Yearly Archives: 2011

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime..

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I’ve been hearing a lot lately about “Liberty and Justice for All, Born and Unborn.”

It is not justice to force a pregnant person into involuntary servitude for 9 months, risking her life and health. With no trial. No judge. No jury.

It is not justice to declare that the life and health of a living person is worth less than the fetus she carries. With no trial. No judge. No jury.

It is not justice to withhold life-saving surgery from a living person due to concern for the fetus she carries. With no trial. No judge. No jury.

It is PARTICULARLY not justice to do so when you are also working to allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense birth control.

It is PARTICULARLY not justice to do so when you are also working to prevent accurate sex education.

It is PARTICULARLY not justice to do so when you are working to cut funds to social services, day care, foster care.

…If we truly valued children, we would do everything in our power not to traumatize, deprive, or neglect them…

Until I see this, I won’t believe that “pro-lifers” care about life at all. I won’t believe that “family values” proponents care about families. And I won’t believe that those who seek to “protect” children care about children.
-Matt Kailey at Womanist Musings

Oh! And in case you thought Choice is only about Abortion, here’s a post that will better inform you.

(cross posted at DoorbellQueen)

The Unemployed Generation

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I am now thirty-six years old. That means that I really cannot qualify as “young” anymore. Monickers such as “younger than…” might still apply, but on the other side of thirty-five, the single designation “young” is inappropriate. I mention this because I am very lucky to count among my friends a good number of people on the other side of that divide. People who are inarguably still young, by any reasonable measure. And among my friends of the generation(ish) following mine, a single issue stalks their lives and decision-making:

Employment.

Of all the cohorts that the Great Recession pummeled, none were hit harder than young people. Indeed, beyond just the anecdotal evidence of friends moving back in with their parents after graduating from some of the best schools (and grad schools!) in the country, the statistics on unemployment among twenty-somethings are frightening. Even as slightly older workers (like me) find jobs and their unemployment rate creeps below 8%, people aged 20 to 24 see a stubborn unemployment rate of 15%. And that rate has stayed high for years. Students have gone through four or eight years of college without seeing any improvement in the economy for themselves when they graduate. And the news is even worse for those who didn’t go to college.

In 2009 and early 2010, it was chic to write articles about this new lost generation. Eighteen months later, their prospects aren’t any better, but they’re no longer good copy. More than lost, they’ve become forgotten – not even worth reporting about.

It will be impossible for America to address its myriad challenges without first, and foremost, putting the generation who will deal with whatever solutions we implement on a solid economic footing. And that means creating and sustaining good jobs for people who have entered the workforce in the past ten years.

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LEC 9011

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Promoted by Epluribusunum – This post is especially insightful in light of yesterday’s developments, in which Supervisor Burton withdrew his support from the CBPO in part because of too much uncertainty regarding which parcels would be affected and how. I note in particular the chorus on the LTM forum decrying Burton as an “opportunist” for taking exactly the position the LEC are demanding. It suggests that nothing could possibly make them happy, and lends yet more support to the theory that LEC is nothing but a Republican campaign organization. A fraud.

Roy Jacobsen, President of the Loudoun Environmental Council marched up to the BoS podium and presented a list of 9011 properties affected by the proposed Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance.   He was quoted in the Leesburg Today.

“Staff was asked for a list of impacted parcels caused by the implementation of the CBPO. They said it would take two to three weeks…Then they said four to six months. Here’s a list,” Jacobsen said. “We had our engineers using the county’s GIS system compile this. This calls to question whether the county is trying to provide this list or not… is it just incompetence or is it a cover up?”

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Right on schedule, Virginia advances

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Crossposted at Equality Loudoun.

Today’s Washington Post:

Virginians are closely divided over whether gay marriage should be legal, according to a new Washington Post poll, a striking result in a state that overwhelmingly agreed to amend its constitution to ban gay marriage just five years ago.

Forty-seven percent of Virginians say gay couples should be allowed to legally wed, and 43 percent are opposed, according to the poll. Fifty-five percent of Virginians say gay couples should be able to legally adopt children.

