Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell non-committal on Thursday about a presidential run in 2016

Although non-committal on Thursday’s monthly call-in radio appearance on WRVA in Richmond, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell is no doubt ‘getting a feel’ for how feasible a McDonnell 2016 ticket for president really is.

After McDonnell finishes his term as governor, there will only be two political seats open that would be a ‘step up’ from that of governor: Mark Warner’s current seat in the U.S. Senate and the presidential void that will be open come 2016.

Although it probably wouldn’t be an uninteresting race, a Warner-McDonnell head-to-head for the U.S. Senate would probably end in Warner’s favor. The latter has the so-called “incumbent advantage” and middle-of-the-road enough for most Virginians to approve of his job performance.

When asked about whether Gov. McDonnell was thinking about becoming a presidential candidate in 2016, McDonnell responded, “That’s a long way away. I’m not doing anything other than trying to be a responsible governor right now.” If only some of his Republican colleagues (i.e., Ken Cuccinelli) had the same sense of public responsibility…

McDonnell may be perfectly sincere, however, when he says that his thoughts are on his job as governor of Virginia for the time being. After all, McDonnell has now gone into a “my transportation bill really isn’t so bad” defensive posture.

During his radio interview on Thursday, McDonnell pointed out that the Virginia transportation bill that was passed by the Virginia General Assembly and signed by McDonnell will “pump billions over the next five years into road maintenance, rail and mass transit through increased fuel, sales, and vehicle taxes and fees.”

The interesting aspect of this argument is that it is precisely the amount of spending that has so many Virginians skeptical about the “landmark” transportation package, not to mention how the money is being generated in the first place (i.e., increased fuel, sales, and vehicle taxes and fees).

Virginians DO get the big picture, which is why so many Virginians were outraged that a tax is being placed on hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles! Do you want climate change’s worst effects to ravage our planet?! Wait McDonnell, don’t answer that.

For all of McDonnell’s attempts to toe a relatively moderate policy line, the sad part is that America’s conservative voters don’t seem ready and willing to reward his political methods, throwing rose petals out for political demagogies like Ken Cuccinelli while shuttering the attempts of principled conservatives like McDonnell. 

Democratic Party candidate for governor in VA, Terry McAuliffe, supports Medicaid expansion

Democratic Party candidate for Virginia’s executive mansion, Terry McAuliffe, made it clear on Wednesday that he favors widening Medicaid’s net in Virginia under the authority of the federal Affordable Care Act.

McAuliffe stated, “We need to have the Medicaid expansion here in Virginia.” “First and foremost…400,000 to 500,000 Virginians would get access to quality health care next year. It’s important socially. Morally it’s the right thing to do. But also from a business sense it’s an important thing to do.”

According to McAuliffe, opening our arms to federal money meant to subsidize the expansion of Medicaid in Virginia would allow Virginia to “reap billions in economic benefits.”

So to be clear, Virginia would not only be doing the right thing by expanding Medicaid, it would also be saving money. It sounds like a no-brainer, right?

For conservatives in Virginia like Republican candidate for governor, Ken Cuccinelli, the federal government is untrustworthy and cannot be counted on to cover the cost of expanding Medicaid at 100 percent for the first three years and then 90 percent in the years following.

Perhaps Cuccinelli has a point, so offer an alternative, show Virginians that the Cuccinelli’s of the political sphere are more than naysayers who get a rise out of upending progressive attempts to alleviate social burdens.

But Cuccinelli, and his small-minded and callous “lovers of liberty”, have nothing more to offer Virginia than fear, prejudice, old ways of thinking, and a society run by big business instead of a healthy mix of government and private industry operating for the betterment of society.

Medicaid is not some evil government program established to extend the reach and power of the federal government. Believe it or not, Medicaid was created to help Americans who meet the qualifications for coverage.  As our society has become more complex, however, the demands upon government has grown in parallel fashion.

This is what conservatives like Cuccinelli fear, not so much Medicaid itself but the seemingly inexhaustible demand by Americans for greater and greater government services.

