Opinion
By John P. Flannery Whatever one thinks of capital punishment, there must be general agreement that the state should never execute an innocent man or woman. Our criminal justice is so badly broken, no one should be sentenced to death. I’ve argued in and out of court to abolish capital punishment. Many have fought…
Dear Editor, Thank you Virginia State Legislature for passing Senate Bill 1303. I urge Governor Ralph Northam to sign this bill into law. This bipartisan bill, from Senator Dunnavant of Henrico, requires each local school division to make virtual and in-person learning available to all students by choice of the student’s parent or guardian. It…
“It makes no sense for China to have better rail systems than us…. That used to be us.” President Obama November, 2010 [Turnbull] By Tony Noerpel In order to avoid a climate catastrophe, we are probably going to have to stop flying. Flying is responsible for 5 percent of global warming [Timperley] and there is…
Dear Editor: Jean Brown and I were political opposites, but we were also neighbors and friends. Countless times we would stop and chat in the aisles of the grocery store just catching up on the news of the day. She exemplified the civility that used to be characteristic of Virginia public life. I will miss…
By Joe LaFiandra The new president has implemented a series of progressive executive orders. Other actions are in the wings, including asking Congress to enact an increased minimum wage of $15 an hour, from the $7.25 (in Virginia) an hour presently in effect. What I am going to present in this article are the consequences…
By Charles Houston ZOC – pronounced “zock” – is the County’s new Zoning Ordinance Committee, which is charged with helping to write a new zoning ordinance for the county. It’s important to you and I’ll explain why. Zoning Matters Zoning is generally a vague concept for people. They might be totally unaware of Loudoun’s 1,025-page…
Dear Editor: The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors’ resolution last week urging Delegate Dave LaRock to resign was a purely political stunt, a direct violation by the Democrats of their individually signed Ethics Policy, and two violations of their own Rules of Order, which each one of them agreed to at their first meeting in…
Dear Editor: I’m writing this from the perspective of two days after a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol, resulting in several deaths, significant damage to our Capitol building, and irreparable damage to the stature of the United States. This mob was driven by the spread of lies. Lies that were spread intentionally, for…
Loudoun County’s rural villages are irreplaceable, and yet, somehow, we seem determined to let the present destroy their past. “Their buildings and settings document Loudoun County’s history, through war and peace, growth and decline, changes in commerce, agriculture, and transportation. The social and cultural heritage they represent, and their vitality today, make them a vital…
By Charles Houston Every publication will have a lengthy year-end retrospective on COVID and on 2020. This is a different story. Bubba was my father’s first cousin, and hence my second. Bubba had no siblings, no wife, no children. As a bachelor, his closest relations were my two brothers and me. We were very close.…