Britain’s royalty and Parliament in the late 1650s were not welcoming to Richard Cromwell to become successor as Lord Protector of the realm upon the death of his father, Oliver Cromwell. Historical legend informs that the English rhyme about a… Read More ›
republicans
Government by Edict
Editors’ Note: Excerpted, with permission, from Bacon’s Rebellion, March 14, 2022, https://www.baconsrebellion.com/wp/ By Dick Hall-Sizemore Although the issue of school mask mandates is now behind us, it is instructive to examine the legal arguments advanced by Attorney General Jason Miyares… Read More ›
General Assembly Session Scorecard
The Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP) produces visuals that helpfully portray the parameters of political and cultural activity in the Commonwealth. Its latest graph provides a political scorecard of the results of the two political parties with respect to legislation…. Read More ›
Campaign Finance Backwater
Editors’ Note: Reposted from the Virginia Mercury, March 7, 2022. https://www.virginiamercury.com/2022/03/07/by-allowing-political-cash-for-personal-use-virginia-remains-a-campaign-finance-backwater/. By Bob Lewis Virginia’s General Assembly has always set a low bar for campaign finance accountability. And every winter, our legislators fail to clear even that. The way the… Read More ›
Decency, Decorum Die
1 Decency and decorum are essentially interchangeable, or at least essential companions. That character or quality within society will thrive in the absence of conflicts or poverty, which otherwise tend to excite human behavior. Since the end of the Korean… Read More ›
Truth or Consequences
Truth or Consequences is a town and county seat of Sierra County in New Mexico, adopting its name from the popular radio show of the same name. The city changed its name from Hot Springs to Truth or Consequences as… Read More ›
Believe It or Not
1 Robert Ripley launched his franchise Believe It or Not in 1919, offering readers bizarre and little-known facts as entertainment and challenge to received knowledge or wisdom. He employed dogged researchers to uncover and publish the little or unknown bits… Read More ›
Miyares Myopia
A catchy news headline about money in Australian politics captured the essence of the behavior of politicians: “If You Can Get Away With Things, You Do It.” Pundits and political scribes are often inclined to remind readers in a sober… Read More ›
Not So Long Ago
Sometimes it is inexorably attractive to rely upon canards such as Rule #39 – “There are no coincidences” – from the TV show NCIS. A converse can be said to be “if the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit” –the… Read More ›