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Friday, June 27, 2008 "When news breaks, we fix it" Serving West Virginia since 2005
Russ Weeks: An American Life
HAVING FUN WITH MOJO
IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL
Hey, kids! Check out my video!
Dems hit WV with $120K bill
More tax dollars soon to be wasted when finance bill gets challenged again in court
Republicans were ready to adjourn Tuesday night, but Democrats in the State Legislature have refused to let anyone go home until they pass a campaign finance bill designed to protect Attorney General Darrell McGraw in the upcoming election.In the end, Democrats will cost West Virginia taxpayers around $120,000 due to the extra days they have forced lawmakers to remain in special session. On top of that, thousands more dollars will be wasted when the law is challenged in court -- a challenge that is likely to again be as successful as it was the first time around.Webster defines motives
Delegate Carrie Webster on Thursday made clear that she is supporting the rush to enact new campaign restrictions because she was "personally attacked" by Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse in her last election, and CALA needed to pay for that. She also said the bill is needed for "this election because it is so important," practically admitting it was all about the Darrell McGraw race. U.S. Supreme Ct ruling hits heart of WV campaign bill
Weeks disagrees
with Court ruling,
but accepts it
Republican candidate for governor Russ Weeks said Thursday he was disappointed in the decision by the West Virginia Supreme Court not to hear his case against Gov. Joe Manchin and the State Legislature over the pay raise bill passed earlier this year.But he also said he accepts the Court's decision and will not pursue the case further."I filed the suit on behalf of every West Virginian, because it's wrong for lawmakers to make retroactive payments to themselves, and it's wrong to vote themselves a pay raise that kicks in during the current term of half the Senate," said Weeks.Weeks said he has been advised that he could re-file his suit in Circuit Court, but has decided not to do so."I am proud to have acted on behalf of the people of this state," said Weeks, "and even though I strongly disagree with the Court's decision, I accept it. Now, I'm moving forward with my campaign to restore honor, integrity and accountability to state government." Even as West Virginia Democrat lawmakers rush through another poorly-conceived campaign finance bill, the United States Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the kind of disclosure requirements sought by state Dems is an infringement "on privacy of association and belief."In its decision on Davis v. FEC, the Court stressed that "compelled disclosure, in itself, can seriously infringe on privacy of association and belief guaranteed by the First Amendment."Delegate Jonathan Miller brought the decision to the attention of fellow lawmakers on Thursday, telling them, "That decision... has enormous importance for the disclosure provisions we are being asked to enact."Added Miller, "We should take time to carefully study it before we enact new laws that risk further constitutional violations and further expensive litigation against our state."But with Gov. Joe Manchin and legislative Democrats apparently acting under the control of trial lawyers across the state, Miller's pleas largely fell on deaf ears.Miller said that lawmakers are "being asked to take that dangerous step" of regulating core political speech for the purpose of improving speech, which the Court warned about in its ruling Thursday."Before we try to re-write our basic campaign finance laws, we have a sworn duty to take the time to understand the implications of this new Supreme Court decision," Miller advised."No emergency prevents us from doing so," he added. "Under the federal injunction, West Virginia law continues to impose the same disclosure and express advocacy limits that govern federal campaigns."Host of Barth event: Reagan a 'senile old b------d,' laws against gay marriage 'should collapse'
Anne Barth, the Democrat candidate in the 2nd Congressional District running against Shelley Moore Capito, says she is opposed to government sanction of same sex marriages. Her longtime boss, Sen. Robert C. Byrd, opposed President Clinton’s gays in the military plan, and voted against don’t ask don’t tell. But while Barth wants to wrap herself in the cloak of conservative values in most of the district, along with Byrd, she nonetheless will be the guest of honor Saturday at a fundraiser "at the home of Ian Gibson-Smith and David Womack" of Martinsburg, according to an invitation. Gay activist Stephen Skinner is a co-host.Anyway, Ian Gibson-Smith has a website, on which he wrote these words at the passing of Ronald Reagan:So the poor, senile old b-----d is dead! Excuse me for not getting all weepy over Mr. Reagan's passing ... It certainly was morning in America during his administration compared to that of our present lying, venal, terrifyingly militaristic cowboy in thief, but that isnt really saying much! (I mean, Hess wasn't as bad as Hitler but we didnt cry over him.) Lets face it, the largest deficits in history (until now), AIDS, and the rise of the radical far right were the most negative lasting legacies of his administration... (6/10/04)On July 2, 2003, he wrote that Supreme Court Justice Antoni Scalia "cited the possibility that the following laws might collapse. What I find fascinating is that these are, in fact, nearly all laws that probably will collapse. The thing is, in most cases, they should collapse!" Among the laws Gibson-Smith says "should collapse" are "adult incest" and "same sex marriage," on which he adds, "About f---ing time!" Mr. Gibson-Smith's website also says he was once a
"co-owner of an art gallery specializing in the works of gay and lesbian artists." Not that there's anything wrong with that.
The point is, while Barth portrays herself as representing the values of the average West Virginian, her actions reveal a typical far-left mindset. | ||||
Lawsuit settlement money at work
Back in 2002, this official "Office of the Attorney General" display at the Putnam County Fair ended up becoming "Your Party Headquarters" -- yours, if you were a Democrat. When the Charleston Gazette's Fanny Seiler questioned Darrell McGraw about it, he apologized, saying the tent was paid for with lawsuit settlement money, and never should have ended up as a partisan display. By that time, the display had been up for four days, according to Seiler's story. McGraw said he was reimbursing the cost of the tent from his own money. But the photo serves as a reminder why Democrats in the Legislature might be so anxious to keep McGraw in office.
Greear opens headquarters
Dan Greear, Republican candidate for Attorney General, will open his campaign headquarters Tuesday, July 1.Greear is inviting supporters to stop by between 5:30-7 p.m. at the Ronald Reagan Building (State GOP headquarters) in South Charleston. Greear's headquarters will be on the second floor of the facility. Cake and coffee will be served.For more information, contact Suzette Raines at 304-437-1306.Dems kill efforts to exempt pro-life, other key groups from law
One after the other, amendments designed to protect key West Virginia groups from the chilling effect of the new campaign finance law were killed by Democrats on Thursday.Separate amendments offered by Del. Daryl Cowles to exempt West Virginians for Life, the West Virginia Farm Bureau and the NRA from the requirements of the bill were defeated one by one by the Democrats, who seem to be so under the hypnotic control of state trial lawyers that they have lost any concern for other groups.Democrats also turned back an amendment by Delegates Craig Blair, Kelli Sobonya and Linda Sumner to postpone the legislation until the issues can be further studied and a law can be written that has a chance to stand up in court.The abuse of power and partisan push by Democrats to pass hastily conceived campaign laws to their liking will be recalled as one of the Legislature's most shameful episodes.