Waldo’s Virginia Political Blogroll

Tracking the flow of illegal weapons into city takes law enforcement sleuths to Florida

The weapon's 1,100-mile passage from gun store to killing scene was the work of a small ring of smugglers who helped feed Newark's lucrative underground arms market. Exploiting Florida's lenient gun laws, they bought dozens of high-powered pistols to resell on the streets of New Jersey, home to some of the country's toughest firearm restrictions.

Federal agents and local police spent four years investigating the gun-running pipeline. No one questioned the importance of stopping the flow: In addition to the gun that killed Tobias, at least nine others turned up at Newark crime scenes. One was used to pistol-whip a worker in a bodega robbery; others were found on suspected drug dealers.

The smuggling operation shows what local authorities face as they battle a resurgence in gun violence. Murders last year in Newark rose to the highest level since 1990. Nonfatal shootings rose for the fourth straight year. And police recovered nearly 900 illegal guns in 2006, a record.

At the heart of this struggle is the insatiable demand for weapons in cities and an inexhaustible supply from Southern states like Florida, where it is relatively easy to buy them.

Tyler Whitney should get himself a Hollywood agent.

In the two weeks since I first blogged about the young gay conservative activist from Michigan, his name has become the single most popular search term leading people to this site. He far outpaces previous leaders Aaron Carter, Daniel Radcliffe, Jeremy Sumpter, Dave Moffatt, and Hunter Parrish. The presence of his name here boosted blog traffic in this direction by an order of hundreds of new visitors per day for more than a week.

Although a few other web sites linked to my article (a featured link on the front page of Newsbusters.org alone led to 530 hits over two days), by far the most visits were through Google or other search engines. People were actively seeking news and information about Tyler Whitney.

At one point, "The Outing of Tyler Whitney" accounted for more than 1,600 of the previous 4,000 visits here (according to SiteMeter, although Google Analytics put the number in the same ballpark). Even now Tyler's seekers number about 1,300 (out of 4,000 "current" visits), more than quadruple the number of visitors interested in the formerly overwhelming favorite "Shirtless and Circumcised" and more than six times as many the number wanting to read my review of The Witches of Eastwick at Signature Theatre.

So, my hat is off to Tyler Whitney -- who, by the way, celebrates his 19th birthday today. Be sure to send him your best wishes, and thank him for driving traffic my way.

Happy birthday to our friends north of the 48th parallel!

Today marks the 140th anniversary of the British North America Act, which joined together the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Canada (divided into Ontario and Quebec) under the single name "Canada."

The British North America Act served as Canada's "constitution" until 1982, when the passage of the Canada Act by the British Parliament resulted in the patriation of the country's basic law, severing all legislative ties to Westminster and vesting full sovereignty in the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa, with Queen Elizabeth II continuing to serve as head of state. (As Queen of Canada, she gave her assent to the Constitution Act in April 1982, which ratified the earlier legislation by the British Parliament and making Canada fully autonomous.)

It is really only since the early 1980s that Canada Day has been celebrated with any vigor. (The holiday was known as "Dominion Day" for 114 years but had been marked only by sporadic observances during that time, starting to take off after the centennial commemoration in 1967.)

Technically, Canada Day this year will be celebrated on Monday, July 2, which is also the anniversary of the day the Continental Congress voted for independence from Great Britain in 1776. This must, however, simply be considered a coincidence.

Courtesy of our friends at YouTube, here is a rendition of the Canadian national anthem (bilingue, naturellement), from a promotional video sponsored by the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary. (The video images do not signify; I just like the clear voice of the anonymous singer.)

For those who prefer a more off-beat rendering of "O Canada," here is a video that includes, in addition to street hockey and woodlands, a key role for the iconically Canadian Tim Hortons restaurant. As Homer Simpson would say, "Mmmmm, doughnuts." (In terms of the instrumental music, I think Jimi Hendrix might have done it better.)

