After 10 largely unchallenged terms in congress Bob Goodlatte’s ability to compromise in DC without consequence back home must be the envy of every sly politician scheming to escape the annoying restraints of accountability a purifying election race might provide. But while an unattended house makes a bold thief, overconfidence often leads to carelessness and leaves tracks that clearly expose the guilty. Consider the trail Goodlatte has left while trying to hide his crimes by playing the part of an innocent and indignant bystander outraged by the injustice of what’s going on:

While in DC Goodlatte has voted to raise the debt ceiling at least seven times- approving the accumulation of an additional 6.5 TRILLION dollars to the national debt, back home he repeats sound-bytes about ‘reigning in out-of-control federal spending.’ And because he says it we’re supposed to believe he’s a fiscal conservative?

In DC Goodlatte supported and voted into law the largest expansion of socialized medicine since the 1960s- adding some 16 trillion dollars in unfunded liabilities to our budget during a time of already historically record-breaking deficits. But back home he rails on the costs and evils of ObamaCare. And because he says it we’re supposed to believe he’s against socialized medicine?

In DC Goodlatte is part of the driving force behind a bill giving the federal government absolute control of the internet including Chinese-style censorship, blacklists, and fines if you get caught with ‘un-approved’ material on your Facebook page. But back home he pays lip-service to the first amendment right to freedom of speech. And because he says it we’re supposed to believe he is advocate for  the first amendment?

In DC Goodlate supported and voted in the largest unconstitutional, job-killing, business nightmare regulation bill since the New-Deal, while back home he  went about condemning unconstitutional and job-killing regulations. And because he says it we’re supposed to believe he’s against job-killing regulation?

In DC Goodlatte continues to vote to destroy the Bill of Rights, turning every American citizen into a terrorist suspect, greatly curbing our liberties and right to privacy. While back home he was heaping up hollow words about liberty and following the constitution. And because he says it we’re supposed to believe he wants to defend our liberties?

In DC Goodlatte voted for the largest expansion of the federal government in some 50 years- forming a new Nazi-BrownShirt style domestic surveillance agency of some 200,000 federal employees to maintain the police state the Patriot Act created. All the while back home he was touting small, constitutionally limited government rhetoric. And because he says it we’re supposed to believe he’s a small government conservative?

While following the Constitution would leave the control of education to the states (with conservatives historically advocating this position) – in DC Goodlatte blew off the Constitution to support and vote for the absurd “No Child Left Behind” program that cemented DC’s control over our schools, costing us billions of dollars, and destroying our education system. If you don’t believe it just ask a teacher. Meanwhile back home he brags about reading the constitution to congress. And because of this we’re supposed to believe he’s a constitutional conservative?

The only thing Goodlatte has proved to us with all his hypocritical rhetoric is that he assumes 6^th district conservatives are stupid enough to vote him in no matter what he does in DC, and that all he has to do to keep us duped is occasionally drop words like “constitution” or “cut spending” etc and we’ll all ooh and aah and rally behind him like gullible suckers following a con-man. And up until now he’s gotten away with it quite handily.

But.

No More!

Goodbye Goodlatte.

- Kaleb Matson

A large crowd saw last night’s theatrical production at the City Council Playhouse – By Mateus Jewel

Local players, “The Gang of Four,’ entertained us with the comic fantasy morality play entitled “Black is White. Or How a Warrant is not a Warrant.” Staged in three acts, the action stylized the conflict between the Mandarins and masses.

Act one presented the brave Metroligarchs struggle with the Riffraffi, or ‘unmoneyed’ types. Colorfully represented by a septuagenarian cult, also known by their generic name “the Gentrificati”. They scorned the Riffraffi for partying with tea and criminals. For their impertinence and lack of deference to the mandarin code…”See no Evil, Hear no evil, Speak no Evil.” It’s the foreigners, they said, with their outsider lawyers. They’re seducing our freed slaves and indentured peoples to talk back. Boss Payne had told them about these nefarious outsider judicial types. Not like our judges, he had said.

In Act Two, The people were unmuzzled, and behaved unusual un-mob like acts. Like bringing legal and ethical sources, scholarly argument, evidence, witnesses and stuff. This seemed to bore Prince Gillette a little, sometimes feigning mirth. The corrupt provocateurs and their foreign and legal apparatchiks railed, one after the other, against the Empire. The septuagenerians, also known as ‘the justified and  ancient’ had visions of a previous dynasty, of people termed ‘carpetbaggers’ , and someone called Jim Crow.

Members of the Imperial Guard appeared  in case the specter of real debate should begin. Fortunately, Empress Foster held out against the freethinkers and lawyers. Normally distracted youths spoke with wisdom, actually approaching the Imperial bench. The mass was falsely heartened by youth being on their side. What sort of spectacle did act three promise?

