October 31, 2006The problemBush in Charleston, S.C. said: "And now you're involved in this global war on terror, in the central front, which is Iraq. I know some in America don't believe Iraq is the central front in the war on terror, and that's fine, they can have that opinion. But Osama bin Laden knows it's the central front in the war on terror. He has called Iraq the third world war. He has said of Iraq that he will lead to victory or glory or humiliation. We have made our decision. Iraq will lead to victory and glory for the United States, for the Iraqis, and for the moderates around the world." That would be fine if al-Qaida were all were were fighting in Iraq, or even mostly what we're fighting in Iraq. But it's not. And anyone who thinks it is must not be paying attention. We're battling a powerful sectarian divide that grows stronger with every reprisal killing. Until we solve that - and God knows how we do - Iraq is unwinnable. And Bush should have known that going in, and he should have known the stakes if we lost. For that monumental blunder, his place in history is most likely set. Allen campaign steps in macaca againIt's almost like George Allen and his supporters don't know what video cameras are. They record things, guys, so everyone can see what actually happened. So, when the cameras are running, it's a bad time to make fun of a minority or beat up a guy who was simply trying to ask a question: See the video here. Electronic voting machinesThis Miami Herald article will make you feel good about the integrity of your vote. "Broward Supervisor of Elections spokeswoman Mary Cooney said it's not uncommon for screens on heavily used machines to slip out of sync, making votes register incorrectly. Poll workers are trained to recalibrate them on the spot -- essentially, to realign the video screen with the electronics inside. The 15-step process is outlined in the poll-workers manual." The publisher's roleWe printed this letter today, which raises some interesting questions about the role of the publisher. Those questions deserve to be answered. Here's the letter. The answers will follow the jump: A publisher's view can influence coverage Debbie Meade, the incoming publisher of The Roanoke Times, is also chair-elect of Planned Parenthood of the Blue Ridge. Thank you for telling us (Oct. 19 news article, "Newspaper will get new hand at the helm"). In covering the critical and divisive issue of abortion, The Times now has no credibility. Your assurance that the publisher's political opinions have no effect on your news coverage defies common sense. The conflict of interest is obvious. Will Meade recuse herself when the editorial board discusses or writes on abortion or "recommends" candidates, as she has a personal interest in abortion laws? What kind of direction will she give to news editors when they are covering anti-abortion news? Does anyone at The Times even understand what kind of statement this makes about the newspaper? PAUL ROBERTSON What oil royalties?For Wednesday, we'll be commenting on the Interior Department's decision to abandon claims that Chevron Corporation underpaid royalties for drilling natural gas in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico. In other words, the administration caved to big oil yet again. See the full story in The New York Times, here. Comment on Tuesday's editorialsThinking outside the car Virginians who like to get out on their bikes and feet have a friend in Richmond: the Department of Transportation. Wake up and smell the fiscal disaster U.S. Comptroller General David Walker has launched a fiscal wake-up tour, and although the topic is scary -- mounting U.S. debt resembles a financial black hole from which we might not escape -- so far his only groupies are budget and policy wonks. http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/wb/wb/xp-89379">Read more. October 30, 2006A fix for poll watchersIf you're a political junkie like me, hanging on the latest polling numbers out of the battleground states, then these sites have the perfect daily fix. They aggregate all the poll results into overall projections about who will control Congress after next week's election. From the left: electoral-vote.com and From the right: electionprojection.com Assessments of the political leanings of the two sites are based strictly on my having kept an eye on them for a while and are totally subjective. The latest, forecasts, btw, are Democrats easily take the House and fall just short in the Senate. Literary criticismI think George Allen's stunt -- culling all the explicit passages out of Jim Webb's books like some hormonal teenager trying to find the good parts, then compiling them and releasing them to the media, absent any context -- is a sign of sheer desperation. I haven't read any of Webb's novels or nonfiction books. But I've heard good things about them. They are certainly not pornographic, as Allen's campaign would have you believe based on a few choice excerpts. In fact, one of the books criticized by Allen, "Fields of Fire," is on two Marine Corps reading lists: the Professional Reading Program and the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps Official Reading List. Get out of the carFor Tuesday, we're also working on an editorial about the VDOT push to increase facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians. There will be a public hearing tonight on the topic. Roanoke and Radford, among other communities, have been taking steps