I arrived in the Old Dominion in 1958 as an 18 year old college freshman. I knew little about the state except whatever might be implied in Bruce Catton's works or gleaned from the lives of the saints (Washington, Jefferson, etc.)
I quickly came to underdstand that The Washington Post desperately hated Virginia. That has never changed. Perhaps the hatred could be overcome if only they (we) were not so damned nearby.
pl
I thought they only hated Richard Nixon. That aside, the sooner political districts are drawn by others, rather than by politicians, the better off the country will be.
Posted by: Lars | 17 February 2012 at 07:30 PM
Note for the record that in 1958 the Republicans were the liberals in Virginia. Massive Resistence was beginning to collapse but several school systems closed rather than integrate. Not sure about how racial integration came about at VMI!
Posted by: William R. Cumming | 17 February 2012 at 08:03 PM
WRC
It was never an issue. VMI accepted the law as soon as it was directed to do so by state govenment in the mid-60s. As people know, the alumni (and the state)fought a long fight over the admission of women. Nearly all the money ($14 million)spent in that defense was alumni money, some of it mine. There are now quite a few eductors who think that single sex education is not such a bad idea. Let's not re-fight that one. pl
Posted by: turcopolier | 17 February 2012 at 08:08 PM
WRC:
Integration came to VMI belatedly and reluctantly to VMI, I believe in September 1968. It was accomplished by the then Superintendent George R. E. Shell. It occurred despite the belief of many alumni that it would destroy VMI. I have read the letter, and while the general tone is the Virginia paternalistic attitude toward African-Americans with the use of the occasional epitaph to describe African-Americans.
Pat:
You are correct the Washington-Post does not like the state of politics in the Commonwealth of Virginia, nor would I suspect many Virginians. WRC was correct that at one the Republicans were the progressives in Virginia politics. A. Linwood Holton a W&L graduate was the first republican governor since reconstruction. I still have vivid image of him escorting his daughter to the Richmond Public Schools as show of support for integration. That daughter is now the wife of Tim Kaine and Linwood Holton can look at the Republican Party in Virginia and see the old Democratic Party of Virginia.
Gerrymandering, name after the then Governor of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbridge_Gerry, Governor of Massachusetts. Gerrymandering can be conquered, look at California, who through a voter refrundum will have the most competitive elections in the falloff 2012. There is no question we need reform, and it will come but it will be ugly until then. BTW even the Richmond Times Dispatch thinks there is a problem.
Posted by: Townie76 | 17 February 2012 at 08:24 PM
My paternal grandmother took pleasure in horrifying my mother with Christmas gifts of t-shirts and sweatshirts printed with "Better dead than co-ed." Red with yellow lettering. Lest anyone think her uneducated, she was W&M '36 with a masters degree.
Posted by: Trent | 17 February 2012 at 09:07 PM
The Old Dominion, birthplace of Washington and Lee. Of course the Wapco can't stand them, either. Not to worry, I'm sure the WAPO will take up editorializing of the redistricting efforts in Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin birthplace, not of Gerrymandering, but of carpet-baggers. (Along with a few of predatory capitalist states.)
Posted by: Fred | 17 February 2012 at 11:58 PM
Just remember that WAPO is a front for the Kaplan Corp. long named as a for profit college ripping off the student loan program as its business model.
Posted by: William R. Cumming | 18 February 2012 at 03:34 AM
townie76. Your moniker would indicate that you are a native of Lexington, Virginia who graduated from VMI in '76. Is that so? I would guess that you are the child if a faculty person at one of the two colleges.
The period 1965-73 is one big blur for me with the label "war" writ plain upon it. '68 was a particularly big year. '68 is the mid-sixties to me. It appears that acceptance of the law is not good enough for you. You seem to want everyone to have been " pure of heart" over integration. Obedience to the law is not enough for you?
I was not and am not interested in the issue of gerrymandering in VA. The Post is interested only because it results in fewer of its favorites being elected. pl
Posted by: turcopolier | 18 February 2012 at 08:56 AM
The WaPo hatred of Virginia even extends to sports coverage, where Maryland and District teams get much more space than those from the Old Dominion. I suspect it is because most Post journalists are both politically liberal, disliking Virginia because it was the heart of the old confederacy, and residents of places like Cleveland Park where they are, by choice, next door to "progressive" Maryland.
Posted by: Phil Giraldi | 19 February 2012 at 08:10 AM
WaPo journalists politically liberal? That's odd; I was under the impression that the editorial page of the Washington Post was pretty conservative, neo-conservative in fact.
Posted by: Medicine Man | 19 February 2012 at 02:09 PM
MM
Neocons are not "conservative." That is a sad joke. They are right wing nationalists and Zionists overseas and a variety of things domestically. pl
Posted by: turcopolier | 19 February 2012 at 03:53 PM