The results mirror a dramatic and rapid shift in national public opinion about gay rights in recent years.

Dramatic indeed. Here are the national trendlines, via Nate Silver:

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Fighting For What’s Right (Reprised)

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In December 2010, I was involved in a wonderful, though provoking debate about the future of progressive politics in the wake of the November loss of the House of Representatives. In the midst of dealing with the realities that election brought upon the nation, (potential government shutdowns, legislative badgering of the poor and female) it seemed to me appropriate, and uplifting, to return to the lessons I took out of that election.

Of COURSE we need to continue fighting for progressives and progressive policy outcomes at the national level. We will all be better off with better policies from Congress and the President. That being said, the wall off 40 (or more) incorrigibles in the Senate represents a very difficult to breach dam holding back hundreds (no baloney there, the House passed hundreds more bills than the Senate in this past Congress) of pieces of progress on the American experiment.

This of course, begs the question of what we, today, here in Loudoun can do to effect better and more Change at the national level. As I see it there are six specific pressure points on which we can act to yield better outcomes in the medium and long-term.

1. President Obama – We can, and should, exert the pressure of popular Democratic opinion on President Obama. This means letters and resolutions. Sure, some will say that such things “have no effect” but that’s not true. These things have no effect in isolation or limitation. One letter, sent once, is a howl at the moon. A dozen letters, sent monthly, is a demonstration of unity and commitment. One LCDC Resolution, issued alone is a symbolic gesture. A dozen County and City committee resolutions, with similar wording, issued simultaneously is a shot across the bow.

(I, of course, assume that everyone venting their bile at our President has had the decency to let the President himself know how they feel in a letter or at least an email.)

There’s more…

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INVITATION TO LUNAFEST!

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LUNAFEST Arlington 2011
Hosted by the NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia Foundation
LUNAFEST logo
Thursday, May 12, 2011, 7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
near Pentagon City Metro station, Arlington, VA 22202
(location available upon ticket purchase or reservation)
 
 
Join us on May 12 to enjoy great short films while supporting two important causes! Proceeds support the research, education and outreach work of the NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia Foundation, as well as the national LUNAFEST beneficiary, the Breast Cancer Fund.  Featuring:
  • Screening of LUNAFEST’s compelling, diverse short films by female filmmakers
  • Reception with wine and other refreshments to enjoy during the films
  • Silent Auction with great prizes to bid on, including: a one-week stay at an international vacation condo; original artwork; handmade jewelry; a one-night stay at the W Washington DC Hotel; a basket of great wines; spa treatments from Calvert Rejuvenations; gift certificates to local restaurants and businesses such as Pizzeria Paradiso, Georgetown Cupcake, and Thrive Pilates; Potomac Nationals baseball tickets… and more!
Watch the teaser trailer for this year’s films below!
 
Choice Guardian Host Committee
Barbara Burgess • Matthew Boyer • Jennifer Brown • Liz Miller • Jennifer Brooks Miller • Gary Spoden • Lori Swain
 
Silent Auction donors
Lisa Baker • Calvert Rejuvenations • Georgetown Cupcake • Ben Greenberg Photography • Misty Jones • Pizzeria Paradiso • Potomac Nationals • Thrive Pilates & Yoga • W Washington DC Hotel
 

LUNAFEST®, sponsored by LUNA, is a national traveling festival of short films by, for, and about women. It was established in 2000 to promote women filmmakers, raise awareness for women’s issues, and support the Breast Cancer Fund and other worthy nonprofit organizations working on women’s issues throughout the country.

 

Tickets/Sponsorship:
 
 
 
  
 
General Admission Tickets: $35
($25 discounted rate for GEM for Choice monthly donors and Students/Young Professionals)
 
VIP Admission: $75 Individuals / $125 Choice Power Couples
 ($50 discounted VIP rate for GEM for Choice members)
Includes tickets with reserved seating & admission to VIP pre-show reception.
 

Choice Guardian Host Committee: $250
Includes your name on website & event publications, 4 tickets with reserved seating & admission to VIP pre-show reception.
 

