Justin popped the question, Lexy said yes

It’s not every day you see a headline that reads, “Blogger Gets Engaged,” but that’s the lead story by Justin Higgins over at his JHPolitics blog.

Two young people I’ve enjoyed working with in the political and blogging worlds became engaged....(continue reading here)

The mystery of Blog Net News' disappearance

Tuesday afternoon a flurry of emails circulated the Virginia blogosphere with the question: "What's happened to Blog Net News?"

I had been busy that day and was not aware it was down until reading the emails. A quick check confirmed that it was gone ... but was it temporary or permanent? Apparently someone had been in contact with Dave Mastio, owner of BNN, and indicated it would not be back anytime soon.

BNN's blogger headlines have been a part of the Virginia blogosphere for almost four years. Suddenly, the window into a community of fellow bloggers was darkened.

Until (if?) BNN gets up and going again, the Old Dominion Blogs aggregator hosted by Virginia Right! blogger Tom White is taking up the slack. ODB has been in place for about a month so now it's just a matter of getting the word out.

Old Dominion Blogs aggregator ... the headlines are back. Thanks, Tom.

Update: Dave Mastio, BNN owner, posted on Facebook that BNN was gone apparently because of the dismal financial atmosphere. My thanks to Dave for a service many appreciated throughout the years.

Around the Virginia blogosphere....

The Virginia political blogosphere is always busy and, even with summer upon us, there has been plenty to read.

Congrats to fellow SWAC bloggers Yankee Phil at #2 on BNN/Virginia and Fishersville Mike at #4. Bob at The Journey has his latest issue of THYME Magazine: A bloggers guide to the global situation. David has a post up at Augusta Conservative about Arizona's immigration issue.

Tom White at Virginia Right! made me laugh out loud when he called my mom a silver-haired Google. :)

Riley at Virginia Virtucon has an interview with new Prince William County GOP member Mike Hodge.

Bearing Drift endorsed Congressman Rob Wittman for 1st District.

The Family Foundation reminds of this weekend's HEAV home school convention in Richmond.

Marooned in Marin updates on Sunday's huge rally where thousands turned out in NYC to protest a proposed mosque within sight of Ground Zero.

This Ain't Hell reports on the resignation of Helen Thomas after her remarks caused a firestorm of controversy.

Krystle has the video of Helen Thomas making those controversial comments over at Crystal Clear Conservative.

Bob Holsworth has a hodgepodge of political thoughts at Virginia Tomorrow.

Jason weighs in at J's Notes about PR issues with Virtually Farming For Public Relations or How Not To Game The System.

Rick Sincere shared a memorable D-Day story.

DJ McGuire offers everything you need to know and fear about the latest jobs report at Right-Wing Liberal.

Michael at The Write Side Of My Brain packed up his blog to move away ... and then we found out he just moved the luggage to a new site.

Greg Letiecq at Black Velvet Bruce Li wonders about the new statue of Stalin in Virginia.

As Phil says, keep on reading, keep on linking, keep on getting the conservative message out.

Washington Examiner news

There's lot of news going on at The Washington Examiner ... and while you're there, you may want to drop by the Virginia Opinion Zone and check out my latest posts:

- Ten thousand home schoolers to attend Richmond, VA, convention
- "Line of Duty Act" provides better benefits for VA State Police
- A peek inside the lifestyle of the rich and famous who live around Charlottesville, VA

Also at the WaEx you will find great reading from Byron York, Michael Barone, Michelle Malkin, John Stossel, David Limbaugh, Linda Chavez, Mark Tapscott, and many more as they write about the latest breaking news and give commentary on the world around us.

Blogosphere links ... lots of good reads

I don't know if there's just more out there to read, or if I've been sluffing off and now trying to play catch-up, but there seems to be a lot of excellent posts not only in the Virginia blogosphere but by Virginians in other venues as well as other bloggers out there.

Congrats to all the Righty bloggers whose rankings can be found at Yankee Phil's site where he was #2 and Fishersville Mike was #5. Bob at The Journey has the latest issue of THYME Magazine: Journalism With a Better Flavor, with the title story, "Why Being POTUS Means Never Having To Say You're Sorry (Except for America)."

