Category: Blue Louisa

News and views contributed or curated by our members.

Vote for Reducing Fossil Fuel Dependence

To the editor:
“Code Red for Humanity.” That is the name of the report that came out last Monday. Made by top scientists at the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, it was an update on the danger that human-caused climate change poses to the world. We will reach dangerous levels of climate change earlier than they previously thought.

In addition, we have heard this past week about the possible collapse of the Gulf stream, the ocean current that brings warm water from the Gulf of Mexico up along the East Coast of the United States and then to Europe. This would cause some catastrophic changes to the weather worldwide.

We are now experiencing unusual weather patterns right here in Louisa, although nothing as bad as the wildfires, heat waves and flooding occurring in other parts of our country as well as the rest of the world. These are expected to worsen and become more frequent. When we hear about and experience these changes and try to imagine the future that scientists predict, our natural reaction is to deny that it could happen to us. Or to feel overwhelmed and helpless. We would like to ignore it and hope it goes away like so many predictions of doom.

But this is now well-documented as being caused primarily by carbon dioxide that goes into the atmosphere when we burn gas, coal, gasoline, and other forms of petroleum. However, the report also said that it may not be too late to keep the worst outcomes from happening. But we have to do it now. But what can I do? I can reduce my personal use of those fuels and that’s all good. But anything significant must be done at the state and federal level. These fuels need to be made so expensive that we will all look for alternatives.

This November, ask the candidates what they will do to wean us from these fuels. Let them know it is urgent and that they must act now. What has our delegate in Richmond, John McGuire, done? He has voted against every piece of legislation designed to reduce our dependence on these fuels. His opponent in November, Blakely Lockhart, though a newcomer to politics, has vowed to make it a priority.

We can’t just throw our hands in the air and give up. Each of us needs to make the phone calls, find out the facts and demand action. And it’s not hopeless yet.

Lynn Engler
Louisa

This letter was previously published in the latest edition of the Central Virginian newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission. 

Keep D.C. issues out of local politics

To The Editor:

 A recent letter the editor, in favor of a local candidate for county Supervisor campaigning as a Republican, begins by quoting the 2nd Amendment. Oh, good grief, why? Blowing dog whistles designed to inspire political tribalism will not do one thing to improve debates about our local land use, water supply and business development.

Local elections in Louisa used to be non-partisan. Our local candidates did not claim a party. Sadly, that has been changing in recent years. Tying local politics to political parties is a terrible idea because local issues do not follow the national fault lines dictated by D.C. power struggles. 

Please consider supporting local candidates who keep things local. Louisa candidates for re-election, Bob Babyok and Fitzgerald Barnes, have never claimed party affiliation, and that is to their credit and our benefit.

Eva Schatz
Mineral

This letter was previously published in the latest edition of the Central Virginian newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission. 

Supervisor has been solid in many areas


To the editor:

Fitzgerald Barnes may have saved my life. He spearheaded a campaign to get the Blue Ridge Health District to run a series of COVID vaccination clinics locally at Louisa County Middle School. They vaccinated thousands of locals, including me.

I’ve been here 32 years, and I remember Fitz working on many issues that have brought good things to the county while protecting what we value most. He has worked for Patrick Henry District residents but has been a leader in making the county a better place to live, work and attend school.

Early on, Fitz supported creating first-class parks and recreation facilities and offerings. Citizens made clear in comprehensive plan meetings that they wanted more recreational opportunities for children and adults. Over 20 years ago, there was a referendum on the ballot to fund a swimming pool. Voters passed it, but the board delayed building it for 10 years. Fitz’s support was instrumental in getting the pool built and improving athletic fields and programs. He has always been a supporter, then and now, of the parks department.

He’s also been a consistent supporter of the public schools, improving them and aspiring for excellence. He has supported increasing teacher pay to be more equitable so we can retain good teachers. The latest project on the board is building a vocational center, a much-needed addition for students who do not intend to go to college but still need skills to make a living.

