"A Horse named Ray-Ray"

Reed Johnson

If you are reading this, you have found your way to my Blog. This blog, "discourseweekly"  is where I started to teach myself to write. I started this blog because I enjoy a good debate, putting my thoughts in words, and helping others achieve in the same manner; I have achieved a good life. Over the years, I had grown despondent concerning the lack of our elected and media leaders to respond to questions or print my opinion for review and critique. 

Please consider a purchase of this now internationally sold book for your children and grandchildren. The book can be found on Amazon, Barnes, and Noble, and other outlets found in a search engine.

Our horse riding partners in this book come from all over the world and compete in trial competitions. The idea is to bring together the world from a women's perspective or, say, a girl's perspective to learn and get along with different cultures. Some are scared at first but learn to overcome their fears. This experience helps girls to be brave, fearless, and independent. This experience also teaches the girls to care for others and work together as a team. Girls and horses are a special bond, not to say boys can't have the same bond or learn the same riding lessons. In my experience, girls and horses seem to have a special bond, unlike others. We will learn teamwork, we will learn about women in history, combined with girl power, and life advice from a horse who can talk and his horse friends. About my sister Jennifer: Jennifer suffered a brain aneurysm on December 12th, 2019. She survived two brain surgeries, a year of rehabilitation, and over a year of recovery in Baltimore, Maryland., at Autumn Lake, a Post-Acute Care Center. Jennifer received the very best of care and made many friends. If it were not for the nurses and support at Post-Acute Care, my sister might not have recovered to the extent she has. The doctors and staff at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore cared for Jennifer with the utmost professionalism and compassion. She is now home and living with her Mom. Jennifer is disabled and suffers from short-term memory issues, tinnitus, and dizziness. Jennifer is still recovering from a third surgery to replace a hip that was broken years ago, most likely from a fall off Ray-Ray if I had to guess. I wrote this book to help Jennifer with her memory. I spent many hours having her recall memories about Ray-Ray and how she rode him. I took notes, and we found this to be very helpful with her progress. The book proceeds, if published, will help pay for Jennifer's care, pay expenses, and a little compensation for the author.

 

James City County NFPA 1710 requirements and life should be more than a living wage for professional public servants.

I had written an opinion in the Virginia Gazette concerning pay and benefits for County employees. 

Our Administrator responded to my opinion with the idea our firefighters are well paid and meet NFPA 1710.  Some in my community want a tax cut due to rising housing valuations. I was of the opinion that tax cuts hurt county employees. 

I offered this rebuttal. 

I want to respond to Scott Stevens. 

First and foremost, I can understand the response to my opinion; perhaps we can learn more. It is true to say the AFL-CIO fireman association did mail me literature seeking a contribution and noted the county's failure to meet NFPA 1710. 

To County Administrator Stevens, 

If the AFL-CIO lied, perhaps our county attorney needs to look into the false information. We can be like Twitter, canceling those with whom we disagree. JCC should take false allegations seriously if what you wrote is valid regarding the claims I quoted in my original opinion? 

The James City County Fire department boasted a 6:02-minute response time in 2017. This response time came from an article found in the Gazette from 2017. That is the best I can find. I emailed the fire department to ask about response times in 2022 but have not heard back. Mr. Stevens, can you please ask the Fire Chief to answer my question? 

After doing some research, I found that a response time of 6.65 minutes is required for the first fire engine with four firefighters to respond to low-level hazard calls like home fires, according to NFPA guidelines. I am not an expert, and I emailed Mr. Stevens asking for clarification but only received a short reply that never answered questions. 

My county Supervisor never responded at all. I might suppose that I have been critical of his leadership at times, and I have sided with John many times as the reason for no response. I am critical of what I see as the liberal indoctrination of our children at William and Mary and other liberal colleges, high schools, and now even in grade school. Perhaps many who read this will understand my concern for our children. Still, John, a government professor by profession, you should respond to your citizen's concerns, in my opinion, whether you agree or not. 