And sure, I drink the kool-aid: I believe in individual responsibility and initiative. But what the Cuccinelli’s of Virginia and America don’t get (or don’t want to get) is that not all demands on government lead towards a “slippery slope” of even more government. Environmental protection, civil justice, moral responsibility, all of these concepts government can and should, in some cases, get involved with.

A big thumbs-up then for McAuliffe for so strongly supporting a supremely sensible policy. Having a heart with a business sense shouldn’t be a crime.

New Quinnipiac University poll reveals bright spots for Terry McAuliffe campaign for VA governor

In a new Quinnipiac University survey rolled out on Wednesday, Virginia’s Attorney General, Ken Cuccinelli, and former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Terry McAuliffe, remained head-to-head in the opinions of registered voters in Virginia who were polled.[1] The former led with 40 percent to 38 percent, while 18 percent of those polled were undecided.

What might be the most important take-away from this latest survey is how relatively unknown BOTH candidates are running for governor. This finding came as a surprise to me considering the headlines Cuccinelli has made during his stint as Virginia’s attorney general, for all of the wrong reasons of course.

More promising for the McAuliffe campaign was the following finding: 16 percent had an unfavorable view of the former Democratic Committee chair while 24 had an unfavorable view of Cuccinelli.

According to Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, “At this point in the race, the number of voters who see Cuccinelli as ‘too conservative’ is higher than the number who see McAuliffe as ‘too liberal.’[2] That’s good, because unless we’re living in Mississippi, McAuliffe is far from being ‘too liberal.’

While the survey probably didn’t provide too much information the McAuliffe campaign wasn’t already aware of (e.g., McAuliffe’s name recognition is below that of Cuccinelli’s), it does reveal a number of bright spots that his campaign can focus on during the remaining months of the ‘contest’ for the governor’s position.

The poll demonstrated that more voters view Cuccinelli as ‘too conservative.’ While Cuccinelli will undoubtedly attempt to move more towards the middle of the political spectrum in the weeks and months ahead, the results of the latest Quinnipiac University survey may be an indication that it’s already too late for Cuccinelli to shed the ‘kook’ label that he so rightfully deserves as a far right extremist.

Polls/surveys are not, of course, destiny. A lot can happen from now until the election. But given McAuliffe’s relatively unfamiliar ‘brand,’ the path to the Governor’s Mansion may well be in the hands of his campaign, an opportunity that some politicians don’t get to enjoy (e.g., Ken Cuccinelli, who has already largely been defined).

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[1] http://www.quinnipiac.edu/institutes-centers/polling-institute/virginia/release-detail?ReleaseID=1874

[2] http://www.quinnipiac.edu/institutes-centers/polling-institute/virginia/release-detail?ReleaseID=1874

Senator Mark Warner announces his support for gay marriage, an “evolution” in thought

On Monday, U.S. Senator from Virginia, Mark Warner, rejoined the fold momentarily of progressive members of congress when he announced on Facebook his support for gay marriage.[1]

The following disclosure comes from Sen. Mark Warner’s Facebook page[2]: “I support marriage equality because it is the fair and right thing to do. Like many Virginians and Americans, my views on gay marriage have evolved, and this is the inevitable extension of my efforts to promote equality and opportunity for everyone. I was proud to be the first Virginia governor to extend anti-discrimination protections to LGBT state workers. In 2010, I supported an end to the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy, and earlier this month I signed an amicus brief urging the repeal of DOMA. I believe we should continue working to expand equal rights and opportunities for all Americans.”

