By Brad Swanson: Celebrated author Nancy MacLean visits our region on Wed. Oct. 3 for a free presentation on her prize-winning book “Democracy in Chains:The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America ” . MacLean’s book has won prestigious awards and she has earned national prominence — including this recent appearance with Bill Maher — for exposing an organized campaign by radical…
By Sheldon Friedman: A district court judge has blocked, for now, a gut-punch delivered by the Trump administration to federal workers in the form of a trio of harsh executive orders (read them here, here and here). These executive orders curbed the appeal rights of disciplined or discharged employees, radically restricted availability of “official time” relied upon by union representatives…
By Susan Laume: Virginia’s vote could be the last state vote needed to allow the United States Congress to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which would become the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. VAratifyERA Sunday — Women’s Equality Day — kicked off a campaign to press Virginia lawmakers to approve the amendment in January by holding screenings around Virginia…
By Sean Perryman: Following the election of Donald Trump, the Democratic Party at both the local and national level continues to grapple with race and the role it should or shouldn’t play in its platform and organizing. In that vein, on September 12th, the Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC) will hold a Racial Equity Workshop for its membership. The workshop…
By Diane Weeks: A new memorial in southern Fairfax County celebrating the courage of suffragists under brutal treatment by prison guards at Occoquan Workhouse (later known as Lorton Reformatory) is halfway to its funding goal, and on track for completion by August 2020 – the 100 year anniversary of women’s voting rights in the USA. The Turning Point Suffragist Memorial…
By Karen Keys-Gamarra: No parent should ever have to fear that sending a child to school is risking immigration enforcement. In fact, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency better known as ICE, has no place in Fairfax County public schools. This view is reflected in the revised agreement between the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and the Fairfax County…
By Todd Thurwachter: When Democrats vote, we win. And in Virginia, we vote every year! That’s why Fairfax County Democrats have put into place tools like Voting: What you Need to Know and Elections Alerts. They can make a huge difference in fighting the biggest impediment to Democratic victories: Democratic drop-off in non-Presidential elections. Voting: What you Need to Know…
By Janelle Hartman: Pride was as thick as the humid air Saturday as Lee District Democrats gathered for their annual luau, where a special guest symbolized the contrast between an inclusive Virginia and those who want to turn back the clock. Anne Holton was 12 years old when her family became role models for desegregation, as her father, Linwood —…
By Wallicia Gill and Brad Swanson: FIRST IN A 3-PART SERIES Teen sex trafficking in northern Virginia happens every day, but most people know very little about this horrific crime, even though experts say that our region is a hotspot and the practice is growing. Scare stories are easy to come by. But hard data is hard to find. How…
By Julie Galdo: Two of northern Virginia’s Congress members defended our federal intelligence agencies against vicious insinuations of corruption last month during the aggressive questioning of FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok. But our region’s third member of Congress was nowhere to be seen. Strzok came across as a dedicated Federal employee who made a dumb mistake by expressing his personal…
By Susan Laume: Hoarders don’t restrict their obsession to inanimate objects. In Fairfax County – a “hot spot” for hoarding, as we reported previously — animals have been freed from hoarders on numerous occasions. Fairfax County’s worst animal hoarding case on record was in 2005, when 500 cats were confiscated, according to Animal Protection Police Officer Sgt, Alena Swartz. However,…
By Diane Weeks: NEW ORLEANS — The Netroots Nation Conference wrapped up its third and final day Sunday with rousing speeches, planned and unplanned, from elected officials, political hopefuls, and spontaneous protestors. And the big reveal – Netroots Nation 2019 will be July 11-13 in Philadelphia, Pa. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio laid out a vision for the country…
By Holly Hazard: NEW ORLEANS — “You can’t lead the people if you don’t love the people,” said Sen. Cory Booker in his keynote speech Friday at the Netroots Nation Conference in New Orleans. He had this challenge to conservative values: “People talk about patriotism. You can’t be patriotic if you don’t love the people in the country you’re in.” The…
By Karen Kirk: “VOTE THEM OUT” was the rallying cry of speakers and protesters as more than 100 people gathered outside of the NRA Headquarters in Fairfax Saturday in support of gun safety. “This nation breathes the oxygen that is the promise of liberty and right now, our people are suffocating,” said speaker Micaela Lattimer, a 17-year-old Latina from Maryland.…