Let me make a confession: I am Canadian by ancestry, eh. I have (regrettably), however, never visited the fatherland. Notwithstanding increased hurdles put in place by the U.S. government for cross-border trips, I hope to rectify this lacuna of my life someday soon.

For good measure, here are the official lyrics to "O Canada" in French and English:

Official (English)

O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land
Glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee;
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Officielle (Français)

Ô Canada! Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!
Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix!
Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits;
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

Sing out this Sunday (and Monday, for good measure) in tribute to the "True North strong and free."

Below is a comment from reader Jenny Perry, a self-described liberal Democrat who understands that facilitating the influx of illegal aliens into this nation is a crime against American workers and all citizens.

The entire debate over illegal immigration has been conducted in a national fog. The recent dispute over an outrageously bad Senate bill which none of the senators supporting it had apparently read was a perfect example of this: It granted immediate legal status to tens of millions of illegal aliens - yet some senators on both sides of the aisle continued to speak of "triggers" which supposedly would have required stepped-up enforcement before any legalization could take place. The CSPAN video archive of Senate testimony the week of May 21 should serve as evidence to have many senators charged with incompetance, if not treason.

We are going to proceed to cut through the fog from this point forward. Allow me to slap you in the face, "liberals" and "conservatives," and point out the labels have become worn and useless. The illegal alien problem has brought this confusion to the forefront. There is nothing "conservative" or "liberal" about supporting corporate profiteers and corrupt public officials who are benefiting from an influx of illegal workers and subsidizing oligarchs in Mexico and Latin America.

Take a moment to read this letter, and then take a moment to think about the fact that our ideological categories are in need of an overhaul.

I am a liberal democrat, my entire family are liberal democrats. We live in the state of RI, a very liberal dem state, however, the majority of my fellow liberal dems are against amnesty (omg, yes I said amnesty and I say illegal alien too).

We recognize that it is an attempt to pit one group of poor people against another, by the US Chamber of Commerce.. to use them as the final nail in the coffin of the American wage standard and workplace protections. We recognize that our schools, our hospitals, are overburdened. Social welfare programs and Social Security and Medicare are being drained dry by the illegal alien hordes that have come here.

We recognize that our job base is declining ever more rapidly every year, and that we have a serious, long term, un and under employment problem in the US. We do not have anything even approaching "full employment", in fact, the 4.75% unemployment numbers are a lie. We know that once someone falls off the unemployment rolls after 26 weeks, they slip between the cracks. Too many others are fighting desperately to keep their heads afloat, working three or more part time minimum wage jobs. They have less time to raise their children as well, which doesn't help deal with the problems that brings about.

What I see are democratic senators and representatives who have bought into this globalization scheme, and are turning a blind eye towards it's attempt to base it on third world standards.

Did you know that of all the States, Virginia has the lowest percentage of women in its legislature: 17%? (Vermont has the highest: 37%).  In actual numbers, the Virginia Senate has 8 women out of the 40 members, and in the House of Delegates 16 of the 100 members are women. It's no better on the national level: 87 of the 435 members of the House of Representatives are women (2 of these are from Virginia); and, in the United States Senate, 15 of the 100 Senators are women (and none of those are from Virginia).  There are only 9 governors, 11 lieutenant governors, and 3 attorneys general who are women.  Compare that with the rest of the world, where women serve as heads of state in: Chile, Germany, Liberia, South Korea, and Jamaica, and are plentiful across the globe in legislatures.

GWEN aims to change this dismal record in Virginia.
GWEN stands for Get Women Elected Now, and she is the brain child of Senator Mary Margaret Whipple and Arlington School Board member Libby Garvey, with the assistance of Senator Patsy Ticer, Alexandria City Council Member Del Pepper, Arlington County Board Member Barbara Favola, Arlington Sheriff Beth Arthur, and Arlington Commissioner of Revenue Ingrid Morroy. 

