R. Lee Chapman | Obama, gay marriage and ‘tar-babies’

AFP

The name “tar-baby” was a term I became familiar with as a child. I enjoyed the children’s stories written by Joel Chandler Harris in his Uncle Remus stories that followed the exploits of the infamous Br’er Fox to capture the elusive Br’er rabbit. In the second of these stories, Br’er Fox forms a small doll…

Carl Larsen | Secrets of the hive revealed

Carl Larsen

Hollywood is still abuzz with the news: “The Secret Life of Bees,” currently at The Visulite in Staunton, is a honey of a movie. And while many films based on best-selling books are disappointing, you won’t get stung by this one. (OK, OK. Enough with the Apoidean puns, already. No more, I promise. Stretching for…

Steven Sisson | Prop 8: A taxing situation

Steven Sisson

Three states – Arizona, Florida and California – passed bans for gay marriages. The California ballot initiative that passed faces court challenges base on the California legislature’s lack of approval for a change in the constitution. Historically, the ballot initiative are based on previously referendum, or ballot initiatives to change the tax code – such…

The other side of discrimination

Chris Graham

The Top Story by Chris Graham [email protected] Poll Question: Have you been victim of racial, gender or sexual-orientation discrimination in the workplace? Stanley Smith is known to his friends as Bubba, and he has a lot of friends – white, black, Latino. He’s like a lot of us in that respect. He’s also a little-league baseball…

Heston pries movie fame from our cold dead hands

Carl Larsen

Carly at the Movies column by Carl Larsen Just last week, that big Golden Gate up yonder creaked open, and Charlton Heston was admitted to Movie Star Heaven. Naturally, he received a standing ovation from the ghosts of William S. Hart, Douglas Fairbanks, Randolph Scott, John Wayne, Gary Cooper and Kirk Douglas (who is not…

Andrew Young speaks to Bridgewater College

AFP

Story By Erin Gutzwiller Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reached the conclusion that the only way we could change America was without violence. Andrew Young was among those who joined King, who was assassinated 40 years ago this week, in the fight to extend basic civil rights to African Americans. Young was welcomed with open…

EMU alum, pastor to serve as resource speaker for MLK observances

Jim Bishop

Story by Jim Bishop A 1987 Eastern Mennonite University graduate who is pastor of a growing, multiethnic congregation in Philadelphia will be on campus Jan. 18-23 to interact with students and faculty and serve as resource speaker for Martin Luther King Jr. observances. Leonard M. Dow, pastor of Oxford Circle Mennonite Church, will speak in…

Obscenity v. The First Amendment: Why the prosecution of X-rated films affects books

Chris Graham

Story by Matthew Warner What’s so horrible about porn other than the poor quality of most of it? And why should you care? ‘LITERARY OBSCENITY’ Watch out, you writers and purveyors of erotic horror and explicit romance. The folks here in my Bible Belt city of Staunton, Virginia, care quite a bit. Last summer, when…

Time to make a statement, indeed

AFP

Op-Ed by Katy Pitcock Around Virginia, local officials are being swept into the current of trying to “fix” the national immigration situation with hardline local action. Unfortunately, it’s not the first time Virginia’s local leaders “made a statement.” The last time, the movement was called “Massive Resistance.” Then, the civil rights of African-Americans were targeted….