Clerk's Race Signs!!!

These signs will be available by the end of this week. Let us know when you would like to begin displaying a sign in support of our Democratic Candidate for Clerk of Court!!!

You can get your sign via emailing Dianne by clicking here!

Rockingham County Democratic Committee
Serving the residents of Rockingham County with a common sense approach to the Democratic ideals of Community, Individual Liberty, Fiscal Responsibility, and Quality of Life.

You are cordially invited to attend the
June MEETING
Rockingham County Democratic Committee
Date:
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Location:
Rockingham Co Administration Building
Board of Supervisors Meeting Room
Time:
7:00 –8:30 PM

Featured Presentation
Bioterrorism – Threat or Hype?
Our featured speaker this month is Dr. Drew Richardson, former head of the FBI Laboratory’s chemical/biological response team (HMRU). During his service at the FBI, Dr. Richardson served as the coordinator for nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) scientific assets at the Atlanta Olympic Games and other special events. Since retiring has appeared as an expert consultant on CNN, Fox News and other media.


Directions: The County Administration Center is the old Safeway building, located at 20th East Gay St., Harrisonburg (corner of East Gay and North Main).
RCDC – Dedicated to working on the real issues affecting the Valley

There's a sucker born every minute

For just $19.95 (adults) and $9.95 (kiddies) and a little travel time to Petersburg, KY, you can visit the Creation Museum. There, wax figures, videos, and other exhibits will convince you of the story of creation if you, as the museum's slogan admonishes, are "prepared to believe." Sounds like created science to me.

This museum is actually created capitalism. It will do quite well in a nation where nearly half of the population accepts on faith the literal interpretation of Genesis and totally rejects Evolution. As P.T. Barnum said... well, you know what he said...! Interesting commentary on the Creation Museum by Democrat Al Dahler found in the News Leader:
http://www.newsleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070616/OPINION02/706160325/1014/OPINION

Just visited the museum website (http://www.creationmuseum.org). WARNING, if you are a gun toting Republican, you have to leave your firearms in the car. No weapons permitted in fantasy land.

Maybe you've written me off as some sort of secular science humanist by now. That's OK. But to tell the truth, to this Deist, the Bible and Evolutionary Theory are completely compatible. Each enhanced by the other. Each blind without the other.

What do YOU think? Sound like your family's summer destination? Or maybe Mickey Mouse and the Enchanted Kingdom are more your style?

GOP cat fight

Below is the moaning and groaning of Lynn Mitchell (swacgirl) and Anne T. Augusta/Staunon rightwingers and activists in the local GOP about what will happen when Hanger wins their primary. Sorry for putting all this GOPBS on a good Democratic blog, but it is best that we understand the warped minds who oppose us and the American Dream.

The first post is Lynn.

Hanger wants to purge local GOP if elected
The 24th District race has become contentious, led by comments coming from our sitting state senator who is in the race of his life. In an interview with the News Leader editorial board, he says if he wins he will "help the traditional base of the area's GOP regain control of local party leadership positions."

"Traditional base"? Who, Sen. Hanger, might that be? Those of us in leadership (and thanks, by the way, for the wonderful support by publicly airing your thoughts about us, especially after Kurt Michael has publicly said to the News Leader and others that no matter who wins this Primary we will all swing behind that candidate and unite) have worked hard the past eight years to build this party when there was barely anything in place. Where has your "traditional base" been during that time? And why are you threatening to remove us from our positions? Because we're not originally from this area?

Locally we have won for our candidates ... George Allen, Jerry Kilgore ... but they lost at the state level particularly Northern Virginia.

In Staunton, after Chairman Anne Taetzsch took over the Staunton GOP (before her watch they had lost the previous two elections to dems - Kilgore and city council), she worked hard with her volunteers and won Staunton for George Allen in 2006.

