This guy is such a f***tard. He’s also a top Virginia Republican donor and a close friend of “Bobby” McDonnell (that’s what Robertson calls our fine former governor). Ugh.

The following thoughts come from a Virginia cop who describes himself as a “progressive in law enforcement” (he adds, “There are some of us actually LOL”). I had emailed him and asked what he thought of this article (“2nd NYPD officer honored at funeral; many again turn backs on de Blasio”). I don’t agree with everything he says (e.g., I strongly DISagree on the Garner case and on police turning their backs on the Mayor at a funeral), but I felt that his perspective was newsworthy, since I know this individual is generally progressive and a strong Democrat. Also note that he is white.

In regards to the officers turning their backs on the Mayor at the funerals and at the hospital, I understand their anger and frustration with everything that has been going on. Two officers were killed, ambushed while these “anti-police” or “anti-brutality” (whatever you view them as) are on going.  It happened when video showed protesters chanting for “dead cops” and wanting them “now.”  

Do I think those protesters and anti-police rhetoric lead to the ambush?  In a way, yes…..Much like the “targets” on various congressional districts, like Gabby Gifford’s fueled the shooter in her attack. I think it’s unfair to totally ignore that factor much like people did during the Giffords shooting. The mayor definitely didn’t attempt to defend or differentiate between 99% of NYPD officers who do an extraordinary job day in and day out and the bad ones when asked to comment on it. Do I think the officer in the Garner case acted maliciously? No. Do I think he acted criminally to be charged based on current case law. No, absolutely not. Civilly? More than likely……A lot of this anti-police anger comes from people not understanding case law relating to the subject and that’s understandable, it’s very complicated and hard to fathom.

For the mayor to see protesters attack police officers, those in his city on video and call it an “alleged attack” will get a lot of officers angry because he wouldn’t use the word “alleged” if an officer is accused of something. If the officer in the Garner case was charged, he still holds the same rights as any other defendants, innocent till proven guilty. The mayor and many already convicted him.  That is where a lot of this anger is coming from with officers.  He has allowed protesters to shut down traffic and block bridges which they have no right to do, and has stood by them. That’s where the anger from the officers come from, so I understand why they did what they did. He only came out with these statements of support for his department after two officers were ambushed by someone wanting to put “wings on a pig.”  Many officers see it as convenient for him to do that but where was he when officers in his city’s department were attacked?  I don’t believe they feel their voices are heard which is why they did what they did. I can’t even start to put myself in their situation because I’m in a much different community and city that has a huge support for their officers.  

I think the mayor needs be part of a conversation with the rank-and-file officers who feel their concerns are not being heard or listened too as equally as the protesters.  Whether or not it’s true, it’s about perception and that is the way it is with everything in life. Perception is everything.

My girlfriend lived in Los Angeles when Commissioner Bratton was the Chief of LAPD and turned the department around. She says the mayor needs to listen to him in order to get the trust back with his department. It’s a fine line he needs to walk in recognizing the dangers and difficult jobs police face every day and support the 99% of officers who are good. However, it’s a two way street.

Officers, and this is easier said than done, need to recognize that there are bad officers out there. They need to recognize that things evolve all the time and there needs to be a conversation about what can be done to improve policing in certain areas. Both sides need to find a common ground and put their differences aside. The PBA president has a job to do, much like a defense lawyer, to advocate for who they represent.  He’s speaking for the anger many of his members feel right now.  I’m hoping he’ll take a step back for the best interests of his members, and I know from first hand experience it’s a hard pill to swallow sometimes. He didn’t do his members any good with his initial statements even if it helped make his members feel better at the time.

Personally, I think President Obama is walking the perfect line balance wise with all this but conservatives in law enforcement won’t recognize that. Honestly, I’d like to see Joe Biden step up as he has always had an amazing relationship with law enforcement leaders from his days in the Senate.  I don’t think Eric Holder has made the best use of some of his statements in various speeches but he is on the way out and preparing for the next phase of his life outside of government work.

So that’s it. Hope it gives a perspective from one who’s not your “typical cop.”

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Wednesday, January 7. Also, congratulations to Delegates Lopez and Surovell (pictured at right, along with Delegates Filler-Corn, Simon, Sullivan, etc.), two key House Democratic leaders who helped Kathleen Murphy win the special election last night.

*Gun attack on French magazine Charlie Hebdo kills 11 (“Charlie’s latest tweet was a cartoon of the Islamic State militant group leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.”)

*With oil prices low, now’s the perfect time for Congress to raise the gas tax (A carbon tax would be even better.)

*All buzz, no bite (“Conservative pests swarmed John Boehner.”)