already, but statewide coordination and support is welcome. Additional information from VDOT on biking and walking in the commonwealth is available here. Wake up and see the disasterFor Tuesday: U.S. Comptroller General David M. Walker is on his fiscal wake-up tour trying to explain to Americans that deficits do matter. The combination of runaway federal spending and tax cuts has set the nation on a disastrous financial course. Read Walker’s report: “Saving our future requires touch choices today.” You might also want to check out these reports by the Heritage Foundation and the Brookings Institution. Comment on Monday's editorialsA marriage ruling of political convenience Sen. George Allen latched onto a New Jersey court ruling on same-sex marriage to stir his base, but Virginians have nothing to fear from it. Last week's ruling by a New Jersey court says it is up to that state's legislature to decide whether to legalize gay marriage there. In Virginia, the General Assembly decided the question long ago -- and it said "no." Beware the sleek bearing gifts Financial aid officials should steer clear of freebies from the private student loan industry. If the weight of debt could be calculated in actual pounds, many college students today would stagger across stages on graduation day. Enter the jarring contrast of a college financial aid officer enjoying a Pebble Beach, Calif., cozy-up with EduCap Inc., a pioneer in the multi-billion-dollar private student loan industry. Private loans to college students are increasing and students are shouldering ever-deepening debt. October 29, 2006Comment on Radmacher's column'Stay the course' George collides with reality President Bush, Karl Rove and Dick Cheney have been hoisted by their own improvised explosive devices in Iraq. Comment on Trejbal's columnReaders who live outside the New River Valley might not know that The Roanoke Times publishes a daily section for that region called The Current, produced out of our bureau in Christiansburg. The editorial board stations an editorial writer there as well. Christian Trejbal took over that role in August and now serves as the eyes and ears of the board in the NRV. Among his duties, he produces a weekly column for The Current. Feel free to comment here or on the NRV site's comment section for the column here. There's also a poll which you can access from a link in his column. We're still sussing out how to consolidate all this. Bet on climate change One of the great things about living close to a major university like Virginia Tech is the talks. Comment on Sunday's Current editorialChoose Dennis Nagel's expience Nagel would bring much as the Montgomery County commonwealth's attorney. Montgomery County voters next week will select a commonwealth's attorney. Dennis Nagel deserves their support. The winner will fill the one remaining year on a term left vacant after the former commonwealth's attorney accepted a judicial position. Brad Finch, Nagel's opponent, now holds the job on an interim basis following his appointment in the spring. Before that, Finch had been a prosecutor in the office since 2001. Comment on Sunday's editorialsJim Webb for U.S. Senate The country needs a change. Send an independent thinker like Webb to Washington, D.C. In Iraq and at home, America is on the wrong course, one mapped by the Bush administration and followed -- in lockstep, eyes forward, no questions asked -- by incumbent Republican Sen. George Allen. Voters would be wise to select a better representative. Welcome to The RT The Roanoke Times' new editorial page blog offers a raucous harmony of opinions. Welcome to The RT. That's The Roanoke Times RoundTable, our new editorial page blog. What The RT becomes will be largely up to readers. But we envision a place for a healthy and civil dialogue among The Roanoke Times editorial page staff and the community. October 28, 2006Comment on Saturday's editorialsAl Weed in the 5th Rep. Virgil Goode is emblematic of what ails Congress. The people of the 5th Congressional District deserve better. To understand how far ethical lapses and corruption have metastasized in Congress, one needs to look no further than the 5th Congressional District where Rep. Virgil Goode had appeared to be above the fray. What comes around The Bush administration had been warned: Its dogged adherence to the practice of locking away alleged enemies without due process would weaken the U.S. position in protecting its citizens abroad. October 27, 20065th DistrictOur endorsement for the 5th Congressional District, where Democrat Al Weed is challenging incumbent Republican Virgil Goode is coming Saturday. What comes aroundFor Saturday: President Bush’s democracy fostering trip to Vietnam next month is complicated by the imprisonment of a Florida woman for more than a year. The Vietnamese claim Thong Nguyen “Cuc” Foshee is a terrorist but have not charged her – a practice the Bush administration can clearly determine is a human rights violation when other countries do it to Americans. For more, read The Washington Post story “A prisoner of global impact,” which explores the human rights abuses, or the blogs Nuke News and Views and Press and Freedom Comment on Monday's editorialWe will write about last week's New Jersey court ruling on gay marriage, arguing that it should have no bearing on Virginia's vote next month on a state constitutional amendment -- or on congressional elections that should turn on issues far more critical to the future of the country. 