April 30, 2007History of the NSAThe National Security Agency recently declassified a history of itself written a few years ago as part of the 50th anniversary series of the Cryptologic Almanac. Ever wondered where the super-secret NSA came from? Wonder no more. Bush's open-ended commitment to IraqFor Tuesday we'll be writing about the president's refusal to set any standard at all on progress in Iraq. He doesn't want a timeling for withdrawl, fine. But surely he'd be in favor of setting some benchmarks by which to measure success... Nope, not even those. We'll be there until some president someday decides that some nebulous, ill-defined standard of victory has been achieved. For Roanoke schools, the best way was to part waysThe Roanoke School Board and school Superintendent Marvin Thompson wisely recognized that it was best to end Thompson's tenure now, as cleanly and civilly as possible - and before simmering unrest could build beyond repair. But school officials need not let this bump, substantial as it is, stall what progress has been made under Thompson's leadership. Comment on Monday's editorialsAmerica has too few food police Grant state's natives their rightful place Comment on Monday's local commentary and lettersTending our gardens Roanoke, don't make the Chapel Hill mistake Monday's letters can be read here. April 29, 2007Comment on Sunday's editorialsRe-, uh, partial regulation The electricity deregulation horror stories detailed in an Associated Press story last week are proof enough that Virginia did right by turning back its failed attempt to open power generation to competition. Or more accurately, a piece of something right.
With all 140 seats up for grabs and a large number of open seats, this year's General Assembly elections are going to cost a lot of money. Which means lawmakers and candidates are going to have to raise a lot of money.
Radford bans the alphas and omegas Architecturally, it's easy to differentiate between universities. No one would confuse Virginia Tech's Hokie stone and Radford University's red brick. Each lends a special character to its campus. At the same time, most universities have some things in common. For example, fraternity and sorority houses adorned with Greek letters dot their peripheries. Well, they do at Tech, anyway. Not in Radford, where the city all but bans off-campus student displays. Comment on Radmacher's columnThe Big Truth about Bush Every once in awhile, someone nails a Big Truth that makes a number of things click into place. In a speech to the Brookings Institution last week, Democratic Rep. Rahm Emanuel nailed a very big truth, kind of a unified theory of Bush. Comment on Trejbal's columnInsensitive traffic sensors Bicyclists really don't find much love on the streets of the New River Valley. That thought occurred to me again a few weeks ago as I was driving to work along Franklin Avenue in Christiansburg. I had stopped at one of the interminable traffic lights among the strip malls and big-box stores at the north end of town. Glancing to my right, I saw a bicyclist waiting to make a left turn onto Franklin. Comment on Sunday's local commentaryThere is no 'witch hunt'; it's accountability After six years of congressional sycophancy and rubber-stamping of virtually every whim, caprice and malefaction of the Bush administration, demands for "accountability" from the new congressional leadership have become a welcome regularity.
After the carnage, the supermarket on University Boulevard has become the unlikely venue for consolation. We fill our baskets just as we did before, though many of us forget what we need a few seconds after we've glanced at our lists. Even so, lists help. Some of us can't function without them. If I write down what I need in an orderly fashion, things seem less brutal.
America is in an internal war today; perhaps the biggest threat to the very existence of future generations of this blessed country is the struggle for the future of our lands.
What are your priorities? Before you answer, what I really mean is "our" priorities. We are all a part of a community of individuals who must act for the greater good and not just for our individual needs.
April 28, 2007Comment on Saturday's editorialsWhen No. 2 is not good enough Gun-show loophole defeats checks April 27, 2007Close Virginia's gun-show loopholeOn Friday, we'll comment on Gov. Tim Kaine's hope that Virginia will close its gun-show loophole on background checks for gun purchases. The ease with which the Virginia Tech shooter might have bought his weapons, had he needed to skirt the background check, should make this a no-brainer for lawmakers. The FCC would limit blood on TVThe Federal Commnications Commission wants Congress to give it the authority to restrict violent television programming the same way it restricts sexual content. Such an effort faces legal and practical impossibilities. At least the FCC has a secondary plan: Force cable and satellite providers to offer a la carte channel subscriptions. Tribal recognitionFor Monday: Virginia's tribes are getting closer to earning the federal recognition that they deserve, but only if they bargain away future rights to gambling. That shouldn't be part of the deal. Either Congress recognizes the tribes as sovereign nations or it does not. Comment on Friday's editorialsMentally ill children won't grow out of it The voter fraud scam Comment on Friday's local commentary and lettersFewer, not more guns Friday's letters can be read here. April 26, 2007For Sunday: Campaign finance in VirginiaFor Sunday, we're working on an editorial on Virginia's wide-open campaign finance laws. There are no restrictions on how much any one donor can give to a candidate. The only "protection" against the corrupting influence of huge amounts of campaign cash is disclosure. We'll argue that, since genuine reform is unlikely, the legislature should at least pass a long-stalled bill to randomly audit campaign finance reports to ensure they are accurate and complete. Also, the disclosure requirement should be immediate. Stop tilting at voter fraud windmillsFor Friday, we'll be writing about the Bush administration's years' long fight against voter fraud that, studies show, does not exist on the scale White House officials imagine. When a child's mind becomes illFor Friday: Mental health experts meeting in Richmond said there are too few child psychiatrists to treat mental illnesses, leaving the diagnosis and care to pediatricians. Virginia is attempting to foster more collaboration. Radford clamps down on greek speechFor Sunday's Current, we're writing about free speech in Radford. Radford is finally codifying its rules on flags, banners and greek letters, which is good news. Unwritten rules make poor laws. The problem is not setting standards, though, but imposing requirements that flags and such be preapproved by the city. News flash -- The First Amendment says