Addressing the Uranium Hype

There was an excellent post over at Dem Bones on Monday regarding the uranium mining debate in Pittsylvania County. The text was written by a guest poster named Linda, who points out that uranium is not exactly a renewable resource that will promote energy independence. One of the many money quotes:

Outside of total depletion of land values with uranium mining, I've never met a rich miner, no matter the substance he or she was mining. So the question I would ask here is, "hugely profitable" to whom? As I mentioned previously, uranium prices are subject to fluctuation and have no historic bearing to help determine the actual price of yellowcake on the market. To state that yellowcake is a "potent source of local and state tax revenue" is making a promise based upon a theory.

I encourage you to head over and read the full post, particularly if you're following the mining issue. 

McAuliffe in Martinsville

Terry McAuliffe came to Martinsville's Binding Time Cafe today for a brief stump speech/question and answer session. He spoke for about 20 minutes to a crowd of about 15 people, plus staff and reporters. The interesting thing upon walking in was seeing that he was followed by not one but two trackers--one from the Moran campaign and one for McDonnell. It was an interesting dynamic, but a civil one. Terry joked with them by name about having to hear his stump speech all the time.

I thought McAuliffe had some good ideas, and he seemed to have a good deal of support in the room. As for the substance of his speech, McAuliffe focused on jobs and energy policy. When it comes to creating jobs, he pointed out that the Governor's Opportunity Fund is pretty small compared to similar funds in neighboring states--and says we've missed out on big opportunities that went to other states as a result, including a solar panel manufacturing facility that ended up in Tennessee. McAuliffe also suggested that Virginia invest in offshore wind farms using turbines and wind blades made here in the Old Dominion. T-Mac also wants to see the state invest in high-speed rail, first linking the D.C.-Richmond and other metropolitan areas, then branching out to the rest of the state. 

One idea that should play well in Southside is four-laning U.S. Route 58, which runs from the coast through Martinsville on its way to Ohio. The idea is that we could build distribution centers for goods that come to port in Virginia, with an eye toward 2014. What's so important about 2014? That's when a new deep-water lock will open in the Panama Canal that will allow a huge influx of goods from Asia. A robust Route 58 would help Virginia compete for those goods--other states are positioning themselves to be the port of choice, and Terry wants Virginia to be in the game. It's not an idea I've heard other candidates talk about, and I think it's a good one. 

On uranium mining, McAuliffe repeated his previous stance that we should wait for the health and safety study to be completed before making any snap judgments. Yes, it's a bit of a punt, but it's a fairly understandable one. The fact that he promised not to take any money from Dominion Power helps me give him the benefit of the doubt. The most interesting thing I heard him say from a Martinsville perspective is that he would crack down on Payday Lending institutions, basically kicking them out of the state entirely. 

As with my blogs on visits to the area by Jody Wagner and Mike Signer, this is not an endorsement. I am simply trying to report what McAuliffe said and did while he was here, and throw in a few things I liked. In all honesty, I'm still undecided--but I will say I think McAuliffe has proven he's a strong, legitimate candidate. When he first entered the race, I basically wrote him off as a curiosity, not thinking he would garner much support against longtime legislators. Among other indicators, the poll numbers out today have proven me wrong. However, he clearly has a strong organization across the state and has undoubtedly lived up to the fundraising hype--not to mention his charisma and public speaking ability. That's not to say he's perfect; I think he has several flaws that will make him vulnerable in November, which I will get into in a later post. 

Time will tell--June 9 will be here before we know it.

Stand Up For Virginia

Today marks two weeks since the GOP-controlled House of Delegates gave your tax dollars away to other states whose legislators actually want to help the people they represent. Interestingly enough, it's also two weeks since Bill Howell and Morgan Griffith handed the Democrats a giant election issue on a silver platter. 

If you're as frustrated as I am by last week's vote to reject stimulus funding and unemployment benefits for Virginians who need help, go check out the Stand Up for Virginia petition. I have also placed a link on the right of the screen. Tell the General Assembly that assistance for part-time workers who lose their jobs is absolutely crucial in a time where often a part-time job is the only thing workers can find. Just today, GSI Commerce announced it will close its call center in Martinsville, costing 279 more jobs--many of them hourly and part-time--in a city that already has 20.2% unemployment. 