Before Sen. Warner’s Facebook announcement on Monday, he had supported civil unions that give some rights to same-sex couples that heterosexual married couples enjoy. Thus, Sen. Warner’s views on same-sex marriage have evolved at a time when a majority of the country also appears open to the idea of same-sex marriage.[3]

Far from being a trail blazer, Sen. Warner has yet to step into an understanding of just how serious climate change is and, consequently, how foolish it is to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, regardless of how much “business sense” it may appear to make.  Also, as Lowell Feld points out, Warner is due for a healthy infusion of social justice and economic fairness as opposed to his obsession with cementing his ‘legacy’ with a long-term, never-going-to-be-forgotten, debt reduction deal.[4]

When it comes down to it, Warner simply isn’t the kind of progressive Democrat that progressive thinkers like me are looking for, he’s simply the best that we have for now.

I have respect for Sen. Warner’s intelligence and business acumen, but it shouldn’t have taken any intelligently open-minded individual this long to figure out that same-sex marriages are “the right thing to do.” And as I mentioned above, Warner is still set on setting the planet’s heater on high as exemplified by his support for the Keystone XL pipeline.

I get it though Sen. Warner, you want to play the moderate card. The only problem is that you continually overplay your hand, going too far right and then attempting to jump back into the land of reality where your constituent base is. As a consequence of your actions, you strike me as insincere and phony and  unworthy of representing your liberal base in Virginia.

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[1] http://bluevirginia.us/diary/8974/sen-mark-warner-announces-support-for-marriage-equality

[2] https://www.facebook.com/MarkRWarner/posts/10151583789527853

[3] http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/polls-show-consistent-gains-in-support-for-same-sex-marriage/

[4] http://bluevirginia.us/diary/8974/sen-mark-warner-announces-support-for-marriage-equality

PolitiFact Virginia cannot verify the truth of Bob McDonnell’s press release about “Company Town”

PolitiFact Virginia[1] recently released its verdict on Gov. Bob McDonnell’s news release issued on March 14^th: McDonnell’s press release, and the statements made within it, can’t be verified. Hoorah for facts!

In the press release, McDonnell’s office stated, “Should the show move forward as a series and continue taping in Virginia, it could mean an annual economic impact for the region of up to $50,000,000.” Yes, that’s $50 million. And you know how the saying goes, ‘If it sounds too good to be true…’[2]

McDonnell’s office was speaking about a new drama titled “Company Town,” a show about the lives and loves (blah, blah, blah) of individuals at the Norfolk Navy Station. The pilot episode for the new drama is set to be filmed in Hampton Roads.[3]

Sadly, there may have never been a time in the history of Western politics when some politician in every generation inflated the numbers to suit their political goals. The bad taste that’s left in my mouth after hearing statements like the one above, however, doesn’t fade with the knowledge that politicians in the West have been rotten liars and fabricators for hundreds or thousands of years. It was just as wrong then as it is now.

If anything, we who call ourselves Americans, are supposed to be more civilized than many of the generations who preceded our own. Doesn’t honestly and integrity only increase with the growth and increasing complexity of each civilization? Shouldn’t we, as the citizens of a republic, demand more integrity from our elected officials?

It is scary to think that as our civilization has advanced, so too have the morals and principles of our society been thrown aside in the name of progress and consumer culture, the latter of which demands only your time and your money while the former asks only for a forward thinking ‘spirit’.

Why Virginians and Americans more generally are not thoroughly outraged by the lies and half-truths of the people we elect to office is truly beyond any simple explanation. Or maybe the explanation is so simple that it defies lengthy and deep considerations.  

We have come to accept the notion that our political representatives are liars, and bums, and cheats, and philanderers, almost without exception and almost without the slightest hint of frustration or concern.

Virtue is what founded our country and virtue is what will sustain it, if we so choose. But if we continue to ignore the plain truth that our political system has become rotten to the core and that fundamental changes are required, the rot will only continue to spread, threatening much of what we hold dear as Americans.

One lie, one half-truth, can be the initial spark that sets the entire forest ablaze.

