Please take the time to click, it is nearly the least you can do.

Google: Don’t Be Evil from MoveOn.org Official Channel on Vimeo.

• Tell Motts, No Strike Breakers – Motts wants to break a union over $1.50/hour. Motts made $550 million in profit last year. It should not stand.
• The end of the Internet as you know it – Net Neutrality is critical to the amazing freedom and entrepreneurship spawned by the digital age, don’t let a backroom deal by Verizon kill it.
• Stop Social Security Cuts – Social Security cuts are on the table as a “deficit reduction” strategy. Not okay.
• Don’t sell us out – Enforcement only immigration reform is mean, dumb, expensive and does not work. Tell Congress not to do it.

If you haven’t heard about this, you will. There’s a possible serial killer in Leesburg, but he’s not from here, he’s from Michigan. (Update – The police think the suspect has moved on to Toledo, Oh.) Here’s what the Post has to say:

Police in Leesburg are investigating a possible link between three recent unprovoked attacks in the city and a serial killer in Michigan.

The assailant is white, and in nearly all the cases the victims are black, prompting concerns the attacks may be racially motivated. Leesburg Police said a vehicle in which the attacker fled after one of the Virginia attacks – a dark green Chevrolet Blazer or GMC Jimmy that has two large grapefruit size dents in the hood – matches the description of a vehicle Michigan police believe the attacker may have used there. – The Washington Post

What’s worse is the racial tone of the attacks.

With a suspected serial killer conducting targeted, racially based attacks in Leesburg, in addition to as many as 16 additional attacks in Michigan, members of the African-American community are on high alert, and the Leesburg Police Department is working closely with Loudoun County NAACP to get the word out to anyone who could be a potential target.

Last week a 15-year-old boy and a 67-year-old man, both African-American, were stabbed in two separate incidents. Friday, a 19-year-old Hispanic male, who has been described as having a “dark complexion,” was hit with a hammer-like object. The stabbing victims are still in the hospital but are expected to recover, the third victim was released hours after his attack after being treated locally for non-threatening injuries.

During a press conference Monday, Leesburg Police Chief Joseph Price said law enforcement believes the victims are being targeted at random for their race and that no confrontation has occurred between the victims and the suspect. – Leesburg Today

We are a friendly, multiethnic community that has lived in harmony (more or less) for a while now, and violent hate has no place in my Leesburg.

Further complicating this story is the fact that members of Town Council were only told about the press conference, and the situation, as it was happening. Councilwoman Hammler had to get her information from the Leesburg Today website.

Councilwoman Katie Hammler expressed dismay that the council was not alerted to the press conference held Monday afternoon at police headquarters, where Chief Joseph Price said investigators were exploring links between the three attacks in Leesburg last week and more than a dozen attacks-five fatal-in the Flint, MI, area over the last few months.

Some council members said they were not aware a press conference was taking place until after the fact, with Hammler saying she was only able to see what was said via the Leesburg Today Web site, which provided video of the press conference. – Leesburg Today

Regardless of any process breakdowns in the notification of our elected officials, I’m very happy the Town Manager and Police acted swiftly to notify the public of the danger, especially considering the fact that one of the attacks took place right in the neighborhood of the Leesburg Public Safety Center.

In this tragedy is an opportunity for us to come together as a community in solidarity with our neighbors to say that we will not tolerate nor accept violence in the name of hatred on our streets. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this crime and their families, and all of us must be vigilant and on the lookout for the suspect or his vehicle.

Police are looking for a dark green four-door Chevy Blazer with a light colored trim package on the lower portion of the sides. The vehicle did not have a front license plate and no inspection stickers or other window decals were displayed. There are two “grapefruit-sized” dents in the hood near the latch area, police said.

We can and will show how strong Leesburg can be, when we are united.

[Update] – David posted about this over on Equality Loudoun, and it is an excellent read. Go check it out.

And he provided a link to this video of the suspect’s video in the comments, below.

(Crossposted from Leesburg Tomorrow.)  

At last week’s LCDC meeting, the Loudoun County Democratic Committee passed a resolution in support of the restoration of voting rights for people who have paid their debt to society after committing a crime.