Tell them to reverse their clueless decision or face the consequences in November.

Uranium Roundup: VMNH Geologist Supports Mining

The Uranium Roundup for this week:

• Chatham-Blairs District Supervisor Hank Davis wants state and federal authorities to investigate lead levels near the Coles Hill site. Ever since VUI conducted exploratory drilling in the county, several residential wells have been found to have high levels of lead contamination. VUI says they have nothing to do with it, but Hank Davis wants to respond to residents' concerns. Davis will introduce the motion at tonight's Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors meeting in Chatham.
• Virginia Tech geochemistry professor Robert Bodnar got a $60,000 federal grant to study the uranium deposit in Chatham. I'm encouraged by the fact that it's federal money and not funded by any dubious sources, which should lend some credibility to whatever he finds. One thing about the article troubled me though:

  Much of his research throughout his career has centered on how mineral and ore deposits form so similar deposits can be found, he said.

   Given the political firestorm that has been the Coles Hill fight, I think the last thing we need is to find even more big uranium deposits.
• A geologist at the Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville has come out in favor of mining at Coles Hill. Dr. James Beard cited the potential economic benefits for Southside and said the danger posed by the mine is minimal. I'm curious to know if Dr. Beard is the anonymous geologist who responded to several previous Roundups. If that's the case, he's a very intelligent, thoughtful commenter and even though I disagree with him, he's a great addition to this blog. 

That's the roundup after a few weeks of relative silence. I'll update Wednesday with the news from Pittsylvania's BOS meeting and whatever else comes up between now and then.

Deeds Rips Opponents on Fundraising

The three contenders for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination held a debate at the College of William and Mary yesterday, and Creigh Deeds came out swinging:

"We will not be the party of the middle class if the nominee of this party is beholden to Donald Trump or Wall Street interests or to tainted defense contractors that got millions in earmarks from his brother in Congress," Deeds said during his closing statement. "We will have lost our way if we allow the Wall Street establishment or a corrupt political establishment to control our agenda for the next four years." (Emphasis mine)

Ouch. 

Creigh is trying his hardest to make up for lost time. I personally had all but written off his candidacy until recently. But between his Q1 fundraising efforts, recent southwestern Va campaign swing and Moran's emerging donor-gate...um, incident (are we calling it a scandal yet?), I'm beginning to think Deeds is on the verge of turning the race on its head. 

RIP Ray Nance: The Last Bedford Boy

I thought I'd pass along this bit of information from WDBJ7's news tonight. The last surviving "Bedford Boy" has died at age 94.

A Bedford County man who was part of the D-Day invasion and a member of the group known as the "Bedford Boys" has died.

Ray Nance was the last member of the group. According to obituaries in local newspapers, he died Sunday at age 94.

Nance landed on the beaches of Normandy as an Army Lieutenant almost 65 years ago.

He was a member of the group know as the "Bedford Boys" and was featured in a popular book by Alex Kershaw. Nineteen servicemen from Bedford County were killed in the allied invasion of Normandy.

Bedford suffered the highest proportional number of casualties on D-Day of any town in America. We may not always agree about the merits of any given war, but I think we can all agree that the Axis Powers had to be stopped. Guys like Ray Nance put their lives on the line to stop what I believe was the biggest evil of the twentieth century. If you get the chance, I encourage you to visit the D-Day Memorial in Bedford. It's awe-inspiring.

Thanks, Ray.

McCain Campaign Manager Gets It

Where was this during the campaign? 

John McCain's 2008 campaign manager Steve Schmidt spoke to the Log Cabin Republicans, a conservative gay rights group, on Friday. In his speech, Shmidt said a lot of things that were, well...sane. Among other things, he pointed out that being in favor of gay marriage is entirely compatible with the conservative philosophy that government should stay out of your personal life. On the role of personal responsibility in any marriage, straight or gay, Schmidt struck gold:

He added: "If you are not willing to accept and faithfully discharge those responsibilities, you shouldn't enter the state of matrimony, and it doesn't make a damn bit of difference if you're straight or gay. It is a responsibility like no other, which can and should make marriage an association between two human beings more fulfilling than any other."

