You knew it had to happen sooner or later. Preventing another Virginia Tech massacre would come down to money — mo’ money. Joe Samaha, whose daughter Reema was killed by Seung Hui Cho, pleaded with the House Welfare and Institutions Committee to pass legislation that will “fund mental-health care, with the coordination of education, policies…

It wasn’t easy coming home — I’ll add Jackson Hole, Wyo., to Ocracoke, N.C., and Round Hill, Jamaica, as one of my favorite places outside Virginia — but I’m back and I’m rarin’ to go. You can find the June 19, 2006, edition of the Bacon’s Rebellion e-zine here. Don’t miss a single issue —…

In Feudal Europe the peasants would rise up, occasionally, against particularly oppressive lords. After a bit of looting, killing and drunken revelry the ‘Jacquerie’ would be suppressed by all the neighboring lords with a fair measure of atrocities to send the proper message. Keep your place, Peasants. Your pitchforks are no match for our armed,…

Yesterday, and elsewhere I speculated on a few threads that seemed to have emerged from the primary elections. After chewing things over with some more folks last night, a few things seem to be coming together. And one of them is that George Allen may have stepped in a steaming pile of trouble. My sources,…

“Moderates Defeated in VA Primary: GOP Ideological Struggle at Heart of VA Races” shouts WaPo‘s front page. Do not hyperventilate about the Primary results regardless of clan identity. The following is based on the expertise that comes from being an Independent who supported some candidates that won and chatted up the political insiders who gathered…

So long, folks, I’m off to another vacation — a week in Wyoming to visit my daughter in Jackson and to take a side trip to Yellowstone National park. I’ve set aside some time for some half-day hikes, a white-water rafting ride and consumption of excess calories at a variety of Jackson restaurants. (I’m hoping…

“Dear Fellow Citizen:” “I started this race with integrity, dignity and an honest pledge to run a positive campaign, and I intend to maintain that pledge to the end. “Honoring that commitment, I have avoided comment on my opponent’s 11 felony count indictment. ….” from full page 6 June ad in Fauquier Times-Democrat for Jill…

I feel churlish for making this post. With the best of intentions, Lieutentant Governor Bill Bolling is traversing the state, meeting with people in “town hall idea raisers” to generate new ideas for dealing with education, transportation, health care, the environment and other pressing issues. His goal is a worthy one: to make the Republican…

The Rockefeller Institute of Government has a new report on the effects of state-level tax and spending limit laws. It’s worth a read, considering the issue has been brought forth a couple of times in the General Assembly but, as with so many ideas, died a silent death in the Senate Finance committee. Here’s a…

The town of Vinton in Roanoke County has become one of roughly 20 jurisdictions nationally to provide an interactive crime-mapping service for its citizens. The town takes computerized crime mapping data, which police use to identify hot spots and trouble areas, and puts it on the World Wide Web. Writes Joe Kendal with the Roanoke…

The impending $300 million revenue shortfall is no big deal in a $74 billion two-year budget, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said on his monthly radio call-in show. “Three hundred million is a lot of money, but as a percentage of the state budget, it is not a massive percentage. It’s not a huge emergency.” Among…

Bacon is DeadI am sorry at my hartThat lice and fluxshould take the hangman’s part— ditty sung after the death of Nathaniel BaconBut 332 years later, the Rebellion lives on! The May 28, 2007, edition of the Bacon’s Rebellion e-zine is now online. Click here to view it. Make sure you never miss an issue…

What are the implications of William H. Leighty’s departure at the end of the day as Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s chief of staff? Leighty, who has served Kaine for two years and Gov. Mark R. Warner for four years before him, is understandably burned out. Writes Kimball Payne with the Daily Press: “Somewhere along this…

Responding to warnings that the state budget could experience a $300 million revenue shortfall this year, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has asked state agency heads to look for savings in the current budget that can be set aside to soften the impact of potential cuts in next year’s budget. (Read Tim Craig’s story in the…

You can now register for the Blogs United conference scheduled for July 13-15 in Newport News. Click here to register. Sign up now to get the $25 early-bird special.