Virginia@: Your August 16 Sunday Summary ...

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Dear Friend of TJI,

Left-wing rioters rarely need to look far for lawyers when they get in trouble, and Colinford Mattis and Urooj Rahman need one. Mattis and Rahman were dumb enough to get caught on camera throwing a Molotov cocktail into a vandalized and empty NYPD patrol car, in full view of the cops. They drove away in Mattis' van and were quickly chased down and arrested, where more bomb supplies were found in the van. But they need not look far for an attorney: Mattis is a graduate of Princeton and NYU Law school; Rahman, an undergrad and law school grad of Fordham. The New York Left is now arguing that prosecution of the pair for an act of political vandalism is more extreme than the crime itself. National Review calls them "living examples of how hatred of Trump has morphed into a willingness to justify the unjustifiable." (click here)

Meanwhile ...

1.) Perhaps Messrs. Mattis and Rahman will commit their next act here in Virginia, where violent criminals and accused criminals are being been released in the name of COVID. At Bacon's Rebellion, Kerry Dougherty reminds us that those policies don't end well for their victims (click here).

2.) And while plans are afoot by liberals to revive parole and expand good conduct credits (click here), the Inspector General's report demonstrating the Parole Board's violation of the law in releasing cop-killer Vincent Martin (click here and here) is being ignored -- ask the Democrat leadership about it and you get this. The news media is stepping in, with the Roanoke Times asking "Why aren't Democrats doing anything about the parole board report?", noting Republicans "don't have to allege a scandal - there really is one." (click here).

3.) Conservatives, meanwhile are rattling cages where they can with House Republican Leader Todd Gilbert arguing that Martin wasn't legally paroled and should go back to jail (click here), Delegate Jason Miyares filing a special session bill requiring that victims be contacted before release (click here), Senator Bill DeSteph filing a bill requiring Parole Board votes to be on the record (click here), and Senator Mark Obenshain calling on Governor Northam to fire the Parole Board (click here). Meanwhile the Parole Board releases another convicted murderer and, again, appears to have violated the rules (click here).

4.) Not that Virginia House Democrats are letting a crisis go to waste. Their agenda announced Thursday loads up dozens of expensive items from Big Labor's wish list for the special session, and dumping on any company engaged in hiriing employees and producing goods and services. From their spending proposals, one can hardly remember that the original purpose of the special session was to deal with an expected state budget shortfall from COVID. (Click here)

5.) It's not the budget or policing reform, but another issue that deserves full debate is one over a how long a governor should be able to claim near-unlimited powers in times of emergency. The Roanoke Times editorializes here, noting dozens of states that put some limit on a governor's authority.

6.) With most students attending school virtually for at least the first semester, many parents are turning to education "pods" - hiring tutors for small groups of children - to sustain their child's education. In Fairfax County, the school system has correctly made a point of expressing concern that the tutoring pods "may widen the gap in educational access and equity for all students. Many parents cannot afford private instruction. Many working families can't provide transportation to and from a tutoring pod, even if they could afford to pay for the service."

But the concern of the education establishment for poor students ends there, as the teachers unions have so amply demonstrated (click here). The real solution is to equalize opportunity by providing scholarships so parents can avail themselves of educational opportunity when school systems do not meet the need for in-person education. That is the essence of proposals by Delegates Michael Webert and Mark Cole and Senator Amanda Chase (click here, here, and here). We would argue their proposals should be means-tested to help those without the financial resources to help themselves. To be sure, the bills would still be opposed by the teachers unions. But refusing to work in the schools while still opposing aid for the poor would make it clear that the unions put the children most hurt by school closures last.

7.) Or maybe the unions put their members last. The National Education Association (NEA) was so anxious to support Hillary Clinton in 2016 that they endorsed her a year in advance, pouring resources into her campaign (angering many Bernie Sanders fans). Yet, only about half the teachers voted for Clinton; about a third voted for Donald Trump; the rest voted third party or did not vote (click here and here). Members of the NEA, however, continue to see 100% of their dues (in Virginia, up to $700 a year) devoted to politics and policies half the members due not agree with. Which may explain why the Thomas Jefferson Institute's VATeacherChoice program is gaining such traction in the Commonwealth (click here).

8.) Joe Biden's selection of Kamala Harris has prompted a spate of racial memes and one-liners from those who think they are clever. They are not, and it needs to stop. Such tactics only serve the Left, which seeks to stereotype conservatives as ignorant racists in a time of racial divide. And getting it to stop is going to require self-policing on the Right.

9.) Besides which, Senator Harris' policies and performance provide plenty of grist for reasoned opposition. The editors of National Review point out that Senator Harris is a Moderate only when compared to others in her Party: A moderate autocrat, anti-Catholic bigot, monopolist on health care, ignoramus on the Constitution who is only moderately honest (click here). Piling on, NR offers a host of other reasons here. Meanwhile, over at The Wall Street Journal, Jason Riley points out that the last female Democratic VP candidate was a Catholic woman from Queens - who lost Catholics and women (click here). And Kimberly Strassel calls Harris "the definition of political mediocrity." (click here).

Finally ... Les Gabriel, a Friend of TJI, calls our attention to a young entrepreneur who reminds us of why capitalism thrives over socialism. We may be seeing the next Jeff Bezos.

Happy Sunday, Everyone.

Find a lemonade stand and buy.

Cordially,