Free Republic

Like virtually every issue that faces the nation, our healthcare problem is greatly exacerbated by mass immigration—both legal and illegal.  A total of 43% of non-citizens lack health insurance, compared to just 12.7% of native-born Americans.  These uninsured immigrants impose huge strains on our healthcare system that helped create the crisis we currently face. Plenty of analysts and commentators have exposed how illegal aliens will receive healthcare under Obamacare.  They point out that while the bill claims to prohibit illegal aliens from receiving benefits, the Democrats repeatedly blocked Amendments that would screen for legal status.  Steve Camorata of the non-partisan...

Former Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Va.) opened up a sweepstakes in his old district when he said last month that he wouldn’t run in 2010, and state Sen. Robert Hurt has emerged from the clutter as the odds-on frontrunner. Hurt has yet to make his intentions known, but those close to him say he is seriously looking at the race and is leaning toward entering it. Freshman Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) has gained plenty of attention – some of it unwanted – during the August recess for the tightrope he is walking in a conservative district on issues like health care...

Former Virginia Congressman Virgil Goode has quietly ended his political career, according to a story in the Franklin (Virginia) News-Post

With President Obama expected tomorrow for the North American Leaders' Summit in Guadalajara, Mexico, a coalition of American legislators and activists took a message to the Mexican media, denouncing economic partnerships that would undermine national sovereignty and blasting Obama's failure to keep his promises on transparency and the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Howard Phillips, chairman of The Conservative Caucus and head of the Coalition to Block the North American Union, spoke to Mexican print, television and radio media about the summit, which was known in previous years as the North American Security and Prosperity Partnership, or...

Thank you Tom Perriello By John Barnhart Thank you Tom Perriello — for stabbing the working people of the 5th District in the back. On June 29, 41 House Democrats had the courage to stand up to Supreme Leader Nancy Pelosi. They voted against her cap-and-trade energy bill. Congressman Perriello was not one of them. He voted for this nightmare, which narrowly passed the House of Representatives by seven votes.

The Jefferson Area Tea Party is rallying against Fifth District Congressman Tom Perriello. Thursday afternoon, the group held a protest at Perriello's office on Second Street in Charlottesville. They are upset with Perriello's support of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. The group says the bill, which still being debated by the Senate, is an energy tax. Those people who support the initiative say it reduces the amount of carbon that electric utilities, oil refiners, and certain industries can emit. Perriello voted for the so-called "cap and trade bill", which passed the House 219 to 212.

ALTON, Va. — Rep. Thomas Perriello relishes an energy fight with Republicans — even here in the rural Southside. The freshman lawmaker understands the potential consequences that he and other vulnerable Democrats face for backing a sweeping climate-change bill, and rather than ducking the issue, he’s embracing what may have been the toughest vote of his young political career. “There’s got to be something more important than getting reelected,” Perriello said in an interview with POLITICO. “If I lose my seat, and that’s the worst that happens, I could live with that.” But the 34-year-old believes Democrats will win this...

Republicans appear to have another repeat candidate in 2010, as former Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Va.) has filed to reclaim the seat he lost in November. Goode filed Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) — a move that allows him to raise money for the race — but he told The Hill that he hasn't made a final decision about running again in 2010. He said he filed because he received several “unsolicited” campaign contributions. Once a candidate receives $5,000, he or she must file a statement of candidacy with the FEC. “I’m filing that because a few people have...

Hon. Virgil Goode Former Congressman Virgil Goode represented the 5th congressional district of Virginia from 1997 to 2009.Congressman Goode was elected to Congress as a Democrat in 1996. In 2000 he became an independent, then switched to the Republican Party in 2002. He supported GOP presidential candidate Congressman Ron Paul in 2008. The same year he lost his bid for re-election to Congress by only 727 votes. Here's what Goode says about: Immigration: Illegal immigration must stop. Our borders must be secure. I have supported and cosponsored legislation to stop illegal aliens, terrorists, drug smugglers, and other criminals from coming...

