he will be is that his name ID is not as high as we had thought. Everyone knows his face from Law&Order and his movies, but as a supporting actor, he did not get "top billing" and hence lacks the same face and name association as other actors, like Tom Cruise.

Now that he does have top billing as the candidate and co-frontrunner, people will remember his face when he is being interviewed or shown on the TV news, and people will associate his name with his face, which means his numbers are only starting their upward climb.

The poll's internals demonstrate his surprisingly low name ID (for now) compared to Rudy Giuliani. CNN's Bill Schneider offers an interesting insight:

"The main reason Giuliani does better than Thompson [in head-to-head matchups] is that he's better known. Forty-seven percent of the public say they have never heard of Fred Thompson or have an opinion of him. Only 14 percent have no opinion of Rudy Giuliani."

Meanwhile, Giuliani, who had been stuck in the mid-30's for much of the year, is starting to watch his lead erode as reported by the Washington Post this morning.

Yes, things are going quite well for Fred at this point in the game. I think any other candidate in the field would love to trade places with him, including Rudy, who now hangs on because the pro-life and pro-2nd amendment vote is split four or more ways - for now.

What do the Democrats want us to drive?

2007-09-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

The other Daily Mail (across the pond) writes about Toyota's new prototype: "MiniMarvel" a car you can practically park on your front porch.

I think I'll pass. It can never replace this...

In Utah of all places

2007-09-11T17:54:00.000-07:00

On this day, the Charleston Daily Mail opined about a story in the Salt Lake Tribune where many teachers in Utah will not commemorate the 9/11 attacks.

THE Salt Lake Tribune reported that teachers in Utah will not commemorate the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11th attacks on the United States.

Said East Layton Elementary School principal Beth Johnston: "We don't want our kids thinking about that. We want them to move on. "

"It might be age appropriate for older students to acknowledge and talk about it, but for our younger kids, we don't want them to dwell on violence."

Well, no. But the unpleasant truth is dangerous forces wish to destroy the United States.

If even Utah is not safe from such lefty lunacy, I can't think of anywhere that is anymore.

Six Years Later

2007-09-11T17:07:00.000-07:00

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, Republican and Democrat members of Congress marched to the steps of the Capitol and sang "God Bless America" as a demonstration of national unity.

Anyone who had been around the block in a political sense knew that sort bipartisanship would be fleeting, but even under a skeptical eye, the Democrat left's conduct has been flabbergasting in the first six years of the Global War On Terror.

In today's Opinion Journal, former leftist Norman Podhoretz details how closely the anti-war movement resembles the Vietnam War protesters 35 years earlier, and how it was inevitable that the bipartisanship would soon crumble.

Having broken ranks with the left in the late '60s precisely because I was repelled by the "negative faith in America the ugly" that had come to pervade it, I naturally welcomed this new patriotic mood with open arms. It seemed to me a sign of greater intellectual sanity and moral health, and I fervently hoped that it would last.

But I could not fully share the heady confidence of my younger political friends that the change was permanent, and that nothing in American politics and American culture would ever be the same again. As a veteran of the political and cultural wars of the '60s, I knew from my own scars that no matter how small and insignificant a group the anti-Americans of the left might for the moment look to the naked eye, they had it in them to rise and grow again.

Sadly, in the information age, politics no longer ends at our nation's borders. Certain liberal elected officials no longer even operate under the pretense that they are for America anymore.

Fred responds to MoveOn.org

2007-09-10T18:54:00.000-07:00

From Fred08:

Thompson Slams MoveOn.org For Libelous Attack On General Petraeus

Columbia, SC - Fred Thompson released the following statement regarding MoveOn.org's recent advertisement in the New York Times about General David Petraeus:

"MoveOn.org has today, in effect, said that the General leading our brave troops in Iraq is betraying his country. This is the group that funds the Democratic Party. I call upon the Democratic Party and all of the Democratic candidates for President to repudiate the libel of this patriotic American."

WVGOP Chairman responds to MoveOn.org

2007-09-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

WVGOP Chairman Doug McKinney has responded to the dispicable moveon.org ad that ran this morning.

From the West Virginia Republican Party's website (which you should be visiting every day):

West Virginia Republican Party Chairman Doug McKinney today issued the following statement calling on West Virginia Democrats to denounce the MoveOn.org attack ad in today’s New York Times assailing General David Petraeus and America’s military.

“MoveOn.org’s malicious attack on General Petraeus and our nation’s troops should be condemned by West Virginia Congressional Democrats immediately.

“After trying unsuccessfully to block funding for American soldiers and second guess our commanders on the ground, this radical left-wing organization has resorted to launching slanderous assaults on our nation’s brave men and women who are fighting the War on Terrorism. As the father of a United States Marine, I take personal offense at this attack.

“West Virginia Democrats, including Sen. Robert C. Byrd, have benefited from donations from MoveOn.org in the past. I hope these Democrats finally denounce this insult to America’s troops, and refuse to line up with the liberal extremists that have hijacked their party.

“Instead of condemning General Petraeus, I urge West Virginia’s elected officials to condemn this advertisement and resolve to listen to what General Petraeus has to say.”

Way Out of Bounds

2007-09-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

As someone who has worn the uniform and served under commanders and NCO's who were around during Vietnam, I have a special sensitivity to those who would slander our men and women fighting for our nation in a time of war. I learned from them the damage that was inflicted on our nation by the mean spirited anti-war left over three decades ago.

It had seemed during the first Gulf-War and the first few years of this war that protesting the war was "okay" but attacking the troops and impugning their character was unacceptable. Poll after poll after poll indicates that the military is the among the most trusted institutions in this nation. "I support the troops, but I oppose their mission" became the anti-war's mantra.

But now, with Democrat leaders John Murtha, Dick Durbin, and Charles Schumer acting as trailblazers, the anti-war movement now has brought back 70's style hippie tactics that many of us cannot bear to witness.

This morning, MoveOn.Org took war protesting to a new low by running the following ad in the New York Times:

You can read the full size ad here.

