A fortnightly rant, FL-S style with a h/t to my CLW homies. Great seeing you all! Thanks for reminding me of the things in life that truly are most-important.

Earlier this week, I acted on a decision that has left some scratching their heads and others wondering “what the #^c& is going on with (him)?”

For those of you who don’t know, let me be the first to inform that on Tuesday evening I resigned from the Stafford County Virginia Democratic Committee. But before you start drawing conclusions let me make this perfectly clear…ugh, sorry…let me set the record straight: my decision to leave the party was motivated by my desire to take on new challenges while recognizing that the time resources I have at my disposal are terribly constrained.

Something had to go. And this was the thing.

My six years of deep involvement with the Stafford Dems has been great. And my two years as Stafford Dems Chair provided some of the achievements in my life for which I am most-proud: flipping control of the Stafford Board for the first time; working to the point of utter exhaustion (and double-pneumonia-contraction) to bring in from Stafford one-fourth of the 9,000 statewide votes Sen. Jim Webb needed for victory and which in turn changed the majority in the U.S. Senate; facilitating a constructive dialogue between government and the private sector to promote Stafford new business development while fostering a livable, sustainable community mindset; and most of all “putting Stafford on the electoral map”.

Mos def, we are now on a lot of radar screens in Richmond and D.C.

Being a noisy pain-in-the-ass has had its advantages and as Stafford Dem Chair I made the most of this wonderful personality trait. Plus, Paul Akers once started a FL-S lead-editorial by calling me “feisty”. I am quite certain that adjective was not intended as a personal compliment.

But, how cool was that?

And I hate to disappoint the cranky cohort that believe I left the SDC because of intractable personality conflicts or policy disputes (with them).

Get over it.

I simply have taken stock of all the things I want to accomplish in my life, the fact that for many years my family and my business took a backseat to politics, and the realization that my kid is not going to remain eight and adorable, forever.

So, what’s on my agenda? Several things.

Being Chair opened my eyes to the fact that in some respects I have lived a double life: people I knew from the business world were unfamiliar with my public policy side, and likewise fellow activists remained wholly unaware that I paid the mortgage by being an executive recruiter (an unabashed capitalist). I executed an ambitious strategy to integrate those parts and pieces.

So far, so good.

Earlier this year, I formed a new company called The Green Suits LLC which helps business executives in the U.S. and abroad start and build successful careers in the new green economy. My new enterprise leverages all that I have learned in public policy, my more than 30-year interest in the environment and social responsbility, and the fact that I am a serial entrepreneur who dares to dream…and dream big!

As I remind my kid how just one person can make a difference in the world, I know I will continue to revisit with fondness my Stafford Dems experiences and achievements.

With my life’s interests expanding and becoming more-diverse I decided that it was time for me to leave. But I will always value my six years of service and sacrifice to this, one of the-oldest continuously-run political parties in the Commonwealth of Virginia (founded 1871).

Lastly, please expect this 800-pound gorilla to continue using (his fortnightly rant) to serve up Fred2Blue snark that is seared to perfection.

Order up! (Ding! Ding!)

Today Stafford County sheriffs arrested four Romanian gypsies who robbed an 89 year-old man.

WTTG FOX 5 interviewed two of his neighbors, who both agreed the man should have shot them. Morons. Don’t they know that gypsy tears can be used as currency in Kazakhstan?

From today’s Free Lance-Star:

Laura Sellers is single, 24 years old and lives with her parents. Not unusual information, but not something you usually see on the resume of a candidate for the Stafford County Board of Supervisors. Sellers is the Democratic nominee, facing incumbent Mark Dudenhefer for the Garrisonville seat in November.

“Stafford needs a new political face,” she said. “I want to give the youth–high school students and people my age–a voice in Stafford.” “I want to live at home,” she added. “I don’t have to live at home.”

She decided it was time to get involved when she learned that one of her favorite teachers was considering a move to Spotsylvania for better pay.

“To hear that teachers are being taken advantage of–that impacted me,” Sellers said. “Their profession needs to be respected.”