Virgil Goode apparently is not going to take last year's election loss sitting down. U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello has been on the job about 10 weeks, and he's well aware that the five-term incumbent he beat is making plans for a comeback. Former 5th Congressional District representative Virgil Goode filed a statement of candidacy this week with the Federal Election Commission. Goode says he's not ready to make his candidacy official yet, though. "It's just so the papers would be there so I could explore running," he said. "I'll be looking at the situation, talking to people, finding out...

- - He will be congressman by a margin of 727 votes Congressman-elect Tom Perriello promised to continue his “double shift” working for the 5th District’s needs in Washington after being certified the winner of the congressional race Wednesday by a court in Albemarle County. A three-judge panel certified the final margin of victory at 727 votes, with 158,810 for Perriello and 158,083 for Republican incumbent Virgil Goode Jr. The recount found 250 vote changes, with Goode having a net gain of 18 votes. The recount began Tuesday with local election officials rechecking results in the district’s 22 localities. They...

Facing the loss of his seat, U.S. Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. said Thursday that all late-arriving absentee ballots cast by U.S. troops overseas should be counted as part of next week’s recount in his 5th District race. A federal judge in Richmond ruled Tuesday that Virginia’s State Board of Elections violated the law by mailing out absentee ballots to military voters too late for them to send back their ballot by Election Day. However, the judge added that the 4,750 such ballots across the state need not be counted, as they would not change the outcome of any race...

The Virginia State Board of Elections has certified Democrat Tom Perriello as the winner in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District election, unseating Republican Virgil Goode. A local newspaper reported today that Goode intends to petition for a recount.

The State Board of Elections has certified challenger Tom Perriello as the winner over Republican Congressman Virgil Goode. The board today certified Perriello as the winner by 745 votes in the 5th District congressional race. Goode is entitled to a recount if he chooses.

John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association, is among those being vetted for Agriculture secretary in the Obama Cabinet, an individual with knowledge of the transition process said Thursday. Congressional Black Caucus members are backing Boyd in an attempt to reverse the department’s track record on civil rights, which government investigators and outside watchdogs have described as abysmal, aides said. The fourth-generation farmer and civil rights activist would be a surprise choice given the leadership pedigrees of other possible nominees, such as former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack. But the pick would help fulfill President-elect Barack Obama ’s pledge...

MD-1: Democrat Frank Kratovil leads Republican Andy Harris by 2,003 votes in this district that includes all of Maryland's Eastern Shore and parts of three counties west of the bay. Harris's campaign thinks there are about 10,000 outstanding provisional and absentee ballots. In order to win, the remaining ballots need to go 3-2 for Harris. Earlier today, the Associated Press and CNN called the race for Kratovil. Harris hasn't conceded, and Kratovil cautioned against premature celebration. CA-4: Tom McClintock netted another 118 votes over Democrat Charlie Brown in their nail-biting race to represent California's Fourth District, stretching from the Sacramento...

Her re-election chances resting on uncounted absentee ballots, Rep. Thelma Drake, R-2nd, has joined the McCain-Palin campaign in a lawsuit seeking to count absentee ballots by military personnel serving overseas. Drake, a Republican, trails Democrat Glenn C. Nye III by 7,916 votes in the district in and around Virginia Beach. Nye has claimed victory, but Drake has not conceded because she says the count of the district's 28,000 absentee ballots continued yesterday. Meanwhile in the 5th Congressional District, Democrat Tom S.P. Perriello, who started the day leading Republican Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. by 31 votes, had a 639-vote lead...

Just heard on the radio that Goode is ahead by 446 votes according to state board of elections. 100% of precincts reporting....

