Category: 2009 election

A lengthy piece detailing Catherine Crabill’s delusional, insane conspiracy theories.

You really need to read the whole thing, it’s long, but it does a great job detailing the amount of loons there are in this country:

In September 1994, word spread through Catron County New Mexico, that two FBI agents and a dozen National Guardsmen were combing the mountains north of Luna, a small town near the Arizona border. Officially, the men were searching for the body of an alleged drug dealer who had disappeared mysteriously a year earlier. But a buzz went around the county that they were really the advance party of a darker event: a pending firearms raid by U.S. government forces.

“The federal crime bill had just been passed, and the government had already conducted sweeps in several communities,” says Chris Crabill, a 43-year-old cabinetmaker who lives with his family in the nearby town of Reserve, the county seat. “Ruby Ridge and Waco were also on our minds.” On the night of September 7, Crabill gathered several guns and moved into the woods, hunkering down in view of his house so he could watch over his family while they slept.

The next morning someone called a right-wing radio talk show beamed deep into the Southwest from Bakersfield, California, and told the host that “5,000 National Guardsmen have invaded Catron County.” That night, prompted by the new rumor, Catherine Crabill piled her four kids into the family Wagoneer and drove them to her mother’s home in Corrales, in another county, so that “my husband could sleep in the house. We did not flee in terror as some have suggested. But I was scared.” About a dozen other locals also moved to “safer” houses for a day or two. The county’s phone lines hummed with forebodings of invasion.

There was no invasion, but eight months later, on May 3, 1995, the Crabills helped organize a community meeting in Reserve to discuss the creation of a militia. Some 250 residents showed up, roughly 10 percent of the county’s population. One by one, cowboys, loggers, and homemakers, folks who generally wave to strangers and keep their doors unlocked, stepped forward to describe a government assault that they clearly believed was imminent.

[…]

In the end, Catron County did not create a formal militia that night, mainly because the county commission, the previous August, had passed a resolution “encouraging” heads of households to own and carry guns at all times and to keep sufficient ammunition on hand. Before the meeting wound down, the point became abundantly clear: Plenty of people in the county already were armed and prepared to do battle with the federal government or other alien invaders. The citizens of Catron County didn’t need to form a militia. They were a militia.

[…]

Dripping sandwich in hand, I walk over to Main Street, site of the Independence Day parade, to see how Smokey Bear, official symbol of the hated U.S. Forest Service, will be treated when he appears amid the floats and bands. I’ve been told he might get hissed, booed, possibly pelted with eggs. But when Smokey rounds the corner onto the parade route, he waves, dances, and tosses candy to children. No hisses are heard. Today even Smokey, and everything he represents, gets a holiday.

Later, Catherine Crabill, who missed the parade this year, tells me that if she’d been in town, she might have hissed or booed. “I once revered Smokey as a symbol of all that was good,” she says. “But that was before cowboys were seen as the source of all that is evil–as land rapers.”

Obviously, the Crabills’ perceptions and philosophies have changed radically since they moved to Catron County in 1992. The last place they lived before that was Santa Fe; before that, Aspen, Colorado, [consistent with Catherine Crabill’s biography information on her employer’s website ((“Our Agents.” The Virginia Land & Real Estate Company. <http://www.valandco.com/agents.asp>.)) -ed.] where, Catherine says, “We were definitely part of the coffee-and-croissant crowd–committed environmentalists.” But soon after coming to Reserve, she says, “We began to see through the propaganda and lies of traditional environmentalism. We no longer believe, for example, that cattle are hurting the land. And we don’t trust the things we used to trust.” The startling about-face has everything to do with the Crabills’ immersion in the town of Reserve, the hotbed of Catron County conspiracy theorizing. Catherine believes, for example, that the State Department, at the UN’s behest, is pushing through a “three-stage plan” to disarm the world for its own dark purposes.

The dark tides surging in the minds of Chris and Catherine Crabill may sound comical, but they represent an unsettling new western attitude that places like Catron County can’t ignore. The old stereotype of New West settlers like the Crabills is that they’re people who’ve abandoned the swarm of prosperous urban centers to live a ranchette lifestyle. Often they’ve come to the West with very little sympathy for the deep desperation of people whose very worst fear is having to move to the cities that the newcomers have abandoned. Karl Hess calls this tension “the unforgiving reality of the urbanized West,” and he believes the county movement “is simply a momentary aberration, where proud men and women take their final bow” in a world that is changing too fast.

