Former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell should lose his pension because of his felony conviction, the state’s attorney general said Tuesday.
In an advisory opinion sought by Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), Attorney General Mark R. Herring (D) said that under a law McDonnell signed in 2011, the ex-governor must relinquish his benefits because he was convicted of a felony related to on-the-job conduct.
“The governor asked for this opinion just to make sure we were clear on the law and the process here, since this is the first time this has happened,” McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy said.
The law, written after a state delegate’s felony conviction on bribery charges, has never been interpreted by a court.
At issue were three things: who employs the state’s governor; when the conviction takes effect — at the time of the jury verdict or after all appeals are exhausted; and which benefits must be forfeited — the pension coming from the job held when the offense was committed or all state pensions and benefits earned.
Once in a blue moon….Happy Blue Moon Friday!
A full moon is coming Friday night that is unlike anything we’ve seen since 2012 and that we will not see again until early 2018. It’s called a blue moon.
Despite the name, the color of the moon will not change. This full moon is special because it is the second one to occur this month — that’s what a “blue moon” is. The first full moon happened on July 2.
Seeing two full moons in the same month is a rare phenomenon that takes place only about once every 2 1/2 years. The next blue moon will not come until January 31, 2018.
The reason we have blue moons in the first place is that the length of a calendar month on Earth is not equal to a lunar month, or the time it takes a phase of the moon to repeat (e.g., the time between two full moons or two new moons).
I am always one to celebrate anything having to do with the moon. So happy Blue Moon Day! (also happy birthday, Moe Davis!)
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Sister Joan Chittister: Opposing abortion doesn’t make you pro-life
In one simple quote, Sister Joan Chittister, O.S.B. sums up the hypocrisy in the ‘pro-life’ movement:
“I do not believe that just because you’re opposed to abortion, that that makes you pro-life. In fact, I think in many cases, your morality is deeply lacking if all you want is a child born but not a child fed, not a child educated, not a child housed. And why would I think that you don’t? Because you don’t want any tax money to go there. That’s not pro-life. That’s pro-birth. We need a much broader conversation on what the morality of pro-life is.”
Applying labels doesn’t really define a political position. Too many people would force a woman to give birth and then leave her stranded with no means of support.
Much of the pro-choice movement is about economic empowerment. When I was growing up, before Roe vs Wade was decided, having a baby outside of wedlock was possible the second worse thing that could happen to you. You were shunned by society for starters. You lost your job, your health care, and all possible means of supporting yourself.
It’s no wonder some women sought abortion. What society sowed, let it reap. It is only when women have total control over their own reproductive choices do they have real economic empowerment. Children who are born but not fed, educated sheltered or cared for have very little chance. They are once again at the mercy of a society that doesn’t want their precious tax dollars to go to help people living in poverty.
So we have come full circle. Once again society will reap what it has sown.
Sister Joan Chittister’s website: Joanchittister.org
