By Mary Alexander and Nancy Hall: It was cold and overcast this past Martin Luther King Day morning, but that didn’t stop Fairfax County Democrats from coming together (safely distancing themselves) to clean up Jones Point Park at the southeastern…
Category: Features
Pet shops get standards, inspections under new law
By Susan Laume: Virginia law has been enacted to protect and monitor treatment of dogs and cats in pet shops with regulations and inspections. During the 2020 Virginia General Assembly, Sen. Dave Marsden (D-37th) sponsored SB 891 which was passed the…
“Today’s the day” — and off we went to protest
By Brad Swanson: My son’s text decided me. “If you wanted to go, I would say today’s the day.” The previous night, he had been caught in the unprovoked rush of police out of Lafayette Square to clear a space…
Enough already with the Karen memes
By Karen Kirk: At first the memes were amusing, sort of. Then they started being somewhat irritating. Now, calling white women behaving a certain way “Karen” is meandering toward dangerous. A Tweet calling the woman who lied to police, saying…
Dems majority proves a treat for animal advocates
By Susan Laume: (Editor’s Note: This is the first of an occasional series on Virginia’s 2020 animal legislation.) Companion animal advocates are among those with reason to celebrate the new Democratic majority in 2020’s Virginia General Assembly. This year, grassroots…
Many students struggling without school structure
By Olivia Henry: Pandemics are hard for anyone to deal with, let alone students who relied on school for their support system. For students already struggling with mental illness or in emotionally abusive households, this pandemic has intensified an already stressful…
FCDC volunteer has taken a journey across time and space
By Susan Boggs: Some of you may know me from my Thursday morning shifts at the Fairfax County Democratic Committee. Others of you have handed out sample ballots and back-to-school-night literature with me. I’d like you to see my other…
As Virginia passes ERA, new women’s suffrage museum opens
By Susan Laume: Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax) announced Virginia’s ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) on Monday, Jan. 27. In her official statement, she said, “We stand today on the shoulders of the thousands of women —…
Springfield, Hunter Mill Democrats celebrate victories
By Susan Laume: Buoyed by camaraderie and recent election results, the mood was decidedly upbeat as the Springfield and Hunter Mill District Democratic Committees celebrated a great year this weekend. The Springfield Volunteer Celebration was held Friday night at Clifton…
Party time for Fairfax County Dems
By Karen Kirk: It was time for FCDC members to party on Saturday, to celebrate the holidays and the great victories of 2018, but it was clear that a new election was on the horizon. Chair Dan Lagana reminded everyone…
Unfinished business: It’s way past time for Virginia to ratify the ERA
By Karen Kirk: Winning the decades-long fight for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is in Virginia’s court, or actually its General Assembly. And the push is on to finally get it passed in 2019 in both Virginia’s Senate, where it…
Suffragist comes to life in Vienna’s 19th century Freeman Store & Museum
By Karen Kirk: The fight for women’s rights is urgent. Who better to discuss it with than 203-year-old Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the famous suffragist leader? While Elizabeth is long gone, the next best thing is right here in Vienna, Va.,…
Photo Essay: Neighbor-to-Neighbor kicks off in Mason District
Sunday was a beautiful day to get together with neighbors, knock on doors and encourage people to vote for Democrats in November. It was the kick off of Mason District’s new “Neighbor-to-Neighbor” civic engagement campaign designed for neighbors to talk…
‘Shock and Awe’ movie shows how a few reporters ‘got it right’
By Karen Kirk: In the march to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, there were few dissenting voices. Most of the news leading up to the war was about the Bush administration’s false claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction…