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Anti Affirmative ActionAffirmative action, which originally sought to repair the state-induced damage to blacks from slavery and its aftermath, has within one generation brought about a permeating state-sponsored racism that is as odious as the Jim Crow laws it sought to countermand. A Soviet-style bureaucracy of political commissars now monitors every level of our society to ensure that racial and gender "diversity" matches pre-ordained models, using the awesome powers of government to make certain that white males are not "overrepresented" in education, employment or government contracts.May 22, 2000Anti War?The rhetoric of the antiwar Left during these debates was filled with...

State tax collectors and budget experts made a $130 million mistake, but public schools will not be hurt by the gaffe. The Kaine administration is promising school divisions, which built their own budgets on erroneous state revenue estimates, that they will get their promised cash -- at least in the current fiscal year.

Allen holds huge money edge on WebbGOP senator banks $6.6 million as rival reports $424,245 Republican U.S. Sen. George Allen holds a huge fundraising advantage over his Democratic opponent, Jim Webb, in the Senate race in Virginia. Reports filed yesterday with the Federal Election Commission show that Allen ended June with $6.6 million in the bank, while Webb had $424,245 in cash on hand.

What if nobody blinks?by Michael Hardy and Jeff E. Schapiro Richmond Times Dispatch Virginia's highest-possible credit rating is not imperiled -- for now -- by a marathon budget impasse that could force a partial government shutdown in 22 days, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and bond experts said yesterday. One of the analysts with whom Kaine met said the impasse does not immediately threaten the state's sterling credit rating -- Triple A, shared with six other states, including nearby Maryland and Delaware.

The chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee endorsed James Webb yesterday in the U.S. Senate primary. Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said Webb is "our best hope for defeating [U.S. Sen. George] Allen in November."

WASHINGTON - People with permits from one state to carry a concealed firearm would generally be able to exercise that right elsewhere under a bill introduced quietly by Sen. George Allen. "The bill would simply require states to recognize each other's concealed-carry permits and licenses, just as they recognize drivers' licenses," Allen, R-Va., said in a statement in the Congressional Record when he introduced the bill May 26.

New talks toward a compromise Virginia budget abruptly collapsed in acrimony yesterday, reviving chances of a government shutdown unless lawmakers reach a deal before June 30. Conferees hit the road after senators accused delegates of gamesmanship for pressing for $800 million in new funding for a program senators believed was off the table for now: transportation.

The two Democrats seeking to unseat U.S. Sen. George Allen, R-Va., virtually ignored him yesterday and trained their sights on each other. In the first televised joint appearance of the campaign, James Webb referred to a union description of Harris Miller as "the anti-Christ of outsourcing." At one point, after being interrupted by Miller, an angry-appearing Webb exclaimed: "Harris, if you shut your mouth, I'll answer the question."

His nude workshops and civil rights-era jail time aside, Dr. Brad Blanton appears to have the support of Culpeper Democrats as the sole Democratic candidate against U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Richmond, in the November election... ...His workshops include yoga, meditation and spending eight days “together being descriptive and honest with each other.” Day five of his “Course in Honesty” workshop is when participants get very personal. “We all take off our clothes, stand up in front of the camera and the other naked people and talk about what we like and what we dislike or are ashamed about our bodies,”...

RICHMOND - The intoxicating rush from campaigning returned to Jerry Kilgore's veins at a shopping mall, two weeks after he lost the gubernatorial election. The weekend excursion for Kilgore and his family was interrupted by dozens of people who kept stopping the recovering candidate to compliment his campaign and assure Kilgore they had voted for him.

The first nonpartisan report card on Gov. Timothy M. Kaine shows a majority of Virginians surveyed have a favorable view of the freshman Democrat... ...Kaine's initial approval rating is slightly lower than that of his predecessor, fellow Democrat Mark R. Warner, and badly lags those of the state's last two Republican governors.

