May 31, 2008Discuss Saturday's editorialsShort takesQuick views on some of the week's news.A forgettable governorHas it really been 6½ years? It seems like yesterday that Jim Gilmore ended his term as governor. Well, to us anyway. Most Virginians barely remember the guy. Discuss Saturday's local commentaryShow some respect on Memorial Day; show upBy Robert Craig Craig, USMC Ret. Col., served in Vietnam as a Company grade officer. He lives in Roanoke. Despite frequent references to my extended misspent youth, I don't often think of myself as old. I think of old as a state of mind. I know people in their 20s who are "old." They are very boring. However, every so often something happens that reminds me I am in far reaches of the second standard deviation from the mean of the average age. At such times I don't feel old, I feel like a curmudgeon.
Read today's letters here. Weekend open thread"Don't get saucy with me, Bernaise." What saucy topic is on your mind this weekend? May 30, 2008A blogging Christiansburg councilman
Residents might remember that Stipes is also the councilman largely responsible for pushing the town Web site redesign. Perhaps there's hope for Christiansburg's digital future with people like Stipes around. A futile appealAttorney General Bob McDonnell has decided to appeal to the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals a decision by a panel that struck down Virginia's partial-birth abortion law. McDonnell's press release said "Following this decision, the Commonwealth had two options in proceeding: petition for a rehearing by the full Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, or appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of the United States." That's no so. The commonwealth had two other options: tweak the language to mirror the U.S. Supreme Court sanctioned law or leave it alone as the federal ban already applies. Of course either of those options takes the spotlight off McDonnell, the gubernatorial candidate. Closing the accused teacher loopholeFor Monday: The General Assembly acted quickly when an Associated Press investigation found that classroom teachers in states, including Virginia, accused of sexual misconduct could slip through a loophole that allowed them to find jobs in other classrooms. A new law goes into effect next month. Let electricity customers go green
This however, is but a small step toward what the commonwealth and the nation needs to do to reduce significantly its output of pollution that contributes to global warming and other environmental damage. The SCC itself needs to explain better what it finds acceptable after shooting down a "clean-coal" plant. So we'll argue in an editorial on Monday. Discuss Friday's editorialsUpdate Roanoke athletes to 2.0 versionCity schools shouldn't hesitate to raise academic requirements for student athletes. Dumbed-down standards aren't doing them any favors.Last fall, just before the Patrick Henry High School football team played its first home game ever in its own stadium on its own campus, members of the 1973 state championship team gathered in the new auditorium to pay tribute to their coach, the late Merrill Gainer.
Guns 'n parks? Make any rule easy to obeyGun-rights advocates are pushing to allow concealed firearms in national parks.The Interior Department in Washington is considering changing a rule that forbids people to carry concealed firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne proposes to let visitors carry them if they're allowed on similar state lands. National parks frequently cross state borders, though. So where there is clarity, the change would sow confusion. That's not a good idea. Discuss Friday's local commentaryJoe Comer, an American heroBy Allen Baker Baker, of Pass Christian, Miss., is a pilot for United Airlines and a retired U.S. Naval officer and fighter pilot who flew FA-18s during the first Gulf War (Desert Storm). Last Friday afternoon found me in England, preparing to fly back from London to Washington, D.C. After a week of international flying, I was eager to get home for Memorial Day weekend with my wife, Janet. In the midst of my ordinary preflight routine, something extraordinary happened.
Read today's letters here. Friday open thread"Roses are red. Violets are blue. The Russians have satellite laser weapons. Why can't we, too?"