Tom White has branched outside the Virginia blogosphere this week with an article published in the American Thinker. And don't forget his daily News Hound, that regal beagle who continues to hunt for stories around the blogosphere.

Riley posts over at Virginia Virtucon about Jay O'Brien dropping out of the state senate race.

Krystle wants to know whatever happened to the U.S. budget over at Crystal Clear Conservative. She reminds that other issues have taken over our attention but, meanwhile, the budget is still not set. Check out the video.

Out in California, Donald Douglas at American Power blog traveled to Arizona over the weekend to see for himself what the anti-immigration protests were about since he didn't trust the mainstream media to accurately report on the situation. Indeed, what he saw and experienced was much worse than the MSM reports that sounded as if a family picnic had taken place. Donald wrote about immigrants and socialists marching against SB 1070 in Phoenix and said:

This is why I covered it. Reading the morning newspapers on yesterday's illegal immigrant march in Phoenix, you'd think it was just a nice outing for families to stand up against Arizona's SB 1070. But this was no weekend picnic. The event was more about revolution and reconquista than about "immigration reform." The Arizona Republic, CNN, and the New York Times all publised blasé reports, riddled with inaccuracies and omissions. And check the screencap at yesterday's Los Angeles Times below. It's hard to find a better image that captures the media's pro-illegal immigration reporting: "A girl waits to join the march through downtown Phoenix." See how seemingly normal things appear. The editorial choices made by MSM functionaries are staggering sometimes.

He has lots of photos so you can see with your own two eyes what took place. Be sure to check back later today or tomorrow for photos of the pro-immigration rally that took place Saturday evening.

Speaking of a hypocritical media, Brian Kirwin posts at Bearing Drift about President Barack Obama's Memorial Day getaway complete with a song to commemorate the occasion. Imagine if George W. Bush had scampered out of DC to vacation at the ranch on Memorial Day and during the worst of Katrina. The howls of protest would still be heard....

While we're talking about the oil spill, No Sheeples Here has all the low-down on James Carville, Maureen Dowd, and Chris Matthews as it dawns on them that their Emperor has no clothes. Ms. Dowd pointedly wrote in the New York Times:

Too often it feels as though Barry is watching from a balcony, reluctant to enter the fray until the clamor of the crowd forces him to come down. The pattern is perverse. The man whose presidency is rooted in his ability to inspire withholds that inspiration when it is most needed.

For five weeks, it looked as though Obama considered the gushing that became the worst oil spill in U.S. history a distraction, like a fire alarm going off in the middle of a law seminar he was teaching. He’ll deal with it, but he’s annoyed because it’s not on his syllabus.

Wow. That is stunning considering the source.

The Saturday funeral of Spc. Joshua Tomlinson in Shreveport, Louisiana, was a sad reminder of why we pause on Memorial Day to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. Pat Austin at the blog ... and so it goes in Shreveport asked readers to pause for a moment of silence at 2:00 Saturday as the funeral began.

No Sheeples Here posts The Final Salute. Have a Kleenex handy.

There will be many Memorial Day posts Monday. We remember ... we will not forget.

News Hound on the job

Tom White's News Hound sniffs around the blogosphere every day to flush out posts of interest. Today he's linked to stories from Red State, Michelle Malkin, The Other McCain, and Virginia bloggers. Thanks for the link, Tom.

"News Hound" is on the trail....

Watch out! The News Hound may be on your trail ... but in this case it's a good thing. Tom White at Virginia Right! has his News Hound sniffing around the blogosphere looking for posts to share. Who knows? The News Hound may find you next.

Blogosphere roundup in Virginia and beyond....

My fellow SWAC bloggers have been busy. Fishersville Mike has his Sunday roundup of interesting reads in the blogosphere ... thanks for the link, Mike! Yankee Phil has some smelly statistics ... LOL. Let's hope this stays in Vegas! Bob took The Journey to Elliott's Knob for a gorgeous snowy winter view of that part of the Appalachian Mountains in western Augusta County.

