Commonwealth of Virginia

The Virginia NAACP has sued the Commonwealth of Virginia and its Governor Tim Kaine over fears of a lack of preparation for the upcoming election. The suit alleges that with a record voter turnout predicted for the November 4th Presidential election, the state has not provided enough polling locations for residents to cast their votes. The state chapter of the NAACP contended that the lack of polling places, particularly in districts with large African American populations, who are expected to come out in full force this year, violates the Virginia state Constitution, the United States Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The lawsuit asks the judge to rule for more voting machines in Virginia precincts in order to cut waiting times down to less than 45 minutes for voters, and should the wait exceed 45 minutes, for the passing out of paper ballots for those in line to cast their votes with. It also asks for an extension in the voting day, pushing the poll closing time back to 9:00PM from its current time of 7:00PM.

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While it remains my dream that problems with voter registration, pollworker training, and statewide voter databases be eliminated in every state, I must admit that I’d most prefer that they first be dealt with in swing states. I know, I know swing states get all the attention. The red state voter in Kansas and the blue state voter in California are no less important than the swing state voter in Ohio. And electoral reform should be done for its own sake, not just when it’s convenient for our candidate, right? Right.

Yet, the worst outcome of a troubled electoral process would be if the will of the people was subverted and the aforementioned problems thwarted voter intent. Which is why we ought to pay special attention to problems in the states where the vote will be close.

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President George W. Bush was heckled yesterday at a Fourth of July naturalization ceremony speech he gave at Monticello. Members of the activist group Code Pink protested the Iraq War and the Bush Administration’s policy towards civil liberties in the middle of an address the President was giving at Thomas Jefferson’s gorgeous estate in the rolling hills of the Virginia countryside.

Code Pink protesters hurled the words “war criminal” and “fascism” at Bush almost as soon as he took the stage to address the assembled crowd. After the activists were quieted, or whisked off, by security the President told the gathering. “To my fellow citizens to be, we believe in free speech in the United States of America.” You can see video of the incident below:

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

Nicole Hughes:

Should Drive-Thrus Be Banned?

Eco-Moms Mad About “Greenwash” Barbie

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Andy Kondrat:

Home Depot Will Recycle Your CLF Bulbs for Free

Department of Energy Predicts 50% Energy Increase By 2030

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Jon Popham:

NYC Waterfalls Installation Starts This Week

Capt. John Smith Is Back…and Running for President

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Giulia Rozzi:

Yoga Across the Border

Emile Norman: By His Own Design

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Gina Telaroli:

Silverdocs 08: A Post-Fest Wrap-Up

Human Rights Watch 08: Letter to Anna

Capt. John Smith, one of the earliest 17th Century English explorers of the New World, is back…and running for President. Well, sort of. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is running a fictional Presidential campaign featuring Capt. Smith to draw awareness to needs of the Chesapeake, and the rivers and streams that feed it, for the upcoming Presidential election.

The original European explorer of the Chesapeake, Capt. Smith found a rich environment filled with fish, oysters, and, of course, Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs in his journeys around America’s largest estuary. In the 400 years since the Bay has lost an enormous amount of its vitality due to pollution from the nearby cities of Baltimore and Washington DC plus the enormous runoff of fertilizer and pesticides from farmlands throughout the Chesapeake’s vast watershed stretching through Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and even southern central New York State. The need for restoration has never been greater in order for future generations to be able to enjoy the abundance the Bay has provided throughout all of modern American history dating back to the founding of Jamestown and the Colony of Virginia.

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The Atlantic City Convention Center is planning to build the largest solar paneled roof in the United States. The center is hiring PEPCO Energy Services of Arlington, VA to install solar on 290,000 square feet of its roof. Under the arrangement, PEPCO will pay to install the panels and the Convention Center will then buy the electricity back from PEPCO.

The center says the panels will supply 25% of its electricity needs and will save it aproximately $4.4 Million over the course of the twenty year contract with PEPCO. The project will create 2.36 megawatts of energy each day, enough to fill the electricity needs of 280 homes, making it the largest solar project installed on a single roof in the entire country.

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Three disastrous tornadoes ripped through the Norfolk, Virginia area yesterday afternoon. The twisters, which touched down between 4:30 and 5:00PM, are, at last count, responsible for at least 200 injuries and have caused massive destruction to houses, businesses and property in the region. Thankfully and remarkably no fatalities have been reported thus far as a result of the disaster.

You can watch video coverage of the tornadoes from the Weather Channel by clicking here—->:

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Conservative Virginians are fighting back against their own Governor after he slashed funding for abstinence only education. Timothy Kaine eliminated 275,000 from the state’s budget that was set aside for programs that taught high school students abstinence as a form of sex education and pregnancy prevention. Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell seemed slightly confused about the idea of “separation of church and state” when he expressed his surprise at Kaine’s actions:

“He is a Catholic, and I am a Catholic, and I know our church teaches abstinence,” McDonnell said of Kaine. “I am puzzled by his decision.”

Both parties cite different studies to back-up their claims that teaching kids not to have sex works or doesn’t. On the other end of the sex-education spectrum in New York City, Dr. Michael Carrera has implemented programs across the boroughs that work to empower young women and educate them about their bodies through a community and skill based curriculum. Young people starting at age 12 can participate in programs designed around Carrera’s plan in approximately 20 states throughout the country.In Queens NY, teens at the Jacob Riis Settlement House use Carrera’s ideas in their Project Excel program and just finished their first collaborative CD, “The Triumph - Our Journey, Our Story.” There may not be a study to prove the program’s effectiveness but take a listen to some of the amazing tracks on their myspace page - they’re proof enough that empowerment and creative expression is never the wrong way to go.The debate between how to best prepare America’s teens when it comes to the facts of life is one that will most likely continue for years to come - in the meantime maybe the officials in VA should put their feelings aside and all meet for a date to see Jason Reitman’s latest film Juno when it’s released later this winter, the film has been getting a ton of positive buzz since it played at Toronto earlier this fall: