February. The truth no longer marches on.

February 1, 1862. “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,” the Atlantic Monthly published Julia Ward Howe’s “ Battle Hymn of the Republic” harkening the righteous cause of freedom during the early days of the Civil War. “His truth is marching on.”

February 1, 1865. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Joint Resolution by which Congress sent the Thirteenth Amendment to the states for ratification. The Amendment abolished slavery. The hopes and dreams of equality expressed that day were crushed in the coming years by segregation, lynchings, and Jim Crow laws.

February 1, 1960. Students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University sat down at the lunch counter at F. W. Woolworths in Greensboro, North Carolina. They ordered donuts and coffee but were refused service. They were joined by more protesters in the next couple days and protests spread across the South over the following months. In July, after losing profits, Woolworths served four Blacks (actually employees of the store in street clothes) and the death of Jim Crow was beginning.

February 1, 1976. President Gerald Ford designates February as Black History Month to honor the neglected accomplishments of Black Americans.

February 1, 2025. President Donald Trump has revoked a decades old executive order that protected equal opportunity. His administration has ended diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the federal government and is bullying states, localities, and private industry to end them also. The State Department and the Defense Department no longer recognize Black History Month.The president falsely blames the tragic accident over the Potomac on DEI.

The lies are marching on. The Lord weeps.

A step forward on voting rights

Virginia is one of two states (Kentucky is the other) that permanently disenfranchises all felons by leaving the restoration process to the discretion of the governor. This week, Governor Bob McDonnell announced new, more streamlined steps for convicted felons to apply for restoration of their voting rights. Among the changes - the waiting period for nonviolent offenders has been reduced from three years to two and the processing time reduced to 60 days. While this announcement does not guarantee that the Commonwealth has eliminated the last vestiges of Jim Crow, it is clearly a step in a more enlightened direction.

CCC had been critical of then governor-elect McDonnell writing in December, "There ain't a snowball's chance in Hell the next governor will give a tinker's damn about this issue...." The governor, while still dancing on his right foot, has shown some flexibility on issues, especially when moderates and progressives get in his face and take issues to the people. Governor McDonnell is to be commended for opening a new discussion on voting rights.

That conversation now needs to move to the General Assembly. "It's a significant first step," Delegate Onzlee Ware (D-Roanoke) said. "It falls short, quite frankly, of the bill we want to see passed, but it's a step." Ware and others support amending the Virginia Constitution to make restoration of voting rights automatic following an administrative process.

With conservative Republicans in control of the House of Delegates, passage will have to navigate more potholes than I do on our gravel road. Perhaps Governor McDonnell is counting on that - he can look moderate and reasonable while relying on allies to axe the more significant reforms. It is up to we the people to keep up the pressure on legislators. Write your delegate and senator. Join with the ACLU of Virginia, The Sentencing Project, and The Virginia Interfaith Center to spread the word. Progress occurs when people stand up and speak out.

Governor Kaine: Do the Right Thing

The clock is ticking for Governor Tim Kaine to do the right thing - restore voting rights for to thousands, no make that hundreds of thousands, of individuals who were disenfranchised for a felony conviction, but they have done their time and are now tax paying and responsible citizens.

As stated in a prior post, Virginia joins only Kentucky with a hundred year-old Jim Crow mindset that makes restoration of voting rights for ex-offenders extremely difficult. Governor Kaine can move Virginia forward by an executive order restoring voting rights for former felons and creating a fair and reasonable process for restoring voting rights for others as they complete their sentences.

There ain't a snowball's chance in Hell the next governor will give a tinker's damn about this issue - so now is the time to urge Governor Kaine to act. It is easy to do... the email is even composed for you (of course, you can edit or write your own) to let Governor Tim Kaine know that now is the time to issue an executive order restoring voting rights to all or most of the 300,000 Virginians who have lost their voice in our democracy.

Bill, bills, bills...

With the General Assembly nearing the midway point, each house is wrapping up work on their own bills. Several of interest to CCC are still alive while others have hit the chopping block.