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[1] http://www.politifact.com/virginia/

[2] http://www.politifact.com/virginia/article/2013/mar/25/its-hard-quantify-hollywoods-benefit-virginia/

[3] http://www.politifact.com/virginia/article/2013/mar/25/its-hard-quantify-hollywoods-benefit-virginia/

Ken Cuccinelli’s campaign stop in Yorktown sought to define his opponent, Terry McAuliffe

At a campaign stop in Yorktown on Saturday, Virginia’s Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli emphasized his political experience in Virginia and suggested that his Democratic Party opponent for governor, Terry McAuliffe, is a “carpetbagger.”[1]

Cuccinelli reminded supporters at the campaign event that his current stint as Virginia’s attorney general and three terms in Virginia’s Senate give him the experience necessary to start a term as governor smoothly, without the learning curves of a less experienced Virginia politician.

Cuccinelli noted that “In this state, whoever wins this race on Nov. 5 has two months without being in office to put together a two-year budget. That’s not easy to do, especially when you don’t know what you’re doing.”[2]

In addition to attacking McAuliffe’s alleged lack of governing experience in Virginia, Cuccinelli has also claimed that McAuliffe isn’t involved in local Virginia affairs.

Thus, instead of discussing the issues which are most important to Virginians, Cuccinelli and his campaign are seeking to define McAuliffe as the outsider in two ways: an outsider in Virginia politics and an outsider in everyday Virginia affairs.

However, it wasn’t too long ago that Mitt Romney’s Republican presidential campaign strongly touted his business experience, implicitly or explicitly arguing that his experience as a businessman would be more than enough to compensate for his relative lack of political experience.[3] The Republican Party appeared, on the whole, to love this tag line.

The simple truth is that experience in one political or private sphere doesn’t make anyone inherently more qualified for a position in a different sphere, whether it be public or private. That is, just as Romney’s business experience didn’t make him any more or less fit to be president, Cuccinelli’s experience as attorney general and state senator doesn’t make him any more or less fit for Virginia’s governorship.

With regards to the notion that McAuliffe is a “carpetbagger,” this is clearly unsubstantiated rubbish being generated by Cuccinelli and his campaign.

Even in these early days of the campaign for Virginia’s governorship, the Cuccinelli campaign has already demonstrated a remarkable penchant for estranging the attorney general from the other political party and its views. According to Cuccinelli, “the Democrats don’t have any penchant for accuracy or truth.”[4]

Is this the kind of governor that Virginia wants?

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[1] http://www.dailypress.com/news/politics/dp-nws-cuccinelli-yorktown-williamsburg-20130323,0,1402785.story

[2] http://www.dailypress.com/news/politics/dp-nws-cuccinelli-yorktown-williamsburg-20130323,0,1402785.story

[3] http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/12/romney-stresses-business-experience-welcomes-perry-to-gop-race/

[4] http://www.dailypress.com/news/politics/dp-nws-cuccinelli-yorktown-williamsburg-20130323,0,1402785.story

VA AG Ken Cuccinelli restates his opposition to Medicaid expansion and parts of transportation bill

On Friday, Virginia’s Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli once again made clear why Virginians should not elect this man as their next governor. Cuccinelli repeated his opinion, issued in response to Del. Robert G. Marshall’s (Prince William) inquiries, that taxes imposed on localities in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads are unconstitutional and that a legislative commission which ultimately approved the expansion of Medicaid does not have the authority to do so.[1]  

Both of Ken Cuccinelli’s opinions are nonbinding (i.e., are not legally enforceable), but they apply pressure to Gov. Bob McDonnell before Monday’s deadline for Virginia’s chief executive to approve legislation and Virginia’s budget.  

McDonnell’s spokesman, Jeff Caldwell, was predictably vague about the implications of Cuccinelli’s opinions. “Every bill passed by the General Assembly is reviewed by the attorney general, and we will consider that advice as we make a final determination on necessary amendments to the legislation,”[2] Caldwell said.

Apart from all of the gory details as to why Cuccinelli gave his opinion opposing portions of the transportation bill and Medicaid expansion, the ultimate consequence may be another example of how far removed Cuccinelli is from the average voter in Virginia, at least in the eyes of voters themselves.