She claims a systematic, research-based approach to her campaign, and believes her studying has made her familiar with the history of political issues in Stafford. Although she announced her campaign only days before the filing deadline, she said she has been preparing to run since February. “I am making sure that I’m doing this the right way,” Sellers said. “I’m always willing to listen and ask questions.

I’m not some kid who has nothing better to do.”

******UPDATE 7/22/09: Laura’s opponent, Mark Dudenhefer, contacted me via email and made the following request, “Mr. Martin,  I would appreciate it if you would tone down your Jul 21 posting on Miss Sellers.  Miss Sellers and I have agreed that we will only run  positive campaigns and not participate in personal attacks of any kind.  I believe that Miss Sellers is a bright young women and should be applauded for her desire to become engaged in the political process. Thanks for your cooperation. Sincerely, Mark Dudenhefer”*******

While it’s unexpected from any political figure to ask a third party to stop picking on someone’s opponent in an election year, it’s fair enough request to make as sometimes we bloggers take things a little too far (see daily posts at fred2blue.com for examples of bizarre viewpoints not grounded in reality) and about half of what I write!  So I re-read my wholeheartedly tongue-in-cheek response to the article I referenced above in the Free Lance-Star and realized I was a touch harsh about Miss Laura’s age.  I’ve never met Laura in person so I really don’t knowthat she says “like” and “totally” a lot for example, and for all I know, she’s a fricken genius who would make a fine supervisor and make great decisions.

 Based solely on her quoted responses to the FLS writer (Jonas Beals), I made the judgements I made and chose to write my snarky perceptions that I was probably intended to have once the editors got hold of Jonas’ copy.  It appears to me that the newspaper either chose to omit all the fantastic qualifications Laura Sellers has to become supervisor, OR they wrote a completely fair and impartial report of what she actually said and believes.  YOU have to be the judge of that… blogs are merely a sounding board for one side of any story, and should never be taken as 100% factual.  Nor should newspapers—read everything you can find on a subject and then find out for YOURSELF by getting involved in a campaign or at the very least picking up the phone or sending an email to hear a response to your concerns from the source.

With that being said, I think it takes a lot of class for the Dudester to take the time from his busy schedule to even care what a blogger says about anyone, let alone his opponent. Maybe this is yet another sign that the public is starting to take notice of the validity of viewpoints that are outside the MSM (MainStream Media) and maybe he’s forward thinking enough to acknowledge the repercussions our mighty blog has on the world-order and balance (probably not so much). I don’t agree with him that something I say would reflect poorly on “him” since he didn’t put words at my fingertips, but if the guy wants to fight his campaign mano-e-womano, then I’m going to let him do so.  He is, after all, a U.S. Marine, so I think he can handle it.

I have LONG contended that printed newspapers, and even television news will be functionally DEAD in a decade or less as the NEW MEDIA world takes over with news reporting from the SOURCE of the news via cell phone video, podcasts, blogs, self-made video shows and so forth.  If they manage to stay in business at all, it should be nearly inarguable that their impact on society and news gathering/reporting will be effectively neutered by then. Our society is much more ’self-aware’ than ever, and we finally have the power to communicate to the masses as individuals rather than via a handful of corruptible media-men (ahem Dan Rather, Walter Cronkite, New York Times, CNN). 

The only trouble with a blog is that it is archived and by now people have cut & pasted it and emailed to friends, so to ‘delete’ an entry may be construed as trying to hide something, which I’m not (hence I use my real name), but I want to accommodate the request of the greatest supervisor to ever walk Garrisonville’s neighborhoods seeking to make life better for all in his county, so the next best thing to do is strike-through it and drop the subject.

Therefore- don’t read the following commentary!

Soooo…. maybe run for school board instead?

Maybe just stay home and Facebook with your friends as you complete your psychology degree?

I don’t mean to discourage young people from running, I think they should- but let’s be honest—that young person should be *exceptional* at what they are capable of when it comes to the public policy set for 140,000 of your fellow neighbors of all ages and needs. 