If one approaches Wakefield, Virginia, on the third Wednesday of each April, turns at its stoplight, and heads out to the Ruritan Club, it's apparent that Shad Planking day is no ordinary Wednesday. Miles away, signs lined the roadside yesterday like the highway to Wall Drug in South Dakota: "Support hunting." "& fishing rights?" "Must be." "George Allen." The blue signs with white stenciled letters denoted not a rally, or even a party convention, but the unique event in Virginia politics known as the 58th Annual Shad Planking... ...Men or women, black or white, yesterday's Shad Planking was a Republican...

We’ve just launched our new campaign website: www.GeorgeAllen.com! I hope you’ll take some time to click in. I am particularly excited about the many features on the site that allow friends in Virginia and across the country to participate in our positive campaign regardless of where they live.

The United Methodist General Conference had eliminated Atlanta before choosing Richmond for its 2012 General Conference. Now, it has eliminated Richmond as host for its 1,000 delegates and 4,000 other attendees, for the same reason: the names of the Braves' baseball teams. The denomination's Commission on the General Conference is moving the convention to Tampa because of its policy, begun in 2004, of not meeting in cities home to professional sports teams with American Indian names.

Welcome Back! Following last year's tradition, I will be posting regular threads with updates on Virginia campaign news. Primarily we will focus on the reelection (and future prospects) of Senator George Allen. Let's begin with stories already around FreeRepublic... Sen. Allen Rejects Reid's Apology; Blasts the Dems as Scurrilous, Bereft of Ideas, ShamelessDemocrats Tap Kaine for State of Union Duty

Beamer and others will discuss Marcus Vick's situation more today Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick was kicked off the team yesterday after yet another legal problem for him surfaced. Tech President Charles Steger said in a news release that Vick "has been permanently dismissed from the Hokie football program due to a cumulative effect of legal infractions and unsportsmanlike play."

Weekly wrapup of Virginia Campaign News. Post 'em if you've got 'em... Last Week's Thread: Virginia Campaign News - October, 31 2005 - Thread XXVII - EIGHT MORE DAYS!This is it folks. Don't stop now! Let's use this thread for campaign updates and to take us through Election Night. Ping folks here as you get the news. Thanks. Now get back to the phones!

Weekly wrapup of Virginia Campaign News. Post 'em if you've got 'em... Last Week's Thread: Virginia Campaign News - October, 24 2005 - Thread XXVI - 2 more weeks From the RTD: Kaine's record left praise, questions by Gordon Hickey and Tyler WhitleyTimothy M. Kaine wasn't supposed to be mayor of Richmond.Kilgore: focused on criminal-justice by Frank Green and Tyler WhitleyRepublican gubernatorial candidate Jerry W. Kilgore's tough-on-crime talk on the campaign trail reflects a career spent dealing largely with public-safety issues.Candidate speaks about his faith He urges congregation in Chesterfield to trust in God, to trust government leaders by...

Weekly wrapup of Virginia Campaign News. Post 'em if you've got 'em... Last Week's Thread: Virginia Campaign News - October, 17 2005 - Thread XXV - 3 more weeks From the RTD: Education tops list of candidates' concerns Kaine leading on budget; Kilgore on law & order by Jeffy SchapiroReadying to pick a new governor, most Virginians say their choice will be guided by which candidate is strongest on education, the budget and transportation -- not the topic du jour: the death penalty. I think the emphasis on the Death Penalty is only backfiring in Jeffy's imagination. Kilgore's response...

Weekly wrapup of Virginia Campaign News. Post 'em if you've got 'em... Last Week's Thread: Virginia Campaign News - October, 10 2005 - Thread XXV - 4 more weeks From the RTD: Daily Press backs Kaine for governor Excerpt: The newspaper criticized Republican Jerry W. Kilgore for advocating voter referendums to decide tax increases and transportation funding. "Simple-minded populism, whether trumpeted by Kilgore or anyone else, is a dead end," the editorial said. BUT, check out the Daily Press comments and endorsement of the Warner/Kaine transportation referendum of 2002. (see comment section) Capital Punishment EditorialVirginians are told to trust Kaine...