On May 20, a federal appeals court in Richmond overturned for the second time Virginia’s law on late-term abortions. The court ruled that the law created an “undue burden” on women by going beyond the guidelines set last year by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Gonzales v. Carhart.

Let’s take a time-out from the daily grind for a minute, it’s Memorial Day. 
But the time out is not so we can catch our breath from the daily commute or because its an opportunity to pile into our vehicles and get an early start on vacationing, although that is what’s going to happen. 

Nothing says capital-D Democrat like the lions of the left from Minnesota — Hubert Humphrey, Eugene McCarthy and Walter Mondale. 

A little while ago, about three blocks from where we live, an unfortunate young man came through an intersection and slammed into a traffic light pole. It happened about 4 a.m., but we did not know about it until we saw the pictures on television later from the news helicopters. 

When I moved to California a little over a year and a half ago to attend college, I knew that life on the west coast would be very different from the comfort of Woodbridge, which has been my home for nearly twenty years.

I’ve always lived by the motto, “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.” It has saved me lots of money and heartache in my short life. That’s why I am looking for the small print in Chris Martino’s recent proposal before the Board of County Supervisors about helping county employees purchase homes. 

Thank goodness divers off the Florida Keys found my 385-year-old gold toothpick and earwax spoon.
I’ve been looking for that sucker everywhere. 

CONCANNON FIRE

Last week I discussed the absurdity of the Democrats saying we need to end our dependence on foreign oil, but prohibiting new drilling to accomplish that goal.  But the problem isn’t just Democrats — sometimes there’s a bipartisan rush to enact meaningless legislation.

When our founding fathers still walked the Earth in their dogged pursuit of creating a new nation 232 years ago, surely they did not have in mind the electronic images of Bill O’Reilly, Chris Matthews, Keith Obermann and Wolf Blitzer showing up on glass screens in our living rooms every night. 

Over the years my wife and I have hosted 11 international students. Nine were high school students who lived in our home during the school year and the other two — both college students — lived on campus, though they visited with us regularly.

As I often like to do, it is time to respond to your thoughts. 
This week I want to take a moment to insert a couple of comments that were made about a recent article I did on the transportation situation at Potomac Mills.

Let’s declare Hillary Clinton the president of West Virginia and get on with life. 

Let’s agree that there is no such thing as a typical baby boomer. There are, however, average boomers. 

On our 20th anniversary, my lovely, red-headed wife and I sat down and took an honest assessment of our relationship, how far we had come in our two decades together and what the future holds for a couple of crazy kids that everyone said would never make it. 

CONCANNON FIRE

When President Bush took office in 2001, the price of oil was around $30 a barrel. Six years later the price had doubled. Democrats promised voters they had “a common sense plan to help bring down skyrocketing gas prices.” On October 20, 2006, just before the Democrats took over Congress, a barrel of oil was about $57.

Some of us may be old enough to vaguely recall a nearly forgotten movie with the title, “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?” While that 50 year-old film starring Tony Randall and Jayne Mansfield has nothing to do with politics, it might suggest an increasingly apt phrase for John McCain these days. (Now if only McCain’s real name was Rock.)

Gov. Tim Kaine pitched his $1.1 billion transportation plan during a news conference on Monday, asking lawmakers for an assortment of tax increases to pay the bills. 

Some people are born to fatness. Others have to get there.
— Les Murray (poet)

I can remember gangs even in small-town Mississippi where I grew up as a teenager. 

What will it take to get Hillary Clinton to quit? 

This week, the Prince William County School Board approved the budget for next school year. The budget, as per previous agreements, was heavily influenced by the actions of the Board of County Supervisors. The Board of County Supervisors got what they wanted — a lower tax rate. 

When I was in high school, I thought Albert Camus was the coolest thing since hot buttered toast.

I want my news back.
The seemingly endless Democratic presidential nomination drags on and on, grinding its way from one state to the next with countless annoying robocalls and bucketloads of empty speechifying, even though experts tell us the only way Hillary Clinton can win is to clone her own superduper delegates in a secret lab or produce incriminating photos of Barack Obama kissing the Rev. Jeremiah Wright full on the mouth while simultaneously setting fire to an American flag. 

Tomorrow marks the end of Drinking Water Week around the country. Every year, the Prince William County Service Authority calls attention to the occasion to remind our customers and the community to consider the tremendous value and necessity of one of life’s most precious resources. 

I still remember the look on my wife’s face when I took her to her first NASCAR race five years ago. The race was in Dover, Del., which is a tame venue when compared to tracks in Talladega, Ala., or Bristol, Tenn.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a rather scathing column about the one dollar advertised County property tax rate. While I mentioned it was the maximum rate, not the final rate, I expressed doubt that any lower rate would be considered: “the final rate could theoretically be lower.  However, I wouldn’t expect it.”

You can learn a lot about the mettle of a presidential candidate by how well she (or he) panders to the masses. Pandering, of course, is a way of life in politics and everybody does it. The trick, I suppose, from a cynical point of view, is not to let on that you are pandering, even when it’s clear beyond any shadow of a doubt that you are.

The opinion piece you printed on, May 5 in which you criticized the Manassas Democratic Party for not fielding candidates in the Manassas City Council election seemed to contradict itself. You say we need choice and then you denigrate a group working to provide it.