The Crabills are coming from somewhere else entirely: They think the “final bow” should be one not of forbearance, but of rage, and their far-right ideas have managed to shake up even thick-skinned men like Hugh McKeen. The county movement, however, probably shouldn’t be allowed to cry innocent about people like the Crabills. Behind its own battle cries lurks the dark side of populism, whipped to a frenzy by people whom Bruce Babbitt describes as being “out to divest the public of their lands.”

As a lawyer, Jim Catron may be content to peacefully test his interpretation of county sovereignty against the government’s. Still, deep down, he must know that the movement he helped create reflects nostalgia for a time when, as he puts it, “Someone causing pain to a community was simply shot.” Whatever becomes of the strange revolution that Catron County has set in motion, it’s already created a frightening possibility: One angry man or woman acting on that nostalgia could place a bloody stain on the legacy of the modern West. ((Mark Dowie. “The Wayward West: With Liberty and Firepower for All.” Outside Magazine. Nov 1995. <http://outside.away.com/outside/magazine/1195/11f_lib.html>.))

Now it looks like Catherine Crabill wants to place a bloody stain on the legacy of the Northern Neck and the Republican Party of Virginia.

And, for the record, Catherine Crabill sent a letter to the High Country News complaining about the way she was portrayed in this article. But the best part about that letter is that she details her delusional, insane conspiracy theories in her own words. Check back on Monday for that!

Does Catherine Crabill (Republican candidate in the 99th district) still think the federal government was responsible for the Oklahoma City bombing?

A serious and relevant question that I’m forced to ask, unfortunately, after reading the following from an April 1995 article in The Washington Times:

Citizen militia groups in Montana, Florida and New Mexico say they condemn the bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City and charge that the federal government, not anyone in their movement, was likely responsible.

“If any militia group is truly responsible for the murderous bombing in Oklahoma City, then I say, ‘Hangin’s too good for ’em,’ ” said Catherine Crabill of Aragon, N.M., who belongs to a group called New Mexico Citizens Action Association.

But Mrs. Crabill said it’s her belief “this heinous act of violence was the work of our government,” which will “use it as an excuse to aggressively attack the growing militia movement across the country.” ((Joyce Price. “Militia groups denounce bombing: Say government is behind blast.” The Washington Times, 23 Apr 1995: A15.))

How do I know that Catherine Crabill of Aragon, New Mexico is the same Catherine Crabill currently residing in Irvington, Virginia (Lancaster County) and pursuing the Republican nomination for the 99th district? Three reasons:

1.) On the 99th district committee’s website, ((Catherine Crabill. “Virginia State Elections 2009.” 99th Legislative District Republican Committee. <http://www.northernneckrepublicans.org/election2009.asp>.)) as well on her own campaign site, ((Catherine Crabill. “About me…” Catherine Crabill for Delegate. <http://www.catherinecrabill.com/catherine_crabill_for_del/about-me/>.)) her biography notes that she currently has a realtor’s license. On her employer’s website, The Virginia Land & Real Estate Company, it notes in her biography that she is former resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico, amongst other places. ((“Our Agents.” The Virginia Land & Real Estate Company. <http://www.valandco.com/agents.asp>.)) Another article from 1995 — that I will be posting over the coming days — chronicles Ms. Crabill’s delusional conspiracy theories. In the article, it notes that Catherine and Chris Crabill, formerly of Santa Fe, moved to Aragon, New Mexico in 1992. ((Mark Dowie. “The Wayward West: With Liberty and Firepower for All.” Outside Magazine. Nov 1995. <http://outside.away.com/outside/magazine/1195/11f_lib.html>.))

2.) In the same article, it notes that Catherine Crabill’s (the one from Aragon) husband’s name is Chris Crabill, and he is a “cabinetmaker”. ((Mark Dowie. “The Wayward West: With Liberty and Firepower for All.” Outside Magazine. Nov 1995. <http://outside.away.com/outside/magazine/1195/11f_lib.html>.)) According to Catherine Crabill’s own candidate website, she states the occupation of her husband — also named Chris — as a “custom cabinet maker and fine woodworker”. ((Catherine Crabill. “About me…” Catherine Crabill for Delegate. <http://www.catherinecrabill.com/catherine_crabill_for_del/about-me/>.))

3.) According to a handy search engine called “People Search Now”, a Catherine Crabill, currently 51 years of age and residing in Irvington, VA, used to live in Aragon, NM. ((“Results of Catherine Crabill.” People Search Now. <http://www.peoplesearchnow.com/summary.asp?fn=Catherine&mn=&ln=Crabill&state=&x=0&y=0&vw=people&Input=name>.))

