by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
Yes, Virginia, there is a great deal of anger and raw hatred surfacing in America today, and much of it seems to land right on your doorstep.
It was less than two-and-a-half years ago on August 12, 2017, at a "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, the home of American patriot Thomas Jefferson and the his classically-designed University of Virginia, when Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old paralegal who had been born and raised in Charlottesville, was run down by a car and killed while she was peacefully protesting the rally. Eight other people were also injured in that vehicular attack.
Justice, if anything can really qualify as justice for a crime such as that, came quickly. James Alex Fields, Jr, a 20-year-old man who was involved in the rally, was arrested and charged in the hit-and-run murder of the young woman. In addition to first degree murder, the charges filed against Mr. Fields included eight counts of malicious wounding and thirty federal hate crimes.
The defendant pleaded guilty to the hate crime charges in order to avoid facing the death penalty. He was found guilty of the murder, the eight woundings, and 29 of 30 federal hate crimes. James Alex Fields, Jr, was sentenced to life in prison plus over four hundred additional years.
The trial and sentencing of Mr. Fields should have shut the books on a tragic chapter of Virginia history, except, of course, it did not. Now the Commonwealth is gearing up for another influx of right-wing demonstrators and provocateurs due to arrive at the state capital in Richmond on Monday - and many of whom may decide to come armed.
Last year Virginia elected Democratic majorities in both of its legislative Houses for the first time in more than a generation, and it also managed to retain Ralph Northam, a Democratic governor who had been caught up in a scandal involving his posing in blackface at a party in his youth. That heady mixture of a Democratically-controlled state has led to some quick and fairly progressive legislation.
Virginia recently became the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, a situation which could lead to the rights of women finally being enshrined in the US Constitution - depending upon whether subsequent court rulings don't render the Virginia vote as being invalid due to a deadline imposed by Congress when the Amendment first began circulating seeking the approval of two-thirds (38) of the state legislatures. (Congress originally allowed seven years for ratification and later extended it to ten.)
The Virginia Senate passed three gun bills last week and sent them to the House for consideration and a vote. The bills would mandate background checks on all firearms sales, limit people to being able to buy just one handgun per month, and would let local governments ban guns from government buildings, parks, and certain public events. (The bill regarding background checks passed with some bipartisan support, but the other two were along strict party lines.)
American right-wing extremists and gun rights groups began exhorting people to gather in Richmond next Monday for a rally to protest the new legislation, and social media, which is being monitored by law enforcement, lit up with anger and threats of insurrection and civil war.
Governor Northam responded by announcing an emergency executive order which banned firearms from Capitol Square in front of the state's capitol (where the protest will be held) for a period of time from Friday evening (last night) until Tuesday. Two gun groups immediately went to court to get the governor's order overturned, but a circuit court judge ruled against their motion. Next the groups appealed to the Virginia Supreme Court which also quickly ruled in Northam's favor.
Meanwhile the new Democratically-controlled Virginia state legislature also passed a bill outlawing the carrying of any weapons within the state capitol - and that measure has no time limit.
The FBI has arrested what appear to be six domestic extremists in the last couple of days, at least three of whom planned on attending the protest rally in Richmond.
It's sad, and it's regrettable, and it is also quickly becoming everyday life in Trump's America. Right-wing politicians and gun groups take whatever action they need to keep themselves safe, but when it comes to the rest of us, duck and cover!
It's time to hunker down, Virginia, because they're back!!!
Citizen Journalist
Yes, Virginia, there is a great deal of anger and raw hatred surfacing in America today, and much of it seems to land right on your doorstep.
It was less than two-and-a-half years ago on August 12, 2017, at a "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, the home of American patriot Thomas Jefferson and the his classically-designed University of Virginia, when Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old paralegal who had been born and raised in Charlottesville, was run down by a car and killed while she was peacefully protesting the rally. Eight other people were also injured in that vehicular attack.
Justice, if anything can really qualify as justice for a crime such as that, came quickly. James Alex Fields, Jr, a 20-year-old man who was involved in the rally, was arrested and charged in the hit-and-run murder of the young woman. In addition to first degree murder, the charges filed against Mr. Fields included eight counts of malicious wounding and thirty federal hate crimes.
The defendant pleaded guilty to the hate crime charges in order to avoid facing the death penalty. He was found guilty of the murder, the eight woundings, and 29 of 30 federal hate crimes. James Alex Fields, Jr, was sentenced to life in prison plus over four hundred additional years.
The trial and sentencing of Mr. Fields should have shut the books on a tragic chapter of Virginia history, except, of course, it did not. Now the Commonwealth is gearing up for another influx of right-wing demonstrators and provocateurs due to arrive at the state capital in Richmond on Monday - and many of whom may decide to come armed.
Last year Virginia elected Democratic majorities in both of its legislative Houses for the first time in more than a generation, and it also managed to retain Ralph Northam, a Democratic governor who had been caught up in a scandal involving his posing in blackface at a party in his youth. That heady mixture of a Democratically-controlled state has led to some quick and fairly progressive legislation.
Virginia recently became the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, a situation which could lead to the rights of women finally being enshrined in the US Constitution - depending upon whether subsequent court rulings don't render the Virginia vote as being invalid due to a deadline imposed by Congress when the Amendment first began circulating seeking the approval of two-thirds (38) of the state legislatures. (Congress originally allowed seven years for ratification and later extended it to ten.)
The Virginia Senate passed three gun bills last week and sent them to the House for consideration and a vote. The bills would mandate background checks on all firearms sales, limit people to being able to buy just one handgun per month, and would let local governments ban guns from government buildings, parks, and certain public events. (The bill regarding background checks passed with some bipartisan support, but the other two were along strict party lines.)
American right-wing extremists and gun rights groups began exhorting people to gather in Richmond next Monday for a rally to protest the new legislation, and social media, which is being monitored by law enforcement, lit up with anger and threats of insurrection and civil war.
Governor Northam responded by announcing an emergency executive order which banned firearms from Capitol Square in front of the state's capitol (where the protest will be held) for a period of time from Friday evening (last night) until Tuesday. Two gun groups immediately went to court to get the governor's order overturned, but a circuit court judge ruled against their motion. Next the groups appealed to the Virginia Supreme Court which also quickly ruled in Northam's favor.
Meanwhile the new Democratically-controlled Virginia state legislature also passed a bill outlawing the carrying of any weapons within the state capitol - and that measure has no time limit.
The FBI has arrested what appear to be six domestic extremists in the last couple of days, at least three of whom planned on attending the protest rally in Richmond.
It's sad, and it's regrettable, and it is also quickly becoming everyday life in Trump's America. Right-wing politicians and gun groups take whatever action they need to keep themselves safe, but when it comes to the rest of us, duck and cover!
It's time to hunker down, Virginia, because they're back!!!
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