Harper's Magazine's Chilling Article

Harper's Magazine came out with a three part series in its May issue, which has hit the stands apparently, but is not on their webpage quite yet. But you can read an article here by Stanley Kurtz on today's NRO that analyzes the chilling attack on the Christian right and its supposed march toward fascism. All of the leftwing blogs are throwing around words like "Christian fascism" and the like right now in reference to Justice Sunday this weekend and the growth of the Christian right in the United States. These attacks are malicious and need to be confronted head on. Read an example of these blog attacks here.

The Return of the Buffalo

I'm sure you've already seen this, but the buffalo got loose in Baltimore today and roamed the streets for about 4 hours. Too bad they couldn't strike a bigger blow against eurocentrism. In the end, they were all rounded up and incarcerated. But the sight of buffalo on a tennis court warms the heart.

Bolling Campaign Releases Connaughton Quote

The Bolling campaign has discovered and released a quote from 2001 in which Connaughton said of the No Car Tax campaign which Gilmore was continuing in the final days of his administration:

My gut reaction is this could be catastrophic for localities. We would need to analyze this and the potential impact on our budget," said Connaughton (R-At Large).

This quote is from an article entitled "Gilmore Renews Quest to Kill Car Tax; Long-Term Fiscal Impact on Va. Worries Warner, Local Lawmakers"; R.H. Melton. The Washington Post. Washington, D.C.: Dec 18, 2001. pg. B.01.

This will be ample material for more negative direct mail pieces from the the Bolling campaign. Look for them in your mailboxes shortly.

Token Liberal Shares a Goldwater Quote With Us

Token Liberal requested that we post a quote from Barry Goldwater relevant to some of the issues surrounding the judicial nomination process in the Senate. He feels this is an adequate response:

However, on religious issues there can be little or no compromise. There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both. I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in 'A,' 'B,' 'C,' and 'D.' Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me? And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of 'conservatism.'

Santorum Down by 14 to Casey in Early Polls

A Quinnipiac University opinion poll was released this week on the 2006 Senate race in Pennsylvania between Santorum and Robert Casey (son of the former pro-life Democratic governor of Pennsylvania), and Casey is wiping the floor with Santorum right now. He's leading in this very early poll 49 to 35. The last poll showed Casey with a 46-41 lead in February. Let's remember though how much time there is between now and November 2006. It's definitely not a positive sign about Santorum's popularity in a state in which Kerry's margin of victory was less than Bush's margin of victory in Ohio.

Token Liberal Analyzes the Shad Planking

Note: I'm posting this on behalf of SST buddy Token Liberal.

Well, I (Token Liberal) went to my first Shad Planking, and had a blast. My joke for the afternoon was that I was there to provide perspective (since I had on my Deeds, Chap, and Kaine stickers, and needless to say the SST crew did not). So here is my perspective:

Best Conversation by Far:

With a former staffer of the Carson for Senate Campaign in Oklahoma:

“We were running ads like ‘Coburn sterilized a 14 year old girl without her consent while performing an abortion,’ you know, a really good ad. Coburn’s ads were, ‘Carson is a Democrat,’ and ‘Carson once met Hillary Clinton.’”

“Then Coburn came out and said, ‘middle school lesbianism is running rampant in Southeastern Oklahoma,’ and it turns out that the phrase was polling 55% POSITIVE for Coburn. I mean, what can you do??”

Best Conversation with a Candidate:

George Fitch. His history, as the former coach of the Jamacain Bobsled team is actually not as fascinating as his fathers, who was provost of Nanking during the Rape of Nanking. Moreover, when asked why he ran, he actually got into policy!!

Worst Conversation with a Candidate:

Creigh Deeds. While shaking my hand he kept up eye contact for about a second, and before I could open my mouth he had walked on. Very poor.

Best Handshake by a Politician:

Jerry Kilgore. Despite expectations, was very firm and was strong. Great Eye Contact with a warm Smile.

Worst Handshake by a Politician:

Creigh Deeds. See above.

Best Food:

Bolling. Bratwursts with real onions and relish.

Best Beer:

Creigh Deeds. Much props for splurging for Killian’s.

Best Dressed:

Delegate Bill Janis. Cowboy hat and frat boy glasses. He also easily gets the nod for biggest character.

Worst Dressed:

Tim Kaine. Jeans??

Best gimmick:

Temporary tattoos for Chap Petersen.

Best T-shirts:

Fitch. While only 2 of them, the Jamacian Bobsled team will always be cool.