With the release of his book, “The Last Line of Defense”[3] and the recent video emergence of Cuccinelli comparing the fight to end slavery to the anti-abortion movement[4], Cuccinelli has punched a canyon sized hole into any attempt to bring himself back towards the middle of the political spectrum, if indeed he chooses to do so at all.

Voters are skeptical, as well as they should be, of the Republican brand of politics that has engulfed national and state politics for at least the past two years. This brand of politics has done little to suggest new ideas. Rather, it cuts its teeth on opposing supposedly liberal policies and ideas (many of which are not too dissimilar from policies and ideas once proposed by members of the Republican Party). And Cuccinelli is one of the shining stars of this Republican brand of politics.

For Terry McAuliffe’s campaign, their greatest strategy at this point should be to allow Cuccinelli to continue generating self-inflicted wounds and subtly shape the image of Cuccinelli as extreme right-winger along the way.

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[1] http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/cuccinelli-raises-legal-issues-on-roads-plan-medicaid/article_ac5f5f1a-22c7-54b1-80bf-509083b009d6.html

[2] http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/cuccinelli-raises-legal-issues-on-roads-plan-medicaid/article_ac5f5f1a-22c7-54b1-80bf-509083b009d6.html

[3] http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/cuccinelli-book-no-apologies-86978.html

[4] http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/03/ken-cuccinelli-slavery-abortion-virginia-governor-election

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling calls on Republican Party to bring more voters into the fold of the GOP

On Thursday, the increasingly outspoken Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling opened up about his decision to remain on the sidelines for a chance at the governor’s mansion[1] as well as the national Republican Party and its alleged introspection over messaging and outreach.

Most amusingly, Bolling also had some “choice words” for Virginia’s Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli whose comparison between the fight against abortion and the abolition of slavery[2] has caused something of a stir, to say the least.

Bolling remarked, “Any second that we spend being distracted by discussions about whether or not abortion and slavery are comparable is a wasted second.”[3] Bolling went on, “I read the comments that Mr. Cuccinelli made and I don’t understand why he felt compelled to make that comparison.”[4] Indeed, it’s unclear why Cuccinelli says most of the absurd things that come out of his mouth.

Instead of alienating votes, Bolling recommends that Republicans find a broader message to appeal to a greater section of America’s electorate. In what may well become a catch-phrase for the Republican Party in the years ahead, Bolling stated, “We can be a conservative party, but we have to be a mainstream conservative party.”[5]

While I would also like to see the Republican Party move itself away from the far right of the political spectrum, it won’t be a purge that is easy for more practical party members like Bill Bolling.

The element of ideology and far right extremism has by now become a firmly embedded part of the GOP and Exhibit A is the Republican Party’s post-2012 election answer to congressional losses and President Obama’s reelection: it’s not the policy itself, it’s just a few REALLY extreme candidates who dragged the GOP’s image through the mud.

But it’s not just the Todd Akin’s[6] of the Republican Party that “scare” voters, it’s the Paul Ryan’s, the Rand Paul’s, the Mitch McConnell’s who seem more interested in hoisting up ludicrous ideological beliefs or big corporate backers instead of solving our country’s greatest problems.

The Republican Party has a number of problems, therefore, and they won’t be solved by a half-hearted attempt at soul searching. In order for the Republican Party to truly step outside of the “wacko bird” sphere, it will have to fundamentally purge itself, and I doubt that will happen.

Bolling’s fate within the Republican Party is demonstrative of the outcome that others will meet who attempt to challenge the radicalism that has engulfed the Republican Party.

