The Blue Ridge Messenger

May 19th: MCRW Welcomes Delegate Karen Hamilton

2026-05-05T16:52:52.286-04:00

Delegate Karen Hamilton

to Speak in Madison on May 19th

6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Reminder: Dr. Brooke Miller to Speak at MCRW Meeting on Tuesday

2026-04-19T15:49:22.690-04:00

Reminder: MCRW Meeting Tuesday, 6-8 PM - 26th Annual Chili Festival

2026-02-16T10:12:00.000-05:00

This Tuesday! December 16th MCRW Annual Christmas Dinner

2025-12-14T22:33:00.001-05:00

Dr. Rothschild to Speak at MCRW Dinner Meeting on September 16th

2025-09-09T11:09:00.005-04:00

Dr. Kara von Dresner de Rothschild will be the Guest Speaker on Tuesday, September 16th, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM at Madison County Republican Women's monthly dinner.

Dr. Rothschild is a forensic psychologist, philanthropist, and political advisor. She is the author of three books including the recently published "95 Laws of Political Power" and has also authored a series of children's books, the most recent being, "Way to Be, Ellalee!: My Mommy is a Republican". Way to Be Ellalee! is a series of children’s books for conservative parents concerned about healthy childhood development.

The menu features a Ham dinner with great side dishes and desserts by MCRW Members. Dinner donation $10. Join us at the Fellowship Baptist Church Annex, 725 Gate Road, Madison. Everyone is invited to attend this informative meeting.

Never Forget

2025-09-09T10:56:00.001-04:00

MCRW Meeting on Tuesday, August 19th

2025-08-15T23:09:00.001-04:00

Anna Graham

Madison County Public School's Superintendent and

Jon Russell

candidate for Culpeper Mayor

will be the Guest Speakers

Tuesday, August 19th, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

at Madison County Republican Women's monthly dinner.

The menu features delicious barbecue plus great side dishes and desserts by MCRW Members. Dinner donation $10.

Join us at the Fellowship Baptist Church Annex, 725 Gate Road, Madison.

Everyone is invited to attend this informative meeting.

Virginia Gentleman Podcast Host and Author David Shephard to Speak in Madison on June 24th

2025-06-21T16:26:00.001-04:00

Save the Date: Dr. Kara von Dresner de Rothschild to be MCRW Guest Speaker on Sept. 16th

2025-06-21T15:10:00.000-04:00

MCRW Dinner Meeting on April 15th - Tomorrow!

2025-04-14T12:32:00.001-04:00

Thomas D. Klingenstein: American Renewal Must Begin with Love of America

2025-04-04T17:18:00.000-04:00

By N.S. Lyons

The country today is divided between those who seek to preserve the old constitutional order and American way of life, and those who want to destroy it and establish a new, revolutionary regime.

N.S. Lyons argues, however, that even those who would defend the old order will fail if their efforts are not rooted in a true love of America and her people. Lyons observes that many on the Right, even the self-consciously MAGA Right, have not demonstrated that love — and, in fact, espouse a version of the same post-nationalism that drives the destructive Left.

This essay was first published on N.S. Lyons's Substack, The Upheaval.

Immigration Reform Law Institute: Alien Removal Under Attack in New Jersey

2025-04-04T16:42:00.000-04:00

IRLI shows that district court cannot stop removal proceedings

WASHINGTON – The Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) has filed a brief in the federal district court for New Jersey opposing an effort to short-circuit congressionally mandated removal procedures in a case involving an alien whose presence or activities in the United States Secretary Marco Rubio has determined compromises United States foreign policy interests. The alien has also been charged with being deportable on a separate and independent basis--that he obtained his green card by misrepresenting material facts in his application to adjust status.

Congress has barred federal district courts from hearing challenges to actions taken to remove aliens from the country and has prescribed that all such challenges must be brought only in the courts of appeals at the completion of administrative removal proceedings. Petitioner claims that the district court can and should enjoin the government from seeking to remove him and others under the foreign policy ground of deportability, claiming that to do so would violate his First Amendment rights.

In its brief, IRLI shows that the petitioner has no chance of success in his argument because the district court has no jurisdiction or power to enjoin removal proceedings. Any review would be premature before the removal proceedings have concluded, with the brief noting that the statute protects petitioner's lawful speech absent compelling government interests to the contrary.

To prevent piecemeal litigation and streamline the removal process, Congress requires aliens to exhaust their administrative remedies before seeking judicial review of their claims in a petition for review filed with an appropriate court of appeals. This means, IRLI shows, that district courts cannot review any government action taken to commence removal proceedings, adjudicate cases, or execute removal orders.

