C'mon Shenandoah County GOP, Keep Up!

The ShenCo GOP website hasn't been updated since before November's election! I know that the GOP is firmly the dominant party in the county, but let's keep this ball rolling!

Best of Luck, Joe...

Former Mayor of Harrisonburg Joe Fitzgerald is seeking the Democratic Party nomination to run for H-Burg city council. Joe previously served on the city council from 2000-2004 and has been an editor/contributer over at hburg news for over 2 years.

Joe and I have butted heads often over at hburg news, mainly over immigration issues and other things (we do sit on different sections of the ideological spectrum). However, despite my differences with Joe on many issues (and there are plenty of them), I do believe that Joe truly feels he is doing the right things for the city of Harrisonburg. They may not always be what I consider to be the right things, but he doesn't pander to certain groups nor does he seem entrenched in good ol' boy politics. That deserves a tip of the hat in and of itself.

Is this an endorsement? No, not at all, because I have my differences with him. However, it is a "best wishes" and "good luck" to a member of the loyal opposition.

Shenandoah County Growing in the Blogosphere

I had gone away for a while, and now I'm back. However, it appears that a few other Shenandoah County-based bloggers have come about.

- Craig Orndorff (not the one from WSVG mornings) has a very good political blog. I've only corresponded with Craig a few times, but I do enjoy his site.
- The 7 Bends of the Shenandoah Valley website has a blog that has been up and running since October.
- The Tea Party group in Strasburg did have a blog-styled site going until very recently.

Nice to see some other Shenandoah County-based bloggers hitting the scene.

Also, I have done some blogroll updates, both statewide and national. Added some good blogs, removed some that became inactive or just weren't reading anymore.

Harrisonburg's Urban Exchange

Looks like Harrisonburg is another step closer to rejuvenating it's downtown area.

Plans for the Urban Exchange were recently unveiled, and it's quite an impressive structure. It will house 196 1, 2, and 3 bedroom apartments and condos, as well as lease space for commercial purposes. It will be situated at the corner of Market and Mason Streets, space that is currently occupied by the old Easterns Auto Mall and the Southern Electric Company.

The project will soon be presented to the City Council, and if approved, should be completed by the Summer of 2009.

Being a former frequenter of Harrisonburg, I've always seen potential in the downtown area for stores, restaurants, and general nightlife. This, along with the new restaurants planned for downtown, is encouraging news for citizens of "The 'Burg", as they will have a very nice area to live, shop, dine, and entertain themselves.

(h/t hburg news)

The Crosshairs of Reason Aim Both Ways

Zen over at Daily Whackjob has posted a link to a Staunton News-Leader editorial by Dennis Neal that burns the other (liberal) spectrum of SWAC-area blogs, Cobalt6. The DWJ post is sure to have loads of comments once this gets around to the rest of the blogosphere.

I do find it incredibly funny that A) Neal mis-stated kestrel9000's name as "Andy" Garcia and B) It was a similar editorial (with many of the same criticism) that bashed the Sayre bloggers that was praised heavily, and promoted endlessly by Eddie and Cliff.

Here's a bit from Dennis Neal's editorial...

As far as "nonsense" goes, anyone who's familiar with my distaste for obscenities knows that "nonsense" equals something else. When obscenities were used in response to my posts, I declared myself no longer a participant in the so-called "conversation."

I am convinced more and more that we are headed for the Second Civil War unless we can begin to be civil to one another.

Blogs like Cobalt6 and the SWAC group do not advance anything except hatred. I can't put it any plainer than that. Just because you fly one flag or the other does not make you bullet-proof.

Can't say I, or most logical people, would disagree with that.

Defecating Where They Eat

Some people have no problem with doing exactly that.

Eddie Garcia (aka kestrel9000 of Cobalt6/Dailykos fame) is a proud liberal. In fact, in many ways, he is a socialist in the Vermont sense of the word. I've pretty much agreed to disagree with Eddie on practically everything, because we do. In fact, I've long-thought that I was one of the few Valley conservatives to have a relatively civil relationship with ol' Eddie.

However, his statements in a recent article in The New Dominion raised the hairs on the back of my moderately-conservative neck just a little.

Namely, this one..."'This is the fourth state that I’ve lived in - and the politics of division, the hatred, the pointing the fingers. Democrats are traitors, homosexuals will destroy your marriage, the Muslims will kill you when you sleep - and people take this seriously. I find it disgusting. It’s revolting,” Garcia says.

'It goes against everything that I believe in, everything that I was raised to believe was right, proper, true and correct. Bigotry and hatred in this area seems to have a license - and all I can do is stand against it.

'If there are consequences, then there are consequences - but I am who I am. I have my values, and I compromise them for no one.'"

Eddie, you and I both come from out-of-state. I come from College Park, Maryland (just outside of D.C.) by way of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I've resided in the Valley for 10 years. Yes, I've had my run-ins with some who have closed minds towards minorities...but those were very few-and-far between. The bigotry and hatred you describe, to be quite honest, invokes images of the pre-Civil Rights era of the South.

You claim to be about "the community", but all of the communities throughout The Valley are very tight-knit, and very welcoming...especially in comparison to when I moved to Pennsylvania, where things are a bit more "closed off" to those coming in from outside the area (though, the people there are still very nice once you get to know them).

I've found most of the people of this area to be God-fearing, hard-working, blue-collar, no-nonsense, proud individuals who, pardon my language, couldn't give a damn about politics, gay marriage, or anything else you have a problem with...but you choose to degrade them all in a sweeping generalization.

To hear you describe these people in such a way is detrimental to the image of these generally good, honest people. I will gladly stand up and defend the dignity and honor of these people, even though you would rather perpetuate stereotypes that really only reflect a minority of those that live in our general area.

