Brownlee moves toward E-verify...

Cuccinelli backpedals.

A new, somewhat surprising contrast between the Republican candidates for Attorney General came to light at Saturday's debate sponsored by the Virginia Federation of Republican Women.

In response to a question regarding illegal aliens and undocumented workers, John Brownlee said he strongly supports "the use of the U.S. government's E-Verify system." Brownlee supports making the use of E-Verify mandatory for all employers in the Commonwealth, including the state government, in an effort to reduce the number of illegal aliens in Virginia. E-Verify is a proven and effective resource for employers to verify citizenship / residency status and screen out illegals who are seeking employment.

In a response to the same question, State Senator Ken Cuccinelli said he opposed requiring private employers to use E-Verify, suggesting the system was too flawed to be reliable.
As one conservative analyst put it, "Our political leaders cannot hide behind the '[E-Verify] needs further improvement' mantra forever, because doing so is the functional equivalent of not enforcing the prohi­bition against hiring illegals in the first place."

Brownlee also stated "As Attorney General, I will encourage our General Assembly to mandate the use of instant verification methods by our state agencies and all private employers. The mandatory use of such measures by all employers will be a major step forward in Virginia's fight against illegal immigration.

"As the only candidate for Attorney General who has worked first-hand on the problem of illegal immigration, I know the effect this problem has on our communities and the budgets of our cities and counties. Requiring the use of E-Verify would send a strong message to those who may come here illegally that Virginia takes our immigration laws seriously."

Brownlee noted studies that estimate as much as four percent of Virginia's current population are illegal immigrants.

Phyllis Schlafly wrote, "E-Verify has been proven to successfully verify employees queried through the system within five seconds. Opponents of this program, to date, have been unable to find a single instance in which legal U.S. citizens have lost their jobs due to an E-Verify error."

Former Reagan White House Communications Director Patrick J. Buchanan recently wrote, "E-Verify is a smashing success with an accuracy rate of over 99 percent that holds out promise of a day when every employer in America will be able to ensure that every employee is an American or someone authorized to work here....Isn't this what we all want, what we have all sought -- an easy, verifiable, non-intrusive, inexpensive way for businesses to assure that those they hire are in our country legally?"

Brownlee added that by implementing E-Verify and reducing the number of illegals coming to Virginia, both businesses and taxpayers will save money and reduce costs.

Brownlee also applauded the efforts by Republicans in Congress requiring that firms receiving "stimulus bill" monies use E-Verify for all employees on stimulus projects. Efforts to do so were thwarted by liberal Democrats in the U.S. Senate.

"It is absolutely appalling that the Congress will not require the beneficiaries of this new spending to be either citizens or legal residents of this country," said Brownlee.

Brownlee recognized the efforts of the Republican members of Congress who are fighting for a strengthened, improved E-Verify system. "It is an outrage that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are thwarting efforts to sustain and improve the E-Verify system. I will do whatever I can to support our Congressional Republicans in their efforts to strengthen and continue this critical program."

Brownlee noted that Democrat Senator Mark Warner voted recently with the Reid / Pelosi liberals to kill an amendment by Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions to expand and extend the E-Verify program for another five years.

Brownlee said the liberal Democrats' control of the federal government - and their refusal to embrace solutions like E-Verify that would help the U.S. get control of our borders - means it is absolutely critical that Virginia act to mandate E-Verify use across the Commonwealth.

"As United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, I identified and deported illegal immigrants from Virginia. I also had the great honor, on several occasions, of presenting legal immigrants to a Federal Judge for the purpose of administering the Oath of Citizenship. We do a grave dishonor to those who have come here legally when we fail to enforce our immigration laws. E-Verify is a critical component in that enforcement, and I will urge the General Assembly to mandate its use in Virginia.

"As Virginia's Attorney General, I will never forget that we are a nation of immigrants; but we must also never forget that we are, first and foremost, a nation of laws."

Folks, this blogger is sold on Mr. Brownlee's excellent cotribution to society thruout his magnificent career. And I do believe that John has just begun to sink his heels into his life in public service we can believe in.

Update:

John Brownlee is a solid conservative who understands the danger to our nation posed by illegal immigration. As United States Attorney, John was on the frontlines of the crackdown against illegal workers in Virginia. As Virginia's next Attorney General, John will lead the fight to halt illegal immigration. John will push for a strong, mandatory employment verification system, and he will use his office to insist that the Federal government enforce our nation's immigration laws. I am pleased to endorse his candidacy.

Former Congressman & Presidential Candidate
Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado)

Senator Jeff Sessions and Governor Frank Keating endorse Brownlee

Senator Jeff Sessions, R-AL, and former Governor Frank Keating, R-OK, have agreed to host a fundraising event for John Brownlee's Campaign for Attorney General. The event will be held on May 5, 2009, at the Charlie Palmer Steakhouse, located at 1010 Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC. The invitation is attached to this Brownlee Report. Sen. Sessions and Governor Keating are strong social and fiscal conservatives who both served as United States Attorneys for President Ronald Reagan.

Senator Jeff Sessions is one of the great conservative leaders in America. Sen. Sessions served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, Attorney General of Alabama, and is currently in his fourth term as a U.S. Senator from Alabama.

Sen. Sessions grew up in Hybart, Alabama. After attending school in nearby Camden, Sessions, an Eagle Scout, worked his way through Huntingdon College in Montgomery, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969. He received his law degree from the University of Alabama in 1973. Sessions served in the United States Army Reserve from 1973 to 1986, attaining the rank of Captain.

