This a short story about a segment of the population that didn't see the beauty of President Obama's second Inaugural Address. A segment that will forever live in the past and for which the word "Stonewall" in the President's speech has an entirely different meaning.
Somewhere in the area of one million people were in Washington to be part of President Obama's inaugural today which also happened to be Martin Luther King Day. At the same time one hundred miles to the south the Virginia State Senate was in session in Richmond, the one time capital of the Confederacy. The Virginia Senate is evenly split with twenty Republicans and twenty Democrats but on this day 79 year old Democrat Henry Marsh was absent. Marsh, a veteran of the civil rights battles of the 1960's, was in Washington to witness the second inauguration of the country's first African American president and celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King.
The Virginia GOP used Marsh's absence to push through a redistricting bill even though the districts had just be redrawn two years ago. Predictably the bill passed by a vote of 20-19 and erased a Democratic seat in western Virginia. The Republican Governor Bob McDonnell hasn't yet said whether he will sign it or not but if he does the GOP will control all of the Virginia legislature. Nationwide the Republican strategy seems to be if you can't win using the current rules simply change the rules and do it in as despicable a way as you can.
I save the best part of my story for last. Remember that today was Martin Luther King Day and President Obama's Inauguration Day. On this of all days, and taken from its official minutes, the Virginia State Senate choose to end it's day the following way:
"On motion of Senator Stosch, the Senate adjourned in memory of General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson at 4:10 p.m. to convene Tuesday, January 22, 2013."
January 21st also happens to be the Confederate general's birthday.
Somewhere in the area of one million people were in Washington to be part of President Obama's inaugural today which also happened to be Martin Luther King Day. At the same time one hundred miles to the south the Virginia State Senate was in session in Richmond, the one time capital of the Confederacy. The Virginia Senate is evenly split with twenty Republicans and twenty Democrats but on this day 79 year old Democrat Henry Marsh was absent. Marsh, a veteran of the civil rights battles of the 1960's, was in Washington to witness the second inauguration of the country's first African American president and celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King.
The Virginia GOP used Marsh's absence to push through a redistricting bill even though the districts had just be redrawn two years ago. Predictably the bill passed by a vote of 20-19 and erased a Democratic seat in western Virginia. The Republican Governor Bob McDonnell hasn't yet said whether he will sign it or not but if he does the GOP will control all of the Virginia legislature. Nationwide the Republican strategy seems to be if you can't win using the current rules simply change the rules and do it in as despicable a way as you can.
I save the best part of my story for last. Remember that today was Martin Luther King Day and President Obama's Inauguration Day. On this of all days, and taken from its official minutes, the Virginia State Senate choose to end it's day the following way:
"On motion of Senator Stosch, the Senate adjourned in memory of General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson at 4:10 p.m. to convene Tuesday, January 22, 2013."
January 21st also happens to be the Confederate general's birthday.
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