"Congress has understandably restricted federal district courts from hearing challenges to removal proceedings prior to completion of the administrative process," said Dale L. Wilcox, executive director and general counsel of IRLI. "By restricting judicial review to administratively final removal orders in the courts of appeals, Congress prevents questions of removability from being litigated in two forums at once—the administrative proceedings and the district courts. As for petitioner's claims here, they must fail, because Congress did not want district courts to short-circuit the administrative process. We hope the court recognizes its lack of jurisdiction over this matter and dismisses petitioner's case."

The case is Khalil v. Joyce, 2:25-cv-01963, (D.N.J.).

Thomas D. Klingenstein: The Cruelty Is the Point

2025-04-04T16:41:00.000-04:00

By Peachy Keenan

Since the beginning of the Trump era, the destructive Left has accused its enemies — patriotic Americans — of being driven by cruelty.

But as Peachy Keenan illustrates with a survey of the latest supposed outrages, this "cruelty" only makes sense in light of their false concept of justice.

Under the proper, American understanding of justice, it is the destruction of our way of life that is cruel, and the attempt to defend it, even with unpleasant means, that is loving. Because a divide of this nature is the defining element of a cold civil war, Keenan urges Americans not to bend in the face of the enemy's bogus charges.

Join the fight.

This Saturday: Rally Virginia

2025-03-19T22:32:00.001-04:00

MCRW Dinner Meeting on March 18th

2025-03-17T00:42:00.000-04:00

Reagan George

Reagan George, past president of the Virginia Voters Alliance, a group dedicated to preserving ballot integrity, TEA Party activist and columnist, will be the Guest Speaker at Madison County Republican Women's St. Patrick's Dinner on Tuesday, March 18th, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm.

The dinner will feature traditional corn beef and cabbage with sides, and desserts by our members. Dinner donation $10. Everyone is invited to attend this informative meeting.

The event will be held at Fellowship Baptist Church Hall, 725 Gate Road.

Join Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears at the Culpeper Reagan Dinner – April 5!

2025-03-17T00:39:00.001-04:00

Dear Friends

You are cordially invited to the Culpeper Reagan Dinner on Saturday, April 5th, from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Germanna College, located at 18121 Technology Dr., Culpeper, VA.

We are delighted to feature Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears as the keynote speaker for the evening. Winsome Earle-Sears made history as the first Black woman to serve as Virginia's Lieutenant Governor, bringing with her a remarkable story of resilience and service. A Jamaican immigrant, Marine Corps veteran, and dedicated public servant, she has inspired countless individuals with her journey from humble beginnings to a trailblazing leader in conservative politics. This event promises to be a memorable occasion, offering you the chance to connect with fellow conservatives, enjoy an exquisite meal, and hear firsthand from one of today's most inspiring figures. Join us for an evening of fellowship, great food, and powerful insights from a leader who embodies strength, determination, and principled leadership.
To purchase tickets, please contact:
📞 Deanna Green – 571-436-7935
📞 Larry Green, Culpeper GOP Chair – 540-718-0377

✉️ Email: CulpeperGOP1776@gmail.com

We look forward to seeing you there!

Anthony Staats

March 27th: Legislative and Election Update with Delegate Nick Freitas

2025-03-17T00:38:00.001-04:00

I will be hosting a Legislative Session and Election update on Thursday, March 27th at Madison at the Mill located at 323 N Madison Rd h Orange VA 22960 at 7PM.

Please join us to discuss the major events that transpired this session including an unprecedented move by the House Democrats that could have sweeping implications for Virginia.

We will also discuss the election cycle and the status of the races.

Thank you and hope to see you there!

Orange, Virginia

Bishop E.W. Jackson: The Constitution, Homosexuality & Marriage

2025-03-17T00:15:00.000-04:00

https://stand.salsalabs.org/theconstitutionhomosexualitymarriage

Immigration Reform Law Institute: IRLI Petitions Supreme Court to Save American Jobs

2025-02-21T00:02:00.001-05:00

Shows DHS work authorizations for aliens are not permitted by law

WASHINGTON—Today, the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI), on behalf of its client Save Jobs USA, an association of technology workers, petitioned the Supreme Court of the United States to review a case that challenges the authority of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to allow aliens to take half of the new jobs the American economy creates each year.

IRLI shows that DHS, like any agency, only has the authority to implement statutes passed by Congress, and that DHS is not implementing any statute here, but acting on its own alleged authority.