Best Cup:

McDonnell. Very deep and very shiny. Honorable Mention: Focus on the Family. There will be nothing better to drink my latté in tomorrow morning while I drive to work in my Volvo wearing a Dean for America t-shirt

Worst Cups:

The entire Democratic ticket. Stickers on a plastic cup is not cool.

Best Beer truck Worker:

Chap Petersen’s. Guy was super cool and super nice.

Best presence:

Chap Petersen. His staff was everywhere, and their blue shirts stood out.

Worst Presence:

Viola Baskerville. No tent. No beer truck. It seemed like she was there for 30 minutes and left.

Better speech:

This one was a draw. Kilgore’s was better written with good jokes. Kaine had better delivery.

Winner of the Sign Wars:

Kaine. Not even close.

Best Use of Signs:

Chap Petersen. Knowing he could not compete with Kilgore and Kaine close in, he staked out a half mile of highway about 15 minutes out with Chap signs on both sides. They were evenly spaced, were beautiful, and definitely got his name out.

First candidate bumper sticker to go on the Honda Civic:

Chap Petersen. Really funny guy. Great staff. Great future.

The Shad Planking

The weather is gorgeous for a spectacular day at the Shad Planking. Maybe I'll run into some of you in Wakefield this afternoon. Should be a lot of fun. Let's hope the rumors that Kaine beat Kilgore in the sign wars aren't accurate. I'm afraid they might be though.

Bad News For Blood Type B Guys

So our South Korean correspondent has forwarded us another story, this one of much less importat nature. Those of you out there with Blood Type B, thank your lucky stars you aren't a South Korean. If you read the story, you will find out that girls don't date Blood Type B guys because "scientists" claim that they are "selfish and hot-headed." In fact, last year a song entitled "Type B Men" rocketed to the top of the music charts in South Korea.

Apparently, it all began in Japan when in 1927, Japanese scholar Takeji Furukawa published a series of articles called "The Study of Temperament Through Blood Type." They seem vaguely similar to the eugenics movements of the early 20th Century United States that led to Buck v. Bell in 1927. The idea truly arrived on the scene in the greater culture when in 1971 when Japanese writer Masahiko Nomi wrote "Understanding Compatibility from Blood Types."

Bet on the Next Pope

That's right, as the cardinals continue to deliberate in the secrecy of the Sistine Chapel on who will be the next leader of the Catholic Church, we can sit at home and gamble on who will be their choice. Place your bets here.

Connaughton Crowned Least Conservative

The VEA has officially endorsed Kaine, Connaughton, and a whole host of Democratic candidates for the LG nomination. I'm not sure if this is going to gain Connaughton any votes in the primary since many conservatives (and thus Republican Party primary voters) have something of an aversion to the VEA. In fact, it will definitely hurt him in some quarters. In most people's minds (including many people in his own Prince William County GOP unit), this confirms their belief that Connaughton is not a conservative at heart, but is merely parading as one for the Republican primary process. That said, Connaughton claims to stand the right way on all the issues that really matters, and there is no reason to believe he's posturing necessarily. There simply isn't a history of activism and passion for those issues in his background. Bolling has voted the right way on all the conservative social issues for some time, so he's a known commodity.

Gene Robinson Strikes Again

Gene Robinson spoke at Planned Parenthood's fifth annual prayer breakfast on April 15 in DC and commented that aborton advocates need to begin to strategically target faith communities, especially in the wake of last fall's election. This from the Episcopal Bishop who divorced his wife and left his two daughters to go live with a man:

We have allowed the Bible to be taken hostage, and it is being wielded by folks who would use it to hit us over the head. We have to take back those Scriptures. You know, those stories are our stories. I tell this to lesbian folk all the time: The story of freedom in Exodus is our story...That's my story, and they can't have it. This current administration notwithstanding, the world is not black and white. We need to teach people about nuance, about holding things in tension, that this can be true and that can be true, and somewhere between is the right answer. It's a very adult way of living, you know. What an unimaginative God it would be if God only put one meaning in any verse of Scripture.

It's amazing but terribly sad to see the rationalization of this man in his attempt to justify his actions. The mind justifies what the heart desires, and Gene Robinson is an excellent testament to that.

Apparently, Planned Parenthood has a network of pastors across the country consisting of over 1400 pastors of churches. Do not fear! When compared with the number of churches in the United States, that is a miniscule number of ministers. You could probably get that many to support the legalization of heroin or just about anything. Rev. Ignacio Castuera, a Methodist minister and Planned Parenthood's national chaplain, is working to expand that network. In the article, he comments that it's easy to work with ministers on the West Coast and East Coast, but harder when you get farther into the middle of the country. Let's be honest, Mr. Castuera, it's easy to find pastors of like mind when you work on the California coastline or when you work in the Northeast.