There is little to no possibility that there could be more than one couple by the names of Catherine and Chris Crabill who happened to live in the exact same town in New Mexico, especially when the county they resided in (Catron County) only had a population of 3,543 people in 2000 according to the United States Census Bureau. ((“Catron County, New Mexico – Fact Sheet.” United States Census Bureau. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=Catron+County&_cityTown=Catron+County&_state=04000US35&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&show_2003_tab=&redirect=Y>.))

Okay, now that I’ve proven that Catherine Crabill was quoted as saying that the United States government was responsible for bombing the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City, do I really have to explain how insane that makes her?

And this woman is running for political office?

Compare and contrast Bob McDonnell and John Brownlee on Brownlee’s “moral test” of legislation.

Sorry to rehash, but so the quote is fresh in the minds of everyone, from Virginia Lawyers Weekly:

Brownlee also set himself apart from the other candidates with a comment about how he would judge the constitutionality of a law passed by the General Assembly. While Cuccinelli and Foster pledged to apply a strict constitutional test, without regard to personal feeling, Brownlee said he would add a “moral test” to the equation.

“As attorney general, I would represent the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia. So I would add that second layer, that second tier,” he said.

Brownlee’s moral filter is “an entirely new conception of the AG’s role in Virginia” commented Virginia Commonwealth University political science professor Robert Holsworth on his blog, Virginia Tomorrow. Holsworth, who attended the debate, suggested that Brownlee’s comment leaves him open to criticism often aimed at liberals – that he would impose personal views in place of a strict interpretation of constitutional language. ((Peter Vieth. “Three GOP candidates for Virginia AG spar in Roanoke.” Virginia Lawyers Weekly. 23 Feb. 2009. LexisNexis.))

Here’s what Bob McDonnell had to say in a live-blog Q&A with Ben Tribbett of Not Larry Sabato. First the question:

Question: Mr. Attorney General, to the extent that you continue to participate (and have made it this far down the thread), thank you for again entering the blogosphere. My question:

Is it your policy to defend against ALL challenges to the acts of the General Assembly, and, if so, how do you ensure zealous advocacy of those positions with which you personally disagree and may consider not only bad but also potentially dangerous?

Thank you for participating.

– J.Sarge

And McDonnell’s response:

Answer: That is an excellent question, and I thank you for asking it. My job as Attorney General is to defend the statutes of Virginia from attack against claims of unconstitutionality or other legal actions. As such, I make no judgement on the law based on how I may have voted in the General Assembly. We are currently defending statutes in court based solely on the law, and applicable legal principles not personal philosophies.

Pretty amazing that Brownlee is proposing something that is in such contrast with the philosophies of the person at the head of the Republican ticket this year, no?

Is anyone else sick of this “tea party” junk?

Seriously guys, get a life. You’re not Samuel Adams or the Sons of Liberty.

As Shaun Kenney pointed out, when you have a “tea party” organizer apologizing to the EPA after the EPA told them not to dump tea into a river because it would affect the river water’s color, you’re a joke. If someone had told Samuel Adams that, he — after someone explained to him who and what the EPA is — would have tarred and feathered the EPA bureaucrat.

You people are not living under a constant threat of a dictatorial government’s control. You don’t have soldiers boarded in your house, you don’t have soldiers shooting people in the street for throwing snowballs (the Boston “Massacre”), and you’re not freezing to death at Valley Forge in the winter. And by acting like you do, you’re mocking and trivializing everything that the founding fathers suffered, fought, and died for.

And the same goes to the folks on the other side of aisle with their antiwar protests. You’re not getting shot at and killed by National Guardsmen at a college campus like happened in the ’70s (Kent State shootings), so stop acting like you are. And the same can be said about certain civil rights protests nowadays. This isn’t the ’60s and the country isn’t Selma, Alabama anymore.

And for those attending these “tea party” protests claiming that they’re fighting against government expansion and the national debt…where have you guys been for the past 10 years? Not to bring up Bush, but where the hell were you guys when that first economic stimulus bill in 2008 that cost $158,000,000,000, and was not a tax cut, but government handouts to everyone? And where were you guys when Republicans supported a $290,000,000,000 “farm bill”, which was nothing more than a corporate welfare bill?