Schmidt also pointed out that, schocker of shockers, the Republicans need to become competitive among younger voters if they want to remain relevant in future generations:

Schmidt told CNN that the GOP must become more open if it wants to reverse a shrinking coalition, especially among younger, more accepting voters.

"People are turned off in large measure by what they see as intolerance coming out of the party," he said.

That's a refreshing change from the "you-damn-kids" wing of the GOP that dismisses young voters as naive little children who are too idealistic for our own good and need to stay out of big-people business.

Dem Bones has good commentary on Shmidt's take on religion and politics. Basically, Schmidt pointed out that the Republicans have allowed themselves to become a largely religious party, and one based on a very narrow section of Christian theology at that. He says the GOP should not be surprised that more moderate Christians and people of other faiths have fled the party in droves. 

If I were a moderate Republican, I would be very encouraged by what this guy had to say. However, I think this might cause quite a stir in conservative circles--look for Schmidt to be publicly flogged on the talk radio circuit.

Today We Are All Hokies

Two years ago today I was a writer for U.Va.'s student newspaper, the Cavalier Daily. It was spring of my third year and I had just gotten back from a weekend in Fredericksburg, where my car broke down. I had gone up that weekend to see a friend at Mary Washington, and literally minutes after entering the city, I heard a loud thud under my hood and the steering wheel locked up. Thankfully I was able to get it off the road safely and managed to find a way to the dorm where I would sleep on the floor that night, but my car was out of commission and I had no way back to Charlottesville. Rather than allow me to hitchhike, my parents decided to come all the way up to Fredericksburg to take me back to Charlottesville and somehow retrieve my car from the shop. I finally got back to school Sunday night. 

After leaving class on Monday morning, I got a call from my mom. I was expecting my parents to call, because they were supposed to bring my car back to Charlottesville from Fredericksburg and then I would meet them for lunch. When I answered, she said they were on their way. But she also asked if I had heard what was going on at Tech; I couldn't say I had. Apparently there had been some kind of shooting at a dorm--two people had died and the media was calling it a "lover's quarrel." I thought it was strange and certainly tragic, but I had no comprehension of how bad it actually was. Anyway they were almost there, and let's meet at Qdoba on the Corner. On the way, I ran into the paper's editor-in-chief and told him what I had just heard, assuming we'd be writing an above-the-fold story about it that day. He looked surprised and headed off to our offices, and I said I'd meet him there after lunch. Within hours, he and another writer would be headed off to Blacksburg, where they would spend the night in the back of their car, alternately sleeping and e-mailing the office staff updates on what had happened. At lunch, my parents said they had seen several state police cars speeding toward Blacksburg while they were at breakfast near a major highway.

In the time it took to eat our food and for me to head back to the Cavalier Daily office, the extent of what happened had become apparent. Normally the Cav Daily was a bustling, happy and energetic place--you were there to write a story and were expected to uphold journalistic standards, but you were also surrounded by your friends. If your article was about something ridiculous a fraternity house had done, you made jokes about it. There was always laughter in the basement, as we called it. But when I walked in, there was no laughter. People walked around with blank stares on their faces and just looked stunned. The television was on and I could see WDBJ7 news anchors speaking on CNN above a Breaking News heading. I asked my news editor what had happened--the last I heard, it was a lover's quarrel and they were chasing down the guy that did it. Her response was simply, "22 dead." Surreal doesn't even begin to describe how it felt, especially when the numbers started climbing even higher.

Everyone was on Facebook looking for their friends, frantically dialing cell phones to see if everyone was okay. I remember looking at my "Friends at VT" screen and thinking in despair that there was no way they all could have gotten out unharmed. Thankfully I was wrong; after several hours of phone calls, Facebook and instant messenger I found out that all my friends were okay, though several of them were in Norris Hall when the shooting started. Several lost friends. The rest of the day is mostly a blur, though I distinctly remember seeing two of my friends from high school on national TV talking about their friend being listed as "missing." 

