750 Volts-The Third Rail on the Left Side

Moved!

2005-03-25T20:28:00.000-05:00

http://www.kentonngo.com/750volts

Update yer blogrolls!

Moving!

2005-03-25T20:15:00.000-05:00

After a week of hair-pulling, 750 Volts is on Wordpress! Update your blogrolls:

(This whole conversion has eaten my entire spring break and put a hold on blog entires...)

http://www.KentonNgo.com/750Volts

Why The Hell Do We All Care for Terry Schaivo?

2005-03-23T21:28:00.000-05:00

I've tried not to comment on the intensely personal affair of Terri Schaivo, but I can stand this no longer.

It's a private family mattter! What I say, what any "pro-life" activists say, what Congress says is pure bull! Why are we meddling in an internal family affair? Bringing ourselves into the intensely personal relationship of a man and his spouse?

Jeb Bush is not a doctor. He's trying to rediagnose Schaivo, credentials be damned. Jeb Bush knows crap about medicine. He's looking at a few blurry pictures and attempting to override her doctors and her husband and trying to make a diagnosis. He's trying to take away Mike Schaivo's rights as guardian of his wife and shove his meddling hand in the way. Why are we bashing our heads into this? What do we know?

Since when do the governor, Congress, the State Leigslator, courts, a bunch of talking heads and nosy postulating petulant strangers have any worthy say on a matter dealing with your spouse? Leave the Schaivo family alone. We have nothing to say, people. Tell the right wing of the Republican Party, which is so intent on seemingly breaking apart the Schaivo marriage, to just shut up and leave them alone. It is nauseatingly arrogant to just butt in and pretend you know what is best for the life of my family member.

Whether I want the tube reinserted is not important to Schaivo. Unless you, dear reader, are married to Terri Schaivo, what you say is not important. Let Schaivo pass in peace. Please. Take your condescension and nosiness off her life.

Victory Dance

2005-03-23T21:17:00.000-05:00

Former Democratic mayor of Petersburg Rosalyn Dance coasts to victory in the 63rd District special election:

Rosalyn Dance (D)	4,342	68.78%
Andrea Sims (R)	1,690	26.77%
Mike Bratschi (I)	271	4.29%
Write In	10	0.16%

Well done, another win!

Save The Date/Werkheiser Campaign News

2005-03-21T19:44:00.000-05:00

Greg Werkheiser, the man who will unseat Dave Albo over in the 42nd, will be hosting his campaign kickoff (save the date!):

Lorton Station Elementary School
Saturday, April 16, 2005 from 3 to 5pm
9298 Lewis Chapel Road, Lorton, VA 22079

And get Greg's campaign off to a kicking start: Two donors have offered to match, dollar for dollar, the first $20,000 raised before April 1st! Contribute online, or by mail!

Happy Birthday To Me.

2005-03-21T19:23:00.000-05:00

Resident keyboard pounder drags on into 14th year of existence! World reaction mixed.

Happy birthday to me.

Russ Potts Meets the Mafia

2005-03-21T19:13:00.000-05:00

Staunton News Leader

Potts is running as an "independent Republican" — an oxymoron if there ever was one in the hive-think of party politics — and he's got the loyal worker bees and drones who have pledged their fealty to King Kilgore in a royal snit.

...

Potts is learning what so many Mafiosi and gangsters of lesser stripe could have told him, if he'd asked — you don't go breaking the code of silence or ranks with the gang with- out consequences.

I personally find slightly amusing (in a sort of macabre way) at how the Kilgore camp is trying to stamp out Russ Potts like a steamroller operator tries to crack a peanut. Thrashing about in sheer panic! Then to wild-eyed rabid puritanical fervor!