Someone who hasn’t set foot in their own apartment for the first time, raised a family or begun her career to grasp what taxes and public services are all about—let alone learned how government works—should probably not run for an office she isn’t remotely qualified for.

What possible life experiences does she bring to your family’s home that makes her ready to set your tax rate and decide if you get a cop or fireman to respond to your needs?

Examine the life experience  and perspective that make Laura qualified to be your next supervisor:

• Setting the county’s tax rate is just like deciding whether or not to download the new Kanye West song on iTunes. She makes great decisions, and Laura knows you should never spend more than $0.99 for a song.
• Choosing to build a new fire station is a lot like choosing to hang out with your friends at Starbucks. Laura can make the tough calls when it comes to hot topics.
• Preserving Crows Nest is highly similar to preserving your cell phone service by having dad pay the bill. Preservation is like, so important.
• Lobbying Richmond for more funding for VDOT to repair our roads is just like asking for more student loans from the tuition assistance supervisor. Laura has mastered the art of saying “pleeeease?”
• Establishing relationships with surrounding jurisdictions is so totally like IM’ing a stranger and making them your Facebook friend. Laura is friendly and gosh darnit, people like her.
• Balancing a county’s $300 million budget is not much different from only spending what’s on your parents’ credit card for new shoes. Laura knows shoes!
• Keeping a bond rating at ‘A’ is a lot like getting ‘A’s’ in school. Laura knows how important and A is, and wants everyone to have A’s.
• School teachers should be paid more. Laura agrees with US Congressional candidate Krystal Ballthat teachers should make a kajillion dollars a year and someone else should pay for it.
• Choosing a planning commissioner that affects the land use and zoning laws for the county is akin to finding a good prom date. Laura isn’t quite sure what a planning commissioner is yet, but once she finds out, she is totally going to pick a good one.
• Laura wants to represent YOU and YOUR needs. After all, like what are B.F.F.’s for??

… or you can just choose the incumbent, Mark Dudenhefer, retired Marine officer and someone who requires no “on the job” training.  Oh, and Mark lives in his own house and pays his own real estate taxes too.

Posted in BPOL Tax, Cord Sterling, democrats, election, Harry Crisp, humor, Joe "The Janitor" Brito, Laura Sellers, Mark Dudenhefer, Paul Milde, planning commisioner, policy, politics, stafford, supervisor, Susan Stimpson

Cross-posted on Sturdy Roots Blog: and a h/t to my friend Renee in Atlanta for reminding me of a favorite movie line:

Today, my friend and fellow social critic Nancy Rathbun Scott at Marketing Brillo is running a new post about the mind-blowing discovery my wife and I made yesterday while shopping at the Target store in Stafford Marketplace.

At the display unit nearest to the entrance, we believe we recognized the first-ever case of a consumer packaged goods manufacturer downscaling its well-known premium brand’s packaging to look more…store brand-y.

Behold the New, Improved RITZ® Crackers!

(Ugh..wait just a second…)

Why (you ask) would Kraft deliberately downscale this world-famous and much-admired 75 year-old brand? Because consumer research trends show that – as the economy continues to falter and more of us worry about job security and monthly cash flow – we are ditching brand loyalty to buy store-brands.

Caveat emptor: the crackers in the old box and the crackers in the new box are price-marked the same! Let me repeat: the product in the new downscale box costs just as much as the product in the original.

In this time of economic strife when many of us are calling on consumer marketers to become more transparent, we believe this example of downscaling – to make consumers think they are buying a store-branded version of a favorite premium product – may qualify as the greenwashing of corporate social responsibility.

Shame Kraft! Shame!

What makes this development so especially ironic is this: back in 1934, in the midst of the Great Depression, the old National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) named its new cracker after the four-star Ritz-Carlton Hotel because they believed the name “RITZ” projected glamor and elegance.