My evaluation:

How do fire departments accurately evaluate their response in these three areas? NFPA 1710: Standard for Organization and Deployment of Fire Suppression Operations, Emergency Medical Operations, and Special Operations to the Public by Career Fire Departments establishes criteria that provide an excellent place to start. Those criteria include:

• Alarm Answering Time: 15 seconds for 95% of calls; 40 seconds for 99% of calls
• Alarm Processing Time: 64 seconds for 90% of calls; 106 seconds for 95% of calls
• Turnout Time: 60 seconds for EMS responses; 80 seconds for fire responses
• First Engine Arrive on Scene Time: 240 sec (4 minutes) for 90% of responses with minimum staffing of 4 personnel
• Second Company Arrive on Scene Time: 360 seconds (6 minutes) for 90% of responses with minimum staffing of 4 personnel
• Initial Full Alarm – Low and Medium Hazard Assembly Time: 480 seconds (8 minutes) on 90% of responses
• Initial Full Alarm – High Hazard/High-Rise Assembly Time: 610 seconds (10 minutes 10 seconds) on 90% of responses

So the way I read this is, from the time I call in a fire, 15 seconds, 64 seconds, 80 seconds, 240 seconds, I should expect the fire truck to arrive. 399 seconds / 60 = 6.65 minutes. the response time of 6:03 is based on 2017. 

 Firefighters pay:  

 The salary Mr. Stevens quoted in the paper was $47,000, and equates to a monthly payment of $3,917, a weekly pay of $904, and an hourly wage of $22.60, according to "living wage calculator.com." 

Note: A living wage is a minimum income required to meet basic needs. According to " living wage calculator.com, a single adult needs 18.95 an hour to survive a living wage to live in James city county. One adult with one child 34.82 an hour. Interestingly enough, two adults and one child need $33.24. Obviously, a couple with a child cannot possibly live a traditional lifestyle whereby one adult stays home, raises the child, and one life partner works. I note this because I see this issue as one of the main reasons our society has declined over the decades. 

It seems to me James City County barely pays a living wage for firefighters entering the trade and if they have one child seem to fall woefully short in providing a compensation whereby firefighters can live in our county and not have to work two jobs. I know many firefighters work second jobs just like our teachers et al. 

Let us look at this from another point of view.

According to what I could find, the median home listing price in James City County is 435k. According to budget worksheets.com, this is a 1922.00 a month with 87,000 down (20%) @ 5.25% - 30 years loan. I would advise any young person seeking to be a homeowner to consider 30% of their income per month for living arrangements. 3,917 * .3 = $1,175  

A firefighter who is single with one child cannot even afford a basic one-bedroom apartment on a salary of 47000.00 in James City County. A single firefighter can not live in James City County. The best a firefighter can do is find a 250,000 home, and we all know this price range is hard to come by in desirable neighborhoods for professional firefighters. 

Note: My research found the following apartment cost. Typical rental prices for one-bedroom apartments. 2-bedroom apartments go even higher. 

1. Spotswood Commons = start at $1581.00

2. Regency at Longwood = start at $1250.00

3. Steeple Chase apartments = start at $1321.00

What should be the minimum salary? I can share my experience. I have a 23-year-old son who has just accepted a career job with Boeing. Jake will be moving to Charleston, SC. With a bachelor's degree and working in procurement, Jakes's starting salary is 60,000.000 with a bonus of 3000.00. Having helped Jake do the research, he could afford a one-bedroom apartment and stay under 30% at $1370.00 a month. I found the cost of living to be comparable to James City County. My daughter is graduating from WVU in May with a Masters's degree in Speech Pathology. She will be moving into a one-bedroom apartment with a roommate in Arlington Va working for Fairfax County Schools. Abby will be paid a starting salary of 65,000.00 a year. Both children were offered jobs locally. A person recruited my daughter from central office who knows my wife to come home and work in JCC. Both jobs were turned down simply because the cost of living was too high for the salary offered. Each would have had to live at home with their parents, and to me, that was not an option. Young adults living at home with parents have become the norm and not the exception. That is where we fail as a society. 

The cost of living in Arlington, Va., is slightly higher than JCC. However, our teachers do not come close to the 60,000.00 required to live here. My children make more starting their lives than their mother with years of experience, a master's degree from W&M in special education, and math specialist. In the 1990's I worked for the Service Authority as an industrial mechanic. I worked for Larry Foster. I stayed for about seven years in that role, a role JCSA is still trying to fill, last I looked, with some meager wage. I left for the private sector doing the same work and never looked back, increasing my salary by three times the pay. For a professional to live in James City County, be it Police, EMT, Teacher, or Service Authority professionals, a starting salary of 60,000.00 is needed for a single person, a single person with one child, a family whereby one parent can stay home and raise children. Let that sink in, County board of supervisors and those who seek a tax cut. 