Michael at The Write Side of My Brain is off on a mission trip adventure ... it's good to see Carl Kilo who came out of his winter's nap to Spark It Up with a flurry of posts ... DJ Spiker at Bearing Drift discusses how the GOP can attract youthful voters, something we have stressed in the SWAC area over the years as we mentored future Party leaders and worked with TARs and CRs.

Norm Leahy at Tertium Quids testified before the Senate Finance Committee on behalf of the HB 570 that would put the burden of proof of real estate assessments on the assessor and not the citizen, and revealed that public servants used taxpayer time to testify against the very taxpayers they are supposed to represent. Someone from Augusta County was there ... hope we can find out who it was.

Pat over at her blog, ... and so it goes in Shrevesport, got a head start yesterday rounding up the blogosphere. My thanks to her for the link.

Even rain couldn't keep Donald Douglas and his American Power camera away from the anniversary tea party in Temecula Valley in California where he ran into the Tax Zombie and the Political Pistachio.

The Other McCain starts the day off mixing some light-hearted humor and spelling bees. I know ... you're thinking, "What's humorous about spelling bees?" Trust me ... the connection was made.

El Marko has a new photo essay reflecting on the tea party movement as it passes it's first birthday and enters its second year.

Congrats to my boss Jim Riley over at Virginia Virtucon for his #1 ranking on BNN/Virginia this week.

And, finally, congratulations to Team USA who entertained us for two weeks with the Winter Olympics from Vancouver, Canada, sent daily email updates, and made America proud, making the record books with the most medals in a winter Olympics. The championship gold medal ice hockey game is today between Team USA and Team Canada ... if Team USA wins, it will be the first gold since the Miracle on Ice in 1980, a game my friends and I watched in my Richmond apartment that year. Wouldn't it be something if Team USA did it again....

Citizen Tom analyzes blogger response to tea party convention

Amid all the reactions to last weekend's Tea Party Nation convention in Nashville, one thing was certain: Just about everyone had an opinion about the energized Americans known as tea party patriots, and Sarah Palin.

Tom has reactions from the Virginia blogosphere right, left, and center, and then offers his own well-thought out analysis. He concludes with this:

If you want to find out for yourself what the Tea Party movement stands for, I suggest three things.

1. Read the Declaration of Independence. That document says why we need government. Note two things. God endowed us with our rights. Government exists only so we have the means to protect our rights from each other.

2. Look up the Federal budget. Then read the U. S. Constitution. Can you figure out where the Constitution authorizes our elected leaders to spend all the money they are spending?

3. Go to a Tea Party. People are having them all over the country.

A commenter at Hot Air blog wrote:

Obama can bring tea Party anger on a moment's notice, so the anger is simmering below the surface.

A million Tea Partiers marched on DC on 9/12, and they were ignored by the Media and for a short while by Congress.

So, the Tea Partiers marched to the voting booths. It was so much fun, I think they’re going to do it again.

Once again to the voting booths, with more vigor and loud noises, that even Obama may hear it this time, all the way inside the Whitehouse Surroundsound.

Can you hear me yet? Hellooooo....

This movement continues to grow, and Election Day, November 2, 2010, is looming. Democrats criticize and ridicule these conservative citizens at their own peril. On November 3, how many elected officials will be left standing?

Virginia blogosphere snow roundup

When it comes to snow, politics goes out the window. I enjoy reading posts from all the Virginia bloggers and seeing their photos of snow amounts and what they have done to make it through the storm.

Bloggers sharing snow experiences
Today two political message boards that I belong to are on fire with bloggers sharing experiences from this latest round of winter. Some have been scary (skidding cars), some have been hilarious, and other have been informational as they shared news about which stores were out of what and where to find it.

One fellow blogger, who is a college student, made me laugh out loud as he wrote a response to the question everyone was asked -- "So, how's everyone with the snow?"

As I'm lying here in my bed half asleep (yeah... It's college). It's hard to actually see how much accumulation has occurred because we already started with 6 inches on the ground. The upper prediction for us here is around 28 inches, so just an inch or two more than the first snow.

What I'm worried about is Tuesday where I've heard some predict an additional foot.

Harris Teeter was a complete nightmare and ran out of bread. Though they did have plenty of beer, so I wasn't following the lack of bread panic. Lowe's sold out of shovels in 30 minutes yesterday morning. Walmart was cleared out and basically people are already going insane.