But that’s not all, as they say. Fitz has supported bringing broadband to the county, and helped create the broadband authority, which has spurred the development of broadband by installing towers and leasing space to private internet providers. Once it was clear that there was a market in Louisa County, private towers also started going up. The struggle continues with fiber development by local utilities. Barnes has been on the frontlines of this, helping negotiate the contract with Central Virginia Electric Cooperative to provide fiber networks across the county.

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. That’s always been a Barnes priority. He’s been instrumental in bringing several large employers to Louisa. He worked to develop the Zion Crossroads area and Route 250 as places for companies to build warehouses, job facilities and mixed-use residential. Fitz helped bring in local employers like Walmart and its distribution warehouse, Lowes, the Ferncliff Business Park and, coming soon – an Amazon warehouse.

With more jobs, facilities and broadband come more people. This draws medical facilities, restaurants and grocery stores to the area. Our west end is growing to accommodate those who live there and those who live in the broader county. I can now go to the doctor, get medical tests, and have physical therapy locally at Zion Crossroads. Then I can have lunch at Rhett’s Grill before heading home.

We all love the idea of getting more good restaurants, more and better retail shopping and grocery stores. Fitz is working on it. He is committed to keeping those developments in areas designated for growth, instead of sprawling everywhere and ruining the rural character of the county we love.

As a Louisa resident, I think that Fitzgerald Barnes should not only be re-elected as Patrick Henry supervisor, but we should elect more supervisors like him who want to work for the people instead of a party. Let’s elect supervisors who work for all the residents of Louisa County.

Joanna Hickman
Louisa
This letter was previously published in the latest edition of the Central Virginian newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission.

Echoes concerns about climate change

To the editor:
I want to emphasize the point Sara Elder made in her recent letter to the editor (July 29). We are indeed lucky to have young people working on climate change issues. We need young creative minds who care about what is happening in our world right now. The deadly heat waves in the Midwest, the wildfires killing people, and the flooding that is taking lives in Europe are all directly attributable to climate change.

Unfortunately, we have a representative in the General Assembly in Richmond who consistently votes against measures, such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, that are designed to help cut carbon emissions. Does John
McGuire not understand that this is happening; that this is a matter of life and death? Does he believe that his extremist ideology will save him?

Further, Mr. McGuire also voted against the House budget bill that included money for broadband and bonuses for state troopers. I’m planning to vote for Blakely Lockhart to replace him because she will vote in the actual interests of the people of the 56th district.

Peter Sugarman
Louisa
This letter was previously published in the latest edition of the Central Virginian newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission.

Who are the real Republicans?

Who are the real Republicans?

Statewide, the answer is not clear. The Republican candidate for governor, Glenn Youngkin, is running multiple, soft, feel-good TV ads in the expensive northern Virginia market that do not reflect his party affiliation and former president Donald Trump’s endorsement.

Obviously, the Youngkin campaign’s objective is to create a fuzzy image to appeal to the suburban voters who may not support Trump. To avoid being questioned about his identification with Trump, Youngkin continues to shatter Virginia traditions. He has refused to participate in the Virginia Bar Association’s decades-long hosting of the first general election debate, as well as the subsequent debate hosted by the AARP.

It appears, however, that one Trump campaign theme Youngkin will run on is Trump’s unfounded allegation about election security, as seen by his participation in an “election integrity” rally at Liberty University.

If the statewide campaign’s focus is soft Youngkin ads, in Culpeper County, things are distinctly partisan, led by former Culpeper Republican committee chair Jon Russell and Marshall Keene, the county party’s current chair.

We all recall that Keene bragged about organizing and dispatching three busloads of Trump supporters from Culpeper to the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” event in Washington. Russell, now the Republican candidate for town mayor, watched the event on the right-wing One American Network and commented on Facebook that “patriots have breached the barricades at the U.S. capitol.” Since when is breaking and entering patriotic?

This June, Culpeper Republicans prepared a full slate for the nonpartisan Town Council by holding a “casting call” for the candidates they wanted to anoint with a GOP endorsement. Only four candidates were considered. Weren’t there others who filed and were either not considered or subsequently withdrew their paperwork?

