The Latest from Brother Craig The Hatchet Man

President's Day: Evil in the Sight of the Lord Happy President's Day from The REALLY Real Deal! Yesterday, I spoke about choosing leaders wisely. Check out the Sunday Message on February 19, 2023, titled, "President's Day: Evil in the Sight of the Lord." In this message, we also discuss a great President, John Quincy Adams, who died 175 years ago, as well as several evil Presidents. As our Bible … Read more.

IRLI Takes on Duplicate DACA

February 21, 2023

Shows court why program is unconstitutional

WASHINGTON—Yesterday, the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) filed a friend-of-the-court brief in a Texas federal district court in support of Texas and other states suing to end the Biden administration's new duplication of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA). The original program has been struck down by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, in part because it never went through the mandatory notice-and-comment process. In response, Biden issued an exact copy of the original program, and sent it through notice and comment. Now it is the district court's job to decide, in the first instance, if duplicate DACA is substantively lawful.   In its brief, IRLI shows that duplicate DACA, like the original program, violates the Take Care Clause of the Constitution. In prior opinions reacting to Biden's unlawful border actions, Texas district courts and the Fifth Circuit have been busy explicating the executive's constitutional duty to take care that the nation's laws be faithfully executed. As these courts have written, the duty to take care was included in the Constitution to prevent the executive from "dispensing" with the law by refusing to enforce it against large classes of people selected by the executive. Such "dispensing" is exactly what duplicate DACA does, IRLI points out, and urges the court to strike it down on this alternative basis.    "This case remains important for a host of reasons, not the least of which is that it is Congress, not the executive, that has the constitutional authority to admit aliens or legalize illegal aliens," said Dale L. Wilcox, executive director and general counsel of IRLI. "In the current border crisis brought on by the executive's refusal to perform its duty under the law, it is urgent that the courts forcefully reiterate that principle, and we hope this court does so."   The case is Texas v. United States, No. 1:18-cv-00068 (S.D. Tex.).

Dementia Joe is Projecting Again

REMINDER - Feb. 21st: MCRW Movie Night, MY SON HUNTER

A special screening of Phelim McAleer and Anne McElhinney's

MY SON HUNTER

will be held at

Madison County Republican Women's monthly meeting

Tuesday, February 21st

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

 Fellowship Baptist Church Annex, 725 Gate Road, Madison

The meeting will feature delicious Pasta dishes with sides, and desserts by our members.

Dinner donation $10. Everyone is invited to attend this informative meeting.

For more information, please call (540) 923-4109.

A special Thank You to all our members for bringing your favorite pasta dishes, sides and desserts to share.

Delegate Phillip Scott: Weekly Newsletter

Edition LXXVI

Friends, the sixth week of session has come to a close, and session is almost over.   This past week, I had three bills heard in Senate Committees.   HB1869- This bill would have held the General Assembly to the standard set in 2002 for boards and commissions created under the executive branch. After Jan 1, 2003, these boards and commissions were required by law to have a sunset clause. This bill would have duplicated that language for all legislative branch boards and commissions. It would also have directed the State to review all boards and commissions created after 2003, which did not have the required sunset clause, and report back to the General Assembly so proper action could be taken. Every single Senate Democrat and the majority of House Democrats voted against this bill which would have held them to the standard of the law. It failed in Senate Committee.   HB1871- This bill would have extended the validity period for concealed handgun permits. It would also have allowed you to update any identifying information. Senate Democrats and House Democrats tried to make the renewal process more than it is by saying it is a chance for the government to check and ensure you can still have a CHP. The bill would have reduced the workload on our circuit courts, and it failed in Senate Committee.   HB1877- This bill would have reduced early in-person voting to 14 days, and the facts and data show that most people have voted in the last 14 days. Forty-five days of in-person places a major financial burden on local government, and it failed in Senate Committee.

Delegate Nick Freitas carried the Born Alive Act again this year. If you are unfamiliar with this bill, it would require doctors to provide care and treatment for children born alive after a failed abortion attempt. This is a child that is alive outside of its mother. There are no other restrictions on abortion in the bill. But it died in Senate Committee.   Democrats want to make abortion about reproductive rights. Abortion is not about that. Women have reproductive rights. They are free to marry whomever they wish. They can date who they want to. They can have sex with whomever they want. These are reproductive rights. Let us not confuse rights with responsibility. Abortion is about killing an unborn child to escape the responsibility of being a parent. Slavery was not about plantation owners' rights. Slaver was about owning another person. We are all created in God's image. We all have the right to life. The circumstances of how a person was conceived or the economic level they will grow up in should never dictate that person's value, born or unborn.