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[1] http://hamptonroads.com/2013/03/bolling-rules-out-independent-bid-va-governor

[2] http://www.salon.com/2013/03/20/cuccinelli_compares_slavery_abolition_to_anti_abortion_movement/

[3] http://hamptonroads.com/2013/03/bolling-gop-needs-new-outreach-not-slavery-rhetoric

[4] http://hamptonroads.com/2013/03/bolling-gop-needs-new-outreach-not-slavery-rhetoric

[5] http://hamptonroads.com/2013/03/bolling-gop-needs-new-outreach-not-slavery-rhetoric

[6] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/03/12/mccaskill-todd-akin-is-the-republican-party-base/

Former Senator Jim Webb criticizes U.S. Congress for “abdicating its role” to the president

Virginia’s very own Jim Webb, a Veteran, former legislator, and historian, has not been out of his U.S. Senate seat for three months and is already criticizing the U.S. Congress “of abdicating its role of overseeing the nation’s use of military power and its agreement with foreign leaders.”[1]

According to Jim Webb, the U.S. Congress has “increasingly” stood back and watched as George W. Bush and Barrack Obama have taken unilateral actions abroad that the U.S. Congress should have been consulted about.

Webb didn’t spare either party from the bulls-eye of his criticism, saying that both parties are to blame for focusing more on party loyalty and not enough on challenging the presidential use of military power abroad.

To Jim Webb, our Congress today “is not the Congress, fiercely protective of its powers, that I dealt with regularly during the four years I spent as an assistant secretary of defense and as Secretary of the Navy under Reagan.”[2]

Indeed, the U.S. Congress appears to have made a collective decision, whether overtly or not, to allow the President of the U.S. unheard of powers to conduct military operations overseas in order to deflect blame away from themselves while reaping the benefits of any perceived “victories” on foreign soil. That is, the U.S. Congress wants to have their cake and eat it too.

Whether it is President Obama, President Bush, or a president yet to be voted into office, the concerns of Americans should remain the same: too much executive power can be disastrous to natural rights.

While we can all believe that presidents who use their executive power are doing so with the best of intentions, the quickest road to hell is paved with good intentions, as the saying goes. President’s Obama and Bush may have had the best of intentions when they fought and continued to fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the unintended consequences (as well as the intended consequences) of their executive overreach could well reverberate and weaken the principles that govern who we are as Americans.

The use of unmanned aerial drones in Afghanistan, its technology and experienced personnel, is already being considered as a government tool here in the U.S., a tool supposedly to halt crime, track down suspected criminals, and the like. But how often have we witnessed the use of supposedly benign technology by the government to eavesdrop, intimidate, and eliminate the notion of privacy (e.g., wires for eavesdropping; GPS to place on the vehicles of suspected criminals; cell phone technology to retrieve text messages, etc.)?

While the users of these powerful technologies may well believe they are committing a public service, the greatest action is often inaction, not the blind attempt at a justice that slowly undermines the principles that make the U.S. unique in world history. 

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[1] http://hamptonroads.com/2013/03/congress-having-breakdown-exsen-webb-laments

[2] http://hamptonroads.com/2013/03/congress-having-breakdown-exsen-webb-laments

Terry McAuliffe and Ken Cuccinelli both open to ‘revisiting’ uranium mining in Virginia

Whether or not it’s pragmatic Virginia politics, Democratic candidate for governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe’s recent comments about ‘considering’ uranium mining[1] are about as disconcerting as the very mention of Republican candidate for governor Ken Cuccinelli’s name.

Uranium mining and its pimp, Virginia Uranium Inc., were supposed to roll over the majority of people in Virginia who refused to concede the inevitability of this potentially disastrous enterprise in Virginia. That is, the people of Virginia spoke loud and clear[2] during the 2013 General Assembly session: No to uranium mining, at least for the foreseeable future.  

Nonetheless, these “tough” economic times apparently warrant greater risks, risks that Ken Cuccinelli and Terry McAuliffe would not themselves have to bear. McAuliffe’s campaign had this to say on the issue of uranium mining in Virginia: “Any economic proposal in these tough times merits a hard look. However, I would need to be certain that mining uranium can be done safely and cleaned up completely before a moratorium is lifted.”[3]

Certain? When in life is there certainty, especially when it comes to a radioactive substance that can’t even be safely contained for 100 years.[4] If certainty is what Mr. McAuliffe is looking for, he won’t be finding it in the field of nuclear safety anytime soon.