For several years now, we have heard the MoveOn.org crowd cry about my party "questioning their patriotism" simply because we pointed out that their position of immediate withdrawal simply amounts to nothing more than surrendering Iraq to the terrorists.

The truth is that their judgement and logic was questioned and their only defense was to claim that we were attacking their "patriotism" and that "dissent is the highest form of patriotism."

These extremists no longer have the right to be offended if their patriotism were actually questioned. They alleviated all doubt this morning about their true loyalties.

MoveOn.org, and their sugar daddy George Soros, want America to lose the war, and any American who wants our troops to succeed in Iraq should know that.

I would hate to think that any elected Democrat would dare associate with this trash ever again. (But we know they will by the time the leaves are off the trees.)

State of the state - Chamber waiving the white flag

2007-09-10T06:28:00.001-07:00

Governor Manchin's popularity is forcing the Chamber's leaders and supposedly pro-business Democrats to take a back seat on much needed reforms to protect his left flank from any future challengers in the Democrat Primary.

Not everyone is content to remain silent.

Today, Senator Vic Sprouse writes about WV Media's Bray Cary's most recent episode of Decision Makers in which Bray says what needs said, and said again and again.

How weak has the State Chamber become under Mojo's quest to end the Democrat business vs. trial lawyer-labor war? A recent Charleston Daily Mail article answers that question.

House Republican leader Tim Armstead made an appearance at the State Chamber's most recent meeting and said what our state's business leaders needed to hear.

From now on remember this important point:
When you hear "conservative" Democrats and Steve Roberts push Dr. Sobel's fine book "Unleashing Capitalism", they are only offering lip-service to the cause. They are unwilling to fight for the election of people who would actually implement its much-needed recommendations.

Is the quest for civil justice reform and tax reform dead in West Virginia?

WV coal miners need Fred Thompson

2007-09-07T06:44:00.000-07:00

West Virginians should take note of which Presidential candidate would be most likely to stop anti-coal legislation dead in its tracks.

Aside from the Birkenstock wearing northeastern liberals who trek to the hills of Boone County to protest mining, the real threat to West Virginia jobs is posed by the Global Warming crowd. The Democrat party has surrendered to the same "science by consensus" that once deemed Galileo a heretic for opposing the conventional wisdom of a geocentric universe.

Recently, top Senate Democrat Harry Reid declared that there should be a global moratorium on the construction of new power plants. I can think of no other time at which the leadership of a political party has been a greater threat to West Virginia jobs.

Many natural resource industry leaders have been in a holding pattern most of this year, waiting to see which candidate best represents their views, and which candidate has the best chance of defeating Hillary.

Yesterday, Kevin Mooney of the Cybercast New Service wrote an article that should answer the first question very clearly in which he interviews the champion of the Counter-Global Warming movement in the U.S. Senate, James Inhofe of Oklahoma. Inhofe offers the following insight on which candidate is most likely to avoid caving in to the U.N.

"The Republicans will need a nominee for president who is willing to tell the truth, and so far the one out there with the most courage is Fred Thompson," said Inhofe. "He is aware of all the issues I've raised on global warming, and right now he's the only one I see who is willing to take this on."

Unlike many of his fellow Republicans, Thompson has demonstrated a willingness to confront elite opinion, Inhofe said. While Thompson is sure to antagonize the news media with his stand on global warming, Inhofe thinks he will find a receptive audience among average Americans.

Fred Thompson is the candidate most likely to draw a connection to the American people between drilling in ANWAR, drilling off the Continental Shelf, and allowing more refineries to be built as the way to lower gas prices.

Fred Thompson is the candidate most likely to push for tax reform and deregulation that could allow the steel industry to come back from the dead, increasing the demand for top dollar WV metallurgical grade coal which fetches far more revenue than steam coal for power.

As the second richest state in terms of natural resources (only Alaska has more), it only makes sense to support the candidate that would install the fewest impediments to getting those resources to market.

West Virginia NEEDS Fred Thompson.

McDonald's remains resolute

2007-09-07T05:32:00.000-07:00

I would hate to go through life with a serious food allergy, and I would really hate it if I was allergic to something that has a pleasant taste. But a person should not be entitled to a free ride for the rest of their life because they trusted an overworked and likely swamped fast food cook to get their special order right.

Anyone who eats fast food on a regular basis knows that if I order my Spicy Chicken Sandwich with no tomato on my number five, I will get it with tomato at least 10% of the time. Most everyone agrees that if you have such a serious reaction to cheese that you must be rushed to the emergency room to save your life, then you darn better lift the bun and inspect the sandwich and not trust your life to a 17-year old earning their first paycheck. We expect fast food loaded with grease at a cheap price, the trade off is that we won't get the same level of service or detail that we would at say,Rocco's, Red Lobster, or the Back Bay.

Today the Charleston Daily Mail has an article stating that McDonald's will stand firm and not settle the infamous $10 million dollar quarter-pounder lawsuit filed against a Morgantown McDonald's.

Good for them. If this kid had to get treatment at the hospital, I could have been sympathetic to that, and as a juror I might have awarded him damages for the medical expenses, but punitive damages and emotional distress? NO! He should have accepted McDonald's generous offer and not tried to use this as a backdoor way to someone else paying his own way.

We need to break this post-New Deal and Great Society paradigm that whenever something bad happens to someone, someone else must be forced at the barrel of the gun wielded by a government bureaucrat or activist judge to take care of them.

BTW, who is the plaintiff's attorney? It's failed Democrat candidate for the House of Delegates Timothy Houston, son of former Democrat Delegate Nancy Houston.

Fred on Leno Transcript

2007-09-06T08:56:00.000-07:00

For those of you folks in the dial-up world and unable to download streaming video easily, here is a link to a transcript of Fred on Jay Leno last night.

How to become a WVGOP Convention Delegate and vote 4 Fred!

2007-09-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

WVGOP Presidential Convention, Inc. just issued the following press release detailing what to do how to become a delegate to the state convention.

