Jim Webb To Appear at Convention

It was announced last week at the Fifth Congressional District meeting in Charlotte Court House that Jim Webb (D-VA) would be at the Fifth Congressional Disrtict Convention in Buckingham County on May 20, 2006.

Webb, a veteran of the Marine Corps and one of two candidates in the June 13, 2006 Democratic Primary to choose the candidate to run against George Allen, is scheduled to appear at some point during the program. It was not immediately clear whether his appearance would come before or after the balloting. My guess is afterwards.

The Buckingham County Democratic Committee has worked hard on preparing for the convention two weeks from now. They have arranged for lunch to be available afterwards, and has asked the committees in the district to encourage their delegates to stay and have lunch. I was very impressed with the Buckingham County Comittee's presentation, and they seem to have the arrangements well in hand. Hat tip to them.

What time he will speak is still up in the air, but the Convention opens for registration at 10:00 AM and begins at 11:00 AM. The two candidates for the Fifth District Congressional race will be there, (Weed and Ewert) and the other Senate candidate (Miller) had not announced as of today whether he would appear.

The site of the Convention is the Buckingham High School Auditorium on Route 60 in Buckingham County.

Open Invitation in the Fifth

This is an open invitation to all Democrats, Independents, and anyone else who wishes to vote for a Democratic candidate in the 5th Congressional District election this year.

At a time when we should be storing up good will and finding even more reasons why Virgil Goode shouldn't be returned to Washington, it seems one of the candidates going to the convention May 20th in Buckingham is not ready to back a unified choice for the nominee. Instead, he has chosen to claim to be calling the other candidate's delegates and posting twilight zone entries on his website that claim that he is gaining strength and is going to win the nomination, because the convention is a 'free-for-all'.

It is not Al Weed.

One only need look at the numbers of delegates won in caucuses across the Fifth District in the last few weeks to know that whatever the tactic, it would need to be extreme in nature to pull off some kind of electoral miracle at the convention. This candidate claims on his website that

"...once Delegates arrive at the convention on May 20th, they are free to vote for either one of the candidates, regardless of whom they voted for in the Caucuses.

"It's a whole new ball game once we get to Buckingham on May 20th", says Ewert.

From the official Fifth District Pre-Filing form for application as a delegate:

If elected a delegate or alternate to my Congressional District Convention, I understand that, having expressed the above candidate preferences, I will in all good conscience vote in that candidate’s caucus on the first ballot at the Convention.

So actually, after the first ballot, the delegates can change their minds. Why would someone do that? A person comes to the convention knowing who they support, and that their committee has elected them as a delegate to vote that opinion at the convention. Suddenly, after the first ballot (assuming there are any more)delegates lose their minds and decide to vote for someone they decided long ago wasn't the candidate for them. I can understand fighting the good fight, but there are no door prizes for those late to the party.

I would like to ask that everyone who intends to vote Democratic in this fall's Fifth District Congressional race to support the person with the winning number of delegates. That's all.

I am begging you, aren't there better things to do with our energy and time than to ride a wave of derision into the convention?

Remembrance of a Friend, Too Soon Gone

In my last post, I mentioned that a long-time friend was sick and in the hospital, not expected to make it. At the time I was writing that post, my friend lay dying in a North Denver hospital.

This has been incredibly difficult for me to write, partly due to my grief, and partly due to rolling words around in my head for the past week, not really knowing what to choose to say.

Chris Caballero was a giant of a man, who has gone too soon from us. He was a giant not only in his stature, at 6’6” and close to 300 pounds when he was healthy, but a giant in terms of his love of life and his love of others in his life.

I knew Chris from the time we were in Junior High School together all those years ago in Northglenn, Colorado. He was in the ninth grade, me in the eighth. He towered over everyone even at that time, and he was not to be missed. His sense of humor even at that age was well developed. His outgoing nature and friendliness drew people into his sphere like moths to a flame.

In high school, he was involved, like me, in theatre productions. He was a great natural actor, with a sense of humor that bordered on gross sometimes, but always witty and unexpected. He was in many productions at our high school. He was also the greatest artist that I have ever known personally. I have some of his art works that I will treasure for the rest of my life. He excelled in art, being gifted in jewelry, silkscreen, batik, drawing, painting, clay and too much more to mention. He was simply filled with art.

