Author Archives: Epluribusunum

The Catoctin crazy, it burns

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Unbelievable. The folks running the Higgins campaign are in a snit because the Republican candidate for Sheriff has some bipartisan support. It’s hurting their candidate, they say, to have Catoctin voters with both Malcolm Baldwin and Mike Chapman signs in their yards. Think about this. They would rather torpedo their own duly nominated Sheriff’s candidate, actively working against him because he has apparently managed to gain the support of people other than partisan Republicans. They actually seem to think that’s a terrible thing. I’m guessing that the real problem for them, though, is that Malcolm Baldwin has gained the support of independent-minded, moderate voters who are not Democrats. That’s the way this voting thing works.

For what it’s worth, a commenter posted a description of a conversation about this that he witnessed (and for the record, I don’t believe the person is suggesting taking signs from anyone’s yard; he’s presumably talking about signs on public property here. Right?):

[David ] LaRock suggest [sic] Mike go around and take down the signs posted next to Baldwin signs..

It leads to an interesting explanation for why everyone in the rural west can’t play nicely together. The same commenter reports hearing this directly from Blue Ridge Republican candidate Janet Clarke about the voters in the west who would be likely to support her: “Because Mike is so highly educated, etc., they won’t relate to him,” and that those voters prefer the “country boy image Simpson displays.”

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Be careful out there, Ken has a large vehicle

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I see that Ken Reid continues to charm everyone he meets, already garnering a Turkey of the Year nomination from folks in his own party. Having made the acquaintance of several actual turkeys, both wild and domestic, I confess to having misgivings about the name of this award. Turkeys are often dignified and delightful creatures, while Ken Reid is not.

Do not, repeat do not, tell the Boy Scouts about this.

This is a picture of Ken grandstanding at the recent 9/11 ride through downtown Leesburg (the ride turned out to be much less of a disruption than police had predicted; since it was so far behind schedule by the time it reached Leesburg, it passed through town pretty fast.) When I ran into Supervisor Kelly Burk and her husband a short time later, there was really only one question to ask: Why aren’t you striding majestically up and down King St. wrapped in a giant, desecrated American flag?

We had a different question for Ken (actually a series of questions): Why did you run a stop sign and almost hit us as we started to cross the street at Cornwall and Liberty? Were you in a tremendous hurry for some reason? You did see us, didn’t you? Do you think that Town Council members are exempt from the traffic regulations that apply to everyone else?

Ken’s response to our inquiry was to say “sorry,” in a tone that made it perfectly clear that he was not at all sorry.

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Post-primary postmodernism

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Wherein a few loose ends are explored.
(Updated to clarify meaning of terms.)

1. The GOP has a bigotry problem. Those who are genuinely trying to combat it have my sympathy, if not my confidence. A commenter at TC who goes by Muslim Conservative has been patiently doing a lot of heavy lifting in that regard, and has managed to dislodge some damaging admissions, to wit: Former Republican candidate for Sheriff Greg Ahlemann has stated once again that he categorically does not “vote for or support candidates who support or practice Islam.” He also stated that he would never vote for or support “a homosexual.”

That statement might surprise those who read my interview with him on Equality Loudoun back in 2007, in which he talked about Muslim friends and gay friends in a way clearly intended to dispel the rumor that he harbors bigotry. What might also surprise you is that his views haven’t changed since then, and that he doesn’t see any contradiction. He genuinely believes, I think, that these statements do not constitute bigotry, and he is not alone in this view.

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An embarrassing eccentricity

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Would be crossposted from Equality Loudoun, except we’re down for maintenance and migration. Returning soon.

What a ridiculous story this is.

Scouting (like the military, like every other part of life) includes people who are openly gay. That means parents who are leaders and volunteers, and scouts themselves. For the most part, participants act as if those embarrassing prohibitions on people simply being who they are no longer exist. In fact, they will no longer exist for service members as of September 20.

The two women get it exactly right, I think. At some point a quasi-public organization practicing overt discrimination like this finds itself so out of touch with its members and community that its bottom line is affected, and incidents like this only create a humiliating awareness that these policies still exist.

The best part of the story, though – the one that shows the Boy Scouts will be just fine – is this perceptive remark by a friend of the family, after reciting the scout law (a scout should be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, etc.).

“I mean, when the leaders of the troop hear that, how does it feel? Were they loyal to Denise? It certainly wasn’t kind what they’ve done to her,” [Eric] Ianson continued. “It absolutely isn’t brave. The brave thing to do would be to take a stand here and say this isn’t right, this person has been great to our kids and it’s time to stand up for her and be great for her.”

