Craig's Musings

• The "Prosperity Gospel" is disgusting

  I am not a religious person, in fact I am an atheist. I do however believe in the right to believe and practice what you will so far as it doesn't infringe on the rights of others or come at the expense of tax payers.
  
  Unfortunately there is a long history' [...]
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  Posted: August 18, 2009, 8:20pm EDT
  

• Personal Victories

  Eight months ago yesterday I quit smoking. I started smoking when I was sixteen and it took me almost twenty years to kick the habit.
  
  To quit smoking is to chose to put yourself through some pretty rough times. No matter how you quit, what aids you might chose to help [...]
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  Posted: August 13, 2009, 8:55pm EDT
  

• Health Care Reform Isn’t Rocket Science

  I am not a doctor, an economist, a politician, or even a rocket scientist. I am however pretty certain that having spent some time studying and thinking about the issue of how to resolve the health care problem facing this country that I have some pretty good ideas. None of [...]
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  Posted: August 11, 2009, 9:10pm EDT
  

• I know I am but what are you...

  My Political Views
  I am a centrist social libertarian
  Left: 0.61, Libertarian: 4.41
  
  My Foreign Policy Views
  Score: -2.33
  
  My Culture War Stance
  Score: -5.22
  
  
  I doubt anyone who used to read this blog in its hey day will be surprised at all by my results...
  
  If interested you can find the quiz here: [...]
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  Posted: August 08, 2009, 4:15pm EDT
  

• In which changes are made...

  Made a few more changes around here by removing some design elements from the blog and further cleaning up a few posts and comments which caused such angst... on the bright side I wasn't the one paying the lawyers (who shall remain nameless so as not to cause them to' [...]
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  Posted: August 08, 2009, 3:45pm EDT
  

• Cease and Desist...

  Today, almost ten months after posting my last blog entry, I got my first cease and desist letter. Pretty funny actually. The item that I have been asked to remove from my blog is a comment (not posted by I) from January. Yes January....
  
  Oh well, comment removed. It was probably [...]
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  Posted: August 03, 2009, 8:30pm EDT
  

• Vote Early, Vote...

  Ok, don't vote often. Don't let anyone say I ever encouraged voter fraud...
  
  I love the fact that Virginia has early voting and that it is pretty easy to qualify to vote early. Back in 2000 I missed out on my opportunity to vote due to being called out of town [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2008, 2:15pm EDT
  

• Should Ex-Felons Have The Right To Vote?

  Yes.
  
  It is that simple. Our legal system is designed around the premise that when people commit crimes and are convicted they are both punished and given the opportunity to reform and return to productive lives when their sentence has been completed. Part of leading a productive life is participating in [...]
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  Posted: October 24, 2008, 5:45pm EDT
  

• Palin won?

  To all of you Republicans who think that Palin won the debate with Biden, let me ask you one question:
  
  Huh?
  
  Seriously, what debate were you watching? I have never been a big fan of Joe Biden but there is no way anyone can seriously tell me that Palin beat him last [...]
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  Posted: October 03, 2008, 7:15am EDT
  

• Why are tax payers paying for...

  Chaplains in the State Police in the first place?
  
  Governments, whether local, state, or Federal should not pay anyone to perform any religious duty. This includes chaplains in police forces and the military. Period.
  
  I, as a tax payer, do not think I should pay for anyone else's religion. Period.
  
  That is [...]
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  Posted: September 26, 2008, 2:30pm EDT
  

• Yup, Jeff Frederick is a tool

  On Saturday I posted Jeff Frederick's latest fund raising email and asked whether or not he was planning to run for reelection. Turns out he has answered this question and his response is:
  "A lot of guys around here are trying to convince me,'' Frederick said during a House recess. [...]
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  Posted: June 25, 2008, 10:03am EDT
  

• Is Jeff Frederick running for reelection?

  Jeff Frederick said that he would not run for reelection in the 52nd district if he was elected to Chair the RPV. Frederick won the contest and so one would assume that he is not running for reelection. Can someone then explain the following email that Frederick sent out this [...]
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  Posted: June 21, 2008, 3:45pm EDT
  

• Is Jeff Frederick running for reelection?