51st District Challenger

2005-03-21T19:09:00.000-05:00

Ernie Porta has announced his candidacy as a Democrat for Prince Williams' 51st District, against incumbent Republican Michele McQuigg. (Potomac News)

Kilgore Plan Not a Joke After All

2005-03-20T21:38:00.000-05:00

Kilgore doesn't have one: Brian Patton

The Kilgore Plan for Virginia does not, apparently, include a radical social agenda or fiscal insolvency like I expected. It does, however, have this:

Jerry's Not As Funny as We Thought He Was

2005-03-20T14:08:00.000-05:00

That's saying alot. 750 Volts has obtained a copy of the now-infamous Kilgore Memo:

Memorandum

To: Lt. Governor Tim Kaine/Kaine 2005 Campaign Staff

From: Kickoff Tour Strategy Coordinator (KTSC)

RE: Our "Message": Region by Region

As we head into our kickoff week we cannot stress enough the
importance of sticking to our "message" as we travel across the
Commonwealth. For those of you who are not familiar with our message
it is really quite simple: "Your Views are Our Views, Too." This
message was realized through months of focus groups/polling/and
intensive demographic research of Virginia, as well as thanks to the
lessons provided by the campaigns of Al Gore and John Kerry. (The
winners of the past two presidential elections!)

Through prior preparation we can now guarantee that, done right, we
will be in line with the views of every community and region that Lt.
Gov. Kaine visits over the course of March 16-24. This, of course, is
the key to the campaign. Tim Kaine must be "one of the people",
depending, of course, on just what "the people" actually "are" in each
part of Virginia. With this in mind the following document should
allow the candidate, field staff and press team to adequately prepare
for each visit.

Now, we are not blind to some unfortunate realities here at the
strategy office. We certainly understand how much easier it would be
to have the same "message" for all parts of Virginia. From
speechwriting (not that we need, or have, a speechwriter!), to
backdrops, to sound bites, to guest speakers*, life would certainly be
simpler with one message for all Virginia. But who are we kidding? We
are in this thing to win, not to stick to some "core message" that
would risk putting us at odds with ANYONE in the Commonwealth. For
that reason we cannot stress enough how imperative it is that we stick
to the information below. One misstatement, one accidental truth, or
"Unintentional Moment of Candor" (UMC), as we have deemed them, could
represent a significant setback to our campaign. Consistency is for
losers. Pandering is for Governors. And we are creating a Governor
here folks!

This upcoming kickoff campaign will truly test our ability to be
everything to everybody. It has been tried before. John Kerry shot a
daggone goose for goodness sakes! Now we are not talking about
shooting anything. At least not yet. What we are talking about doing
is creating the ultimate pro-life/pro-choice; anti-taxes/pro-taxes;
pro-death penalty/anti-death penalty; conservative/liberal candidate.
One misstatement, one unfortunate UMC, and we are done for. The
strategy office has done all we can. We have laid out the high wire to
electoral triumph, now you all have to walk it. For 8 months. All
across Virginia. With the media watching. Good luck out there, and
remember, there are no wrong views; there are only views we have yet
to identify with.

* See memo from 2.18.04: "Fall 2005: A Dominion Dominated by Celebrities"

Southwest Virginia "That Place Where the People Talk Funny"

The only people getting worked up about the Kilgore accent are the Republicans. Back to the circus:

Message: "Values for Virginia."

Key Points to Make:
We love guns.
We are pro-life.
We don't like homosexual marriage.
And we hate taxes.

Key Points to Avoid:
Tax Payer Money for Anti-Gun rally (Million Mom March)
Lifetime of anti-death penalty activism
Call for massive tax increases

Note to field staff: Can we do signs in camo? You know the stuff the
soldiers wear. Look into it. Also, do we know people with accents?
Besides Jerry Kilgore of course! What about NASCAR. How does that
work? How do they "keep score"? We need to know this. And what does
"Boogity, Boogity, Boogity" mean anyway? Sounds scary.

Suggested Crowd Chant: "Values, Values, Values. Guns, Guns, Guns.
Boogity, Boogity, Boogity!"

Attire: That camo stuff. Lots of it. And blaze orange. Is flannel still in?

Good Event Music: "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi

Bad Event Music: "Brilliant Disguise" by Bruce Springsteen

Northern Virginia "Warner Land at Last!"

Allow this Northern Virginian to wear this as a badge of honor.