Ron Mexico Jerseys Banned by the NFL

Yes, that's right. After first word of the use of the alias "Ron Mexico" by Michael Vick in his pursuit of treatment for his case of herpes, NFL fans were going to the NFL online store and buying personalized jerseys with the name "Mexico" on back. According to Sports Illustrated, the NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy stated the NFL's reason this way:

The jerseys are intended for fans who want to have their name on a jersey. Obviously, this was in direct reference to recent events. We decided it's inappropriate to sell jerseys with that particular name on it.

For that stated reason, the NFL has added the name Mexico to a list of other banned words, primarily consisting of obscenities and other inappropriate names. Classic.

Scalia on His Chief Justice Victory Tour

Well, not quite Chief Justice yet, but hopefully soon. I was privileged to hear Justice Scalia speak in Lee Chapel this morning at 10:00 a.m. to a crowd of mostly Washington and Lee School of Law professors and students. He charmed and wooed the predominantly liberal crowd with one-liners and self-deprecating humor. They loved him. It's wonderful to have the most witty of the justices on our side, the guy you'd like to have a beer with. In fact, he told us that his son-in-law who is a W&L undergrad alumnus took him out to the Palms, a Lexington landmark, on Thursday evening, and he was "compelled" to down a pitcher of beer sent over to him from a group of law students. Apparently, he's headed down to North Carolina on another one of his infamous "hunting trips." Happy hunting, future Chief Justice!

Idaho Legislature Commends Napoleon Dynamite

State legislatures, and our national legislature for that matter, can pass resolutions on some pretty ridiculous things, but this beats all. The Idaho legislature, in a delightfully written resolution that I recommend you all read, commends the makers of the film Napoleon Dynamite, an instant cult classic. Here is an example of the hilarity:

WHEREAS, any members of the House of Representatives or the Senate of the Legislature of the State of Idaho who choose to vote "Nay" on this concurrent resolution are "FREAKIN' IDIOTS!" and run the risk of having the "Worst Day of Their Lives!"

If you haven't seen the film, you are definitely missing out. But check out the rest of this resolution on the Idaho legislatures. It's awesome.

Leitao Interviewing with Cavaliers Today

You may have already seen this, but ESPN's Andy Katz is reporting today that Leitao flew down to Charlottesville from Depaul this morning. Leitao seems like a decent candidate, but you've got to wonder whether he's much of an improvement over Gillen who actually took two other teams to the Elite Eight. Leitao has taken his team to the tourney once in three years, and took his team to the NIT this year. Is this the best we can do?

Korean "Comfort" Women Still Forgotten

So by now you may have become used to my digressions into seemingly random political or historical subjects of an international nature, and this is another one of those tangents. A close friend of mine who resides in Korea was sharing with me about her visit to what is called The Sharing House, (I warn you that the stories in these links are very explicit and are not pleasant to read) a place where women, brutalized by the Japanese during World War II and used as sexual slaves, remain outcasts from their own people because of traditional and bigoted social mores that say that woman to whom these brutalities occurred although due to no fault of their can never be acceptable marriage partners. The Japanese war machine enslaved nearly 200,000 women from many countries, and especially from Korea, during their colonization of Korea from 1905 until the defeat of Japan. If you have a hard time empathizing with a Korean woman, perhaps your heart will be touched by this story of a gorgeous Australian woman who was also enslaved by the Japanese when they captured her in what was then the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). In 1992, three Korean "comfort" women finally broke the imposed silence of their society and thus the tacit complicity of that society with the brutalization of these women and demanded that the Japanese apologize and make things right with the survivors. The Japanese have done little to provide for these women. Neither do they teach these atrocities in their schools. Talk about whitewashing history. It reminds me of the famous saying about those who do not remember their history being destined to repeat it.

If you wish to read further about this horrific story, this website has a long list of links relating to "comfort" women enslaved by the Japanese Imperial Army.