Updated 3:17 p.m. Tom Perriello has retaken the lead, according to the State Board of Elections’ website. As of 3:17 p.m.: Perriello - 157,455 Goode - 157,425

A fiercely contested race between six-term U.S. Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr., R-Rocky Mount, and Democrat Tom Perriello of Ivy was too close to call at press time Tuesday night. With 97.4 percent of precincts reporting, it appeared that Perriello, a 34-year-old national security consultant, and Goode, 62, were in a dead heat. Perriello had 50.11 per-cent of the vote, compared with Goode’s 49.83 per-cent. The Associated Press and CNN both projected Goode as the winner Tuesday, but Perriello took a slight lead over Goode late in the evening.

Of all the politicians this newspaper has encountered, Virgil H. Goode Jr. is among the most sincere in his efforts for constituents and the least caught up in politics and paybacks. He does what he believes is right. That’s a rare quality in Washington these days. If for no other reason than to present the Beltway insiders with an example of a true independent, the 5th District should re-elect Virgil Goode. But there are other reasons — such as that constituent concern. Mr. Goode is well known for his work in assisting 5th District residents with their problems. His record...

U.S. Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. wants to end what he calls the nation’s “anchor baby situation” — and he’s willing to amend the U.S. Constitution if that’s what it takes. In a Wednesday debate in Danville, Goode — a vocal foe of illegal immigration — repeatedly denounced the policy that guarantees American citizenship to anyone born in the United States. “The anchor baby situation is a magnet for illegals to come to our country,” Goode said. “I’m opposed to that.”

This is just a vanity, a House Rebellion call to action to constituents of Virgil Goode [or anyone else who would like to help]. Please call Virgil Goode's office. Yes, he supports the House Rebellion, but please encourage him to do more. Here are some toll free numbers: 800-965-4701 800-828-0498 [For those who aren't cheapskates like me, there's a switchboard number at house.gov] Thank you and FRegards ....

wary of John McCain and worried about who he'll choose for a running mate are offering up ideas left and -- more to the point -- right. One of the ideas gaining momentum in conservative circles is Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.). McCain-Cantor Campaign Button Cantor, the 45-year-old Republican chief deputy whip of the House, has three great attributes: youth, conservative bona fides and geographic desirability, as Virginia will likely be a crucial swing state in this year's presidential election. All of which may explain why McCain had a private lunch last weekend with Cantor and his wife, Diana, in the...

The conventional political wisdom is Sen. John McCain needs a vice presidential running mate like Eric Cantor. Cantor is a young, conservative congressman and one of the leaders of House Republicans. He represents the 7th District, which stretches from Richmond northwest to Page and Rappahannock counties — a mixture of state capital and western Virginia conservatism that will, in all likelihood strongly support McCain in November. McCain’s age and some of his previous stands on issues such as immigration and campaign finance reform have angered the Republican party’s conservative base. Since vice presidential running mates are supposed to be everything...

Conservatives wary of John McCain and worried about who he'll choose for a running mate are offering up ideas left and -- more to the point -- right. One of the ideas gaining momentum in conservative circles is Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.). McCain-Cantor Campaign Button Cantor, the 45-year-old Republican chief deputy whip of the House, has three great attributes: youth, conservative bona fides and geographic desirability, as Virginia will likely be a crucial swing state in this year's presidential election. All of which may explain why McCain had a private lunch last weekend with Cantor and his wife, Diana, in...

An official Declaration of War has been introduced by U.S. Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.), along with eight of his colleagues in the House. "Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, (that) pursuant to Article 1, section 8 of the United States Constitution, the Congress hereby declares that a state of war exists," a draft of the resolution states. Co-sponsoring Rep. Virgil Goode (I-Va.) explained his support for the measure. "I firmly believe that, if we don't stop them now, they will come after us again,...

