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The next Patrick Henry Supper Club is Sept 5th. We will hear from Elizabeth Wong, Public Education Coordinator of the VA ACLU. We will also watch the ACLU video "Dissent"
As usual the PHSC meets at:
Eastern Buffet
7586 W. Broad St.
Richmond, VA 23294
(in Merchants Walk Shopping Center)
6:00pm Dinner 7:00pm main event
The Libertarian Party of Henrico now accepts donations online!
Visit http://www.henricolp.org/donations.php to make a contribution.
As an incentive to get things going, I will match the first donation received online (up to $100).
Come join fellow Libertarians for some fun.
The Social Hour will meet this week at:
Ukrop's @ Virginia Center Marketplace
10150 Brook Rd.
Glen Allen, VA 23059
Date: Sept. 1, 2006
Time: 6:30-7:30
From the RTD:
Dennis Alverson said he has received offers from New York City to settle a lawsuit the city brought against his Old Dominion Gun & Tackle shop in Danville.No deal.
"I'm not in agreement with either of them," he said during a recent phone interview.
Alverson's store was one of 15 operations from five states named in a civil suit filed in May by New York that contends the dealers illegally sold guns to undercover investigators making "straw purchases."
by Robert Russo
Last month hsdla.org and other sites reported that Gov. Tim Kaine approved legislation that further unties the hands of homeschool parents on six points: First, a parent is no longer required to have a college degree to operate a homeschool. Second, the SOLs are no longer mandatory. Third, approval from the superintendent is no longer required. Fourth, all standardized tests can now be used, not just those approved for use in schools. Fifth, the superintendent no longer has arbitrary jurisdiction. Sixth, PSAT and AP tests must now be made available to everyone.
Now the first question many would ask is "Weren't some of these already the case?". Yes there were stipulations and loopholes available under certain options (for example the county can appoint and certify homeschool instructors, but this doesn't prevent someone from providing pure uncredited education on their own), however this is still an unprecedented blow to Academia untaken by Kaine's predecessors. By making these options universal it clarifies certain myths or legal misnomers that may have dissuaded people from trying homeschooling. This many amendments, all defensive against Academia, is a political shift. It conveys a respect of "mind your own business" previously ignored by the school system.
There used to be four options available to educate one's offspring: either a parent had to have a Bachelor's Degree in any subject, be a certified teacher, have a curriculum approved by the state, or get special permission from the superintendent. Now the first option is available to everyone. Previously many teachers chose not to homeschool their own children under Option 2 because as employees of the school system it gives their employer unmitigated control over what goes on in the home. Now they are no longer required to use the SOLs, and the superintendent's "discretion" has been replaced with "determination", in other words he is no longer allowed to employ his opinion of them (or whether he got up on the wrong side of the bed that day, or whatever his personal judgment may be), he is simply to approve all requests that meet the basic requirements. The old laws had been misread by a local official to say that parents who start homeschooling or move in the middle of the school year must reapply for consent.*
Personally I would like to have seen these deliberations, especially what the opposition had to say. Undoubtedly the practical reasons were highlighted for the benefit of those who attended public schools themselves, however there is a far more underlying reason academicians are now finally getting a dose of. Homeschooling is a separate institution. No business is required to seek permission from its biggest competitor. Why would someone have a degree from an institution they oppose, and what good would it be? The superintendent has authority only over the institution for which he was hired. Academic credentials and scoring are only valid currency within the institution that uses them. An editorial at newsleader.com complains "Why would a state with one of the strictest standards of accountability for public education — the Standards of Learning — want to give home-schooled students a pass?".** What academicians want is of little concern to other educational doctrines. Freedom from program is not a "gift" that is theirs to dispense. They want to hold all the keys to the passing of knowledge, control every aspect of a student's life, keep people of all ages enrolled so they no longer have to be treated as citizens, and weed out certain moderates among themselves.