As adults, we kept in touch, even being roommates at one point. I was there in his life when his children were born. He was there in mine when my children were born. I even had a fistfight with him once, the only time we were ever mad enough at each other to go at it. He was married, I was married. He had children, we had children. He continued doing his art, sometimes more than others. He made art until almost his dying day.

We worked side-by-side as Land Surveyors. He was talented at that as well. He was a chef for most of his working career. He provided the reception food for my brother’s marriage a few years ago. While a chef, he severely hurt his back by lifting meat and other food items long after he was not supposed to. He was doing this to provide for his family, and because he loved the work. He was a Master Chef, even if he didn’t have that official designation. He once cooked a complete anniversary dinner for my brother and then left my brother’s house for them to enjoy it. When Chris cooked, you knew it. It was always first-rate and imaginative. He once brought a picnic basket covered in red-checked tablecloth for us to have as lunch on a day we worked together.

Chris was an all-around nice guy, and I feel guilty that I didn’t get to say goodbye to him properly. I also feel guilty that I didn’t keep in touch in the last several years, mostly due to my own life problems. I will always regret not calling him in the weeks before he went to the hospital for the last time. I am mad at myself for all these things and more.

Rest easy, Chris. I loved you as a friend and as an adopted brother. The world will be a less kind place for your having left it. I know that now you are out of the terrible pain you experienced in this life, and I am thankful for that. I know that your partner Tamara was there for you all the time in the years of declining health. I love her for that and because she loved you. I know your children, Ivan and Christiana, loved you like a child loves their father and that they took as good care of you as they possibly could. Your family is in my thoughts, all your family. The people around us in high school became sort of a family around my house and my parents always treated all of us as their own. They grieve for you as well today, big guy. Mike, Randy, Dave, Gerry, Megan and many others.

I have lost a friend who was a much better friend to me than I was to him. I wasn’t always there for you, my friend, but I will never forget you. You are part of me as much as you are a part of any person you ever met. I will live my life thinking of your talent, your spirit and your never quit attitude. I only wish I could live up to your example and tell you these things myself.

Tell a friend today that you love them. You may not get the chance.

Feeling Better Now

I have been on a break from blogging for a few weeks. The combination of a broken vertabrae and then whiplash on top of it ensured that I would either be: a) laying down, or b) taking painkillers, or both. These scenarios do not lend themselves to rational thought or writing for me.

I also have been mourning the situation with a childhood friend of mine who has lung cancer and is in ICU in a Denver hospital. I learned of his hospitalization late last week, and that he is not expected to recover. I will have more on that subject a little later.

I see that Greg Kane has his boxers in a wad again over a perceived slight due to an advertisement mailed out by Al Weed. His favorite words: 'Cumberland' and 'Ewert'.

Greg opines:

This message tells me far more about Al Weed than it does about Bern Ewert.

For some reason he has a problem with truth-telling, as has been done on this and other blogs. Truth about Bern Ewert and his stories of filing with the FEC on time. Ewert's contention that he filed, except he has given three different dates that I know of for the initial filing, and unless he hasn't raised any money at all to speak of, having not filed his financial disclosure with the FEC on April 15th, 2006. Truth about Bern's temper and how he did not really get along with people in his jobs as Acting, Interim or City Manager. Ewert's non-answers to questions about issues he either has no opinion about or knows nothing about. How about the truth of the jobs reportedly created while Bern was Manager or Acting Manager in all these locations? No?

But I digress. This whining about 'somebody in Cumberland' is getting tiring and old. I will have a post on Bern and his problems later today.

And Greg, just because I know you are watching, how much was that 'volunteer' web design for Bern worth to you? Never mind, I will look it up when and if Bern ever files his financial disclosure reports.

Straw Poll in Bedford

Waldo has been talking about the straw poll in Northern Virginia (and who hasn't been?) and the effects of it and whether it is a viable example of a candidate's standing in the public at large.

There have been many stories about it. So it comes as no surprise that Fifth District Democrats will be polled at their Annual Dinner on March 31st ($35, talk to Cheryl Oliver) about their preference for Senate and Fifth District Congressional candidates. I disagree with the need for this type of poll.

I think this tries to create some excitement, which is a good thing. We need more excitement in the Democratic Party. Passion for ideals is part of what has been missing in the Democratic Party and their message.

I just wonder if the potential blowback in terms of talk on the internets and in the streets is something Fifth District Democrats are ready for. Also, I wonder if other events such as debates won't suffer from a lack of publicity. That's where the real talk on real issues takes place.