WVGOP Presidential Convention, Inc.
For Immediate Release
September 6, 2007
Contact: Gary Abernathy 304-344-4671 or Lynn Staton 304-229-5890

Attn: Political Editors and Reporters
WVGOP Presidential Convention Announces Important Convention Details

Charleston, WV – The WVGOP Presidential Convention announced today the following information to inform West Virginia Republicans about the electronic voting and delegate selection process in advance of the 2008 Republican Presidential Convention.
“In June of this year, we announced the bold step that West Virginia is taking in 2008 to have a convention on February 5, 2008 to select a majority of our delegates to the Republican National Convention. This is the first time that West Virginia will hold such a convention, and it is certain to increase West Virginia’s impact on the 2008 presidential race,” said Bob Fish, CEO of the WVGOP Presidential Convention, Inc.

“In order to ensure that all West Virginians are aware of how they can be involved in the process, we are releasing today the information on how to register to vote electronically and how to be a delegate to the state convention,” Fish continued.

Electronic Voting
On-line voting and county convention voting will be held between January 1 and January 14. The results of the county convention and on-line voting will be combined to produce the result in each county and the winners will be certified as delegates to the State Convention on February 5, 2008 in Charleston.

All registered Republicans may participate in the election of delegates to the State Convention. Voting will be on-line. Additionally, a county may decide to hold a county convention.

On-line voting is very similar to regular absentee voting by mail. The voter will contact the State Party on-line, by phone, or by mail and request a voter ID and password. The dates for registration are October 1 – November 30, 2007.

The state party may be reached at:
West Virginia Republican Party
PO Box 2711
Charleston, WV 25330
Phone: 304-768-0493
Fax: 304-768-6083
Web: www.wvgopconvention.com or www.wvgop.org

After verification, the voter’s materials will be sent by mail to their home of record, and the voter can then go on-line and cast his or her ballot. On-line voting and county convention voting will be held between January 1 and January 14.

The on-line voting software is maintained on a secure server and is completely protected. The program will display the county’s candidates for delegate in random order, so each voter’s screen will display the same candidates but in varying order. Each candidate for delegate may designate a presidential candidate who he or she favors. That candidate, if designated, will also be displayed on the ballot.

It will not be necessary that the voter have e-mail or internet access in their home in order to vote. Public libraries have computers that can be used for this purpose. The voter would simply access the voting site, enter his or her voter ID and password, and vote. The results of the on-line voting will be combined with the results of the county convention, if held, to determine the winners in each county. The results of the on-line voting will not be released to county officials until after the county convention results are filed. The delegates for each county will be certified January 18th.

Delegates to the State Convention
Delegates to the Convention have been apportioned to each county. About 60% come from recognized Republican groups – County Committees, State Committee, and Republican Legislators. The remaining delegates come from county bonus delegates who will be selected by on-line voting and a county convention. While holding a county convention is not required, it is encouraged that every county hold a county convention as it maximizes the opportunity for participation in this process. Those interested in learning if a county convention is being held in their respective county should contact a Republican committee member in their county.

All delegates and delegate candidates will be required to register with the State Party and pay a registration fee of $25. The filing period to register is November 1 – 30, 2007. Delegate candidates may have the name of the presidential candidate they support listed along with their name on the county ballot. Each delegate may appoint an alternate, although proxy voting and “double voting” will not be allowed.

For those who wish to be a delegate to the state convention, please visit www.wvgopconvention.com and print the registration form found under the “How to be a Delegate” section. Once completed, please mail it with your registration fee to the WV Republican Party at the address listed above. He or she will then be a delegate candidate, and fellow Republicans in that respective county will select among the delegate candidates by voting. If successful in voting, that delegate candidate will be certified as a delegate to the state convention on February 5, 2008 in Charleston.

Should you have any questions about Electronic Voting or how to become a delegate please email wvgopconvention@gmail.com.

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PAID FOR BY WVGOP PRESIDENTIAL CONVENTION, INC.

Clarence Thomas coming to West Virginia

2007-09-06T06:11:00.000-07:00

One thing has always irked me about the fine educational institution situated in Huntington.

Marshall University is named for the father of judicial activism on the U.S. Supreme Court, John Marshall. His grand contribution to unrestrained judicial power, of course, was Marbury vs. Madison. This decision has been the guiding star for which countless judges nulify the will of the people and their elected representatives for over two centuries.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, one of the great modern heroes of the originalist movement is Clarence Thomas. Next week, he is speaking at the university named for the fourth Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Charleston Daily Mail has more details.

Marshall University President Stephen Kopp said the school community is pleased to have Thomas speak.

"It is a tremendous honor to have a United States Supreme Court Justice visit Marshall University," he said in the press release. "Although our institution is named after Chief Justice John Marshall, this will be the first time a justice of our nation's highest court has visited one of our campuses. We look forward to learning more about Justice Thomas and hearing his presentation on Sept. 10."

Thomas joined the Supreme Court on Oct. 23, 1991, after being nominated by then-President George H. W. Bush.

Monday's event is open to the public, but seating will be limited. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and AARP members are asked to bring their local membership cards to receive priority seating.

Fred Is In!

2007-09-05T22:20:00.000-07:00

Fred Thompson is now officially a candidate for President of the United States.

You can watch his appearance on Leno here or here .

And I am the first one on the block with a "Fred '08" sticker.

You can watch Fred's announcement video at: http://www.fred08.com/index.aspx

Here's Your Sign...

2007-09-05T21:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Governor Manchin finally reconsidered his firm stance regarding the hideous slogan "Open For Business" on our Welcome Signs and opened up the decision to you.

Please visit this site and express your opinion.

I suggested a classic for the permanent slogan: Wild, Wonderful West Virginia and I would ask you to consider doing the same.

No one wants free market capitalism more than I, but putting "open for business" does not reform our antiquated early 20th century tax code, nor does it ease the massive government control the state exercises on "economic development". The truth is that his slogan is nothing more than window dressing.

Once again, Manchin waited for several months or weeks after the firestorm dies down on an issue and takes the popular action when everyone forgot who raised the issue in the first place. Joe now wants credit for conducting the poll to take down the signs, to try to get credit for removing the eyesores he erected.

