Opinion Columnists for InsideNova.com

And now, the Second Annual Write Scott’s Column Contest

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Back by popular demand — and, yes, I consider one demand to be wildly popular — it’s the Write Scott’s Column While He Is On Vacation or Performing His Court-Ordered Community Service Contest.

Inside the First Amendment

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

George Carlin is gone, but the kinds of free-speech conflicts he skewered in his comedic routines live on. So does the national debate over where First Amendment protections end and government regulation begins on broadcast speech and speech in public.

State of the Union? Not so good

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

I was casually taking my semi-annual stock of the nation the other day in which I closely examine various societal components and gauge their progress, or a lack, thereof, when compared to past activity — specifically home values, unemployment, gas prices, stocks, and business and personal bankruptcies — and I have come up with a rather unsettling conclusion.

Questioning patriotism

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Patriotism. The free online dictionary defines “Patriotic” as “Feeling, expressing, or inspired by love for one’s country.” It’s a word we use a lot, especially this time of year.

My love affair with automobiles

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Many things have changed in my life over the years, but one thing has remained constant: my love affair with automobiles.

No time for a tax increase

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The harder times get the more most of us have to come to one conclusion: there is a difference between needs and wants. Could someone please tell the state Senate that as well?

One-term limit for McCain?

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

How bad is it for John McCain? Some of his supporters keep suggesting he would have a better shot at the White House if he promised to serve only one term.

O Beautiful

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

America…
Founded by 18 century English colonial aristocrats who used 17 century British philosophers and classical figures and forms of government as their guide.

Feel the power of the giant animal and/or mascot

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Kermit Love, a costume designer who helped create Sesame Street’s iconic Big Bird character, has died at the age of 91. We never met (I’m speaking of Kermit. Big Bird and I both appeared in an off-Broadway production of “Road House: The Musical” back in the ‘80s. Ah, good times...wait, that wasn’t me.)

Blocked from the American Dream

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

I am my mother’s American dream. I was born in Fairfax Inova Hospital.

25 years

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:02 EDT

Yesterday was my 25th wedding anniversary. Now, 25 years seems like a long time. I’ve been married over half of my life now — longer than I was single. Long enough to know whether I’ll get in trouble for this column.

25 years

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Comic genius

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The last time I paid to see George Carlin as a stand-up comic, he was not particularly funny. Nor, I suspect, did he really mean to be.

Aloha state curbs gun violence

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

According to the Violence Policy Center, The Aloha state has fewer deaths by gunfire per 100,000 residents than any other state. The VPC attributes this to a no-nonsense attitude by state officials concerning the purchase, registration, licensing, transportation and use of all types of firearms.

A life lived with love and passion

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

A little more than a week ago America lost a giant in journalism, politics and life. Tim Russert was to politics what a nice warm blanket is in the middle of winter — total comfort.

Forgotten but not gone

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

As gigs go in this troubled economy, it’s not so bad being a profoundly unpopular lame-duck president.

The cost of gas and vacation

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

School’s out. No matter what the calendar might say, for all intents and purposes, it is summer. And it’s time to travel, right?

Rainy days and Mondays

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

OK, kids, I know that the Carpenters are so old school that they’re off the radar. Much of what I like seems to be old school.

Pump up the volume, pay the price

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

In 1971, British rockers T. Rex, lead by singer Marc Bolan, encouraged listeners in their second U.K. No. 1 song to “get it on, bang a gong, get it on.”

When abortion is not a choice

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:01 EDT

I oppose abortion, because taking the innocent life of an unborn child is wrong, and inconsistent with the respect for life embodied in the foundations of our country. One look at an ultrasound reveals the human qualities of the unborn. I was reminded of this when I saw the fetuses with their tiny hands and feet presented at the recent “Bodies” exhibit crossing the country.

Save global warming for winter

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

If the rain and humidity in Prince William got you down earlier this week, some of you may take comfort in knowing that I am becoming human toast under the cloudless skies of Arizona.

