Category: Virginia Page 15 of 34

Joe “Northern Virginia is Community Country” McCain, brother of John, called Alexandria 911 (a service rooted in socialism, I’ll note) to complain about traffic:

The 911 call came into the City of Alexandria on Oct. 21st That’s creating some buzz because it appears to come from Joe McCain, John McCain’s brother.

Operator: 911 state your emergency

Caller: It’s not an emergency but do you know why on one side at the damn drawbridge of 95traffic is stopped for 15 minutes and yet traffic’s coming the other way?

Operator: Sir, are you calling 911 to complain about traffic? (pause)

Caller: “(Expletive) you.” (caller hangs up)

Details here.  You can always move to Arizona, Joe.  (I hear that the only way to get around there is via private plane, though.)

Yard signs seem to be in great demand in my neighborhood these days – first by supporters, then by sad little thieves that decide to take a page from their party’s playbook by shutting down speech they don’t like.   At last count, six Obama and/or Warner signs have been stolen from a prominent spot on my street.  The last time it happened, I duct-taped a short note to the McCain sign that replaced the stolen Obama sign.  It invited the thief to leave future Obama signs alone, as no one has stolen a McCain sign around here, as best I can tell.  Alas, the Obama sign just disappeared again.  So, because I know we’re not the only ones with troubled and bitter little Republican thieves, I offer this handy HOW-TO:

In the weeks running up to the 2004 presidential election, my yard sign was often pilfered and/or destroyed.  After the 4th time, I had had enough, and rigged up a fairly simple alarm to help protect my sign.  This post documents how to do it in case you’re facing your own First Amendment-hating neighborhood antagonists.

What You’ll Need
• Duct tape
• A wire hanger
• Fishing line (string or twine can also be used)
• A personal alarm (more on this below)

Full instructions and pictures here.

Today, the State Board of Elections voted to:

ban clothing and hats as well as buttons and other paraphernalia that directly advocate the election or defeat of a specific candidate or issue.

Ah, Virginia.  Are you really the place that produced Thomas Jefferson?

Update: Got this in the mail just now.  No, it is not a joke.

We are seeking old shirts to donate to the Voter Registrar for use on Election Day.  Many enthusiastic voters are not aware of the “law” against wearing political messages into the polling area.   In the past, many of these voters have been told to leave until they can change their clothes.    But there is an alternative!  The Registrar has agreed to accept our donations of extra shirts to give to voters to “cover up” while they vote.    So we need 51 shirts!   Please look in your closest and see if you can donate a few shirts for this effort!  In particular, we’re looking for:

– Large or extra-large
-  Short sleeve
– Button down  AND
– Clean (but old and worn is fine)

If you have such shirts you can permanently donate to this effort, please e-mail me at XXXXXXXX and I will work with you to arrange drop-off at a suitable location.

I am simultaneously impressed (by the quick reaction and flexiblity) and horrified (that it is even necessary).

(It occurs to me that a donation of 51 burkhas may be appropriate.)

This DNC tool – which lists specific projected proposed for Federal funds in Virginia that McCain voted against – is being promoted as an attack vector on McCain, but I think it’s kind of lame for that use.  Because really, most of these projects were almost certainly presented as parts of larger bills that had nothing to do with the listed project, and I’m not interested in perpetuating a fundamentally dishonest approach to attacking politicians for their votes.

But it is interesting to see what those oft-maligned earmarks are really for.  In my view, they’re not the best way of doing business.  But if you show people in a given district what their representatives are using them for?  I bet you’d find overwhelming support for Federal funding of each specific project, even while a good portion of the same people are decrying earmarks.  If you’re in Virginia, click around the map and check out the examples.  North Carolina residents can click here (there doesn’t seem to be any indexed list of these efforts – but if you live in a swing state, there’s probably a map available.  Just drop in your own state’s name in the URL to check.)

Jeff Frederick, recently-elected Chair of the Virginia Republican Party, thought it was a good idea to say that:

“both Barack Obama and Osama Bin Laden have friends that have bombed the Pentagon. That is scary.”

Really.  That’s about as reasonable as saying both John McCain and Osama Bin Laden have killed civilians while furthering their political ambitions.   And of course, McCain “would have to look at the context” before he can really judge that remark.  But hey, Jeff’s just sayin’.   And Waldo’s rule about RPV choices just gets more and more evidentiary support.

Everyone on my street who had an Obama sign in their yard received a copy of this letter:

Dear Neighbor:

Please don’t take this the wrong way, but a friend has recommended that I reach out to you about a problem that you may be having but may not be aware of: Have you ever considered whether your ostentatious support for Senator Barack Obama is really a disguise that hides a deeply anchored form of racism towards Black-Americans?

And it goes on and on like that.  A neighbor who writes for the Washington Independent has the whole letter here.  I’m not angry about it – it’s more pathetic than anything else, really.  If anything, it stoked some fires.  It sure pissed off my neighbor Jack, a 70-something vet who is four-square in Obama’s corner.  He went out and put up more Obama signs after getting his.  Keep it up, guys.  But after you lose?  Please go away.