Finally and most importantly, Scott Stevens writes, and I quote here," exceeds the National Fire Protection Association standards for fire response to our most common fires. I congratulate the FD on achieving this benchmark if true, but what about uncommon fires? Which are not single-family dwelling fires."

Mr. Steven's statement refers to single-family residences only. Keep in mind these are minimums. Let us not live on the edge of minimums. I'm afraid I have to disagree with you if the fire department responds to a fire in JCC at 5 pm on a weekday. The FD will have trouble making the 6:65-minute total response time. A call in the middle of the night is an entirely different matter. We need to look at response times based on the time of day. We also need to consider if we are, in fact, ready to combat fires in addition to low-hazard residences. 

Example: NFPA 1710 

Open air strip malls - minimum of 27 members, 28 if an aerial device is used. (shopping centers apply.)

Garden-style apartments - a minimum of 27 members (28 aerial devices used.)

High rise - minimum of 42 members (43 if the building is equipped with a fire pump.)

Note: *Highest floor greater than 75 feet above the lowest fire department vehicle access level according to the 2016 NFPA 1710. 

Other fires: Anheuser Bush, Bush Gardens, Water Country USA, Walmart distribution center, William and Mary dormitories, timeshares, the new William and Mary theater is looking mighty tall during construction, and High Street View Luxury Apartments are structures that might meet the NFPA 1710.5.2.4.5 and require even more consideration. You can say some of these structures are located in the City of Williamsburg but don't tell me you won't respond if needed, and you will be needed, so prepare for that day.

Lastly, Two weeks ago, I noticed a fire on a strip of land between two multifamily dwellings while driving home on Neck-O-Land road on a weekday. Honestly, I do not remember the time. I remember being in the afternoon. I called 911 and reported the fire. I reported a fire about 20ft long 10 ft wide, and a tree is on fire. I surveyed the situation, grabbed a residential garden hose, turned on the water that had a 50ft hose from the multifamily dwelling, and diminished the fire. I did not time the Fire Department as I was busy working the fire. I will tell you the response time felt like more than 6:65 minutes. The response time was more like 15 minutes. I am sure you can clarify this call with the fire department. The fire department travel time to this residence is less than 10 miles away. Two trucks did respond with at least four firefighters on each truck and quickly took over. I watched a crew work this small brush fire that, had I not stopped, could have spread to multifamily residences as the fire was spreading quickly when I arrived on the scene. 

In this instance, the Fire Department may not have met the standard of NFPA 1710 of 6:65-minutes. I am not blaming the fire department. I want to support them as I can to write about the needs of our professionals. We need to look at a wage beyond basic needs, affordable housing, and road infrastructure. We need to understand how uncontrolled population growth and the lack of road infrastructure deters our police, fire department, and EMTs from responding within the (6:65-min.) time allotted per NFPA 1710. Decisions made decades ago as to the right to build in JCC have come to roost with what seems like slow response times by our firefighters, police, and EMTs per my recent experience, A response time that may not meet a 90% confidence factor at the 6:65-minute mark. We live with secondary road infrastructure built decades ago for a population half the size today. Another Daily Press article from 2017 tells us that in 2009 we had a police response time of 6.09 minutes, and in 2017, a response time of 7:14 minutes. How the FD can respond faster than the police in 2017 makes me wonder if the numbers we get are accurate. 

Traffic delays take lives when first responders need to move quickly, which is on the board of supervisors' lack of controlling growth and funding infrastructure. Also, note that I could not find average response times on the Police website or the Fire Department website. I look forward to a response from the FD to my question concerning response times in 2022. 

Summary:

James City County does not pay a salary whereby a person can live in the county and live a life beyond paycheck to paycheck. Jame City County is losing employees to other adjoining counties simply because the pay is better. Our children are not coming home to live in JCC simply because the cost of living ratio to salary does not meet a life lived beyond paycheck to paycheck in some instances. 

I am still awaiting the fire chief's response to my question concerning response times. 

I emailed Mr. Stevens and John McGlennon first with my concerns. I had emailed a version of this commentary. I wanted to clean up the grammar before releasing it to the public. 

Here is what I got back from Mr. Stevens, as John never replied. Our board of supervisors and the county Administrator could interact with JCC citizens better; one might suppose to be true. I will assume my math is correct since Mr. Stevens had the opportunity to tell me otherwise. 