What do you desire today? May 29, 2008Calling young professionalsOver at NewVaConnects a call has gone out for young professionals to step up if they desire leadership in the group that bills itself as "the young professional's voice for action." Those who wish to join should contact Jamie at info@newvaconnects.org. The blog doesn't list the qualifications or age limit. I suppose if one still refers to this demographic group as Yuppies then one is far too old to join. Oaths of officeFor my Sunday column, I needed to figure out what the oath of office for the Christiansburg town council looks like. Turns out that the charter defers to the state code on the oath. The oath template:
Interestingly, though the reference to gods appears optional, the government can require you to take your oath on a Bible:
Did you see what Rachael Ray was wearing?Dunkin' Donuts pulled an online ad featuring Rachael Ray because her white-and-black silk paisley scarf pegged her as a terrorist. Leading the charge was conservative columnists Michelle Malkin who said Ray's scarf looked like a kaffiyeh. Malkin wrote, "The kaffiyeh, for the clueless, is the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad." Which just goes to show that some people need to find terror lurking behind every donut counter. Will we ever be safe? Roanoke athletes 2.0 versionFor Friday: City schools are considering raising the academic requirements for its student-athletes from one of just barely passing a handful of courses (the state's requirement) to carrying a C-average. Schools that cling to dumbed-down standards under the premise that it'll keep them in school aren't doing them any favors. Toward one Alleghany HighlandsOn Sunday, we'll urge the governments of Alleghany County and the city of Covington to act on yet another study that shows big savings if the sparsely populated region were to merge under one government or, at the least, peel away duplicative services. The status quo will get too expensive for taxpayers to support. Virginia Tech will lower emissionsIn our Sunday NRV Current editorial, we will be taking a look at Tech's move toward lower emissions. The school hasn't exactly been slacking, but a more coordinated approach is welcome, especially as surrounding communities have already taken the lead on improving the environment. Discuss Thursday's editorialsYe olde gas pumpsGas stations couldn't put off upgrading their analog pumps forever. Now Virginia should buy them a little more time.A few decades ago, some engineer was designing a gas pump and asked himself, "What's the most gas could cost before this thing gets replaced?" He remembered paying a few dimes per gallon that morning and figured $4 was far off in the future. He set the gears to max out at $3.99.
A mutually beneficial arrangementA city review of a mutual-aid pact with the county is about economics, but it could be used politically.Roanoke County supervisors can't know yet what Roanoke Mayor-elect David Bowers intends to do about the city's fire department budget, but they're worried -- with good cause. Bowers has blistered the current administration for budget cuts that have left the fire department short six positions. Coincidentally, that is the same number of city firefighters assigned to Roanoke County's Clearbrook station under a mutual-aid agreement. Discuss Thursday's local commentaryScientists know: Global warming is realBy James W. Laughner Laughner lives in Roanoke and teaches physics at Cave Spring High School. He worked for Owens-Brockway in the 1970s, where he used Wien's law every day, and was a researcher in materials processing at Corning Inc. and a professor at Alfred University. I am a materials scientist now teaching high school in Roanoke, not a political columnist. I'm not competent to comment on the political column titled "'Sound science' is damaging" (May 19). However, I feel I must correct the "sound science" essay printed that same day titled "Global warming or cooling? Who knows?"
We can beat global warmingBy Al Weed Weed is chairman of Public Policy Virginia, a Charlottesville-based nonprofit working to empower citizens to engage their communities in responding to the challenge of climate change. A good sign in the fight against global warming is the open debate about how we should respond to our own spoliation of the atmosphere. We are no longer arguing about who caused what, but now, and more urgently, how we can reverse the carbon tide.