Flares Put End to Soccer Match in Milan

Yes, you read that correctly. If you haven't seen the highlights on Sportscenter, you need to watch it. The game was canceled in the 75th minute of the game after a flare actually hit the AC Milan goalie on the shoulder knocking him to the ground. The flares continued to rain down with nearly 30 falling to the ground before the hail of flares ended. The flares were thrown by fans of the crosstown rival Internazionale. The incident occurred during a quarterfinals game of the European Champions League. You can read more about the story here. The entire end of the field was engulfed in flames and smoke. I'm sure this will provide Jim Rome ever more material to make fun of the sport of soccer and its absurdly fanatical fans. And you thought the Jamaican machete incident was bad!

Vad Yashem Gives Award to "New Schindler"

The Israeli organization Vad Yashem gave out their "Righteous Among the Nations" award to a Nazi officer named Karl Plagge, a major in the German war machine. He ran a vehicle workshop in Vilnius, Lithuania from 1941 to 1944 and there gathered many Jews who worked under relatively good conditions and were sheltered from the slaughter of the SS. The Jewish ghetto in Vilnius was destroyed and most of its inhabitants slaughtered, but Plagge's work saved the lives of perhaps hundreds who would have died.

Yushchenko Before Congress

Something a bit late, that most correspondents didn't give much coverage to last week, was Ukrainian President Yushchenko's address to Congress. Here is a report of that speech in which he asked the United States for economic aid and requested Bush's assistance in gaining admittance for Ukraine into NATO. Bush responded that it wasn't a "given," and that certain reforms needed to be seen before admittance would be supported wholeheartedly.

Delay Taking Flack from GOP

Here is an interesting piece on Delay taking flack for his recent run-ins with the Ethics Committee. Last year, he was reprimanded by the House Ethics Committee on three separate occasions. Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn) had some particularly harsh words for me, saying that he felt Delay was hurting the party as a whole.

What Will You Do Without Freedom?

The immortal words of Mel Gibson's William Wallace as portrayed in Braveheart ring down through the centuries (okay, they probably weren't actually said, but who cares).

In Eastern Europe, we are seeing the continuation of the revolution of the late 1980s which led to the tearing down of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the liberation of so many countries across Eastern Europe from over forty years of Soviet oppression. Those reformers of the late 1980s stood on the backs of giants. They remembered the Hungarians in 1956 who threw Molotov cocktails at oncoming hordes of Soviet tanks to put down the rebellion which Eisenhower refused to aid. There was also the supression of the 1968 Czech rebellion, not to mention thousands of other dissidents incarcerated in the Gulag....if they were lucky.

Unfortunately, the oppression of the Soviets has in many places merely been replaced by the oppression of autocrats and despotism in other shapes and sizes. Countries like Belarus, for example, still experience one of the most repressive regimes in the world today. In fact, Belarus made the "outposts of tyranny" list in a speech by Condi Rice in January of 2005. But we are seeing a final overthrowing of those wealthy mobsters and tycoons who inherited power from the Soviet Union only to continue to stifle economic freedom and political liberty.

Most recently, in Kyrgysztan in March and continuing into this month, turmoil has ensued in the wake of a parliamentary election which resulted in the resignation of the old president/dictator on April 3, after he fled the country. If you want to follow the continuing revolution there, check out this blog which covers it day to day. Men such as Col. Matt Bristol, retired US Air Force JAG, have been on the ground for years supporting the dissidents in their struggle for the reformation of their country day to day. We will look forward with anticipation to see what comes out of this newest overthrow of despots.

The Church, growing in Eastern Europe at a rate not seen in Western Europe for centuries, has become an instrument of liberation. In Ukraine, during the Orange Revolution in November and December, Pastor Sunday Adelaja, a Nigerian man who pastors the largest church in Europe (a 25,000 person congregation in Kiev) and oversees another 400 churches in the Ukraine, mobilized tens of thousands of Christians into the squres of Kiev in the massive civil disobedience that saw over a million people in the streets for almost two weeks blocking government buildings and roads. This ultimately resulted in the validation of the election of Yushchenko, the new president of Ukraine, a man who has commented that the absence of men of faith in government in Ukraine is largely responsible for the political corruption present there ever since the fall of Communism. This article tells of how integral to the Orange Revolution were churches of all kinds. Yanukovych, the president who was defeated by Yushchenko, would not tolerate any churches except the officially recognized Orthodox church. A book which according to an aide sits on display on the tesk of newly appointed prime minister Yulia Timoshenko, an outspoken Christian, is Liberating the Nations by Mark Beliles and Stephen McDowell translated into Russian by Pastor Adelaja.

The Belarussian President Lukashenko claims that there is no need for one of these "colored revolutions" in Belarus. I'm sure he's nervous though. It's headed his way. His methods and techniques of killing opposition party leaders and stuffing them in holes in the ground will not last forever. He has been weighed, he has been measured, and he has been found wanting...it's only a matter of time.

