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If you haven’t reserved your seat for this Friday’s Valley Family Forum “Salute to the Family,” with special guest Bishop E. W. Jackson, time is running out. If you live or work in the Shenandoah Valleyare within driving range, or just want to make a night of it, we hope you will join us at this wonderful event.

The program begins at 6:30 Friday, May 13, at the James Madison University Festival Conference and Student Center in Harrisonburg. This year’s theme is “A Celebration of God and Country.”

Bishop Jackson is founder and Chairman of S.T.A.N.D., a national organization dedicated to restoring America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and to preserving our Christian faith and values, and Exodus Faith Ministries, based in Chesapeake. He is a nationally acclaimed speaker, combining immense intellect and passion, whom no one forgets after hearing. He is an ex-Marine, Harvard Law School educated attorney, and frequent guest on the national media programs, including those on ABC, FOX News and NPR. The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post have covered him and he’s even braved the liberals on MSNBC. Bishop Jackson also is the former chaplain at Boston Red Sox Services and for The Family Foundation.

The evening will include special music by The Faithful Men, plus the annual Wilberforce Award presentation. Tickets are $25 per person or $200 for a table of eight. For reservations, e-mail family@valleyfamilyforum.org or call 540-438-8966. The Valley Family Forum is a grassroots chapter of The Family Foundation.

* This event is to benefit The Valley Family Forum and The Family Foundation and is not a campaign fundraiser for Bishop Jackson. Titles, party affiliations and references to elected offices sought are listed for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement by The Family Foundation.

Here’s another reminder of the Valley Family Forum’s 10th annual Shenandoah Valley “Salute to the Family,” with special guest Bishop E. W. Jackson. If you live in the Valley, or even outside of it, this is a terrific event that has gained a prominent spot on the political calendar each year. So, we hope you can join us in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, on Friday, May 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the outstanding James Madison University Festival Conference and Student Center in Harrisonburg. This year’s theme is “A Celebration of God and Country.”

Bishop Jackson is founder and Chairman of S.T.A.N.D., a national organization dedicated to restoring America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and to preserving our Christian faith and values, and Exodus Faith Ministries, based in Chesapeake. He is an ex-Marine, Harvard Law School graduate, acclaimed speaker, and frequent guest on national television and radio, including ABC, MSNBC, FOX News and NPR. He has been written about in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. Bishop Jackson also is the former chaplain of the Boston Red Sox and for The Family Foundation.

The evening will include special music is by The Faithful Men, plus the annual Wilberforce Award presentation. Tickets are $25 per person, or $200 for a table of eight. For reservations, write to family@valleyfamilyforum.org or call (540) 438-8966. The Valley Family Forum is a grassroots chapter of The Family Foundation.

Note: This event is to benefit The Valley Family Forum and is not a campaign fundraiser for Bishop Jackson. Titles, party affiliations and references to elected offices sought are listed for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement by The Valley Family Forum or The Family Foundation.

When conservatives, such as Sarah Palin, first brought up the fact that the health care legislation in Congress at the time, and eventually passed, included death panels, the Left threw a hissy fit (see Saul Relative at Yahoo! as an example). Her statement was called, “Lie of the Year,” among many other unflattering things. So, where’s the Left’s outrage at economist Paul Krugman? 

Mr. Krugman is the leading voice in America for government intervention in the economy. Liberals revere him and has won a Nobel Prize for economics. He writes frequently in the New York Times, where he deviates from economics to thrash conservatives, adding to his prominence among the ruling class elites who think they know everything and that they must control your decisions through an increasingly larger government. We he speaks and writes, the Left — activists and those in government — take heed.

Last weekend, on ABC’s This Week, Mr. Krugman went well beyond what Governor Palin said about Obamacare — and it wasn’t the first time either. Not only did he adamantly claim there were death panels, he was proud of it! He said the “death panels” — his term — will save the government money (see FoxNews.com) by denying and choosing which treatments will be funded (not to mention his call for a behemoth new national sales, or ”VAT,” tax). So, the hyper left should be furious at Mr. Krugman. Either he let the cat out of the bag, exposing Obamacare advocates as the real liars, or, if they truly believe there are no death panels, they should impale his intelligence as they did (and still do) to Governor Palin (see Ethel Fenig at American Thinker). 