The allure of 119-million pounds of uranium ore sitting beneath one spot in Southside Virginia is indeed difficult to pass up. But in Virginia, as in America more generally, we do not put thousands, or potentially millions, of people in harm’s way for the sake of energy production. We’re better than that, we’re more creative than that.

What we also don’t do is allow productive practices to occur where the majority of individuals who stand to gain or lose the most have unequivocally said “No!”. Terry McAuliffe is truly no democrat if he cannot recognize this simple yet fundamental principle of our society: the people are the ultimate decision-making authority.

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[1] http://roanoke.com/news/politics/1787824-12/gov-hopefuls-cuccinelli-mcauliffe-weigh-in-on-uranium.html

[2] http://virginiaagainsturanium.blogspot.com/

[3] http://roanoke.com/news/politics/1787824-12/gov-hopefuls-cuccinelli-mcauliffe-weigh-in-on-uranium.html

[4] http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/03/more_tanks_could_be_leaking_at.html

Supporters of sustainable energy use rally outside of Sen. Mark Warner’s office in Richmond

On Monday, supporters of sustainable energy use, otherwise known as “environmental activists” by the mainstream media, rallied outside of Sen. Mark R. Warner’s comfortable Richmond office on Main Street to pressure him to vote against the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.[1]

It was only last year that Sen. Warner claimed he wouldn’t vote for the tar sands pipeline[2]. This time around, Warner is looking for “a truly bipartisan consensus (that) included construction of Keystone with the appropriate environmental reviews, inclusion of the energy tax cuts and tax provisions that would continue to allow wind and solar and other renewable energy production to continue in this country.”[3]

But like Emily Heffling, rally organizer for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN), understands, the Keystone XL pipeline would result in unnecessarily high emissions in greenhouse gases “with potentially devastating impacts on Virginia.”[4] This is big reason number one to reject the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

Big reason number two for rejecting the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline are the repeated “pipeline failures”[5] that lead to local, and sometimes not so local, environmental damage. Considering the fact that the tar sands pipeline would be carrying tar sands oil all the way from Canada to refineries on the Gulf Coast of Texas, there are more opportunities for a disastrous pipeline failure than I care to think about.

Big reason number three is that most of the tar sands oil that would be refined in Texas wouldn’t even enter the U.S. market, it would be shipped overseas, thus negating the ‘energy independence’ argument to a large enough degree to make this point significant.[6] And folks, even Fox News agrees with this point! Enough said!

I get it Sen. Warner, I get it. You’re a business man and you see a supposedly great business opportunity, so why pass it up, right? The problem remains in these economic/environmental discussions that the environment is not valued sufficiently, if at all. It’s as if a healthy environment has no monetary value to Americans who shrug at the thought of environmental degradation caused by the Keystone XL pipeline.

The environment is valuable, valuable beyond the phantasm of energy independence being brought about due to Canadian tar sands. And as usual, the lion’s share of the profits reaped from the sale of Canadian tar sands wont spread across the American landscape, it will be concentrated in the hands of a wealthy few. So while our environment degrades and promises and hopes are broken and shattered, an elite few smile like the sun. That’s not capitalism and that’s not democracy, it’s robbery.

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[1] http://www.foe.org/projects/climate-and-energy/tar-sands/keystone-xl-pipeline

[2] http://amerpundit.com/2012/03/08/mark-warner-i-support-keystone-xl-but-i-wont-actually-vote-to-support-it/

[3] http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/climate-activists-urge-warner-to-reject-pipeline/article_f8f02ef9-be8e-53fc-9319-42f765b15e0a.html

[4] http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org/

[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pipeline_accidents_in_the_United_States_in_the_21st_Century

[6] http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/01/18/six-reasons-keystone-xl-was-bad-deal-all-along/

Virginia campus organizations ask Gov. Bob McDonnell to reject discriminatory bill

After ‘slipping’ through the General Assembly, student campus organizations are asking Gov. Bob McDonnell to forgo his signature on legislation that these organizations argue would give “campus organizations the right to discriminate.”[1]

The legislation in question was sponsored by Sen. Mark D. Obenshain (Harrisonburg) and Del. C. Todd Gilbert (Shenandoah). The bill passed easily in the House (shocker!) and narrowly in Virginia’s Senate.

