McDonnell’s line in the sand

Chris Graham

The Bob McDonnell campaign isn’t taking the attention being placed on its candidate’s record on women’s reproductive freedoms very well, and for good reason. “Bob McDonnell has also made his priorities clear: He would restrict womens’ access to safe birth control and roll back a woman’s right to choose,” Democratic Party gubernatorial nominee Creigh Deeds…

The Latest

Chris Graham

Friday, Aug. 7 – State News: New online resources for teachers Thursday, Aug. 6 – Local News: 40th anniversary of Camille disaster this month – Elections ’09: Wagner releases statement on Bolling’s absence from revenue meeting Wednesday, Aug. 5 – Local News: Harrisonburg traffic alert – State News: ACLU of Virginia weighs in on sectarian…

Erik Curren | Religion and politics in the 20th District race

Chris Graham

“Almighty God hath created the mind free.” So Thomas Jefferson opened his Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom. In that founding document of our Commonwealth, Jefferson went on to decry fallible religious or political leaders who would try to influence freedom of conscience through social or political pressure, begetting “habits of hypocrisy and meanness.”

News from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Chris Graham

Friday, July 17 – Press briefing by Tony Blinken, national security advisor to Vice President Joe Biden, on the vice president’s upcoming trip to Ukraine and Georgia Thursday, July 16 – Press gaggle with Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton – Vice President Biden highlights Recovery Act progress in Virginia – Statement from the president on…

Charles Goldstein | A Fourth of July for everyone

Contributors

This Fourth of July, America celebrates its 233rd birthday. Concurrent with the celebration, over 6,000 immigrants were naturalized as citizens in commemoration programs throughout the United States (including New Jersey’s Liberty Island and Betsy Ross House in Pennsylvania). Unfortunately, millions of American residents who are “yearning to breathe free,” who work hard, pay taxes, and…

Stop the Presses | Equal protection under the law

Chris Graham

You’ve heard this song before – an appeals court has overturned the attempt of a Virginia woman to avoid complying with Vermont orders requiring her to grant visitation to her former lesbian partner to the couple’s child. Question – at what point does this case go from the realm of the civil in terms of…

President Obama’s remarks on national security, Gitmo

National Archives, Washington, D.C., 10:28 a.m., Thursday, May 21, 2009: Good morning, everybody. Please be seated. Thank you all for being here. Let me just acknowledge the presence of some of my outstanding Cabinet members and advisors. We’ve got our Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. We have our CIA Director Leon Panetta. We have our…

Kent Willis | Remembering Jack Kemp for another passion: Voter-restoration reform in Virginia

Chris Graham

Much has been written about Jack Kemp since his passing a couple of weeks ago. Kemp was a former football star turned congressman who served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under the first President Bush and was the 1996 Republican vice-presidential nominee. He was a pragmatist who became well known for reaching across…