*Boehner takes revenge (“Foes find themselves losing plum committee posts.”)

*Hillary Clinton brings in Robby Mook, Joel Benenson for likely team (Mook, of course, ran Terry McAuliffe’s successful campaign for governor of Virginia in 2013.)

*Rouhani’s Big Gamble (“Iran’s president is squaring off against his country’s hard-liners. We better hope he succeeds.” Agreed.)

*Former Virginia governor Robert McDonnell’s real punishment is disgrace (The thing is, if McDonnell is a disgrace, then so are ALL the other Virginia politicians who essentially practice “clientelist” politics, in which they are bought and paid for by corporate interests in exchange for doing their bidding. All of that corrupt crap should be illegal as well, and the practitioners facing criminal charges too.)

*McDonnell’s shame, and Virginia’s

*McDonnell sees unexpectedly lenient sentence

*Maureen McDonnell came to court despite being blamed (“Her children didn’t sit with her, putting a spotlight once again on strained family relationships and a legal defense that blamed her for her husband’s downfall.”)

*Schapiro: McDonnell doesn’t get back reputation (“But could Spencer’s decision also unintentionally diminish the urgency to tighten Virginia’s notoriously lax ethics laws?”)

*Some think McDonnell got off easy; others think two years is fair

*Bob McDonnell should have been sentenced to 30 years in his wife’s shoes

*Democrat Kathleen Murphy wins Virginia House seat in D.C. suburbs (“She replaces Barbara Comstock, who had beaten Murphy in 2013 but rose to Congress on Tuesday.”)

*Petersburg Democrat wins special election for House of Delegates seat

*On the Line (“Working the phones and running as an independent, Delegate Joe Morrissey fights to keep his seat in most unusual circumstances.”)

*Poll: Virginians back decriminalizing marijuana use

*UVa fraternities, sororities allowed to resume activities

*Hinkle: Should Dominion get to walk all over property rights? (“Thought experiment: What are the odds of the Virginia General Assembly passing a law that allowed private individuals to enter the headquarters of Dominion Resources over the company’s objections – so long as the individuals had a good reason to, and gave the company advance notice?”)

*Virginia’s ‘panic buy’ of firearms appears over (“Virginia’s three-year-long gun buying frenzy is over.” Bizarre!)

*Miller: Pipeline won’t live up to the hype

*Herring defies feds on releasing some immigrants (Herring issued this ruling on Monday, we posted about it immediately, but the corporate media takes two days. Hmmmm.)

*Seven unanswered questions in the Fairfax police shooting death of John Geer (“Fairfax police have now said who shot Geer. But they haven’t said why, or answered any other questions about the 2013 incident.”)

*Parents furious at schools as season’s first snow unleashes a mess in region (And rightfully so!)

*D.C. area forecast: Big time cold settles in with wicked wind chills through tonight

‏@PeggyTV – “#McDonnell ordered to report to prison Feb 9 for 2 year sentence; he wants judge to allow him bond until appeal.”

@PostRoz – “No one had been expecting Judge Spencer to give Bob McDonnell community service. 24 months in prison is a coup for his defense.”

@MichaelLeePope  – “#BobMcDonnell sentenced to two years in prison”

NY Times reporter @tripgabriel – “Ex-Gov Bob McDonnell has finished speaking to judge.  Sentencing coming soon.”

NBC29 correspondent @alana_austin – “Bob McDonnell addresses court, apologizes for shame brought on others, asks for mercy for himself but mostly on his wife.”

@PostRoz — “Bob McDonnell asks that the judge show mercy to his wife first.”

@mattzap — “Prosecutor delivering final McDonnell pitch: ‘These crimes are unprecedented in Virginia’s 226 year history…This is a hard thing to say, but the defendant has shown no true remorse in this case for these crimes.’…Prosecutor compares McDonnell’s arguments to those made by ex-delegate Phil Hamilton, who got 9 1/2 years.”

@WAVY_News  tweets (2:10 pm): “Defense lawyers for #McDonnell just wrapped up. They read excerpts from many of the 440 letters of support the former governor received.”

‏@mattzap – “McDonnell lawyer’s final pitch begins with a lot of quoting from supportive letters”

@PostRoz  – “Former Va. Gov. Doug Wilder draws applause from courtroom of McDonnell supporters when he question why the briber ‘walks away clear.'”

Virginian Pilot reporter @patrickmwilson  tweets, “House Speaker Bill Howell testified that the McDonnell trial will lead to more ethics reform in this year’s General Assembly session.”