Virginia is one of only two states that permanently revoke a felon’s voting rights after they have served their time unless the felon goes through a laborious restoration process. Gov. McDonnell got some bad press for attempting to further complicate the restoration process with new requirements (essentially, a literacy test) earlier this year.  

This burden on ex-felons is a last glaring remnant of jim crow on Virginia’s law books, and it is to the disgrace of our Commonwealth that it remains in force to this day. We must do something about it, which is why the LCDC joined her sibling Democratic Committees in passing a resolution on the issue last week.

Follow below for the text of the resolution and details on the legislation that will address this disgrace.There is a bill in Congress, the “Democracy Restoration Act” which addresses this historical wrong, and that is what the LCDC voted to support. The text of our resolution is as follows:

The Loudoun County Democratic Committee Endorses the Democracy Restoration Act

WHEREAS, the right to vote is the fundamental right in any Democracy and the chief obligation of citizenship; and

WHEREAS, the sacrifices people endured in pursuit of these rights have included the loss of life, liberty, and their ability to pursue happiness; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealths of Virginia and Kentucky are the only two states in the nation in which felons are disenfranchised for life unless their rights are restored in the form of gubernatorial intervention; and

WHEREAS, over 300,000 people with felony convictions are currently disenfranchised in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, felon disenfranchisement is a relic of the Jim Crow era, enforced along with the poll tax and literacy tests explicitly to disenfranchise African-American males, one in five of whom cannot vote today in Virginia due to this injustice; and

WHEREAS, allowing people to vote after release from prison encourages participation in civic life and instills a sense of community that motivates law-abiding behavior; and

WHEREAS, there are no clear standards for the restoration of voting rights in Virginia and no law dictating the process by which the Governor may choose to restore rights; and

WHEREAS, legislation is pending in the U.S. Congress – the Democracy Restoration Act (S. 1516 and H.R. 3335) – co-sponsored by (among others) Virginia Representatives James P. Moran and Robert Scott, that would restore the right to vote in Federal elections to all felons upon release from prison and would affect about 5 million people nationally.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Loudoun County Democratic Committee (LCDC) urges Governor McDonnell to issue a blanket restoration of voting rights to all felons who have completed their prison terms and completed all conditions of probation and parole; and

THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the LCDC urges the passage of a Virginia constitutional amendment restoring voting rights to all felons who have completed their prison terms and completed all conditions of probation and parole; and

THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the LCDC urges all members of the Virginia delegation to the U.S. Congress to co-sponsor and vote for the Democracy Restoration Act to restore the right to vote in Federal elections for all felons upon release from prison and completion of all conditions of probation and parole.

Restoring the right to vote is a critical part of reintegration of ex-felons into our community. With a full 300,000 Virginians not only stigmatized but also disenfranchised by their past bad behavior, we as a society give them little incentive to seek paths to productive integration with our economy and community. Voting restoration is part, but not the whole, of an answer.  

I am currently reading the official one volume history of Virginia: Old Dominion, New Commonwealth: A History of Virginia 1607-2007. It was written as part of the Quatricentennial Books initiative in 2007. What is striking to me is how much of our current politics are simply echoes of what has gone before here in our Virginia.

Take transportation, for example, where the saga of roads in Northern Virginia has occupied the entirety of my political experience. In reading about the political debates of the mid 1800s, it is striking how much ink was spilled over whether to build and fund a canal from Richmond to the Ohio river. And the three attempts to do so were stymied by a lack of funding and opposition from traditionalists who did not like the idea of paying money to fund transportation for the dynamic regions of the economy. Eventually, the whole effort went belly up.

Personally surveyed and planned by George Washington  himself, the canal was begun in 1785 under the James River Company, and later restarted under the James River and Kanawha Canal Company. It was only half completed by 1851. It was an expensive project which failed several times financially and was frequently damaged by floods. By the time it was halted, it had only reached Buchanan, in Botetourt County, Virginia, even though it was largely financed by the Commonwealth of Virginia through the Virginia Board of Public Works. When work to extend the canal further west stopped permanently, railroads were overtaking the canal as a far more productive mode of transportation. – Wikipedia

In the 1830s and 1840s many in Richmond did not want to build roads, canals, and bridges for the benefit of dynamic local economies brought about by waves of people new to the Old Dominion. And when they eventually did try to build something it was a failed financial boondoggle. Funny, that sounds familiar.  