Don't believe me, then read this.

You seem to have a great, and very misplaced, disgust with this area...especially your comments in this article are directed towards those who listen to your radio show. I don't think I've ever heard of a radio DJ who abhorred his own listeners with this kind of ferocity.

Since your listeners = your paycheck, your tact in attempting to implement such radically-leftward change in the minds of listeners in such a conservative area should be reconsidered. Instead of opening minds to your point of view, you're insulting those you want to reach out to.

As you said, you have your values...and you compromise them for no one. However, don't be so surprised if people don't compromise your values for you, either.

Once again, I guess you and I will have to agree to disagree. You think people of the Valley are nothing but bigots and hatemongers...I, on the other hand, feel differently.

Weekly Podium - "The New Rural Society"

Early Saturday morning, I found myself in the small dot on the map known as Conicville, Virginia. I was going to deliver some barbecued chicken to the soccer fields in Strasburg for the Shenandoah County Soccer League; it was a favor for my father who is on the SCSL Board. When I arrived in Conicville, where the chicken was being made, I was a bit surprised to find that the chicken was not ready...and it would be another 1 1/2 hours before I was back on the road again.

Standing around with my father, we watched a group of guys and a few girls (all related) slave over this barbecue pit, with the sweet smell of 500 chickens barbecuing floating in the air. Every few minutes, the elder of the bunch would call for the chicken to be "sauced", and cries of "SAUCE THE HELL OUTTA 'EM" would ring out as they would use large brushes and barbecue sauce in buckets and generously cover the chicken in sauce, over and over again. Eventually, my father and I got to helping out, filling buckets of barbecue sauce and slathering it across the plethora of chickens before us.

These guys and girls were very typical residents of the Shenandoah Valley. Long-standing family roots, country-boy/country-girl types, blue collar workers...most of them work jobs doing masonry and other types of arduous construction work. A day off is precious rest for these guys, and here they were cooking chicken at 8 AM for the soccer league as a favor for one of their family members. Their family, due to marriage, had black and biracial members. However, there was no ostracizing, everyone joked around, chipped in, and had a good time while working over the hot and smoky pit.

To many residents of the Shenandoah Valley, this is nothing new. However, to those who are not familiar with the Valley (or rural areas in general), this may come as something new. It's the New Rural Society.

For the longest time, areas of a rural nature (like the Shenandoah Valley) have long been associated with stereotypes of ignorance, racism, blind religious faith, homophobia, and cultural backwardness. Now, I am one who gets and enjoys a good joke, but when you read something like "An Open Letter to a Red Stater", you tend to see that many people still have these types of stereotypes in their head.

Now, it is true that the "letter" in the link I provided in the last paragraph was obviously written by a liberal. However, this is not a "liberal" or "conservative" issue. It's not really a "Republican" or "Democrat" issue, despite the overwhelming majority of Republican voters in more rural areas. This is an issue of debunking myths and stereotypes of the "ignorant redneck" image that many people of both sides of the ideological divide seem to have about "country folk".

Now, I am not making widespread accusations of anti-rural bigotry...I'm simply out to show the real side of the rural populous to those who don’t know it. I am city-born and somewhat city-raised, and I'll admit that when I moved to Shenandoah County almost 10 years ago, I had some of these same stereotypes swirling about in my then-teenage head. However, through getting to know people and learning about life in the Valley, I slowly realized that these stereotypes don't apply to most people in the area.

Sure, many of these rural residents did not attend college. It is also true that there are a handful of people out there that still hold onto certain racist or bigoted stereotypes, but the same could be said about any area...whether it is rural, urban, or suburban.

Most of them wake up at the crack of dawn, and perform hard work that benefits the lives of most Americans in some way or another. They're mechanics, farmers, and workers of various trades. Many are also volunteer fire-fighters, helping to keep other citizens safe. They volunteer for community activities. They support the local high school football team, and take pride in their country roots. They shop at both Wal-Mart and the locally-owned, Mom-And-Pop stores.

Hunting has always been part of the culture, and they teach future generations to respect their weapons of choice for hunting, as well. Many see the suggestion of regulation and restriction on their 2nd Amendment rights as encroachment upon part of their culture.

These are not the type of people to be taken for granted, nor should their opinions and thoughts be discounted because of where and how they live. They don't care for most of the details and general BS that surrounds politics...most have a long-standing distrust of Washington politics. Some are for the Iraq War, some are against it, but most (if not all) believe that America is a great place that represents all the good aspects of freedom and liberty.

It is this “love-thy-nation” attitude and blue collar lifestyle that attracts some of the criticism and lampooning that many like to spout about rural areas. What they don’t realize is that around here, a person’s character is important. I know that in the Valley, they don’t trust fast-talkers and shady characters. Honesty, integrity, and a little faith in a higher power will go a long way with Valley citizens, as it does in most rural areas.

While racism has not been completely eliminated, it is nothing like what many people believe it is. I’ve learned that, for most southerners, the Confederate flag really does mean “heritage, not hate”. As generations have passed since the civil rights movement of the 60’s, times have changed. Interracial relationships of all kinds are no longer frowned upon. There are a small minority of people that, due to a resistance to change, may hold on to these old beliefs. However, do not let the actions and viewpoints of a very small group of people deter you from seeing the rural society for what it is today.

The “New Rural Society” is, in a way, a lot like the old one. Traditional values of honesty, hard work, and respect for your heritage are now mixed with the beliefs of newer generations, such as racial and social inclusiveness. It is this mixture of social progress and traditional values that helps to make areas like the Shenandoah Valley a beautiful place to live and raise a family.

I know that for many who read this, I’m simply preaching to the choir. However, if I can change at least one person’s perception of “the country” to a more positive view, then I’ve done my job today.