August 26, 2015 


Delegate Ken Plum's 
Virginia E-News

Delegate Plum speaking to members of Christ the Servant Lutheran Church in Reston as part of their 40th anniversary celebration.

Commentary  

Both Sides of the Wall
Delegate Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum
Recently a place of worship in the community asked me to be a speaker in their summer worship series. After getting past the frightening idea that I was to preach a sermon, I started to focus on the fact that I live my life on both sides of the wall that separates church and state. As an historian I know that the Virginia General Assembly in 1786 passed one of the most revolutionary laws ever enacted by it or any other legislative body: the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. Not only did it end an established state church supported by taxpayers, but it put into law the idea of freedom of conscience. As Jefferson expressed it in the Statute, "no man...shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge or affect their civil capacities."
 
Earlier of course Jefferson had penned the Declaration of Independence with the pronouncement that "all men are created equal and are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Note that Jefferson never claimed that those rights that could not be taken away came from his god, but rather they came from "their (humankind's) creator" suggesting that different persons could believe in different creators or gods.
 
These ideas that defined the wall between church and state made their way into the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights. For the first time in history there were to be no state established churches; individuals were left to choose and believe as their conscience dictated.
 
There continues to be a debate as to whether we are a Christian nation. Patrick Henry wanted the Virginia Statute to guarantee Christian religion, but his arguments failed. We are one nation "under God" only because a law in 1954 added those words to the Pledge of Allegiance. There are Christians of many denominations in our country as there are many Jews, Muslims, people of other religions and of no religion. None have legal sanction or supremacy over the others.
 
I live my life on both sides of the wall. Privately I am a person of faith. My religious beliefs support my moral beliefs. I believe I should love my neighbor as myself regardless of their race, creed, color, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation. And I believe that loving others requires me to do all I can to ensure their life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.
 
On the public side of the wall as an elected official I continue to hold my religious beliefs; they motivate me to vote for legislation to protect all citizens' rights to vote, to get an education and to live a life free of discrimination. My moral compass is under-girded by my faith, but that does not mean I think my particular beliefs should be the law of the land.
 
The wall between church and state is intended to protect each person's right to their own beliefs--to protect my freedom of conscience...not my freedom from conscience. I feel I must use my moral compass on both sides of the wall.
 

Virginia Report on Comcast Channel 28
  
Tune in to Ken's weekly television program, Virginia Report, on Reston Comcast Channel 28 for public service programming (Verizon Channel 1981). Ken interviews state and local leaders who are making news by making a difference.

TONIGHT- Wednesday, August 26 at 10:30 p.m., Delegate Plum talks with Florence Navarro and Khrissee Ware of Empowered Women International  
  
Tuesday, September 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, September 2 at 10:30 p.m., Delegate Plum talks with Daria Parnes of the Reston Regional Library
 
Virginia Report is also available for viewing online at https://vimeo.com/album/1650266.


Bulletin Board 
 
Public Meeting on Transportation Projects

Fairfax County will hold a public meeting on September 17, 2015, to solicit comments on the proposed FY 2016 Transportation Alternative Program projects. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. at the Fairfax County Department of Transportation, 4050 Legato Road, Suite 400, Fairfax. County staff will make presentations about the program, followed by a question-and-answer session. Details are at Provide Input. 

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Click on the image to go to Montpelier's website.
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2015 Preference Poll Offers Five Candidates
To Fill Three Vacancies

 
The Reston Community Center (RCC) Board of Governors announces five candidates for its 2015 Preference Poll. This year's candidates are Karol Anderson, William G. Bouie, Lisa Sechrest-Ehrhardt, Richard Titus, and Gerald Zavala. See more at: Preference Poll.
 
 

Calendar of Events  
 
Monday, August 31, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., Inside Scoop, Fairfax Public Access Television Station, 2929-S Eskridge Road, Fairfax. Meet the Virginia State Senate and House of Delegates candidates. Members of the public can submit questions by e-mail and phone during the broadcast. More information is at lwv-fairfax.org or download a flyer here.

Tuesday, September 8, deadline for submission to ArtSpace Herndon's 7th annual Expressions Portrait Competition. Details are at Expressions Portrait Exhibit.
 
Tuesday, September 8, 1:00 p.m., the Reston Garden Club Meeting will be held at the Walker Nature Center, 11450 Glade
Drive in Reston. Guest speaker, Karen Rexrode, will be constructing and putting together a "Miniature Garden," combining dwarf and alpine plants, figurines and accents to create a delightful and enchanting garden in miniature. Guests and members welcome. For more information, visit therestongardenclub.org.  