Message: "Mark Warner is a friend of mine. No, seriously, I can call
him right now. In fact, you call him. Here's my phone. Ask him if
he knows me. He may say 'no,' but that would be, like, just so him.
Really, he knows me by my first name."

Key Points to Make:
W is NOT my President
We hate guns.
We are pro-choice.
Those who are against tax increases do hate Virginia, and want poor
people to be thrown out on the street, our roads to turn to dust, and
our schools to collapse on themselves
I called for a moratorium on the death penalty in 2001! (wink, wink, get it?)
But I will uphold the law on the death penalty if elected Governor
(double get it?)
Try to imply that U.S. Senator John Warner is supporting us

Key Points to Avoid:
Everything we just said down in Southwest Virginia.

Note to field staff: Can we provide latte for 2000 people? (Talk to
Lowell) Any chance we could use the camo signs from Southwest, FACE
DOWN OF COURSE, as covering for the floor at the event? How do we make
the press forget Southwest, leave them at the airport? Can we actually
do this with a modicum of plausible deniability? Look into. Also, this
will be the one stop where we have to invite Howard Dean ($5 million
bucks pretty much buys you an invitation). Make sure photographers
miss him in their shots. Just a badly placed spectator here, an
overhang there, and problem solved.

Suggested Crowd Chant: "Tax Hikes, Pro-Choice, No Guns, Yes! Tax
Hikes, Pro-Choice, No Guns, Yes!"

Attire: Something springy, and fun! Nordstroms has some good deals

Good Event Music: "Saving All my Love for You" by Whitney Houston

Bad Event Music: "Destination Unknown" by Missing Persons

Tidewater: "A Kickoff About Nothing."

Message: "Tim Kaine Really, Really Wants to be Governor. Would you
please vote for him? It's like his biggest wish, and besides what skin
is it off of your back?"

NOTE: Now this is tough. Our polling and research shows that this is a
pro-military, predominately suburban, fringe rural, center urban
region. We have voters who have spent a lifetime in the military, and
voters who have attended peace rallies. One could say that here is
where we should actually try a "message" and just stand up for
something. But they would be wrong! We are trying to become Governor,
people. Focus.

Predominantly suburban fringe rural center urban. Uh huh.

Key Points to Make:
Sure the death penalty is fine, I guess, if people want it, if they
don't, well we're open to suggestions.
Taxes are too high, but those who won't raise taxes hate you.
We need to keep our aircraft carrier
We like you; We really, really like you!

Key Points to Avoid:
That whole busing people to anti-gun rally thing. Sure, it would get
some votes, but it would also LOSE some votes. This is a non-starter.
(Our polling indicates the military might just be pro-gun)
We're raising the gas tax. Deal with it.
We haven't really done anything to try to help Hampton Roads keep an
aircraft carrier

Note to Field Staff: You know if we still have some of those camo
signs from Southwest left, let's use them here. But not for all signs.
Make it 30% camo, 30% pastels, and 40% red, white and blue. (If
audience make-up appears to dictate more of one type or other that
call will be made on the ground.)

Pastels? Hmm. Very interesting.

Suggested Crowd Chant: "Greater Investment in Virginia: Not that we're
talking about tax increases or anything, what gives you that idea?"

Attire: Tye-Dye shirt. Camo pants. Brooks Brothers blazer. Now that is
inclusive!

Good Event Music: "Anyway You Want It" by Journey

Bad Event Music: "Don't Know Much, But I Know I Love You" by Linda Ronstadt

Richmond: "Home, Sweet Home"

Message: "Remember when Tim Kaine was Mayor Here? Alright, now Try to Forget It"

NOTE: Did something actually happen if no one will talk about it?
Orwellian as this seems, this mind-set will be critical to the success
of our big finish in Richmond. We have to brag about being mayor, but
not about spending taxpayer dollars to send voters to an anti-gun
rally. (oops!). Or allowing the Pay-Go scandal to fester on our watch!
(whoops!). Or the fact that shortly after Tim Kaine left office the
people of Richmond overwhelmingly voted to change their entire system
of government in order to clean up his mess. (Ouch!) So the point is
clear: Being Mayor: good. What we did as Mayor: We don't really
remember.