And where were you guys last year in recruiting candidates that would oppose increases in government spending and actually try to cut spending? Where were you guys before the November election helping to get someone besides Barack Obama elected? And better yet, where the hell were you guys when John McCain was in process of being nominated as the Republican candidate for President? A bunch of the people going to and promoting these tea parties are the same people that supported John McCain last year. You know, John McCain, that same guy that voted for that first economic stimulus bill and the first bailout bill.

So, maybe instead of you guys sitting in a park for a couple hours on the 15th, you should go find a political candidate that you like somewhere (I suggest Bill Bolling or Ken Cuccinelli), and go door-to-door trying to get people to support the candidate.

Nice to see there’s one politician out there that doesn’t take himself too seriously.

After both his opponents, John Brownlee and David Foster, sent out e-mails claiming victory in the latest Republican Attorney General candidate’s debate, Ken Cuccinelli sent out this press release:

Centreville, Va. — Senator Cuccinelli today complimented Dave Foster for coming in first place in the debate press release contest. Said Senator Cuccinelli, “I have to admit, when it comes to getting out a claim of victory fast, I just can’t keep up with these guys.” Shortly after Dave Foster got out his claim of debate victory, John Brownlee followed suit. “I just couldn’t believe it,” said Cuccinelli, “John got his claim of victory out in about 15 minutes, but Dave still beat him! Amazing.” Cuccinelli speculated that this may be an indicator of which candidate will come in second and which one will come in third in the balloting on May 30th.

Cuccinelli said that this lightening performance demonstrates what a competitive field of candidates he is in. “How am I supposed to compete with two guys that can participate in a debate while typing press releases on their blackberrys at the same time? This really is a tough race.”

Cuccinelli said that he thinks that surviving such tough competition will better prepare him to take on Delegate Steve Shannon, the Democrats’ nominee for Attorney General. “After I come through the hellfire of the lightening-fast debate victory claims that I’ve been contending with in this nomination contest, there’s no way Steve is going to beat our campaign to the punch in claiming victory in our general election debates.”

“These guys even had quotes from other people the moment the debate ended,” commented a clearly astonished Senator Cuccinelli as he shook his head in amazement. “They must have been text messaging while drafting their press releases on their blackberrys while debating! Incredible! This is almost unfair.”

John Brownlee seems to think it’s the Attorney General’s job to veto legislation too, will impose “moral test”.

From Virginia Lawyers Weekly:

Brownlee also set himself apart from the other candidates with a comment about how he would judge the constitutionality of a law passed by the General Assembly. While Cuccinelli and Foster pledged to apply a strict constitutional test, without regard to personal feeling, Brownlee said he would add a “moral test” to the equation.

“As attorney general, I would represent the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia. So I would add that second layer, that second tier,” he said.

Brownlee’s moral filter is “an entirely new conception of the AG’s role in Virginia” commented Virginia Commonwealth University political science professor Robert Holsworth on his blog, Virginia Tomorrow. Holsworth, who attended the debate, suggested that Brownlee’s comment leaves him open to criticism often aimed at liberals – that he would impose personal views in place of a strict interpretation of constitutional language. ((Peter Vieth. “Three GOP candidates for Virginia AG spar in Roanoke.” Virginia Lawyers Weekly. 23 Feb. 2009. LexisNexis.))

If Brownlee attends to represent the people of Virginia then he will do his job as Attorney General if elected, not the job of the General Assembly or the Governor. He is not running for a position in the General Assembly, he’s running for the job of running — in former Attorney General, and Republican candidate for Governor Bob McDonnell’s words — the state’s “law firm”. ((“Role of the Office of the Attorney General.” Attorney General of Virginia. 6 Apr. 2009 <http://www.oag.state.va.us/OUR_OFFICE/Role.html>.)) The point of a law firm is to zealously represent your client, in this case, the state of Virginia.

And speaking of Bob McDonnell: I’ve never been a big fan of McDonnell, especially with his involvement with HB3202 and its unconstitutional, unelected, regional taxing districts and “abusive driver fees”. But the one thing that really annoyed me was when one blog (might have been Not Larry Sabato) was asking why Attorney General Bob McDonnell continued to support both the regional taxing districts and “abusive driver fees” to court challenges. Uh…maybe because it’s his job?

And how do you know, in advance, on what side of an issue Brownlee’s “moral test” will fall on? Imagine this scenario: The General Assembly passes a law prohibiting abortion in all cases, with an exception for the mother’s health; no exceptions for rape or incest. Brownlee supports rape and incest exceptions to a ban on abortion, would he override the will of the legislature and not support and advocate the constitutionally of the bill because it doesn’t pass his “moral test”?