In this petition, the issue is whether DHS can allow the accompanying spouses of certain H1-B workers to work in the United States, even though the visa that allows them to be in the country does not imply that DHS can let them work.

It is basic to administrative law, IRLI shows, that agencies only have the authority to conform to or carry out some principle of action laid down by Congress in a statute. And an agency only conforms to a statute when it makes a regulation that the statute affirmatively allows the agency to make. Here, the definition of the operative visa enacted by Congress does not affirmatively allow DHS to let holders of that visa compete with Americans for jobs.

What's more, if this program is combined with numerous other work programs DHS has created without permission in any part of the Immigration and Nationality Act, it turns out that DHS, without any congressional authorization, is slating half of the new jobs our economy creates in an average year to aliens—with devastating effect on Americans, including long-term unemployed Americans.

"If the Supreme Court is serious about reining in the unconstitutional power of administrative agencies, it should take this case," said Dale L. Wilcox, executive director and general counsel of IRLI. "A simple, powerful principle has been ignored by DHS, and the Court must make it clear: when an agency regulates under a statute, it has to do so in a way that statute permits. And the practical ramifications here are enormous for Americans in need of new jobs. We hope the Court grants review of this hugely important case, and confines DHS to the limits set by Congress and the Constitution."

The case is Save Jobs USA v. DHS (U.S. Supreme Court)

Thomas D. Klingenstein: Safetyism Kills by Peachy Keenan

2025-02-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

Safetyism Kills

By Peachy Keenan

Watching the meetings and town halls in Los Angeles featuring the nitwits in charge getting yelled at by enraged homeowners as the city burned was enlightening. Again and again, the ridiculous Mayor Karen Bass, an openly communist revolutionary, brought up a persistent theme: the cult of safety.

The term "safetyism" became popularized in The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt. It refers to the way modern society is overprotective and overbearing, the ultimate helicopter state, which has led to excessive and even destructive regulations that don't actually keep you safe, and which in fact may endanger you.

During President Trump's visit to Pacific Palisades and the round table meeting he held with California's worst supervillains, Karen Bass repeatedly admonished the angry, devastated Palisades homeowners that "the most important thing is your safety." The homeowners were angry about the timeline they had been given by L.A. County officials. According to the bureaucrats, it would take 18 months to clear the burned-out lots. Bass insisted they would be able to start rebuilding "immediately." When pressed on the 18-month clean-up the city was planning, she hedged with, "Well, you know that you will be able to soon. The most important thing is keeping you safe."

President Trump countered: "Safe? They're not safe now."

Gary Bauer: End Of Day - 2-20-25 - Trump v. Zelensky, Putting Girls Last

2025-02-20T23:59:00.001-05:00

Trump v. Zelensky

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky were in a heated exchange yesterday. Somebody needs to remind President Zelensky that he would already be speaking Russian if it weren't for the United States of America and our taxpayers.

He is in no position to be taking political shots at the first Republican president who just won the majority of the vote in a very long time. Zelensky also told Trump that the United States will not get one penny of any mineral resources from Ukraine.

Zelensky rejected a "partnership" deal that would have given U.S. companies mining rights to Ukraine's rare earth minerals as a way of recouping the hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars we have given to Ukraine.

Does the phrase "biting the hand that feeds you" translate in Ukrainian?!

How hard is it for Mr. Zelensky to understand that he should be trying in every way possible to stay on the right side of the president of the United States? By the way, Zelensky's hostility isn't just toward Donald Trump.

During the sleepwalking Biden administration, which magically kept finding billions of dollars in the Treasury to keep that war going, Zelensky complained that he wasn't getting more. According to reports of a leaked phone call, sleepwalking Biden, in a moment of lucidity, angrily suggested that "Zelensky could show a little more gratitude."

As a reminder, we have no treaty obligations with Ukraine. It is not a member of NATO. So, there is no obligation to continue breaking our budget, putting us further in debt, while we borrow money from nations like communist China to give to Ukraine.

Speaking of communist China, Zelensky has been begging communist China for investment deals that he won't give us. In what world does that make any sense? Xi is Putin's ally!

Meanwhile, this "paragon of democracy" has canceled elections, banned political parties, closed churches he didn't like, and nationalized the media.

Bad Attitude

This attitude Zelensky apparently showed to Biden, Trump, and the American people is the result of decades of welfare. It's the international equivalent of the illegal alien who races across the border into America for taxpayer-funded benefits and then carries the flag of the country he ran away from while protesting our immigration laws.