Hear it all for yourself. The first video is from last weekend. But, remarkably, without much notice, he said the same thing in the spring without much attention paid to it. But don’t believe me: Check the shock on liberal host Christiane Amanpour’s face in the first video. A facial expression is worth more than a 1,000 blog posts.

 Krugman: Endorse the “Death Panels!” Amanpour: Darn it Paul, you’re giving it away!

 Krugman: “Death Panels” will save money and make “binding judgements” on treatment!

The results of yesterday’s elections are historic in many obvious ways. Unlike 1994, Virginians participated in making that history by turning over three liberal incumbent members of the House of Representatives (see Washington Post), including a 28-year veteran previoulsy thought unbeatable, someone who hadn’t had a competitive race in years. So we congratulate three friends of The Family Foundation who won their races yesterday and are on their way to Congress:

» Congressman-elect Morgan Griffith (Newsweek’s The Gaggle blog), a 100 percent TFF voter as a member of the House of Delegates;

» Congressman-elect Robert Hurt (Danville Register & Bee), a 91 percent TFF voter as a member of the Virginia Senate; and

» Congressman-elect Scott Rigell (Norfolk Virginian-Pilot), a donor to our organization.

In the 11th district, liberal incumbent Gerry Connolly has a narrow lead over conservative challenger Keith Fimian, a vote likely to be recounted (Wall Street Journal Washington Wire blog). Pending that outcome, eight of Virginia’s 11 Representatives are Republican. We were pleased to participate in the voter education and get-out-the-vote efforts in these districts. Some of you may have received our GOTV phone calls over the weekend.

In some ways, though, the elections went beyond politics. While the national and state media focus on Congressional outcomes, something happened a bit below the surface that is even more historic — and perhaps longer term.

For example, at least 19 state legislative bodies, including those in Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Iowa, North Carolina and Ohio flipped partisan control to Republicans (John Hood at National Review’s The Corner blog and Ryan Beckwith at CQ Politics’ The Eye blog). In fact, the North Carolina Legislature is Republican for the first time since 1870. The Alabama legislature is Republican for the first time since 1876.

I don’t tell you that to trumpet Republicans, but because our sister family policy council organizations inform us that many of those elected yesterday support pro-family policies. These organizations ran campaigns similar to our Winning Matters 2009 program and saw pro-life, pro-family candidates win across the board. More important than simply electing people of one particular party, citizens in these states elected pro-family conservatives.

Possibly more telling, voters in Iowa defeated three Supreme Court judges instrumental in imposing homosexual marriage on that state against the will of the people via judicial fiat (New York Times). It is the first time since judges have been on the ballot in Iowa (1962) that they have been defeated on Election Day. Once again, when the issue of marriage is put to the people, traditional marriage wins.

Now, the question is, will the message sent by the voters yesterday carry over into next year’s crucial Virginia Senate elections? Will party leaders get the message that motivates voters and give us candidates that are unapologetically pro-life and pro-family? Will Virginia follow the lead of other states that brought wholesale change to their legislatures? Will party leaders endorse incumbents for the sake of “party unity” or listen to the voters? Time will tell if they truly got the message.

Remember how Al Capone finally was convicted and sent to prison? It wasn’t for the numerous murders and other crimes he committed. Shrewdly able to intimidate witnesses and otherwise cover-up and destroy evidence, he was the Teflon Don 1.0. But he finally went down when the feds stuck him on financial fraud, tax evasion and that sort of thing. Who would’ve thunk it . . . accountants brought down Big Al.

Now, Planned Parenthood in California is under the microscope, not for covering up statutory rape, unsafe abortion center conditions, unethical counseling, skirting parental consent laws and mis-dating the unborn child so as to perform an abortion in its center rather than in a hospital, among other illegal and unethical practices — but, rather, for financial fraud. Two former employees, including the California affiliates’ former chief financial officer, have come forward, alleging millions of dollars of overbilling the California government.

