Free Republic

A spokeswoman for Webb told the Washington Post said that the first-term Democratic senator is deliberating how to vote on the Senate's bill but is yet undecided. "It is not surprising that he is being lobbied by interests on both sides of the aisle. Senator Webb has a reputation for being very deliberative and independent-minded," spokeswoman Jessica Smith said in a statement to the Post's Virginia Politics blog. "The fact that he has said he is undecided about this bill is not extraordinary."

1:54 a.m. The Wythe County Sheriff’s Office says Interstate 77 between Wytheville and West Virginia has been shut down due to the weather, and accidents blocking the highway. All other traffic on I-81 and I-77 is moving slowly with only one lane of traffic open. National Weather Service says Roanoke has received a foot of snow. Blacksburg at 11.2 inches. VDOT says multiple sections of Interstate 81 are not moving, on both the northbound and the southbound side from Rockbridge County through Wythe County .

A US man has been charged with indecent exposure for being naked in his own home. Erick Williamson, 29 was observed without clothes through a doorway and a window, by a seven-year-old boy and his mother who were walking by. Williamson argued that it was his home, and therefore he could choose to go nude. But a judge found against him, saying that he intended to make himself visible to passers-by. The Virginia man said he will appeal the decision. "I think that being tried and found guilty of something like this is outrageous," Williamson said after he was convicted...

A major storm was expected to bury the Washington region Saturday with what forecasters said could be the largest snowfall to hit the area in six years and the greatest December accumulation in more than 70 years. Accumulations of 15 inches or more in the city and up to 24 inches in parts of the Blue Ridge Mountains were possible, according to the National Weather Service. The snow was expected to cause significant disruptions for shoppers, travelers and revelers on the last weekend -- and biggest shopping day -- before Christmas. Especially large amounts of snow could accumulate southeast of...

Despite talk about easing burdens on businesses to encourage them to create jobs, companies in Virginia will be paying more in taxes come Jan. 1. The state unemployment tax that businesses pay on each employee will be going up, from an average of $95 per employee per year to an average of $171 a year in 2010, $234 in 2011 and $263 in 2012. The tax goes into the fund the state uses to pay unemployment benefits... When the unemployment fund gets low, it triggers an automatic increase in the tax. The increase is determined by a formula. Virginia Employment...

This may be the worst story of the year, at least in reference to domestic policy and crime. How bad is it? When Matt of Creative Minority Report tipped me to it this morning, I had to track it down to make sure it was on the level. A woman in Campbell County, Virginia smothered her newborn infant, and police are powerless to do anything about it: CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR VIDEO The caller said a woman in her early 20s was in labor. When deputies arrived, they discovered the baby had actually been born around 1:00a.m., about ten hours...

Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine (D) proposed Friday replacing the local car tax by increasing income tax $1.9 billion a year. But Republicans in the General Assembly and Gov.-elect Robert F. McDonnell (R) have said they are opposed to any tax hikes. The outgoing governor also proposed about $2.3 billion in budget cuts to help make up for a nearly $4.2 billion shortfall by 2012. ... Kaine recommended eliminating 1,879 jobs as well as 664 layoffs, many of them in the departments of transportation, corrections, juvenile justice and at the University of Virginia. In public education, he would cap the number...

As shown in Weeks 203 & 204's AAR, we had the Navy flag up this Saturday. And it looks as good this AAR as in yesterday's AAR. BELOW: Our NEW Navy flag. Before the Air Force and Coasties complain, we would be more than pleased to put up your branch’s flag. Just FRmail me for our address. With the new traffic light configuration we’ll have more traffic poles to attach your flag to it. With our group mainly being associated with the Marines and Army, their flags got the prime space. We didn’t want to put your flags on the...

WEEK 202: NOV. 21,2009 The MAC is BACK, the iMacMan that is. iMacMan is someone I consider a “cold weather FReeper”. His retirement keeps him away from Olney during the warmer months. While iMacMan didn’t bring his cameras today, he takes some of the best pictures of our passing supporters that I know of. And then the edits he does are great. To those who know cameras, I do not, he sets his cameras on wide lens and then with one push of the button, gets 6 frames shot. BELOW: Several of iMacMan’s neat pictures. Did I forget to mention...

Dear xxxxx, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia is pleased to announce that our 'Trust Women, Respect Choice' license plate is now available for pre-order. The funds generated from the sale of these plates will go directly to Planned Parenthood affiliates across the state to provide critical prevention services. Absolutely no revenue will go towards abortion-related care. Instead, the money will be used to provide annual gynecological exams, sexually transmitted infection testing, and follow-up care for underinsured and uninsured patients. Click here to learn more about Planned Parenthood's services. When the Virginia General Assembly convenes on January 13, 2010, Planned Parenthood...