From the desk of Administrator Stevens: 

"Mr. Johnson,

 

Good morning.

 

Thank you for including me in your email. I appreciate your approach in sharing your thoughts and opinions. 

 

Let me know if you need anything from me."

The material used was taken from the NFPA 2016 standard. 

If not in my backyard then where?

If not in my backyard, then where? 

 Winsome Earl-Sears's father moved to America from Jamaica with a dollar seventy-five in his pocket. Today, his daughter is the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Ms. Sears said, and I quote, “You have to make the right friends.” Nothing could be truer in life; nothing could be simpler. “A lot of temptations” in downtown Newport News was a reason to use a rural setting for recovery, remarked Rev. Travis Hall. Let there be no mistake; getting people away from those of bad influence is a key to recovery. “Prime Real Estate, and we are not even going to get any tax revenue for it while I believe there will be a draw on our services.” Commission Laura Rose said. I must ask, what higher power is there than to help your fellow man become a better citizen? The question that should be asked is as follows. Is money more important to the commissioner than saving lives? 

 A petition commented concerning a rise in crime. According to Recovery Research Institute. “NIMBY (not in my back yard) has been a pervasive attitude that has created resistance to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment centers being built and barriers in access to care. Researchers at Rutgers University tested the claim that publically funded addiction treatment centers were related to violence in excess of other commercial businesses. They found that violent crime around publically funded addiction treatment centers was no different than around convenience stores & even less than around liquor stores & “corner” stores in Baltimore, Maryland, one of the highest crimes-ridden regions of our country. The program would be attended on a “voluntary basis by non-violent offenders.” Commented Rev. Travis Hall. My position is simple. It is not the person who wants to get better you need to worry about. It is the one who does not want to get better you need to worry about. It is the person who has not yet willing to turn or repent you need to keep an eye on. 

 New Kent residents have been wearing orange for many reasons over the years. Trying to protect their rural way of life, not wanting change. “If there is one constant in life, it is change,” I might argue. Twenty-thousand people in New Kent expressed their opposition to gun control and then turned around and boycotted a gun range for training. This is more about staying rural and opposing change, in my opinion. Who can blame the fine citizens of New Kent? 

We read about death every day in Newport News and other surrounding urban centers. In the last election, thirty-three percent of New Kent County residents voted Democrat, and 66% voted republican. New Kent County's violent crime rate is 8.1%, compared to the US average of 22.7%. One can see New Kent County as a safe place to live, and we should applaud this achievement. With Republicans firmly in control, why would anyone want to change? Rural America is watching our urban centers disintegrate under democrat rule, and now there are those in Newport News who want to send us their worst 

My neighbors of New Kent County, the world needs you. Newport News needs you. We need your help and your guidance as fine citizens of this Commonwealth. It is a known fact that the governance of Newport News has failed miserably to protect its citizens from crime and drugs. Our Federal Government has failed miserably to stop the flow of drugs into our country across the Mexican border. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine have failed all Virginians, as you, my fine citizens of New Kent, know well. Our only saving grace is Rob Wittman on the Federal level. 

 There are citizens of Newport News that need your help. They come voluntarily seeking change in their lives. We can make a difference in this world one urban dweller at a time. We can teach self-reliance and help those addicted to drugs overcome this affliction. We can be a model of conservatism, moral decisions based on high rural ethics. We can teach trades helping people live better lives. We can do what Newport News has not been able to do, and that is to help its own citizens. We can teach a better life for those who wish for it. My fellow rural Americans, we are the last holdout who believes in the American dream for all. Let us not fail to show compassion for others as our bible teaches us.

Helping those in need

Helping those in need 

 Affordable housing or known as subsidized rent, section-8 vouchers, SNAP, utility assistance the list goes on. Many will ask how our brothers and sisters find themselves in this position. Today there are no housing vouchers for those in need. Thousands wait for the application process to open; thousands wait for a home. In James City County there are about 200 vouchers available for subsidized rent while thousands wait. My observations, lead me to many different scenarios as to how people find themselves on this impossible waitlist. According to our school system, a person is homeless when the family does not live in their own home. Meaning a family can be living with family or friends, living in a hotel/motel, and be considered homeless. Broken families, high divorce rates, a lack of an education that can lead to gainful employment, there are those who should have never had children to begin with due to mental health issues, contributing to the crisis of homelessness. In my view, these are the leading causes of homelessness in our community. Then there are those who are disabled. Citizens who were once self-sufficient and through no fault of their own, succumb to disease, debilitation of the body, or mental health issues. A soldier coming home from a war that old men sent them to fight is a good example. Our brave young men and women come home with limbs missing or mental trauma finding themselves homeless after giving all to our country. If we as responsible citizens of America continue to ignore the homeless, the mentally ill, the physically disabled, their children suffer irremediable harm. A cycle of poverty exists from one generation to another. 

