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ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain delivered the following remarks at the McCain-Palin 2008 rally in Virginia Beach, VA: Three weeks from now, you will choose a new President. Choose well. There is much at stake....... The next President won't have time to get used to the office. He won't have the luxury of studying up on the issues before he acts. He will have to act immediately. And to do that, he will need experience, courage, judgment and a bold plan of action to take this country in a new direction. We cannot spend the next four years...

'Virgin Birth' By Shark Confirmed: Second Case Ever ScienceDaily (Oct. 10, 2008) — Scientists have confirmed the second-ever case of a “virgin birth” in a shark, indicating once again that female sharks can reproduce without mating and raising the possibility that many female sharks have this incredible capacity. Lead author Dr. Demian Chapman, shark scientist with the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University, Beth Firchau, Curator of Fishes for the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, and Dr. Mahmood Shivji, Director of the Guy Harvey Research Institute and Professor at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, have proven...

Two small parishes in the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia have quit the denomination over gay ordination and joined a like-minded group of dissident churches based in Northern Virginia. The break-away Anglican District of Virginia announced Friday that Christ Church in Emporia and Grace Church in Purdy had become members. The district now includes 23 parishes that have cut ties with the Episcopal Church. Church of the Messiah in Chesapeake quit the Episcopal denomination in 2006. Grace Episcopal Church in Newport News quit a couple years earlier. The Southern Virginia diocese has about 120 parishes, including more than two dozen...

This audio clip shows just how intolerant Mark Warner is. "...one of the things you're going to see is a coalition that has just about completely taken over the Republican Party in this State; and if they have their way, they're going to take over the State Government. It's made up of the Christian Coalition. It's made up of the right to lifers. It's made up of the NRA. It's made up of the home schoolers. It's made up of a whole coalition of people that all sorts of different views that I think most of us in this room...

Senate Candidate: Homeschoolers, Pro-Lifers, Gun Owners Threaten American Values   I haven't been following closely the Virginia senate race between Democrat Mark Warner and Republican Jim Gilmore (to replace the retiring Senator John Warner). But I came across this clip this morning and found it startling. I found it startling not for what was said--because I hear Democrats saying things like this every day, just not ones running for office--but because someone was actually able to record it. Democrats--at least ones running for public office--are usually more circumspect about their true feelings like this. In this clip, you'll hear...

We’ve done it - again. After nearly 10 months of sweating, cussing, and prodding, XZ 439 made four successful takeoffs and more important - - four successful landings. Equal numbers of each, which is a good thing. The weekends of checking the systems, repairs, sheet metal work, and the endless gear retractions and extensions, plus the emergency gear extensions, all paid benefits. We had another Gas Turbine Starter (GTS) decide it was time to go on one of our taxi checks, but this time, we were better prepared. No chicken dances. We calmly and coolly extinguished the fire. No...

Muslim vote is powerful, group told Examples are cited in Dearborn BY ZACHARY GORCHOW FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER December 24, 2006 Muslims played a critical role in some key elections this year. But elected officials won't take them seriously if they don't continue to organize and turn out Muslim voters, two politically active Muslims said Saturday at a convention in Dearborn. If there are efforts to register Muslims to vote, educate them about the candidates and get them to the polls to vote for one candidate, politicians will court their support, Jameel Johnson, an aide to U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks,...

Arlington, Virginia (October 6, 2008) – McCain-Palin 2008 announced that John McCain and Sarah Palin will campaign in Virginia on Monday, October 13th. Senator McCain and Govenor Palin will hold a rally in Virginia Beach at 10:00 a.m. at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Following the Virginia Beach event, Governor Palin will travel to Richmond to hold a 1:00 p.m. rally at the Arthur Ashe Center in Richmond. Virginia Campaign Co-Chair, Attorney General Bob McDonnell said, "Voters statewide are excited to have the next President and Vice President of the United States bring their message of reform back to Virginia....

WMAL(Washington)has been reporting all day that Arlington County has 146,000 registered voters not including those that registered today. With a population "just over 200,000".

You've read the quote. You've heard the rumors. Now, hear the audio of Mark Warner calling the NRA, people of faith, home schoolers and people who believe in the right to life "a threat to what it means to be an American." When this issue first surfaced in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, then gubernatorial candidate Mark Warner "angrily denied the claim" and called it "inaccurate." But the audio will tell you a different story. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpicD6UIq8A

Republican presidential nominee John McCain and his vice-presidential running mate, Sarah Palin, will appear in Virginia Beach next Monday morning at the resort city's convention center. That afternoon, Palin will stump in Richmond. She'll be the headliner at a rally at the Arthur Ashe Center.