Just to remind you, as most of the media won't with any controversy involving Joe, the unpopularity of the signs became a news item when WVU Student D. Logan Wheatcraft created the online petition. More than anyone, Logan deserves credit for the Governor's action yesterday.

A quick check at the online petition this morning shows that close to 30,000 people ultimately expressed their displeasure with the Governor's Welcome Sign slogan.

When we are really "open for business", we won't need a stinking sign.

Thompson's First Ad

2007-09-05T18:36:00.001-07:00

Fred is up with his first ad! Look for his announcement at imwithfred.com and Jay Leno!

Owning the issue - not just for politics anymore

2007-09-05T04:15:00.000-07:00

Interesting quote from the normally level-headed Hoppy Kercheval, in which he demonstrates that his B.S. Detector is usually a little off when the topic is our esteemed Governor.

Now consider our current governor, who would have been the quarterback for WVU in the 60s if not for a blown-out knee.

I am sure some of the Governor's former teammates and contemporaries have repeatedly fed Hoppy this line, and some of them may actually believe it. But anyone who has seen the way Joe Manchin has handled Logan's Law, or the recent special session regarding the Mullins decision is well aware of the Governor's ability to warp reality.

Simply put, if Manchin is not hero of the day, the issue is not allowed to advance until enough time had lapsed that the media would give Joe credit, when he fact HE was the main impediment.

I guess that if he would have performed better on the vision test, he would have been the first man on the moon.

It's Official! Fred will be running in West Virginia!

2007-09-04T07:41:00.000-07:00

The West Virginia Republican Presidential Convention, Inc announced that 10 candidates have filed to participate in our state's convention on "Super Duper Tuesday" (Feb 5th) I suggest that everyone check with http://www.wvmetronews.com/ throughout the day for latest news as it it released.

Landing all the big names for this convention is huge for West Virginia Republicans and the whole state. Props to Bob Fish, Chairman McKinney, and the countless other Republican leaders and activists for making this happen. Credit also goes to West Liberty President Robin Capehart, who set this in motion when he was Chairman of the WVGOP.

As predicted this past Thursday, Fred did indeed decide to participate, and I will now offer my next bold prediction, Fred will prevail on Feb. 5th and win the 18 delegates to the national convention.

Here is a copy of the release sent out by the WVRPC, Inc this morning....

WVGOP PRESIDENTIAL CONVENTION
For Immediate Release
September 4, 2007
Contact: Gary Abernathy 304-344-4671

Attn: Political Editors and Reporters

TEN GOP CANDIDATES REGISTER FOR WVGOP PRESIDENTIAL CONVENTION TO BE HELD FEBRUARY 5, 2008
Charleston, WV – The West Virginia Republican Presidential Convention, Inc. announced today that ten Republican presidential candidates have registered to participate in the state convention that will determine the majority of West Virginia’s delegates to the Republican National Convention in the summer of 2008. The deadline to register for the convention was September 1, 2007.

The following candidates have registered for the convention:
Sam Brownback
Rudy Giuliani
Mike Huckabee
Duncan Hunter
Alan Keyes
John McCain
Ron Paul
Mitt Romney
Fred Thompson
Gene Zarwell

“I am extremely pleased with the number of Republican candidates who recognize the important role that West Virginia will play in the 2008 presidential race,” said Bob Fish, CEO of the WVGOP Presidential Convention, Inc. “It is clear that these candidates realize that West Virginia may indeed be the tipping point on ‘Tsunami Tuesday’ since we will report the results of our convention by late-afternoon, hours before the other states with primaries on February 5.”

The next step in the convention process is the filing and election of state convention delegates. Over 1400 delegates have been allocated to West Virginia’s 55 counties. The deadline for filing is November 30.

In addition, prior to being certified, the presidential candidates must designate the 18 national convention delegates to be certified should they win the state convention. This designation must be completed, along with their final certificate of candidacy, by December 31, 2007.

Convention CEO Bob Fish will be available for interviews today for interested media.

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PAID FOR BY WVGOP PRESIDENTIAL CONVENTION, INC.

Countdown to September 6th

2007-08-31T03:45:00.000-07:00

Less than a week until Fred is in!
Update from Imwithfred.com the official Fred Thompson exploratory committee website:

Fred to Announce September 6
Posted on August 30th, 2007By Sean in Announcements

Next week, Fred will announce he is running for President of the United States. The internet has been buzzing these past few hours and excitement continues to build as we near the day of his announcement.

The plan is Fred announcing September 6 by a webcast at www.imwithfred.com. Then Fred will head out on a five-day campaign tour through Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Florida before his homecoming in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.

It’s exciting for everyone who has been supporting Fred these past few months, but this is just the beginning. As Fred said, “we have an opportunity to change politics in Washington and across the country.” Supporters from all over the country can now devote their time, energy, and resources to supporting a man who wants to keep America secure, unite us, and push for continued prosperity.

The first step begins September 6. Join us on this journey. Sign up to be a Friend of Fred. Put widgets and buttons on your blogs and MySpace pages. Tell friends and family why you think Fred would be great for America.

Gather with your friends and family at one of the thousands of national house parties for Fred September 6. Together we can show our support for a leader who will help keep America secure, unite us, and keeps us on a path of prosperity.

A lawsuit I can get behind

2007-08-31T03:17:00.000-07:00

Even a big tort reformer like me can get by this lawsuit against Alan Mollohan's buddy north of the Mason-Dixon line.

A retired military man like Murtha should know better. With his record of service, he understands the impact of Washington politicians who use blatant hyperbole against our troops in a time of war to forward their own aims. He apparently has decided to place his new found antiwar base ahead of the troops formerly under his command.

This man is no better than the Berkeley, CA hippie scum that spit in the face of soldiers getting off the plane after a tour in Vietnam. At least ignorance was their excuse, he has none.

I'm back, and the wait is nearly over!!!

2007-08-30T11:21:00.000-07:00

I am back from an extended break from blogging to get my leisure time in before the 2008 Campaign starts gaining steam. Just like Fred, I found that jumping into the center of the Presidential Campaign in the summer of an odd numbered year to be pointless.