The Headline Says It All

Cost of Iraq war could surpass $1 trillion
Estimates vary, but all agree price is far higher than initially expected

(This excellent article by Martin Wolk, the Chief Economics Correspondent for MSNBC points out some information all citizens should keep in mind. What is the real cost of the Iraq War?)

By Martin Wolk
Chief economics correspondent
MSNBC
Updated: 7:25 p.m. ET March 17, 2006

One thing is certain about the Iraq war: It has cost a lot more than advertised. In fact, the tab grows by at least $200 million each and every day.

~snip~

White House economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey was the exception to the rule, offering an "upper bound" estimate of $100 billion to $200 billion in a September 2002 interview with The Wall Street Journal. That figure raised eyebrows at the time, although Lindsey argued the cost was small, adding, "The successful prosecution of the war would be good for the economy.

~snip~

The most current estimates of the war's cost generally start with figures from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, which as of January 2006 counted $323 billion in expenditures for the war on terrorism, including military action in Iraq and Afghanistan. Just this week the House approved another $68 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, which would bring the total allocated to date to about $400 billion. The Pentagon is spending about $6 billion a month on the war in Iraq, or about $200 million a day, according to the CBO. That is about the same as the gross domestic product of Nigeria.

Does Conservatism now mean they would like to spend ALL of your money? The Iraq war is unconstitutional, and plans need to be made along the lines of what Jack Murtha suggested last winter.

I will cite one example of what I think is one of the biggest lies of the Republican House members: Virgil Goode has completely followed the Bush regime in every program they wanted. Any deviation from it was approved by someone else. Recently, Virgil Goode gave the ill-gotten gains in the form of illegal campaign contributions away. Do you know who he gave them to? Around half went to a non-profit agency of some sort. Other money went to the SPCA, and a huge amount was spread around the Fifth District firehouses and rescue squads. Not only is the money not his to give away, it was given partially to people whose funding he has voted against time after time.

Two Hundred Million Dollars a day. You can all imagine for yourselves what that would buy. How much could our share of $200M a day do for local business development, roads, schools and other needs. It could rescue some areas from feeling like they have no choice but to accept things like a waste dump in place of true economic opportunity.

Virgil doesn't want to end the war, he wants to continue the status quo.

Not only is the war wrong, for too may reasons to list here; it is also a colossal waste of the treasury of this country. I am a veteran, and I am as interested in taking care of our troops as much as any flag-waver. But I am not for treating our soldiers and airmen like so much chattel, to be stop-lossed away from their families, given sub-standard equipment if at all, be subject to questionable food and water. The current administration is willing to break the military even further (Abu Ghraib, anyone?)than it already is.

We as citizens have to stand up for the troops and our country and say 'enough'; enough Iraqi civilian deaths, enough soldier deaths and no more troop placements sent to Iraq.

More Ruff Business

A friend of mine, Lisa, of Honesty Counts had her letter to the editor published this week in the Farmville Herald. Since they are for some reason, unwilling to leave these letters up, here it is:

March 7, 2006


Dear Editor,

This letter is in response to one sent by Republican State Senator Frank Ruff (District 15) and published in many local papers on Friday, March 3, 2006.

I found it extremely hilarious to have someone (and especially a Republican politician, no less) finally put into print that the problems with jobs in Southside Virginia (and especially the 5th District) had become worse in the last 10 years—the exact length of time that Virgil Goode has been in office. I’m sure the connection was not lost on others who read it. And, if it was lost on them, then they can now relate his statement to the economic reality of this district.

In addition, Senator Ruff talks about Virgil’s integrity and honesty. Let’s not get too hasty in casting stones at others (namely Bern Ewert and Al Weed) who, like me, are upset about what’s going on in Washington. Personally, I’d prefer to wait until we see the paperwork about the donations to Virgil’s campaign by MZM and check it against the timing of his voting as well as his very small record of sponsoring and writing legislation actually benefiting Virginia’s 5th Congressional District. While the MZM PAC information is available on the Internet, the earmark documents themselves will tell the whole story about “Representative A.” Even the news media is interested in seeing this information, as the ongoing investigation into Virgil’s activities have been covered in several national magazines, including Time, Newsweek, USA Today and U.S. News and World Report, as well as many of the current political talk shows on regular, cable and satellite channels. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire—so we’ll just have to wait and see whether it will take a garden hose or an ocean to put it out.

