Opinion
Dear Editor: I’m disappointed that The Blue Ridge Leader would publish the blatant falsehoods presented by Joe LaFiandra in the March 2021 edition. I will give him the benefit of the doubt and call him horribly misinformed – probably due to a strict diet of rightwing propaganda outlets. He claims that the main reason for…
By Charles Houston Marvin Gaye’s lyrics are apt for Loudoun: “Hey, mercy, mercy me, oh Hey, things ain’t what they used to be What about this overcrowded land? How much more abuse from man can she stand.” Another of his hits was “What’s Going On,” in which he sang: “I’ll tell you, what’s going on.”…
By Joe LaFiandra The events in Texas last month show how vulnerable the electric power grid is. At one point over two million homes were without power. The cause was a relatively rare ice storm that knocked out at least 20 percent of the state’s generating power. The main reason for this loss of power…
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…