The end-unit house in my row is in foreclosure, again. This is the third time owners have moved out of that house since I moved into the neighborhood a little more than four years ago. This time, however, it’s a little bit different if not downright ironic.

The owner who was foreclosed upon this time had lost her job about a year ago, not too long after she bought the house. She had worked at Fannie Mae. Her former employer had backed the mortgage on her house, but when she tried to rework her payment terms after going into default (because she lost her job), Fannie Mae refused to work with her. Of course, when Fannie Mae got in trouble the government helped them out, but that principle doesn’t apply to little people.

In a final insult, my former neighbor got a new job not too long after she started missing payments, but that wasn’t enough to let her keep her house. Even with evidence of employment, Fannie Mae foreclosed on her. And now, the house at the end of my row is growing weeds in the flowerbeds and has paint cans in trash bags lined up on the porch. (Update) – As of this afternoon, there was a crew cleaning the house and wedding its yard, hired by the bank’s realtor.What happens in the mortgage business is simply crazy. Remember Wells Fargo suing itself to recover money from itself? This stuff is still happening. In spite of government programs that try to help, people aren’t getting help. Our housing finance system is still a mess, and there is only one candidate for Congress talking about it, Jeff Barnett.

With one of five mortgages “underwater,” tens of thousands of our neighbors live in constant fear of losing everything. They are one bad break — sickness, job loss — away from going bankrupt. They lose their home and their life savings.

I will champion three immediate steps to help homeowners:

• Institutionalize the short-sale process so homeowners can force a short-sale when their bank refuses to modify an underwater mortgage.
• Guarantee an FHA loan two years after the short sale – so homeowners with good credit can recover.
• Give homeowners the same bankruptcy protections we give big corporations.

None of these proposals should cost the federal government a penny. They won’t weaken the financial system – banks have already written off underwater mortgages. Our government must help middle class homeowners caught up in the housing bubble. We cannot forget the Too-Small-To-Save.

This is a problem that isn’t going away. Jeff Barnett knows that there is a lot of work still to be done.  

[Update] Following on Doorbellqueen’s comment, here’s an idea from a couple years ago that would definitely solve these problems, but it got nowhere: Own To Rent.

Here’s how the plan works. Currently, if a homeowner is not able to make their mortgage payments, the holder of the mortgage can go to court to place the house in foreclosure. At that point, if the homeowner is not able to come up with back payments on the mortgage, or work out an acceptable arrangement with the mortgage holder, the bank or financial institution that holds the mortgage retakes ownership of the house and can have the homeowner evicted.

Under this security of housing proposal, the foreclosure process would be changed so that the current homeowner would have the option to remain in their house as a renter paying the fair market rent. If a homeowner chose to go this route, the judge in the foreclosure proceeding would appoint an independent appraiser to determine the fair market rent for the house. This is similar to the process a bank undertakes when it hires an appraiser to determine the value of the house before issuing a mortgage, except the appraiser will be asked to determine the rent rather than the sale price. – Dean Baker, TPM Cafe

In June, I suggested two ideas that might help marginally improve Loudoun’s environment. Don’t mow on bad air quality days, and ask employers to provide freedom to work from home on bad air quality days. I even suggested that Loudoun’s government take the lead on these ideas. Well, as it turns out, it already has!

Supervisor Burk responded to my letter about these ideas and let me know that the County already prohibits powered landscaping (mowing, etc.) on Code Orange and Code Red air quality days. And the County has one of the most progressive telework programs of any local government, and has had it for years.

I like being wrong, when it means that good ideas are already in place well before I caught up and thought of them. Kudos to Loudoun!

Frank Wolf held a jobs fair in Leesburg last week.

Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA-10) will be hosting another 10th District job fair this week, this time at Harper Park Middle School in Leesburg.

More than 40 federal agencies and private sector companies are scheduled to exhibit, including Cox Communications, Middleburg Bank, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Prince William County Police and Telos Corporation. – Leesburg Today

Funny thing about that, Supervisor Kelly Burk did that first, back in April.