'Stay the course' GeorgeMy column Sunday will be about President Bush's efforts to shed the nickname, "Stay the Course" George. My hope is that the administration's decision to ditch the "stay the course" rhetoric might lead to a more nuanced debate about the situation in Iraq and our options there, which never have been the simplistic "stay the course" versus "cut and run." Comment on Friday's editorialsBoucher in the 9th If re-elected, Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, will celebrate his 25th anniversary in Congress during his next term. The 9th Congressional District he has represented so ably should celebrate, too. Read more Law enforcement authorities refused Wednesday to take reporters' questions during a news conference in Bedford about an outrageously botched child pornography raid that targeted an innocent family in Pittsylvania County. Officials read a statement and then scurried out a nearby door. October 26, 2006U.S. Senate recommendationFor Sunday, we are working on our recommendation in the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Republican George Allen and Democratic challenger Jim Webb. The outcome of this race in this pivotal congressional election year could have a major impact nationwide, particularly on the direction the U.S. takes in the war in Iraq. Montgomery County Commonwealth's AttorneyWe're working on our recommendation for the Montgomery County commonwealth's attorney race between Dennis Nagel and Brad Finch. This was one of the toughest decisions we faced and might have received more discussion and debate than any other race. The recommendation will appear in The Current, but anyone else interested can find it online on Sunday. Recommendation for the 9th districtFor Friday, we working on our recommendation in Virginia's 9th Congressional District, where Democrat Rep. Rick Boucher, a long-time congressman, is running against Bill Carrico, a Republican member of the House of Delegates. Comment on Thursday's editorialsGoodlatte in the 6th We seldom agree with Rep. Bob Goodlatte's position on the issues. However, Goodlatte's dedication to his constituents, his integrity and his willingness to engage in discussions with those who hold diametric views are admirable traits for a public servant. We recommend that voters of the Sixth Congressional District return Goodlatte to office. James H. 'Jim' who? For Senate hopeful James Webb and other candidates, it's the case of the missing surname. October 25, 2006Global WarmingI'm busting out my Sunday column for The Current today. It's about global warming, with particular attention to a climate change conference (open to the public) next week in Blacksburg. Comment on Wednesday's editorialsVote 'No' on Amendment No. 1 Virginia should not engrave bigotry into its constitution. The proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage is not about protecting heterosexual marriage. Unions between a man and a woman are now legal and will remain so no matter what voters decide. Two amendments to support Virginians have seen no campaign signs for Ballot Questions 2 and 3 for good reason. Amending the constitution is never something to take lightly, but these two are about as noncontroversial as constitutional amendments get. Both deserve a "yes" vote. October 24, 2006The gaming of politicsTalk inside baseball when it comes to politics? Think you’re good at picking election winners? Check out this story in The New York Times about Fantasy Congress leagues. Or enter the Midterm Madness game courtesy of The Washington Post. Sixth Congressional DistrictRep. Bob Goodlatte faces his first re-election challenge in far too many years. Unfortunately it's not from the Democrats who gave Goodlatte a walk, again. Two engaging opponents — independent candidates Andre Peery and Barbara Jean Pryor — did step forward. On Thursday, we will make our recommendation to voters. Comment on Tuesday's editorialsGeorge Allen's 'flip-flop' Sen. George Allen is between Iraq and a hard place. All he needed to do was stick with the playbook to parlay the hardliner's stay-the-course Iraq message into a victory. http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/wb/wb/xp-88400 A round of second-guessing is due Whether in a Virginia supermax prison or sleepy county jail, cell doors protect society from criminals. Yet reports of egregious prison conditions, of innocent inmates wasting away on death row and other penal injustices show the reverse isn't always true. October 23, 2006DarfurThis chilling account by 60 Minutes of what is happening now in Darfur is a must-read: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/20/60minutes/main2111909.shtml One part in particular caught my eye. Do you ever wonder why we, meaning the United States or the United Nations, aren't doing more to stop this ongoing crime against humanity? Here's one reason: The Sudanese government has been slowly dribbling out useful intelligence about al-Qaida, gained from the time in the late 1990s when Sudan hosted Osama bin Laden. As John Prendergast, with the International Crisis Group, told CBS reporter Scott Pelley, "It's been a very good deal for the government of Sudan to give little tidbits of information about suspects around the world in order to blunt United States outrage over what’s happening in Darfur." Prendergrast called the arrangement, in which the United States turns a blind eye to ongoing genocide in return for assistance on counterterrorism, "a really heinous