Truncated...... here was a laundry list of all they do...... check it out at
http://swacgirl.blogspot.com/2007/06/hanger-unappreciative-of-his-grassroots.html

Anne Taetzsch said...
Thank you so much for this post. We work very hard for our party. I am shocked by Hanger's attitude. Thank you for alerting me to this, I had no idea that he was preparing to oust me because I didn't support him. Your post was great because you point out all that we do.

I've been hearing labels such as "extremists" and "far right wing".
Why is this? Is it because I am pro-life? Is it because I am pro-family? Is it because I would like to see less government involvement; ie go back to the principle of government for the people and by the people.

It seems as though our politicians get caught up in the world of being a politician and they forget the little people back home. Hanger has had 12 years to represent us and in that time instituted the largest tax increase in VA history. Maybe the Senator is flush with money, but I certainly am not!

It appears to me as though Senator Hanger is trying to divide the party. All of the chairs had pledged to support him if he wins, but I see that promise is not reciprocated. This is quite along the lines of a Huey Long approach to government. I thought those days were long gone.

I guess the biggest problem is that we are not part of the "system". B/c I'm 3rd generation American, not 6th generation Augusta County, my voice is diluted and somehow I am not to be given the respect due to others (at least according to Emmett's logic via his comments to the editorial board).

Lynn, we the grassroots, do this for one reason, because we love our party. This is the most thankless job I've ever encountered. We work a second full time job to get these guys elected, they go to Richmond or Washington, and every once in awhile we may get a cursory invitation to attend a $50 a plate fund raiser.

Yet we still do it anyway. Why? Because our government is the most important aspect of our lives and we MUST work to keep the process pure. God forbid a Hugo Chavez gets in charge and the electorate just sits back and apathetically watches until one day they realize--oh-oh--we've lost our freedoms.

Keep working hard my Den Mother and I will continue to work by your side. We have a fantastic team in Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County. I am proud to be a part of it!

9:46 AM
SWAC Girl said...
Anne, very well said. Emmett Hanger seems to be dividing us into "from-heres" and "come-heres."

Has he forgotten George Allen is from California and Bob Goodlatte is from Massachusetts?

I'm 6th generation Virginian but, according to the senator, it's the wrong part of Virginia (Chesterfield).

Can he represent all the people with that attitude? This area is growing with new folks moving in daily. Are we to not be involved in politics or run for public office because we're not from here?

Here is my response that swacgirl will probably never allow on her blog

Get a grip ladies. You are trying to purge Senator Hanger and he shouldn't want to purge you? Give me a break. Get a grip on reality. You should want to resign when he wins tomorrow.

You claim to be "grassroots." Well, most of Hanger's supporters can make the same exact claim. They are the traditonal base, the so-called mountain-valley Republicans that held your party together thru the lean years (Civil War to 1969) and finally elected Holton (Gov. Kaine's father in law), Dalton, and other moderate (more so than the S. Dems in those days) Reps to office and finally captured the General Assembly too. Your rightwing, holier than thou brand of Republicanism came along later and hijacked the party.

Anne, you say you do this thankless job "for your party." Ugh. We Democrats do our hard work (all the things swac listed) for our COUNTRY.

I do agree on one thing..... where you were born and how many generations your family has been here shouldn't mean squat. I'm a multi-generational Virginian but have only lived in the Valley since the 1960s.... hence not good enough.
Well, all this typing for nothing because swacgirl will never let it in. Maybe I'll cross-post on another blog.

See ya at the crying game tomorrow night.....

Life After Bush

Yes Virginia, there will be life after the disaster of the Bush presidency. As Democrats look to electing the next president it will be instructive to that choice to consider where we need to go to make America right again. I'll suggest a couple ideas and look forward to your comments on how the next president can restore America.

We need to get back to FDR's wisdom about "the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself." The Bush/Cheney/Rove recipe for grabbing and holding political power has been to promote irrational fear of everything from terrorists, to the UN, to science, to gays, to the axis of evil. Then next president must reject the politics of division and fear and embrace the politics of hope and optimism.