I look at our pollical views of extremism when applied to this cycle of poverty. One side wants to make people responsible for themselves, “pull yourself up by the bootstraps.” The other side wants to give away the farm and make people dependent on the government. Both stances create division in our country and promises broken, all the while the less fortunate suffer. Children cannot possibly become productive citizens in this scenario and thus the cycle continues. People from our Urban Centers to our Appalachian poor need our help, you will find few who do not want a better life, we need to stop generalizing our less fortunate as lazy for they are not. They just need a helping hand, but the hand we lend does not always help others progress in large numbers. 

 Solution: We need to invest in centers of learning where affordable housing is a part of the campus of learning. This campus will have mental health experts, academic experts, where we can reeducate and indoctrinate a vision of a better way to live. We remove candidates from areas of high crime and influences that contribute to poor decisions. We move them across the state if we must. This opportunity is for those who want to be better tomorrow than today. We take under our wing those who want a better tomorrow and give them a safe place to live and grow. That means being proactive in policing these centers of learning and housing. Being quick to expel those who break the rules and or continue to make poor moral decisions that do not meet society's ethical standards. We need to stop ignoring the issue and we need to stop giving away the farm. I would rather help someone for four years become a productive citizen than pay for them the rest of my life. It’s simple really and your bible gives you the answer. “Feed a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and eats for a lifetime.”

Chesapeake Bay Urban and Farming runoff. We need real dialog.

I wrote back to the Daily Press and copied my Senator Tommy Norment. Following are my ideas for a cleaner bay.

All Concerned, 

Reference: 2-3-1-2022 Daily Press opinion Chesapeake Bay. 

An interesting opinion has been written many times over the last 24 months. As an environmental expert and professional, I pondered your realization as to Farming and Urban runoff as significant issues. Maybe the letters I have written detailing those issues are finally paying off. 

The issue with the Daily Press opinion over 24 months is that you do not elaborate on Urban Runoff or Farming issues as I have written to you before asking why; we must tackle each topic to improve the Bay's health. 

Here are the issues for you to consider for further investigation:

Farming Lobby: A powerful lobby that shakes and moves state legislation. It would benefit the Daily Press to contact the Farming Lobby, perhaps through a senior senator, to discuss issues. Mainly due to farming being rural and not urban, you will need to understand agriculture, to begin with. Urban dwellers do not understand how the rest of the world lives, how the majority of the land in Virginia is used. Also, note the entire state is not in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Driving 81 south from Lexington, you will cross the watershed about 20-miles from Roanoke, Va. Being a rural conservative growing up working on a farm in the 1970's  I can tell you Farmers do care about the environment, but the truth is most farmers do not have the resources to implement river barriers, or plant tree buffers as an example. Fertilizer management is under control. I would not blame the overuse of fertilizers here.

Urban Runoff is the most significant contributor today to the detriment of the Chesapeake Bay. Here homeowner fertilizers need to be considered a detriment to the environment. A soil test should be conducted, and then the proper amount of fertilizer resulting in a net-zero runoff should be considered. Every day I cringe when I see a truck loaded with fertilizers pull up to homes and start spraying without a soil test. The truth is most yards do not need liquid fertilizers sprayed every quarter every year and for years. How do you know how much nitrogen to spray if you don't know where to start? A soil test helps the customer manage fertilizers and runoff. Lawns can absorb only so much nitrogen and other minerals needed for a nice yard; the rest flows into the Bay through rain events. Here again, powerful urban lobbyists are at work, I suspect. 

The Daily press needs to uncover these two powerful lobbyists, interview them, and ask tough questions. At the same time, the Daily Press needs to be mindful of the cost associated with a change in this case as we need to be careful not to bankrupt the very person who puts food on our tables. Urban centers are growing fast; this includes housing and, of course, an increase in urban runoff. Think about it. We increased the number of lanes on 64 from Hampton Roads to the west of Williamsburg. This alone will produce millions of gallons of runoff that may or may not be effectively managed and depends on the hydraulic retention time of the runoff. VDOT will do its best, I might suppose. 