 
Please contact rsvp@naralva.org or 202-973-3085 with any questions about purchasing or reserving your tickets.

 
 If you are interested in becoming a sponsor or donating an item to be placed up for bid at our Silent Auction, please contact caroline@naralva.org.

 
Thank you to everyone who made last year’s LUNAFEST 2010 a great success! Check out some additional photos from the night right here!

Thank you President Obama – Osama is no more

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(Great guest post by our friend, and veteran, Tony, I have edited it a bit for clarity – P13)

I was working in the Pentagon as a Department of the Army Civilian on 9/11 and lost two friends and know a retired army officer who is now a legislator in Texas who was severely burned that day.  I also know:

1.  that Osama bin laden (from Saudi Arabia) was behind these attacks.  In fact as I was evacuating the Pentagon I heard two Army officers say that “Osama did this”.

2. that President G.W. Bush said that we wanted Osama “Dead or Alive” as they used to say in the Wild West. (but never could catch him)

3. that somehow  Osama got away from us in the Tora-Bora region of Afghanistan.

5. that Osama had no connection with Sadaam of Iraq but for whatever reason we attacked Iraq and lost thousands of troops dead or wounded/mentally and physically.

6. that we have  spent trillions of dollars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

7. that I am proud to have been a member of the military and that the SEALS were outstanding!

8. that President Obama  made the right call NOT to release pictures of a dead Osama.  It serves no useful purpose and could incite those misguided folks who support Osama to riot in the streets or attack us or our allies.  It is enough to know that Justice has been done and fulfilled President Bush’s promise to bring Justice to the Terrorists (As President Bush said after 9/11 “We will bring the Terrorists to Justice or Justice to the Terrorists”).

9. that our current  president, Barack Obama, has what it takes to be a leader and our Commander-in-Chief.

10. that we need to THANK our Department of Defense  and our commander-In-Chief for keeping our promises.

Now if we could only get Congress to sing God Bless America on the steps of the Capitol as they did after 9/11!

75 Feet of CBPO

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PhotobucketLoudoun Streams has a post up summarizing the end result of the comprehensive review of the Chesapeake Bay Protection Ordinance (CBPO) that the Board of Supervisors has just completed. Some notable details include the fact that the Board compromised on a 75 foot buffer, and added a slew of exemptions for existing development plans, farm buildings, playsets, sheds and gazebos.

The process of public input, stakeholder discussions and detailed review by our elected officials is actually working, as each of the major and valid criticisms (e.g., buffer size, playset exemptions, owner notification, stream mapping) has been addressed in turn by the Board..

After revisions to the draft ordinance language are complete, the Board of Supervisors has directed that landowners affected by the RPA will get notice letters. According to the schedule proposed by staff, public notice of the proposed draft regulation will be advertised in the newspaper twice before the Board votes to adopt the draft. Final action is tentatively planned for the second Board meeting in July.

Developing this ordinance is only one of many steps that the Board has taken to protect our streams. The County also has plans to work with residents on a pilot watershed program which among other things could highlight voluntary measures homeowners could take to improve our streams. – Loudoun Streams

Clean streams. Now.

Assembly Maps for Loudoun

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Since I couldn’t get the Virginia Redistricting site’s interactive map to work, I spent some time this morning playing with shapefiles and viewing software, along with my computer’s screenshot capabilities. As a result, I present to you the maps, as I understand them, of Assembly Districts (Delegate and Senate) in and around Loudoun County, Virginia.

(Incidentally, Hampton Roads online has a fantastic zoomable map, but I think the data on which it is based is the vetoed plans, rather than the passed, compromise plans from April 28th.)

First, Delegate Districts, as determined by the compromise plans passed on April 28th.
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Next, Senate Districts.
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Finally, Senate Districts with a bit more regional context.
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Hopefully, this will help inform all of the, “wait, does that candidate live in this district?” discussions going on. There are two more images below the jump that dig down into a bit more detail in the Ashburn Area, for people interested in where those lines really fall.
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