Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, says of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor:

“I will not vote for – no senator should vote for – an individual nominated by any president who believes it is acceptable for a judge to allow their own personal background, gender, prejudices or sympathies to sway their decision in favor of, or against, parties before the court.

“In my view,” he said, “such a philosophy is disqualifying.”

Then someone has to explain why Sessions voted to confirm Samuel Alito when he was nominated by Pres. Bush in 2006:

“When I get a case about discrimination, I have to think about people in my own family who suffered discrimination because of their ethnic background or because of religion or because of gender. And I do take that into account.” - Samuel Alito, 2006

The Republican Party: “…And Justice for Most“

Apparently the fact that Republicans of the 99th House District  nominated her at their convention wasn’t some kind of anomaly, Catherine Crabill is listed on the Republican Party of Virginia and Virginia House GOP Caucus websites in the ‘candidates’ sections. What’s unbelievable, is that Crabill’s conspiracy theories aren’t even a secret! Her campaign website, which the RPV and House GOP link to, prints her delusional comments word for word:

…I submit rather than be outraged at a group of innocent Americans terrorized into believing that our government was capable of any act of violence against them without any indictment or other due process, you should rather be outraged at our government! We didn’t need a “conspiracy theory” about what might happen, it was happening.

As far as the Bombing of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City which happened during this season of other horrific events, I did and do believe that our government was culpable in the OKC bombing. This was not based on a “conspiracy theory” but on the analysis of Brigadier General Benton K. Partin (retired) who resides in Alexandria, Virginia who is an expert in weapons development. General Partin spent his own time and his own money personally visiting the site in OKC and publishing his analysis. From there he hand delivered a copy PERSONALLY to every single member of Congress. Congressman Trafficant was the only one willing to stand with him and call for a press conference to address it…

By the way, Jim Traficant will be released from prison on Sept. 9 after an eight year prison sentence.

When David Duke ran as the GOP candidate for Governor of Louisiana in 1991, Republicans left and right endorsed his Democratic opponent. I’m wondering if Rep. Wittman or Sen. Stuart plan on voting for Catherine Crabill or Albert Pollard this November?

Paul W. Powell will not be executed tomorrow night.

U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts granted a stay of execution today pending review of his petition for a writ of certiorari to the high court.

The three-sentence order indicates that Powell shouldn’t put but so much faith in the stay, however.

If the court denies the petition, “this stay shall terminate automatically,” according to the order. If it is granted, the stay will not end until the Supreme Court decides the case, the order says.

Oh, and Bearing Drift brings up a good point: Ask Sotomayor about Paul Warner Powell

I made the conscious decision not to bring any camer gear aside from our point n shoot and my iPhone. Camera Bag app is my favorite, for sure! Sometimes it’s just nice to just be a tourist. Here are a few snaps so far…..

Not only that, but so far “63 percent of Deeds‘ nearly $5 million raised came from Virginia. By contrast, just 30 percent of McDonnell’s 2009 funds to date have come from Virginia, with more than $4 million coming from out of state.”

Full press release from the Deeds campaign available after the jump…

Following his come-from-behind primary victory, gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds will report raising nearly $3.4 million during the fundraising period ending June 30.

“I’m happy that so many people from all across Virginia have supported my campaign in the past month,” Deeds said. “We’ve had support from all areas of the state and from Republicans and Democrats. I’m grateful for the support from business leaders like Ted Leonsis, the help of my primary opponents and a unified party, and grassroots support from thousands of donors across Virginia. The key to winning this campaign will be to show who has the best plan to keep Virginia moving forward, and this month has shown that we are well on our way to having the financial resources to do that.”

A wave of grassroots support marked the latest fundraising period for Deeds, which ran from May 28 through June 30. Deeds received the support of 2,500 different donors during the period, 68 percent of whom were small donors contributing less than $100.

In 2009, 63 percent of Deeds’ nearly $5 million raised came from Virginia. By contrast, just 30 percent of McDonnell’s 2009 funds to date have come from Virginia, with more than $4 million coming from out of state. [http://www.vpap.org/candidates/profile/money_in_locality1/5666?start_year=2009&end_year=2009&lookup_type=year&filing_period=all]

Deeds’ total eclipses the amount raised by Governors Warner and Kaine, Mark Earley and Jerry Kilgore in a similar time period in their gubernatorial elections. In a similar period in June 2005, Jerry Kilgore raised $2.0 million while Tim Kaine raised $1.0 milion. In 2001, Mark Earley raised $1.7 million and Warner raised $1.1 million over the same period of time.

Deeds has also received the financial support of business leaders across Virginia, such as Austin Ligon, Josh Darden, David Goode, Elliot Schewel, and Til Hazel.

The Deeds campaign’s latest report more than doubles the amount Deeds raised for the entire campaign to date. Deeds reported raising $2.8 million to date on his June 1 report.

DEEDS FOR VIRGINIA FUNDRAISING TOTALS

Period: May 28 – June 30th
Raised: $3,373,505.02
Spent: $1,172,799.85

Committee Totals to Date
Raised: $6,205,583.25
Spent: $3,482,927.67
Cash on Hand: $2,722,655.58

But again, looks can be deceiving.  The foreclosure and short sale market are not going away any time soon.  In fact, REALTORS(R) have been waiting for months for the next wave of foreclosures to flood the market.  No one can give a straight answer as to why banks are holding these homes back, but they are.  If the banks do not release these REOs in a sensible manner then we are in for another round of dropping prices.  Brace yourself now.  The last predatory lending loans were issued in 2007.  Let’s say the average loan was for a 5 year ARM.  We still have at least 3 more years, more like 5, before the real estate industry can start to clear out some of the fog that has been draped over us the last 2 years.  The first-time home buyer incentives have been a driving force behind many markets, but they are due to expire in December.    Eliminating the incentives will be devastating to many markets.  Many industry professionals feel that Congress will continue the incentives, but we shouldn’t count our chickens before they hatch.  Oh, while we are on the subject of Congress, has anyone read the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009?  Yeah, could Congress possibly pass any other law that would single-handily prevent the sale of most homes in America?  (We’ll return to this topic in a future post).  And last, but definitely not least, the new HVCC appraisal rules that are wreaking havoc with real estate deals across the country.  (Again, we’ll revisit this delightful topic in a future post.  I need to calm down before I write it). 

So, have we recovered yet?  Ummm… no.  A resounding no.  We still have a long road ahead of us.  The truth is, no one can say for sure where this market is headed.  If they say they can, they are lying.  There are so many variables that go into creating a stable and/or strong market.  The market will eventually cycle again; it always does.  The length of time it takes for the cycle to occur depends on how many “experts” are poking at it.  Right now there are thousands of “experts” running around with very sharp sticks.  Lord help us all!