Rob Wittman was 40 minutes late to his town hall meeting in Montross on Dec. 8, where he received less than the hometown treatment from TEA Party members. Held at Washington and Lee High School, the town hall meeting, sponsored by the Westmoreland County Citizens Association, was the public's opportunity to question Wittman on everything the actions of Congress and federal government. While many questions posed to Wittman, first congressional district representative, dealt with health care and the economy, the show was quickly stolen by TEA Party members. Catherine Crabill, former Republican candidate for the 99th district seat in Virginia's...

NORFOLK Jurors decided Wednesday that Philip Harvey should get $13,000 for being bitten by the police dog of Gordon Barry, who mistakenly shot and killed a fellow police officer during a disturbance in Young Terrace. Harvey sued Barry, saying the officer acted recklessly when he loosed his police dog in a crowded courtyard on the 400 block of Nicholson Street in May 2006. Barry testified that he believed his actions would save the life of Harvey’s brother, Denardo, who was in a confrontation with an armed man. The armed man turned out to be Officer Seneca Darden, who had responded...

A loophole in state law is preventing Campbell County investigators from charging a woman they say killed her newborn baby. Deputies were called to a home in the 1200 block of Lone Jack Road in Rustburg about 11 a.m. Friday. The caller said a woman in her early 20s was in labor. When deputies arrived, they discovered the baby had actually been born around 1 a.m., about 10 hours earlier. Investigators said the baby was already dead when deputies got there. Investigators told WSLS the baby’s airway was blocked. They said the baby was under bedding and had been suffocated...

Senate Republicans say they want to “smoke out” Democratic senators who could help them bring down the health care bill, and so far, they think they’ve found one in Sen. Jim Webb. With all the attention focused on four other fence-sitting moderates, Webb has voted with Republicans six times on the first series of amendments on the Senate floor — giving GOP leaders some hope that the unpredictable Virginian could buck his party in the end and block the bill. South Dakota Sen. John Thune, No. 4 in GOP leadership, said Webb’s votes “came as a bit of a surprise”...

Dear Ms. Daniel: Knowing of your interest in the ongoing debate in Congress over health care reform, I wanted to update you on a number of votes and positions that I have taken during the process. Together with 60 of my colleagues, I voted in favor of proceeding to debate the proposed health care reform legislation. I have yet to decide whether I will support final passage of the bill. I have stated on several occasions my concerns that the Obama administration should have begun the health care process with a clear, detailed proposal, from which legislation could then be...

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Vietnam's defence minister, making a rare visit to the United States, met Tuesday with a key US Senator who called ties between the two former war foes "very important." General Phung Quang Thanh met with Democratic Senator Jim Webb, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, and was to meet with Senator John McCain, the Senate Armed Services Committee's top Republican. "It is vitally important that the United States engage with Southeast Asia at all levels," Webb, a former Marine who served in the Vietnam war and visited Hanoi in August, said after his...

Dear Friend, We thought you might be interested in the following column by Senator Webb published in today's Winchester Star. http://www.winchesterstar.com/pages/view/still.html Webb cites concerns, amendments, votes on health care Sen. Jim Webb Like all of my colleagues in the Democratic Party, I voted in favor of proceeding to debate the proposed health-care reform legislation. I have yet to decide whether I will support final passage of the bill. I have stated on several occasions my concerns that the Obama administration should have begun the health-care process with a clear, detailed proposal, from which legislation could then be put into place....

It’s final. Republican Ron Villanueva is the winner of the 21st House District seat after a recount Monday. Villanueva, a city councilman, increased his margin of victory over incumbent Democrat Bobby Mathieson by two votes after all the ballots were rechecked. In the end, Villanueva received 7,674 votes, and Mathieson got 7,658. “I feel elated,” Villanueva said Monday night. “It was exciting to see the process in action.” Mathieson, who asked for the recount, said his camp was aware going in that a different outcome was unlikely with so many ballots cast electronically and the chances of finding mistakes minimal....

Fellow Citizens of the 3rd Congressional District of Virginia, My name is James Quigley and I am officially announcing my campaign for Congress as a Libertarian against the incumbent, Bobby Scott (Democrat), of the 3rd District of Virginia. Over the course of the last few years our country has become less of a Free Market Democratic Republic and more akin to a Corporatist Oligarchy while the wealth of the poor and middle classes have been transferred to the few and powerful. Although Mr. Scott has spoken publicly against such interests, his actions and legislation has done little to stop this...