This is an Eagle Scout who has internalized the values of scouting and understood them much better than the reactionary leadership at the top of the hierarchy. The right thing to do is to acknowledge the truth you can see for yourself, and to stand up for your friend. There are many more like him.

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Fundamentalist postmodernism

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The clip below is a near-perfect illustration of the fundamentalist mind at work. Notice that Perry doesn’t even seem to grasp the concept of empirical evidence as something that ought to be considered in formulating policy, and is flummoxed that the question is framed that way. As an abstract idea, “abstinence works.” Pointing out that abstinence-only education doesn’t actually work in practice is missing “the bigger and better issue.” To the fundamentalist mind, it’s making sure that the correct ideology is expressed – not an actual reduction in teen pregnancy – that has become the policy goal.

This is not “conservatism.” It’s a form of insanity that rejects evidence from the observable, material world, and it’s undeniable that it has fully infected the Republican party. When it’s welcomed as a “brave act of political suicide” for a Republican candidate to stand up to the anti-science know-nothings claiming to speak for his party, there is an obvious problem.

In the interest of having a series of adult conversations about policy in the real world (and not a situation in which anyone thinks the best long term solution is to accelerate the implosion of the infected GOP by voting “for the most right-wing crazy-crack-pot candidates”), is there a Jon Huntsman figure in the house? Anyone? Or will we just get more of this: A primary race in which none of the candidates can be distinguished from Dick Black. A slate of candidates willing to suck up to Eugene Delgaudio, a man who has not only shown himself to be morally unfit to hold office, but whose persona is entirely driven by a postmodernist rejection of empiricism, an emotional caricature who makes up his own facts. Or how about this classic response to a policy question about protecting the source of Loudoun’s drinking water from silt and pollutants: “God gave us the land to use. Are you against God?”

As can be seen from the comment thread on the previous post, it’s possible for people of good will to disagree and struggle with each other about what works best to solve problems in the real world. The only premise required is that there is an actual real world in which to test those solutions. Is anyone willing to insist on that?

Sticks and stones

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From the Department of Republican Embarrassment come the following two not-unrelated events:

First, contrary to that annoying buzzing sound coming from the anti-Muslim opportunist crowd, it seems that American Muslims are far and away the most likely among us to unequivocally condemn violence directed at civilians. A Gallup poll released on Tuesday lays out the truth rather starkly.

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Yes, I do realize this is a snarky post.

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Dedicated to the defense of civil liberties and human rights

In light of recent comments here and here about the threat of “sharia law,” here’s a corrective from Barton Hinkle. Those who prey on the perpetually outraged are like “the woman in Kansas who recited a special chant to keep the Bengal tigers away. Informed that there were no Bengal tigers, she replied that the chant must be working.”

In fact, this is who is embarrassing Virginia and threatening everyone’s individual liberties. The story, as reported earlier this month: Laura George, formerly a Leesburg attorney, planned to build an interfaith retreat center near her home in the southwest Virginia town of Independence. The Grayson County Planning Commission unanimously approved her project, which included a public library, interfaith education center, and ten cabins. There was a public hearing.

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‘Just say no’ in Purcellville

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Well. This changes the equation a bit, don’t you think?

July 11, 2011

Mayor Lazaro, Purcellville Town Council Members:

I am writing to inform you of our alliance with Sam and Uta Brown, owners of Crooked Run Orchard, in their efforts to preserve their farm.

For some time now, we have followed with mounting disappointment and ire the news reports of their ongoing battle with the Town of Purcellville. Perhaps, like many others in the community, we held high hopes the issue would somehow “sort itself out” and that the Browns would prevail in their campaign. And perhaps, like many others in the community, we also held high hopes that their rights as citizens, rural business owners, and landowners would be preserved.

We reacted with shock as we learned of the Town’s aggressive tactics in removing the injunction preventing the seizure of the Brown’s property, and your subsequent acquisition of their land. In our opinion, you have violated a sacred American right, and we find it unconscionable that the Town of Purcellville has engaged in such actions.

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And you think this is a virtue?

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Crossposted at Equality Loudoun.

It’s not online, but Leesburg Today has a piece on a recent Community Levee Association essay contest, and the winning essay is on their site. CLA president Chris Stevenson tells the Leesburg Today “we thought there were pretty good deep insights into marriage, especially for a 12th grader.” The author makes a strong case for the emotional difference between marriage and something that falls short, disputing the idea “that cohabitation is a reasonable substitution for marriage.”

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Just curious..

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Do you think this has anything to do with the recent hostility toward public sector jobs?

Even as historically male-dominated industries remain in the doldrums and men look elsewhere for work, local governments have been slashing their majority-female workforces. Employment in the sector held steady during the recession, but in the past year tens of thousands of schoolteachers and other civil servants have been laid off.

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