The apparent conductor of the four endorsed Republican candidates for the council positions, mayoral candidate Russell, is running his own campaign on a platform of “New Energy for Culpeper.” Responsible independents who may vote as Republicans have served on the Town Council for years, so Russell’s platform could be considered an insult directed at a former generation of local leaders. Then again, it might be a meaningless, pandering slogan.

Note that Russell’s yard signs are Democratic Blue, not Republican Red. Because Russell has already made clear he wants to “protect” Culpeper’s heritage, like Lake Pelham, it is not clear where he and his four endorsed colleagues will differ from the preceding generations of local leaders.

Despite their claim of new energy, Culpeper Republicans have fallen in line with ultra-radical Republican themes. The Republican County Committee recently passed a meaningless resolution, signed by Keene, demanding that the Virginia General Assembly order a full forensic investigation of the state’s 2020 general election. There has not even been a whisper that Virginia’s election procedures need review. So why is it important for Culpeper Republicans and others, like Amada Chase, to show their fidelity to the unfounded claims of Trump?

Where were our patriotic Republicans at this year’s traditional Independence Day celebration in Yowell Meadow Park? Held at the park’s Monuments to Freedom site, the Minute Men program celebrated the founding of our nation and honored the people who fought the British for our freedom and right to self-governance. Instead, the Republican committee held its own event in the parking lot next to its headquarters, in response to a personal invitation on social media from state Del. Nick Freitas.

Who are the real Republicans? Youngkin, who dominates television and social media with blank happy talk, or the Culpeper GOP hardliners who are comfortable ignoring the Virginia tradition of nonpartisanship in Town Council races? Voters in November may have the answer.

David Reuther, a retired U.S. Foreign Service officer, is a past chair of the Culpeper Democratic Committee. These are his personal observations. This letter was previously published in the latest edition of the Culpeper Star-Exponent newspaper and is reprinted here with the author’s permission. 

Lockhart protects the right to vote

For someone who is always talking about how he will protect the right to vote, Delegate John McGuire certainly has a strange way of going about it.

Having voted NO on:

  • No-excuse absentee voting. (HB 1)                                                                               
  • Same-day voter registration. (HB 201)

In 2020, and following up in 2021 with these NO’s:

  • The Virginia Voting Rights Act. (SB 1395)                                                                     
  • Ballot drop boxes and pre-paid postage for vote-by-mail. (HB 1888)
  • Automatic restoration of rights for people who have served their time (SJ 272) 

He publicly admits to participating in the January 6th Rally in DC, joining white supremacists and proud boys.   

McGuire is an insurrectionist

This week he is scheduled to repeat those lies about the elections integrity at an Election Integrity Rally . 

The right to vote-Hiding their deeds

Most people don’t know that a three-bus caravan chartered by the Culpeper Republicans took like-minded Louisa County residents to join him. Or, that they are doing their best to hide this inconvenient fact.

Patriots erasing their participation

There have always been those who dislike their Party’s embrace of racial hostility and culture wars but have swallowed their distaste as long as their taxes were low. And now that the G.O.P. has become the party of election lies and violent insurrection — are they still willing to make that trade-off? 

Their ceaseless lies about the legitimacy of elections make it clear that they don’t support protecting the right to vote. And while everyone was paying attention to these distractions, one third of the country has passed laws to restrict voting.

Winning with a minority

Their goal is to normalize the theft of a constitutional right. Treating it like a privilege, which can be restricted if voters fail to meet their expectations. Ensuring they can win elections even when in the minority.

So what should you do when one Party does not want every legal vote to be counted?

Start at the local level by rejecting the two astroturfed challengers for Board of Supervisors. And clear out the deadwood in the General Assembly, electing Blakely Lockhart as your next delegate

Jon Taylor

This letter is an enhanced version of a letter published in the August 5th edition of the Central Virginian and is reprinted here with the author’s permission.