Last month, Americans watched as Virginia and New Jersey elected two new governors. While the lessons of both campaigns are still being dissected, virtually everyone agrees that Chris Christie profited most of all from having a terrible incumbent as an opponent. The real lessons for political candidates in competitive races stem from Virginia’s Bob McDonnell. McDonnell didn’t just win big. He helped his party win every statewide seat with on coattails. The talking heads chalk up his astounding victory to his singular focus on jobs and the economy. And as usual, the talking heads are 100% wrong. To be sure,...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2009 – The Arlington Wreath Project, an unofficial national tradition, prompted about 6,000 volunteers to wake up extra early this morning to help place 16,000 wreaths on graves at Arlington National Cemetery. "It's really nice that America still remembers our troops," said Nikki Bunting, the widow of Army Capt. Brian Bunting, who died in Afghanistan in February 2009. She visited her husband's grave with their children, 2-year-old Connor and 5-week-old Cooper. “It's a sad sight, but it's really beautiful. It reminds us that people care,” she said. Morrill Worcester, president of Maine-based Worcester Wreath Company, started the...

Pfc. De'Angello Robinson, 19, traveled seven hours by bus to place a single wreath on the tomb of a soldier whom he'd never met. For him, and the other Marines who took the trip from Camp Johnson in Jacksonville, N.C. to Arlington National Cemetery to decorate graves, the day was about paying tribute to men and women who once stood in their shoes. "In a few months, from where we are getting shipped out, this could be us," said Robinson of the fallen soldiers. "If it is us, I would want somebody to do the same for me so I'm...

Americans are now learning what citizens of Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and other foreign countries have long known: that some of our own can and will go to great lengths to kill their fellow citizens. Ramy Zamzam and four friends from the Washington, D.C., suburbs were detained in Pakistan in a police raid on a house allegedly tied to a militant group earlier this week. One of the men had recorded a video filled with images of war and declarations that young Muslims must act. The five Americans, students in their 20s, are now being questioned by...

On Wednesday, Liberty Counsel lawyers appeared in court to defend Lisa Miller. Last month a Vermont court ordered the custody of Miller's biological daughter transferred to her former lesbian lover. The ACLU and Lambda Legal Defense Fund are seeking to transfer custody of 7-year-old Isabella to Janet Jenkins, a Vermont resident who lived with Miller in that state before the latter's conversion from the homosexual lifestyle. Miller met with the ire of a Vermont judge after she refused to send her daughter to scheduled visitations with Jenkins because, she says, Isabella has been traumatized by past visits. The Virginia Court...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - The five young Americans detained in Pakistan as part of a terrorism investigation were wholesome kids who never exhibited any signs of religious extremism, according to the youth director at a mosque where they worshipped. "I never observed any extreme behavior with them," said Mustafa Abu Maryam, who served as a volunteer youth director at the Islamic Circle of North America's small chapter mosque. It's in a converted single-family home in a residential neighborhood a few miles south of the Capital Beltway.

The speaker at Friday prayer services at Howard University's dental school stressed to worshipers that Islam is a religion of moderation. Ramy Zamzam, a student at the dental school, is among five men detained in Pakistan after they allegedly sought to join up with terrorist groups. In a brief sermon, Sultan Chaudhry, who serves as president of the dentistry school's student council, said: "Muslims have to follow the middle path with no extremes on either side." Chaudhry also said Islam promotes "human dignity and honor" and has a set of universal values that are "positive and life-affirming.".. At a Virginia...

A sword-wielding man died early this morning hours after being Tased twice by police. Police identified him later Friday as Hatchel Pate Adams III, 36, of the first block of Overlook Court in Hampton. According to a news release from Hampton Police, officers responded to a complaint involving an emergency custody order in the 1st block of Overlook Court about 11 p.m. Thursday. Officers tried to make contact with Adams, but he refused to come to the door, police said. They went inside after calling one of the man's relatives, who came to the scene. Adams, carrying a Samurai-style sword,...

Dear Friend, You know me. I am not a “Born Fundraiser.” In fact, this is the first such letter I have sent out in my entire three years as a United States Senator. But the time has come for me to begin thinking seriously about what it will take if I decide to run for re-election in 2012. And it is important for me to know the extent to which you and others are willing to help. I began my 2006 campaign on February 8th of that very year, only nine months before Election Day. On that day I had...