people do not need government permission for speech. Comment on Thursday's editorialsThe chief's stun-gun silence Save a local treasure Comment on Thursday's local commentary and lettersDrifting where we never intended Thursday's letters can be read here. April 25, 2007Roanoke police ought to consider Tasers as a tool in deadly-force situationsFor Thursday, we'll comment on the Roanoke Police Department's lack of Tasers, in light of two police shootings this year that killed people armed with swords. Tasers, too, can be lethal, but they might be preferable to guns in situations that call for the use of deadly force. Police Chief Joe Gaskins ought to explain to the public why he won't consider stun guns for city police. Traffic lights vs. bikersFor my Sunday column, I'm writing about actuated traffic lights. How they work, and what a bicyclist is to do when they don't work for him. I'll also touch on energy (and dollar) savings being enjoyed by local governments switching to LED lights. Comment on Wednesday's editorialsAn Iraq threat comes home Comment on Wednesday's local commentary and lettersThe Christian call to love victim 33 Wednesday's letters can be read here. April 24, 2007Media coverage of the Tech shootingsFor everyone concerned about the media coverage of the shootings at Virginia Tech, The Project for Excellence in Journalism has tabulated how much coverage there was last week. The worst offenders, as you might guess, were television news, especially cable news. Toyota passes GM in the fast laneToyota, its sights set on world domination in the auto industry, has claimed the top spot in auto sales. It's surprising that the automaker hadn't claimed the top spot sooner. The company has responded to consumer's demand for more fuel-efficient rides. Poor General Motors, still clinging to its gas-guzzling machines. Maybe its drop to the No. 2 spot will prompt an urgent willingness to support a boost in fuel-economy standards. Lethally inhumane injectionsFor Wednesday, we're writing about a new medical study that finds that lethal injection can cause tortuous death in execution, not the serene passing one that it pretends to be. The medical evidence comes on top of a rash of annecdotal evidence to this effect. Virginia ought to abandon lethal injection, and the death penalty for that matter. Chlorine dangerFor Wednesday, we're writing about a new terror concern: chlorine truck bombs. Terrorists in Iraq have used such bombs at least five times, and a series of thefts and attempted thefts of150-lb chlorine tanks in the United States is raising concerns. This brings new urgency to a proposal to require chemical companies to shift to less hazardous substitutes wherever possible. Valid e-mail now requiredFrom now on, in order to comment to The RT, we will require a valid e-mail address. We will conduct random checks to ensure that addresses are valid. The address you submit is not public, and not accessible to spam bots. It will not be used for any other purpose than verification. In addition, please remember that this is intended to be a forum for polite and respectful debate. Personal attacks against fellow commenters or the editorial page staff of The Roanoke Times will not be allowed. Address the argument, not the person. We will continue to delete any libelous comments. Thank you Valid e-mail now requiredFrom now on, in order to comment to The RT, we will require a valid e-mail address. We will conduct random checks to ensure that addresses are valid. The address you submit is not public, and not accessible to spam bots. It will not be used for any other purpose than verification. In addition, please remember that this is intended to be a forum for polite and respectful debate. Personal attacks against fellow commenters or the editorial page staff of The Roanoke Times will not be allowed. Address the argument, not the person. We will continue to delete any libelous comments. Thank you Comment on Tuesday's editorialsDon't let one defeat destroy a vision Thompson allows doubt to creep in Comment on Tuesday's columns and local commentaryPoor spokesmen for the Second Amendment Armed is not the same as safer The harm done is done to us Tuesday's letters can be read here. April 23, 2007Valley Forward mustn't give upDevelopment of an inn on Mill Mountain seems impossible now that the Fishburn family has come out against the proposal. The group that came up with the idea, Valley Forward, is still around, though. It's members must not lose heart in the face of this initial defeat. The Roanoke Valley still needs to hear what Valley Forward has to say. On electricity deregulation: Does this 'hybrid' go far enough to protect consumers?The electricity deregulation horror stories detailed in an Associated Press story Sunday signal that Virginia did the right thing in turning back its failed attempt to open the electric marketplace to competition. But does the “hybrid” regulatory model signed into law by Gov. Tim Kaine still leave open the possibility for the kind of double-digit power bill spikes seen in states that have clung to deregulation? Superintendent Thompson needs a new jobFor Tuesday: Roanoke Superintendent Marvin Thompson said he was asked to apply for a similar post in Florida. Well, not exactly. He asked to be asked. The first rule in job hunting is the same as the first rule in maintaining the confidence of your current employer: Play it straight. Comment on Monday's editorialsBring sanity to Virginia's gun laws Lead-Safe Roanoke remains elusive Comment on Monday's local commentary and lettersMisconceptions about mental illness and violence Monday's letters can be read here. April 22, 2007Comment on Sunday's editorialsThis diamond's for Joey In a week where heartwarming stories were sorely needed, the tale of Joey Walters -- Salem Avalanche's Manager for a Day -- hit a home run. A smarter way to feed the hungry Half a million Zambians are staring at starvation, while stores of corn sit in their capital of Lusaka waiting to be distributed. Congress, meanwhile, refuses to use any part of U.S. food aid to facilitate the process. This is nuts. Read more. Tradition denies doggies Some traditions are worth holding onto. They are precious things that tie a community to its past. Other traditions only cause head scratching. Comment on Radmacher's columnThey keep talking, even when there's nothing to say When a horrific tragedy like the Virginia Tech shootings strikes, I pity broadcast journalists. The expectation in an event of this magnitude is that radio and television stations will provide what a Roanoke radio station called "wall-to-wall coverage." Comment on Trejbal's columnMoments of peace amidst tragedy How does one respond? The magnitude of the horror defies rational reaction. One minute the worst thing on your mind is a tree that blew over in the previous night's wind storm. The next minute, Southwest Virginia is shattered. |