Alarmed at the steady decline in numbers of women in public office in Virginia, these current women office-holders decided to support local progressive women candidates and create an organization which will encourage and help women to run for office in Virginia.  This is a very practical endeavor--- no airy aspirational vision thing here.  The intent is to provide direct advice "on the techniques and organization required for a successful campaign."  We are not talking tokenism, either; GWEN wants women to run for office--- and win.  Based on their own experience, the founders will also advise progressive women candidates on how to balance family and employment obligations in order to find time to run their campaigns. They will also be raising money for women candidates. 

GWEN was presented to an enthusiastic crowd gathered at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Building on Wilson Boulevard in Arlington on the evening of Thursday, 21 June.  Congressman Jim Moran introduced the featured speaker, Judy Feder, who will be challenging Congressman Frank Wolfe in the elections next year. 

GWEN is a federal political action committee; contributions maybe sent to 115 S. Payne Street, Alexandria, VA 22314.  For further information contact Libby Garvey at 703-820-3523.  The web site is www.getwomenelectednow.com 

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The IPhone has arrived.

Greatly anticipating the arrival of Apple's new smart phone or wiz-phone as some of us like to call them finally arrived on Friday. Local stores began selling the device around early in the evening with somewaht of a wait but not too much.

The lure of dropping $499 on a 4GB IPhone may have been confined to Apples loyal followers, but I found at the Apple Store that there were indeed many new, young, hip Apple lovers that were introduced to Apple as a company via the Ipod. Persoannly, my affection for Apple dates back to the Apple IIe and many in line were not even bron when that computer was on store shelves. To be sure mnay were at the store to see what the fuzz was all about and get a look at the new IPhone and test the hype. Even Store employees seem amazed and at times just giddy over the device that by all purposes was selling itself.

So lets break down the hype. The device itself is "smart" and very fluid once you get used to its functions, quite like learning the Palm for the first time. The phone/ipod is facing great expectations and though the device is cutting edge in alot of ways there are some drawbacks to the intial version:

IPhone is on the AT&T network , you know the old Cingular. Not sure I have forgiven them for taking the Cingular logo off of its Nascar racing team, but nonetheless IPhone calls AT&T home. You will not be able to use IPhone on Sprint, bummer, T-Mobile (does not accept simm cards) or Verizon. Those Blackberry users probably will remain until the end of their contracts before jumping on board with IPhone. Breaking contracts, a cell phone one anyway, is costly. The service is not as of yet on AT&T fast data network either but on AT&T's Edge technology and this first version cannot be upgraded.

Another aspect which struck me was you could not activate the IPhone at the Apple Store itself. You have to connect your phone to ITunes software to get the ball rolling. This really is not a very time consuming process and in fact I saw two buyers doing it at Starbucks later in the evening while I was getting a White Chocolate Mocha. Frankly, I could wait until home.

There is an issue with car adaptors that buyer should be aware of. IPhone will not work on all adapters. It will charge indeed, but will not play music vioa its ipod element in all cars. Apple will surely have to fix this with later releases. The IPhone is fast on the web and can use WIFI wireless networks very efficiently. Not sure how it will work in really populated cities where you bounce from network to network but so far its impressive.

There all alot on interface and functions to get around. Far too many to address here but all in all IPhone is a neat wiz-phone with a clear future. It has some drawbacks but all cutting technology does as first. Its size is no better or worse than that Blackberry or Razor and easily fits in the pocket as well which was a concern. The face also leaves you with the impression that you have to actually take of the thing, unlike most of us with our cell phones that get bounced around, dropped or tossed just about everywhere. This is the first real smart phone to warrant the care and attention of say your laptop, though I am told the device can withstand alot of wear and tear. Not after dropping $499 thank you very much.

Where it ranks in hype one only knows. I do have a feeling it will deliver what it advertises and maybe thats all that matters. I do feel though that this roll-out rates third in my book. I liked the new Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii products ahead of the IPhone, though I know we are talking about entirely different devices.

Apple strikes again with this one. And I can remeber when Apple was be written off trading at below fifteen bucks before the company re-invented itself and so the Apple story continues.

Here is the full text of the magnificent speech given Thursday night by Ron Maxwell at the Jackson Miller campaign kick off.