FBI agents and their Pakistani colleagues have interrogated five young American Muslims suspected to be on their way to Afghanistan to fight with the Taliban against US-led forces, Pakistani officials said. The five, aged 19 to 25, from northern Virginia, were detained this week in the city of Sargodha in Punjab province, 120 miles south-east of Islamabad. Police in Sargodha have taken the first step towards filing charges, with complaints based on laws dealing with foreigners and the use of computers to organise crime.... Another Pakistani security official said the five had visited a madrasa, or Islamic religious school, in...

Retired Army Col. Van Barfoot was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for attacking three German machine gun nests and then three German tanks. He now will be allowed to continue raising Old Glory without having to face a lawsuit from thye Sussex Square homeowners' association near Richmond, Va.

Law: American heroes are arraigned for allegedly punching a terrorist in wartime. What happens to Tiger Woods isn't vital to our country's future. What happens to Matthew McCabe, Julio Huertas and Jonathan Keefe is. People are more likely to recognize the names of Tiger's alleged bimbo eruptions than the names of these three Navy SEALs we sent into battle. They are not household names in a nation consumed with Climate Gate, the public option and the antics of billionaire athletes. An administration consumed with apologies has said the architect of 9/11's massacre, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, must be given all the...

The county still has no approved Nativity scene or Christmas tree, more than a week after Loudoun's Board of Supervisors reversed a committee's decision to ban public displays. The supervisors will probably change that at a special meeting Thursday by ironing out details about who can set up displays...The meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. at the school administration building in Ashburn, an hour before a scheduled public input session on the budget. On Dec. 1, supervisors voted, 7 to 1, to allow community groups "equal access" to the grounds. A decision last month to bar any structures, religious or...

Should we have seen this one coming? The watch Tareq Salahi turned over last week to satisfy a debt owed to a landscaper is a fake, according to court records and the jeweler asked to authenticate it. Ray Cosey told our colleague James Hohmann he knew the timepiece - said to be a fancy Patek Philippe, which can cost more than $15,000 - was a phony the second he saw it.... Cosey, in the business for 36 years, appraised it at about $100. Presumably, this shouldn't be a problem anymore for landscaper Mike Dunbar, who took the Salahis to court...

Dear xxxx, On Tuesday, we wrote to you about the vote the U.S. Senate was taking on the Nelson-Hatch amendment to the health care reform bill. As you will remember, this amendment was virtually identical to Stuapk-Pitts ban and would have prevented women from using their own money to purchase private health insurance that provides comprehensive reproductive health care. The good news is that the amendment was defeated by a vote of 54-45. The great news is that both Senators Warner (D-VA) and Webb (D-VA) voted against this egregious assault on women's reproductive health care. While we still have a...

New evidence about the 2007 Virginia Tech killings shed new light on the arrogance and hypritical stance of University leaders. The murder of 32 students was the worst mass shooting in U.S. history until the Ft. Hood massacre last month and remains the worst school shooting ever on U.S. soil. Virginia Tech is no stranger to violence. They had two shootings in the 2006-2007 school year. A student worried about the possibility of another shooting asked school officials to reconsider their "no guns" policy. School officials not only a href="http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/3669" target="_blank">rebuffed and mocked that request, they also cheered the defeat...

Police conducted a search operation in Tehsil Bhalwal, Sargodha, Sahiwal, Kotmomen and Shahpur and arrested 64 persons, including five foreigners, from hotels and other places.The police said most of the arrested persons belonged to Afghanistan. Our correspondent adds from Washington: The arrest of US-born Pakistanis of banned militant organisation Jaish-e-Muhammad in Sargodha has apparently solved the case of mysterious missing of at least three Pakistani-American students from the DC metro area.Earlier, it was reported here that the US federal investigators were searching for a Howard University dental student and four other Muslim men reportedly missing from the Washington, DC area....

Breaking News: Pakistan Reportedly Detains Five D.C.-Area Muslims on Suspicion of Terror IPT News December 8, 2009 **Updated December 9, 9:00 a.m. EST A Pakistani newspaper reports the arrest of five foreign nationals after a raid in a town called Sargodha. The raid took place at the home of a member of the Jaish-e-Muhammad, a Pakistani movement designated as a terrorist group by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2001. According to the report, "The DPO told that these people had been living in Sargodha since Nov 30 and it was quite a possibility that they were engaged in acts of...

On December 8, Senator Warner and 10 other Freshman Senators introduced the "Value and Innovation" amendment package, aimed at encouraging innovation and affordability for consumers across the U.S. health care system. Supporters of the package include: AARP; Business Roundtable; Safeway; New America Foundation; AFL-CIO; National Partnership for Women and Families; CEO Workgroup for Health Reform; Center for American Progress; Healthcare Leadership Council; Catholic Healthcare West; Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association; Carilion Clinic; David Cutler (Harvard Economist); Consumers Union; Small Business Majority; Walmart; Kelly Services International; Intel; US PIRG; Better Health Care Together; Brookings; Pacific Business Group on Health; Quadgraphics; Health...