Act Three, or the fourth quarter in thespian circles, commenced with the people back in their muzzles. Now it was time for The Gang of Four’s arch-nemesis, Helgezilla, to breathe fire into the hearts of the Gentrificati. They were ashen-faced and cowed  by his fearsome intellectual symmetry. In his wake, handsome favorite son Farmer Perrow cleared the smoke with homegrown right and wrong. The usually mysterious, but avuncular ‘H’, made it clear it was 3-0 against the Empire and the fight was on!

Now the Gang of Four had to mouth words in public…a most uncomfortable experience for them. They’d managed to stay mute for four months about the dreaded General Warrant. Brahmin Nelson said a lot, but most forgot it right away. No one ever seemed to remember what he said.

A dramatic turn! Some forty riffraffi , young and old, got up in silent protest and held signs that say ‘No’. Probably supplied by “paid political types.”

Once again, it was up to Prince Gillette to save the day!  We’re not afraid of signs, he said. “Black Is White’, he cried and the scrofulous crowd howled.

“Off with their heads “ cried Empress Foster.  Silently leashed beside her, she kept her poodle ‘Ceasor’ who got excited and barked a little at the riffraffi.  A cardboard cut-out of the Reverend of Brookneal stood next to her. It actually spoke but the crowd had never heard of the Rev. before and weren’t sure of his authenticity. Was the Payne Dynasty threatened?

Never fear, said she. Our Prince says warrants are no such thing, don’t you worry. Laws never actually mean what they say. Our Svengali, Rasputirwin says so, and he’s always right. Helgezilla roared once more. But right finally triumphed against wrong and all the people had to hand their house keys to the Zoning Police. Prince Gillette and a Zoning Police official were heard offstage saying  ‘It’s much more efficient.’ Long Live The Empire!

It must be said that the Empress remained fully clothed for the production.

From our own correspondent.

The Lynchburg Tea Party debate is tonight at Liberty University’s Law School at 7pm.

VA6th will be blogging from the debate via twitter.

Follow @VA6thWatchdogs

Despite Bearing Drift’s best efforts to paint George Allen as the presumptive nominee for the Republican’s to take on Tim Kaine for the US Senate seat that Jim Webb currently has, the voters have other ideas (and so does Tim Donner, but more on that later).

The results are shocking. Not shocking in that Jamie Radtke won the poll, although that perhaps likely unsettled the Allen camp (not to mention the Bearing Drift crew of Allen shills – see link above), but rather, shocking in that 68% of the voters chose someone OTHER THAN GEORGE ALLEN. The fact of the matter is that despite all of the hype generated by the “Allen Machine” people just aren’t excited about him. This could be in large part because many remember his votes for all of the spending appropriations bills that crossed his desk, his support for the Clinton-Feinstein gun ban and perhaps even that darn “Macaca” incident that just won’t seem to go away. Are his chickens coming home to roost? Perhaps.

In related news, the Donner campaign laid an egg in claiming a victory in the poll as well. An email sent out by the campaign claims that the results

showed Donner well ahead of the majority of candidates and within percentage points of lifelong politician George Allen and career activist Jamie Radtke.

Sure, if you consider losing by greater than 2:1 to two separate candidates coming “within percentage points”. After al, it was only 16 and 18 percentage points respectfully, right? Now, if he’d doubled his votes… he still would’ve lost… to both of them. As Vince Lombardi said, “Moral victories are for losers.”

But Donner’s “victory email” did get one thing right.

Allen, whose multi-million dollar campaign and decades of political insider activity gives him huge advantages on paper, mustered just 32% of the votes.

If Allen can’t win a simple poll on what is undeniably friendly ground with a multi-million dollar campaign, huge name recognition and decades of political insider experience, he will likely face a tough road ahead simply to claim the Republican nomination, let alone the general election – and THAT is the shocking result of Bearing Drift’s poll.

Lynchburg city’s proposed zoning ordinance search warrants have drawn a lot of attention. It will be voted on at 730pm at City Hall, 900 Church St. Public comment will be welcomed and limited to 3 minutes per person.

They were first brought to the public by Alicia Petska of the News and Advance here: http://www2.newsadvance.com/news/2011/may/11/planning-commission-oks-warrant-search-ordinance-ar-1033292/

It was revisited here: http://www2.newsadvance.com/news/2011/jun/24/proposal-allow-warrants-zoning-inspections-draws-i-ar-1131895/

And here: http://www2.newsadvance.com/news/2011/jun/27/lynchburg-council-discuss-search-warrants-zoning-e-ar-1137226/

It was also covered by WSET here: http://www.wset.com/story/14636899/new-lynchburg-zoning-ordinance-raises-concerns?clienttype=printable

And here: http://www.wset.com/story/14663955/man-protests-planning-commission-vote-in-downtown-lynchburg?clienttype=printable

Here is a link to the “Not In My House” event mentioned in the second News & Advance story: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=232063230141095

Here is a link to the “No Zoning Warrants in Lynchburg” group: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_216821915009322

Info on the specific document’s can be found here, here and here on this site and an overview can be found here.