Me? I plan on sitting on my couch drinking my Shiner Bock and watching the Super Bowl. I love snow. Go Colts!

More serious updates when I get out of bed ... around 1:30. Did I mention I love college?

Another blogger added even more humor when she wrote:

I went grocery shopping last night at the Super Target in Manassas around 10 p.m. Basically, there were two fights. One over milk and the other over the last 12 pack of Miller Lite. The latter fight was the best one, as it was two burly guys beating each other while their girlfriends were laughing at their stupidity. I just got what I needed and waited for an hour to checkout.

A general thread was grocery stores were out of carts and bread. Is everyone eating sandwiches through this storm? Not this NoVa blogger who had everyone drooling as he shared his weekend menu:

I got fillet mignon for tonight, prime rib for tomorrow night, eggs, bacon, cheese, lunch fixins ... 2 large boxes of wine, champagne for mimosas, vodka, beer ... lots of movies....

Just about the entire message board decided then and there they were heading to his house for the weekend!

Global warming
A friend in Rockingham emailed, "I am glad we are experiencing Global Warming Climate Change ... if not, we would be getting 75 inches of snow."

SWAC bloggers
I've been corresponding with the SWAC bloggers today who have been busy preparing for the storm and are now watching the snow accumulate at the rate of an inch an hour.

I emailed a virtual palm tree and beach sand to Mike who sounds as if he is tired of the snow and has declared this to be the Superbowl Super Storm. He has stayed on top of the wintry situation while counting the school snow days, speculating about the stimulus and this year's winter, and watching the grocery store fill with anxious shoppers.

Bob has a photo of deer tracks while teasing about Augusta Al not seeing his shadow on Groundhog Day. David is at work as an RN at the hospital so no blogs from him ... Jason said he may do a podcast about the weather. No word from Phil ... maybe he fell in a snow bank.
-----
Update 7:00 pm: The SWAC bloggers are posting snow updates ... Bob has snow photos ... David commented on the local snow preparations. Phil was shoveling snow today but the white stuff kept coming down ... he has photos of the falling snow. Mike says the snow plow has already been through his neighborhood, something we noticed here, too. They must have decided to be more aggressive after the December two-foot snowstorm.
-----
Other bloggers
How about Michael's post at The Write Side of My Brain of a photo of the Christmas 2009 Global Warming Blizzard? Jerry sits high atop his mountain and opines, "As the snow falls ... again." Riley at Virginia Virtucon invites bloggers to name the storm. Kat has driving-in-the-snow video.

Snow-related posts on BlogNetNews/Virginia:
- Pilot on Politics: Working on a snow day
- Below the Beltway: Snowpocalypse 2010 approaches
- Anti-BVBL: Potentially historic monster storm bears down on the Washington area
- Coarse Cracked Corn: Salt Risin'
- Blue Virginia: Time for snowpocalypse
- VirginiaDem: Inclement weather causes General Assembly to cancel meetings

Citizen Tom: "A survey of New Year's Resolutions"

If you want to see New Year's resolutions in a nut shell, check out Citizen Tom for posts around the Virginia blogosphere. He includes a couple of SWAC bloggers in his roundup, and I thank him for the SWAC Girl link.

What resolutions did Tom make for the New Year?

... I think resolving to pray more is an excellent idea. If we are not doing what God would have us do, then all the other resolutions matter for naught. That prayer will include requesting that God bless our leaders, even the Democrats. If we cannot pick the right people to lead us (and we do not seem to be doing a good job), perhaps God will straighten them out for us. Anyway, it cannot hurt to hope and pray that He will.

I can add nothing more to that other than, "Amen."

The annual Carnival of Christmas!

Kat has been busy working at the Cathouse Ranch putting together entries for the 2009 Carnival of Christmas that is now up. Stories, recipes, poems ... stop by and reflect on the holiday with this year's collection of writings.

Be sure to check it out at Cathouse Chat ... and have yourself a merry little Christmas.