The legislation takes aim at nondiscrimination policies that are present among many of Virginia’s student organizations by giving political or religious student organizations at public institutions “the right to define their doctrines and limit membership to students committed to their missions.”

According to the president of the University of Mary Washington Student Government Association, Jeremy Thompson, “It’s [the bill that Thompson has requested Gov. Bob McDonnell reject] very vague and ambiguous and contrary to our beliefs as a university.” The bill “would pretty much make our policy of inclusion null and void. It goes against a lot of what our university stands for.”[2]

Indeed, for legislators who tout the virtues of individual liberty and the like, this Republican-sponsored and heavily Republican-favored bill unequivocally sets the stage for legal discrimination. The last time I checked, discrimination is not a way of enhancing individual liberty.

The ACLU agrees, seeing the bill as a means of overriding a U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld a university’s right to require student organizations to abide by nondiscrimination policies.[3]

To be fair, I understand the reasoning behind the bill in the minds of its Republican Party sponsors: how do you prove that an individual who signs up for Organization A is truly committed to its mission? While this is a good question and one that warrants further discussion, setting up discriminatory barricades isn’t the right answer. Indeed, allowing for legal discrimination will undoubtedly lead to even more hard-to-answer questions while limiting the ability of certain groups of Virginians to join organizations they may very well be committed to.

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[1] http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/students-question-intent-of-campus-bill/article_342007a0-e80f-57c7-b292-9ba840036423.html

[2] http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/students-question-intent-of-campus-bill/article_342007a0-e80f-57c7-b292-9ba840036423.html

[3] http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/students-question-intent-of-campus-bill/article_342007a0-e80f-57c7-b292-9ba840036423.html

Arlington County Board unanimously approves year-round homeless shelter in Courthouse area

On what will probably be a quick news flash on most Virginian’s ‘news radar’, the Arlington County Board[1] unanimously approved a permit to open a year-round homeless shelter in the Courthouse neighborhood.[2]

The “overnight shelter,” dubbed the Homeless Services Center, will include 50 permanent beds, 25 additional beds for the winter, and 5 beds for medical purposes.

The center is supposed to open in 2014, occupying 2 floors of an Arlington County owned building. In addition to its shelter services, the Homeless Service Center will also offer support services, a program space and dining area.

According to Arlington County Board Chairman Walter Tejada, the goal of the homeless shelter is to assist everyone find permanent housing.

The shelter, whether purposely or not, is also a reaffirmation of our responsibility as a society and caring individuals to give back to others[3], particularly those whose life circumstances have been less fortunate than our own.

Some will argue that poor choices in life have driven some, if not many, of those seeking the services of a homeless shelter, but this certainly isn’t true for every individual who ends up in a shelter.

But even if individual A (insert name here) were somehow mostly or entirely to blame for their being in a homeless shelter, have we become so heartless as a society that we are willing to turn our backs on helping this individual?

I will not and have not argued that all individuals who have fallen on hard times deserve equal help from society. But if we cannot learn to love, respect, and lend a hand to one another, and especially those who arouse our disrepute, then we truly will have become a society laudable merely for its material prosperity, not its prosperity of the soul, so to speak.

I’m not religious and do not play a religious character on TV. But within the great Western religions there are important lessons that we can apply to our daily lives. One of those lessons is to love our neighbors, and that means helping others however and whenever we can.

In these relatively uncertain economic times, it’s all the more important to remember this lesson in particular.

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[1] http://www.arlingtonva.us/Departments/CountyBoard/CountyBoardMain.aspx

[2] http://www.nbc12.com/story/21659606/arlington-approves-permit-for-new-homeless-shelter

[3] http://www.a-span.org/