My job for the rest of the day and the rest of the week was basically to keep up to date on press conferences and keep writing stories about the shooting. Several of our writers went home to be with friends--my news editor got word that night that her friend's sister Reema was one of the victims, and she decided to spend the rest of the week at home. In all truth, I probably should have done the same. That was one of those days when all you really want to do is go home and hug your friends.

Two nights after the shooting, the U.Va. community gathered in the outdoor amphitheater on Grounds for a candlelight vigil. In all my time there, I've never seen that amphitheater that full for anything. The big "Z" painting on one of the steps had been painted orange and maroon, and everyone was either wearing a "'Hoos for Hokies" t-shirt or a VT-colored ribbon. Beta Bridge had been painted blue, orange and maroon with the "Hoos for Hokies" phrase. At the end of the vigil, everyone signed these giant banners to be sent to Tech. I reconnected with people I hadn't spoken to in years and patched up relationships that had gotten sour. Everything that divided people became absolutely trivial after April 16. At least something good came out of it--people often ask how God could allow these things to happen. I don't think it's a matter of whether or not He allows them, but that He can bring something good out of even the worst tragedy. I don't know much about theology, but that's my two cents.

As time went by, it faded into the past and became part of the new normal. But it still intrudes on our everyday life--one night the following semester, we were on our way to a party and one of my newspaper friends asked our editor how her friend's family was doing. They were doing okay...getting by. In Southside and Southwest Virginia, it didn't take long to just become "what happened" or "when that happened." Rarely does the word "shooting" enter the lexicon. And on the one-year anniversary, the U.Va. chapel rang 32 dissonant chimes at noon. I looked around and didn't see anyone moving in any direction; everyone was just frozen, looking at the ground and listening to the bell, not saying a word.

I guess the whole purpose of this post was to remember how what happened ended up profoundly affecting people miles away. I hope I achieved that, and I hope you found this to be worth reading. There's a reason I didn't name the person who caused all this turmoil; contrary to what the national media seems to believe, I think it's better to focus on the lives of the victims and the outpouring of support from all over the country. Even from Hooville.

If you want to comment, feel free to do so, but please keep the following in mind: The thing that infuriated me more than almost anything in the following days was how many people on both sides of the gun debate used Virginia Tech to advance their own agenda. I wish I could remember the name of the congresswoman and the paid spin doctor who declared that this was proof their side of the issue was right. No one wanted to hear their bloviations. These were people my age; they were friends of friends who would never be coming home, not from some faraway battlefield but from college, and they hadn't even held a single funeral yet. No one knew exactly how this had happened, but already political entrepreneurs took it upon themselves to read their pet worldview into a situation about which they knew nothing. Both sides did it and both sides made asses out of themselves. Debating gun policy could have waited a while longer. For that reason, please leave the gun debate out of any comments. There's a time and a place for that, and I'd be happy to have a discussion about it at a later date, but please keep any responses to this article strictly about the victims or your reactions to what happened that day.

Thank you for reading. 

Max

Goode Ties Himself to Tea Parties

The TEA Party phenomenon came to Southside today and yesterday, led by our former congress critter Virgil Goode. But he's not running...he's just filed the paperwork. You'll be intrigued to note that 220 South made a trip to the Martinsville event, sort of like an embedded journalist. I had to be as discreet as possible, since Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle tells us that you interfere with outcomes by observing them. Therefore, no photography; however, I can offer thoughtful commentary.

While embedded in Uptown Martinsville, I was able to uncover some shocking news. The media refuses to report it, and only talk radio has the integrity and patriotism to point it out and sound the alarm. Prepare yourself; this will be difficult to hear. The Henry County Wingnuts Association, with principled guidance from truth defenders Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Hazmar the Traveling Gypsy Soothsayer, have discovered the following: Barack Obama is apparently an anti-Christian secret socialist bent on destroying our constitution and our republic. These shocking secrets are being suppressed by the Administration in an attempt to dupe the public into complacency. Our governor, our entire congressional delegation, and Lucifer himself are all complicit in this endeavor.