With a September 1st deadline looming to register as a candidate to the West Virginia Republican Party Convention, Fred Thompson has approximately 48 hours to register here.

My prediction is that he WILL participate in the West Virginia Convention, and I suspect his internal meeting today may be to inform his troops that his FEC papers are in the mail and that he will be announcing the day after the September 5th debate. He may even tell them the papers to participate in West Virginia are on their way also.

Did our state's deadline encourage him to set things in motion now so that he could participate here? I don't know, but that would be cool. It is hard to get used to WV as a key battleground state in Presidential politics. After all the defining moment of the 2004 Presidential Election took place in Huntington.

Guliani, Romney, Huckabee, McCain, and company have all been in the race for several months now, and the only significant developments has been the very predictable collapse of McCain and the emergence of Ron Paul as the official GOP hippie magnet (anti-war and pro-drug legalization)

Newt was right, it is pointless to have spent all of this Spring and Summer criss-crossing the country begging for attention.

Pop Quiz....

2007-07-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

In honor of Al Gore's Hippie Jamfest...

here is a little quiz:

Did Al Gore say it? or did the Unabomber?

I scored 58%.

Hat Tip: IMAO (Harvey at IMAO scored 33%) and American Digest

Single digit Congress, anyone?

2007-07-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

I am offering the following prediction:
By Election Day 2008, the Democrats will have ousted Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid. Right now, they are blazing a trail to see exactly how low approval ratings can go.

This morning, the White House astutely pointed out that Queen Nancy and Prince Harry have spent this entire year trying to sully a lame duck President rather than focusing on real legislative issues or Iraq.

This is a fight that President Bush should be willing to start. The President is facing approval ratings in the low 30's, while the Democrats are mired in the low 20's, and Harry Reid has even polled into the teens.

Bill Clinton's presidency survived the storm after impeachment by his famous "I am busy trying to do what is right for America" line while impeachment managers were trying to argue legalities about Bubba's perjury.

Red-district Democrats are somewhat hesitant to allow the Reid/Clinton/Kennedy/Pelosi agenda of more taxes, more welfare, and socialized medicine to move forward, and many small state Democrats astutely observe that surrender in Iraq will cost the party dearly, so they are stuck trying to pander to their base by trying to hold hearings that amount to no more than an echo chamber to the Daily Kos or MoveOn.org's crackpot theory of the hour. Judging by the polls, these little bones do not satiate this George Soros inspired beast.

Bush is a serious President dealing with serious issues. He can steal back a few of those in the disapproval column if he keeps on calling out the Dems in Congress on their foolishness.

From the "Where are the Parents?" section...

2007-07-06T09:17:00.000-07:00

How many 4 year olds do you know have the attention span to do something like this?

CARPENTERSVILLE, Ill. (AP) - Authorities tracked down a 4-year-old girl who called 911 nearly 300 times last month by offering to deliver McDonald's to her suburban Chicago apartment.

Unbeknownst to her mother, the girl used a deactivated cell phone to call dispatchers 287 times in June—sometimes as often as 20 times a shift. Dispatchers heard the child's voice but could only track the phone's signal to the apartment complex.

Hat Tip: Neal's Nuze (radio talkmaster Neal Boortz)

President Bush grants Scooter Libby clemoncy

2007-07-02T16:23:00.001-07:00

You can read the President's statement here.

Of course, Fred fans will know that he served on the Advisory Committee for the Libby Legal Defense Trust .

From NBC's Joel Seidman, Fred released this statement:

"I am very happy for Scooter Libby. I know that this is a great relief to him, his wife and children. While for a long time I have urged a pardon for Scooter, I respect the President's decision. This will allow a good American, who has done a lot for his country, to resume his life."

You should read Fred Thompson's brilliant article defending Scooter here.

Just another Democrat...

2007-07-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

Joe Manchin has long been viewed as "Republican lite" dating back to his time in the State Senate and his during his divisive 1996 Primary where Charlotte Pritt upended him by locking up the unions and the liberal wing of the party (which is far bigger than you might think - WV Dems are pro-choice by a margin of 49% to 43% as compared to all adults, which are pro-life by a margin of 53% to 39%)

Before failed one-term Democrat Governor Bob Wise announced that he would not be running for re-election in 2003, there were rumors abound that Joe Manchin would someday switch parties. During his victorious 2004 campaign, Joe apparently downloaded the West Virginia Republican Party Platform, and adopted it as his own issues.

He ran on many Republican issues: pro-life, smaller government, tax reform, civil justice reform, and even workers' compensation reform. The Chambercrat crowd, which had helped Cecil Underwood upend Charlotte Pritt , backed Manchin with a vengeance, even though he was endorsed by virtually there entire left-wing of the Democrat Party.

But as Governor, we have seen a different Joe Manchin than we were promised in the 2004 campaign. Aside from workers' compensation, we have seen him govern from the left, which culminated into control of the House of Delegates by the labor/trial lawyer factions of the Democrat party, with a great assist from Joe Manchin's close allies in the gambling industry.

Manchin has even managed ignore the pro-life movement's important legislative priorities as not to upset Speaker Thompson and House Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Carrie Webster, a militant abortion rights supporter. Even though he doesn't lift a finger fighting for pro-life legislation as Governor, he gladly accepts a seat at the head table of pro-life dinners, and will eagerly seek their endorsement in 2008.

The most glaring example of incumbent Joe versus candidate Joe is on the issue of taxes. Rather than simply reducing or abolishing the unpopular food tax, Governor Manchin has decided to use it to control behavior. The Charleston Daily Mail chimes in on the new 4% sales tax which took effect July 1st.

Shoppers are advised to bring a thermometer to the grocery store. The temperature of the product could change its price.

For example, nuts (including salted nuts) are taxed at the 4 percent rate. But warmed nuts are taxed at 6 percent. The discrimination against peanut shops continues.

Pumpkins are taxed at 4 percent, except for pumpkins that are decorated, which are taxed at 6 percent. The state wants to continue to cash in on the Halloween shopping season.