Maxwell wrote and directed Gettysburg and Gods and Generals, two films which are not only important works of art but also invaluable historical documents for anyone who lives in this region - or in any region - and has an interest in the evolution of this nation.

He also penned an open letter to President Bush last year, originally published in the Washington Times, which was one of the prime wake-up calls to me about the illegal immigration problem.

(Interesting thought: That April, 2006, letter turned out to be politically prophetic. How different things would have been for this president if he had not chosen to ignore it.)

This one is worth reading twice over. Thanks to Mr. Maxwell for permission to reprint it here.

"The Promise of Home"

I sometimes think that the world is divided into two kinds of people; those who live in three dimensions and those who live in one. Those who live in three dimensions live simultaneously in the past, in the present, and in the future. And when you live in three dimensions at the same time, you realize, as Edmund Burke once said, that those of us who live in the present, at any given time, are the trustees of the past, during our lifetime, to hand it over to the next generation, so that the dead and the unborn are as much a part of life as we are in the minuscule amount of years we have to inhabit this earth.

When we are aware of the past, it means we respect the past, respect our parents, our grandparents, our great grandparents, and the generations all the way back to the beginning of recorded history. It means we read with exhilaration, the historical works of Thucydides, or the artistic works of Aristophanes and Sophocles, reaching back over the millennia - which informs us, which makes us who and what we are, and which enlivens us and which broadens our small world into a world of infinite space, an infinite space of thinking, of contemplation, and of realizing our kinship with the many generations that have gone before us.

It means as well that we cherish the place where we grew up and we regard, as you may recall from the opening credits of Gods and Generals, astronomy; as belonging to that little lot of stars that we see hanging over our backyards every night; if we are fortunate enough to live in a place that is not dulled by light pollution all night long. It means that we cherish that homeland, that home place, where we first realized there was such a thing as trees and grass and wilderness and wildlife, open sky. We all started off our lives in a place. We are connected to those places; we are rooted to those places. They are what make us who we are. It is what we call home.

Meanwhile, Cuccinelli's endorsee Faisal Gill continues to advertise to illegals that he will file last-minute asylum requests for persons about to be deported. How does Cuccinelli explain Cuccinelli's support for placing Illegal Immigrant Defender #1 Faisal Gill in the House of Delegates? If Cuccinelli was sincere about opposing illegal immigration then he would want to keep illegal immigrant defenders like Gill out of Richmond, even if they were Republicans.

The DCCC is morphing into MoveOn.org with their planned TV ad attacks on Congresswoman Thelma Drake on veterans issues over the next week. What kind of campaign committee is it that has the lack of judgement to go on a tirade during the most patriotic of American traditions–July 4th celebrations? If the [...]

Winning the 39th one door at a time







George Barker spoke at the Fairfax Young Democrats BBQ. He said he had been knocking on doors in Prince William County and said he encountered many voters who said they "used to be a Republican". He pointed out that there are many former Republicans who are not quite ready to call themselves Democrats yet, but who can be won over if we reach out.

It is going to be a great year, we just have to do the basics.

I spent some time in the older section of Manassas Park today, and while I was there talking to residents I was stunned at the number of what are essentially houses transformed into apartment buildings.  One of those on Lomond Drive in Prince William County has generated an enormous amount of discussion here and the ire of a number of area residents, as well as six different zoning complaints.  Of the no fewer than ten of these that I saw on streets near Costello Park, there has been little public comment.  Almost all of them are in the final stages of completion, cover at least 80% of the lots on which they are situated, and are monstrosities that deeply concern their neighbors. (more…)

Recent blog chatter has been up about the upcoming governor's race here in Virginia, maintaining that Bob McDonnell is the clear frontrunner.

For that, I am certain.