Another question, what politicians are the closest to the people that they are supposed to be representing? A member of the executive branch? Not really. How often does the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or Attorney General send out constituent surveys to all 7,700,000 of their constituents? Not bloody often. Delegates and Senators on the other hand, with Delegates representing around 71,000 people, and Senators representing around 177,000 people, are a lot closer to the people than the AG. Not to mention that Delegates are up for election every two years. The Attorney General? Every four.

For years, conservatives thought that if you control the legislature, you could pass bills that as long as they were not unconstitutional, the courts wouldn’t have a problem with it. So, for years, conservatives ran campaigns about what type of legislation they would support if elected. Then the courts came along and decided to take over control of legislation and ignore previous court precedents, use international law, or just make stuff up if the judge disagreed personally with the legislation that had been voted on and approved by the public’s elected representatives.

And I’m not just talking about abortion in Roe v. Wade, you have the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) overturning decades of precedent and ruling that there’s a constitutional right to same-sex sodomy in Lawrence v. Texas and ruling that juveniles couldn’t be executed in Roper v. Simmons. In both Lawrence and Roper, you also had the SCOTUS citing international law.

Then conservatives realized, “Oh look, let’s focus on getting judges appointed to the bench!” So, after years of trying to get that accomplished, now we have someone that claims to be a conservative running for an office in the executive branch, whose job it will be to defend the constitutionality of bills passed by the legislature, talking about imposing a “moral test” on legislation. So, not only do conservatives have to get conservatives elected to the legislature, judges that won’t act in an “activist” nature, we have to worry whether a Republican Attorney General will support the legislation in court!

Can we get a single Republican candidate in the 99th district that knows anything about the law?

Evidently not. Last year, we had Lee Anne Washington talking about how she was going to end in-state college tuition for illegal aliens, when illegals don’t receive in-state tuition to begin with.

This year, we have Catherine Crabill, who’s running for the Republican nomination for the 99th district versus Lee Anne Washington, talking about nonexistent “hate crime” laws. A couple quotes from her website [emphasis mine]:

Homosexual Hate Crimes Legislation:

First of all, some of the dearest people I know are homosexual. I treasure these friendships and I am grieved that my position on this matters may fracture these relationships. My grievance is not against those whose personal life is kept private, as is mine. My grievance is against the insidious legal maneuvers that have had the desired chilling effect on those who would dare to oppose their public, societal-redefinement agenda. To elevate a class of citizens defined by their particular sexual “expression” is clearly unconstitutional through the provisions of equal protection under the law. Peaceful protestors at such events as “Gay Pride” parades are threatened with fines and imprisonment. Those of us who take a stand against this aggressive agenda risk the loss of our freedom of thought, speech, and religion. The danger of these laws cannot be exaggerated. Further, the indoctrination of our children and many corporate employees through mandatory “sensitivity training” is clearly an assualt [sic] on personal moral convictions. ((Catherine Crabill. “Current Concerns.” Catherine Crabill for Delegate. Catherine Crabill for Delegate. 4 Apr. 2009 <http://www.catherinecrabill.com/catherine_crabill_for_del/2009/02/homosexual-issues.html>.))

And [again, emphasis mine]:

I will stand against the Homosexual Agenda that threatens our very freedoms of thought, speech, and religion as embodied in the “Hate Crimes” Legislation. ((Catherine Crabill. “Welcome.” Catherine Crabill for Delegate. Catherine Crabill for Delegate. 4 Apr. 2009 <http://www.catherinecrabill.com/catherine_crabill_for_del/2009/02/welcome.html >.))

First, there are no “hate crime” laws in the Code of Virginia which afford additional protections to people that victimized due to their sexual orientation:

Va. Code § 18.2-57(A) states:

Any person who commits a simple assault or assault and battery shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor, and if the person intentionally selects the person against whom a simple assault is committed because of his [the victim’s] race, religious conviction, color or national origin, the penalty upon conviction shall include a term of confinement of at least six months, 30 days of which shall be a mandatory minimum term of confinement.

Va. Code § 18.2-57(B) provides that:

[I]f a person intentionally selects the person against whom an assault and battery resulting in bodily injury is committed because of his [the victim’s] race, religious conviction, color or national origin, the person shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony, and the penalty upon conviction shall include a term of confinement of at least six months, 30 days of which shall be a mandatory minimum term of confinement.