The taxation of salads is particularly vexing to the state. Salad dressings and mixes are taxed at 4 percent. Salads purchased for resale and repackaged in smaller containers are also safe. Their tax dropped to 4 percent.

Unless they are heated. Or sold with utensils. Or both

With Governor Manchin, we won't receive full-scale tax reform that will bring in better jobs, we will continue to see timid decrementalism that is predicated on conditions concocted by the Governor's planned-economy gurus. He wants public acclaimt for reducing a tax, while at the same time getting credit for solving a problem through the use of incentives.

Essentially, Manchin likes to use Government to control citizens' behavior. He does not just want to enforce the laws, he wants control - over your life and mine. Every reform he passes will have a bureaucrat behind your back wielding a stick - making sure that you are behaving in his prescribed manner or no tax cuts. Did you know that your sales tax on soft drinks just went up?

It's all part of Governor Joe's War on Obesity.

Listen to two hours of Talkline on WVMetroNews and listen to how many times you hear PSA's with the Governor or one of his cabinet secretaries telling you how to live, and you will see that Joe Manchin is just another liberal who worships at the altar of big government.

Rethinking FDR

2007-07-01T17:49:00.000-07:00

Based on my amateur armchair analysis, I have always considered Franklin D. Roosevelt a great President, but not for the reasons my grandparents' generation would think...

I thought given the circumstances and the unique challenge he had to encounter fighting World War II alongside an ally whom we really could not trust in Stalin, he did as well as could be expected, and he used the bully pulpit to its maximum potential, in spite of dealing with polio.

However based on my knowledge of history and economics, I do not buy into the popular belief that FDR ended the Great Depression through Keynesian economic policies, nor do I buy into the belief that Hoover got us into the Great Depression by relying on "supply-side economics"

(In fact, Hoover's protectionist economic policies and reliance on big government made the depression worse, and many great economists argue the New Deal PROLONGED the Great Depression)

As Amity Shlaes points out in this article at OpinionJournal.com, the time may have come for a serious debate about the nation's economic policies and their effect on the Great Depression.

Here is an excerpt:
Roosevelt did famously well by one measure, the political poll. He flunked by two other meters that we today know are critically important: the unemployment rate and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. In his first inaugural address, Roosevelt spoke of a primary goal: "to put people to work." Unemployment stood at 20% in 1937, five years into the New Deal. As for the Dow, it did not come back to its 1929 level until the 1950s. International factors and monetary errors cannot entirely account for these abysmal showings.

The folly of a "planned economy"

2007-06-30T05:37:00.000-07:00

West Virginia Democrats, like Joe Manchin, Jay Rockefeller, Bob Wise, and Gaston Caperton, are quite fond of luring desperately needed employers to our state in a manner similar to a car salesman.

They like to sit down with the prospective employer, ask what they want, try like hell to give it to them, and stand side by side with the business when they make an announcement.

Our current Governor, Joe Manchin is a slight improvement over Rockefeller, Caperton, and Wise as he seems to finally understand the folly of giving a business a wheelbarrow full of money to come to our state, but he still tries to create incentive packages.

By his own admission, it took years for Senator Rockefeller, and two West Virginia Governors (Wise and Manchin) to convince Toyota to locate a vehicle assembly plant in West Virginia. This week they finally announced that they are building a plant in Williamstown, WV. The net result? 80 good paying jobs.

Our state's illustrious leaders busted their tails for years to land 80 jobs, meanwhile Mingo and McDowell County will lose a net of 130 as the Ben Creek Mining Complex was recently sold by Arch Coal to Alpha Natural Resources.

Peabody announced they are getting out of West Virginia, and this announcement by Arch Coal seems to reflect a trend of them leaving the state, also. From all these companies, we keep hearing the same refrain: We are leaving Central Appalachia for the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Australia.
Alpha plans to operate Mountaineer as a three-section mine using continuous mining machines. The other mine included in the deal is expected to be depleted by the end of the year and Alpha has said it will be replaced with a new mine in January. Alpha expects to produce about 1 million tons of coal a year after it takes over.
The company has said it expects to retain about 150 jobs at the complex, which currently employs about 280, according to the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Didn't our Governor just raise severance taxes on coal a few short years ago?

Building an economy where local economic authorities negotiate with every employer one by one, and luring businesses by waiving our state's restrictive taxes and regulations passed by a legislature dominated by Delegates and Senators endorsed by union bosses for the last 75 years is no way to turn things around here.

If prospective businesses didn't face the business and franchise tax, the inventory tax, a high corporate net income tax, and a strong regulatory burden, they would locate here without being held by the hand of our political leaders. Of course, maybe that's what the political leaders DON'T want!

Movie Review Time: Live Free or Die Hard (WV Reference!!!)

2007-06-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

When faced with a choice between Sicko, Ratatouille, and Live Free or Die Hard; the choice was easy. I will take action over comedy every time, and I will never take socialist propaganda. It didn't hurt hearing that Bruce Willis seems to think Fred would "make a wonderful candidate".

I was a big fan of the original Die Hard when it came out in 1988. To this day, I think that Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber was one of the greatest movie villains of all-time. (The American Film Institute seems to agree as they rate Hans Gruber the 46th Best Villain of all-time)

In my opinion, this was the first Die Hard sequel to measure up to the original. In many ways, it surpassed the original. I have never had so much action in a single sitting. Vin Diesel is sipping tea in his Riddick movies compared to what Jack McClane does in this fourth installment of Die Hard.

As an IT Professional, I can say some aspects of the script are somewhat far-fetched. There are many computer geeks in this movie and they play an important part into what is going on. Jack McClane is constantly encountering obstacles thrown at him by homicidal hackers. He must dig deep into his "old school" ways to survive an onslaught from a villain that can kill with a keystroke and turn every object in the city against you.

The plot highlights the differences between the men from Jack McClane's era and the men from Gen X and Gen Y. Even though he is a relic lost in the information age, McClane is still able to save the day. I can appreciate this storyline. Being a graybeard by computer geek standards, I can recall a time when a hard drive meant Route 10 between Princeton and Covel. Many of my contemporaries can't even remember the U.S.S.R.

