Advance Morning News
It's Monday, February 3. Today's stories feature the editor on Trump's Executive Orders and their impact on our region; also, a new NDP episode explores theatre in the 540.
Black History Month Quote
Today, and every day during the month of February, the Advance will feature a quote by a prominent Black thinker in honor of Black History Month.
“My soul has grown deep like the rivers.”
- Langston Hughes, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, 1920
FROM THE EDITOR: Far-Reaching, Loosely Defined Executive Orders Create Uncertainty at Home
By Martin Davis
A maxim that has been expressed both in the pages of the Advance as well as on the New Dominion Podcast is that local politics have far more influence on your daily lives than the politics at the national level. The events since the inauguration of Donald Trump, however, are threatening to upend this idea. Specifically, the flurry of Executive Orders Trump has released. Just 14 days into his Administration, the president has issued 49 Executive Orders.
Read the full story
New Dominion Podcast - All the World's a Stage
By Cori Blanch
Theatre critic Dennis Wemm joins NDP to talk about Fredericksburg's vibrant theatre scene.
Read the full story
Local Obituaries
To view local obituaries or to send a note to family and loved ones, please visit the link that follows.
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All well and good, but can't help but notice what's not there.
Mention of the illegality of many of these orders (firing inspectors generals without notice nor cause), destruction of Congressionally appointed agencies, how they studiously abdicate the checks and balances inherent in our system of government, or how we are attacking and/or threatening to steal from our closest allies.
Or how Republicans at every level meekly sit on the sidelines as these things occur.
A tragedy within 50 miles of here, and our chief magistrate's official response, before thoughts and prayers even reach the back of the room, is to accuse the dead servicewoman or shorthanded air traffic controller of malfeasance based on their race or sex. Admittedly without any evidence to back it up, beyond his "feelings"?
Maybe it's your base premise that's the problem. Pretending that the only thing that matters is what happens here.
We are part of an integrated world. This is not a new idea.
Jesus Christ alluded to it in Matthew, when he admonished that whatever we did for the least, was done to HIm.
Thomas Jefferson was revolutionary when he presumed in our Declaration to give the basic premise that all are created equal.
Our country was built on that bedrock principle, yet somehow, you feel that is somebody else's problem. None of our business. Keep it local. Until you can't.
Maybe, rather than keep our collective heads down and refusing to look up, we would do better to consider the words of Justin Trudeau this weekend, as we attacked one of our closest allies:
" But it doesn't have to be this way. As President John F. Kennedy said many years ago, "Geography has made us neighbours, history has made us friends, economics has made us partners and necessity has made us allies." That rang true for many decades prior to President Kennedy's time in office and the decades since. From the beaches of Normandy to the mountains of the Korean Peninsula, from the fields of Flanders to the streets of Kandahar, we have fought and died alongside you during your darkest hours.
During the Iranian hostage crisis, those 444 days, we worked around the clock from our embassy to get your innocent compatriots home. During the summer of 2005, when Hurricane Katrina ravaged your great city of New Orleans, or mere weeks ago, when we sent water bombers to tackle the wildfires in California, during the day the world stood still — Sept. 11, 2001 — when we provided refuge to stranded passengers and planes, we were always there, standing with you, grieving with you, the American people."
These things which are happening outside of our little corner of the Shire matter as much or more as who's grant got cut.
When foreign nationals such as Musk and his minions are given carte blanche to assess the most secure parts of our government without so much as a by your leave, much less a thorough background check. Or access to our nation's check book. worth 6 TRILLION annually with just as little forethought. He reportedly gave $277 million to Trump's campaign. I wonder what he will be getting in return to be worth that amount of money?
Etc. Etc.
Again, nice of you to have a mild interest in what happens here,
But did you ever consider that one of the reasons these things are happening here, is to keep us from paying attention to things that happen elsewhere?
Where are our Republican congressmen? Didn't they take an oath to defend the Constitution and rule of law as well? Where is our Governor? Our Attorney General? The Tara Durant's, Meg Boehmke's, Rob Wittman's etc.
Why are you not asking? Why are they not speaking up?
Lift your head up, please. Some of the things you see may turn out to be worth fighting for. You never know until you look.
DEI (which has been updated to DEIA) is a made up acronym for civil rights.
A number of these EOs have little to no legal standing. In other words, they are illegal.
Our Republican lawmakers, local, state, and federal, are silent on the illegal activities and safety concerns of our community after running on “law and order” and “safety.”
If you aren’t going to explain these things to people around here, if you aren’t going to push for adequate answers to hard hitting questions of the representatives who are enabling the negative impacts we are feeling in the 504, then you are not practicing journalism.