Two stories caught our eye today, as we woke from our Thanksgiving nap.
In the Philippines, Ismael Mangudadatu successfully filed his candidate certificate for governor. So what’s the big deal?
Monday, a caravan of vehicles carrying 57 people, including Mangudadatu’s wife, two sisters, supporters and journalists were massacred and their bodies dumped into mass graves in an apparent attempt to discourage him from running against the incumbent, Andal Ampatuan, who has run unopposed for years. The caravan was on the way to to file the certificate, confident that Andal Ampatuan’s forces would not strike innocents in such a brazen manner. They were wrong. Faced with a potential military strike, Ampatuan turned himself in to authorities, protesting his innocence in the slaughter.
Mangudadatu vows only death will keep him from running. Attention Congress: This is what political courage looks like.
In Iran, authorities have confiscated the Nobel Peace Prize medal of Iranian judge Shirin Ebadi. They removed the medal from her safe deposit box, froze her assets, harassed and threatened her family, and demanded back taxes on the Nobel prize money (which, by Iranian law, is tax-exempt). Friends are worried about her husband, who was arrested and beaten in the fall. The government is also trying to confiscate her home. Ebadi’s crime? She was out of the country when the presidential election was stolen, and she has spoken out about the government crackdown. She won the Peace Prize for speaking out against human rights violations from within Iran.
It would be nice to see Ebadi invited to the White House or to the State of the Union address, just to emphasize that we value the fight for basic human rights.
In America, we take the blessings of liberty for granted. So-called real freedom-lovin’ Americans shout “You lie!” at those trying to make ours a more perfect union, or push books dishing mindless dirt at political opponents, too, also, you betcha! Those who entered office with high ideals get so caught up trying to rescue the economy they soft pedal human rights when facing our creditors.
Here, freedom has morphed into a politics of “he who shouts loudest wins.” If you can’t shout loud enough, scare the largest number of people into irrational beliefs to distract them from finding common ground to solve our pressing problems. Meanwhile, moneyed interests buy the influence they need to protect themselves from both sides of the political spectrum, common interest be damned. We squander the processes our founders gave us to reach common ground by exploiting the opportunities for delay, diversion and distraction, and then deplore the apathy generated thereby. Rights go unexercised and interest atrophies, magnifying the influence of lobbyists, shouters, and nuts.
But elsewhere, the gifts Madison and Jefferson wrote about so eloquently, and the mechanisms they left to us, still inspire people to acts of amazing courage in the face of tyranny and repression.
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Tom Perriello is the first-term Democratic Congressman from the Charlottesville area of Virginia. He voted for the Democratic health care plan. Just as he promised when he ran against die-hard conservative 5th District incumbent Virgil Goode last year, and won by fewer than 800 votes.
In contrast, our 2nd District “Democratic” Congressman Glenn Nye
How about a scenic fishing pier, slightly damaged? Or a talkative, megalomaniacal televangelist, friendly with the new governor? (Comes complete with his own satellite dish and foot in mouth!) We could throw in a pair of souvenir presidential coattails, found in the bottom of a Congressman’s laundry hamper! An antique bridge or tunnel perhaps? Whaddya say, Charlottesville? Deal or no deal?
Another morning in Hampton Roads. The Midtown Tunnel is closed. The Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel is backed up, although a VDOT spokeswoman cheerfully denied the video evidence on TV and maintained that the system is “flowing beautifully.” High Street, Crawford Parkway, and other access roads to the Portsmouth Naval Hospital, courts, and municipal buildings are flooded. In Norfolk, access to our main trauma center is limited by tidal flooding. Streets are under water, littered with abandoned cars. To the west, the James River Bridge is closed because of city street flooding. The Monitor-Merrimac Tunnel is congested in both directions as exits and alternative routes clog due to flooding. To the south, the Great Bridge Bridge and Dominion Boulevard are closed. The Steel Bridge is closed. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel has severe wind restrictions and may close soon. Of course, we lost the Jordan Bridge to neglect long ago.
And all this from a “mere” Nor’easter. With 5 to 8 inches of rain so far. ”Only” 20-30 mile per hour winds with 50 mph gusts. We have not tried to evacuate anyone from coastal areas. Reading the list above, what would your evacuation route be, exactly? What if this were a hurricane? How would you get out?
Now we’ve elected a new governor who touted himself as “Virginia Beach’s Own” Bob McDonnell. Thank goodness! Finally, we have someone in power in Richmond with our interests at heart. With McDonnell plus senior Republican power brokers like Bob Purkey and Bob Tata in key committee positions, our transportation problems will soon be over!
The American health care system offers the best care available in the world, the best trained doctors and highest quality technology. We must make that system accessible and affordable so all Americans can enjoy good medical care. We need to ensure that all Americans can see a doctor when needed – both when they are sick and for preventive care that keeps people healthy in the first place. By providing coverage for the 47 million uninsured Americans, we can bring down costs, preserve choice, and maintain the best system in the world.
Well, we hope you didn’t do that in the
People died to give you the right to vote. Exercise your rights vigorously and hold politicians accountable. Always VOTE!
If Bob McDonnell wins the Governor’s Mansion in Virginia, he’s told us what he’ll do. Words matter, and even though McDonnell says his views have changed since he wrote his Christian Broadcasting Network Law School thesis, he hasn’t said HOW they’ve changed. They might have gotten much worse.
And yes, Bob McDonnell called
If a national healthcare plan passes with any type of opt-in/opt-out option for individual states, do you picture a Governor McDonnell opting in? Elections have consequences.
While decrying Deeds’ “chaotic campaign,” the Pilot points to the number one issue in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia: transportation.
As we said before,
In our view, this gives the affable-sounding Republican candidate, Bob McDonnell, way too much unearned credit for good intentions.
Like most people, we were surprised to learn that Bob McDonnell is
Just a couple of months ago, Bob McDonnell mischaracterized the subject of his controversial 1989 Christian Broadcasting Network thesis as “welfare policy.” In fact, the thesis was an unbalanced attack on any child care policy whatsoever. The thesis advocated that Republicans deal with the cause of family problems (working women), not just treat the symptoms (the child care shortage). It prescribed a host of punitive sanctions against fornicators, cohabitators, homosexuals, and yes, women.
Creigh Deeds is an honest, common-sense moderate who will deliver on his promises on transportation, education, and jobs.
We are told of a White House meeting debating a final bill that can meet the 60-vote threshold to forestall a Republican filibuster. Senators, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, met with the President. While no final outcome was reached, this nugget was deemed newsworthy by those dogged news hounds at the AP: