This is cross-posted at Leaving My Marc.

I wrote on Monday about comments that Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, made comparing the Obama administration to that of the Nazi’s.

Today, Stewart responded to his deeply offensive remarks by claiming that he didn’t “intend” to compare the Obama administration to the Nazi’s. Stewart went on to say, “Oh, that’s ridiculous. That’s ridiculous. Absolutely not.” He then said that he would continue to offer similar remarks.

Of course, he said all of this is a “typical liberal reaction.”

I don’t know what’s worse: the fact that he claims that he didn’t draw the comparison or that he defiantly insists that he will continue to use this sort of language.

I thought that Stewart would try to claim that he was taken out of context, so that is why I posted the entire video. Stewart was clearly trying to fan the passions of the crowd with this comparison. This was a common theme throughout the program. There is no doubt in my mind that he knew what he was saying. No doubt.

While this may be all fun in games for Stewart, the reality is that this sort of rhetoric may cause someone with violent tendencies to act out. It’s already happened with Congressman Tom Perriello’s brother.

Besides stoking violent tendencies, this also trivializes and diminishes the crimes perpetrated by the Nazi’s against 6 million Jews and countless others. As the Prince William Democratic Committee noted,

It is the height of insensitivity to both the survivors of the 6 million Jewish people slaughtered by Nazis, their families and to the millions of Americans who fought in World War II to end these atrocities for Stewart to make these comments.

Stewart’s dismissiveness on the subject reminds me of the recent controversy involving the omission of slavery from a Confederate History Month proclamation by Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA); and, the subsequent comment by Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS) that this whole controversy “doesn’t amount to diddly.”

Eugene Robinson rightfully noted in an Op/Ed on the subject that “they — and the rest of us, too – should know the extent to which the history of this country was shaped by what was euphemistically called the ‘peculiar institution,’ he went on to say, “McDonnell’s original proclamation, before he amended it, seemed designed to appeal to a fringe group for whom the Civil War is still an open question.”

History matters. Words matter. Folks need to understand this when addressing these time periods. Trivializing the role slavery played in history or the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazi’s, to appeal to a fringe group, only serves to diminish the horror of these time periods.

This sort of historical insensitivity and ignorance has become a trademark of Virginia Republicans. This was on display most recently again with Gov. McDonnell’s essay requirement for felons who wanted to get their voting rights restored. Some have compared that essay to the “literacy test” Mississippi had in place before the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which had the effect of preventing poor, illiterate African Americans from getting the right to vote.

Corey Stewart needs to understand that history and words do matter! To use the terrible atrocities perpetrated by the Nazi’s, to appeal to a fringe group, is not only in poor taste, but is also deeply offensive. Stewart needs to apologize and stop using these sort of incendiary comparisons.

If all of these comments weren’t enough for you, Stewart’s assertion that he will use taxpayer dollars to break the law is crazy. Stewart plans on introducing a resolution to order county staff to refuse to administer the new Medicaid benefits, under the new health care reform law.

He claims that the current cost to administer Medicaid in Prince William County is $10 million, which will rise to $15 under the changes in the current law. He argues that monies will be diverted from teachers, fire and rescue and police to pay for it (see video).

Let’s look at the facts, based on how things stand now in Prince William County. I talked to a source in Prince William County who provided the following information:

As of now, Prince William County only has 2 staff administering Medicaid – and half of their cost is picked up by a non-profit foundation. If the county determines that it would need to add some staff in 2014, that staff cost would be offset by the great gain to the county of most residents finally getting health coverage, and no longer passing their emergency room care on to other county residents in the form of higher taxes and higher health premiums. But the fact is, the county doesn’t know yet what the impact will be, based on how the state will handle both Medicaid and health care exchanges – which will make coverage affordable for more than 1 million Virginians.

How Stewart can make such outrageous claims is beyond me, especially when the state hasn’t even determined how they plan on handling things. The staff cost to administer Medicaid, thus far, seems far from onerous – not to mention that half of the cost is currently picked up by a non-profit organization. Stewart’s fears are completely unfounded and ludicrous. This has more to do with furthering a political agenda then doing what’s best for Prince William County residents.

He seems to be welcoming a lawsuit by blatantly breaking the law, which will undoubtedly cost Prince William taxpayer’s money. That’s a fact!

What’s worse is that he is emboldened by the fact that Virginia’s Attorney General (AG) Ken Cuccinelli won’t sue him, if he breaks the law. Cuccinelli’s statements and actions are setting a dangerous precedent in the Commonwealth, which will encourage other folks to break the law too. I thought the AG was supposed to enforce the law and not his political agenda!

Enough is enough.

Last week, Fred Phelps Westboro “Baptist” Church clan (it’s mostly his children, grandchildren and extended family, but also closer to a Klan) brought its vile, anti-Semitic and anti-LGBT rhetoric to Blacksburg. If you have never seen the kind of hate of which I speak, you may be stunned to see this video from three years ago.  I have debated whether to link this video.  But perhaps by my doing so, you can see what I am talking about, what is going on around this country as this man and his so-called church disrupt funerals of soldiers.  They rail at and demonize anyone suffering a tragedy because, they say, it’s the victims’ fault and God’s punishment. Before the Phelps clan arrived on Friday (Fred Phelps did not come, but sent his daughter’s family instead), they targeted the fallen coal miners in West Virginia.  This is who they are.  