@mattzap “Sister: McDonnell stopped eating after verdict”

@JoeStGeorge — “Bob McDonnell often keeps his eyes closed. His head is down, almost as if he fighting back tears.”

@JulieCareyNBC – “#McDonnell sentencing hearing about to resume. One more character witness. Likely to be @BobMcDonnell himself.”

@mattzap – “McDonnell sister calls Bob the ‘glue’ of his siblings, vital to his kids. ‘He’s their go-to parent,’ she says, w/o mentioning his wife.”

NBC Washington reporter David Culver tweets, “#VA House speaker William Howell testifies on @BobMcDonnell’s behalf. Calls him a Boy Scout…#McDonnell’s been punished enough….The damage to his dreams and his aspirations has been done…RIGHT NOW: Six character witnesses have testified. A ‘few’ more expected, per defense.”

@JoeStGeorge – “Witnesses continue……priest up now”

CBS6 reporter @JoeStGeorge – “McDonnells commanding officer in military asked judge to give mercy”

‏@rhughes_cbs6 tweets – “If Spencer stays within the guidelines McDonnell will spend less time in prison than former Delegate Phil Hamilton.”

CNN reporter @ericbradner – “In Richmond, 30 minutes of technical debate helped Bob McDonnell: The judge lowered sentencing guidelines to 78 to 97 months.”

@mattzap – “Judge reduces guideline range to 78-97 months. Roughly 6.5-8 years. Said McDonnell did not obstruct justice, amount of bribes not >$120K”

@PostRoz – “Defense attys, prosecutors at #mcdonnellsentencing now arguing over technical issues–the value of loans, whether McDonnell lied on stand.”

@mattzap – “Judge Spencer, so far, is not asking any questions or directing the parties to address particular topics.”

@mattzap – “Bob McDonnell’s sentencing has officially begun. http://wapo.st/1wRLozo ”

Washington Post reporter @mattzap tweets – “A surprise visitor at Bob McDonnell’s sentencing (spoiler alert: it’s his wife) ”

@PostRoz – “Maureen McDonnell’s lawyer had been sitting alone in the overflow courtroom when she arrived. Her attendance appears to be a surprise.”

Washington Post reporter @PostRoz tweets – “After a couple of long hugs in the hallway, Bob McDonnell has entered the courtroom, accompanied by daughters Rachel and Cailin.”

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Tuesday, January 6. On, and don’t forget to vote today if you’re in the 34th House of Delegates district (McLean, Great Falls); polls open from 6 am to 7 pm as usual.

*It’s Official: 2014 Was the Hottest Year Ever Measured on Earth (And we are doing…WHAT about this?!?)

*GOP’s Louie Gohmert, wannabe speaker, headlines the House’s latest freak show (It’s astounding that someone THIS crazy and extreme could even be in Congress at all, let alone be pushed by right wingers for Speaker. Shudderrrrr….)

*The new Congress is 80 percent white, 80 percent male and 92 percent Christian (Wildly unrepresentative of America. It’s also far more Republican than the population as a whole, or even of voters as a whole, in part due to gerrymandering in the House, in part due to the wildly undemocratic Senate, and in part due to Democrats foolishly not voting in “off-year” elections.)

*The GOP on the Brink (“Can Republicans govern without a crisis?” Highly doubtful.)

*Speaker Boehner staves off dissenters (“Right-wing opposition marginalized in upcoming speaker vote”)

*Why a Second Progressive Era Is Emerging- and How Not to Blow It (And why do we need this, you ask? Because of “the argument of Francis Fukuyama’s new book, Political Order and Political Decay, that America’s greatest risk is that its government is reverting to a pre-Progressive Era form of ‘clientism’ in which even supposedly independent bureaucracies are controlled by moneyed interests and the politically wired.” That’s one of the main reasons why the first Progressive movement arose in this country, in the early 20th century. Time for another one, unless of course you prefer a corporate-controlled plutocracy.)

*The GOP should step up (“Are Republicans ready for prime time?” Short answer: hell no.)

*Liftoff Aborted: SpaceX Attempt at Historic Landing Delayed

*Oil’s Fall Continues Into 2015, and Stock Markets Shudder (“Oil prices tumbled below $50 a barrel on Monday, spooking global financial markets and signaling that the remarkable 50 percent price drop since June was continuing this year and even quickening.”)

*Va. House Seat Up for Grabs in Special Election

*HD34 special election poised to break record

*What to expect at the sentencing for ex-Va. governor McDonnell (“Prosecutors want him to serve at least 10 years for corruption. The defense seeks community service.”)