Now, Nabisco is borrowing a page from the 1984 cult classic “Repo Man” and the film’s sarcastic placement of “generic” consumer products:

I saw a sign outside the local Republican campaign headquarters advertising a July 4th ‘Tea Party’ protest, right next to ‘Bob McDonnell for Governor‘ and ‘Susan Stimpson for Supervisor’.

Anti-Defamation League:

On Stormfront, the most popular white supremacist Internet forum, members have discussed becoming local organizers of the “Tea Parties” and finding ways to involve themselves in the events. Many racists have voiced their intent to attend these rallies for the purpose of cultivating an “organized grassroots White mass movement,” with some suggesting that they would do so without openly identifying themselves as racists.

Viel glück Republicans!

UPDATE: Tea party held outside Congressman Perriello’s office, calling him a “traitor” and a “coward.”

One protester questioned whether climate change is real, prompting a loud cheer from the crowd. “It’s a way to control us!” one man yelled.

If you’re a Democrat in Stafford County who voted in the primary back on June 9, you may have noticed some Republican faces greeting you at the polls like Commisioner of the Revenue Scott Mayausky or Falmouth District Supervisor candidate Susan Stimpson. In an effort to woo Democrats for the November elections, proud Republicans like Stimpson (the recent chairwoman of the Stafford Co. GOP) handed out literature with no mention of party affiliation.

But Aquia Supervisor Paul Milde wins the contest for most pathetic pitch: Cute, fwuffy, wittle kitty cats.

Alane Callander:

On Election Day last November, Milde had a team out at all the precincts collecting signatures in support of a countywide elected Chairman of the Board. He collected names and e-mail addresses of hundreds of voters, through the use of a nonpartisan organization.

Before that the pro-business politico had his hand in mobilizing citizens to fight BPOL, a Business and Professional Occupancy License.

This week Republican Milde was at the Democratic Primary with his “nonpartisan” campaign materials seeking Democratic votes and collecting contact information because they care about animals.

If Milde plans to inform these people about animal shelter issues, that’s one thing, but more likely he’s adding their names to his campaign contact list. That’s unscrupulous and just one reason why he shouldn’t be re-elected.

MN Gov. Tim Pawlenty gained prominence when he came up with the term: Sam’s Club Republicans. But I believe that 2009 will be the year of the PETA Republican™.

Folks, I can’t do this candidacy any better commentating than to just tell you to read the platform itself. This is why some 27-year olds should stick to shopping and Facebook and stay out of national and INTERnational affairs of the most powerful nation on Earth! Read the article [here]

Some of Clueless Krystal’s campaign platform themes are: Why Teachers should make $100,000, Why nuclear testing makes us safer, Why your health insurance company wants you to die, why everyone should get the same pay no matter what they contribute, why marriage between Adam and Steve is healthy for all Americans, Why no one in Congress is under 30 and its because they don’t know about children, Why I want to TRANSFORM our government into a WORLD SOCIETY, Why my newborn baby is the whole reason I’m running for a seat to represent a million people in the U.S. Congress, and that Guns should be given to only those who the government deems worthy.

Next up: Why Sanjia should have won American Idol and OMG, did you SEE what Britney Spears is wearing? There should be a law making that mandatory for all “world” people here in Amerika.

However, what I will say is that the Free Lance-Star continually puts these liberal losers on its front page courtesy of Chelyen Davis’ blatant love affair with anything that is counter-religious and loves a new tax on us! WHY? When Kaine stops at the I-95 rest stop to tinkle, or illegally stump for Al Pollard in a Stafford School- Chelyen finagles a front page headline as a good thing.

When a conservative comes to town, it’s buried in the region section. When a FLAMING LIBERAL says she dreams of one day dancing with gay neighbors and paying every non-working leach the same as the taxpayers who kill themselves to make ends meet and sacrifice their family time to provide a future for them—it’s put on the front page!

Is the editor asleep at the keyboard or are there simply NO CONSERVATIVE WRITERS at the Free Lance-Star? If the later is the case, my apologies for thinking Chelyen is to blame for the imbalance.