You may already be registered to vote, but you probably know several people who are not. If they're not registered by today, they can't vote in this critical election. This election is going to hinge on unprecedented voter turnout -- especially in Virginia. Make sure you're registered. Then encourage your friends, family, and colleagues to do the same. Virginia voter registration forms must be postmarked by today -- so be sure to check what time your local post office closes. Ideally, people should register IN PERSON at their local city or county voter office.

A new SurveyUSA poll in Virginia shows Sen. Barack Obama leading Sen. John McCain by ten points, 53% to 43%. Since a similar poll conducted just after the Republican convention, McCain has gone from up by 2 to down by 10. Key finding: McCain no longer leads in any region of the state.

Once again, members of a guns-rights advocacy group are coming to City Hall, claiming their rights have been violated by the police. The Virginia Citizens Defense League, a Northern Virginia-based group, said 100 or more of its members will descend upon Tuesday's City Council meeting to vent their displeasure, many with guns holstered to their hips. The group is upset about a police confrontation involving a member carrying a weapon openly, which is legal in Virginia. The group last came to the City Council in August 2007, when members protested the arrest of Chet Szymecki of Yorktown at Harborfest for...

Republican presidential candidate John McCain's brother made an apparent joke at a campaign rally this weekend that might not play well in parts of newly competitive Virginia. Joe McCain, speaking at an event in support of his brother, called two Democratic-leaning areas in Northern Virginia "communist country," according to a report on The Washington Post's Web site. "I've lived here for at least 10 years and before that, about every third duty I was in either Arlington or Alexandria, up in communist country," Joe McCain, a Navy veteran, said about his military postings. He spoke at an event in Loudon...

Undaunted by the heat, James Bailey spent his late-summer afternoons walking Virginia's bleakest neighborhoods on the hunt for ex-cons — each a potential voter who might cast the decisive ballot in this hotly contested state. Finding them isn't the hard part. It's getting them to admit that a past mistake has kept them from the ballot box... Nationally, there are roughly 4 million released felons whose convictions have cost them the right to vote at least temporarily, if not permanently. To return to the ballot box, felons must negotiate suffrage laws that vary from state to state, in many cases...

WASHINGTON While dozens of their colleagues in both parties switched their votes from "no" on Monday to "yes" on Friday to help pass a $700 billion financial system rescue plan, local representatives remained unanimously opposed. Here's some of what members had to say after the 263-171 vote. U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake, R-Norfolk"I came to the conclusion that this bill is at its foundation fatally flawed. The bill pledges $700 billion of taxpayer dollars with no guarantee this will correct the underlying problem and stabilize the markets."Now that the vote is behind us, we all should agree that the next step is...

Terry McAuliffe, the former Democratic National Committee chairman and Clinton family confidant, plans to run for Virginia governor

As you might recall, Norfolk paid VCDL member Danladi Moore $10,000 for unlawfully harassing him for openly carrying a gun. The check was barely in the bank when the Norfolk police did it to him again on a Norfolk bus, as was detailed in the VCDL mini-update on September 22nd. You would think that Norfolk would have learned their lesson (don't forget that Chet Szymecki and his wife, Deborah, each still have lawsuits against Norfolk in federal court over Chet's unlawful arrest last year in Norfolk, too). We need you to join us next Tuesday, October 7th, as we tell...

VCDL had been aware that Senator Ken Cuccinelli put in a request several months ago for a formal opinion from Attorney General Bob McDonnell on whether it is legal to open carry in Virginia State Parks. The answer came in this morning and it is YES! VCDL expected that to be the case, but it was important for the Attorney General to actually rule on the issue. CAUTION: I am determining if this opinion has officially overridden the park regulation or if the park regulation must be rewritten before we can carry openly. SO, I SUGGEST NOT OPEN CARRYING IN...

The state and federal governments will spend $13 million to improve passenger rail service south of Fredericksburg as part of a multiyear project to make trains faster and ease traffic in Northern Virginia. The money will be used to build a third train track on a three-mile stretch in Spotsylvania County to allow Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express passenger trains to avoid being stuck behind slow-moving freight trains. "States like Virginia have struggled for years to find ways to make rail service . . . a viable alternative to what seems like an always clogged Interstate 95 corridor," U.S. Secretary...