We must restore the rule of law. We've been appalled by illegal wiretaps, Scooter Libby (covering his boss' ass?), Jack Abramoff, detainees at Guantanamo, Cheney's secret meetings, Bush's view that he is above any law that he thinks limits his ability to combat terrorism, signing statements, Rove, the list goes on and on......... When a president places himself above the Constitution and the law we are on a slippery slope to an authortarian regime. Our next Democratic president must assure the American people that everyone in the administration, including him/herself, knows the limits of power.

OK, I've opened this up for your ideas about steps the next president must take to bring back America. Which candidates are appealing to the higher angels of Americans? Which candidates are luring us with the tired old politics of fear and division (Giuliani comes to mind)? What do you think?

Al Gore for President Redux?

It wasn't
'We, the conglomerates.'
It wasn't
'We, the corporations.'
It was
'We, the people.'

DRAFTGORE.COM

The Last Temptation of Al Gore (link to Time Wednesday, May 16, 2007)

"Let's say you were dreaming up the perfect stealth candidate for 2008, a Democrat who could step into the presidential race when the party confronts its inevitable doubts about the front-runners. You would want a candidate with the grassroots appeal of Barack Obama—someone with a message that transcends politics, someone who spoke out loud and clear and early against the war in Iraq. But you would also want a candidate with the operational toughness of Hillary Clinton—someone with experience and credibility on the world stage. "

Steve Pyke for TIME (link to Time Wednesday May 16, 2007)

• Fact: The majority of United States' Citizen Voters chose Al Gore as President in November of 2,000 with a margin of victory of over 500,000 votes.

• Fact: Al Gore won the popular vote with the second highest vote total in history.

• Fact: George W. Bush became President because the Supreme Court ruled 5:4 to stop re-counting votes.

• Fact: That was Seven years ago. Millions of Americans are holding their heads and thinking, "I wish I had voted for Gore!"

This post is a reflection of my opinion and is not intended to represent the position of RCDC.

Lowell Fulk posting as RockDem

Who is Scott Sayre?

All I know about Scott Sayre I learned from a blog. Oh, and a robo-call from Grover Norquist.

Ok, I'll dismiss the phone call as tainted. Grover is, you see, Mr. Anti-Tax. A one trick pony. Friend of Jack Abramof, a lobbyist, a friend of Bush and DeLay, a man who thinks politics is all about money not people, a man who is a criminal. So, if I'm judging Scott Sayre by the folks who make intrusive phone calls on his behalf.... well, you know the answer.

Maybe I should consult those who know him best--the local Republicans like Kurt M. (Augusta), Ann T. (Staunton), and Lynn M. (Augusta). So, I went to their blogs to find out all about Scott Sayre. I watched their TV ad supporting Scott Sayre. They get a little beyond the Grover Norquist anti-tax message, but not by much. Mostly they call Emmett Hanger names like "Democrat," "liberal," "big taxer," etc. Jeez--when are they going to recycle terms like "commie" or "socialist"?

I've known Kurt and friends' politics for years. They are dedicated to government for the haves and screw the have-nots. They believe their religious views should be law so you must obey. They believe in downsizing government (how about eliminating the Governor's Schools, Kurt..?) so that cherished American values such as equal opportunity, free public education, minority rights, and respect for our differences are but an empty American Dream.

So, Scott Sayre.... because you have said so little for yourself, I can only judge you by the friends you keep. Friends like Grover, Kurt, Ann, Lynn, Steve. I find your friends repulsive and repugnant to the America I want for my children and their children. I'm confident that true grassroots mountain-valley Republicans will reject all you stand for. But if they don't, I know, the Democratic nominee, David Cox, will make mincemeat of your Rovian strategy to win by dividing. And if you should lose (as I expect), your rightwingnut friends should step down from their party leadership positions--they embarass not only their party but all Valley voters.

Enjoy the insightful cartoon by Jim McCloskey of the News Leader (Staunton) published on 6/5/07.