  Jeff Frederick said that he would not run for reelection in the 52nd district if he was elected to Chair the RPV. Frederick won the contest and so one would assume that he is not running for reelection. Can someone then explain the following email that Frederick sent out this [...]
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  Posted: June 21, 2008, 2:03pm EDT
  

• What Happy Looks Like

  
  [...]
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  Posted: June 02, 2008, 7:00pm EDT
  

• The Monster Mile

  
  
  My brother, being a very cool older brother, took me to Dover yesterday for the Best Buy 400 at the Monster Mile for my birthday. The image above shows the pace car bringing everyone through turn 4 on their way to take the green flag at the start of [...]
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  Posted: June 02, 2008, 5:25pm EDT
  

• Del. Amy Frederick?

  Interesting. Jeff Frederick's company GXS Partners is listed as the owner of VoteAmy.com. With Jeff having promised not to run for office if elected to chair the RPV is he moving his wife Amy into position to replace him as the House Representative for the 52nd district? The domain was [...]
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  Posted: June 02, 2008, 5:15pm EDT
  

• Byrne vs. Connolly, just plain sad

  I live in the 11th Congressional District and was pleased that Tom Davis decided to retire. My pleasure has been tempered recently though by the battle for the Democratic nomination. The silly battle of Byrne vs. Connolly leaves me wondering why Andy Hurst isn't running...
  
  Anyway, although I am no fan [...]
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  Posted: May 29, 2008, 5:45pm EDT
  

• Please elect Frederick RPV Chair

  Now that Jeff Frederick has announced that he will not run for relection to his seat in the VA House if elected RPV Chair I thought that I would chime in with my two cents on the issue...
  
  Please, please vote for Jeff Frederick!
  [...]
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  Posted: May 22, 2008, 7:32am EDT
  

• Spin, spin, spin, then spin some more

  Corey Stewart sent out an email this afternoon claiming that the BOCS actually strengthened the illegal immigration resolution during last night's meeting and pointed to an article in today's Washington Times to back up his version of events.
  
  The only problem with Stewart's version of events is that every other [...]
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  Posted: April 30, 2008, 7:00pm EDT
  

• Breaking: Corey Stewart modifies "Rule of Law" resolution

  Corey Stewart did some back sliding this evening... the "Rule of Law" resolution has been modified to be less aggressive then it had been regarding the ability of officers to check immigration based on probable cause. From what I can gather based on Stewart's poor explanation of the change (and [...]
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  Posted: April 29, 2008, 10:35pm EDT
  

• UPDATED: VA GOP Caucus Steals Artwork

  Vivian Paige kindly pointed out the following post on The official blog of the Virginia House of Delegates GOP Caucus: Tim Kaine needs to clean up his mess!!!!!
  
  The post includes, at the bottom, a drawing I made of Tim Kaine back in early 2007 that was posted on this [...]
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  Posted: April 24, 2008, 6:00pm EDT
  

• VA GOP Caucus Steals Artwork

  Vivian Paige kindly pointed out the following post on The official blog of the Virginia House of Delegates GOP Caucus: Tim Kaine needs to clean up his mess!!!!!
  
  The post includes, at the bottom, a drawing I made of Tim Kaine back in early 2007 that was posted on this [...]
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  Posted: April 24, 2008, 7:00am EDT
  

• Godless Heathens

  When I say the Pledge of Allegiance these are the words I recite:

  "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all."

  According to TownHall.com columnist Mark Medved that makes me the sort of person who [...]

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  Posted: April 15, 2008, 5:33pm EDT
  

• Be afraid, be very afraid...

  Americans thrive on a fear. How else can you explain statistics like a 60% rise in applications for concealed carry permits from 2006 to 2007 in Virginia?
  
  The media is crediting the Virginia Tech massacare for much of the increase in permits.So, tell me dear reader, do you walk around fearing [...]
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  Posted: April 12, 2008, 12:15pm EDT
  

• The 800 Pound Gorilla!

  Finally, word today in the Washington Examiner that cooler, more thoughtful heads might prevail in Prince William County (Prince William supervisors reconsidering police crackdown). Republican Supervisor Nohe and Democratic Supervisor Principi spoke before the Greater Prince William Manassas Chamber of Commerce and Principi was quoted as saying:
  "The illegal-immigration policy [...]
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  Posted: April 12, 2008, 12:01pm EDT
  

• Silver Lake, a letter to the BOCS

  Dear Board of County Supervisors Members;

  I am writing to each of you to express my frustration over the board’s inability to come to a resolution of the Silver Lake issue during last night’s meeting. The issue of what to do with Silver Lake has been before the board for quite some time now [...]