WOODBRIDGE, Va. - Prince William County Police say a community college student was aiming for his professor when he fired a rifle in a classroom full of students.

Nope, you did not miss Weeks 202 and 203. This Saturday’s Support the Troops Rally was so neat that I had to do it now. While our snowy Saturday morning is nothing compared to what the mid-west or northeast is getting, we were out there. Roll call of this week’s 7 patriots includes Legionnaires Halsey (Korea - USMC), Lurker Bill and Cindy_True_Supporter, Fraxinus, GunsAreOK, [Mrs] Trooprally and myself. Videos by [Mrs] T. Because of the weather conditions, and the construction removing the concrete walk where we put together our banners on wet days, we only put up the flags on...

WASHINGTON -- The North American Aerospace Defense Command and the Continental U.S. NORAD Region plans a training flight exercise over the Washington area. The exercise, called Falcon Virgo 10-03, will take place late this evening and early tomorrow. It will include civil air patrol aircraft and Coast Guard helicopters. The exercise is made up of a series of training flights held in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Capital Region Command Center, the Joint Air Defense Operations Center, the Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR), Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard and CONR's Eastern Air Defense Sector.

RICHMOND, Va. — A 90-year-old Medal of Honor recipient can keep his 21-foot flagpole in his front yard after a homeowner's association dropped its request to remove it, a spokesman for Democratic Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said Tuesday.

WOODBRIDGE, Va. - Prince William County Police say they have one man in custody on the Northern Virginia Community College Woodbridge campus after shots were fired in a classroom. The campus was placed on emergency lockdown, but no injuries were reported. According to investigators, they were notified around 2:40 p.m. Tuesday of a student who was armed with a gun on the campus. Officers responded to the scene, and the college was put on lockdown. A Prince William County Police spokesperson says the gunman, who is a male student, went into a classroom and pointed a gun at a female...

Every day at sunrise, Medal of Honor winner Col. Van T. Barfoot hoists Old Glory with respect and pride. However, the 90-year-old veteran was recently told to remove the flagpole from his own front yard or face a lawsuit and fines. In fact, the local homeowner’s association says the 21 foot flagpole violates neighborhood regulations and needs to come down soon – by December 11. If the flagpole is not removed, a Richmond, VA law firm will go after Col. Barfoot. Call for Urgent Action Please urge the Sussex Square Homeowners Association to drop the case and allow Col. Van...

<p>WASHINGTON -- White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday that it is "silly" to think that a 90-year-old Medal of Honor winner is being asked to remove a flagpole from his front yard.</p>

Two Navy SEALs arraigned Monday on charges of mistreating a suspected Iraqi terrorist were buoyed by a public display of support outside Norfolk Naval Station, where they are scheduled to be court-martialed next month. About 100 supporters, some from as far away as Texas, gathered outside one of the base’s main gates to protest charges against three men. They carried flags and held signs reading “Save our SEALs” and “Is this America?” There was no controversy inside the courtroom where Capt. Moira Modzelewski, a military judge, took less than an hour to formally arraign two of three accused commandos: Petty...

God was missing for six days. On the seventh day, Michael, the archangel, found him - resting. He inquired, "Where have you been?" God smiled deeply and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds. "Look, Michael. Look what I've made." Archangel Michael looked puzzled, and said, "What is it?" "It's a planet" replied God, and I've put life on it. I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a place to test Balance." "Balance?" inquired Michael, "I'm confused." God explained, pointing to different parts of Earth. "For example, he said, northern Europe will be a place of great...

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia is pleased to announce that Virginia's pro-choice license plate will soon be available for pre-order. The proceeds from the sale of these plates will go to Planned Parenthood affiliates in Virginia to provide comprehensive, reproductive health care, like annual gynecological exams and sexually transmitted infection testing. In order to move forward with the license plates, we must pre-sell 350 plates. We hope that you will be one of the many proud Virginians displaying the plate. To see a preview of the license plate, please click here. When the plate goes on sale, it can be...

Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II is known for speaking his mind. As he prepares next month to be sworn in as the top attorney for the state, nothing has changed. For those concerned that the attorney general-elect is going to embrace his conservative principles and take on anyone who opposes those beliefs — even the federal government — Mr. Cuccinelli said they are right to be concerned. "If they're worried that I'm going to sue the federal government, their worry is well-placed," Mr. Cuccinelli said. In the Republican state senator's acceptance speech after winning the election in November, he promised to...