Skip to main content

November Is Full Of Holidays Focused On Giving Thanks

 In November we think about giving thanks, but there are other important days on the calendar. November is election month. Our local election was on the 7th, and Republicans in Virginia took a trouncing.  I will give thanks that our governor, now without any legislative support, will not get to track women’s menstrual cycles. Nor will he get his abortion ban. Democrats now control our legislature, and that is a fine thing. Voters across America realize that this election was between the party that wants to take away our rights and the party who wants all citizens to have the right to control their -own lives without governmental interference.  Most Americans know that we, the people, should be in charge of what we do with our bodies and who we love, not politicians. Another - often overshadowed by the others - holiday in the November calendar is Veteran’s Day.  It used to be called Armistice Day, to celebrate the end of WWI and pay homage to the many who gave their l...

Depending on who wins Nov. 7, a potential real-life horror looms over us

It’s the season of spookiness.

The Valley started it off in style with Staunton’s Mischief and Magic weekend with Dementors abounding and Voldemort wandering the main streets.

All over we’re seeing yards decorated with monsters and skeletons, bats and witches. It’s my favorite season. And my favorite genre for books and movies is gothic horror. Put me on the couch with some popcorn watching The Haunting and I’m happy.

I don’t read books or watch movies about serial killers or real-life monsters. I like fiction and fantasy – imaginary terror that is pure escapism.

We all know there is enough real-life horror and tragedy to escape from occasionally. And that’s why we like those moments, Halloween, Mischief and Magic weekends, classic horror stories.

Unfortunately, here in Virginia, a potential real-life horror looms over us, and we need to figure out this month how to grapple with it. Because if we don’t, on November 8th, we could wake up in shock, viewing a dangerous landscape.

Why? Because the entire State Legislature is up for grabs, and Republicans could gain the majority in the Senate.

Yup, Republicans, with their anti-women, anti-life, anti-democracy dreams, could take charge.

In our area, Ellen Campbell is running for Delegate and Chris Head for the Senate. Websites and interviews don’t reveal their true scary agendas, but their Richmond votes do.

In 2012, Chris Head voted for HB1 that effectively would have banned ALL abortions.

He also voted for HB462 mandating pre-abortion ultrasounds including forced transvaginal ultrasounds. Imagine that a politician was forcing you to have a medically unnecessary transvaginal ultrasound.

He voted against the clean car initiatives that would improve our environment and support the VA economy (House Bill 1378).

He voted against improved emission standards. Head is opposed to all governmental regulations, even those that address the current climate change crisis.

Chris Head voted against women’s health (House Bill 1815). He does not agree that health insurers should be required to cover diagnostic procedures that would detect breast cancer. He does not believe women’s health matters.

Ellen Campbell voted against the fundamental right of women to control their own bodies. As I’ve pointed out in the past here, Republicans want to be in the OB/GYN’s office with their constituents, making sure they do not get the care they need.

Campbell voted against a constitutional amendment that would ensure women’s rights.

When Democrats introduced a bill that would close the “boyfriend loophole,” (HB 2070) Campbell voted against it. The bill would have prevented ownership of firearms following an assault and battery with the goal of preventing intimate partner murder.

Campbell does not believe in protecting women’s lives.

Neither candidate is pro-life; they would prefer to have women die than receive health care.
But scariest of all is what Chris Head said in a recent Staunton interview:

“The Second Amendment, when it says that ‘the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed,’ that’s about as unambiguous a language as I’ve ever read”

A Senator who cannot read a complete sentence? This is what the Second Amendment actually says:

"A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

The Founders wanted a militia, and I’m pretty sure they didn’t oppose hunting. But if they could come back and see what America has become, they’d be appalled.

What does a maniac, armed with weapons of war, massacring children, have to do with a well-regulated militia? That question doesn’t matter to Republicans.

What matters to them is the importance of that killer getting his hands on AR-15s, and our children be damned.

What if it’s your loved one lying on a morgue slab in Virginia, dead of sepsis from an ectopic pregnancy that’s illegal to treat? If you vote Republican, it will be your fault. Sensible Democrats country-wide are opposed to draconian abortion bans.

If it’s your child with her head blown off by an AR-15 in her 4th grade classroom? Blame yourself if you vote Republican. This can be avoided when sensible Democrats are in charge in all branches of government.

When beautiful Virginia’s environment suffers from over development and lack of regulations, and you vote Republican? It’s your fault. Democrats are in favor of protecting the environment nation-wide.

Always vote for Democrats who will work for sensible gun laws, pro-women legislation, and environmental legislation.

For Virginia’s local and General Assembly election, early voting has begun, and you can vote at the polls on November 7.

Be sure to elect Randall Wolf for Delegate 36 and Jade Harris for Senate 3.




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Republican politicians refuse to help Americans

  J ust when you think the Republican leadership can’t get any more vile, it does. On July 28 the Senate passed a reconciliation package to make drugs cheaper, plug tax loopholes for corporations and the extremely wealthy, and invest in switching the economy away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy. In other words, a bill that would go a long way toward addressing the systemic inequalities in this country and toward tackling the climate catastrophe caused by fossil fuel corporations. If this bill wins in the House, it’s a Biden Administration victory, and a big win for us, the American people. Shortly after, the Senate passed the CHIPS bill (Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors) which appropriates $280 billion to speed up the manufacturing of semiconductors in the U.S. and to invest in scientific research and development in computers and artificial intelligence. Also a big win for President Joe Biden and a boost to the American industrial sector. However,...

Democracy Protects Us From Mayhem

 You know the commercial for home insurance where Mayhem (in the guise of actor Dean Winter) comes to call, wrecking garages, cars, and houses. Have no fear, the insurance company says, “We’ve got you covered.” I’ve been wondering: What insurance coverage do Americans have to protect ourselves against the mayhem and chaos caused by the MAGA Republican Party?  We have a lot. We have the ballot box, for one thing. Democrats have proven their ability to defeat the MAGA Mayhem threatening democracy. Earlier this month, there was an election to fill a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and the Democrat won by a wide margin. Previously, because of Republican gerrymandering, Wisconsin Democrats have been unable to control their General Assembly, but voters elected a Democrat who will help cease that anti-democratic practice in their Supreme Court. She is also a supporter of women’s reproductive rights. The political orientation of the Wisconsin Supreme Court has been in Republican ...

It's time to give Jennifer Lewis a chance

Quietly, and without any press coverage, the Biden administration continues its commitment to the American people by making sure baby formula is readily available. On Sept. 7, the administration completed the 22 mission of Operation Fly Formula, which has now flown in more than 85 million, 8-ounce bottle equivalents. Each time I drive by my neighborhood Citgo station, I see the price of gas is lower than the day before. They are just two of many accomplishments to improve life in America. President Joe Biden has had the most successful first two years of any president in history. When he came into office, he faced a botched withdrawal from Afghanistan plan concocted by former President Donald Trump and the Taliban; military officials here noted that the collapse of the Afghan government was linked to Trump’s deal to withdraw U.S. troops. Biden had no choice but to honor this deal. Biden also faced a botched response to a virus that has killed more than one million Americans. The Trump ...