It's a shame Kilgore can't run on his own record and has to go for the gut instead. Too often in politics taking the right stand can cost you votes -- people admired Bush for being firm in his beliefs, but for some reason when it's a Democrat it doesn't count. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

The real issue is Lt. Gov. Kaine's credibility on this issue and, therefore, other issues. Does Mr. Kaine's new stance on this issue square with his past position? Why has he changed his position? Can the voters trust Mr. Kaine? In the past, Kaine's been very vocal about his opposition to the death penalty. It's no secret he's called for a moratorium on the practice. A principled stand on this issue is one thing--even laudable--but in the race for governor, his potential clemency power and former stated position on this issue are issues the Virginia voting public must know about. His recent reticence on this issue should bear some scrutiny.

With a looming transportation problem, concerns over education funding, and honest debate on taxes, when did the death penalty truly become an important State Issue? I really hope that our electorate is informed enough to send a message on Nov. 8th that this sensationalism is unacceptable when running for an important office like Governor.

Question: Could the illegal eavesdropping by Republicans on a conference call between Democrats be considered a heinous enough crime to warrant the death penalty?

How about the way TOP GOP officials ADMITTED GUILT and CRIMINAL WRONGDOING and then turned around and sued its former insurance company claiming that
Union Insurance Co. of Lincoln, Neb., breached its contract by not covering the $750,000 the state party paid last December to 33 Virginia Democrats who sued over eavesdropping by a pair of top Republican officials on Democratic conference calls discussing redistricting.

IN A MIND-BOGGLING DEMONSTRATION OF BOTH A LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND HIP-DEEP HYPOCRISY, the GOP lawsuit also seeks $200,000 for lawyers' bills from RPV's nine-month legal battle with Democratic legislators, who claimed the March 2002 eavesdropping violated their privacy rights.

COULD THIS BE CONSIDERED A HEINOUS ENOUGH CRIME TO WARRANT THE DEATH PENALTY? The GOP paid its settlement money to 31 state legislators and two high-level Democratic Party staffers 10 months ago but has paid only a part of the $200,000 owed in legal fees, according to a Norfolk lawyer representing the Republican Party.

A Richmond lawyer representing the insurance company, argued that Edmund A. Matricardi III, former state GOP executive director, and Gary R. Thomson, former state GOP chairman, were not rogue actors in the eavesdropping as he said the party had once claimed.

"Everything they did was for the benefit of the RPV," contends the Insurance Company's lawyer. "The chairman of the Republican Party is as close to a Russian Czar as you can get" in terms of power at the top of the organization, he argued. "Matricardi was the executive director of the [party]. He was not somebody who worked in a phone bank."

THE JUDGE EVEN SAID AT ONE POINT: "I don't think Mr. Matricardi was listening in for his own personal consumption."

THE FACT THAT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF VIRGINIA thinks that their insurance company should have to pay out on a claim that came about because HIGH-RANKING OFFICIALS (Yes, Jerry, I am talking about you!) KNOWINGLY BROKE THE LAW, SHOCKS THE SENSIBILITIES.

BUT, WHAT IS ESPECIALLY GALLING IS THE GOP's ATTEMPT TO SOAK THE INSURANCE COMPANY AND AVOID RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ILLEGAL ACTIONS.

Before Election Day, I ask that Jerry Kilgore come clean and explain to Virginia voters why he said nothing about this criminal wrongdoing and why he has sought to have his deposition in this matter sealed.

Why Jerry? COVER-UPS. Secrets and lies. Debates in West Virginia. Plays fast and loose with the facts....OUTRIGHT BOLD-FACED LIES...these are NOT the qualities I seek in a Governor.

Don't we deserve a leader we can trust? Kaine may not have hired a flashy outfit to make his commercials, and Kaine may not be willing to go as low as you have in exploiting other people's grief, but one thing is for sure: Kaine is a solid guy who knows the difference between right and wrong.

AND THAT, Mr. Attorney General, is more than anyone can say about you.

What more do you need to know? Jerry Kilgore is a liar. A Liar. He has NO RESPECT for the truth. It should surprise no one that Karl Rove, a master of meanness and mayhem, wants to come to Virginia to help Kilgore. This is the same Karl Rove that in a act of TREASON deliberately revealed the identity of a CIA agent and put her life and that of her family at risk.

If Kilgore had a shred of decency, he would tell Rove to stay away: Thank you, Karl, but I think you have done enough, already.

How about this: everyoe who thinks that their lives will be effected by the death penalty in the next four years, vote for Kilgore. All 24 of you.

Everybody else, votes for Kaine. Why? The reality is that the death penalty really, truly is such a narrow issue.

Think about the other issues that concern you: education, employment, housing, transportation, safety ... Kaine is the man who has a plan, a man with the vision. All Kilgore can do is BE NEGATIVE AND BE LITTLE.

On Nov. 8th, show him you want him to BE QUIET and stay home. A VOTE FOR KAINE is a vote for the future, it is a vote for a decent and good man.