The economic spoiling of an American icon — Budweiser

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

How many six-packs can you get with $46.4 billion?

Earn big money in Canada

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

How would you like a job that will pay you, after a relatively short training period, up to $130,000 a year? Looks too good to be true? Not so. If you are able-bodied and can drive a large (actually, very large) truck, Alberta, Canada may have a job waiting for you.

Race and the presidency

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

“Who are you? And how can you write such crap?”
So began an e-mail fired off to me at 7:37 a.m. Thursday. A Hillary Clinton fan outside Detroit had read my column saying a so-called Obama-Clinton “dream ticket” was anything but.

Passing on scientific passion

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:00:01 EDT

I had the opportunity to visit a local company this week and watched scientists passionate about their topic. But these scientists, while they enjoy their jobs, were there for another passion — encouraging young people to study science, math, or engineering in college.

Dang! I shouldn’t have waived nail-gun coverage

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Chances are, I will be shot in the head with a nail gun.

Stuck on ‘stupid’

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

“Stupid” is such a stupid little word, and certainly politically incorrect, but it does sort of get to the heart of the matter, yes? I’m not talking about the fairly mild, almost humorous term that was used more than 15 years (and increasingly again today) in the oft-quoted “it’s the economy, stupid.” Today’s definition of “stupid” seems to cut a bit closer to the bone.

Has the GOP bottomed out?

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Be careful for what you ask for. You just might get it.

Better mileage, lower gas cost

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

How would you like to reduce your gasoline expense by more than $250 monthly? If you are a typical motorist who drives 13,000 miles annually, half in the city and half on the open road, you can do this easily. Simply trade in your gas-guzzling, 8-cylinder sport-and-utility vehicle (SUV) on a small 4-cylinder sedan.

Better warnings when a twister approaches

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Last Wednesday, I got a frantic phone message on my cell phone from my wife. The nervous tone of her voice said it all, “there is a tornado warning in Southeastern Prince William County, I think you had better pay attention to the news.”

Obama-Clinton ticket is no dream

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Nobody listens to Jimmy Carter anymore, but once in a while, they should.

Now for the vice president

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 00:00:01 EDT

All right. We’re now set on our presidential candidates for November — John McCain and Barack Obama. With a couple of months left until the conventions, all speculation will be turning to the vice presidential candidates.

The micro revolution

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Back when I was in school, we used to spend a lot of time sitting around. Actually, that sentence could end right there since that is what literature majors do.

Hey, kids, just say no to mooning

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The following is a public service announcement.

How desperate can GOP be?

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:01 EDT

If you really wonder about all the talk about Republicans being in a real quandary this election cycle without offering a “viable brand” to voters, as the politicos like to say, we have to look no further than my mailbox this week.

Obama gets it wrong

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Ever since they took the reigns of government in 2007, the Democrats have been trying to “end the war” in Iraq by quitting the fight and leaving Iraq in the hands of our enemies. Time and again the House and Senate took up legislation to force troop withdrawals and to deny money for supplies and weapons.

Who will be Barack Obama’s running mate?

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

By mid-summer, presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-IL, 46, will have to select a running mate who shares his vision for the future and who also will appeal to a broad section of the electorate.

In 2009, college affordability should be a priority

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

In just a few weeks many of our young people will walk across stage, grasp their well-earned diploma, toss their tassel to the opposite side and enter into the kingdom of adulthood.
Welcome! Now comes the fun part, trying to pay for college.

McClellan book shows conflicted author

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Near the end of “What Happened,” Scott McClellan’s tough-love critique of President Bush and his failed presidency, he recounts a bizarre and telling moment in the Oval Office.