Thursday, September 10, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Public Information Meeting on the Dulles Toll Road Bridges, in the Herndon Middle School Cafeteria, 901 Locust Street, Herndon. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will host a public information meeting on the project which involves maintenance of five bridges over the Dulles Toll Road (Route 267) in Fairfax County. In advance of the Silver Line Phase II, VDOT NOVA District initiated these Simple Bridge Preventative Maintenance Projects with a primary objective of eliminating/closing the bridge deck joints above the proposed Silver Line Metro tracks. Review project details at Dulles Toll Road Bridges, at the information meeting, or during business hours at VDOT's Northern Virginia District Office at 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax.

Thursday, September 10, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., Clips Beer & Film Tour, at Reston Town Center. Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling (FABB) will receive all proceeds from the event, which will go towards making Fairfax a better place to bike. For further information and a chance to win VIP tickets, visit Clips Beer & Film Tour.

September 12 through 25, Northern Virginia Senior Olympics, with over 50 events at 23 venues throughout Northern Virginia. Registration is open online at www.nvso.us or with a mail-in registration form. Forms are available at senior centers, community centers, senior residences, or by calling 703-228-4721. All participants must be 50 years of age by 12/31/15 and live in a sponsoring jurisdiction. Registration deadline is September 4 (online) or August 28 (regular mail).

Thursday, September 17, 10:00 a.m. to noon, Adventures in Learning Registration and Open House. At Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax (UUCF), 2709 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton. Cost is $40 for 8 week fall session offering current topics of interest: tai chi, bridge, yoga, current affairs, etc. Attend as many classes as you wish, Thursdays, September 24 to November 12. If you are unable to attend the open house, call the Shepherd's Center of Oakton-Vienna office to register, at 703-281-0538. 
 
September 19 to 27, World Road Cycling Championships to be held in Richmond. Visit richmond2015.com for complete information about the event. 

Saturday, September 19, 9:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., Book Club Conference, at the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax. Join book club members from around the area to learn about starting book clubs while networking with fellow readers. The day includes light breakfast, boxed lunch, and plenty of networking and discussion with fellow book lovers. Free. Sign up online at Book Club Conference.

Sunday, September 20, Plum Family Picnic, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., North Hills Picnic Pavilion, North Village Road and Hollow Timber in Reston. Call 703-758-9733 for more information.   

Friday and Saturday, September 25 and 26, 6th Virginia Immigrant Advocates Summit, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, 4444 Arlington Boulevard, Arlington. Learn more and register at Immigrant Advocate Summit. 

Saturday, September 26, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Reston Multicultural Festival, FREE, Rain or shine, All ages. The Festival features a Naturalization Ceremony, International Book Fair, National Heritage Award Fellows, arts and crafts, food, entertainment, Art Mirrors Culture Exhibit, and family activities from around the world. Also includes the opening of the We Make Reston exhibit. See more at Multicultural Festival.

Monday, September 28, 10:00 a.m. to noon, Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness Regional Housing Policy Forum, at AHC Headquarters, 2230 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington. More information is at Housing Policy Forum.

Wednesday, September 30, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., CarFit, at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department parking lot, 400 Center Street South, Vienna. Free. CarFit technicians work with older adults to ensure participants "fit" their own vehicles properly. They will adjust your car's safety features for maximum fit, comfort, and safety. To register, call 703-255-6360.

Saturday, October 3, Northern Virginia Pride Festival, at Bull Run Special Events Center, Centreville. Visit NOVA Pride Festival to learn more.

Monday through Wednesday, October 26 to 28, The Brady Campaign and American Public Health Association's National Summit, at the Dupont Circle Hotel, 1500 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC. Details and registration are at Brady & APHA National Summit.

Tuesday, October 27, Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (VADP) regional meeting, at Northern Virginia Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax, 2709 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton. For more information, contact VADP at 434-960-7779
or office@vadp.org.
 

 

36th District 

Reston, Virginia
 
Click on the image for more information on the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) recommendations.

In This Issue
Commentary..."Both Sides of the Wall"
"Virginia Report"
Bulletin Board
Check Your Calendar

Delegate Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum
Delegate Ken Plum's Virginia E-News


Delegate Ken Plum's Virginia e-News is authorized by Kenneth R. Plum
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