Key Points to Make:
Tim Kaine was Mayor.
Tim Kaine lives here.
So proud to have Doug Wilder as our mayor!
We need to invest in Virginia
We invented "Project Exile"*

Key Points to Avoid:
See above note on Tim Kaine's Mayoral years
Former council members currently "out of circulation"
Standard: Invest means: raise taxes. Look, if people can't understand
what this really means, well then we are not going to spell it out for
them!
Why is Doug Wilder the mayor? What led to this? If anyone receives a
question similar to this: RUN

Note to Field Staff: Signs will be tough. Let's go 10% camo. 10%
pastels. 10% red, white and blue. 10% just plain white. 10% dots and
circles. 50% just standard campaign signs- I really can't think of any
other colors and types. Maybe we should just have a booth of some sort
that makes a sign for each attendee based on that person answering a
few questions about themselves? Is this possible? If possible, this
could be huge.

Suggested crowd chant: "Tim Kaine Has Been Mayor. What do you care
what he actually did in that position?! He was a Mayor people! Have
you ever been a Mayor? We didn't think so!"

Attire: S&K. Buy the place out.

Good Event Music: "Here I go Again" by Whitesnake

Bad Event Music: "Always Something There to Remind Me" by Naked Eyes

*Dangerous. Similar advice to Al Gore on his issue seems to have
backfired a bit.

Paid for and Authorized by Virginians for Jerry Kilgore

This is a parody and not intended to portray an actual Kaine
memorandum (obviously).

Out of state readers: Welcome to Virginia politics. Enjoy your stay. Please, do not be afraid of the clowns.

Leslie Byrne for LG

2005-03-19T22:55:00.000-05:00

Brian Patton notes the straw poll that was taken Thursday night at Gerry Connolly's St. Patrick Day event at the Kena Temple:

Leslie Byrne - 54%
Chap Petersen - 33%
Viola Baskerville - 7%
Phil Puckett - 6%

I was there that night (and would have written about it here, and posted photos, had I been smart enough to remember to actually take photos, and smart enough to find the scrap of paper I wrote the straw poll results on. Alas, I still need to work my "blogger/journalist" credentials.) and voted for Leslie Byrne.

I had plenty of convoluted and circuitious debates with myself over Chap v. Leslie through the campaign season, but in the end Chap just didn't "catch" with me. I'm slightly put off by his stance on issues such as the gay marriage amendment, which he voted for. I personally feel the state has no business tacking discriminatory amendments to the constitution. Charismatic, young, ambitious, the kinda guy I'd really like to support, but in the end I decided to go for a record and for experience. While writing the candidates a short while back on my issues, Leslie's response to my e-mail seemed to fit most with my views.

Leslie Byrne has a long history of service, in Congress and the State Senate. She has a good progressive, non-interventionis stance on social issues, and a stellar rating on envirromental issues. She supports a "paper trail" for voting machines, and a portion of the gas tax going to Metro funding. While in Congress she fought for the funding to Dulles Metro service. I'm hesitant to call for ideological purity, but I feel that Leslie has a more progressive view of things.

Leslie Byrne for LG

Ignorance Based Education

2005-03-19T17:56:00.000-05:00

The study is in: abstinence-based sex ed increases risky behavior.

There are two main problems with abstinence-only:

1) Ignorance Doesn't Cut It. Proponents say that to teach children about contraception is to encourage them to have sex. Pompous, arrogant bull. Our children are not stupid. When we force ignorance on contraception and protection onto our teens, what does it accomplish? When they have sex, they should be fully aware of everything.

2)It's Unrealistic. Picture a house in an extremely windy plain. There is a window open and it's letting a draft in. You attempt to stop the draft not by closing the window, but by yelling at the wind to stop. It's unrealistic to expect all people to not have sex. When they do, they should be prepared.

Hat tip Waldo Jaquith

Feds Scared of Chap?

2005-03-18T17:48:00.000-05:00

Why didn't the feds let Chap talk?