"How dare you, America, send me back to the hellhole I escaped from," he says while waving the flag of the hellhole he escaped from! (See next item.)

The entire "free world" has concluded that there is nothing for them to worry about. They can kick us in the groin, punch us in the face, and when things really get bad, the good old U.S.A. will bail them out.

I don't know who is advising Zelensky, but he should be the "Trump whisperer." The day after Donald Trump won the election, he should have been getting advice on how to stay on the right side of Donald Trump.

This president has a very different foreign policy from the "policeman of the world" view held by the DC Uniparty. As a result, Zelensky should realize that he has to make a very strong case to Donald Trump.

Any time he is at a microphone, Zelensky should begin by saying, "It's another day, and I want to start by expressing my gratitude to the United States and the American taxpayers for helping me and my country stay out of the clutches of Russia."

That's how every sentence every day from Zelensky ought to begin.

For Citizens Only

President Trump signed an executive order yesterday declaring that federal tax dollars are for American citizens only, not illegal aliens.

We're constantly told that illegal aliens can't access federal benefits. But we all know they do. Hospitals are going bankrupt because of illegal immigration. Many schools are overcrowded and underperforming in part because of illegal immigration.

One study found that the failure to enforce our immigration laws is costing taxpayers as much as $450 billion a year, giving illegal aliens all kinds of things that half the country can't afford.

Making The FBI Great Again

Kash Patel was confirmed by the Senate today to be the director of the FBI. The vote was 51 to 49. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) joined all 47 Democrats in voting against Patel's confirmation.

Patel's confirmation is a big blow to the Deep State, which is why he is exactly the right man to lead the FBI at this time. Devin Nunes, the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Patel was "instrumental in unraveling the Russia collusion hoax and finding evidence of government malfeasance."

Reforming the FBI and restoring the public's trust will be an enormous task. But it is vital to ensuring the future of our constitutional Republic as a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people."

Congratulations, Director Patel!

Putting Girls Last

Earlier this week, a boy won the girls' state high school pole vault competition in Maine. The boy, who claims he is now a girl, was a boy competing on the boys' team last year. He placed fifth.

At Monday's competition, he jumped 11 feet, beating the second-place girl by eight inches. But that 11 feet was only one inch away from the girls' state record. Meanwhile, his 11-foot jump would have placed him 10th in the boys' competition.

President Trump signed an executive order protecting women's sports on February 5th. The photo of him surrounded by girls of all ages at the signing ceremony will become iconic in its own right.

The order instructed all federal departments and agencies to "rescind funding to programs that fail to comply with the policy established in this order." The Maine Principals Association declared last week that they defy Trump's order, as have high school athletic governing bodies in California and Minnesota.

The Department of Education's Civil Rights office has launched investigations of potential Title IX violations in California and Minnesota.

What do these three states have in common? They are all controlled by the Democrat Party. Their educational establishments are controlled by the radical left. These battles will rage for years, giving the Supreme Court many cases to consider.

As we have pointed out many times, the left and progressivism always start out claiming to protect a particular group, but eventually they end up destroying the group they claimed to be protecting.

The left was all in on feminism. That's why Title IX was passed to begin with – to give girls a chance to excel in sports. Now the same people who claimed that girls didn't get to play sports like boys did are allowing boys to play in girls' sports.

Now, they're cheating girls out of medals, trophies, and scholarships. And they think this is "progressive."

Reminder: Tuesday, February 18th -- Madison County Republican Women Meeting

2025-02-16T23:38:00.000-05:00

Mark Obenshain: Obenshain Statement on Line of Duty Act Passage in the General Assembly

2025-02-14T23:10:00.000-05:00

Expanded Line of Duty Act Benefits for Private Police Departments

RICHMOND, VA - Senator Mark Obenshain (R-Rockingham) issued the following statement on his SB1142, the Line of Duty Act bill which passed the General Assembly today.

"Our officers deserve the utmost honor and respect, as do their families, when they put their lives on the line to protect our community. I'm grateful for the resources Governor Youngkin has previously committed to help ensure the families of private police departments are supported just like our public police departments."

Obenshain continued, "I've carried this bill for three sessions now to expand the Line of Duty Act benefits to private police departments and private college and universities' police departments, allowing them to opt-in, and be covered in the benefit plan. I am grateful for the bipartisan support this bill has received this year in both chambers of the General Assembly, and for the dedication and support of the Virginia Chiefs of Police Association and the Council on Independent Colleges in Virginia to see this over the finish line.