Read today's letters here. Thursday open thread"In the town where I was born, lived a man who sailed to sea." What was the town where you were born like? May 28, 2008What, us worry? About transportation?The governor has called a special session of the General Assembly beginning June 23 to try again to resolve transportation funding shortfalls. But the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports a new Commonwealth Poll shows transportation isn't the biggest worry on Virginians' minds. In fact, it ranks fourth among Democrats and Republicans. Schools, jobs and the environment are the biggest concerns among Democrats; schools, illegal immigration and jobs, ranked in that order, worry Republicans the most. Maybe everyone should be worried that, without enough money for roads, the General Assembly will be sorely tempted in the years ahead to dip into the state's general fund, from whence state school funding comes. National parks consider a now you can carry/now you can't rule on concealed firearmsThe Interior Department in Washington is considering changing a rule that forbids people to carry concealed firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges. In an unscheduled editorial, we'll comment on Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne's proposal to let visitors carry concealed weapons if they are allowed to do so on similar state lands. National parks frequently cross state borders, though. So where there is clarity, the change would sow confusion. This is not a good idea. Mutual uneaseFor Thursday:A report that Roanoke's fire chief is compiling about staffing and calls at stations that are mutually funded by the city and county has county supervisors nervous. The information gathering is one of economics but it could quickly become political. City and county officials need to make sure that doesn't happen. Ye olde gas pumps
Discuss Wednesday's editorialsRestitution involves more than moneyA former, disgraced Roanoke councilman is paying back questionable expenses. Money alone won't restore the public's trust.Roanoke's auditor expects this week to complete an internal audit of former Councilman Alfred Dowe's expense account. City council should immediately turn it over to the commonwealth's attorney to explore whether Dowe's duplicity warrants criminal prosecution.
Colorblinded adoption rulesThe federal government is pure in intent, but misguided in implementing adoption laws.America aspires to be a colorblind society, but it is not. Not yet. One result is that transracial adoptions of black children in foster care come with an added layer of complexity, one that federal law requires placement agencies to ignore. Discuss Wednesday's local commentaryNo day at the beachDon Chappelear Chappelear, of Roanoke, is an amateur bird watcher and has been surf fishing the Cape Hatteras area for more than 40 years. At last, the family vacation is here and you're heading to Cape Hatteras. Everyone has had input on the to-do list: Day 1: The kids want to play in the calm water pools of Bodie Island Spit while Dad catches trout and Mom sunbathes.
Corruption is killing democracyArnold D. St.Clair St. Clair, of Hardy, is a communications technician for Norfolk Southern Corp. Concerning the relentless rising cost of everything: When the economy falters and governments go bust, when the working man can no longer support himself or his family, when society fails completely and finally collapses, what then will be the fate of the worker? What will the ruling class have of us? What is their grand plan? What will be the final solution -- a quick execution? Or maybe we will all just slowly starve.
Read today's letters here. Wednesday open thread"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass ... and I'm all out of bubblegum." Why are you here today? May 27, 2008In Arizona, payday lenders never say dieArizona is set to shut down the payday lending industry in 2010. But the industry is fighting back. An Arizona Republic story explains how an industry-backed group called Arizonans for Financial Reform are trying to get enough signatures together to put an initiative on the Nov. 4 ballot that would keep payday lenders in operation in exchange for chipping $2.65 off the $17.65 per $100 fee now charged, plus other reforms. A big difference over the payday lending reforms that Virginia lawmakers passed this year is that those proposed in Arizona are comprehensible. Necessary, I suppose, if an unpopular industry is to win over voters. Barbie v. Bratz
Bratz, with their sassy clothes and attitude, fell off the shelf faster than Barbie. Problem is Barbie's company Mattel might actually own the intellectual property rights to Bratz. Seems Bryant was Mattel's employee. He claims he came up with the Bratz idea while on a hiatus from the company. Mattel claims he was on the job when he designed it and when he sold it to MGA Entertainment Inc. A court case began today in Los Angeles to sort out the doll wars. My prediction: Barbie takes all. The ghost of RFKHillary Clinton might have introduced the topic and made an idiotic statement about Robert F. Kennedy's June assassination, but leave it to the pundits at Fox News to take it even further.