Much to my surprise, Middleton, West Virginia plays a significant role in the script. I had never heard of nor been to Middleton, WV so I checked with Google and Yahoo Maps just to make sure. It is fictitious.

West Virginia license plates appear on several vehicles, and Joe Manchin will be happy as his hideous sign gets a full screen shot with a few seconds of air time. You can even read MoJo's name on the right corner. (Fortunately, the popcorn bag was empty by this point in the movie, so I could use it as a makeshift barf bag.)

Aside from not being able to escape the reality of living under the reign of King Joseph the first, it was a great movie and a great experience.

Bruce Willis as John McClane ranks up there with John Wayne as many characters, Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry and the "Man With No Name", Keifer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, and Fred Thompson as Fred Thompson.

Justin Long plays the role of hacker-turned-reluctant hero Matt Farrell very well, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays an angry Lucy McClane, John's splitting image of a daughter. Maggie Q plays the role of sexy assasin very well. She takes a very interesting ride in an SUV with West Virginia tags.

Timothy Olyphant stars as evil genius Thomas Gabriel. Gabriel lacks Hans Gruber's commanding presence, but he demonstrates an unusual array of weapons at his command. He represents the clash of the information age against Jack McClane who relies on the sweat of his brow and an infinite pool of courage.

Kevin Smith of Jay and Silent Bob fame makes a pretty interesting cameo, and Star Trek:Voyager fans will recognize one of the government agents.

If you like action, you'll love this one. I give it five stars out of five stars!

Farfur Mouse is dead...

2007-06-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

Apparently Jimmy Carter is writing children's shows for Gaza TV...

From FoxNews.com

In the final skit, "Farfour" was killed by an actor posing as an Israeli official trying to buy Farfour's land. At one point, the mouse called the Israeli a "terrorist."

We were heard today...

2007-06-28T19:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a great day for me. We got a decent amount of rain in Southern West Virginia today, which helped blunt the drought we are experiencing (as a deer hunter, I was worried about it's impact on the fall mast crop - which can greatly impact deer, turkey, and squirrel populations).

More importantly, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid once again demonstrated their inability to impose the most radical portions of the Democrats' socialist agenda on my nation.

Earlier today, we had a happy ending in the Senate on the cloture vote killing the Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants Act of 2007.

In the other chamber, we also had a big win today as former talk radio host-turned Congressman Mike Pence offered an amendment to the Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill to block the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from re-imposing the Fairness Doctrine that was ended during the Reagan Administration.

Without talk radio and the Internet, most Americans would have had no idea we were debating the immigration bill until it had passed.

I was pleasantly surprised to look up the House Roll Call on the Pence Amendment and find that both Rahall AND Mollohan voted to protect the first amendment. (It goes without saying that Shelley Moore-Capito would get this one right)

Between Byrd and Rockefeller voting to kill "shamnesty" and the WV House delegation voting to block the Fairness Doctrine, I almost feel like my state's Congressmen truly represented me - for once. (Shelley usually does)

By Popular Demand...

2007-06-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

I have gotten rid of the Blue Background. Hope this is more aesthetically pleasing to your eyes.

Time Magazine comes after Mitt

2007-06-28T05:20:00.000-07:00

Mitt Romney apparently has come under fire from the PETA crowd and Time magazine...

The incident: dog excrement found on the roof and windows of the Romney stationwagon.

How it Got There: Romney strapped a dog carrier - with the family dog Seamus, an Irish Setter, in it - to the roof of the family station wagon for a twelve hour drive from Boston to Ontario, which the family apparently completed, despite Seamus's rather visceral protest.

At the end of the article, we can tell that the piece's author Ana Marie Cox is grasping at straws to smear another Republican.

As organizer of the Salt Lake City Olympic Games, Romney came under fire from some animal welfare groups for including a rodeo exhibition as part of the Games' festivities. At the time, he told protesters, "We are working hard to make this as safe a rodeo for cowboys and animals as is humanly possible."

A rodeo in Salt Lake?! Quick call in the National Guard!!!

I want you to vote for Fred, which by extension means not voting for Mitt. But this article is nothing but another left-wing smear job. (I do have to give Ms. Cox a nod for posting a picture of the Grizwolds back in the days when Chevy Chase was actually funny with the article alongside a picture of Mitt.)

Another Case For Tax Simplification

2007-06-28T03:46:00.000-07:00

As you may have heard, our illustrious Governor and junior Senator brought a new Toyota/Hino plant to Williamstown this week "creating" 80 jobs. (yes, out-of-staters, politicians get a major bounce in the polls by getting credit for creating 80 jobs)

The Governor is rather proud of himself because he didn't have to drain the state treasury dry in grants and incentives to land this plant. He just merely waived some portions of our repressive tax system and obtained 11 acres at six figures per acre adjacent to the plant.

Chris Stirewalt of the State Journal chimes in with a great piece on what we have learned from the Hino Plant's announcement....

It was a nice play, and, as mentioned above, it has future potential.
But it was hard not to think about what the plant isn't.

First, it isn't even half of the jobs lost in nearby counties in the past couple of months. It certainly isn't much compared to the more than 1,000 mining and manufacturing jobs that left the state in the past year.

But the cruelest reminder of the real economic landscape was that the plant that will house the new Hino facility was once where 300 people worked making lights and wiring.

That plant, landed under a complicated incentive scheme in the Caperton administration, operated for nine years and then shut down. And we've seen that same story play out again and again -- grants, tax breaks and loans are enough to lure companies here but not to keep them.

And I'll not mention the particular cruelty of leaving existing employers to watch as new ones get the goodies, soak them up and then skip town.

Ankle-biters coming out of the woodwork

2007-06-27T15:54:00.000-07:00

Someone annonymously put together an ad (falsely) implying that Fred had a "33%" score from the National Right to Life as an incumbent Senator.

Like Reagan before him, Fred Thompson wasn't born into the Pro-Life movement. But like Reagan, he became a convert, and a devout one at that. In his Senate career, Fred has a 100% lifetime rating from NRTL while in the Senate.