This joke of a candidate belongs in the op-ed section with a cartoon above it. Her platform, combined with her name itself, writes its own punchlines. Unfortunately, Chelyen paints every liberal as a newsworthy and that should be balanced with more than a sideline mention when gubernatorial candidates hold huge events that attract 11,000 Virginians and national political and celebrity figures and the best the FLS does is run a rehashed AP story about it.

Posted in Al Pollard, Barack Obama, blog, Clueless Krystal Ball, Communism, democrats, DNC, election, federal, Free Lance-Star, humor, king george, King George County, laws, limousine liberals, Morality, policy, politics, Press Release, Socialism, spotsylvania, stafford, state, taxes, Tim Kaine, U.S. Constitution, virginia

Ken Cuccinelli speaking in Stafford Regional Airport, bragging about his opposition to ALL collective bargaining:

Yeah, here’s the thing about that:

In the United States, the National Labor Relations Act (1935) covers most collective agreements in the private sector. This act makes it illegal for employers to discriminate, spy on, harass, or terminate the employment of workers because of their union membership or retaliate against them for engaging in organizing campaigns or other “concerted activities” to form “company unions”, or to refuse to engage in collective bargaining with the union that represents their employees.

One candidate for Attorney General has been a prosecutor (Steve Shannon), and one hasn’t. This should be a fun race to watch. Isn’t that right Ron?

h/t Blue Virginia

In an effort to replace Sen. John Chichester in 2007 with a more conservative Republican, the Stafford County GOP held a firehouse primary where voters had to sign a loyalty oath saying they’d vote for the eventual nominee. This was supposed to ensure a very conservative nominee since Chichester has always depended on the support of Democrats and Independent voters in past elections. Unfortunately for them, more than one conservative candidate ran in the primary against Richard Stuart, Chichester’s hand-picked successor. Either Jon Myers (now a candidate for School Board in Aquia) or Stafford County GOP Chair John Van Hoy could have easily beaten Stuart in a one-on-one race. But in the crowded field, Stuart emerged victorious with only 41% of the vote.

Two years later, have they learned their lesson?

An open seat in the Falmouth District gives the Republicans a golden opportunity to win back control of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors. Stafford County GOP Chair Susan Stimpson (aka John Van Hoy: Part Duh) is her party’s nominee against Democrat Doug Filler, a political newcomer. In a one-on-one race, you’d have to give the advantage to the more seasoned Stimpson. One little problem though, this isn’t a one-on-one race. Former Republican Supervisor in the Falmouth District, Mark Osborn, wants his old seat back. And he’s running against Filler AND Stimpson as an Independent. Whoops.

In the Hartwood District, Joe Brito, and Independent who organizes with the Democrats on the board, is running for re-election against Republican nominee Gary Snellings. Looks like this race, not Falmouth, could now be the Republicans best hope for regaining a majority.

Meanwhile, Democrat Laura Sellers is running against incumbent Mark Dudenhefer in the Garrisonville district. In Aquia, Paul Milde is running against Independent Irene Egan (and possibly Independent Paul Ortiz, the Free Lance-Star reports that he got his paperwork to the registrar late).

Stafford County Board of Supervisors Vice-Chairman Harry Crisp II has formally endorsed Brian Moran for Governor. Crisp says that:

Brian Moran has the temperament and the ability to lead strong support for bi-partisan solutions on transportation, the environment, education, and the state budget.

Crisp believes that the Federal stimulus money that flowed to Stafford County earlier this year was of considerable help to the community. But he is concerned about next year’s finances when – because of expected shortfalls in 2010’s state sales and income tax revenue – Virginia and Stafford County will face a “truly ominous” economic forecast.

Harry’s wife, Stafford Dem Committee Senior Vice-Chair Bobby Crisp has also come out strong in her support of Brian Moran’s bid for governor.

The Vice-Chairman represents the George Washington District on the Stafford Board of Supervisors. Along with Supervisor Bob Woodson, Crisp’s election in 2007 flipped the Stafford Board to its first-ever a Democratic Party-led majority.