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Short takes

Quick views on some of the week's news.

More discussion of Tuesday's election in today's letters to the editor.

"There are things out there; things we don't understand."

"Mysteries!"

"Mind-boggling mysteries!"

"Mystic beings!"

What mind-boggling mysteries are you wondering about today?

The religious right continues to scream about the addition of sexual orientation to federal hate crimes law.  I've wondered whether they deliberately misrepresent what the law does or if they are just ignorant about it and don't want to hear the truth.

It looks like Pat Robertson lands squarely in the ignorant camp.  Check out these clips from his television network.

Robertson: You know, there’s a law – what about a law that says it’s a federal crime to attack somebody because of his religious beliefs? Not a chance!

Um, Pat, the very same hate crimes law that now protects gays has always protected people based on their chosen religious belief.  In fact, religion is the only protected group that is a choice. Plus the hate crimes law does not trump the First Amendment. Your preachers are free to spout bigotry from the pulpit all they want.

(h/t Crooks and Liars)

Ride Solutions, local political blog Star City Harbinger and the Fork restaurants owned by Roanoke City Councilman David Trinkle (Fork in the Alley and Fork in the City) are teaming up in a get-out-the-vote effort on Tuesday.

Ride Solutions will help get you to the polls if you need assistance. And if you wear your "I voted" sticker to one of the restaurants afterward, you'll get 10 percent off the price of your meal.

Members of the local chapter of Drinking Liberally will be gathering at Fork in the Alley that night - drowning their sorrows if the latest polls are any indication.

We talked a bit this morning during the editorial board meeting about a U.S. Department of Education study that found a third of states, including Virginia, lowered education standards, which helps them meet requirements of No Child Left Behind.

We're going to look into the report some more and discuss again next week.

• The report (2+ meg pdf)
• A news story summarizing the findings

On Virginia, specifically, the researchers found that Virginia's Grade 4 and Grade 8 reading standards are well below what the federal government considers basic proficiency.  In Mathematics, the commonwealth meets the Grade 4 basic proficiency but not the Grade 8.  (Note: There are some margin of error issues one these, so maybe Virginia barely meets some of the basic proficiency levels.)  On none of these is the commonwealth even close to what the feds consider "Proficient."

Part of the discussion is whether states should voluntarily subscribe to national standards.  That conversation is underway, but details on that must be worked out.

On a sort-of-related topic, the Virginia State Board of Education is accepting comments on proposed revisions to the English and Science Standards of Learning.

• English revisions
• Science revisions

Good news: Evolution and the Big Bang survive in the revisions as required learning for Virginia's young people.

If you want to comment on the revisions in person to the State Board of Education, there will be five public hearings in the next couple of months. The two for Southwest Virginia will take place in Max Meadows and Lynchburg both on Nov. 30 at 7 p.m.  See here for details.

No death knell for the market

Good, solid planning can minimize discomfort during Roanoke's City Market renovations.

Jurors won't be anonymous

No secrecy in public trials except in extreme circumstances.

Religion has accomplished much good

Daniel Esau
Esau, of Roanoke, is a retired postal inspector.

I always read with interest the opinions and comments contributed by my friend Jerry Schleifer. His latest ("America needs to get real," Oct. 20 commentary) demands some comment. He is right that many things done in the name of religion have done great harm to the world. However, he again paints with far too broad a brush, inferring that much, if not all, evil done in the world can be laid on the doorstep of religion.
Read more.

Letter writers continue discussing the upcoming election.