With a President Thompson, we can be assured that pro-abortion legislation will be vetoed, pro-life legislation will be signed, and pro-life orginialist judges will be nominated. That is as pro-life as we can get with a President.

There are other pro-life candidates in the race, and there are candidates who have been "on the record" as pro-life longer, but the question can they be trusted on all of our other issues, and still be trusted to win?

Shakeup in the "First Tier" composition coming soon.

2007-06-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

It looks like John McCain will soon be removed from the "first tier". With his name ID and years of national exposure, if the Arizona Senator ever stood a chance, he would not be struggling financially like this at this point in the game.

While McCain brings some strong credentials to the table as a true national hero, and a politician willing to do what he thinks is the right thing to do, the Senator has demonstrated no idealogical foundation that can elicit confidence from the conservative base of my party.

Sponsoring bills with Ted Kennedy and Russ Feingold is not the best way to win a Presidential nomination in the party of Reagan. He was only ever the front runner in the eyes of the Manhattan media elites and the Inside-the-Beltway crowd.

It looks like it's a three-way race now: Fred, Rudy, & Mitt. If my second favorite candidate, Mike Huckabee, is ever going to get serious consideration, he better start beating McCain in key primary states.

There is some faint hope for McCain. At one time John Kerry's campaign was broke and it appeared that Howard Dean was well on his way - until John Kerry mortgaged one of Teresa's mansions.

Fred Thompson's Vision for Civil Justice Reform

2007-06-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

Fred Thompson recently hailed Medical Malpractice Reforms in Texas. West Virginians understand the positive impact of these sort of reforms, as we have faced our own crisis trying to retain doctors as we went through the same thing during the Bob Wise Administration.

First Things First - Why Fred?

2007-05-30T19:10:00.000-07:00

Is our next President committed to victory in Iraq?

Will our next President stand up to Iran and North Korea?

Will our next President allow the United Nations dictate our foreign policy?

Will our next President fight for free markets leading to more affordable energy?

Will our next President secure our nation's borders and oppose amnesty?

Will our next President stand up for the right to life?

Will our next President be bullied around by the globalists government crowd on so-called "climate change"?

Which candidate will restore true federalism and restrain the unchecked growth of national government?

Will our next President protect our Second Amendment rights?

Will our next President protect the First Amendment and veto any so-called "Fairness Doctrine" registration?

Who is willing to stand up to the liberals like Michael Moore in spite of the beltway insiders running the Republican Party think?

Will our next President pardon Scooter Libby?

Aside from his fame as an actor and Paul Harvey-guest host, Fred Thompson is the candidate who shares our values of limited government, economic freedom, and strong families. Like President Bush, he is resolute in defending America in the War on Terror. Unlike President Bush, he understands the importance of derailing the liberal agenda domestically.

Fred Thompson will not allow the Karl Roves and Mel Martinezes of the world triangulate our party by selling out our core principles for a favorable editorial in the New York Times or Washington Post once a year.

Fred Thompson is the candidate we can trust to make our case. Much like the Great Communicator, he can take provide our point of view over the heads of the media.

While I firmly believe Fred is as close to perfection we have seen in a Presidential candidate since Reagan, there are a few issues I personally differ with him on (or would like further clarification)

1. FAIRTAX – Fred Thompson has yet to formally endorse this legislation. As a firm advocate of the Fairtax, I strongly encourage Senator Thompson and all Presidential Candidates of both parties to support HR25.

Not only is it a great idea, but no other piece of legislation can do more to reduce government corruption and restore power to the states and the people.

To their credit the following candidates have signed on to the Fairtax: Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, Ron Paul, and Mike Gravel. (As you have seen with the latter two of the aforementioned four, a we cannot base our votes solely on a candidate's HR25 position as a president has other responsibilities in addition to tax reform.) UPDATE: John McCain has recently said that he would sign the Fairtax into law if it reached his desk.

2. McCAIN-FEINGOLD – While in the Senate, Fred Thompson voted for this abomination of the First Amendment. I hope to see him take a stronger stand against it on the campaign trail.

3. TORT REFORM – Fred Thompson is not a strong advocate of federal legislation reforming the civil justice system supported by many in the tort reform movement. He opposed a couple of tort reform bills in the Senate because of his belief that the Federal Government should not be dictating caps on civil verdicts in the states. His opponents will try to paint him as a politician/trial lawyer in the mode of John Edwards, I beg to differ.

At a bare minimum, based on his record, Fred Thompson can be counted to appoint originalist judges (like Chief Justice John Roberts) that will reverse the trend of judicial activism run amok. These judges will stop many frivolous lawsuits in their tracks, restore constitutional supremacy over the law, and reign in decades of bad decisions that have rendered the 10th Amendment meaningless. (My definition of precedence – using one flawed ruling to justify the next)

Fred Thompson will appoint the kind of judges we want, which is more important in the long run than the two bills he has been criticized by some tort reformers for opposing.
Fred Thompson has voted for tort reform bills that did not violate his beliefs in limited national government.

In 1986, Ronald Reagan once signed a bad immigration bill; I am willing to look past this issue as someone who escorted John Roberts through the confirmation process wouldn't exactly be a trial lawyer's dream candidate.

Fearless Predictions

2007-05-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

Scorecard
Made: 3
Correct: 1
Incorrect: 0
Yet to be determined: 2

September 12, 2007 - Jury out until October 17th, 2007
http://wv4fred.blogspot.com/2007/09/early-returns-are-in.html
I predict that several weeks from now, we will see better "satisfaction" numbers among GOP voters in opinion the field in the internals of the major polls.

September 4, 2007 - Jury out until February 5th, 2008
http://wv4fred.blogspot.com/2007/09/its-official-fred-will-be-running-in.html
I will now offer my next bold prediction, Fred will prevail on Feb. 5th and win the 18 delegates to the national convention.

August 30, 2007 - CORRECT
http://wv4fred.blogspot.com/2007/08/im-back-and-wait-is-nearly-over.html
My prediction is that he WILL participate in the West Virginia Convention.