Democratic Party lieutenant-governor candidate Chap Petersen was supposed to deliver a brief talk to a group of new United States citizens on behalf of a nonpartisan lawyers' group in Fairfax on Thursday.

That was before a couple of phone calls from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services led to Petersen being yanked from the schedule of events at the naturalization ceremony held at the George Mason University School of Law.

"I am disappointed the Citizenship and Immigration Service would not permit an elected state official to address this important ceremony," said Petersen, whose wife, Sharon, and her family are naturalized U.S. citizens.

For shame. What message does this send the newly minted citizens of our country about us? That reckless and vicious partisanship can simply shut a state legislator from giving a short address to them?

Memogate!

2005-03-17T17:49:00.000-05:00

Inside the Fake Kaine Memo-Augusta Free Press

The question serves as a form of greeting in the Virginia news-media cognoscenti these days.

Have you seen the fake memo?

Here in Virginia, apparently, we don't settle for old-school mudslinging. It's time for insulting jokes! To make a long story short, the Kilgore campaign has been hollering at the top of their lungs, "YO MAMA!!!".

Given the fact that I'm approaching the ripe old age of wisdom known as 14, I'm probably not in a position to complain about maturity, but Jerry's talent at playground tactics scores well with about, say, third graders.

Legislature to New Jersey: Play Nice.

2005-03-16T19:42:00.000-05:00

While our legislature is in the offseason, saving us from the incredible humiliation of, well, our legislature, let's take a peek at non-Virginia odd legislation (just to reassure us in the Old Dominion that we're not the only weird ones. Droopy drawers indeed.)

An Assembly Resolution encouraging residents to treat one another civilly.

Whereas, The root word of "civility" means to be "a member of a household;" and

Whereas, There are rules of civility that allow us to live peacefully within society, just as there are certain rules that allow family members to live peacefully within a household; and

Whereas, The Greek Philosopher Aristotle saw civility as a form of friendship, which he understood as a mutual feeling of goodwill; and

Whereas, Aristotle believed that humans are capable of promoting another person's interest without regard for their own; and

Whereas, We are all interconnected and not traveling alone in life;

and

Whereas, New Jersey is the only state in which all counties are classified as metropolitan areas; and

Whereas, The dense population of this State makes it easy to get frustrated, especially while waiting in line or sitting in traffic; and

Whereas, In an effort to enrich the lives of residents of this State, impolite and antagonistic behavior should be curtailed without the creation of new laws; and

Whereas, Increased courtesy and respect amongst residents will reduce stress and make daily tasks more enjoyable; and

Whereas, A chain of goodwill would increase throughout the stores, streets, and neighborhoods of New Jersey, even with just the slightest effort of each individual; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. This House hereby encourages all residents of New Jersey to join with the leaders of the State in a campaign towards civility and kindness to all.

STATEMENT

This resolution encourages all residents of New Jersey to join with the leaders of the State in a campaign towards civility, kindness and respect to all.

I wasn't kidding! Here: AR 232

Through Yahoo

Sharing and caring!

David Englin Interviewed

2005-03-16T19:20:00.000-05:00

Raising Kaine interview.

In a district like the 45th there's no excuse for not electing a good progressive to the General Assembly. Check this guy out.

Jerry Kilgore And The Gas Tax

2005-03-16T19:00:00.000-05:00

Augusta Free Press

"We must protect the transportation trust fund with a constitutional amendment saying that the money in that fund is off limits to other projects. But let me make one point clear. I will not use the protection of the transportation trust fund as a green light for raising the gas tax." -Jerry Kilgore

Gather round, children! I shall tell you a story of a miracle maker! We knew him as Jerry, Jerry Kilgore. He spoke of a magic spell, a special type of sorcery that could conjure up money by executive fiat, without raising taxes or cutting spending!