The state government has launched audits of 10 of the California Planned Parenthood affiliates, although only one seems to be cooperating. That one, in San Diego, overbilled state government more than $5.2 million. The former CFO, Victor Gonzalez, claims the other audits were stopped cold when powerful Planned Parenthood lobbyists blocked them. Can’t let but so much of the truth get out, of course.

One example of the malfeasance: Gonzalez says PP paid $225,695.65 for Ortho Tri-Cyclen birth control pills, yet billed the government $918,084 — a profit of $692,388.35.

Mr. Gonzalez says he was fired after he revealed the over billing internally and has taken legal action. Planned Parenthood tried to get the case dismissed, but the nation’s most liberal court of appeal, the Ninth U.S. Circuit, refused to go along. The lawyer for Mr. Gonzalez says the case may take years to unwind and that there is “ACORN-like corruption” and advises federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to de-fund Planned Parenthood of any taxpayer money. The most recent figures estimate that Planned Parenthood received $349.6 million dollars in federal government grants and contracts for fiscal year 2008.

But that’s not all. According to Shannon Bream of Fox News:

Government audits of Planned Parenthood affiliates in New Jersey and have uncovered similar billing discrepancies. In addition, a second California whistleblower claim alleging improper ties between Planned Parenthood and its political arm has reportedly launched an investigation by the criminal division of the Internal Revenue Service, according to the New York Times.

We all know what happened to ACORN. It met a Capone-like fate itself. Could this be the first tug of the support beam that holds up Planned Parenthood? Sound impossible? Capone thought he was untouchable, too.

Who knew abortion was such a pleasant experience? From the July 12 New York Times, a feature on “The New Abortion Providers” glows as if these people are modern versions of Florence Nightingale:

After Roe, the shadow of the greedy, butchering “abortionist” continued to hover, and many doctors didn’t want to stand in it. As mainstream medicine backed away, feminist activists stepped in. They set up stand-alone clinics to care for women in their moments of crisis. In many ways, the clinics were a rebel-sister success story. Instead of a sterile and expensive hospital operating room, patients could go to a low-cost clinic with pastel walls and sympathetic staff members. At a Planned Parenthood I visited recently in Rochester, while women were having abortions, they could look at photos of a Caribbean beach, taped above them on the ceiling.

I guess when an organization constantly gets exposed (see latest video from LiveAction.org) for unethical behavior and horrible conditions, it needs a little puffery from the liberal media. There is an interesting sentence in the article, though:

The American Medical Association did not maintain standards of care for the procedure.

This is something we come up against every year during the General Assembly in our work to get abortion centers regulated just as every other medical facility must be. This past session, the pro-abortion lobby finally came up with standards it says its abortion centers follow, based on recommendations from its own association of abortionists. New, indeed.

There’s much to take from the long article but here’s the gist, as from this paragraph:

This abortion-rights campaign, led by physicians themselves, is trying to recast doctors, changing them from a weak link of abortion to a strong one. Its leaders have built residency programs and fellowships at university hospitals, with the hope that, eventually, more and more doctors will use their training to bring abortion into their practices. The bold idea at the heart of this effort is to integrate abortion so that it’s a seamless part of health care for women — embraced rather than shunned. (Emphasis added.) 

So much for “safe, legal and rare.” The abortion movement is nothing short of a full-frontal effort to encourage abortions at all cost. Rather, than, as NARAL and Planned Parenthood proclaim, that they are for choice and aim to provide options and overall women’s health care, their intentions are to create the acceptance of, and markets for, the killing of the innocent unborn for their own profit and other nefarious reasons.

We’ve grown accustomed to the Left shutting out dissent and attempting to control information, most notably at colleges, where conservatives either are denied opportunities to speak on campus or, when they are, are shouted down and otherwise treated rudely. Not exactly fulfilling higher education’s mission, but nothing like what we see now coming from the White House, which is supposed to define the differences between American governance and those of tight-fisted, undemocratic regimes. 

First, it was the unprecedented ”interview” of Supreme Court Justice nominee Elena Kagan that the White House produced — shielding her from the Mainstream Media — and posted on the White House Web site, as if the Obama administration thinks its best friends are going to give Kagan a rough time (see The Raw Story Blog, here). Either her record and lack of qualification is that bad or they are trying to conceal a radical ideology.