Fallen officers John Painter & J.J. Jefferson died in the line of duty during the tragedy at Bridgewater College back in 2022. And then in June of 2023, Officer Chris Wagner with Wintergreen Police made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty as well. These fellow officers dedicated their lives to protecting the students and faculty at Bridgewater and the residents of Wintergreen. The passage of this bill is ultimately a tribute to the lives of these fallen heroes."

Delegate Ellen Campbell is the patron of the House version, HB 1815 which is expected to pass the Senate early next week. Delegate Campbell added:

"The passage of this legislation is the result of years of hard work to right a wrong in the Line of Duty Act. I hope we never have to use this benefit, but the families of campus and private police officers deserve to know that we have their back in Richmond if their loved one lays down their life protecting our community."

The full text of SB1142 can be found here. A full list of Senator Obenshain's legislation can be viewed here. SB1142 has now passed both the Senate and the House and will go to the Governor's desk to be signed into law. The bill will become effective July 1, 2025.

Senator Obenshain represents the second district in the Senate of Virginia. The district includes the city of Harrisonburg and the counties of Bath, Highland, Page, Rockingham, and Augusta (part.) He is a member of the Senate Committee on Courts of Justice; Finance and Appropriations; Commerce & Labor; and Agriculture, Conservation, and Natural Resources Committees.

Author Sandra J. Adams is MCRW's Guest Speaker on February 18th

2025-02-06T14:51:00.001-05:00

Immigration Reform Law Institute: IRLI Defends President Trump’s Order on Birthright Citizenship

2025-02-03T14:20:00.001-05:00

Shows court controlling Supreme Court precedent dooms challenge

WASHINGTON—Today, the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) filed an important brief in Maryland federal district court in a case on birthright citizenship. Plaintiffs, a group of organizations with illegal alien members, claim that President Trump's executive order restricting birthright citizenship is unconstitutional, and that children of illegal aliens are guaranteed citizenship in the Fourteenth Amendment.

The Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment provides that persons born in the United States while "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States are citizens. The question then becomes whether illegal aliens—and others present in the United States, such as tourists—are subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

To answer that question, IRLI analyzes a controlling Supreme Court case, United States v. Wong Kim Ark, decided in 1898. Wong Kim Ark was born in San Francisco to Chinese parents legally residing there. He later returned with his parents to China. Denied readmittance, Wong Kim Ark argued before the Supreme Court that the Fourteenth Amendment made him a citizen of the United States at his birth.

The Supreme Court agreed, holding that, because—and only because—his parents were legally residing in the United States when he was born here, he was a citizen at birth under the Fourteenth Amendment. The holding of this case is widely misread as conferring citizenship at birth under the Fourteenth Amendment on all persons whatsoever born in the United States (with the narrow exceptions of children of diplomats, members of an invading force, or Indians born in the allegiance of a tribe). IRLI shows in its brief that this reading is wrong; the Court clearly excluded the children of illegal aliens and non-U.S. residents from constitutional birthright citizenship:

Chinese persons, born out of the United States, remaining subjects of the Emperor of China, and not having become citizens of the United States, are entitled to the protection of and owe allegiance to the United States, so long as they are permitted by the United States to reside here; and are "subject to the jurisdiction thereof."

In other words, the Supreme Court has clearly held that, to be a citizen at birth under the Fourteenth Amendment, one must be born in the United States to a parent who, at the time, resided with permission in the United States. This rule happens to exclude the children of both illegal aliens (who do not have permission to be in the country) and tourists (who do not "reside" here) from constitutional birthright citizenship.

Thus, the plaintiffs' claim that President Trump's order is unconstitutional on its face—that is, would have no valid application in any situation—is wrong: the order correctly denies birthright citizenship to all children of illegal aliens, tourists, and others who do not reside with permission in the United States.

"Amazingly, the broad but reasonable holding of Wong Kim Ark—excluding the children of non-residents and illegal aliens from citizenship at birth under the Constitution—has been ignored or misstated for 127 years," said Dale L. Wilcox, executive director and general counsel of IRLI. "Meanwhile, millions, including the children of so-called 'birth tourists,' have been assumed to be citizens even though the Supreme Court has held they are not. In America, neither foreigners with no connection to this country nor those here against the will of the nation should get to decide who shall be American citizens. President Trump's order stops that going forward, and we hope the court recognizes its validity under the Constitution."

The case is Casa, Inc. v. Trump, No. 8:25-cv-00201 (D. Md.).