Prayers for blogger warrior Concrete Bob

Shock this morning reading Concrete Bob's post at United Conservatives of Virginia. In his light-hearted way and after quoting W.C. Fields, he wrote:

Short and sweet, I had a serious heart attack on Wednesday night. I'm in the hospital, hooked up to a bunch of tubes. I have had a catheterization done and a stint put in, but there is still some blockage. So next Wednesday the doctors are going to do a little carving and install some new parts. No big deal.

Talk about being an optimist! I'm sure Bob's positive attitude will go a long way toward his complete recovery ... along with the skilled hands of his doctors. It shows how life can turn on a dime ... and it also shows how the Virginia political blogosphere has become a community of caring individuals.

Uncle Jimbo at Blackfive took it a little more seriously than Bob:

Boy I hate writing this, but it's what we do. A great friend of many of ours and a magnificent patriot can use our help. "Concrete Bob" Miller had a heart attack and is in the hospital. His wife called this afternoon and asked if we could keep him in our prayers. I am not much for praying, but God will hear from me. They put a stent in today, but it looks like they are going to do a multiple bypass operation because of some blockages on a couple of arteries.
...
His wife was a little worried he might be mad about her telling us about this. I say, let him get up off his butt and do something about it. See you soon Bob.

As we approach the upcoming holidays, our prayers go out for Bob's recovery and for the doctors who will have his heart in their hands.

And thank goodness the hospital has wireless internet! On top of a heart attack, we wouldn't want Bob to go through internet withdrawal!

Get well, CB! We have battles to fight....

Fishersville Mike's first year

I missed Mike's blogoversary yesterday but here's a belated, "We're glad you joined us," shout-out to fellow SWAC blogger and friend Fishersville Mike. Has it been a year already?

Mike has livened up the blogosphere with humor, music parodies, quips, and introductions to his national blogger buddies. He's a former newspaper reporter (who kept his journalistic abilities intact while preserving his conservative beliefs), a husband and dad, and someone who has become a friend in our merry SWAC Corps of bloggers.

Congratulations, Mike ... and here's to many more years of blogging on the right side!

SWAC bloggers cover Valley and beyond

I laughed when I read Phil's blog demanding diversity and then found Mike on a similar theme. Truth be told, we have some interesting SWAC bloggers who follow the issues and stay on top of them while at the same time mixing in some whimsical tales, humor, life musings, and sometimes poignant remembrances. All hard news and no fun can be a death knell in blogging. I don't think any of us take ourselves too seriously but we enjoy what we do.

The first thing that comes to mind about Yankee Phil's blogging is that he is prolific! Dang if he can't find some of the most interesting and/or off-beat stories to write about! Phil bills himself as "the voice of reason, freedom, and liberty from the very red Shenandoah Valley." We met not long after he moved to the Valley about five or six years ago ... when he began blogging, his posts about Boy Scout outings with his sons and updates on news items and reporting on local events kept me reading. He has a perspective that most don't ... that of a young retired boots-on-the-ground cop and, beyond that, an NYPD cop who witnessed the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorism attack in New York City. Talk about seeing that tragedy up front and center ... knowing someone who was there is a sobering experience. It reminds us of what is important in life.

When Mike became Fishersville Mike in 2008, he came with a sub-title: "Proud member of SWAC corps. Making America better by blogging." He brought a totally different perspective with his brief and often humorous posts about news, his surroundings, and national bloggers. With his background in reporting, it was a pleasant surprise to learn he was such a conservative ... so many reporters being in the liberal camp and all ... but it can be intimidating as heck to have a reporter in your midst! As he became more involved in blogging, he introduced "Sheeples" and "The Other McCain" and "Troglopundit" into SWAC's terminology. Some days his song parodies have me laughing out loud at my computer but his recent vacation to the Outer Banks left me nostalgic for sandy beaches and sea oats. Leave it to Mike to stir up the emotions!

Jason, whom I've known almost as long as Phil, took up blogging as The Augusta Water Cooler, offering his thoughts on subjects local and beyond, using the radio experience from his college days for the occasional blog talk radio added in for interest. A military veteran who brings his Maine-New England perspective to the Valley, he also has the unique experience of being a boots-on-the-ground cop. Lately that has curtailed his blogging considerably as work has demanded more of his time. Hopefully, it will change in the near future and he will have more time to hit the keyboard because we need more of his common sense commentary. Jason doesn't mince words ... he gives it to you straight and honest.