HB1400 Budget Bill

I talk little about the Budget in my newsletters. However, this is at the request of a constituent.   There may be things in the Budget you like and things you do not like. Maybe a bill you like requires state funding, and you want to ensure funding for that bill is provided. It may have been in the House Budget but not the Senate. Who do you contact to have your voice heard? As always, reach out to your Delegate or Senator. You can also reach out to the Budget Conferees. For the Senate, they are Senators Howell, Barker, Saslaw, Norment, Lucas, Hanger, Locke, Newman, and Deeds. For the House, they are Delegates Knight, Austin, Bloxom, Brewer, Torian, and Sickles. Click here to get their contact information on the Virginia General Assembly website.   What does it mean to have a bill in conference? It means that the Senate and the House agreed on the idea of the bill but not the wording. For the Budget, the House has line items for specific things with specific amounts. Suppose the Senate version does not include that line item or has a different amount. In that case, the Budget Bill goes into conference. In conference, the final wording of the bill is debated and decided. Then it goes to each chamber for final vote.

2023 Session Update Videos

Congressman Bob Good Update

Arlington National Cemetery "Confederate Memorial" Removal

This past week, I submitted comments to the Federal Register in opposition to a Naming Commission recommendation to remove a Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. The recent movement pushing for the removal of statues is an attempt to rewrite America's story. It devalues the United States' struggle to become a more perfect union and the progress we have made, consistent with our founding ideals.

The "Confederate Memorial" at Arlington Cemetery was constructed by the First Jewish graduate of Virginia Military Institute, Moses Jacob Ezekiel. The statue stands as a symbol of the reconciliation process our country went through to become more unified after the Civil War.

Efforts to remove statues like this encourage an endless cycle of renaming institutions, buildings, and cities across the country under the destructive ruse of political wokeness. Historical sites are healthy environments to observe varied perspective of historical events, engage diverse viewpoints, and inspire robust conversation as we remember our nation's history. We should support the mission and heritage of Arlington Cemetery and preserve the institution and its memorials.

Week 6 Update!

INTRODUCTION

With just one week remaining in the 2023 General Assembly session, the House and Senate are now busy considering legislation submitted by their colleagues in the opposite chamber.  Senators are splitting their time between listening to delegates in Senate committees extol the virtues of legislation that passed the House and appearing before delegates in House committees to explain the benefits of legislation that passed the Senate.  Lawmakers who keep track of their steps during session can rack up a lot in a single day during this part of session.
 

IS ANYTHING GETTING DONE?

As this session has progressed, many of the media accounts have shifted from detailing bills on hot-button issues to discussing the demise of those bills.  By now, most have read, heard, or seen news accounts that the Republican-majority House is passing bills that are subsequently being defeated by the Democrat-majority Senate – and vice-versa.
On a limited number of issues, this account of legislative progress is accurate.  However, most issues being considered by the General Assembly are not the subject of philosophical or partisan divisions.  But, the ones most likely to be covered in news accounts are.
There is no question that partisanship remains a factor, and for the last two sessions it has been dishearteningly on display in the appointment confirmation process. Late last week, Senate Democrats lined up to remove three of Governor Youngkin's appointees.  As was made clear from the floor debate, these individuals were not removed because they weren't qualified for their appointments or weren't doing their jobs.  To the contrary, they were all extremely well qualified and doing outstanding jobs.  In large part, they were removed because Governor Youngkin appointed them.
You might not expect The Wall Street Journal to follow a session of the Virginia General Assembly.  They did take notice of Senate Democrats' actions removing Governor Youngkin's appointees, though.  In an editorial detailing the removal of one of the appointees from the State Board of Education, "A Shameful Vote in Virginia," the Journal editorial board wrote "Virginia Democrats have hit a new low…".
Having been on the Senate Floor for the votes removing that qualified appointee and the two others who were summarily dispatched by Senate Democrats, I concur with the Journal's assessment: Virginia Democrats did hit a new low.
Despite these setbacks, a lot of legislation is getting approved and is headed to the Governor's desk for his consideration. These final few days will determine the number of bills that will survive and how they will benefit the people of Virginia.

 
LEGISLATION

I was one of those senators rushing from Senate committees, where I reviewed legislation, to House committees, where I presented my bills.

As of Friday, 2/17, I have 9 bills that will be headed to Governor Youngkin for his reviewal. Senate Bills: 961, 964, 973, 975, 976, 986, 989, 1054, and 1132. I am still waiting on 4 of my other bills to go through House readings; I have submitted 26 bills this session.
Since only 9 of my bills have made it through the House thus far, much work still needs to be done. Next week is the last week of session, where in my final newsletter of session updates, you can expect a recap of my 26 bills and budget amendments. If you would like to track the progress of my 26 submitted bills from this session, click here.  

 
CLOSING

The final week of this year's session promises to be eventful. Long sessions, conference committees, and – with any luck – an agreement on amendments to the 2022-2024 biennial budget are all part of the final week.  I'll be back next week with what will hopefully be a wrap-up.  Until then, have a great weekend!

 
Senator Mark Peake Contact Information
 Email: district22@senate.virginia.gov
Phone: (804) 698-7522

Reagan Dinner LAST CHANCE Tickets available

The 11th Annual Reagan Legacy Dinner is an opportunity to spend time with fellow conservatives,  support the Culpeper County Republican Committee, meet elected officials, learn more about candidates running in upcoming elections, and hear a key message from Steve Myers, Speechwriter for Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

Tickets are going fast and there are only a few days left to purchase!  There are 2 opportunities to purchase your tickets today.

