DEPRESSION ERA FOOD LINES
“The line on Route 10 for the Chesterfield food bank … currently a double wide line that stretches nearly half of a mile.” A striking image of tough times during the COVID-19 pandemic, the disastrous lack of response by the Trump administration, and the massive economic hardship for tens of millions of Americans … including here in Virginia. And it’s now gone viral – 1.2 million views after being retweeted by director Judd Apatow and The Lincoln Project. It is the work of the editor of Virginia Scope, an online independent collection of Virginia journalists and citizens.
Depression era images such as this may persist for months and months.
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JUICY FRUIT FOREVER: ARTIST WANTED
Ask and ye may receive…. A 94-year-old Roanoke man with a lifelong love of Juicy Fruit has received permission from the Mars Wrigley Company to have his casket painted to resemble a pack of the chewing gum as a last wish. He developed a love for the gum while serving in World War II, when the company took Juicy Fruit and other varieties of gum off the market so there would be enough to distribute to U.S. service members.
The company initially refused the request, leading friends to post about the request on Facebook, which went viral, and a member of the public was able to get contact information for the company’s president. An officer of Mars Wrigley called the funeral home, which had made the request on the man’s behalf, and a few days later, gave permission to use the logo on the casket. That approval was followed by the family’s receipt of 250 packs of Juicy Fruit gum.
According to a relative, the family is now seeking an artist to paint the casket.
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DEMS TRASH THEN EAT THEIR OWN
Two Democratic members of the House of Delegates took to Twitter last week to rip a fellow Democrat who voted against a bill to end qualified immunity for police officers. The House voted 48-47 recently against the bill. Five Democrats joined 43 Republicans in voting against it. One negative vote from Del. Ibraheem Samirah drew some nasty fire from fellow Democrats.
Samirah posted on Facebook that since casting his vote he has been called “a performer,” a “phony,” and a “fake.” He explained that he supports ending qualified immunity, but that the bill had been watered down in committee and was “not as strong as it could be.” The bill’s sponsor (Del. Jeff Bourne, D-Richmond), tweeted about Samirah: “You knew the vote count before you voted NO. These issues/lives are not for games, like retweets or any foolish clown show.” Another Democratic colleague added via Twitter “Translation: @IbraheemSamirah decided to grandstand so he could reintroduce a bill that will fail so he could grandstand some more. Meanwhile the substance is lost in all the videos, clicks and likes.”
With enemies like this from inside your own tent, survival is always at stake.
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TOUCHY-FEELY ATTORNEY TO HEAD VIRGINIA BEACH ELECTORAL BOARD
Can’t we do better than this?
Jeffrey Marks joined the board in July and his appointment as chairman was recommended by the chair of the Virginia Republican Party; he was unanimously selected by the judges of the Virginia Beach Circuit Court.
In 2017, Marks withdrew an application to become a judge in Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court in Virginia Beach after another attorney accused him of inappropriately touching her. The attorney who made the accusation, a former colleague, said he improperly touched her between her legs during a charity event in May 2013. Marks denied the accuser’s description but admitted that he did slap her on the butt.
Ah, that makes all the difference. Oh, well, OK then.
The party chair said she recommended Marks because he has been an active member of the local Republican Party and had participated in election recounts last year, so he had become familiar with the electoral process. She said the alleged incident “did not concern” her.
Others may not share that lack of concern or nonchalance.
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Categories: Brief Cases, coronavirus, elections, Issues, Local, pandemic, politics, State
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