Perhaps the next time someone wants to promote another candidate’s character as “unquestionable,” he will have be sure to have his letter checked and approved by the campaign of the candidate in question. This letter certainly didn’t do it for me. As a matter of fact, his letter associating and supporting others with questionable actions in their recent past leads me to wonder what I will find when I check Ruff’s own background when he runs for State Senate again in my county.

Lisa Blanton
Cumberland, Virginia

All I can say, is that Frank Ruff has a lot of balls saying that Virgil has an unreproachable character. As I said in my other entry on this subject, all the people in Central Virginia who have Frank Ruff for a Senator should look closely at someone who seems as frighteningly out of touch as Frank does.

Senator Frank Ruff Opens Mouth, Removes All Doubt

From Republican State Senator Frank Ruff in, well, every paper in the district:

'Rep. Goode Has 'The Highest Character'

Editor, The Herald:

I write in amazement that Congressman Virgil Goode's potential opponents in this fall's election have made the following statements regarding Mitchell Wade and his company:

Al Weed was quoted saying, "there is a strong taint about the whole thing."

Bern Ewert said that he was "very sad about this continuing story" and that he wanted to "bring honest representation to Washington."

Let me clearly state what the people of the Fifth Congressional District already understand - that we presently have good and honest representation in Virgil Goode and there is absolutely no "taint" surrounding his name.

I have been privledged to know Virgil Goode for over 30 years. I have always considered Virgil a man of the highest character, integrity and honesty.

Virgil Goode has been working tirelessly to bring jobs and economic opportunity to our communities. Our region has been devastated by the loss of jobs over the last decade and Congressman Goode is constantly working to revitalize the economy in our communities.

I find it truly amazing that anyone would even consider running for any office by attacking an incumbent whose morals are beyond reproach for working to create needed jobs.

Virgil Goode's character is beyond question - his political opponent's motives, in my opinion, are not.

Frank Ruff
Clarkesville

Let's take a close look at this. A Republican state Senator from the Fifth Congressional District writes some astroturf for consumption by the newspapers in the district. He asserts that Virgil Goode, who was named as 'Representative A' in Mitchell Wade's indictment for illegal campaign contributions, "... has been working tirelessly to bring jobs and economic opportunity to our communities." How, you might ask?

By passing only one bill in the House of Representatives in his entire ten-year career there, and making sure that he had all those checks and cash from Wade and his employees so he could locate a few offices in the district. Other than that, Virgil Goode has done little or nothing to bring anything to this district, other than national scorn for yet another politician who claims he can't tell that contributions are overwhelmingly outside his district.

Let's look at another part of that astroturf, shall we? Ruff said, "Let me clearly state what the people of the Fifth Congressional District already understand - that we presently have good and honest representation in Virgil Goode and there is absolutely no "taint" surrounding his name." This was in response to Al Weed's comments that there certainly was "...a strong taint about the whole thing." I have a question: what is Ruff smoking? Does he really believe that Virgil has no taint after national publicity about his taking illegal campaign contributions has embarassed us here in the Fifth?

Here is the next bit of incredulity from Frank: "I find it truly amazing that anyone would even consider running for any office by attacking an incumbent whose morals are beyond reproach for working to create needed jobs." Whoa, Frank, sit down. I know you are getting up in years, but you shouldn't be allowed to have your staff write such a clearly clueless statement that even you know isn't true. Hellooo? Republicans stock-in-trade is all about attacking whomever gets in their way, even fellow Republicans. Remember George W. Bush's treatment of John McCain in South Carolina in the 2000 Presidential contest? If there is a way to assasinate character, the Republicans have used it. Remember John Kerry in 2004? The Swift Boat Liars for Half-truths and Innuendo? And morals beyond reproach? Who do you think you are kidding, Frank? Virgil Goode has toed the line on all things Republican, which make his morals look pretty suspect to me. Like when he voted to turn down funds for first responders in the House, then gave his ill-gotten campaign contributions to firehouses and other organizations in the Fifth. Like when he voted over and over again against the little guy on the bankruptcy votes, the worthless bills he has introduced in Congress that went nowhere and many others. When was the last time you heard Virgil complaining about the treatment of POW's in Iraq? Or complaining about the fact they didn't have enough good quality armour for the troops in Iraq? Or complaining about the worst deficits in our nation's history? He is strangely silent on these and other issues due to one fact; he is a shill for the President's policies in Iraq and at home.

