Sin, Degradation, Vice, Insanity, Debauchery
Cheers RVA!
Today will go from 59 to 79, with a potential shower or thunderstorm in the afternoon. The weekend looks rainy and cooler.
the juice:
Justice department formerly moves to reschedule cannabis, from Schedule I to Schedule III, via the AP. Marijuana will no longer be classified as having more potential for abuse than cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, or oxycodone.
Below is a chart with the number of overdose death caused by various drugs. Most of the drugs are Schedule II and III. Heroin is the only Schedule I drug on the list, and marijuana is not listed. Peyote is also Schedule I and not listed.
the pulp:
Richmond inspector general investigating city’s elections office, from the Mercury
Man found dead with gunshot wound in vehicle in Richmond at the 3600 block of Midlothian Turnpike in South Richmond, from channel 8. Update: another homicide less than 2 miles away on Overlook Street in South Richmond, per channel 6. Police are looking into any possible connections.
the haps:
The University of Richmond is holding their Big Yard Sale this weekend. Furniture, clothing, household items collected by volunteers during move-out week. Remember: $3.2 Billie Endowment + 3890 students = One man’s trash is another man’s treasure! The sale is open to the public on Saturday from 8 am - noon.
the cycle:
The Mayo Bridge will be completely rebuilt, rather than the previous plan of maintaining the piers and replacing only the superstructure.
VDOT has concluded “fully replacing the (Mayo) bridge would be in the public's best interest.” They’re asking for feedback from the public here.
the dive:
“Protests of controversial graduation speakers useful, have a history”, a commentary from Roger Chesley from the Mercury. Chesley relates the recent walk-out on Youngkin at VCU’s graduation to a similar experience he had at Howard University in 1981, when VP George H.W. Bush was speaking at commencement:
It’s also what happened at Howard University more than four decades ago. Then-Vice President George H.W. Bush – representing an administration that repeatedly attacked the quest for racial equality – spoke at the historically Black institution in Washington. I was among the 1,000 graduates receiving degrees that sunny day in 1981.
Chelsey reflecting on how he felt at the VCU commencement:
As I noted earlier, the incident was a déjà vu moment. My mother had pleaded with me the morning of my graduation in 1981 not to protest. I was lukewarm about making any obvious display of disgust toward Bush.
Yet I supported others who turned their backs on the vice president, as dozens did that day. Bush, as a chief representative of the Reagan administration, had to answer for its regressive attitudes on race. If there were no public protest, it would’ve been a tacit approval of the administration’s social actions – some coded, some overt.
As to why students at Howard were upset:
The administration opposed affirmative action and busing for school integration. It threatened to veto an extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which had allowed many Blacks – especially in the South – to finally gain access to the ballot box. (Reagan had opposed the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act during his time in California, where he’d been governor. The landmark laws spurred equality for Black people in America.)
Plus, Reagan had been fond of relaying a story on the campaign trail about a notorious “Chicago welfare queen.” The undertones suggested Black people were getting unfair advantages at the expense of white people, even though the woman in question wasn’t typical of the average welfare recipient.
Check out the full commentary here.
Here’s an article on the same topic from 1981 by the Washington Post. It’s interesting to compare the reporting from 1981 to Chelsey’s commentary in the Virginia Mercury in 2024.
the vibe:
Avoid vicious rackets and have a great day RVA!
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