State
Who’s On First, Virginia?
In 1938, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello created the iconic dialogue referencing baseball in which Bud announces that he would be joining the Yankees as manager. Invited to New York to be part of the team, Lou inquires about the… Read More ›
Rigged?
By Frank Blechman Why do incumbent elected officials usually win reelection? Critics would say they win because the elections are “rigged.” For me, that’s a question of semantics. Yes, in the past, gerrymandered districts have favored incumbents, not just by… Read More ›
9/11 Changed Some Things
By Frank Blechman The media, with appropriate solemnity, has spent the last week revisiting the events of September 11, 2001, when four hijacked planes crashed into American landmarks and a field killing thousands, and shaking America’s sense of invulnerability. Endlessly,… Read More ›
Outside the Novahood
VA POLICE RANK-AND-FILE SUPPORT BAN ON TICKET QUOTAS The Virginia Police Benevolent Association is working with state lawmakers to draft legislation banning ticket-writing quotas for law enforcement agencies across the state. Virginia State Police, which the PBA says uses the… Read More ›
Gerry’s Salamander
It’s been more than 200 years since the first sighting of the salamander in Massachusetts in 1812, foisted upon the public by Elbridge Gerry. Over those two centuries, the creature has consumed or created countless millions of useless votes by… Read More ›
Around the Novahood
SCOTS RETURN Scottish energy solutions company Aggreko plc will establish its data center division’s North American headquarters in Leesburg, according to Loudoun County’s economic development department. Headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland, Aggreko provides temporary power generation and temperature control equipment. Home to… Read More ›
Virginiamanders
An innocuous phrase in the Constitution (Art. I, Sec. 2) propels one of the most crucial aspects of the nation’s political dynamics. “The actual enumeration [of persons] shall be made…within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as… Read More ›
The Plantation Myth
One of the more pernicious memes propagated by apologists for slavery is that of the placid plantation populated by enslaved people enjoying their lives in an agrarian paradise. Amplified by countless historians and… Read More ›