Frank sez, "Virgil Goode's character is beyond question - his political opponent's motives, in my opinion, are not." Now that's the way to show true Republican morals, Frank; make sure you deride and question the motives of the opponent. Is this part of some GOP handbook on how to assasinate the character of the people you don't like?

One only has to wonder where the rock is that Frank Ruff has been hiding under. He himself sounds frighteningly out of touch, or another shill for Republicans everywhere, or both. Virgil says that he didn't know where the contributions came from, and if he is that naive, he doesn't belong in Washington. If Frank Ruff thinks Virgil is A-OK with him, then the residents of Ruff's district here in Virginia should look long and hard at him to determine if he is the kind of representative we want in the General Assembly. Honestly, that letter sounds like a campaign advertisement. Somewhere, Jefferson and Madison are spinning in their graves.

For more information about Virgil, see numerous posts by Waldo on his site.

A Happy Story

(This is reprinted from a post I did last Friday on 'Daily Kos'. There is a tradition of a community blog post on Friday nights, and I got my chance to host last Friday.)

I love camping. I was taken camping by my parents when I was literally weeks old. Growing up in Colorado, I got used to being in the outdoors, going hiking, camping and sometimes just daytrips to the mountains to escape the oppressive heat of Denver in the summertime.

One of the types of camping or daytrips I remember well is when we would go to one of our favorite campgrounds, Cold Creek, a National Forest Campground, and eat breakfast. Cold Creek is outside Denver in the mountains, about 8,000 feet above sea level. All of us would get up really early and get in the car or truck, depending on which we had. We used to have a 1959 Ford station wagon that we would take everywhere. If it wasn’t for the fact that transmissions kept being eaten up by that car, it might still have been around today. When running, that car could go places no ordinary car could go. We also had a 1965 Chevy Suburban (in the days of 39-cent gas) that I wish I had to this day. I did end up with a later model of a Suburban, but that’s another story.

We would pile in, using the blankets and pillows that had been put in there by my Mom, and we mostly would sleep the 40 or so miles to the campground. Shortly after sunrise, we would pull into the campground and look for our favorite spot. ‘Our spot’ was the one that had a pull-through and a stairway that went up to a nice shady spot in the tall pines. Of course, at 7 AM the shady spot was still a little chilly, even in the summer. My brother, sister and I (before the late arrival of my younger brother) would play in the sun and go to our favorite lookout rock across the campground road. There was the usual teasing and one-upsmanship among us; as I remember, my older brother was teasing my younger and only sister pretty heavily in those days.

We would usually bring a camera, so we would take pictures of our outing, and these became the basis of a family collection that lasts to this day, including weeks-long vacations later on. I especially liked photography, and still do. (For instance, a few years ago my partner and I went to California to retrieve some of my belongings and take a vacation. We were amazed at how many digital pictures we took. Over 2700 in two weeks) The kids had a pair of binoculars, and we would take turns looking out over the forested vistas.

Our parents would call us when the breakfast was ready; in later years I would help in preparing it because I love to cook. If you have never smelled breakfast cooking over an open fire in the woods, you are missing a treat. I can remember it to this day. We would all sit at the table and eat, trading comments like most families do. I think our family was special; we all could get along and work things out because we were never talked down to. Our parents talked to us to stimulate our brains and to have rational discussion. Of course, growing up it helped that they were FDR Democrats. (My Dad used to pat my young daughters on the head and say, “Nice little Democrats.”)

After we all ate, it was time to play. We usually had brought a glove and a ball to throw around, as well as a Frisbee. We also would go on hikes that would take around an hour to complete. Being out in the forest, away from the hot city, was an energizing experience. It taught all of us the value of nature and that preserving it for everyone was the right thing to do.

I look back on those days, and other trips our family took, and I relish and treasure them. I would give anything to see my Mom again, if only for 5 minutes, out in the campground. She couldn’t stand high altitudes, so just going was a sacrifice for her, one among many she made for her family over the years. The camaraderie and togetherness we had as a family was mostly due to her hard work and stubbornness. We went on many trips together, and later in life they always had a genealogy component to them, something she worked on for forty years so we would know who we are and where we came from. February 23, 2006 would have been her 77^th birthday.