Fixing our housing mess

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

I’ve spoken about housing issues before, mostly in reference to how expensive it is to live in this county. I commended Chris Martino on his proposal to use interest income to keep mortgage interest rates low. I was astounded to hear on the news that towns near military bases have hugely high foreclosure rates, with Woodbridge being the second highest. And I am frustrated, as many are, about the lack of action on the government’s part to help us out of the crisis.

Warning — Don’t flush wrench down the toilet

Sat, 31 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The intergalactic keg party is in jeopardy. That’s because someone clogged the space toilet.

Liberty wall: A fitting symbol

Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The “Liberty wall” in Manassas is a pro-immigrant billboard at 9500 Liberty Street in Manassas City, facing the Manassas train station. It is 12 feet tall and 40 feet wide.

Hide-and-seek politics

Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

I’m not sure what they wound up playing, but I know what theme song they could have blared out in that hall in Phoenix earlier this week when John McCain surreptitiously squirreled George Bush inside for their covert fundraiser. When in doubt, look to John Lennon, so how about “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” by the Beatles?

Staying home on the holidays

Wed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The National Zoo is a nice place to take the wife and kids on the weekend because it’s free. Parking is a different story.

Questions and answers about abortion rights

Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

On May 20, a federal appeals court in Richmond overturned for the second time Virginia’s law on late-term abortions. The court ruled that the law created an “undue burden” on women by going beyond the guidelines set last year by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Gonzales v. Carhart.

Take the time out to remember the fallen

Mon, 26 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Let’s take a time-out from the daily grind for a minute, it’s Memorial Day.
But the time out is not so we can catch our breath from the daily commute or because its an opportunity to pile into our vehicles and get an early start on vacationing, although that is what’s going to happen.

By focusing on twin cities, GOP risks losing sight of the south

Mon, 26 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Nothing says capital-D Democrat like the lions of the left from Minnesota — Hubert Humphrey, Eugene McCarthy and Walter Mondale.

A sad little memorial

Sun, 25 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

A little while ago, about three blocks from where we live, an unfortunate young man came through an intersection and slammed into a traffic light pole. It happened about 4 a.m., but we did not know about it until we saw the pictures on television later from the news helicopters.

Non-smoking, please

Sun, 25 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

When I moved to California a little over a year and a half ago to attend college, I knew that life on the west coast would be very different from the comfort of Woodbridge, which has been my home for nearly twenty years.

Is it too good to be true?

Sun, 25 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

I’ve always lived by the motto, “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.” It has saved me lots of money and heartache in my short life. That’s why I am looking for the small print in Chris Martino’s recent proposal before the Board of County Supervisors about helping county employees purchase homes.

Return my bootey, matey

Sat, 24 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Thank goodness divers off the Florida Keys found my 385-year-old gold toothpick and earwax spoon.
I’ve been looking for that sucker everywhere.

The possibility of a gift that keeps on giving

Fri, 23 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

CONCANNON FIRE

Looking for the quick fix

Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Last week I discussed the absurdity of the Democrats saying we need to end our dependence on foreign oil, but prohibiting new drilling to accomplish that goal. But the problem isn’t just Democrats — sometimes there’s a bipartisan rush to enact meaningless legislation.

Choose your own reality, pilgrim

Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

When our founding fathers still walked the Earth in their dogged pursuit of creating a new nation 232 years ago, surely they did not have in mind the electronic images of Bill O’Reilly, Chris Matthews, Keith Obermann and Wolf Blitzer showing up on glass screens in our living rooms every night.

Learn some Spanish just for fun

Tue, 20 May 2008 00:00:01 EDT

Over the years my wife and I have hosted 11 international students. Nine were high school students who lived in our home during the school year and the other two — both college students — lived on campus, though they visited with us regularly.

Experiencing frustration at Potomac Mills

Mon, 19 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

As I often like to do, it is time to respond to your thoughts.
This week I want to take a moment to insert a couple of comments that were made about a recent article I did on the transportation situation at Potomac Mills.

Electing the president … of West Virginia

Mon, 19 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Let’s declare Hillary Clinton the president of West Virginia and get on with life.

