...or do Virginia and France have a lot in common?

Virginia is a wonderful place to live. It has everything: temperate climate, vibrant cities, breathtaking vistas, proximity to the Nation's Capital and as much history as one could absorb in a lifetime. America started in Virginia (screw Boston). Four of our first five presidents were born here. Aside from the cuisine, which Virginia sadly retained from her British forebears, the place has everything. Unfortunately, Virginia, like France, is a victim of its indigenous population. In other words, Virginia would be paradise were it not for Virginians.

Don't take my word, look at the history:

Having spawned the ablest leader of its generation, Virginia chose sides poorly in the conflict of 1861 and forced Robert Edward Lee to play for the runner-up.

Virginia leads the country (and probably the world) in state-sponsored murder, known to you as court-ordered executions.

It was Virginia, attempting to justify its ban on interracial marriage, that prompted the Supreme Court to overthrow all such vestiges of Jim Crow (Loving v. Virginia).

Most recently, Virginia passed a law requiring an intrusive vaginal ultrasound for women seeking an abortion.

The state whose leaders gave the world a new meaning of freedom and self-government can never quite decide which end of the stick it wants to hold. Should Virginia be the state typified by the University of Virginia, a renowned seat of learning or by Liberty University, a renowned seat of reactionary intolerance? Does Virginia want to return to its place as the home of thought leaders or will it be content to be nothing but a gaggle of over-educated, Bible-thumping rednecks?

Yes, Virginia went for President Obama in 2008 but honestly, without the D.C. suburbs, most notably Fairfax County, Virginia is just Oklahoma with less dust and a lousier football team. That fact was vividly on display this week as the Virginia State Assembly finished up its housekeeping for the spring session. Among the docket items was the confirmation of three judges which required legislative approval. One appointee, C.L. "Clay" Athey is a proponent of carrying concealed weapons in public buildings. His approval was semi-automatic. Another appointee was Tracy Thorne-Begland whose public personae was a bit less "good ole boy". Mr. Thorne-Begland was a fighter pilot and Navy officer who challenged the Navy's ban on gay service more than twenty years ago. For his troubles, Mr. Thorne-Begland was honorably discharged...twice. He is currently a prosecutor in Richmond. Mr. Thorne-Begland was rejected by the Virginia House.

Naturally, everyone in Virginia who could see beyond their bigotry and Christian crapology thought Mr. Thorne-Begland would have made a fine judge. Even Governor Bob McDonald, hardly a rainbow activist, was dismayed at this blatant discrimination. (Bob apparently forgot his torpedoing of Verbena Askew, a lesbian judge from Newport News. Bob was a state assemblyman at the time. McDonald's quote in 2003 was "homosexuality raises questions about a person's qualification to be a judge". How quickly we forget.)

Predictably, Thorne-Begland's candidacy was opposed by the Family Foundation whose comments went along the lines of: ... inability to be objective... contrary to tradition..blah...Christian bullshit...blah, blah...right-wing bigotry...sleeping with goats...God's plan...guys kissing guys is icky...blah, blah. These people talk as if they were Amish. Why is progress in technology, science (not climate science, of course) medicine (except stem cells) and every other field of human endeavour acceptable but not progress in how we live together? What possible difference could it make to some baggy-pants legislator from Lynchburg how a judge in Richmond lives his life?

Memo to the Virginia Assembly: Your job is to pass laws and make decisions for the general well-being and prosperity of the residence of the Commonwealth. You were not elected to shove your bigoted religious beliefs up my nose. If I want someone to tell me how to live my life I'll call Dr. Phil. You are not in the Assembly to pass judgement on people who are different from you. We have Bill O'Reilly for that. And lastly, you are most certainly not in the Virginia Assembly to force women to have unnecessary, invasive, costly medical procedures. If your interest in the vagina is so all-consuming, become an OB-GYN. At least your probing will be by invitation.