Va. Code § 18.2-121 makes it a crime to enter someone else’s property for the purpose of damaging it and:

[I]f a person intentionally selects the property entered because of the race, religious conviction, color or national origin of the owner, user or occupant of the property, the person shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony, and the penalty upon conviction shall include a term of confinement of at least six months, 30 days of which shall be a mandatory minimum term of confinement.

Va. Code § 18.2-423 makes it a Class 6 felony to place a swastika on a religious structure “with the intent of intimidating another person or group of persons”. Va. Code § 18.2-423.1 makes it a Class 6 felony “for any person or persons, with the intent of intimidating any person or group of persons, to burn, or cause to be burned, a cross on the property of another, a highway or other public place.”

Note that in both § 18.2-423 and 18.2-423.1, the victims do not have to be a particular race, ethnic group, or religion; the state simply has to prove that the intent of the perpetrator was to intimidate the victim.

Va. Code § 18.2-423 also makes it Class 4 felony to conspire with someone else to incite one race in violence or war against another race.

As a side note, there’s Va. Code § 8.01-42.1 which allows a person who’s “subjected to acts of (i) intimidation or harassment or (ii) violence directed against his person; or (iii) vandalism directed against his real or personal property, where such acts are motivated by racial, religious, or ethnic animosity” to seek injunctive relief and/or civil damages.

As you can note in all those code sections, there is no mention of additional penalties due to the victim’s sexual orientation or “gender identity”. In addition, I can’t find a bill in the General Assembly that made it pass a committee that would have expanded the definition of a “hate crime” under those statutes.

Second, Ms. Crabill claims that such legislation is “clearly” unconstitutional. ((Catherine Crabill. “Current Concerns.” Catherine Crabill for Delegate. Catherine Crabill for Delegate. 4 Apr. 2009 <http://www.catherinecrabill.com/catherine_crabill_for_del/2009/02/homosexual-issues.html>.)) As the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) noted unanimously in 1993 (as a reminder, the court included, at the time, Chief Justice Rehnquist and Associate Justices Scalia and Thomas) in Wisconsin v. Mitchell:

[T]he Wisconsin statute singles out for enhancement bias-inspired conduct because this conduct is thought to inflict greater individual and societal harm. For example, according to the State and its amici, bias-motivated crimes are more likely to provoke retaliatory crimes, inflict distinct emotional harms on their victims, and incite community unrest. [citations omitted] The State’s desire to redress these perceived harms provides an adequate explanation for its penalty-enhancement provision over and above mere disagreement with offenders’ beliefs or biases. As Blackstone said long ago, “it is but reasonable that among crimes of different natures those should be most severely punished, which are the most destructive of the public safety and happiness.”

Third, Ms. Crabill claims that such legislation would infringe on her freedoms of speech and religion. ((Catherine Crabill. “Current Concerns.” Catherine Crabill for Delegate. Catherine Crabill for Delegate. 4 Apr. 2009 <http://www.catherinecrabill.com/catherine_crabill_for_del/2009/02/homosexual-issues.html>.)) ((Catherine Crabill. “Welcome.” Catherine Crabill for Delegate. Catherine Crabill for Delegate. 4 Apr. 2009 <http://www.catherinecrabill.com/catherine_crabill_for_del/2009/02/welcome.html >.)) Such hate crime legislation as enacted by the General Assembly does not criminalize speech, it just proscribes additional penalties when the intent of the perpetrator is to cause harm to someone or his property due to the victim’s race, nationality, ethnic group, or religion. Does Ms. Crabill believe that assault and battery and vandalism are protected forms of speech? Further, how would such legislation infringe on her freedom of religion? Does her religion mandate that she assault and batter homosexuals and vandalize their property?

Fourth, if Ms. Crabill thought it was wrong for such legislation to be enacted because it was criminalizing a “thought crime”, then she would condemn all hate crime legislation, not just (nonexistent) legislation designed to protect people due to their sexual orientation.

Fifth and finally, Ms. Crabill complains about “sensitivity training” classes required by certain businesses and corporations. ((Catherine Crabill. “Current Concerns.” Catherine Crabill for Delegate. Catherine Crabill for Delegate. 4 Apr. 2009 <http://www.catherinecrabill.com/catherine_crabill_for_del/2009/02/homosexual-issues.html>.)) Is Ms. Crabill saying that she would support legislation that would outlaw such classes? Should it be her job as an elected representative of the people to determine what’s proper training for employees of businesses and corporations, as opposed to the actual business or corporation determining for itself what is appropriate? If an employee doesn’t want to take such “sensitivity training” classes, then the employee can simply choose to not continue working at the business.

