Summertime gardening

Flowers in the garden ...

... cucumbers in a pot ...

... Yukon Gold potatoes.

Herbs ...

Digging potatoes while SWAC Niece films for a French documentary.

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
July 5, 2013

Downtown Staunton decked out for the 4th

Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell
July 3, 2013

Flags flags flags on the 4th of July 2013

 Flags flags flags ... my Air Force veteran husband displays a POW-MIA and 21 American flags every 4th of July, Memorial Day, and Veterans Day. Today is perfect ... stiff breeze makes the flags fly proudly.

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
July 4, 2013

Governor Bob McDonnell: 'I wish all Virginians a happy and safe Fourth of July'

From Governor Bob McDonnell in observance of Independence Day:

It was a Virginian, Richard Henry Lee, who 237 years ago brought forth a resolution stating ‘Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.’  That resolution led to the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, by Virginia’s second governor, Thomas Jefferson.  The Declaration, adopted on July 4, 1776, marks the birth of American freedom, and the timeless principles that continue to govern this great nation: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

“Tomorrow, Americans will continue to celebrate our independence with fireworks, parades and picnics.  As we celebrate with our family, friends and neighbors, let us also pause to remember our service members who have gone before us while protecting our great nation.  And let us also recognize the brave men and women who continue to protect our freedom and liberty, both at home and around the world, and pray for their safe return.  May we never forget, freedom is not free.

“Tomorrow, in recognition of our active, reserve and National Guard service members, their families and all veterans living in Virginia, Maureen and I will be attending the first annual ‘Fourth at the Fort’ open house at the Fort Monroe Freedom Support Center.

The Freedom Support Center, a Department of Veteran Services program, developed by Maureen and her tremendous team as part of her Serving Our Service Member Families initiative, provides assistance to military members such as one-stop access to benefits and programs and career planning and guidance, and support for families whose service members are deployed.

During this event, we will celebrate those who have given so much to protect this nation, and those who are on the front lines of freedom still today, culminating with music and fireworks at the beach hosted by USAA and the Fort Monroe Foundation. I hope active duty and veteran military and their families in the area will join us for this patriotic event in honor of our men and women in uniform: our American heroes.

“I wish all Virginians a happy and safe Fourth of July.”

For more information about “Fourth at the Fort” please visit: http://www.fmauthority.com/

Photos ... Stuarts Draft on a rainy day

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
July 2, 2013

Eric Cantor says ObamaCare delay should be permanent

Bowing to the reality that ObamaCare isn't quite ready for prime time, the White House announced on Tuesday that it was delaying the employer health care mandate for a year.

In response, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) noted that the best cure for ObamaCare would be a permanent delay:

"This further confirms that even the proponents of ObamaCare know it will hurt jobs, decrease economic growth and make it harder for families to have access to quality and affordable health care," Cantor said. "Rather than continuing to delay the predictable pain until another election day has passed, we should scrap this entire law and instead implement patient-centered reforms before any more damage is done to our economy or the health care families depend on."

Interesting that the announcement was made barely 24 hours before the Independence Day holiday and while President Barack Obama was out of the country.

Charlottesville ABC agents should be reminded of the Alicia Showalter Reynolds tragedy

I had no intention of writing about the Charlottesville ABC agents who apprehended a UVa student in the false belief she was underage with beer. Her "beer" turned out to be sparkling water but a series of events led to her arrest and she was thrown in the slammer overnight. ABC agents thought their lives were in danger, and the young lady thought her life was in danger, and it ended up in a big mess.

The actual incident occurred in April but came to light at the end of June when the Daily Progress reported on it after charges were finally dropped against Elizabeth Daly. Reporter K. Burnell Evans wrote "Bottled-water purchase leads to night in jail for UVa student:"

When a half-dozen men and a woman in street clothes closed in on University of Virginia student Elizabeth Daly, 20, she and two roommates panicked.

That led to Daly spending a night and an afternoon in the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail. Her initial offense? Walking to her car with bottled water, cookie dough and ice cream just purchased from the Harris Teeter in the Barracks Road Shopping Center for a sorority benefit fundraiser.

A group of state Alcoholic Beverage Control agents clad in plainclothes approached her, suspecting the blue carton of LaCroix sparkling water to be a 12-pack of beer. Police say one of the agents jumped on the hood of her car. She says one drew a gun. Unsure of who they were, Daly tried to flee the darkened parking lot.

"They were showing unidentifiable badges after they approached us, but we became frightened, as they were not in anything close to a uniform," she recalled Thursday in a written account of the April 11 incident.

And then there's this:

Prosecutors say she apologized profusely when she realized who the agents were. But that wasn't good enough for ABC agents, who charged her with three felonies.

She was charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer and one count of eluding police.

What stands out to me is that half a dozen agents closed in, at night, on several young college students. The agents were in street clothes, unrecognizable as law enforcement, and apparently their quick flashing of badges was not enough to be seen or confirmed. It was dark, the agents banged on the windows and jumped on the hood of the vehicle. The girls fled, terrified they were being assaulted. Stopped a short distance away by another police officer, Ms. Daly was told the car-jumping, window-banging shadows in the night were actually agents, and she apologized profusely. They slapped the cuffs on her and hauled her to jail.