There were many happy stories that came from our trips to all kinds of various places. Now, as an adult I have taken my infant daughters camping (20 years ago), and continued the traditions of a respect for nature and a respect for their family members. The stories are passed down, generation to generation, as well as the photographs, which my sister is now working on so they can be preserved indefinitely.

Remember the good times with your family. I know not everyone got along with his or her families the way ours got along and still do. As I know all too well from my personal experience with homelessness, in the end all you have left is your family.

Time to go camping with my (new) family again this year.

Music I Can't Get Enough Of

There are a few groups whose music I can't get enough of:

Rise Against
Weezer
Green Day
Jack Johnson
Mike Doughty

Since I am sort of laid up, I am playing my hard-drive-encased tunes while I blog and write generally.

What are some of your favorites? Songs as well as groups qualify.

My Aching Back

I found out yesterday that I had broken a vertabrae in my back. This is three weeks after I tried to help move a refrigerator. I am not upset by this, but I am surprised. Surprised that it took three weeks for someone to figure out that it was broken.

I have been in some pain, and I kept believing it had been a muscle strain or something like that. Now I will have to wear a brace for two to three months, and all the things I wanted to do will be done either with help, or by someone else entirely. On the bright side, it gives me more time to write.

Don't forget that I am hosting the 'Happy Story' tonight on Daily Kos, around 8PM EST.

To My Readers

I have been trying to get over a back injury from two weeks ago. I have seen a few doctors, gone to physical therapy, and had an MRI. It is still bothering me. I have a history of back problems in the past.

Hint: Don't try helping move a refrigerator when your back is, at best, in tenuous shape.

Anywho, I haven't been able to finish my second post that was promised in the story below. I apologize for that, and I hope to have it done by the end of this week.

Also, I will be doing the "Happy Story" diary over at Daily Kos on Friday night at around 8PM. Hope you will join me there as well. Thanks to Carnacki and the white trash poet for the chance to participate in a kos institution.

Bern Ewert: Is he for real?

There is a well-worn adage that we as Democrats should tell the whole story before the Republicans get hold of it, so we can define the debate and blunt the effect of it. In other words, better that we should discuss our own warts rather than have them pointed out by our adversaries.

In this diary, I will be discussing Virginia’s 5^th Congressional District race. There are two Democratic candidates running, Al Weed and Bern Ewert. Al, a pioneering wine grape grower, ran two years ago and was trounced by Virgil Goode. Bern has been a City Manager among other things.

Today I am focusing on Bern Ewert, because certain facts have come to light in my research on this contest. I want to make sure that we have the best chance at beating Virgil in the fall. Unfortunately, Bern does not look like the person to do that.

Bern Ewert started out his government career as an assistant City Manager in Charlottesville, Virginia. He claims to have put forth the idea of the downtown mall that later became reality in Charlottesville. I have not been able to pin down exactly who proposed the idea, but several people in the area have told me they were surprised about this claim. That would not be the first time a claim of Bern’s has raised questions.

The fact is, as of this week, he still hasn’t registered with the FEC, despite having announced in November. Filing an application with the FEC is required when a candidate has raised over $5,000 for a campaign—whether those funds are cash or in-kind contributions. The ironic part of all this is that Bern claimed in a DFA candidate forum on February 1, 2006, that he had already registered. A person cannot be sure a candidate is running until they have registered. Does Bern take his own campaign seriously enough to register with the FEC?

In addition, Bern has at least two resumes out in the public eye. One is on his campaign website, while the other was handed out at the 5^th Congressional District meeting ten days ago in Richmond. On the one given out at the meeting, he claims to have been in the military as an E5 when he was discharged from the Army at Ft. Carson, Colorado. He doesn’t include any dates of service on either resume. But in his online resume he claims that he was an “Acting Sergeant” E4—the same information as is printed on a campaign card available at the Central Committee meetings ten days ago in Richmond. Speaking as a navy veteran, will the real Bern Ewert please stand up and salute his own resume? Was he or was he not an E5?