Now, I’m not agreeing with this type of legislation on moral grounds, I’m simply pointing out that the SCOTUS has ruled that such legislation is constitutional. There’s a difference between what has been determined to be a constitutional and what you could argue is moral or not. If a candidate wants to make an argument that it isn’t morally right to provide a certain group of people with more protections than someone else, then they can knock themselves out.

I’m also pointing out that, once again, we have a Republican candidate in the 99th district that doesn’t know jack about laws that she will be responsible for drafting, passing, and amending.

Pointing out lies and inaccuracies from everyone, including the 99th Legislative District Republican Committee’s dishonest attacks on Albert Pollard.

I should probably preface this post by stating that I will point out inaccuracies by anyone, be them Republicans, Democrats, or Independents. I did support and vote for Albert Pollard in the special election that returned him to the House of Delegates in February 2008. One reason that I voted for him was the Republican candidate that ran against him, Lee Anne Washington, claimed that, amongst other things, that illegal aliens received in-state tuition: they don’t and they never have!

On the 99th Legislative District Republican Committee’s website there’s a web page that attempts to document Albert Pollard’s voting record. I say “attempts” because the majority of the links don’t even go to the correct bill on the General Assembly’s website. And if it isn’t the terrible web-masterly, it’s the factually incorrect statements and just asinine opinions and statements expressed on the web page. I don’t mind disagreeing with someone on policy grounds — I disagree with Pollard on certain subjects — but most of this stuff is just absurd.

To start us off, consider this claim [I’ve fixed any messed up links and formatting in the quoted material]:

Albert wanted to de-regulate farming in the Westmoreland debate but his own bill in 2005, HB 2903 regulates the sales of agricultural products by a farmer on his own farm, with a number of restrictions including prior notification to the Department of Agriculture.

The bill that Pollard submitted was done in an attempt to override over 106 pages of regulations that had been placed on farmers, as detailed in a news story from the Capital News Service at VCU (Google Cache link):

The Virginia House of Delegates had something to say about new state regulations on the production of raw milk and unpasteurized cheese from sheep, goats and other family-farm animals:

“Bah, humbug!” Or rather, “Baaaa, humbug!”

On a 57-39 vote, the House approved a bill to effectively override the regulations, which small farmers said would make it prohibitively expensive for them to make milk and cheese.

House Bill 2903, proposed by Delegate Albert C. Pollard, D-White Stone, is now before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources.

HB 2903 would allow farmers to avoid regulations implemented in January by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

[…]

Under the rules, farmers can make milk and cheese only if they get a permit. The 106 pages of regulations spell out what they must do to qualify for a permit – including installing pasteurizers and other equipment and keeping meticulous records on each batch of cheese.

Small farmers like Carol Baker of Louisa County say the regulations benefit big farms that can afford the required equipment and meet other stipulations. They estimate that it would cost $50,000 to comply with the rules.

If the authors of the committee’s website had bothered to check out the vote tallies they would have seen that Delegate and current Republican Party of Virginia Chairman Jeff Frederick, Delegate Bob Marshall, then-Delegate and now-Senator Ryan McDougle all voted in favor of the bill on the House side. And current Republican Attorney General candidate Ken Cuccinelli and then-Senator for the Northern Neck John Chichester also voted in favor of the bill in committee on the Senate side. The bill did, however, fail to pass the Senate committee 6–9.

Back to the committee’s terrible website:

2004 HB1015 YES vote to allow Family Life Education curriculums to teach certain information to avoid sexual assault and the need to seek medical attention in the event of an assault . This from the man who doesn’t want the ten commandments displayed because he doesn’t want his daughter to ask him what adultery is!!

I seriously can’t believe that a political organization is condemning someone for voting to educate students on how to avoid sexual assault, and if they have been sexually assaulted, to seek medical attention. This is a bill that unanimously passed in the Senate! Can someone explain to me what the heck is wrong with these people? Not to mention that parents can opt their children out of the Family Life Education program in schools, if they choose.

And here’s something stated under the header “Illegal Immigration”:

During the 28th Senate Race Albert proposed a database for employers to take the thumbprint of all prospective employees yet he voted NO to SB62, requiring thumbprints on licenses. (not arguing for thumbprints, just pointing out his flip flop)

Do I really have to explain the difference between requiring prospective employees to submit a thumbprint for employment, versus the government placing biometric information on all government identification cards? Heck, one of the leading opponents of illegal immigration in the House, Bob Marshall, is also one of the leading opponents of government biometric identification cards (see, for example, HB 1587 of this session). There’s also the fact that for this bill (SB 62), the programming costs for implementation alone were estimated to be $2,200,000 and the Department of Planning and Budget couldn’t estimate what the final costs for the whole bill would be (Fiscal Impact Statement [PDF]).