Local and national news outlets have picked up on it.

As I read yet another account of the incident, I thought about Alicia Showalter Reynolds who was abducted and murdered 17 years ago on Rt. 29 north of Charlottesville, reportedly by a man who had a flashing police light on the roof of his truck and pulled her over. She went missing for two months until her body was found in Culpeper. The murder was never solved ... the case is still open.

That incident was an alarming event for women in the area. Still unsolved, Virginia State Police issued a statement in March of this year:

CULPEPER – Apprehending the person responsible for the disappearance and death of Alicia Showalter Reynolds remains a priority for the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Culpeper Field Office.

March 2, 2013, marks 17 years since Ms. Reynolds was abducted in Culpeper County on Route 29 while traveling from Baltimore, Md., to Charlottesville. Since then the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Culpeper Field Office has received more than 10,040 tips relating to the ongoing case, with 27 of them coming in within the past 12 months. State police continue to ask the public to come forward with any information related to the investigation.

According to witnesses who observed Ms. Reynolds’ vehicle parked on the southbound shoulder of Route 29 on March 2, 1996, a white male, approximately 35-45 years old with a medium build and light to medium brown hair was stopped out with her vehicle. The man, described as between 5’10’ to 6’0 tall, was driving a dark colored pickup truck, possibly a green Nissan. Ms. Reynolds’ remains were found two months later on May 7, 1996, in the Lignum area of Culpeper County.

As news spread about Ms. Reynolds’ abduction, several other female subjects came forward advising that a white male had either stopped them or attempted to stop them while they were traveling along Route 29 in Culpeper County.

Despite the passage of time, state police continue to pursue this case. “Within the past year, the investigation into Ms. Reynolds’ murder was the focus of review by State Police violent crimes investigators from around the state,” said Capt. Gary T. Settle, commander of the Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation Culpeper Field Office. “These investigators poured over the entire case file, leads, witness statements, interviews, suspect profiles, evidence, etc., to strategize and pursue any new evidential or technological avenues that could benefit and, ultimately, advance the progress of this ongoing investigation.”

Anyone with information pertaining to the abduction and murder of Alicia Showalter Reynolds is asked to contact the Virginia State Police Culpeper Division toll-free at 1-800-572-2260, or the Bureau of Criminal Investigation toll-free at 1-888-300-0156 or by e-mail at bci-culpeper@vsp.virginia.gov.

At the time, police advised women who were apprehended by a "police" vehicle to find a safe area before stopping, and were assured real officers would know they were not fleeing.

With that in mind, perhaps ABC officers, especially those working in college towns, should be reminded of the Alicia Reynolds tragedy.

UPDATE: A number of newspaper editorials have questioned the validity and wisdom of ABC agents' actions during this incident including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, posting the editorial, Drunk on power? 

Milmont Greenhouse: Mountain views, gardening values

 I snapped a photo while shopping the 50% off premium annuals on Tuesday at Milmont Greenhouse in Stuarts Draft. With the Blue Ridge Mountains in the background, this Mennonite-run nursery has a beautiful view both inside the fence and beyond. It's been my first choice for plants for 16 years.

 Sprinkles fell from the clouds throughout the morning before finally turning into downpours by the middle of the day.

 I was looking for flowers to fill in blank spots in pots that had been planted with Milmont products in the spring.

The sale on hanging baskets and premium annuals began July 2.

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
July 2, 2013

George W. Bush carries on humanitarian work in Africa

After a week of renovating, President George W. Bush and Mrs. Bush opened the Mosi-Oa-Tunya clinic, a cervical cancer facility in Livingstone, Zambia. The trip demonstrates their continued commitment to the people of Africa through the work of the global health initiative at the George W. Bush Institute. June 30-July 1, 2013

GWB has spent his time traveling the country and the world on behalf of human freedom, global health, education, economic freedom, and AIDs research in Africa, something he began while President. In 2008, he received the Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Award for his work in Africa, and in December 2011 he and Mrs. Bush traveled to Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Zambia in their continued commitment to the people.

Not many are aware of Bush’s humanitarian work in other parts of the world. In the summer of 2011, Bono of the rock group U-2 praised Bush for his fight against AIDs in Africa, a stand that has saved over five million lives during the past eight years.

In addition, human rights activist John Prendegast noted that it was during Bush’s administration and with the help of America’s influence that South Sudan was able to successfully obtain peace with the north. Democratic consultant and Fox News contributor Bob Beckel, co-host on Fox News Channel’s “The Five,” praised Bush’s African work and picked him as one of his two all-time favorite presidents.

The President's tee shirt in this photo is a reminder that on the home front, most of the time he has spent with America’s military members is unknown to the public as he greets solders at airports when they return home from service overseas, reaches out to individual families, and works with injured military veterans and the Wounded Warrior Project including the W 100K mountain bike ride.

More about George and Laura Bush's work in Africa can be seen here and here.