All over town, citizens, including ministers representing all the town’s churches, united in opposing the hateful message of the unwelcome visitors, but differed in how to respond, or if to respond at all.  

Some sought to publicly distance themselves from Phelps ahead of time. Some wanted us to stay away from the unwelcome visitors, so as to not “bring more attention” to them.  Others thought a counter-protest at another location to be better. A counter-protest was announced as an “unofficial” event located at Virginia Tech.  Meanwhile, the disagreements about strategy (and location) continued down the the wire.  The University was rightly concerned about the potential for violence and so tried to steer the event planners to the plaza between Squires and the Graduate Life Center.  The police urged anyone who wasn’t confident they could stay peaceful to stay home.  

But 500 from the community (who were confident they could remain positive and peaceful) said, “no silence –no distance– this time.”  Is not silence what leads to further erosion of community?  Is it not silence which has led historically to even more dire events?  Why should we fear standing proud with a different message? And, so, we stood up.

We stood in opposition to the not-guests in our town.  Those gathering for a scheduled rally on the VT campus, chose to leave in groups peacefully walking the sidewalks with signs calling upon the community to renounce hate, and to affirm that the essence of any supposed spiritual calling is to love, not to scapegoat minorities, those of Jewish faith, or those who are LGBT.   They walked down College Avenue to Main St., right to the intersection where the Phelps clan spewed its  false righteousness.  The counter-protesters took up three of the four corners at N. Main Street and Roanoke St, leaving the Phelps group to the cacophony of the larger group.  The crowd defiantly played “Enter Sandman,” which traditionally begins sporting events at Va Tech.  (Aside: As the VT players emerge on the football field or basketball floor, “Enter Sandman” booms, the crowd jumps up and down, athletes emerge through a cloud of “smoke,” and the game begins….)

Some of us walked with blue balloons with the message, “Stand on the Side of Love.” Some from the Unitarian Church and Religious Society of Friends gathered together on College Avenue to raise money for those targeted by Phelps’ message of hate, such as Equality Virginia and PFLAG .  

In addition, I should mention that the Unitarian Congregation offered to bring forth enough members to encircle the Jewish Community center with people standing hand-in-hand.  That was not to be because the local Rabbi thought it best to call for police protection instead.  I do understand the reasoning and we honored that decision.  But we would have proudly encircled the community center of our Jewish neighbors.

Let it be said that the unwelcome visitors call themselves a church, but hide behind the pretense of religion.  This clan calls itself Baptist, but it is not.  It belongs to no Baptist convention and is renounced by real Baptists churches.  Here in Blacksburg, the local Baptist pastor took to the airwaves to distance himself and his church from hate.  A woman from his congregation thanked us for standing up against the clan.

Everywhere they went, the Phelps clan spewed their poisonous rhetoric.  At the Jewish Community Center, they railed against people of Jewish faith for “killing Jesus,” “not repenting” and not converting to Christianity.  At their second stop, downtown they hurled hateful slogans about Virginia Tech and, even Morgan Harrington, the Tech student who was murdered in Charlottesville after she couldn’t get back into a Metallica concert at John Paul Jones Arena. Her father joined us in counter-protest.  

This clan, whose leader disrupts military funerals of those who died in Iraq and Afghanistan and threatened to disrupt the funerals of the April 16 Virginia Tech victims, has seeded so much ignorance and hate you cannot imagine what some people here in town have endured through hate mail. That’s not the entire story of that time, though.  Following April 16,2007, people from all over our country and the world reached out in comfort.  But not Fred Phelps and some other riled and very disturbed, hateful people.

At their third stop, the Phelps clan picketed Blacksburg Middle School, which also now houses Blacksburg High School in the afternoon and evening.  You may recall that the BHS gym roof collapsed.  According to Phelps, that’s our fault as well.  He may have hoped others joined him. But not this past Friday.  They stood alone on one street corner.  500 others counter-protested on the other three corners at N. Main Street and Roanoke Street.

If you think coming together to protest this kind of hate isn’t important, consider this: Shortly before the Phelps visit to Blacksburg, a welcoming Presbyterian church in Houston TX (the only welcoming one in the whole presbytery in the area surrounding Houston) was burned to the ground.  The church lost everything. Our society can no longer afford timid response in the face of such attacks on members of our society.  Standing together to renounce hate and standing  up for the victims of the haters is a moral imperative.  We say, silent no more.  

I must say, this is a pleasant surprise.

Earlier today, the governor’s office said it will allow a pro-choice license plate, “Trust Women, Respect Choice,” which could potentially raise money for Planned Parenthood.

The plate is the opposite to last year’s “Choose Life” license plate, put forward by pro-life senator, now Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, and signed by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. The signing stems a potential legal action considered by the American Civil Liberties Union which argued that the law prohibited discriminating against allowing opposing political viewpoints on the plates.

As with the Choose Life plate, after 1,000 of the Trust Women plates are sold, $15 of the $25 fee goes to Planned Parenthood. The group said it would not use the money to fund abortions, but could spend it on prevention services, such as gynecological exams and testing to the roughly 30,000 women, men and families they serve.

Of course, money raised from the “Trust Women, Respect Choice” license plates will simply mean more money for Planned Parenthood overall, even if it doesn’t use this specific money to fund abortions. I’m not sure if Governor McDonnell understands the concept of “fungibility,” but whether he does or not, this was a good move. Thank you.