What kind of jackass brings a loaded gun and body armor to the General Assembly? The answer: Republican Delegate John S. Reid of Henrico. Reid's gun went off in his office today:

The irony of this story has not been lost on anyone- a VA delegate's gun goes off in his office the same day a 7 year old boy shoots an 8 year old girl at school in Maryland. The DC metro area- the new wild west?

The Richmond Democrat: John S. Reid is an irresponsible jackass

President Bush today again avoided taking a question from White House doyenne Helen Thomas during his 45-minute press conference, even though he took questions from every reporter around her front-row, center seat.

"He's a coward," Thomas said afterward. "He's supposed to be this macho guy. He'll take on Osama bin Laden, but he won't take me on."

Helen Thomas has really been screwed over by this administration and beleive me- the press corps has noticed. If someone as well-respected as Thomas can be treated this way, no one in the press is safe to ask tough questions.

Speaking of Bush and press conferences...

In all, Bush uttered nearly 7,000 words in his 45-minute Q&A. But his message could be summed up with a brief phrase in his least-favorite language: L'Etat c'est moi (I am the state).

Trying to explain the Hamas victory, Bush encounters technical difficulties.

Trying to Maintain Control of the State, in a State of Confusion

President Bush again defended his program of warrantless surveillance Thursday, saying "there's no doubt in my mind it is legal." He suggested that he might resist congressional efforts to change or expressly endorse it.
"The program's legal, it's designed to protect civil liberties, and it's necessary," Bush told a White House news conference.

Its...designed...to...protect...civil...liberties? i have trouble even coming up with a good joke for this comment.

BREITBART.COM - Bush Confident Warrantless Wiretaps Legal

Bush, whose aides said they consider the issue a clear political winner, is resurrecting tactics from the last campaign to make the NSA spying program a referendum on which party will keep the United States safe from terrorists. He has dispatched top White House officials almost daily to defend the program and has sent a message to party activists that he considers fighting terrorism with tools such as NSA eavesdropping the defining issue of the November elections

Will Democrats finally take a stance on something? Will blowjobs beat breaking the law for top impeachable offenses? Stay tuned.

Rift Between Parties Over NSA Wiretapping Grows

It's a dramatic story line that's so far featured angry rhetoric, walkouts, Washington insider politics, and accusations of fraud, racism and power-grabbing all centering around the core of American democracy: voting

Well that was fast. Just remember- when politicians start trying to solve problems that don't exist (cough cough, WMDs?) then ulterior motives are often involved. Why put up barriers to voting to prevent non-existent voter fraud? We'll find out soon enough....

Voter ID bill approved; critics vow to continue fight | ajc.com

And here's a sample letter to write to legislator in VA (if you happen to be from there like I do.)

RE: House Bill 892, Prohibiting admission of illegal aliens to public institutions of higher education

Dear name,

I am writing to respectfully request that you oppose Virginia House Bill 892. This bill would bar admission of undocumented children from higher education in Virginia. After consideration, I believe you will agree that this bill is unfair for undocumented children, unmanageable for Virginia’s schools, and illegal under our U.S. Constitution.

This law is unjust. Many of the children who this bill will affect have lived in Virginia for many years. They speak the language, they belong to school teams and clubs, they have after-school jobs in the area. They are contributing members of the community who do not think of themselves as “illegal.” Prohibiting them from continuing in their education takes away from Virginia’s pool of future doctors, teachers, and professionals. The consequences of this action would be felt for decades.

Virginia’s school system is already plagued with high drop-out rates among children of color. Taking away the prospect of college is likely to heighten this rate- and add to crime, teen pregnancy, and gang membership among children who have no prospect at higher education. It relegates these children to a lower class that can never progress very far in society. And what is worse- it does this because of something their parents did, often long before.

This law puts a burden on schools and universities. The Bill states that it will prohibit “individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States” from attending college. Unfortunately, our immigration system is so complex, it is difficult to determine just who that may refer to. Some students are legally present under a temporary protected status, but may not have a green card. Others may have entered the U.S. as a refugee or under an aslyum Act. They also would not have a greencard. Expecting college admissions directors to be able to navigate the world of immigration law in order to admit students is unfair and very likely to lead to mistakes. Additionally, this places an unfair burden on high school guidance counselors who will find themselves in the position of determining immigration status of high school seniors in order to decide how to advise them.

This law is illegal. It is the sole duty of the U.S. government, in the form of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, to determine immigration status. Asking teachers and admissions counselors to do that is an unconstitutional regulation of immigration- hence why they do not currently do it.

For all the above reasons, I ask that you oppose House Bill 892. If you have further questions, you may contact me at : (contact info).

Sincerely,
name

Online search engine leader Google Inc. has agreed to censor its results in China, adhering to the country's free-speech restrictions in return for better access in the Internet's fastest growing market.

Oh my! But they refuse to cater to the President's demands? I suppose you have to choose your battles.

Google Agrees to Censor Results in China

More than 40 bills and resolutions dealing with the immigration issue are likely to be considered in the session that began Jan. 11. Many would restrict access to public resources or grant broader powers to state officials. Some, such as a bill to bar illegal immigrants from receiving in-state tuition rates, have been introduced previously but failed to become law. Others, such as the marriage license bill, are new.

Its the Republican Agenda this year- just like gay marriage last year. Welcome to the new targeted minority and YOUR ticket to 4 more years with Republicans. They know that courting voters with wedge issues always works- even if nearly ALL these bills are unconstitutional.

VA House introduces 40 Bills targeting Illegals

I'm not for the war. And being against the war and saying you support the troops is one of the wussiest positions the pacifists have ever taken — and they're wussy by definition. It's as if the one lesson they took away from Vietnam wasn't to avoid foreign conflicts with no pressing national interest but to remember to throw a parade afterward.

Not a bad point...

I don't support the troops