MONTGOMERY The state Senate may have been locked down for most of the year, but it did find time to endorse a widely discredited urban legend spread by the John Birch Society. The upper chamber passed a joint resolution April 10 sponsored by state Sen. Rusty Glover, R-Semmes, claiming that Canada, Mexico and the United States are moving toward a "North American Union" and working on construction of a "NAFTA Superhighway" to link the countries and report edly destroy their sovereignty. "It's about retaining independence," said John McManus, the president of the John Birch Society, in a phone interview Mon...

FORT WORTH -- The Trans-Texas Corridor is now so controversial, merely uttering the words in most political circles is taboo. "We're calling it a 'regional loop' because you can't say 'Trans-Texas Corridor' in the state of Texas anymore," said Michael Morris, transportation director for the North Central Texas Council of Governments. "The Trans-Texas Corridor is a lightning rod," he told visiting state representatives this week while explaining how the corridor would connect to regional highways by 2030. Opposition to the proposed construction of a $184 billion network of toll roads during the next 50 years is so strong statewide that...

www.gunowners.org/a012308.htmJan 2008 More Pressure Needed To Convince Bush To Withdraw Brief Gun Owners of America 8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102 Springfield, VA 22151 (703)321-8585 Friday, January 25, 2008 The Bush administration has continued veering toward gun control. You know it is bad when The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence salutes the administration's support for gun control. Why would anti-gunners praise the Bush administration? For one, signing the first gun control legislation in over a decade, the Veterans Disarmament Act (H.R. 2640). For another, the very anti-gun brief the Solicitor General (the Justice Department's lawyer) filed in the DC gun...

'Administration should reflect right to keep and bear arms'A Republican congressman from Virginia is asking President Bush to order the Justice Department to submit a brief in a U.S. Supreme Court case that supports the rights afforded U.S. citizens under the Second Amendment. The request from Rep. Virgil Goode concerns a filing submitted by the Justice Department in a Supreme Court case over the legality of a handgun ban imposed by the District of Columbia. A similar request already has been submitted by officials for the Gun Owners of America, whose executive director, Larry Pratt, warned: "If the Supreme Court...

Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) has sent the following letter to the White House asking them to undo the huge harm they have caused the Second Amendment with the brief they filed in the DC gun ban case. ------------------------------------- January 22, 2008 President George W. Bush The White House1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington DC 20500 Dear President Bush: Your Solicitor General has just filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in the D.C. v. Heller case arguing that categorical gun bans of virtually all self-defense firearms are constitutional if a court determines they are "reasonable" -- the lowest standard of constitutional...

...[The building of the Trans-Texas Corridor] is all too sinister for Jerome Corsi, the Vietnam War veteran who helped lead the Swift Boat charge against John Kerry. Corsi has knitted disparate strands of each of these separate road projects to help convince fellow xenophobes such as Pat Buchanan, Phyllis Schlafly, Lou Dobbs and the John Birch Society that the corridor is the first leg of a secret federal project called the NAFTA Superhighway, a four-football-field wide monstrosity that would run from Mexico's Yucatan to Canada's Yukon... Yet even Texas Rep. Ron Paul, a libertarian Republican candidate for president, has fallen...

NAFTA SUPERHIGHWAY | An urban myth or reality? Super suspicious foes The government denies any such plans, but campaign against it continues. By MATT STEARNS McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON | If the government really has a secret plan for a 12-lane road-and-rail NAFTA Superhighway that will split the heartland from Mexico to Canada, it is playing with a great poker face. “There is absolutely no U.S. government plan for a NAFTA Superhighway of any sort,” said David Bohigian, an assistant secretary of commerce. Sen. Kit Bond, a Missouri Republican and a powerful member of committees that would authorize and pay for...

Group Wants Congressman Virgil Goode to Explain Comments About Muslims Monday, February 19, 2007 WASHINGTON — A Muslim group said Monday it had invited Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va., to expand on biting remarks he made last week during debate on a House resolution disapproving of President Bush's decision to send more than 21,000 U.S. troops into Iraq. The Muslim American Public Affairs Council has "extended this invitation to Congressman Goode to give him a venue to explain his recent comments about Muslims and Islam," MAPAC Executive Director Marc Conaghan said in a statement. MAPAC also asked Goode to share a...