By Shea Connelly Cavalier Daily Editor's Note: Shea Connelly is a writer for the Cavalier Daily, the leading news source for the University of Virginia. This article was brought to CNN.com by UWIRE, the leading provider of student-generated content. UWIRE aims to identify and promote the brightest young content creators and deliver their work to a larger audience via professional media partners such as CNN.com. Visit UWIRE.com to learn more. Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. kicked off the voter drive by urging students to register locally. (UWIRE) -- The commonwealth of Virginia has traditionally been a Republican stronghold -- the last...

A woman was found dead in her apartment in Falls Church Thursday morning, according to the Fairfax County Police Department. Detectives are investigating 29-year-old Genevieve Orange's death as a homicide, police said. She appears to have died from blunt force trauma to the upper body. Officers found Orange's body after they were sent to her building, the Prestwick in the 6100 block of Leesburg Pike, to make a welfare check. Orange was a 2001 graduate of Virginia Tech. She was involved with the McLean Bible Church, according to a relative. "All of us here at the Futures Industry Association were...

The rush to tie up drilling rights in Marcellus shale is ramping up just west of the Interstate 81 corridor, as companies compete to sign leases. The black sedimentary rock runs from western New York south into West Virginia. It has been promoted as one of the most promising natural gas sources in the United States. Piping the gas through the hills and mountains of Appalachia, however, will not be easy. New technologies that include horizontal drilling and pumping in water to fracture the rock, have been found to release more gas and make recoveries in shale more economical. Rising...

Here are where we need volunteers across Virginia. It is critical in these last weeks that we get out there and fight the ground war. GOP Door to Door OpportunitiesCheck for new locations Arlington / Alexandria Saturday at 10:00 am Sunday at 12:00pm Mid-Atlantic Regional Headquarters and Virginia State Office 1235 S. Clark Street 1st Floor Arlington, VA 22202 Chesapeake Saturday, 10:00 AM Chesapeake GOP Headquarters 124 Battlefield Blvd, Chesapeake Jarrett Ray, Jarrett@JimGilmoreforSenate.com Chester Saturday, September 27, 2008 @ 9:30am Meet at Thomas Dale High School parking lot 3626 W Hundred Rd, Chester Virginia 23831 Contact: Gabby Bergeret, (804) 721-2092,...

Controversy stirs over state police ruling on prayer By CHELYEN DAVIS [in the Free-Lance Star newspaper of Fredericksburg, VA] http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/092008/09262008/413698 Date published: 9/26/2008 RICHMOND-- A Fredericksburg court case has set off a flurry of accusations between Republicans and Democrats over public prayer. The U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld a Fredericksburg City Council ban on referring to Jesus Christ in public prayers that open council meetings. So Virginia State Police Superintendent Col. Steve Flaherty directed state police chaplains to avoid references to Christ in their public prayers--they were told to use nondenominational prayers in public, although they could...

<p>NEW YORK — NBC News reporter Luke Russert said he made a "dumb" misstatement on the "Today" show Wednesday when he suggested that smart people supported Barack Obama for president.</p> <p>Almost immediately, Russert took a hazing in the Web world. Wrote Tim Graham of the conservative Media Research Center on the NewsBusters blog: "Out of the mouths of young, untrained reporters come the unspoken beliefs of the liberal media."</p>

The latest TODAY Show/NBC/Mason-Dixon poll has McCain ahead in the Old Dominion overall by three points, 47 to 44 percent. The "Today Show" reports that Barack Obama is ahead in Northern Virginia by a 55-37 margin, and McCain leads the crucial Hampton Roads area by 48-44. Just yesterday, the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll put Obama ahead in the state overall by three points.

NBC's "Today Show" this morning covered the battleground state of Virginia, and interviewed a family named "The Jansen's" from Leesburg, VA. Until recently, Ann Jansen and her husband Stacey (sp?) had been 'undecided' between Obama or McCain, but have now opted on voting for Obama. What the piece fails to point out is that Ann Jansen is a bigtime Democratic campaign official/contributor in Loudoun County, VA, or as someone in the D.C. Radio & Television blog pointed out this morning: "Today show gets duped!!! On the Today Show they highlighted a Leesburg, VA family who claimed to be a family...

Chuck Todd reports new poll numbers in Virginia.