Then there is the case of the White House putting the kibosh on the New York Times, which simply wanted to observe her brother teach a class (see Free Republic). Since when does the government have that authority? Have it or not, it exercised it, and Hunter College High School disallowed the Times from sitting in, saying that ”media requests now had to be given final approval by the White House.” What? But that wasn’t enough. It also reached further into the family tree, when it slapped down an interview with her cousin (see Sharon Oterman at the Times’ City Room Blog).

Staged interviews and gagging relatives are one thing, but the White House within the last day or so really has taken the cake: It suspended the Twitter account of the guest celebrity chef brought in to prepare the state dinner in honor of Mexican President Felipe Calderon (NBC Chicago Blog). Apparently, Rick Bayless, who is cooking pro bono, was divulging too much information about the meal (see Lynn Sweet Chicago Sun-Times) as well as conventional interviews with those right wingers at NPR and other MSMs, and the Obama administration is afraid of any revelations of double standards and ill-perceptions: First Lady Michelle’s obesity campaign may come into ridicule once the opulent delicacies and calorie-rich menu is disclosed, and the high-living lifestyle won’t set well with Americans suffering during a recession.

While every administration tries to spin the news and limit access to officials in order to limit damage, actually producing the news is an entirely new function of a democratic republic. Even allowing for the application of new technology making it possible to put out, in essence, a video news release, there is no excuse for the decidedly old-school hammering of free speech and press by third parties, not to mention the hypocrisy of shutting down an invited guest’s own techie communications to the public (as if the menu and festivities won’t be disclosed eventually).

More to the point, the control the Obama state has put on its own fawning media, is another example of the left actually doing what it asserts conservatives do. In fact, its behavior is more like a paranoid third world regime. But what it doesn’t understand, apparently, is that, just as with regimes, the more suppression, the more revelation. The more revelation, the more desperate and pathetic a government looks and becomes.

As faithful readers of our blog know, I’ve been looking for an elected conservative with the courage of conservative European Parliament Member Daniel Hannan, who’s public dress down of then-British Prime Minister Gordon Brown became an international sensation (despite the  international Mainstream Media’s inattention). It went viral in a big way and precipitated the fall of Brown’s government last week to the Conservative Party (New York Times). Mr. Hannan  does not shy away from his conservative principles and proudly articulates them to anyone and everyone, here or there, in any situation. 

Where is the American version? The one who won’t cower when the media tries to belittle him (or her), who won’t seek the David Brooks squishy center so he can be liked (see Michelle Malkin), who isn’t afraid leftist attacks will hurt perceptions of him, who instead fires back with the truth? I like Colonel Allen West, who ran for Congress two years ago and lost and is trying again this year. But he’s still not elected.

This week we may have found him. Although our own governor, Bob McDonnell, received most of the attention during the 2009 election cycle, it looks like it’s the other new governor, Chris Christie of New Jersey, who’s taking the liberals to task and unapologetically sticking up for conservative values and principles. Faced with his predecessor’s unimaginable fiscal mess, he’s not placing blame (unlike President Obama), but is fixing the problems the way he was overwhelmingly elected to do. Fulfilling campaign promises. How refreshing.

The video below, much like Mr. Hannan’s, was barely reported, but is a huge Internet splash. It — and his early budget cutting, government and education reforms, and unwillingness to absorb liberal mischaracterization — is propelling Governor Christie into the presidential contender ranks (Jakila The Hun Blog/Motley Fool). 

Here is Governor Christie’s reply to an arrogant Mainstream Media type’s question at a news conference earlier this week. He proudly draws the unfiltered distinction between himself and his opponents, illustrates liberal hypocrisy and media double-standards. Something to behold and enjoy!

Governor Christie: We’re sent here to argue for our ideas and govern! That’s what I’m doing.

Annotations & Elucidations

Cultural Conservatism’s Comeback (Or Was It Ever Really Dead?)

