Kilgore is still using Gate City as a prop it appears

This isn't the first time, by the way, that the Gate City band has been used as a political prop by the Kilgore machine. I do recall them being made to perform at an event in 1994 at the Gate City courthouse for some legislation Terry was working on regarding child abuse or something of that nature while I was a member.  That's one of the more harmless examples and I'm sure that no one objected to getting out of class back then. 

However I am troubled by the story of a girl who got demoted to third chair merely for objecting to performing at a partisan event after school hours.  I'd like Principal Michael Brickey and the Band Director, Rick Lake to explain themselves.  I'd also like to know if all the campaign materials that promote Jerry Kilgore such as these signs indicating the "Road to Richmond Begins Here" have been removed. I'd encourage everyone to email Mr. Brickey to find all this information out at gchprinc@scott.k12.va.us. 

Jerry might be from Gate City. He might have played football for the legendary Harry Fry under the Friday Night Lights of Legion Field, which is as good a place as any to watch a football game in the Commonwealth.  And he might have walked across that stage as a Gate City High School graduate in the late 1970s. But so did a lot of other people, including Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, who do not support his positions, including myself. 

There are lots of folks who graduated from Gate City High School who do not have health insurance or good jobs, and who in general are struggling to get by.  Sadly, this is at least in part because of the failed economic development policies of the Kilgore family, not to mention their reliance on cronyism and soundbites rather than real ideas.

Those people are noticeably absent from the Kilgore event pictures.  I do see Principal Brickey there clapping his hands as well as many of the well to do folks in town that I recognize and have gone to church with in the past.  I see the Honest Reform sign hanging over Jerry Kilgore's head  and realize that's the biggest joke of all -- reminiscent of Orwell's "war is peace" quote.

Jerry Kilgore's friends and family have ran Scott County for much of the past century.  Now, we in Scott County need "honest reform" all right.  The kind of honest reform that comes from real ideas emanating from people who care about things other than their political careers, or about finding their friends and family members good jobs while forgetting about the rest of us.  Scott County and Virginia needs honest reform that comes from throwing the Kilgores out of office and making sure they stay out of office. 

So go ahead, Jerry. Use Gate City High School as a prop.  You can even toss a football around Legion Field and reenact past state championships or bring out the old Big Blue Cannonball to your campaign rallies, but a lot of us from Scott County know who you are and what you really stand for, and you should be scared that the rest of the state will find that out very shortly. 

Coach Harry Fry, who was your football coach in the 1970s on the way to three state championship games always said on Friday Nights in the fall that there are no Republicans and Democrats in Gate City. On Friday Nights everyone loves everyone. That is still true. But on a certain Tuesday in November you'll find a lot of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans from Gate City don't love you as much as you want the rest of the state or Southwest Virginia to think.

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