It just kills these guys to even think that Obama could lose this election. McCain is up, 47% - 44%, over Obama in the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, and he retakes the lead in the RCP Average by 0.8%. Listen in the video where Chuck Todd says the lead is "somewhat good" for McCain. Actually Chuck, 3 points is a win in November, jackass. Why don't we hear that Obama's losing by 3 points is "somewhat bad" for him? Listen to the desperate cheerleading by Matt Lauer and Todd hoping that the vast number of new young black voters in...

Obama 51%, McCain 45% LV 38%-Dem, 33%-Rep, 22%-Ind

On Thursday, the New York Times filed another piece cheering Barack Obama for making inroads in a traditionally Republican state - Ian Urbina's "Both Parties Set Sights on Virginia in November." Back on August 17, the state was North Carolina, and Obama's quest was greeted in the Times with an optimistic story headlined "Obama Backers Mobilize in Bid to Wrest State From Republican Grip." The Times hasn't followed up on North Carolina, perhaps because cumulative polling data show John McCain with a nine-point lead there (the August story quoted an average lead of four points in the polls).

Like some other residents of this small town, Mary Elizabeth Goodwyn doesn't go outside after dark much anymore. Goodwyn, 81, used to welcome the dusk under a red maple tree in her front yard every evening, but that was before cougars started showing up in Blackstone — at least in the local newspaper. Since 2003, the Courier-Record has run at least 15 stories on cougar sightings in town and in the neighboring 41,000-acre Army National Guard training base.

BLACKSTONE, Va. - Like some other residents of this small town, Mary Elizabeth Goodwyn doesn't go outside after dark much anymore. ADVERTISEMENT Goodwyn, 81, used to welcome the dusk under a red maple tree in her front yard every evening, but that was before cougars started showing up in Blackstone _ at least in the local newspaper.Since 2003, the Courier-Record has run at least 15 stories on cougar sightings in town and in the neighboring 41,000-acre Army National Guard training base.Wildlife officials say that except for a known population of 100 in Florida, the large cats _ also called mountain...

CASTLEWOOD — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s running mate, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, will attend Saturday’s annual fish fry staged on behalf of union coal miners and their families in Castlewood, according to longtime United Mine Workers of America spokesman Sam Church. Biden’s visit could not be immediately confirmed by the Obama-Biden campaign media outlet because Biden’s schedule as of midafternoon Thursday was only posted through Friday.

September 15, 2008 Categories: Housing crisis Protesters to build "tent city" outside McCain condo John McCain has taken plenty of heat for not being sure how many houses he owns. Now, liberal activists are going to target one of those homes – his Crystal City, Va., luxury condo – with a protest Tuesday in which they plan to build a "tent city" outside the condo building. The protest is being organized by "Change to Win," a coalition of some of the nation's largest unions, and the plan is for laid off workers to build a faux tent city outside of...

If the election for President were today, would you vote for ... (choices rotated) Republican John McCain? Or, Democrat Barack Obama? 46% McCain (R) 50% Obama (D) 2% Other 2% Undecided Virginia Men, Voters Age 50+, Independents, Take Another Look At Obama: In an election for President of the United States in Virginia today, 09/15/08, 7 weeks till votes are counted, Democrat Barack Obama defeats Republican John McCain 50% to 46%, according to this latest SurveyUSA poll conducted for WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, WJLA-TV in Washington DC, WTVR-TV in Richmond, and WJHL-TV in the Tri-Cities. Compared to an identical SurveyUSA poll...

If so, see this comment: I went to a McCain/Palin rally yesterday where there were around 25,000 supporters! On just two days' notice! And that's even considering the couple dozen protestors who showed up, screaming very nasty hateful things, and also the folks who falsely posed as RNC officials and turned people away at the parking entrance with untruths like, the event was full and they were turning people away, telling people with children they couldn't bring strollers or bags ... well, quite a lot of people did fall for it, unfortunately, but the crowd was enormous anyway! http://live.orato.com/node/15273#comments

RICHMOND — Despite a recent poll showing Sen. John McCain taking 50 percent of the vote in Virginia, Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign manager says the historically red state still is “enormously competitive.” Virginia and North Carolina remain central to the Illinois senator’s strategy to secure 270 electoral votes and win the presidential election, David Plouffe told reporters in those states on a conference call Friday. “We’re very confident in our strategy and in our message, and we are focused like a laser beam on states like North Carolina and Virginia,” he said. Plouffe added that Virginia’s viewers will see two...

www.rpv.org Friends: Two days ago, "a massive crowd of about 23,000" (CBS News) showed up to welcome Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin to Virginia. It was the first time they have visited the Commonwealth as a team, and it was the largest non-convention crowd for any Presidential campaign this year (yes, more than any crowd Obama has attracted). Clearly, Virginians are energized about the McCalin/Palin ticket and ready to elect them to the White House. Yet, the other side is fighting back. At this week's rally, former Senator Fred Thompson said: "Gov. Palin is the most remarkable success...