The Augusta Conservative blog is only five months old and offers the thoughts of the youngest SWAC blogger, David, who has a passion for politics, writing, and life in general. His day job as a cardiac nurse contributes to his interest in posting about health care especially at this time of national debate about that subject. He also keeps an eye on local spending by elected representatives, and has shown a desire for public office, something that may be down the road for him. And with a large family spread throughout Augusta County, he has a built-in grassroots network. Meanwhile, he brings a youthful energy that helps stir up the local blogging scene.

Bob over at The Journey is not considered a political blog but he covers political issues and Christianity as well as displaying his artwork and writings. He often offers photos of the world around us -- up-close pictures of flowers and trees ... interesting shadows and lighting on walkways and buildings ... objects of interest he sees while on his mountain hikes -- as he observes and preserves a unique perspective that many of us miss in our rush through life. He and I share a home school background as well as the desire to see a beautiful entranceway to the Shenandoah Valley at Afton Mountain. In keeping with his architectural/artist background, he laid out a design to build a memorable gateway at that juncture of the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway. He can often be found in his Kirchman Studio crafting architectural renderings and scale models for businesses worldwide.

And I'm Lynn who blogs as SWAC Girl, an acronym for "Staunton-Waynesboro-Augusta County," which is our corner of the Shenandoah Valley. My blog came to life in the summer of 2006 during the George Allen campaign. Though we were not successful in winning that election, I had caught the blogging bug and have been at it ever since. A political junkie who enjoys writing, blogging to me is like writing a letter to the editor every day of the week. A side enjoyment has come from carrying my camera everywhere and taking photos to share of the world around me that includes mountain views and flowers in my yard and political events.

I am blogging in a man's world and grateful for what I have learned from these guys. Each is unique ... each brings something different to the table ... each personality is special ... yet our political viewpoints are very similar. To borrow Mike's sub-title, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, we are "proud members of the SWAC Corps ... making America better by blogging." And our keyboards march onward....

Looking for conservative writers

There are many extremely talented conservative writers in the Virginia blogosphere so here's your opportunity to have your voice heard:

A Call for Pens from Liberty Features Syndicate

Americans for Limited Government's Liberty Features Syndicate (LFS) is looking for new highly motivated guest writers. Newly selected writers will get a chance to join a very talented writers group and our award-winning cartoonist William Warren at having their work published in everything from national and local newspapers.

All you have to do is submit a written column or op-ed, no more than 600 words, to jwilliams@libertyfeatures.com with a brief bio about yourself. The editors at LFS will help each writer make sure that the piece is compatible and effective for newspaper publication.

While most syndicates have big names like Pat Buchanan or George Will, here at Liberty Features Syndicate we believe that every center-right American has a voice that is being ignored by the mainstream.

So sharpen your pencil ... er ... belly up to the keyboard and go for it.

Measure twice ... cut once -- UPDATED

Anyone who has worked in carpentry knows the old saying, "Measure twice ... cut once." In other words, be certain before putting saw to wood because there's no turning back.

The same could be said of bloggers. "Verify ... recheck ... and then write."

Unfortunately, Ben Tribbett aka "Not Larry Sabato" went with sensationalism instead of checking for the truth in a post about Bob McDonnell ... but the Washington Post's blog took the time to check and verify and discovered NLS's story was wrong.

Jim Hoeft at Bearing Drift has Tuesday's original story with a link to the WaPo ... Shaun Kenney has more and points out the obvious here ...

... Mike at Write Side of My Brain also posts about it as well as Kat at CatHouse Chat ... Jim Riley over at Virginia Virtucon has thoughts here ...

... Krystle at Crystal Clear Conservative comments on it all ... and Jason Kenney at J's Notes adds his thoughts. Tim at I'm Surrounded By Idiots is unamused by blog shenanigans.

RedState's Erick Erickson has also weighed in ... and DJ over at Right-Wing Liberal adds humor to the entire situation.