For the sake of this diary, let’s assume that Bern has filed for office. Let’s also assume that he has cleared up the miscommunications about his military record. Is there any other problematic statement and/or omission which have been made? Yes, there is—and, after doing some research, I believe it’s a major one. On his resume passed out at the Richmond meetings, Bern’s experience lists something under his own company’s name called “Explore Park.” Neither the online resume nor the printed campaign card shows this as one of his accomplishments. So, I searched on “Explore Park” to find out more about it. And, after finding out what the park’s original intent was, I wondered why he would be shy about something like this? It turns out that’s a very good question. Now, I am making an assumption here that he is not very proud of his accomplishments at Explore Park. I make that assumption based on information that I have reviewed concerning the quality and circumstances of the job he did there. I researched over 360 articles at The Roanoke Times in Roanoke, Virginia. I found that, at best, Explore Park turned out to be a very expensive failure.

Bern was City Manager in Roanoke from 1979 until 1985, when he left to become Executive Director of Explore Park (located in the Roanoke area). Contemporary reports of the time say that the local zoo had become interested in relocating in 1984, and by 1985 the idea of Explore Park was born. The park was envisioned as a $185 million Disney-style amusement park/nature center. It was hoped that a million tourists per year would visit the park when it was completed. The initial funding was to have come from $78 million of local, state and federal money over an 8-year period. Additionally, private sources and loans were to have provided another $107.5 million.

The Virginia Recreational Facilities Authority (VRFA) purchased approximately 1,100 acres of land along the Roanoke River for use as a park, but not a State Park. It was paid for by state-issued bonds backed by the proposed revenues from the park. Bern hired his own company to provide the planning and hired an engineer friend of his, Richard Burrow, to be on the park board and to provide the engineering for the site. According to a letter to the editor in the Roanoke Times, Bern was paying his firm a substantial amount of money for the time period. There are differing accounts about how much; one source says $180,000 per year, another $30,000 a month. Either way, it is a lot of money. The engineer made the same amount, supposedly.

The River Foundation was the oversight and fundraising organization for the Park and was initially given veto power over the Governor’s appointees to its board. Fundraising didn’t go well at all. They had problems attracting much funding besides the government funds already allocated. Over the next several years, millions of dollars of federal, state and local money were spent on the project. As of 1988, nearly $24 million in state and federal funds had been given to Explore Park.

In 1990, more articles started appearing in the paper about troubles at the park. There were money shortages, unpaid taxes, and unpaid bills. Little or no money was coming in. When Bern hired Rupert Cutler, a renowned naturalist and former head of a nature organization in Washington, D.C., it was seen as a bow to both environmental questions and questions about the project’s physical closeness to the Blue Ridge Parkway. It shouldn’t really have been too much of a surprise that, in 1991, the foundation declined to renew Bern’s contract.

In 1994, a scaled-back version of the park opened for business. In the last 17 or so years (since 1988), federal and state funding has amounted to about $6 million. Local governments (Roanoke City and Roanoke County) have put in more than $5 million in cash and services. Donations have added only $12 million. That’s a long way from the $185 million dollar vision proposed in 1985. The reality is that Explore Park has never reached the potential that was envisioned for it. School children and summer hikers and bikers have made up the majority of the users of the park. So, in 2005, the park’s board gave a 50-year lease to a company that wants to develop it into a western history park, somewhat like the original vision.

At the time of the park’s inception, Bern was said to possess a keen interest in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. This is one of the reasons he took the position, according to reports in the newspaper. Funny that something that was this close to his heart was handled this way; even more strange that he doesn’t claim this project publicly on his resume. Bern’s involvement in Explore Park, which ended in 1991 when his contract was not renewed, has remained somewhat of a secret to all but those who were involved and/or live in the area. And this information should definitely be made public to the voters in the 5^thCongressional District. Obviously Bern is not proud of his involvement, as evidenced by his reluctance to list it as an accomplishment on his own resumes.

I truly believe that Bern Ewert is not the right man for the job. He is of questionable character, or sloppy, or both. A candidate ultimately has to take responsibility for the actions or inactions of his or her campaign. Bern is not doing that; he is trying to sell himself to us as a certain thing, hoping that we won’t find out the truth.

Believe it or not—there’s more to this tale. I will have the second half of this diary on Monday. Please come back and read the rest of the story.

(cross-posted at Dynamic Pressure and Daily Kos)

Welcome to my blog

Welcome.

This is going to be fun. I hope to be able to raise awareness of subjects that should be important to us all.

Politics is my main passion, but music and life in America is also a passion.

Feel free to comment on anything here. I won't get my feelings hurt if you disagree. I hope to have adult conversations that will enlighten all who wish to visit here.

Mark