What this means is that homeschooling is being removed from the jurisdiction of the state's "favorite" education provider and placed in the hands of government and the people themselves, while still reaping state benefits. Making educational resources available to all providers helps pave the way for the day when they will all be respected equally. The LPVA has no official stance on education right now and there is a great need to start participating in school board elections much as Democrats and Republicans do. If a bill that was debated and vetoed by Gov. Mark Warner was pushed through this swiftly it suggests Kaine was a recognized supporter already. What other progress is in store for his term? (For more information on homeschooling visit http://www.hslda.org, http://www.heav.org, or http://www.vahomeschoolers.org.)
*http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/va/200607050.asp
**http://www.newsleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060225/OPINION01/602250304&SearchID=73236923902237
Question of the Week: Are all true Libertarians antiacademic? Are those who endorse or are employed by authoritarian forms of education hypocrites, or are they our eyes and ears within those institutions to reform them? Or is "institution" just a place and a tool for us and our competitors to meet without inference? Send your opinions to henrico@richmondliberty.org.
If you have topics of interest to Libertarians please let us know. We welcome your input.
2006 Carytown Watermelon Festival
by Jon Walker
This year the Carytown Watermelon Festival was not scheduled on the hottest
day of the year providing an enjoyable day long experience. The Richmond
Libertarian Party with help from members from the Henrico chapter set up a
booth at the corner of Cary and Nansemond to provide a presence for those in
attendance.
During the day we passed out a lot of literature, met several people and
collected names of new people interested in liberty. However, perhaps the
best outreach done that day was with the Virginia League of Planned
Parenthood who had a booth right next to ours. The VLPP is a very
organized, well funded group that has a lot of enthusiastic members and we
made a very positive impression with many of their members.
Thanks to all who volunteered their time!
Tom Blanton
Lewis Gifford
Leonard Harris
Gregg Kontos
Kate Marshal
Bill Walker
Sue Walker
The Social Hour will meet this week at:
Applebees
5400 W Broad St
Come join fellow Libertarians for some fun.
Date: August 18, 2006
Time: 6:30-7:30
Glen Allen Day, the biggest community event in Henrico County, is September 16, 2006. For the last two years the LPHC had a table at the event. We are doing it again and need your help to make it our most successful table ever.
To volunteer contact glenallenday@richmondliberty.org
Event Details:
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Hours: 9:30AM - 4:00PM
Meadow Farm Museum - Crump Park
3400 Mountain Road - Glen Allen, Virginia 23060
Available shifts:
7:00am-10:00am Table Setup
9:00am-10:00am - Parade (we need 10 people for this!)
10:00am-1:00pm - 1st Table Shift
1:00pm-4:00pm - 2nd Table Shift
(Note: the park entrance and exit will be closed to all except the parade from 9:00am to 10:00am).
Glen Allen Day is organized by the Glen Allen Ruritan Club. The Ruritans strive to create a better understanding among people, and through volunteer community service, make America’s communities a better place to live and work.
Related Links:
Glen Allen Ruritan Club
Glen Allen Day 2004
Glen Allen Day 2005
A federal judge ruled Thursday that the government's warrantless wiretapping program is unconstitutional and ordered an immediate halt to it.
Full Story at: http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/17/domesticspying.lawsuit.ap/index.html
From the Times-Dispatch:
Richmond-area localities today will put in place voluntary restrictions on water use.Water officials from Richmond, and the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico warn that if residents and businesses don't try to save water, they may make the restrictions mandatory, meaning violators could face fines.
For example, in the city those fines range from $50 to $200 for each violation.
Officials are asking residents not to water lawns and gardens every day, and to cut back on washing cars and replenishing swimming pools.
Related Links:
http://www.mises.org/fullstory.aspx?control=1586
Photos from this week's flooding in Richmond
The Social Hour will meet this week at:
Fuddruckers - The World's Greatest Hamburger
8205 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23294
Phone: 804-747-4779
Come join fellow Libertarians for some fun.
Date: August 18, 2006
Time: 6:30-7:30