Generations at work

Sun, 18 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Let’s agree that there is no such thing as a typical baby boomer. There are, however, average boomers.

20 years of marital bliss

Sun, 18 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

On our 20th anniversary, my lovely, red-headed wife and I sat down and took an honest assessment of our relationship, how far we had come in our two decades together and what the future holds for a couple of crazy kids that everyone said would never make it.

Another so-called war on poverty in the United States

Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

CONCANNON FIRE

Drilling for an energy plan

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:01 EDT

When President Bush took office in 2001, the price of oil was around $30 a barrel. Six years later the price had doubled. Democrats promised voters they had “a common sense plan to help bring down skyrocketing gas prices.” On October 20, 2006, just before the Democrats took over Congress, a barrel of oil was about $57.

Will the real John McCain please stand up

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Some of us may be old enough to vaguely recall a nearly forgotten movie with the title, “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?” While that 50 year-old film starring Tony Randall and Jayne Mansfield has nothing to do with politics, it might suggest an increasingly apt phrase for John McCain these days. (Now if only McCain’s real name was Rock.)

Road plan looks like road kill

Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Gov. Tim Kaine pitched his $1.1 billion transportation plan during a news conference on Monday, asking lawmakers for an assortment of tax increases to pay the bills.

Split the entree and you can lose the weight!

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:01 EDT

Some people are born to fatness. Others have to get there.
— Les Murray (poet)

A warning about gang clothes

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:01 EDT

I can remember gangs even in small-town Mississippi where I grew up as a teenager.

Hillary and the golden handshake

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

What will it take to get Hillary Clinton to quit?

Teachers taken for granted

Sun, 11 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

This week, the Prince William County School Board approved the budget for next school year. The budget, as per previous agreements, was heavily influenced by the actions of the Board of County Supervisors. The Board of County Supervisors got what they wanted — a lower tax rate.

A refusal to go any further

Sun, 11 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

When I was in high school, I thought Albert Camus was the coolest thing since hot buttered toast.

Primaries overshadow squirrel

Sat, 10 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

I want my news back.
The seemingly endless Democratic presidential nomination drags on and on, grinding its way from one state to the next with countless annoying robocalls and bucketloads of empty speechifying, even though experts tell us the only way Hillary Clinton can win is to clone her own superduper delegates in a secret lab or produce incriminating photos of Barack Obama kissing the Rev. Jeremiah Wright full on the mouth while simultaneously setting fire to an American flag.

Quality over quantity

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:01 EDT

Tomorrow marks the end of Drinking Water Week around the country. Every year, the Prince William County Service Authority calls attention to the occasion to remind our customers and the community to consider the tremendous value and necessity of one of life’s most precious resources.

Branching out, but losing roots

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

I still remember the look on my wife’s face when I took her to her first NASCAR race five years ago. The race was in Dover, Del., which is a tame venue when compared to tracks in Talladega, Ala., or Bristol, Tenn.

Exceeding expectations

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:01 EDT

A few weeks ago, I wrote a rather scathing column about the one dollar advertised County property tax rate. While I mentioned it was the maximum rate, not the final rate, I expressed doubt that any lower rate would be considered: “the final rate could theoretically be lower. However, I wouldn’t expect it.”

The public pandering game

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

You can learn a lot about the mettle of a presidential candidate by how well she (or he) panders to the masses. Pandering, of course, is a way of life in politics and everybody does it. The trick, I suppose, from a cynical point of view, is not to let on that you are pandering, even when it’s clear beyond any shadow of a doubt that you are.

City Democrats make strides

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The opinion piece you printed on, May 5 in which you criticized the Manassas Democratic Party for not fielding candidates in the Manassas City Council election seemed to contradict itself. You say we need choice and then you denigrate a group working to provide it.