In-person

CCRC Headquarters

9am to 4pm

Online 

Click Here to Purchase Reagan Legacy Event Tickets

Event Details

Saturday, February 25, 2023

Tuscany Hall

To guarantee you have a seat, be sure to purchase your pre-sale tickets by Wednesday, February 22nd 

Look forward to seeing you there!

Sandy Boone

Corresponding Secretary, CCRC

Visit www.culpepergop.org for all the latest news and events.

Week 6: What Happened this Week in the General Assembly?

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK?

WEEK 6: GENERAL ASSEMBLY UPDATE

Senator Amanda Chase Senator Chase has represented Chesterfield, Colonial Heights and Amelia Counties in the Senate since first elected in 2015, almost 8 years. She grew up in Bon Air and has lived most of her life in Chesterfield, since 1979. She has been rated as one of the most conservative Senators in Virginia by the American Conservative Union and has a lifetime score of 100% with the Family Foundation, VCDL and A with the NRA. She is also a champion in the General Assembly for pushing back against vaccine and mask mandates, calling for a full investigation into the 2020 Presidential Election, parental rights in education, medical freedom, protecting gun rights and help for our veterans.

THE FINAL STRETCH- ONLY ONE MORE WEEK

2023 SESSION WEEK 6 OVERVIEW Dear Friends, Things are finally beginning to slow down now that crossover is behind us. Crossover is when the bills that passed the House come to the Senate and vice versa. Up until crossover we are literally working around the clock either preparing talking points and lining up subject matter experts to speak on bills, or doing regular press interviews to convey those bill ideas to the public. Now we are simply listening to House bills that mostly have unanimous consent and sending bills to conference committee where conferees from both the House and the Senate work together to finalize the bill language. On average now, we vote up or down on about 40 uncontested bills and 10 contested bills each day. Next week, we will hear those conference reports and vote up or down on any remaining bills. To give you an idea, almost 600 bills in the House and over 500 in the Senate advanced, and only one bill passed both chambers by Feb. 7. Few good bills passed and those that did aren't exciting. With only a handful of exceptions, meaningful bills died and only more technical or clerical in nature survived. Bills important to constituents all failed, like election integrity, pushing back against Covid mask and vaccine mandates, restoring 2A rights taken in 2020, parental rights in education and decoupling ourselves with a law passed by Democrats in 2020 to tie Virginia's vehicle emissions standard to California all failed. The only good news of the week is that we agreed to pass legislation that prohibits countries who are hostile to the United States from purchasing land in Virginia thanks to Republicans and 3 Democrat Senators Joe Morrisey, John Bell and David Marsden who understand the importance of national security. Next week is our final week and we finish up on Saturday. The session is slated to adjourn on Feb. 25 and reconvene for unfinished business will be on April 12. After that, election season begins in earnest. All 140 General Assembly seats will be up for grabs in November. We're all up for re-election. That's 140 seats. 100 in the House and 40 in the Senate. All seats are in newly drawn districts in which many incumbent senators will actually face off against fellow incumbents or face retirement. While I'm thankful that I'm the only incumbent with an address in Senate District 12, both of my opponents Tina Ramirez and Glenn Sturtevant are not explaining to voters that they are running against one of the most conservative Republicans in the Virginia Senate. While I believe the seat belongs to the people, not politicians; it is important that we spend our resources against Democrats, not incumbent Republicans who have not only a proven voting record but a history of securing not just Republican primaries, but winning re-election in a general election, not just once but twice. Did the lines change? Yes. And now more of Northern Chesterfield is in the district, which helps. My husband and I both grew up on Bon Air just blocks away from each other and still have family in this area to this day. Although my husband and I are 4 years apart in age, we both attended Bon Air Elementary, Robious Middle School and graduated from Monacan High School. We both worked at the Chick-Fil-A at Cloverleaf Mall in the 80s as teenagers, which is where we met. My husband and I were married at Bon Air United Methodist Church over 30 years ago, which is the same church in which my husband's parents were married in 1963 and his grandparents were married in prior to that. We have deep roots in Bon Air. It was also my father who helped with the engineering of the new edition to the church decades later. This week we were honored to have Pastor Mike Mayton of Bon Air United Methodist Church pray over the Senate. It was great talking with him and reminiscing about our shared connections at BAUMC. I'm really looking forward to representing Bon Air, my home where I spend most of my childhood and met my husband.

Save the Date - STAND Awards Dinner

Help us celebrate 14 years of fighting to save America! TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2023 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

STAND's 2022 Annual Report View Here BISHOP E.W. JACKSON, SR. P.S. Become a Patriot Partner today with a minimum monthly gift of $25, or a one time gift of $300, and we will send you a complimentary, signed and numbered copy of my new book, "Sweet Land of Liberty: Reflections of a Patriot Descended from Slaves." BOOK LAUNCH JUST RELEASED ON JANUARY 18, 2023! Become a Patriot Partner for a monthly contribution of $25 or more to receive your complimentary, signed & numbered copy! Contact Us S.T.A.N.D. Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 15022 Chesapeake, Virginia 23328 757-375-6444 stand@standamerica.us