HJ 628 will allow restoration of voting rights of nonviolent felons who have completed their sentences. It awaits vote in the Privileges and Elections committee. Contact members to urge them to vote yes and end this holdover from the Jim Crow era. After all, shouldn't it be the policy of the New Dominion (as opposed to the Byrd era) to restore people to the community and to encourage voting? If HJ 628 passes the House, its chances are excellent in the Senate.

HB 2465 protects the right of citizens to petition the court for removal of a public official without fearing dismissal or sanctions because of a minor clerical or procedural error. It passed the Privileges and Elections Committee by a vote of 13-8 and is before the full House. Contact your delegate to urge passage.

SB 810 allows in-person absentee voting without giving an excuse. It passed the Senate 24-16 but faces an uncertain future in a more hostile House. It is never too early to begin lobbying your delegate for passage.

SB 1470 passed the Senate yesterday. It prohibits payday lenders from making open-ended loans. It does not include the car title lenders as SB 1490 would do. SB 1490 is still in the Commerce and Labor Committee. Contact your Senator and tell them to include both payday and car title lenders. Better yet, tell them to impose a mandatory 36% maximum APR, which includes all fees. More info. 

SB 961, Senator Mark Obenshain's bill to eliminate the "triggerman rule" passed the Senate. It would allow the imposition of the death penalty not only for the shooter, but also for accessories and principals in the second degree. The death penalty is morally wrong, an ineffective deterrent, and usually results in long and expensive appeals. Virginia has one of the broadest death penalty laws in the country and its expansion will not make us any safer. SB 961 will probably pass the House, but Governor Tim Kaine has indicated he will veto it. Stay tuned and urge the Governor to stand strong.

Senator Obenshain's bill to privatize Virginia's ABC stores died yesterday in the Rehabilitation and Services Committee on a 13-2 vote. Splitting from his neighbor, Senator Emmett Hanger voted against the bill. CCC supports the concept of private ownership of liquor sales but there are significant problems to overcome. Some are known, but as always, beware unintended consequences! Obenshain says no jobs would be lost, but current employees would be displaced and/or potentially lose retirement benefits. Obenshain says it will increase state revenues, but would that be true a decade or two from now? We might replace the state monopoly with a oligopoly where a few big dogs control alcohol sales for private profit. Some states have experienced corruption in the ownership and transfer of licenses. Perhaps the time to privatize ABC stores will come in the future, after more study and more than a half-baked attempt to anticipate problems that could adversely impact Virginia and valued state employees. Maybe it is time to refer this issue to JLARC for an in-depth and bipartisan look.

Expanding democracy in Virginia

It is long past time for Virginia to end the unreasonable disenfranchisement of felons who have served their time. The Jim Crow era law is one of the most punitive in the nation making restoration of a convicted felon's voting rights extremely difficult. Only Virginia and Kentucky permanently take voting rights from every individual convicted of a felony. Currently, over 300,000 are disenfranchised under Virginia law. Two states, Vermont and Maine, never take away voting rights. Thirty eight states currently restore voting rights to former felons on completion of jail time and parole or probation. Eight others restore voting rights to most felons, excluding only those who are convicted of the most heinous crimes.

Early on the morning of January 19, a subcommittee of the House Privileges and Elections committee will consider several constitutional amendments to modify Virginia law on restoration of voting rights. Three resolutions - HJ 623 (Dance), HJ 664 (Morrissey), and HJ 677 (BaCote) would restore voting rights to all former felons. Two others - HJ 628 (Ware) and HJ 656 (Tyler) would restore rights only to those convicted of nonviolent felonies. More info on the bills can be found on Richmond Sunlight.

Making Virginia law more fair and more democratic is an ongoing process. It is time to end permanent disenfranchisement. Convicted felons who have served their time and been punished for their crime should be encouraged, rather than discouraged, to become participating members of their community. It is good for them, good for our communities, and good for democracy.

Learn more about the current Virginia law and how you can help make our commonwealth more democratic. You'll have to act fast to contact members of the Constitutional Subcommittee before their meeting on Monday. The members, linked to their contact info, are:

• William Janis (Chair)
• Lacey Putney
• Frank Hargrove
• John Cosgrove
• Jeff Frederick
• Clarence Phillips
• Kenneth Alexander
• Joseph Morrissey