You, too, can be a columnist

Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:01 EDT

“Let us dare to read, think, speak and write”
— John Adams (1765)

Cue the pander bear

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

A year ago last March, the Republican National Committee sent someone in a “pander bear” suit to crash a Hillary Clinton fundraiser at a Washington hotel.

When taxes are worth it

Sun, 04 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Well, it’s finally done. The Prince William Board of County Supervisors have finally decided on a tax rate and, thus, a budget. It’s been a long process and, in the end, I fear that we are in for a tumultuous year.

It’s all about the fatback

Sat, 03 May 2008 00:00:01 EDT

The key to a long life? Eat plenty of fatback.

A failure to communicate

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:00:01 EDT

CONCANNON FIRE

Like a movie that never ends

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

While the Democrats continue to peck away at one another like a gaggle of angry geese, giving John McCain an unexpectedly wide range of travel options for unfamiliar GOP territory like New Orleans and Selma, one major factor of the campaign-that-never-ends may be rather overlooked.

A bill that supports our troops

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

I didn’t have much in common with my fellow veterans when I joined the American Legion 12 years ago. American Legion Post 117 was still dominated by the old guard-the “Dubya Dubya Two” gang as younger vets liked to call them.

No fly zone for the president

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

As soon as he takes office in January, President Barack Obama should cancel the presidential helicopter replacement program.

Parking is the new challenge

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

A day in the life of commuting, specifically slugging, can be hectic and it can be a delicate system that is easily upset.

In it to win it, but at what cost?

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Another primary and still no finality for Democrats.
Hillary Clinton claims the tide is turning toward her. The seemingly never-ending race goes on.

What is happening to society?

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Why are people becoming more violent? Why are we losing our humanity?

Touched by an angel

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Bea Jackson doesn’t look like anyone’s idea of an angel. She wouldn’t be mistaken for one of the flaxen haired creatures with iridescent wings and flowing robes that grace Christmas cards in season, but she is an angel nonetheless.

Gorak, meet Stephen. He’s smart

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Stephen Hawking has always been among my favorite astrophysicists. I’ve got his rookie card and planned to paint a large “K” on my bare chest so the gang and I could spell out HAWKING on the front row at his next lecture.

A brokered convention for Democrats

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

CONCANNON FIRE

Abortion as art: Breaking rules

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

This column deals with a very disturbing story that you may not have heard. Many of you will find this offensive or even shocking.

The lost golden age of travel

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Remember when traveling used to be fun? Sort of fun anyway? It was probably never really a barrel of laughs (except maybe on those redeye flights out of Las Vegas), but hardly was it the most frustrating thing to do, either. Like it is now.

When a relay is a forced march

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

A strange thing happened last week. I went to a fight and an Olympic torch relay broke out

Let’s expand ‘strict liability’

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

There is a legal concept known as “strict liability,” sometimes also referred to as “absolute liability.” It means, in essence, that a person or a company can be held liable for damages to others even though the person was not negligent and did not commit an overt act of any kind to cause the harm.

On the journey from bitterness to hope

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

I am not Catholic but I am sure glad Pope Benedict XVI came to America last week.

Candidates battle to cut taxes

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

It wouldn’t be a presidential campaign without charges that Democrats will raise your taxes.

No respect for our educators

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

In reference to a recent column, a reader wrote to me and asked me if anything made me upset.

Please, just let me keep my pants on

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

I had a decision to make: Should I slip into the bright red boxer briefs, dig through the dirty clothes or go commando?

What we know about Obama

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Concannon Fire

Column: Summer movies

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:24:00 EDT

Staff Writer Josh Eiserike shares his thoughts on pop culture in his weekly column.

A taxing problem

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Tuesday was tax day, the day when we are all supposed to have completed and mailed our federal tax returns. I am notoriously bad about filing my tax forms — I just finished my 2006 returns over the weekend.

An end to the D.C. gun law

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

On March 18, the U. S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the District of Columbia’s law prohibiting private ownership of handguns.