LISTEN LIVE: http://www.630wmal.com/Article.asp?id=453473 http://radiotime.com/station/s_30888/WMAL_630.aspx CALL 888 630 9625

Terry McAuliffe, former Democratic Party chairman and head of New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign, is weighing a run for Virginia governor next year. Mr. McAuliffe, 51, a frequent TV commentator and Democratic spokesman, fanned rumors at the party's nominating convention in Denver when he talked to Virginia delegates, then declined to rule out a run when speaking with reporters. A top McAuliffe aide, Tracy Sefl, said Wednesday that Mr. McAuliffe has been "inundated" by well-wishers in the state urging him to run. "He's really flattered, and his position is the same, that he's not ruling out anything,"...

Keith Fimian, the Republican candidate to replace fellow Republican Rep. Tom Davis in Virginia’s 11th congressional district, is facing attacks from the Democratic party for — deep breath now — belonging to a group that has a website that links to another group the head of which has said that wives and husbands should submit to each other. Whew. Fimian is a member of Legatus, an organization of Catholic businessmen. Like a lot of organizations, Legatus maintains a website that links to other sites that its members might find interesting. The American Life League, which opposes abortion with no exception...

Here is a local news video report on the enormous rally crowd of 23,000 people who turned out to hear John McCain and Sarah Palin in Fairfax, Virginia. The report talks to some of the people who attended the rally. It is clear something really dramatic is happening across the country. I'm not sure it is all being reflected in the polls as of yet. But without a doubt, momentum is on the side of McCain / Palin! . . . . (see video at link)

Barrack Obama's lipstick on a pig speech yesterday may be his "macaca" moment in more ways than readily meet the eye. Yesterday, Obama made his lipstick/pig speech in the rural southwestern Virginia county of Russell. Shockingly, in 2006, George Allen made his infamous "macaca" comment in the rural southwestern Virginia county of Dickenson. Russell and Dickenson Counties sit side by side. In other words, it is the same patch of dirt. (I'm from there so I can say it.) How can it be that The Chosen One could have been so reckless with his choice of words in the same...

According to the Wall Street Journal, the McPalin rally in Fairfax, Virginia today broke the record, with an estimated 23,000 people. We were there and have some pics. The crowd was very enthusiastic and loved the surprise appearance of Fred Thompson. The energy was so high, and has been since the Palin pick was announced, that the Journal reports that the GOP ticket will continue to campaign together, breaking with the tradition of splitting up the ticket to cover more ground in the last weeks of the campaign.

The centrally located office will provide information about the Republican campaigns of John McCain for president, former Gov. Jim Gilmore for U.S. Senate and Congressman Eric Cantor, who is seeking his fifth term representing Virginia’s Seventh District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Culpeper resident Barbara Taylor, former longtime vice chairwoman of the Culpeper Republican Committee and former community outreach coordinator in Cantor’s Culpeper office, said the Main Street headquarters is being opened in response to “people clamoring for materials” about the GOP candidates. She said she looks forward to the reelection of her former boss and continues to support...

Senator John S. McCain LIVE this morning, Sept. 9th, with Chris Plante on "The Chris Plante Radio Show", 630 WMAL, Washington, D.C. LISTEN LIVE: http://www.630wmal.com/Article.asp?id=453473 http://radiotime.com/program/p_61017/Chris_Plante.aspx CALL CHRIS AT: 888 630 9625 (888 630 WMAL) or #630 on your AT&T Wireless cell phone for a free call.

A group of family members, survivors and first responders shared their thoughts about 9/11 while visiting the nearly completed Pentagon Memorial here on Aug. 28. Pentagon Memorial Fund manager Jim Laychak visits the Pentagon Memorial, Aug. 28, 2008. Laychak lost his younger brother, David, an Army civilian employee, during the terrorist attack on the Pentagon. The $22 million memorial, Laychak said, is a culmination of years of effort and hard work. “It is a great feeling of pride and accomplishment. Everybody has worked together on this over the past five and a half years,” he said. Tom Heidenberger, 62, lost...