Tag: Virginia

Election reform is one of the most important issues facing our country and our world right now, even if it doesn’t get the coverage of torture or abortion.  The way that we run our elections and initiative processes determines who makes policy, the type of policy made, and the tone of our political discourse.  If we ignore it or take advantage of the electoral system, we our doing ourselves and our country a disservice.

This week:  Voter ID bill (aka poll tax) foiled in Texas by Democrats, corrupt Bush officials leading the charge for unsafe online voting, instant runoff voting’s failures, Ralph Nader accuses Terry McAuliffe of bribery, McAuliffe’s history of disenfranchising voters, FOX lies about Eric Holder, and more!

I apologize for the short and rushed essay, but I just wanted to get this story up as it’s breaking.  It might turn into some kind of bigger scandal for McAuliffe because people were convicted, in part, because of the things he apparently ordered them to do.

A Virginia Republican leader and member of the McCain Virginia leadership team recently wrote an ugly OPED seeking to link every shallow form of ignorant bias in the direction of hating Barack Obama and, well, black Americans.

listing for your consideration the platform of Barack Hussein Obama as best as I can figure it out after ventining all the hot air, straining out the honey and removing the smelly substance similiar to what the old bull left behind.

This OPED, which should never have been published, is filled with invective and disgust (and disgusting material). When it comes to religion, for example, the distilled platform is supposedly:

Freedom of Religion: Mandatory Black Liberation Theology courses taught in all churches — raise taxes to pay for this mandate. Put Reverand Jeremiah Wright in charge. Condemnation of homosexuality from the pulpit will become a Class 1 felony.

It is hard to figure out what is most outrageous of all this. That a newspaper would choose to publish it or that, in fact, the reality that some people will actually believe some of it.

cross posted from The Dream Antilles

The beautiful game

This isn’t about America’s so-called pastime, major league baseball, which begins tonight with the Braves playing the Nats and Commander Codpiece McFlyboy throwing out the ceremonial first ball. No. This is about something smaller, more intimate, and in many ways, much more a game of the People.  It’s about futbol, soccer, and how anti-immigrant local legislation in Northern Virginia has destroyed the local leagues.

It’s an infuriating story.  I’m angered not just because I love to play this game, but because of the important role it plays in the community.  I doubt you’ve heard about this before.

Please join me in the goal box.