2000 HB 425 NO vote to showing voter identification at the polls (Before he voted yes)

The version of the bill that Pollard voted against did not consider a Virginia driver’s license to be a valid form of identification for a voter who was challenged at the polls under § 24.2-651.1, the version that Pollard did vote for had been amended by the Senate and included a provision allowing the use of a driver’s license.

And finally:

2005 HB 2056 NO vote to only allowing medical benefits to illegals and denying other benefits under Workman’s Compensation.

Can someone explain to me how not requiring a business to pay workers’ comp to illegal aliens is going to stop businesses from employing illegals? If anything, businesses would employ more illegals than ever since they wouldn’t have to shell out as much money if an employee gets injured on the job.

You know folks, there’s a reason that John Brownlee isn’t a federal judge right now.

A couple years ago, in 2007, John Brownlee was being considered for a judgeship in the Eastern District of Virginia. However, his bestest buddy John Warner (Warner has a “close relationship” ((Laurence Hammack. “Federal Fast Track Slows for Brownlee.” The Roanoke Times. 2 Mar 2007. A1: LexisNexis.)) with Brownlee’s father) choose not to recommend his name to President Bush for the position. Anyone want to know why?:

U.S. Attorney John Brownlee’s bid to become a federal judge, considered by some to be on a rapid ascent, has run into turbulence.

Brownlee received lukewarm endorsements this week from two bar associations — and no backing at all from another three — as questions surfaced during the judicial screening process about his prosecutorial discretion and other “credible adverse information.”

In a 6-5 vote, the Virginia State Bar’s judicial nomination committee found Brownlee to be qualified. It was the only close vote as the committee deemed six candidates qualified and another five highly qualified for federal judgeships in Richmond and Alexandria.

“The committee notes that substantial concerns arose from significant and credible adverse information” obtained about Brownlee, a report from the state bar read. But because the bar was unable to fully investigate those concerns before the deadline for recommendations, “the committee is unable to opine as to Mr. Brownlee’s integrity, temperament and impartiality,” the report stated.

The report does not explain what the “adverse information” is, and state bar executive director Thomas Edmonds declined to elaborate.

“The documents speak for themselves and they are carefully worded,” Edmonds said. “Obviously, the vote and the comments reflect some concern.”

Another concern raised by the bar dealt with the extent of Brownlee’s courtroom experience, and discrepancies between what he said about that qualification in a written application to the bar and in a later interview with the nomination committee.

Brownlee, who has overseen federal prosecutions in the Roanoke-based Western District of Virginia since 2001, declined to comment Thursday.

Several cases during his tenure have created considerable controversy, including the fraud prosecution of former National D-Day Memorial Foundation president Richard Burrow, which ended in two hung juries.

Also, the case of pain specialist Dr. Cecil Knox, accused of health fraud and illegal distribution of prescription painkillers, devolved from a sweeping indictment on hundreds of charges to just a few convictions.

The state bar’s comments were not the only bump in the road this week for Brownlee, whose strong political connections have been cited by a University of Richmond law professor and other legal observers who believe he might have an inside track to a judgeship.

The Virginia Women Attorneys Association, another bar group asked to rank judicial candidates, also raised concerns. In a report sent Tuesday to U.S. Sens. John Warner and Jim Webb, the VWAA noted that Brownlee was the only one of 13 candidates to receive unsolicited letters in opposition to his becoming a judge and none in support of his bid.

[…]

Also this week, the Virginia Bar Association, the Virginia Defense Attorneys Association and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association released names of candidates they found to be qualified. Brownlee’s name was not on either list. ((Laurence Hammack. “Federal Fast Track Slows for Brownlee.” The Roanoke Times. 2 Mar 2007. A1: LexisNexis.))

“Lukewarm” endorsements from two bar associations and refusals from three others to endorse him. He didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of being confirm, so he decided to wait, and when he saw an opportunity to run for an elected office — in this case Attorney General — he took it.

And this wasn’t one bar association, it wasn’t two; it was three that refused to endorse him. And another two gave him “lukewarm” endorsements, for crying out loud! And this guy wants to be our next Attorney General!