The narrative then takes us to the next logical question, what about Bill Bolling? McDonnell's office is ripe with oppurtunity to show leadership on any number of issues. Bolling's is not. McDonnell has the ability to create news and a put together a substantial legislative package to affect real change. McDonnell has used the office to its utmost, not only doing a couple of very important things, but using that to get a good headstart in the race. Its no secret that the AG's office, in modern Virginia history, has been used by everyone from Andrew Miller to Jerry Kilgore to launch gubernatorial bids.

So where does that leave Bill Bolling? What Bolling's office lacks in size and responsibility, it makes up for in one precious comodity in politcis. . . .

Time.

And Bill Bolling seems to be putting that time to good use. While Bob McDonnell will be running on his record as Attorney General, Bill Bolling's only chance of victory will come with his 100 Ideas initiative. Bolling has to bank on an a platform of new ideas to excite Republicans more than McDonnell's personal appeal and record as AG. Another thing to remember? Since 1969, only two AGs have won the office--Gerry Baliles and Jim Gilmore.

Bill Bolling's challenge is to turn the 2009 governor's race into a race of ideas. The problem with too many AG candidates, including the last one, rely too much on a record in the office and forget to propose anything new for the future. Perhaps the greatest strength of the AG's office, that your constantly busy, is also its greatest weakness. By comparison, past LG's John Dalton, Chuck Robb, Doug Wilder, and Tim Kaine have all used the time alotted to them over four years to look to the future. Despite the numbers, history nods to Bolling if he can capitalize on it.

I would personally like to thank the Senator for his vote on Thursday to kill the immigration bill!

My personal belief is that by giving people amnesty in the US, we're NOT going to solve immigration problems. In fac, we'll do quite the opposite. We'll teach illegal immigrants that if they can sneak across the border and hide out for a few years, they'll get away with it. Amnesty encourages illegal immigrations by saying we won't punish you for breaking our laws.

Jim Webb's amendment, while not perfect, was a good start. However, it appears that anything "too logical" isn't all that popular in our government, and extremists from both sides worked to kill our good Senator's bill.

I'm glad the Senator realized that just because the Bush-McCain-Kennedy Bill was a solution doesn't mean it was the RIGHT solution. I'd rather wait on this issue and do it right that do something brash simply because we feel we have to act on immigration immediately.

This is kind of a strange recipe, I’ve never seen anything like it in all of the places I normally look. My brothers and I grew up in a family where we called these

City Chicken Legs
or veal birds. I have no idea why. They don’t taste anything like chicken. They are my favorite food in the whole world when my mother makes them. When I was growing up, we got to ask for our favorite food for our birthday dinner. This was my constant request. They are also excellent cold for lunch the next day.

City Chicken Legs
Serves 4-6 unless I’m at dinner, in which case this is all for me

1 1/2 lb. veal
1 1/2 lb. pork
1 cup seasoned flour (salt, pepper and paprika if you are feeling adventerous)
2 eggs, beaten
Oil to brown meat
Wooden skewers. soaked in water for 30 minutes.
1 cup onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 cup chicken stock

Slice meat into 1 inch squares 1/4 inch thick. Alternately place meat on wooden skewers; (one pork, one veal etc.). Roll finished skewers first into eggs; then into seasoned flour. Brown in skillet, being sure coating is well done. Add the veggies.

Add the chicken stock, turn the heat down to simmer and cover. Cook on low for two hours. The meat will be juicy and flavorful and fall apart on your fork. This is so good that it makes me insane and speechless. Imagine that. Me, speechless. Pour over the pan juices.

You can do these on the grill, but they are much harder to keep moist and tender than in a braising pan.

You are going to be very sorry that I taught you about these. You butcher can cut the veal breast and pork loin into the one inch cubes, you only have to ask.

My fantastical sister Deborah is now baseball blogging. Go checkout her blog - http://gsbase.wordpress.com/. Now all she has to do is join Facebook. In other news, I have 2 things to impart. 1. Don’t think “Sushi” when your fish comes…

Kellie and I went downtown for dinner tonight, and on the way back home, I was able to use the cell phone camera to capture this beautiful sight

We drove home to Virginia, the long way, and watched the sunset