John K,

Considering that the first two ads (Stanley 1 & 2) are premised on the assertion that Kaine represented convicted murderer Mark Shepherd. Tim Kaine never did this, having never even met the defendant. The limit of Kaine's involvement was a brief conversation with Shepherd's attorney on the phone.

So, the entire premise of these two ads is a lie.

Tim Kaine never called for a two-year moratorium as governor and Edward Bell was never an illegal alien, despite the anguished claims of Kelly Timbrook ("Kelly").

Similarly, the premise for this ad are lies.

Given that these emotional appeals are based on lies, it will really be a tragedy if voters look to these ads for guidance on the issue of the death penalty.

Every single negative Kilgore advertisement has been conclusively proven as wrong. Despite this, Kilgore says that he "stands by my ads."

Why should voters give ANY credibility to anyone who is willing to man who is willing to stand by statements that are time and time again proven as lies?

Just whose credibility is really at variance with reality? Challenging Kaine's credibility with Kilgore's lies only just demonstrates that Jerry Kilgore lacks honesty and integrity.

Since he's proven he's willing to lie to win the governor's slot, how can we trust that Kilgore is not lying about his plans for transportation, taxation, education, everything in the campaign.

In fact, for that sake, how do we know that Kilgore isn't lying about his stance on the death penalty?

I agree with Soccer Mom -- The real issue in this election is the arrogance of the the Rightwing Cult of REPUBLICANS -- led by Tom DELAY, BILL FRIST, GEORGE DUBYA BUSH, KARL ROVE ad nauseum -- these folks probably still think Nixon got a bad deal. Think about it: The Republicans haven't been telling lies like this since Viet Nam.

Where Are those Weapons of Mass Destruction? Halliburton? Where is Osama Bin Laden anyway? Katrina.....How much money has Bush made on oil? How about Condi Rice?

C'mon Folks.......Here's THE QUESTION:
You want to know what the "Weapons of Mass Destruction" that the RIGHTwing Republican Party Fears the Most REALLY Are?

THE ANSWER: AMERICAN BACKBONES!
Real Democrats and Real Republicans alike -- When are you gonna find your backbones?

.......WHEN ARE YA GONNA GET THOSE BACKBONES IN MOTION?

The way Virginia goes on Nov. 2 will determine the way the nation goes.

It is up to us.

I think in the short term, Kilgore gained some points by using these ads, but he'll lose in the long term because of the backlash.

I'm now 50. Once, in my youth - after college - I lived in No. VA. I'm not a liberal, nor am I a conservative. My political philosophy is pragmatic. Ideology makes bad public policy.

What I see today is an electorate that votes against its own self interest in the name of Ideology. Very sad.

With all of the many pressing issues in VA, all this noise about the Death Penalty would be laughable, if it were not so serious. And while I am on the subject, I think that giving a person death for heinous crimes is giving them the easy way out. If you really want to punish them, lock them up in an 8' x 8' space for as long as they might live - with no hope of ever getting out. Now that is real punishment.

VA, take a hard look at what really matters to you every day. Seems to me, the last four years under the Democrats have been pretty good for the State. Why change that now? If you want a peek at what a Republican Administration in Richmond might look like four years from now, look at our National Govt. right now. The only good news I see in this comparison is the Commonwealth of VA is not likely to go war.

Don't be fooled by rhetoric. VA has real problems, and Kaine has a plan. The choice is yours.

Good Luck,

TOF

I'm now 50. Once, in my youth - after college - I lived in No. VA. I'm not a liberal, nor am I a conservative. My political philosophy is pragmatic. Ideology makes bad public policy.

What I see today is an electorate that votes against its own self interest in the name of Ideology. Very sad.

With all of the many pressing issues in VA, all this noise about the Death Penalty would be laughable, if it were not so serious. And while I am on the subject, I think that giving a person death for heinous crimes is giving them the easy way out. If you really want to punish them, lock them up in an 8' x 8' space for as long as they might live - with no hope of ever getting out. Now that is real punishment.

VA, take a hard look at what really matters to you every day. Seems to me, the last four years under the Democrats have been pretty good for the State. Why change that now? If you want a peek at what a Republican Administration in Richmond might look like four years from now, look at our National Govt. right now. The only good news I see in this comparison is the Commonwealth of VA is not likely to go war.

Don't be fooled by rhetoric. VA has real problems, and Kaine has a plan. The choice is yours.

Good Luck,

TOF

Call up Stanley K at (703) 521-8777 and tell him to stop making misleading ads regarding Tim Kaine. Most know by now that his son was a "crack head" who was killed by his COCAINE DEALER. So call him at (703) 521-8777 and tell him to stop.

There are actually three death penalty ads posted on the Kilgore website. There are two "Rosenbluth" ads, one with the particularly offensive "Hitler" comment and one without. Did they do two so they could pull the Hitler ad after it ran a few times, knowing it would be distasteful to so many?

And why did they choose to start the "Hitler" ad the day before Yom Kippur?

Looks like the Hitler ads backfired on Kilgore. Not a smart move on his part. Now he'll be eternally known as the guy that Godwinized Virginian politics.

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