Hats Off to Tiger

Congratulations to Tiger Woods on winning the Masters today, his first major since the '02 U.S. Open. It's great to see that he can still win the big ones despite the distraction of his gorgeous wife. I believe he put to rest once and for all the questions about his focus this weekend....questions that his father had raised years ago by suggesting that Tiger would never be able to succeed if a woman came between him and his golf fame.

Tiger's shot on the 16th this Sunday afternoon was one of the greatest shots ever seen at Augusta. And he finished it off in grand style with a spectacular put on the first playoff hole after blowing a two shot lead in the final two holes.

Here's to many more for Tiger. And here's hoping Mickelson can win a second major at some point this year.

Secret Service Protecting Pregnant Duck

Yes, on the White House Lawn, an expectant mother is being protected by the Secret Service. Read more about it here. And the left claims Bush isn't protecting the environment!

Virginian-Pilot Rips Baril A New One

Steve Baril's campaign for attorney general continues to stumble around like a drunk in the dark looking for a lightswitch. Check out this line from the Editorial page of the Virginian-Pilot:

Somebody needs to give GOP attorney general-hopeful Steve Baril a primer on the state’s criminal sentencing guidelines.

Read the rest of the column here. I think it's about time that Steve Baril starts to cut his losses if he has intention of running for AG again in 2009.

Who is Ron Mexico?

Despite the fact that certain past UVA football players (Marquis Weeks) have admitted instinctual tendencies to running from the police, UVA has never been plagued with sexually related lawsuits of the kinds confronted by the two Vick brothers of which Virginia Tech is so proud. We all remember Marcus Vick's sexual encounter with two fourteen year old girls who he claims he thought were of age. He got off easily with a misdemeanor for contributing to the delinquency of a minor (oh, is that what they are calling it these days?). Not to be out done, his big brother Michael who we all thought was the mature stable one had this suit filed against him this weekend for negligence and battery because he knowingly had unprotected sex with a woman without telling her he had tested positive for Herpes Simplex 2. What tops everything is that the lawsuit alleges that Michael has sought out testing and treatment for his STD under the alias of "Ron Mexico." Yes, Hokies are that creative.

The Virginian-Pilot details how Michael Vick apparently apologized to her for not telling her of his condition before sleeping with her, and then refused to provide any financial help to her for treatment of the disease. So classy. But then, what do you expect from a Hokie?

Gladiator II: Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven

If you haven't seen the previews for Ridley Scott's newest epic Kingdom of Heaven during the NCAA Tournament, you're missing out. Any fan of Gladiator will be pleased to see what looks like the second coming of Maximus. Granted, the story is set a thousand years later in time and on a separate continent, but the general themes seem to be the same: heroism, duty, honor, valor. And magnificently depicted battle scenes that have made Ridley Scott famous.

Check out the trailer here at the movie website.

"Sandwiched Between Feeding Tubes"

This is a marvelous piece written by a mother of a daughter who has lived for almost a decade in a vegetative state. The writer also has a mother who has been kept alive by feeding tubes for almost a year. She has a lot to say about people in this condition and I recommend reading this article. It will touch your heart with both the tragedy of her situation and the beauty of her response to the two dear family members whom she visits and tends to daily.

An excerpt:

Our Claire has a perfectly flat EEG. From what I can determine, Terri Schiavo is higher functioning than our Claire. Yet each morning when we touch the bottom of her shirt to prepare for her shower, she closes her eyes in anticipation of that shirt coming over her face. She clinches her teeth if you put a washcloth to her face because washcloths mean a good mouth cleaning and she, like all 3-6-month infants (Claire's developmental age) wants no part of that. She turns her head when you say her name. Claire's smiles come mostly in response to her mother's and her father's voices.

She goes on:

They feel, they flinch, they startle, they turn, they moan, they react, they have some memory, and no one truly knows how much gets through, what is serendipitous, and what is a real response. When in doubt, doubt the doctors. Spirituality engulfs the vegetative. Be afraid. The life that exists in these struggling frames has had the judicial imprimatur of "So not worth it" placed upon it and the plug (tube) pulled. Yet the life that resides in these bodies so ravaged by immobility scares the livin' daylights out of me. If you already believe in a god, these souls will confirm your faith. If you don't believe, well, I have seen atheists and agnostics humbled, silenced, and in tears as they stumbled upon a spiritual experience that caught them unawares. These are the very elect of beings.