Round 2 on Wednesday...
- Jason Kenney has follow-up with his post on Bearing Drift, What we've come to expect from Virginia's biggest Democratic bloggers.
- Jim Hoeft at Bearing Drift also follows up with RedState and Blue Virginia weigh in on flag flap.
- Cato at DelMarVa Dealings weighs in with Virginia Dems Playing Race Card Early.
- Shaun Kenney follows up with Deeds' Rebel Yell - Day 2, and includes a link to political pundit and former VCU political professor Bob Holsworth's blog where he questions the Deeds campaign, and a link to Vivian Paige who expresses disappointment with the entire episode.
- Greg Letiecq at Black Velvet Bruce Li writes NLS sabotages Deeds campaign with a link to Bart Hinkle's Richmond Times-Dispatch blog.

Breaking News 8/12/09 at 2:30 pm:
- Shaun Kenney has the news of a shakeup in the Deeds campaign with links to Larry Sabato.
- Kat comments on it here.
- Norm Leahy at Terdium Quids picks up on the shakeup and relays the real Larry Sabato's tweets saying public announcements from Deeds campaign won't tell whole story.
- DJ McGuire at Right-Wing Liberal follows up on his post from last night, noting Deeds campaign manager has tire marks as a fashion statement.

Measure twice ... cut once

Anyone who has worked in carpentry knows the old saying, "Measure twice ... cut once." In other words, be certain before putting saw to wood because there's no turning back.

The same could be said of bloggers. "Verify ... recheck ... and then write."

Unfortunately, Ben Tribbett aka "Not Larry Sabato" went with sensationalism instead of checking for the truth in a post about Bob McDonnell ... but the Washington Post's blog took the time to check and verify and discovered NLS's story was wrong.

Jim Hoeft at Bearing Drift has Tuesday's original story with a link to the WaPo ... Shaun Kenney has more and points out the obvious here ...

... Mike at Write Side of My Brain also posts about it as well as Kat at CatHouse Chat ... Jim Riley over at Virginia Virtucon has thoughts here ...

... Krystle at Crystal Clear Conservative comments on it all ... and Jason Kenney at J's Notes adds his thoughts. Tim at I'm Surrounded By Idiots is unamused by blog shenanigans.

RedState's Erick Erickson has also weighed in ... and DJ over at Right-Wing Liberal adds humor to the entire situation.

Round 2 on Wednesday...
- Jason Kenney has follow-up with his post on Bearing Drift, What we've come to expect from Virginia's biggest Democratic bloggers.
- Jim Hoeft at Bearing Drift also follows up with RedState and Blue Virginia weigh in on flag flap.
- Cato at DelMarVa Dealings weighs in with Virginia Dems Playing Race Card Early.

J's Notes turns 8

Jason Kenney at 2009 RPV Convention.

Eight years ago America had a new Republican president after a long and difficult campaign ... eight years ago we were in the middle of a lazy summer ... eight years ago I was preparing lesson plans for my two home schooled children, gearing up for the new school year.

Eight years ago America was in the calm before the storm, unaware that in a few weeks tragedy would hit this nation in a way we had never experienced before, testing a new president, the American people, and the world.

And eight years ago today Jason Kenney started blogging at J's Notes which makes his one of the longer-running blogs in what has become a very crowded field of opinions and discussion. I am not sure I even knew what a blog was eight years ago, and certainly would not have had time for one. Jason is a wealth of technology information, someone many of his fellow Jeffersoniad bloggers turn to for answers to techie questions.

Gratitude goes to Jason for his conservative views and for helping to pave the way for older bloggers like myself to find a voice and join in the debate. Congratulations and happy anniversary to J's Notes.

Congratulations from fellow bloggers:
- Jim Hoeft at Bearing Drift: J's Notes is eight years old
- Doug Mataconis at Below the Beltway: Eight years of blogging

From On High blog having technical difficulty

Thanks to Jerry Fuhrman's daughter, Jodi, who alerted blogosphere readers that From On High had been affected by weather-related damage that necessitated calling in the southwest mountains' version of the Geek Squad. That explained why my blog reading was lighter this morning.... Looking forward to Jerry being back online soon.