*Ahead of sentencing, former Gov. Bob McDonnell asks for bond

*Letter: MV Pipeline would scar Cahas Mountain

*Ex-QB Beuerlein confirms Maureen McDonnell asked him for money (“He once dated Bob McDonnell’s sister, speaks highly of former governor.”)

*Don’t look at Interstate 264 in isolation (“No one suggests that Interstate 264 in Virginia Beach is efficient at moving thousands of vehicles a day. It’s inadequate, and has been for years. But the way to make it better is not to add a lane or two to the 12 clogged miles of highway between Norfolk and the Oceanfront – the east-west route used by commuters in Virginia Beach, by business, and by tourists from points north, south and west.”)

*Dorothy McAuliffe reflects on first year as first lady

*Fairfax school board seeks to double salary for members (“The panel wants to increase its salary to $40,000 annually, the first would-be raise since 2007.”)

*Fairfax County identifies police officer in 2013 shooting of John Geer

*Early morning snow is causing traffic woes and school delays

*D.C. area forecast: Snow this morning followed by brutal cold Wednesday and Thursday

The following is from Attorney General Herring’s office, “issued to Virginia Beach Sheriff Ken Stolle about whether sheriffs are required by law to honor Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainment requests, commonly called ‘ICE detainers.'”

It is my opinion that an ICE detainer is merely a request. It does not create for a law enforcement agency either an obligation or legal authority to maintain custody of a prisoner who is otherwise eligible for immediate release from local or state custody. For that reason, an adult inmate or a juvenile inmate with a fixed release date should be released from custody on that date notwithstanding the agency’s receipt of an ICE detainer. If a juvenile is being held pursuant to an indeterminate commitment, the DJJ may exercise its discretion to hold the juvenile until ICE officials assume custody, provided DJJ does not hold the juvenile longer than thirty-six continuous months or past his twenty-first birthday.

Good stuff yet again by AG Mark Herring. Thank goodness he won, not far-right-wing Mark Obenshain.

California Gov. Jerry Brown just delivered his State of the State address, and it was a good one. Below, I’ve excerpted a key section on climate and energy policy which I’d love to see our own Governor, Terry McAuliffe, incorporate into his upcoming State of the Commonwealth address on January 14. Yes, I’m well aware that a Republican-controlled legislature that is essentially a puppet of fossil fuel interests would not approve any of this. Still, given the crucial importance of these issues, I’d argue that Gov. McAuliffe should set ambitious goals for Virginia and challenge Republicans to articulate why they won’t act. Given that Republcians have absolutely no good reason for not acting, it should be interesting to watch…

…The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, backed up by the vast majority of the world’s scientists, has set an ambitious goal of limiting warming to 2 degrees Celsius by the year 2050 through drastic reductions of greenhouse gases. If we have any chance at all of achieving that, California, as it does in many areas, must show the way. We must demonstrate that reducing carbon is compatible with an abundant economy and human well-being. So far, we have been able to do that.

In fact, we are well on our way to meeting our AB 32 goal of reducing carbon pollution and limiting the emissions of heat-trapping gases to 431 million tons by 2020. But now, it is time to establish our next set of objectives for 2030 and beyond.

Toward that end, I propose three ambitious goals to be accomplished within the next 15 years:

Increase from one-third to 50 percent our electricity derived from renewable sources;

Reduce today’s petroleum use in cars and trucks by up to 50 percent;

Double the efficiency of existing buildings and make heating fuels cleaner.

We must also reduce the relentless release of methane, black carbon and other potent pollutants across industries. And we must manage farm and rangelands, forests and wetlands so they can store carbon. All of this is a very tall order. It means that we continue to transform our electrical grid, our transportation system and even our communities.

I envision a wide range of initiatives: more distributed power, expanded rooftop solar, micro-grids, an energy imbalance market, battery storage, the full integration of information technology and electrical distribution and millions of electric and low-carbon vehicles. How we achieve these goals and at what pace will take great thought and imagination mixed with pragmatic caution. It will require enormous innovation, research and investment. And we will need active collaboration at every stage with our scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, businesses and officials at all levels.

Taking significant amounts of carbon out of our economy without harming its vibrancy is exactly the sort of challenge at which California excels. This is exciting, it is bold and it is absolutely necessary if we are to have any chance of stopping potentially catastrophic changes to our climate system.

California, since the beginning, has undertaken big tasks and entertained big ideas. Befitting a state of dreamers, builders and immigrants, we have not hesitated to attempt what our detractors have called impossible or foolish…

Again, why isn’t Virginia doing any of this? What ever happened to becoming the “energy capital of the east coast?” So far, we certainly aren’t seeing it, and that’s a huge #FAIL for our state.