Commentary

When the English and others came to the New World in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries they displaced native persons who had inhabited these lands for as many as 15,000 years. Once established the colonists drew up a long list of grievances against the mother country and successfully declared and achieved their independence as a nation. We will celebrate that event this weekend. Subsequent waves of immigrants have contributed to making this country great and a destination to which many peoples of the world aspire to come.
 
Over the same time immigration policy has been controversial. Some have been welcomed; others shunned. Immigration is currently controversial because we do not have a clear policy on the subject. The Congress seems too polarized to act. Even the Bush administration with its many poor policy decisions had a sensible approach to immigration that a Congress controlled by the President's own party at the time could not get itself together to enact.
 
There seems to be glimmers of hope as reasonable people are starting to speak up on the issue. A recent hearing of the Virginia Commission on Immigration was described in newspaper headlines as "State Panel Is Urged to Push for Integration and Access." The story described a hearing where "most speakers exhorted panelists to pursue efforts to integrate immigrants and shun policies intended to drive out illegal immigrants." (The Washington Post, May 23, 2008)
 
The most rational and reasonable policy statement I have seen on immigration was agreed to by the League of Women Voters national board in March 2008 after an 18-month study and was printed in their journal, National Voter, in June 2008. The League position provides in part support for "a system for unauthorized immigrants already in this country to earn legal status, including citizenship, by paying taxes, learning English, studying civics and meeting other relevant criteria. While policy reforms, including a path to legal status, remain unchanged, the League does not support deporting unauthorized immigrants who have no history of criminal activity." The position goes on to state that "the League supports due process for all persons, including the right to a fair hearing, right to counsel, right of appeal and right to humane treatment." The League supports its position with a fact-filled and thoughtful article in the same issue of National Voter that I recommend for reading.
 
We celebrate the colonists' stand against injustices on Independence Day. The League of Women Voters is proposing a position of immigration that is in the best of the American tradition. I am pleased to join them in this stand and hope that other politicians will as well.

Delegate Ken Plum's Weekly "Virginia Report"
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Announcements

Congratulations to Jane Plum and staff at the United Christian Parish Preschool on having achieved accreditation from the Naitonal Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). This is the highest quality rating for preschools.
 
Invasive exotic plants are prohibited for installation by Reston Association. For information on what invasive plants are and the native alternative varieties you can plant instead, visit www.reston.org.
 
The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation has just released a guide to the Civil War sites of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District. This publication is the first comprehensive guide to the scores of sites in the Shenandoah Valley that collectively tell its rich Civil War history. The guide is available free of charge at all 11 Virginia welcome centers as well as visitors centers and historic sites throughout Virginia and beyond. Go to www.ShenandoahAtWar.org for more information.
 
To hear how traffic affects all areas of Virginia, go to www.BeatTheGridlock.com.
 
Voices for Virginia's Children, in partnership with the Virginia Poverty Law Center, FACES for Virginia's Families (Virginia's foster, adoptive, and kinship parent association), and ART 180, is hosting "VOICES FOR CHANGE," an art-writing-photography initiative designed to engage foster youth and carry their VOICES to Virginia policymakers. Foster youth ages 12 through 21 will be asked to submit an original essay, poem, painting, drawing, or photograph that shares their experiences in foster care and ideas for change. For more informaiton, contact Mary Dunne Stewart at mds@vakids.org or 804.649.0184 x 24.

Calendar of Events

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries will host a public information briefing on Wednesday, July 9, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Belle View Elementary School, 6701 Fort Hunt Road (Mount Vernon area) to explain current policies about waterfowl hunting and duck blinds on the borders of Dyke Marsh and along the Potomac River shoreline. This briefing is in response to public concerns expressed about local waterfowl hunting and duck blinds.
 
Fairfax County Department of Transportation is proposing changes to Fairfax Connector route RIBS 4 and will receive public comment on the proposal at a meeting on Saturday, July 12, 10:30 a.m. at the North County Government Center, 12000 Bowman Town Drive, Reston.  Proposed changes include the addition of bi-directional service which would be accomplished with a new route called RIBS 6 that would follow the same path as RIBS 4 but in the opposite direction (similar to RIBS 1 and RIBS 3). The portion of the route along Baron Cameron Avenue – Wiehle Avenue – North Shore Drive would be eliminated, and the span of service would be changed to approximately 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. The revised RIBS 4 and the new RIBS 6 both would run at an hourly frequency, staggered to provide 30-minute bi-directional service on all route segments. To take the bus to the meeting, Fairfax Connector routes RIBS 1 and RIBS 3 provide Saturday service to the North County Government Center while connector Routes RIBS 2, RIBS 4, 574 and 950 provide Saturday service within 2 blocks of the same location. Sign up in advance to speak at the meeting by calling 703.324.1120, TTY 703.324.1102. Submit written comments to Fairfax County Department of Transportation, Transit Services Division, 12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite 1034, Fairfax, VA  22035, Attn: Bruce Edwards. 
 
Attend Reston Festival 2008 on Saturday, July 12 and Sunday, July 13 at the Reston Town Center for great food, hands-on children's activities, a cake-cutting ceremony, a chance to win airline tickets, and more. There will be live entertainment, dozens of local artisans, businesses, and community organizations featured. Visit www.restonfestival.com for information about volunteering for this great event or for general information about the Festival.

The 14th Annual Rucker Memorial Golf Tournament will be held on July 14 at Hidden Creek Country Club, Reston, VA. Proceeds benefit the programs of Reston Interfaith, Inc. For questions or to get involved, phone 571.323.9582 or email amy.mcdowell@restoninterfaith.org.

The National Capital Region 2-1-1 Conference:  Partnerships in Preparedness will be held on Thursday, July 17, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the National Association of Home Builders offices, 1201 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC.  The conference will bring together regional emergency management officials, public information officers, health and human services providers, information and referral representatives, and others interested in learning more about the 2-1-1 program.  For more information contact mascarrunz@nonprofitroundtable.org.
 
The Fairfax County 4-H Fair is at Frying Pan Farm Park August 2-3. For more information, call 703.324.5353

Authorized and Paid for by Kenneth R. Plum

Delegate Kenneth R. Plum | 2073 Cobblestone Lane | Reston | VA | 20191