There were lots of amens and lots of prayers about protecting our country from "liberals" and "socialists" who apparently don't believe in God. After several speeches by local (extremely) conservative politicians, Virgil spoke for about 16 minutes. There were plenty of digs at Obama, Pelosi, Webb, and of course, Perriello...or as Virgil calls him, Pe-urello. He even attacked Mark Warner--a tremendously stupid move in a place like Martinsville where the man is adored. He even went as far as accusing the Martinsville Bulletin and its owner (whom he singled out by name) of being a liberal rag, albeit not in those words. The reason? They happened to cover it when our governor, congressman and a bunch of elected officials and dignitaries came to town last week. Never mind that they were also there to cover this outpouring of conservative anger at having lost the election. There was lots of talk about "politically correct loans"--i.e., money for minorities. Goode also talked a lot about Somalian immigrants coming to "this country" to get on welfare and food stamps--hey, at least he's branching out from just talking about anchor babies. 

I could continue on, but there's almost too much to talk about. During this event, the crazy poured out like manna from heaven, and I had to wonder if this is really the future of the Republican Party. It would have been one thing to criticize the spending--I freely admit that there is a lot of money being spent, and that it's fair for the opposition to criticize that. But it's quite another thing to accuse Obama and his supporters of conspiring to undermine capitalism and destroy democracy. The opposition in any government has a critical function--if they're raising legitimate policy concerns about specific issues, then fine. They can be a moderating influence and lend a lot to a country's internal dialog. That's their job. But if they're stonewalling absolutely everything and screeching out conspiratorial rhetoric, they're not only failing to contribute, they're not doing their job.

And on the day they protested about skyrocketing taxes, the largest middle-class tax cut in history went into effect. You know, like Obama promised during the campaign?

As Virgil Goode gears up his 2010 non-campaign, we should keep in mind the fact that he has totally embraced the TEA party phenomenon. Not only did he speak in Martinsville, he also appeared at Smith Mountain Lake last night and will show up at a TEA party in Lynchburg tomorrow. I think by going this route, he has further alienated himself from moderates in the electorate who flipped for Perriello at the last minute. If this is the new Republican Party, then I think they're in much worse trouble than they realize.

The Badass Awards

Several things occurred in the last few days that have caused me to distribute what I refer to as the "Badass Awards." These accolades go to those individuals who have done something particularly, well, badass. Rather than define the term I'll provide a few examples; for instance: Doc Holliday as portrayed by Val Kilmer in Tombstone--"I'm your huckleberry." Or Jack Bauer...I don't care if it is a "Republican show," 24 is awesome. If you can see Jack Bauer, Jack Bauer can see you. And if you can't see Jack Bauer, you may be seconds away from death.

Anyway here goes:

• Captain Richard Phillips. What more can really be said here? A hat tip also goes out to his crew, who stood up to pirates with AK's and retook their boat. 
• The Navy Seals who popped the three pirates just as they were about to shoot Captain Phillips. I saw a documentary about Seals school one time...those guys are absolutely ridiculous. I'd never want to make one of them mad, but if push ever comes to shove, I'll be very glad those dudes are on our side. Talk about real-life Jack Bauers.
• The guy in Botetourt County who stopped a crazed intruder trying to potentially harm his family. The family was sitting in the living room Friday night, when a would-be intruder started banging on the door and screaming, trying to get into the house. When the bad guy broke through the sliding-glass door and charged, the homeowner fired his weapon. He did what he had to do to protect himself and his family, and I would've done the same thing. The shooting is being called a justifiable homicide.
• President Barack Obama. While Republican talking heads were predicting that the situation would end badly and end up embarrassing the administration, President Obama was busy proving that Dems can fight too--we just pick the right ones. I thought the president handled this situation exactly as he should have. Moreover, I think this should serve as a model for how the USA should conduct foreign policy in the future--avoid the use of force until it can no longer be avoided. That is, until American lives are at risk. When, and only when, there is absolutely no alternative to using force, have a plan, do it right the first time and resolve the situation before it becomes a quagmire. 

Anyway, I thought this would be a nice change of pace from the standard fare. I hope you enjoyed it.