We have 40 business ready to hire summer high and college kids. Everything from the Washington Airport Authority to retail stores. Please help me spread the word about the Job Fair, April 10, noon to three at 211 Cactoctin Circle. – Kelly Burk

A difference, of course, is the fact that it is young people who are suffering the worst unemployment in this recession. So, Supervisor Burk targeted her job fair to those who need the most help. Kudos to Supervisor Burk for identifying a specific problem, and developing a solution.Frank Wolf’s job fair was simply another in a long line of photo opportunities. How can it be otherwise when Loudoun has a 4.9% unemployment rate, half of almost anywhere else. Of course, even with low unemployment, many of our neighbors are still looking for work. And yet, Frank Wolf is one of the staunchest supporters of expanding the H1B visa program, which is rife with abuse.

It’s not about jobs with Frank Wolf. It’s about appearances.

Vote Jeff Barnett in November!

Link, or drink. Link, or drink? Link.

• Can You Pass a Citizenship Test? Oklahomans Can’t – Okay, I admit I went to elementary school with the guy who writes the blog, but this post is great. You can test yourself here.
• Virginia ECards – Pithy, accurate, funny. Awesome.
• What The Financial Reform Law Means To You – I nice summary of what changes are happening thanks to financial reform, from the AARP.
• The Civil Rights Heroism of Charles Sherrod – Breitbart sure picked the wrong people to symbolize black “racism.”

As the summer goes along, there is more to do, and advocacy does not rest. Today, we should put Elizabeth Warren on the Consumer Financial Protection Board and support the DREAM Act, among other things.

• We need Elizabeth Warren at the CFPB! – Thanks to the perseverance of our Democratic Congress, we actually got Wall Street reform this month. In that act was the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Board. Elizabeth Warren should be on it.
• Let Students Earn Citizenship – The DREAM Act lets kids who were brought into this country without documentation by their parents earn U.S. citizenship the same way all of our forebears did. Sign the petition to get this Act passed.
• Don’t Appeal the DOMA Decision – A court in New England took exception to the Defense of Marriage Act on equality grounds. If the Obama Administration does not appeal that decision, it will be a great step forward for marriage equality.

Supervisor Kelly Burk has made a career of being smart. From teaching our kids to serving on the Town Council, she has made a life of thinking critically, explaining thoroughly, and making decisions based on facts and data. It’s why she voted against Kincora, and fights for development done right here in Loudoun.

Tonight, at the County offices, there is a presentation on doing growth right. It’s called “Smart Transportation-Are you Ready for the New Paradigm?”

Wednesday – July 21 – 8:00pm

Smart Transportation-Are you Ready for the New Paradigm?

BOS Room; LC Govt. Center 1 Harrison St. SE, Leesburg, VA

Contact:  Supervisor.kelly.burk@loudoun.gov or (703) 777-0203

Loudoun’s Countywide Transportation Plan was adopted last month amid much public discussion about its pros and cons. Many residents complained about its negative impacts on communities and provided the Board of Supervisors with an analysis that challenged the assumptions of the Plan, while the business community and others expressed concern about killing Loudoun’s economic future through gridlock. Is the adopted Plan sufficient to address our transportation problems? What can we do in the near term that can make a real difference? Are there solutions that both improve economic development opportunities and livability?

In a 45-minute presentation, Lockwood and De La Espriella will discuss the problems generated by the conventional transportation model and community benefits that accrue from a range of creative transportation and design solutions. The presentation will be followed by a short question and answer period.

The presentation is sponsored by the Piedmont Environmental Council, which has been involved in smart growth for a long time. In light of the hubbub over the alternative CTP that was circulated earlier in the debate, it’s great to see Supervisor Burk doing her part to gather and disseminate facts and public discussion over these questions.

Come out this evening and join the conversation* about transportation in Loudoun.

(*Note: Conversation, not shouting match.)If you can’t make the meeting tonight, Kelly is holding one of her regular coffee’s on Saturday. She’s always available to talk to her neighbors here in Town.

Koffee with Kelly

Saturday, July 24 at Tavistock Farms

Supervisor Burk will be hosting a constituent coffee at the Tavistock Farms Clubhouse, 880

MacAlister Dr., SE, on July 24th at 10:00 am.

Stop by for coffee, donuts, and an informal chat with Kelly about town and county issues, or just come by and say hi!