The Anti-Defamation League says it’s time for Goode to “rethink” his “ill-considered remarks” which demonstrate “a serious lack of understanding of the fundamental religious guarantees enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.” That bad, huh? The Council on American Islamic Relations (Jihad R US) says of Goode’s comments, “There can never be a reasonable defense for such bigotry.” Even the American Humanist Association is agitated. Its president, Mel Lipman, fumes, “If Virgil Goode is to continue serving in Congress, he needs a refresher course in basic American civics” -- from the ACLU, no doubt.The occasion for these fevered condemnations was a letter...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Virginia lawmaker criticized for writing an "Islamophobic" letter to his constituents would be wise to learn more about Islam, the first Muslim elected to Congress said Thursday. Minnesota Rep.-elect Keith Ellison told CNN that he is not angry about a letter Virginia Rep. Virgil Goode wrote that said Ellison should not be allowed to place his hand on the Quran during his unofficial swearing in ceremony. "I think the diversity of our country is a great strength," Ellison told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "It's a good thing that we have people from all faiths and all cultures...

A Muslim group is asking Virginia Republican Rep. Virgil Goode Jr. to apologize after he told hundreds of his constituents that more Muslims will follow Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, D-Minn., to Congress if strict immigration laws aren't passed. "The Muslim representative from Minnesota was elected by the voters of that district and if American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran," Goode wrote. The letter was written to constituents who contacted Goode after Ellison said he planned to bring...

A Republican congressman has told constituents that unless immigration is tightened, "many more Muslims" will be elected and follow the lead of a recently elected lawmaker who plans to use the Quran at his ceremonial swearing-in. Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va., made the comments in a letter sent earlier this month to hundreds of constituents who had written to him about Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat and the first Muslim elected to Congress. Goode's letter triggered angry responses from a New Jersey congressman and an Islamic civil rights group. In the letter, Goode wrote, "The Muslim representative from Minnesota was...

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Virginia congressman will not apologize for writing that without immigration reform "there will be many more Muslims elected to office demanding the use of the Quran," his spokesman said. Republican Rep. Virgil Goode's letter to constituents also warns that without immigration reform "we will have many more Muslims in the United States." Spokesman Linwood Duncan said Goode's letter was written in response to complaints his office received about Minnesota Rep.-elect Keith Ellison's request to be sworn in using the Quran. Ellison is the first Muslim to be elected to Congress. Goode's office released the letter to...

Congressman: Muslims Not Welcome In U.S. POSTED: 2:06 pm EST December 20, 2006 UPDATED: 2:21 pm EST December 20, 2006 A Virginia congressman has warned that "many more Muslims" will be elected demanding to use the Quran unless immigration is tightened. Republican Rep. Virgil Goode made the comment in a letter to constituents who had written in about Congressman-elect Keith Ellison's decision to use the Quran at his ceremonial swearing-in. "I do not subscribe to using the Koran in any way," Goode wrote. "The Muslim Representative from Minnesota was elected by the voters of that district and if American citizens...

We Americans are a suspicious lot. Gas prices go down and a good many of us assume there's a conspiracy that starts and ends in the White House. Take the results of a recent Gallup poll. Forty-two percent of those surveyed agreed with the statement that the Bush administration "deliberately manipulated the price of gasoline so that it would decrease before this fall's elections." It's a good yarn, but I can't ignore the fact that nearly two-thirds of those who said they suspected President Bush of pulling a fast one heading into the Nov. 7 elections are registered Democrats. Plus,...

The split between Virginia's two Republicans on the Senate immigration reform bill yesterday mirrored divisions across the nation. Sen. George Allen, the more conservative of Virginia's senators, voted against the bill, while Sen. John W. Warner, a senior and more moderate Republican, voted "yea." Allen, who is weighing a White House bid in 2008, said the bill fails to secure the nation's borders. The bill would provide a path for millions of illegal immigrants to become citizens. He blasted it as offering amnesty and a reward for illegal behavior.

WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- Waving the Mexican flag at pro-immigration demonstrations in the United States has riled conservative commentators and lawmakers, a report said. U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., said he has appeared on a dozen radio shows in the past week to talk about the "huge and growing problem" of illegal U.S. immigrants, The Washington Times reported. U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode Jr., R-Va., also was outraged. "I say if you are here illegally and are displaying and waving the Mexican flag, you should go back to Mexico and fly that flag there," Goode said. Talkers Magazine Editor and...

The contracts former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham bullied the Defense Department into awarding two contractors who showered him with money and gifts were not in the national interest, according to documents filed by prosecutors Tuesday. Instead, the prosecutors said, “Cunningham and his co-conspirators fleeced the people of the United States to the tune of millions of dollars, earning profit margins on some contracts in excess of 800 percent.” In the most detailed description yet of the former congressman's bribery case, prosecutors offered graphic examples of how Cunningham browbeat and intimidated government officials and his own staff into ensuring that millions...

While I appreciate the editors of The Roanoke Times giving some attention to the TRUE Enforcement and Border Security Act, H.R. 4313, on the editorial page ("Immigration absurdity survives the election," Nov. 15), I only wish the whole bill had been addressed. The bill I introduced along with California Congressman Duncan Hunter does provide for construction of a fence along the U.S.-Mexican border. However, the fence is only a small part of the bill's plan to control mass illegal immigration. If your editors had focused on the whole bill, they would have discovered that we, too, believe that a fence...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) introduced a bill today to repeal an illegal alien harboring exemption for religious groups that was signed into law last week. Tancredo’s bill, H.R. 4321, would repeal the agricultural appropriations rider inserted by Senator Bob Bennett which allows religious groups to “conceal, harbor or shield” illegal aliens from federal law enforcement. The bill is co-sponsored by Representatives Todd Akin, Virginia Foxx, Louie Gohmert, Virgil Goode, Gil Gutknecht, J.D. Hayworth, John Hostettler (Chairman of Judiciary’s Immigration Subcommittee), Steve King, Jack Kingston (Vice-Chairman of the Republican Conference), Mike Pence (Chairman of the Republican Study Committee),...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill to build a 3,200 kilometer (2,000 mile) wall along the US border with Mexico to keep illegal immigrants out. ADVERTISEMENT The legislation aims to "create a border security fence from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico," said House of Representatives members Duncan Hunter of California and Virgil Goode of Virginia in a statement. "Prior to September 11, 2001, illegal immigration was considered a regional issue without national implications. We quickly learned on that day, however, that this is a national issue, affecting each and every American, not just those...

WASHINGTON – When Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham first responded to questions about his dealings with defense contractor Mitchell Wade, he stressed that his position on the House defense appropriations subcommittee did not enable him to secure contracts for Wade's company, MZM Inc. "I do not have the authority or ability to award a contract to Mr. Wade's company and no single member of Congress, no matter how influential, can dictate to the armed services who will be awarded contracts," the Rancho Santa Fe Republican said during a June 23 news conference. While Cunningham's claim is technically correct under the government's...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Danny Diaz 202-863-8614Richmond, Virginia – RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman formally endorsed Jerry Kilgore for Governor of Virginia at a luncheon in Richmond this afternoon. Jerry Kilgore previously served as Virginia’s Attorney General after being elected in November 2001 with over 60% of the vote. Prior to his term as Attorney General, Kilgore served as Secretary of Public Safety for then-Governor, George Allen. “Jerry Kilgore is a proven leader with a clear and consistent record of serving the people of Virginia well,” Chairman Mehlman said. “There is no doubt in my mind that Jerry will be an...