Following a two-year stint as Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama (1975-1977), President Reagan appointed Sen. Sessions in 1981 as the United States Attorney for Alabama's Southern District, a position he held for 12 years. Sessions was elected Alabama Attorney General in 1995, serving as the state's chief law enforcement officer until 1997, when he was elected to the United States Senate.

As a United States Senator, Sessions has focused his energies on maintaining a strong military, upholding the rule of law, limiting the role of government, and providing tax relief to stimulate economic growth and empower Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money.

Governor Frank Keating is one of the most respected conservative leaders in the United States. He served two terms as Governor of Oklahoma from 1995 - 2003 and is the only Republican in Oklahoma's history to serve two terms as Governor. Keating attended Cascia Hall Preparatory School in Tulsa and graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1966. He returned to Oklahoma and received his law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1969.

After law school, Gov. Keating began his career in law enforcement. Gov. Keating served as a Special Agent for the FBI. As a FBI agent, Keating was charged with investigating terrorism incidents and other criminal activity. Keating also served as an Assistant District Attorney. In 1973, Keating was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. He would only serve a single term in the House, until 1975, when he was elected to the Oklahoma Senate. He would serve in the Senate from 1975 until 1981, winning reelection in 1978. While in the Senate, Keating rose to become the highest ranking Republican as the Senate Minority Leader.

In 1981, President Reagan appointed Keating to be the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma. Keating also served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and was later elevated to United States Associate Attorney General, the third ranking official within the United States Department of Justice. These appointments made Keating the highest ranking Oklahoman during the Reagan administration.

In 1995, Keating was elected Governor of Oklahoma. Within three months of taking office, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was destroyed in the Oklahoma City bombing, in which the lives of 168 Oklahomans were lost and over 800 people were injured. The blast destroyed or damaged more than 300 buildings in the surrounding area, leaving several hundred people homeless and shutting down offices in downtown Oklahoma City. Gov. Keating responded with great strength and leadership in the wake of that horrible national tragedy.

John's web page is here.

PATH opposition fundraiser is huge success

Thanks to Bob Lazaro for the picture



Many thanks to Hosts Robert and Luciana Duvall for their time and their efforts. This guy is pretty cool in person. And as General Lee in "Gods and Generals" , who better to speak to the placement of unnecessary blights thru the "Hallowed Ground"?

Update:
Video is now available for the event. Here

Wolf issues a position on Power lines

Wolf has now jumped into the power line discussion by writing Gov. Tim Kaine a third letter asking for a response. (You know, Timmy ... who added a Dominion Power lawyer and lobbyist to the State's Corporation Commission? There's a conflict of interest if I ever saw one.)
One more reason Dominion Power is nobody's friend...unless you're a banker, or a self-centered prick.


And then onto Frank's Letter:
January 22, 2009

The Honorable Tim Kaine
Governor of Virginia
State Capitol
Richmond VA 23219

Dear Governor Kaine:

I write today for the third time in four months to again urge that you convene a meeting with your counterparts in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland to set in motion discussion of an "interstate compact" process for the siting of electric transmission facilities among Virginia and these states.

As my previous correspondence noted, federal law (P.L. 109-58) allows for an "interstate compact" of three or more states to join together to create a regional transmission siting agency that has the authority to review, certify, and permit regional transmission facilities. If the states agree on a plan, this interstate compact would pre-empt federal authority. This would put the power to decide what is best for each state back in the hands of the states.

First it was the Dominion Power request before the State Corporation Commission (SCC) for the recently approved Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line (TrAIL) project, which encompasses my congressional district. Now a proposed Allegheny transmission line called Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH) would traverse my district.

Serious questions have been raised about the regional need for these transmission lines. A recent Washington Post analysis showed that local homes and businesses used about 2 percent less electricity in the first nine months of 2008 than they did in 2007. The power companies tout that more transmission lines are needed because of the risks of overloading, blackouts and high demand. With such reports that energy usage is decreasing, does the necessity of these lines still exist?

Where does it stop? How many separate power line projects are really necessary? Because these projects span the region incorporating the states bordering the Commonwealth to the west, north, and east, doesn’t it make sense that these states act in common interest?

I also remain concerned that specifically in the Commonwealth, the power companies may not have the citizens’ best interests in mind and are failing to keep those in affected areas informed. For example, I recently became aware that Dominion had purchased a residential property in Leesburg with the intent of constructing a 130-foot transmission pole in close proximity to other homes. I understand all the neighbors in the area were not notified, and it was only after the mayor, my office and other local officials became involved that Dominion took steps to explain its plans. This power line project was approved by the SCC last February; however, Dominion’s action appeared to be inconsistent with the SCC’s order.

Is Virginia properly planning for these transmission lines and also the potential for additional lines that threaten neighborhoods and the Commonwealth’s historic landscapes? Is the State Corporation Commission empowered statutorily to give the necessary weight to citizen concerns?

With these concerns in mind, in addition to meeting to discuss a regional compact with your fellow governors, I also urge you to convene a statewide meeting to include Dominion and Allegheny, citizens and elected officials to discuss the future energy plans in the Commonwealth. Residents in affected areas need their voices heard. The SCC regulatory process is broken and must be fixed. This meeting could look at proposals for reforming the SCC and ensure that the views of citizens are fairly weighed in the process.

I urge your personal attention to these issues of such importance to my constituents and all the people of Virginia.

Best wishes.

Sincerely,

Frank R. Wolf
Member of Congress

Now, Timmy, if you could stop hosting illegal in-session fundraisers at the Governor’s mansion, we'd appreciate a courtesy call to the member representing the 10th Congressional District with some answers.