Who said cultural conservatism is dead? In Virginia last week, there was bipartisan support to end taxpayer funding of elective abortion and within the last 24 hours two major blows for traditional values — and constitutional law — occurred. Yesterday, the Oklahoma Senate joined with the House there in a bipartisan vote to override Democrat Governor Brad Henry’s veto of an informed consent bill which would requires women seeking abortions to see an ultrasound of her baby and receive certain information, not terribly different than a bill we have advocated for in the General Assembly the last several years. (There is always hope!) Then, earlier today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a memorial Cross on federal land in the Mojave Desert can stay, reversing a lower court ruling.

But was cultural conservatism dead? Hard to believe that when each state that has voted on a Marriage Amendment has passed it. The truth is that there are certain truths in life and embedded in the constitution. Only when they are purposefully misinterpreted and laws misapplied to achieve agenda goals are they ever defeated. But defeat is not death. Values endure. We’ve seen that in the last 24 hours.

News

Gov discusses Confederacy, felons’ rights, condoms (The Daily Press)

Va. ponies up millions to add Northrop (Washington Examiner)

Albemarle tea party crashes Fifth District chairman’s endorsement (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Audio

Ask The Governor (39:56) (WTOP/WTOP.com)

National News

Strict Abortion Measures Enacted in Oklahoma (New York Times)

States seek new ways to restrict abortions (USA Today)

High court supports Mojave cross in Calif. (AP/FoxNews.com)

High Court Says Mojave Desert Cross Can Remain (Wall Street Journal)

Sounding alarm on gonorrhea (Washington Times)

Poll finds Americans in an anti-incumbent mood as midterm elections near (Washington Post)

Reid: Senate to act on climate before immigration (AP/GOPUSA.com)

GOP eyes comeback for New England House seats (AP/GOPUSA.com)

Not us: Goldman execs deny wrongdoing in crisis (AP/GOPUSA.com)

Obama continues to hammer AZ immigration law (AP/GOPUSA.com)

AG: Court challenge possible on immigration law (AP/GOPUSA.com)

Analysis

How Arizona became center of immigration debate (AP/GOPUSA.com)

Commentary

How Mexico Treats Illegal Aliens (Michelle Malkin/GOPUSA.com)

Trying To Make People Like Us (Harris Sherline/GOPUSA.com)

Arizona’s 21-Bottle Salute (Brent Bozell/GOPUSA.com)

The Return of ‘Social Utility’ (Tony Blankley/GOPUSA.com)

If the left is so pleased with its government takeover of the health care system, and if they are so confident the American people are falling all over themselves in unbridled joy over “free” health care, then why does President Obama feel the need to schedule a series of campaign style events around the country to drum up support for the new law? Who looks for support after the fact? Maybe because Caterpillar (Wall Street Journal) and John Deere (agrimoney.com) have said this law will cost them more than $100 and $150 million, respectively, and cause layoffs? Or maybe because Walgreens (FoxNews.com) said it will no longer accept new Medicaid customers? Unintended consequences? Not. Very much intended. Let the system go to pot, so the government will “need” to intervene yet more.

Furthermore, if this law is sound constitutionally, why is there such a huff by the left — by lefty netroots types (blogs, Facebook, etc.) and by publicity seeking liberal pols (many who held a news conference at the capitol yesterday) — so upset at the legal challenges filed against the law by 14 attorneys general? (See the hysteria in the comments at the T-D article link.) If, as Delegate Jennifer McClellen (D-71, Richmond) says, that the Virginia Health Care Freedom Act (Richmond Times-Dispatch) is akin to Massive Resistance (New York Times); or, as Senator Donald McEachin (D-9, Henrico) says, not engaging in economic activity is actual commerce; or, as Delegate David Englin (D-45, Alexandria) says, the law suits are frivolous, then why all the angst, consternation and worry?

(Make no mistake: The opposition to the Virginia Health Care Freedom Act is a fringe minority — at least five Democrat senators voted for it, more after amendments; and 55 percent of House Democrats voted for it, including several in the Legislative Black Caucus.) 

Apparently, American leftists, from the president on down, are a little nervous. In reality, for good reason. They are not accustomed to principled people fighting with vigor for the constitution, as sworn to do. Their response is a frenzy of complaint and falsity. Their actions belie their recent in-your-face celebratory confidence and giddiness.