Saturday, April 19, 2008
Editorial: Short takes
Quick views on some of the week's news.
From the RoundTable blog
Read the latest entries
Come on, Gilmore, acknowledge Marshall exists
At the Wakefield Ruritan Club Shad Planking this week, Virginia's three U.S. Senate candidates turned out for the annual event that combines beer, shad and politics.
Republican Jim Gilmore snubbed his rival for the party's nomination, Del. Bob Marshall, attacking instead Democrat Mark Warner. This prompted Marshall to say, "I am the space alien in this race to him. I will walk in a room and he will not even look at me."
If Marshall really were a space alien we'd wonder how Gilmore could not notice. Instead, Gilmore probably views him as a tiny shad bone better to avoid than choke on.
Could that be the reason he refuses to debate Marshall?
Isabella's two mommies go to court -- again
Isabella Miller-Jenkins' Virginia mommy, Lisa Miller, was before the Virginia Supreme Court this week, begging them to forget a federal law that says one state can't meddle in another state's custody decisions. She wants what countless other women ruing a ruined relationship have wanted: to have her ex out of her and her child's life.
Miller and Janet Jenkins were Virginians who moved to Vermont to form a civil union. Miller had Isabella through artificial insemination, and the three were to live happily ever after. Until they didn't. They went to a Vermont court, the judge dissolved the union and gave each mom parental rights. Miller returned to Virginia, renounced her lesbianism and became the darling of anti-gays who have prompted her to drag Isabella through another custody battle. The appellate court told her to honor the Vermont order, so she appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Associated Press reported how Miller lamented the damage to her child. Leaning against her podium while she spoke was a poster with a photo of the child and the message: "Rescue hostage Isabella from Vermont court."
No wonder the child is "damaged."
A mountain with a view to share
Roanoke's technology department is flirting with running a "Star Cam" that would broadcast Roanoke's panoramic view to all the world.
A Web camera was recently mounted on the bottom of the Mill Mountain Star's metal frame, but images are not yet available to view.
"We're not committed to it yet," Roy Mentkow, director of the technology department said. It might be removed.
We hope not. The Star and the view Mill Mountain offers are two of the main attractions that Roanokers make sure their visitors see. With Star Cam, the city can share them globally.
Besides, wouldn't it be cool to have the city as a backdrop while holding up "Happy Birthday" signs for a friend or relative to view from afar.
Brownlee has experience, just not for attorney general
U.S. Attorney John Brownlee is leaving office, possibly to make a run for Virginia attorney general next year. First, though, the Roanoker would have to grab the Republican nomination away from state Sen. Ken Cuccinelli of Fairfax County, who announced his intention to seek the office last month.
Cuccinelli has a head start, plus the political advantage of living in voter-rich Northern Virginia. But then, his re-election to the Senate last year was such a squeaker, the state had to pay for a recount. Not exactly a voter magnet among the people who know him best.
Brownlee might be at a geographic disadvantage for gaining a place on a statewide ticket. But he has one thing going for him that Cuccinelli can't match: a reputation as an aggressive prosecutor who took on Big Pharma -- and won.
The state attorney general is not the state's prosecutor, of course. The office advises the state on legal questions and defends it, when necessary, in court. Just try convincing voters of that, though.
Don't expect any car chases
Voter-rich NoVa is also gridlocked NoVa, something the state was going to fix by empowering a regional transportation authority to tax and spend on roads and transit. The state Supreme Court said that was unconstitutional, so the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority is broke -- but not dead. It wants fed-up commuters to lobby the state for money by posting videos of their nightmarish commutes on YouTube. When traffic's at a standstill, how exciting will that be?