Cross-posted at Va Political Pineapple

Photos by Paul Morse
For the George W. Bush Presidential Center

U.S. Justice Department drops by to investigate Augusta County

Just in time for Independence Day, Uncle Sam is taking a stroll around Augusta County's 26 voting precincts today and tomorrow with the three members of the local electoral board. Actually, he's sending one of his lawyers and an architect from the civil rights division of the U.S. Justice Department.

Uh-oh. Almost sounds like being called to the principal's office.

Originally scheduled for June, the trip was delayed until this week, and Augusta Electoral Board chairman Ruth Talmage seemed unhappy even though she had originally requested the visit be held off until after the June Democratic Primary:

"Voters ought not to have to worry with some strange person from Washington watching and asking questions," Talmage said.

She also said, "The message is that they (Justice) are welcome to come, but not on election day.''

An email from the county's attorney closed the door on the June visit:

An email response sent to Justice on Wednesday through Augusta County Attorney Patrick Morgan said the electoral board "has concluded that permitting such inspections is not in the best interest of Augusta County, at this time. Therefore, I regret to inform you that the board of elections will not authorize you to inspect the polling places as previously planned."

It's rainy and drippy out there today so hope they've all got their umbrellas and golashes as they traverse the second-largest county in Virginia.

As former magisterial district chairman in Pastures District located west of Staunton, I have personal knowledge of the time it takes to travel its five precincts, the most of any district in the county. Pastures' borders touch Staunton City and extend to Bath and Highland counties with the George Washington National Forest in between. It's a gorgeous district but you'd better be driving your reliable vehicle because it will rack up the mileage.

That does not include the rest of Augusta that runs as far north as Rockingham County, south to Rockbridge County, and east to the tiptop of the Blue Ridge Mountains as it borders Nelson and Albemarle counties.

The visit is in response to a complaint filed by Churchville resident Steve Morris who questioned a North River precinct located in the Churchville Fire Station in Pastures District, and handicap accessibility to that precinct. Morris ran an unsuccessful bid as supervisor in 2011.

The electoral board has defended the Churchville Fire Station precinct location:

Talmage said both the precinct location and handicap access are appropriate. Talmage said Virginia law allows for a polling place within one mile of the border of a precinct boundary, and said North River lacks such a needed facility. She said the fire station's ramp and access door offer sufficient access.

Talmadge complained in the Waynesboro News-Virginian that the tour would take "an unnecessary amount of time'' on Monday and Tuesday.

Hmm. It's not wise to tweak Uncle Sam's nose.

Reporter Bob Stuart reported:

[Talmage] said the electoral board had asked to work with Justice on a schedule for touring the county precincts, but said the federal agency has not been cooperative.

I guess once the June date was postponed, Uncle Sam decided to get his work done before his holiday, and this week was it. Maybe the federal agents will stick around for a Smalltown USA Fourth of July.

Update: Justice begins investigation in Augusta County by Bob Stuart

WaPost: 'Obama yet to leave a lasting legacy for Africa on the scale of Bush and Clinton'

Laura and George W. Bush in Zambia, June 30, 2013.

The pictures are all over Facebook showing Former President George W. Bush and wife Laura traveling Africa this week as they continue their humanitarian mission that began before leaving the White House four years ago.

Slowly but surely liberals have begrudingly had to admit GWB has played a large role in AIDs relief that has been credited with saving millions of lives. The Bushes have been instrumental in other global health advances, too, and are almost revered in that part of the world.

President Barack Obama? Not so much, and the Washington Post has noticed:

Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush passed innovative Africa initiatives while in the White House and passionately continue their development work in the region in their presidential afterlife. Obama’s efforts here have not been so ambitious, despite his personal ties to the continent.

It must be a tad awkward for Obama to find himself in Bush's shadow after spending the first four years of his administration blaming his predecessor for everything that went wrong in America. The Post notes that Obama is five years into his administration and just now on a major tour of Africa, just the second time while President:

His first major tour of Africa as president is coming just now, in his fifth year, while Bush and Clinton are frequent fliers to Africa. Bush even will be in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, next week at the same time as Obama, although they have no plans to meet. Instead, their wives plan to appear together at a summit on empowering African women organized by the George W. Bush Institute, with the former president in attendance.

The people of Africa had expected more from America's first black president after he told them in his first year, "I have the blood of Africa in me."

Meanwhile, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush captured the heart of Africa with work that continues to this day:

Clinton first drew extensive attention to Africa in 1998 when he made the longest trip ever by a U.S. president, with stops in six countries that had never before been visited by any occupant of the Oval Office. Bush’s trip this week is his third in 19 months to promote his Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon partnership to combat breast and cervical cancer in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. On this visit, he and his wife, Laura, plan to help renovate a cervical cancer screening and treatment clinic in Zambia before heading to Tanzania for the African First Ladies Summit advocating investment in programs for women and girls.

After a week of renovating, President and Mrs. Bush opened the Mosi-Oa-Tunya clinic, a cervical cancer facility in Livingstone, Zambia. Their trip demonstrates their continued commitment to the people of Africa through the work of the global health initiative at the George W. Bush Institute. June 30, 2013

Photos from the George W. Bush Presidential Center