arrangement and one that history will judge very harshly." FOIA and prisonersFor Tuesday, we're working on an editorial about a recent federal court ruling throwing out a lawsuit from a prisoner who thought the state's practice of denying Freedom of Information Act requests from inmates was unconstitutional. We believe the ruling was correct in that the state has the authority to enact such an exemption to weed out frivolous filings, but the General Assembly should narrow the current blanket exemption to allow inmates access to vital information about health care and other important issues. Constitutional AmendmentsAlthough they won't run until a little later in the week, we're getting writing on our recommendations on the three constitutional amendments on the November ballot. (phew, that's a lot of prepositional phrases.) Ballot Quesiotn 1: Same-sex marriage and so much more. Anyone who has been reading our editorials on this issue should have a good guess which way we'll be going. Ballot Question 2: Church incorporation. Ballot Question 3: Local redevelopment tax incentives. Same-sex marriage is obviously the big one and will receive the most ink. The other two will receive briefer analysis. Allen's changing strategyFor a Tuesday editorial, we discuss Sen. George Allen's recognition that a losing strategy could cost him victory. With polls pegging his race as a tie, Allen's new politically expedient tactic is to back away from his long-held view that the U.S. must "stay the course" in Iraq. Voters might wonder if Allen’s lust to win the election causes him to sacrifice his convictions. Comment on Monday's editorialsPrepare for election victories and defeats It is getting nasty in Virginia. Political camps are so entrenched that dialogue and compromise have given way to hyper-polarization, an environment that serves no one. http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/wb/wb/xp-88354 A pop quiz for the NCAA Churches are not the only organizations whose federal tax-exempt status is being questioned these days. Rep. Bill Thomas, chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, wants some explanations from the National Collegiate Athletic Association about why the public subsidizes it. Welcome to the RTWelcome to The RT. That’s The Roanoke Times RoundTable, our new editorial page blog. What The RT becomes will be largely up to readers. But we envision a place for a healthy and civil dialogue among The Roanoke Times editorial page staff and the community. In his introductory column back in 1998, retired editorial page editor Tommy Denton said of the opinion and commentary pages, “Here is where the bully pulpit and the soapbox become one, extending one of the finest and most enduring of this nation's traditions: the raucous harmony of a free people holding forth.” We hope The RT will bring that raucous harmony to The Times’ corner of the digital world, where more people can join in, and where there is the possibility for real discussion. Welcome to The RTWelcome to The RT. That’s The Roanoke Times RoundTable, our new editorial page blog. What The RT becomes will be largely up to readers. But we envision a place for a healthy and civil dialogue among The Roanoke Times editorial page staff and the community. October 19, 2006fish killsFor an editorial on Friday, we're looking at Gov. Kaine's decision to pour $150,000 more into efforts to determine the cause of massive fish kills in the Shenandoah River during the spring of 2005. Since few fish died in 2006 or turned up with gruesome lesions, and efforts to date have yielded no definitive cause, Virginians might wonder if Kaine is throwing good money down the river. The $150,000 is a small investment if one looks at the devastating hit to public relations and the economy. For more on this, check out river kill task force's study. More information can be found here. October 17, 2006Kryptonite?Unusual meteorite found in Kansas http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/10/16/meteorite.kansas.ap/index.html Tax cuts and the deficitA reader commented on our editorial about Bush's claim that his tax cuts are lowering the deficit:
Our response, after the jump. October 6, 2006California judges 60 years behind the timesA California appellate court upheld the state ban on gay marriage, holding "We conclude California's historical definition of marriage does not deprive individuals of a vested fundamental right. The time may come when California chooses to expand the definition of marriage to encompass same-sex unions. That change must come from democratic processes, however, not by judicial fiat. ..." That's not what California courts said nearly 60 years ago, when they were the first to strike down bans on interracial marriage. Back in 1948, in the landmark Perez v. Sharp case, the California Supreme Court said, "The right to marry is as fundamental as the right to send one's child to a particular school or the right to have offspring. Indeed, 'We are dealing here with legislation which involves one of the basic civil rights of man. Marriage and procreation are fundamental to the very existence and survival of the race.' (Skinner v. Oklahoma, supra, at p. 541.) ... Since the right to marry is the right to join in marriage with the person of one's choice, a statute that prohibits an individual from marrying a member of a race other than his own restricts the scope of his choice and thereby restricts his right to marry." The courts got it right back in 1948. |