Now before Jerry came about, we all learned (or those of us that weren't glaring with glazed eyes at the clock, awaiting the joyous time when we could go home) in economics that a Budget works thusly:

Money goes in (inlays)

That money is spent (expenditures)

You can't have more money flowing out than flowing in. Pretend the budget was like your favorite pond or lake. If there is a deficit of water, it dries up. So what happens when you have this situation (called a deficit). So, to fix this, you can

Bring more money in

Have less money leave

But in Kilgonomics (derived from "kill"+"economics", or to "thoroughly butcher economics") you can ignore this painful formula and do whatever you want! Kilgonomics has one basic formula:

General Fund + Additional Transportation Spending = General Fund, or

1 + 1 = 1

Since he's not going to raise taxes to fund the additional spending, he is basically pretending that there isn't any additional spending to worry about! See no evil!

So, to reiterate:

OLD MODEL
Budgets are balanced by increasing taxes and cutting spending.

KILGONOMICS
Budgets are balanced by decreasing taxes and increasing spending. This also works as well as when you sacrifice a virgin to the Volcano God.

Kilgore Plan A Joke

2005-03-15T22:09:00.000-05:00

Literally.

See Times Dispatch. Jerry thinks he can get away with being juvenile! How low will he go? Apparently Jerry realizes he can't win with facts? Stop patronizing Virginians with this nonsense, Jerry.

Activist Majority

2005-03-14T21:48:00.000-05:00

"This is another instance of a 5-4 decision coming from the activist majority of the Supreme Court that is interested in undermining the rights of states to determine what is best for them in terms of setting their public policy."

Republican AG Bob McDonnell, unhappy with the Supreme Court striking down juvenile executions.

Last time I checked the majority on the Court were Republicans.

Kaine Blog Live

2005-03-14T16:35:00.001-05:00

The Tim Kaine for Governor campaign has launched its campaign blog: tk4g.org

Kaine Blog Live

2005-03-14T16:35:00.000-05:00

The Tim Kaine for Governor campaign has launched its campaign blog: tk4g.org

A Glimmer of Hope!

2005-03-13T17:27:00.000-05:00

Covering Virginia politics has given me that sinking feeling that the rest of the country looks down at us--not neccesarily without good reason. Witness the near disasters that were foisted upon us by legislative fiat:

The Year of the Droopy Drawers

Banning gay adoptions

Miscarriage criminilization

"Traditional Marriage" license plates

And much, much more. But apparently there are people in the world that gaze fawningly at our legislature, specifically in the Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Want a purer form of democracy? Look to Virginia - Morning Call

Shocking. But all is not well in Virginia's democracy. Our incumbents are intrenched. We have legislative districts shaped in a fashion that would make Rorscach proud. But what's wrong with someone looking up to us?

Return of The Droopy Drawers

2005-03-13T17:05:00.000-05:00

When I posted the epilogue to the Captain Underpants low-ride pants bill, I thought it was the end of it.

Algie Howell popped out of the woodwork today to write about the 2005's session signature bill, scaring my pants off (sorry, couldn't resist). And he's still singing its praises in The Roanoke Times. I'm usually not so keen on grilling fellow Democrats, but why Algie, why? Good grief.

While some complained that my legislation treaded upon the civil liberties of non-gang members, nobody in the media even considered whether my proposals would have the effect of reducing crime and gang-related behavior in blighted areas.

Lots of kooky bills got into the General Assembly, but WHOA, this was one of the few that had sponsors vigorously defending it every step of the way! Even after international ridicule! Hey Algie, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. His name is John Cosgrove.

When you're in a hole, stop digging!

When your op-ed column looks like it's written by some nimrod, stop writing! Please, Algie. For your own good. And for the good of our pants. I know you're not that batty!

Sign the Petition!

2005-03-12T21:04:00.000-05:00

Snippet from the petition:

As bipartisan members of the online journalism, blogging, and advertising community, we ask that you grant blogs and online publications the same consideration and protection as broadcast media, newspapers, or periodicals by clearly including them under the Federal Election Commission’s "media exemption" rule.

There is absolutely no reason that the FEC should not consider us media. There is absolutely no reason to stop us from discussing campaigns without regulation. Sign. Now.

Ganked from Vern

Utter Perfection

2005-03-11T21:03:00.000-05:00

Anyways, a personal note from my school orchestra festival performance...

Straight ones baby!