Barr wins the Libertarian nominationBob Barr, who only declared his candidacy for president a few weeks ago, won the Libertarian nomination over the long weekend. He chose Wayne Allyn Root as his running mate. Meanwhile, Libertarian-ish Ron Paul continues to win a portion of the GOP primary vote despite John McCain's having locked up the nomination. For example, Paul took 15 percent in Oregon and 7 percent in Kentucky a week ago. Will those voters defect to Barr (a former Republican representative) in the general election? Could he take enough votes away from McCain to throw some crucial states to Obama? Colorblind adoptions in a color-conscious societyWednesday, we'll endorse a call to ease up on a provision of federal law that says race cannot be a factor in choosing adoptive parents for children in foster care who need a permanent home. Race should not be a controlling factor, but it should be one consideration in finding families for children who will grow up in a society that is not colorblind, much as adoptive parents might hope it will be. A host of child-welfare organizations support the results of a study by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute that reached that conclusion. Oliver Hill's FBI fileRichmond television station WTVR has posted the FBI file of civil rights attorney Oliver Hill, who grew up in Roanoke and died last year. It's redacted, but still interesting reading. Concerts in downtown RoanokeWe're working on an editorial for later in the week expressing excitement about upcoming concerts in downtown Roanoke. It's sad but true that a lot of people don't know about the changes that have been taking place in the heart of the city. Hopefully, this will help change that if the organizers, Downtown Roanoke, Inc., get the marketing right. More questions for DoweFor Wednesday: An internal audit of former Roanoke Councilman Alfred Dowe's expense account will soon be completed. Dowe has been reimbursing the city for questionable expenses. Still, the commonwealth's attorney should investigate. Discuss Tuesday's editorialsThe opportunity of efficiencyA Roanoke-based company shows the economic potential of saving energy.As energy becomes more expensive, more companies will pay to find ways to use it more efficiently. That's an opportunity seized by ADMMicro, a Roanoke-based company started in 2001 by four electrical engineers. It's an opportunity that shouldn't be forgotten as America attempts to reduce its energy usage -- both to reduce emissions that contribute to global warming and to lessen the impact of the growing expense.
Gasbag politickingFuel prices too high? It's all the Democrats' fault, says Rep. Bob GoodlattePaying too much at the pump? U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte says you should blame House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He sure does. Goodlatte on his re-election campaign blog wrote an entry, "The Pelosi Premium," that basically scorns her and Democrats in Congress because they "have failed to show leadership." Discuss Tuesday's local commentaryFearmongering is as old as the unionJohn Freivalds Freivalds runs an international communications firm in Lexington. When John McCain said that Hamas, the Palestinian militant organization, would welcome Barack Obama's election as president, he was using the fear-of-foreigners election-year ploy that has been a staple of American politics since we started having elections.
Read today's letters here. Tuesday open thread"There will be an additional springboard installed for Melon's dive, the Triple Lindy!" Tell us your favorite dive, or chat about anything else. May 26, 2008Discuss the weekend's editorialsSunday, May 25, 2008Monday, May 26, 2008Saturday, May 24, 2008Discuss the weekend's commentary and lettersCommentary from this weekend can be found here: Those who made the ultimate sacrifice ask much of us - Monday, May 26, 2008 The weekend's letters can be found here: Monday, May 26, 2008 New River Commentary: New River letters can be read here. May 24, 2008Memorial Day weekend open threadIt's a holiday weekend, so posts here will be kind of sporadic. Celebrating our 10,000th commentBlue John posted the 10,000th comment to The RT. Thanks for the incredible participation, everyone. May 23, 2008Goodlatte's gasbag
Discuss Friday's editorialsThe ACLU takes up Bible study in Craig |
Christiansburg Town Councilman Brad Stipes has started his own blog called 
No officer of this Commonwealth, or any political subdivision thereof, shall, in administering an oath in pursuance of law, require or request any person taking the oath to kiss the Holy Bible, or any book or books thereof, but persons being sworn for any purpose may be required to place their hand on the Holy Bible. 
Carter Bryant was an absolute genius when he designed what would become the Bratz doll.
Those high prices at the pump are all Nancy Pelosi's faulty, according to Rep. Bob Goodlatte. Our congressman who is finally facing strong election opposition has sunk to bad politicking with his blog entry