This weekend I will be returning to my hometown of Gate City, Virginia to attend my 10 year high school reunion. I have anticipated this engagement for quite some time now, as it is chance to reunite with old friends, some of whom I haven't seen since I received my diploma over 10 years ago.No doubt my former classmates and myself will be catching up on old times, reliving memories of our youth, discussing all our accomplishments during the past ten years, and talking about our plans for the future. I anticipate it truly being a wonderful event, and one I will cherish for years to come.
As many of you know, my hometown of Gate City is also the hometown of Jerry Kilgore. While I know there are a some fellow democrats and Tim Kaine supporters from my class who will be in attendance, I am also quite sure that the vast majority of reunion attendees who still reside in Virginia will be voting for Jerry Kilgore. After all, Scott County is heavily populated with Republicans, and to have a hometown boy only a month away from becoming governor of the whole state, well that's just something to be
proud of!
Prior to the debate between Tim Kaine and Jerry Kilgore this past Sunday, I was inclined to simply attend my reunion and try to have a great time without initiating any political discussion. I mean, with so many Kilgorites in attendance, what's the point? They see Jerry as a savior; someone who can put Gate City on the map, someone in high office that understands them, and someone who can represent their views and personal beliefs. A true hometown hero!
What concerns me though, especially after watching the debate on Sunday and the recent flush of lies and negativity the Kilgore campaign has put in advertisements, is this: does Kilgore truly reflect the views of my former classmates? Do they trust Jerry Kilgore as much as Jerry Kilgore supposedly "trusts the people?" Do they believe Tim Kaine would actually defend Adolf Hitler?
After much thought and consideration, I have come to the conclusion that if I were given the opportunity to sit down and talk to each and every one of my former classmates for about five minutes, and were able to tell them the truth about Jerry Kilgore, I could potentially sway the majority of them in the direction of Tim Kaine and all he has to offer for the great state of Virginia.
If I had five minutes with each former classmate, I would tell them how Tim Kaine has helped Mark Warner to turn our state's budget crisis around, and how Tim Kaine is a hard working man of the Christian faith who is truly devote in his beliefs, but knows how to keep them separate from his job as a public official. I would tell them about Tim Kaine's desire to help Virginia's schools and about his pre-K proposal. I would tell them how Tim Kaine plans to improve our congested highways, expand healthcare, protect our fragile environment, and continue to uphold the laws of our state, including the death penalty.
Given five minutes I would also inform them of all the darkness and wrong doings associated with Jerry Kilgore, his family, and members of his campaign team, none of which they are likely to see and read about in local papers such as the Kingsport Times News. I would tell them that if Jerry Kilgore had his way, our state's budget would still be in shambles, and one of the hardest hit sectors would be our public schools. I would inform them that while Jerry Kilgore claims to be a believer in the "culture of life,"
he refused to say whether he would sign a bill outlawing abortion if Roe v. Wade were overturned.
Then I would tell them about Russ Potts, the other Republican on the ballot for Governor. I would tell them how terrified Jerry Kilgore is of this man, who, while possessing many faults of his own, is without a doubt a far more decent and less corrupt Republican than Mr. Kilgore. I would inform them how Jerry has refused to participate in a debate that featured Mr. Potts and himself, even though Russ clearly earned a spot on the November 8th ballot.
I would also give my former classmates a list of Jerry's close and personal friends, especially the ones who have contributed to his campaign strategy of lies, deception, and avoidance. This list would include prominent individuals such as King Pharmaceutical founder and leading Kilgore campaign contributor John Gregory, who has convinced Jerry to oppose Governor Warner's executive law limiting amount of pseudoephedrine a person can buy in any given 30-day period simply because Gregory's company manufactures ingredients used to make the deadly drug methamphetamine.
Also on that list would be Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, so-called religious leaders who specialize in bigotry and preaching hate, and who have somehow convinced a large proportion of Virginians, including Jerry Kilgore, that they have been sent by God himself to warn us of the evil and wicked ways of gays, feminists, and Bill Clinton.
And lets not forget Jerry's media advisor Scott Howell, who, while aiding Kilgore and other Republicans, has employed racism, sexism, extreme hatred, and down right lies to further his clientele, failing to showcase any form of class, dignity, or self-respect.
Wait, I forgot about Willie Mae! Too bad, I only had five minutes.
As much as I would love to have the opportunity to discuss the aforementioned information with my classmates in five-minute intervals, the truth is that I simply won't have time, and I seriously doubt they would all give me five minutes of their time to discuss politics anyway. However, I feel it is my duty to Tim Kaine, my fellow Democrats, and ALL Virginians that I attempt a few impromptu chats, whether it be deep and philosophical, or just throwing out some key facts and statistics. Its just going to be my little way of giving back to the Class of 95'. Go Big Blue!!
Shawn Becker
Grayson County, Virginia