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  Posted: April 09, 2008, 11:07am EDT
  

• ICE Overwhelmed by PWC and that is a good thing...

  What?
  
  ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has been overwhelmed by the number of illegal alliens that Prince William County has been referring to them since adopting the 287(g) program last year. In the initial agreement ICE had with PWC ICE agreed to pick up roughly 40 illegal aliens per month [...]
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  Posted: April 08, 2008, 10:30pm EDT
  

• What's up with Corey Stewart?!?!?! (Updated)

  This evening Corey Stewart is bending over backwards to break board rules to benefit the Prince William County Conservation Alliance and the Bull Run Mountain Conservancy. First Stewart extended the PWCCA's representatives time during Citizen's Time. Then Stewart extended the BRMC's speakers time not once but twice during the 5 [...]
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  Posted: April 08, 2008, 9:50pm EDT
  

• Parks in PWC: What do you want to see?

  The issue of what to do with Silver Lake is before the Board of County Supervisors right now and it looks as if the Board is going to approve one of two of the following opptions:
  

  • Give Silver Lake's acerage over to the Prince William County Park authority or
  • Deed Silver Lake [...]
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  Posted: April 08, 2008, 5:45pm EDT
  

• Well Planned and Balanced Growth

  Among my favorite commenters on this blog is Mark Granville-Smith. Mark is the president of the Prince William chapter of the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association and as such we are often at odds over issues related to Prince William County government. That said, Mark is a refreshingly sane voice [...]
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  Posted: April 06, 2008, 2:40pm EDT
  

• Property Tax: A Few Thoughts

  My previous post regarding property taxes in Prince William County led to a few comments that I thought I would expand upon in a brief post explaining why I think that property taxes are not the ideal form of collecting revenue.
  
  First, I believe quite strongly that the taxation system as [...]
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  Posted: April 06, 2008, 1:30pm EDT
  

• Another $28.03!!!

  Last week the Prince William County Board of County Supervisors voted to advertise (not adopt) at tax rate of $1.00 per $100.00 assessed value. This week the property assessments are showing up in mail boxes around the county.
  
  County staff has estimated that on average assessed value of property in the [...]
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  Posted: April 04, 2008, 2:30pm EDT
  

• 113

  One hundred and thirteen (113).
  
  That is the number of people sitting today in the PWC Adult Detention Center who have completed their sentences and are now being held on ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) detainers. PWC is farming out our prisoners to other jurisdictions because the ADC is overcrowded. ICE [...]
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  Posted: April 01, 2008, 10:00pm EDT
  

• Corey Stewart and Greg L.: Like egg on your face?

  Chief Deane gave an excellent presentation in front of the county board today. As part of his presentation the Chief responded directly to the many complaints about his meetings with local Consular offices and pointed out that his actions were legal and consistent with his duties as well as local, [...]
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  Posted: April 01, 2008, 5:30pm EDT
  

• PWC Residents: Support Chief Deane

  Chief Deane made it clear when the BOCS was considering implementing its crackdown on illegal immigration that he did not support measures making officers on the street responsible for immigration enforcement. Deane presented the board a well reasoned list of arguments as to why he felt that this was a [...]
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  Posted: March 31, 2008, 6:31pm EDT
  

• PWC BOCS Calls a Special Meeting for Tuesday March 25th at 2:00PM

  This Tuesday, March 25th the Board of County Supervisors is having a Special Meeting at 2:00PM soley for the purpose of trying to decide upon a tax rate to advertise. Here is what the entirety of the agenda looks like:
  

  1. Pledge of Allegiance
  2. County Executive
     A. RES ? Authorize and Advertise [...]
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  Posted: March 22, 2008, 12:45pm EDT
  

• LeverageMyDebt.com goes on the offensive... :>

  I wrote a post in Februrary about how LeverageMyDebt.com was a major Do Not Call List violator (Major Do Not Call Violator). Well, it seems that someone there might have been doing a Google on their company and discovered that I complained about them because my original post is [...]
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  Posted: March 20, 2008, 4:50pm EDT
  

• Respect for Colgan gone...

  Chuck Colgan, what can you say... he's old? He's been in office a long time? Or how about this:
  
  Chuck Colgan lied during the last campaign when he said he would not support an increase in the gas tax and he would introduce legislation that would be tough on illegal immigrants. [...]
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  Posted: February 29, 2008, 4:30pm EST
  

• Who should pay for development?

  While some in the blogsphere have been focusing their attention on the issue of illegal immigration bills before the VA Legislature this session, many have over looked what I feel was a piece of legislation of much greater importance. I am of course referring to Sen. Watkin's (D-Chesterfield) bill that [...]
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  Posted: February 29, 2008, 4:10pm EST
  

• Major Do Not Call Violator

  The Government's Do Not Call list is an awesome thing. Unfortunately there are still some companies out there who are flaunting the law and calling people on the Do Not Call list. From personal experience the worst of these violators is a company based in Orlando, Florida called LeverageMyDebt.com. [...]
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  Posted: February 29, 2008, 3:15pm EST
  

• Just plain stupid (Update)

  By now everyone who reads the VA political blogs knows that Colgan helped pass a Senate budget amendent that will remove all state funding for Planned Parenthood because he doesn't believe in abortion (never mind the fact that the majority of Planned Parenthood's efforts go into family planning education and [...]
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  Posted: February 29, 2008, 8:30am EST
  

• Just plain stupid

  By now everyone who reads the VA political blogs knows that Colgan helped pass a Senate budget amendent that will remove all state funding for Planned Parenthood because he doesn't believe in abortion (never mind the fact that the majority of Planned Parenthood's efforts go into family planning education and [...]
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  Posted: February 28, 2008, 5:00pm EST
  

• Hell in a Hand Basket

  Not only does Congress feel that it should be wasting their time investigating steriod use in baseball it thinks that the FBI needs to waste their time on the investigation as well: FBI opens inquiry into Clemens' testimony.
  
  What else is there to say?
  [...]
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  Posted: February 28, 2008, 4:30pm EST
  

• TV Worth Watching

  I have never been a huge fan of the BBC. That all changed recently when I discovered Top Gear. Quite simply put there is no better TV program on the air today for people who like cars. No joke. Don't take my word for it though, you too can [...]
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  Posted: February 28, 2008, 4:20pm EST
  

• Corey Stewart...

  I have been meaning to write something snarky about Corey Stewart's announcement that he was going to run for Lt. Governor but Bwana said it best this morning in the following post Corey Stewart: Ego Run Amok.
  
  Of course I actually relish the idea of Stewart running for statewide office. [...]
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  Posted: February 15, 2008, 8:50am EST
  

• Republicans voting in the Democratic primary?!?!?!?

  NBC news said that 8% of voters in Virginia's Democratic primary were self identified Republicans. A number of Republican bloggers have published posts today informing the world that they voted in the Democractic primary in Virginia. What the hell is going on here?
  
  If I am not mistaken it has been [...]
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  Posted: February 12, 2008, 6:45pm EST
  

• Blogging, Ethics and the First Amendment - "How Far is Too Far?"

  The title of this post is the title of the Prince William County Committee of 100's upcoming program on blogging to be held February 21st (click here for the details). When I first head about this event I thought, cool, I'd like to attend that. Then I saw who [...]
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  Posted: February 12, 2008, 2:30pm EST
  

• Who is voting tomorrow?

  There are some interesting poll numbers out there showing that both Obama and Clinton can beat McCain in November (Obama by a larger margin of victory but a win is a win). Tomorrow is primary day here in Virginia and voters have an opportunity to have their say in just [...]
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  Posted: February 11, 2008, 4:50pm EST
  

• Must have office furniture...

  
  I need one of those...
  [...]
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  Posted: February 06, 2008, 7:24am EST
  

• Huckabee, why we should not elect him president...

  There are plenty of reasons why Mike Huckabee shouldn't be elected president, this quote however is one of the best:
  "[Some of my opponents] do not want to change the Constitution, but I believe it's a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of [...]
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  Posted: January 16, 2008, 7:13am EST