
Robert Hurt: A new year, and a new Congress
As 2012 comes to an end, we have much to look forward to as a new year begins, and with it a new Congress. Though much uncertainty surrounds us, I remain confident that our best days are still ahead.

As 2012 comes to an end, we have much to look forward to as a new year begins, and with it a new Congress. Though much uncertainty surrounds us, I remain confident that our best days are still ahead.

Howard Zehr, widely known as the “grandfather of restorative justice,” will step aside from his teaching role at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) after the spring 2013 semester and begin co-leading the newly established Zehr Institute for Restorative Justice.

This week we saw another victory for American workers and freedom in the workplace. Just days ago, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law two right to work bills, making Michigan the twenty-fourth right to work state in our nation, including Virginia. This means individual employees can join unions voluntarily, but unions cannot force membership or force the payment of dues across entire worksites. The news out of Michigan comes just 10 months after Indiana became a right to work state and is a particularly significant trend in the Midwest.

“Weaving Life,” a documentary on the life and death of peacemaker Dan Terry in Afghanistan, has received a gold “Pixie” award for innovation in the use of motion graphics, effects and animation.

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling announced Wednesday that he has suspended his campaign for the Republican Party gubernatorial nomination, calling the move “the right decision” and clearing the way for Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to get the party nod.

Many in the Republican base have complained that the erstwhile Massachusetts moderate, Mitt Romney, is not a fitting standard bearer for today’s Republican Party. But there’s a fundamental way that Romney is a perfect reflection of his party: Neither is honest with the American people.

After a June 2012 announcement by President Obama to grant “deferred action” to undocumented youth, Isabel Castillo ‘07 applied for authorization to work and live legally in the United States for the first time in her life. She also began assisting many others with similar applications.

By most accounts, deforestation in tropical rainforests adds more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than the sum total of cars and trucks on the world’s roads. According to the World Carfree Network (WCN), cars and trucks account for about 14 percent of global carbon emissions, while most analysts attribute upwards of 15 percent to deforestation.

I wanted to share with you my thoughts on how the 2012 elections have affected the 2013 campaign for Governor of Virginia. There are many lessons to be learned from the 2012 campaign, and we have a lot of work to do to ensure that we win the Governor’s race in 2013.

Last week provided an interesting glimpse into the political right’s pathological dishonesty (and Rachel Maddow did an excellent job of calling attention to it). It turns out that the liars are prone to lying to themselves.
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