Jennings also makes some excellent points about vegetative human beings having even less rights than pets and how absurd that is.

Kaine at UVA Yesterday

On Monday, Tim Kaine spoke at the University of Virginia. He was originally supposed to speak on the steps of the Rotunda, but the event was inexplicably moved to Clark Hall. Apparently, about 15 faithful College Republicans harassed him by following him and holding signs criticizing his record. Sources on the spot tell us that they managed to gain access to the room despite chanting and carrying their signs in. They sat in silence with their signs in the back of the room. After Kaine was done speaking, they gave him a nice warm sendout. This was quite unlike the University Democrats' highly disrespectful actions last spring at a College Republicans' President's Day event on the steps of the Rotunda where they heckled and jeered each speaker, and even laughed during the pledge of allegiance.

Old Zach Update

Here's the Daily Regress' take. Funny, they don't mention anything about Republicans in the room.

Littlepage Has Offered Job to Dave Odom

Just saw this on the newswire. Craig Littlepage has reportedly offered the head coaching job of UVA basketball to Dave Odom. All indications are that Dave Odom will be the next coach at Virginia. Odom will finally get a chance to return to the ACC where he spent many great years (8 NCAA tournament appearances) with Wake Forest, recruiting and developing talents such as Randolph Childress and Tim Duncan. Odom was an assistant to Terry Holland here at Virginia from 1982 to 1989.

Old Zach Update

Sadly, rumors of the UVA basketball program's demise have been greatly exaggerated. According to this article in the RTD, Dave Odom says that he has NOT been offered the job at UVA. I hear Craig Littlepaige was still talking to Bobby Cremins.

The Wilson Brothers in Newcomb Hall

Tonight, Luke, Owen and Andrew Wilson screened their soon to be released movie The Wendell Baker Story at Newcomb Hall on the Central Grounds of the University of Virginia. If you want to read a good review of the movie, check it out here. Keep an eye on this one folks. I, for one, am a big fan of the Wilson brothers and their work in Rushmore, Bottle Rocket, and Royal Tenanbaums. They are average guys who had a dream and made it big. This movie promises to be a delightful comedy like many of theirs in the past.

"Token Liberal" on the Virginia Lottery

Here is a guest post from a friend who will be known from this point forward as Token Liberal. He's a fair and decent person despite his politics. Shocking I know. Let's just say he's the Colmes to my Hannity:

Anyone watching the final four last night could not help but watch ads for the Virginia lottery’s “newest scratcher,” 5 card no-limit texas holdem. http://www.valottery.com/scratchers/scratcher_detail.asp?GameID=654

This despite the fact that:

state law forbids all gambling in Virginia, with four exemptions:
• bingo and raffles held by charitable organizations;
• the state lottery;
• off-track pari-mutuel betting;
• and games held in private homes.

Poker is not outlawed by state statute, Christman said, but playing it for money anywhere but at a private residence is illegal.

http://www.vachiefs.org/vacp/news/2004-09-12.html

In fact, a weekly game played by 150 of the state’s finest was shut down by the Virginia Beach Commonwealth Attorney, despite the fact the police officer that organized the event did not take any cut off of the winnings (in other words everything that was paid in was paid out). http://www.vachiefs.org/vacp/news/2004-09-12.html

I have always had mixed feelings about state run lotteries. I am not convinced by arguments that they prey on the poor (studies, albeit ones by lottery companies, show that the rich are just as likely to play), and without lotteries many state’s education budgets would be even more underfunded then they already are. My beef with the lottery has always been that the state is profiting from something that is illegal, something that is illegal because the state believes it to be “immoral.” But my ambivalent feelings quickly turned to rage last night, as I watched the state profit off of a game of skill that I am prevented from playing in a public place. If it is a Tuesday night, and my friends aren’t playing, or I want to play in a tournament, my only option is to drive 5 hours to Atlantic City. Or I guess I can now spend 5 dollars at my local grocery store. The lottery isn’t preying on the poor, but is preying on the millions of Virginians that are prevented from playing any form of organized poker that is not sponsored by the state of Virginia. If texas hold-em is immoral, it should be illegal-and we shouldn’t have a scratcher. If it is not, I should be able to play at my local rotary club, favorite bar, or anywhere else that is sponsoring a tournament on one of the few nights I have free, especially if they pay out everything that comes in. One would think that some state delegate would like their name on a bill that allows millions to play a game that thousands of Virginians would like to play (and do play regardless).