By Sharon Bulova: I read with shock and disappointment the Nov. 29 report by Ms. Diane Burkley Alejandro, Special Report: Local police may be helping ICE make Fairfax a national leader in immigrant detention. This report uses data to draw a number of false or misleading conclusions meant to stoke fear in a community already under immense pressure from the…
The heated topic of money in politics in Virginia drew a star-studded list of speakers and a large, boisterous audience to a forum on Nov. 28th at the Mason District Government Center. State legislators, candidates and activists took turns detailing the corrosive effects of corporate money on politics throughout the Commonwealth, calling out Dominion Energy, the NRA, the Koch industrial…
By Diane Burkley Alejandro: There is a family separation crisis right here in Fairfax County. The nation was rightfully shocked when 2,600 children were separated from migrant families crossing the border. Why then isn’t the Fairfax Board of Supervisors incensed that 12,037 Fairfax immigrant families have been torn apart by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—and that Fairfax law enforcement, working…
Nearly 100 voters who could not make their own way to the polls had their voices heard in the recent midterm elections thanks to volunteer drivers organized by Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC). The Ride to the Polls program gave a lift to 96 voters who were elderly, handicapped, infirm, newly American or had language barriers. “Most touching to me…
By Susan Laume: Carlos Hopkins, secretary of Virginia Veterans and Defense Affairs, headlined a veterans town hall in Springfield on Monday, Nov. 12. About 45 veterans, family members and guests gathered at American Legion Post 176 in Springfield for the event, organized by state Sen. George Barker (D-39), state Dels. Kathy Tran (D-42) and Vivian Watts (D-39), and Veterans of Foreign Wars…
Members and guests of Springield District Democratic Committee (SDDC) celebrating victory in the recent elections with a chili cook-off on Nov. 9 at the Fairfax Railroad Museum. The district achieved a turn-out rate of over 71 percent of registered voters, presumably giving strong support to local winners Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va), Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11) and Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-10).…
Supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment are sponsoring a 10-day bus tour across Virginia to urge legislators to make Virginia the 38th and final state necessary to achieve ratification. The bus stopped in several locations in Fairfax County on Veterans’ Day, Nov. 11, after visiting Richmond, and continued on to Fredericksburg. The bus tour is run by VAratifyERA, a non-partisan,…
By Todd Thurwachter: Ahead of the Nov. 6 election, Democrats have made a sustained effort to register and educate Latino voters in Fairfax County – who now constitute 16% of the population, and are heading higher. The campaign has contacted tens of thousands in Fairfax and neighboring counties, led by the Voter Registration & Education Committee of Fairfax County Democratic…
Reported by Janelle Hartman and Stephanie Witt Sedgwick: Postcards may be old technology, but they are being revived as an effective tool in the arsenal of Fairfax County Democrats to get a robust turnout at elections on November 6th. Numerous postcard parties have been held in Fairfax County throughout the campaign season to target registered voters with personal appeals from…
By Brad Swanson: George Mason University (GMU) students delivered a 2,000-signature petition to the office of university President Angel Cabrera on Thursday demanding an end to influence by donors such as radical libertarian Charles Koch over academic appointments and course material. The protest was part of a National Day of Action sponsored by UnKoch My Campus, an organization dedicated to…
Sen. Tim Kaine, running for re-election in the Nov. 6 election, recently stopped by to help Democratic Party volunteers “chase” absentee voters by mail. For readers not familiar with the term: An application for an absentee ballot is a public record, including name and address. Political parties obtain these records then contact or “chase” potential absentee voters to encourage them…
By Richard Cramond: The top personal concern for Fairfax County senior Democrats is healthcare, with environment number two, according to a survey by the Senior Affairs/Advocacy Committee of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC). The survey in July went to almost 1,000 FCDC members aged 50 or more, of whom about 1/3 responded. Health care was overwhelmingly selected as top…
You’re never too young to canvass, especially in an election as important as the one on November 6th. Aaron, aged 6, canvassed in Providence District with his mom and 3-year-old sister Hannah recently, and made it the highlight of his “Weekend News” homework assignment for his first-grade class. His text reads: “Over the weekend I went canvassing. Canvassing is reminding people…
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., where Leigh Kitcher brings her to life frequently at afternoon teas, a women’s rights editorial cartoon exhibit and other events…