These photos are from Delegate Plum’s Commonwealth Breakfast where he gave his summary of the issues in northern Virginia and the state as a whole.
Click an image below to enlarge it or view the set on flickr.
I took some photos at the Reston Town Hall meeting where Delegate Plum and Senator Howell updated us on the 2007 Virginia General Assembly Session.
Click an image below to enlarge it or view the set on flickr.
Bush is now making claims about Iran supporting terrorism inside of Iraq. The problem is after his previous claims of weapons of mass distruction in Iraq and Iraq supporting terrorism and Iraq having nuclear material, his credibility is a bit lacking. It certainly isn’t hard to believe that Iran would be supporting terrorism within Iraq but he’s going to have something of an uphill battle in convincing us.
And, even if he does, what can we do about it? The insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan have us so occupied that countries like Iran and North Korea are emboldened to take steps they might not have taken had we not committed ourselves to a senseless and open-ended war.
The worst part is that had we stayed out of Iraq, it wouldn’t be providing such a ripe breeding ground for terrorism. Yes, George, you’re really winning that “war on terror.”
HB1727 has an innocuous title: “School boards; policies concerning non-curriculum-related student organizations,’ but when you see what it says and who introduced it and take a look at some recent history, it is revealed for what it really is: an attempt to keep students from participating in Gay-Straight Alliances at school.
The text of the bill reads: “Requires that local school boards obtain express written permission from a parent or legal guardian before any student becomes a member of or attends the meeting of a non-curriculum-related student organization. The permission must clearly evidence that the parent or legal guardian has given informed consent as to the particular student organization.”
On the surface it doesn’t sound bad, but Delegate Lohr, the bill’s chief patron tried last year to prohibit GSA’s in Virginia with the HB1308. Thiat bill sought to “prohibit the use of school facilities by any student club or other student group that encourages or promotes sexual activity by unmarried minor students.” It also provided that the Attorney General’s Office would provide legal defense on behalf of the local school boards.
That bill passed the house but didn’t make it out of the senate. He promised to come back in 2007 with another attempt. And HB1727 is it.
Of course, GSA’s aren’t there to promote sexual activity of any sort. They are there to promote understanding between gay and straight students and to help students who may be questioning their own sexuality have a peer group where they can discuss their issues without fear of reprisals. Delegate Lohr’s intent with this bill is to make it difficult for student’s to participate in GSA’s on the theory that students will either be afraid to tell their parents or that parents will withhold permission. The fact that many students are afraid to tell their parents is one of the main reasons why GSA’s are needed in the first place.
This bill must not become law. Delegate Lohr’s bill would place an extra burden and cost on school systems that are already struggling to make ends meet. Now they have to print and store permission slips each year just because Delegate Lohr doesn’t want students to be able to discuss real issues affecting their own lives. Non-curricular after school activities enrich the lives of many students. Let’s not jeopardize them all just because of some homophobia on the part of Delegate Lohr. Please let your delegate and senator know that you don’t support this bill. You can find who your state senator and delegate are at: http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform.
According to CNN, Congressman Goode from Virginia’s 5th district seems to think that the only good congressman is a Christian congressman. Muslims need not apply. I must say that it didn’t take long for the Spirit of Senator Macaca to find a new home. Yes, this is the land where intolerance is not just a Constitutional Thing, it’s a Goode Thing.
Congressman Goode actually sent a letter to his constituents railing about Congressman-elect Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress who wants to be sworn in to office with the Quran rather than a Bible. Seems Congressman Goode has forgotten about the American ideas of freedom of religion, diversity and the melting pot of the world in favor of the Senator Allenesque ideas of discrimination and intolerance. Congressman Goode is trying to send one of two messages.
The first possible message is that we don’t want people who think differently in a position of power. The second possible message is that it’s un-American to use anything but a Bible to swear in a Congressman. On second thought those are really two sides of the same thought: intolerance + bigotry is alive and well.
People like Congressman Goode, though their own fear and insecurity, actually help to bring about the problems they fear. Because they react with such negativity and actively try to create and environment of “us” and “them,” they create an environment of fear and distrust that creates a viscious circle that can be almost impossible to break if it goes on for too long.
It is time for leaders to stop fomenting fear and start accepting that that America isn’t a country of white, straight, Christian Cleaver family clones. We’re all different and we can all get along if people like Congressman Goode would stop trying to stir up trouble and start working for the common good. Congressman Goode owes Congressman Ellison an apology and he owes all of Virginia an apology for furthering Virginia’s image as a hotbed of bigotry.