The leading issues for the Bay are urban centers, fast-growing populations that are out of control, and the Daily Press sitting back and doing nothing but complain. 

PS: Thanks for the article Daily Press. As usual, the Daily Press allows me to offer a different point of view, based on knowledge and, regularly, I might add. 

Urban media takes over rural newspapers. The results are devastating for rural conservatives.

Observations: Urban media takes over rural papers. My discourse is to offer insight into the consolidation of paper media. 

Has anyone noticed the opinion page of the Williamsburg Gazette has turned into a propaganda page? Has anyone noticed Shana Gray is still listed as the editor?

In recent weeks, whoever they are, the overseers are running little to no local opinions anymore. I see left-wing propaganda infiltrating what was once just a tiny opinion page of a local paper. I might suppose Ms. Gray is still at the Gazette but refusing to acknowledge this. Kris and Brian might say, "well, we are using cost-cutting measures as our readership declines. They might say, "We blame the internet." Ya, As an experienced business development guru myself, a professional who designs and sells the most expensive equipment in our industry and has driven our sales from 750,000 in 2010 to over 3.2 million in Virginia alone. I stand here today, watching the "paper media" slowly die and on their own sword. Success comes on the heels of good customer service and unbias reporting. This is something the local papers lack. I could make the local papers profitable, but alas, I am not in the position to require change. 

James City County is evenly split, about 50% Democrat and 50% Republican. York County and especially upper York County leans Republican. Would it not make sense for the Gazette to show the same in its reporting with this knowledge alone? Does James City County really care what is going on in North Carolina or Virginia Beach when it comes to a local paper? Why are Kris and Brian so hell-bent on turning off half of the population with left-wing reporting biases and subjecting the conservative reader to their hate without allowing discourse. For the paper to write where they stand on a topic but not allow discourse is "cancel culture" at its best. Why do these city boys seem to hate our way of life? Are we really in a battle of rural vs. urban whereby the Urbanites control the rural paper? I think so. 

As subscribers to both the Gazette and Daily Press, we are now subjected to the same articles in the same papers within a few days of each other. Why then subscribe to both? We continue to review left-wing radical reading material from the LA Times, The New York Times, and Washington Post outlets who are 100% critical of Glenn Youngkin, just like the infamous essential skills of thinking of Kris Worrel and Brian Colligan found on the Daily Press opinion page. 

In my humble opinion, those associated with Kris Worrell and Brian Colligan are also associated with cancel culture. Cancel Culture is alive and well at the Daily Press and now the Williamsburg Gazette. To not allow discourse and differences of opinion is not a free press. This is an oligarchy press, which has given Joe Binden a complete pass. At the same time, our country spirals toward high inflation, high gas cost, high food bills, and possible war. I can personally weather all of this because I am conservative by nature, but the poor, the poor who the Democrats claim to champion for, will suffer. The sad part is and "mark" my words, come November when the Republicans take back the house and senate, Kris and Brian will be sure to blame the Republicans for everything wrong in this world. 

PS Thank you for providing me the opportunity to continue my writing and working on my critical thinking skills. Brian and Kris certainly do offer that opportunity weekly. If we ever met for a beer, we would get along just fine, I think. Then again that is up to you to accept my invitation. 

Daily Press attacks without one shred of evidence

The Daily Press has again gone off the deep end with hate and divisiveness in Virginia. A typical liberal outlet whose game plan is to apply hate to Governor Younkin. My response to the editor's letter of opinion, found January 30th, 2022, Daily Press.

You asked the question: "What is an "inherently divisive concept." A fair question. I love this question, and the Daily Press is right on this account, but then this is where you fail for the remainder of your argument. 

The editors of the Daily Press pull into the conversation our history. The very history that liberals like the Daily Press have condemned and called for the destruction of historical art all across Virginia. This reeked of hypocrisy. The Daily Press and liberal leftists are all too happy to change history as long as history meets their approval. The Daily Press, in this case, accuses the Governor of the very acts of hate and divisiveness you employ in our opinions over the last five years. I say the Daily Press and, in your words, "fell short of diversity." 

You wrote: "it is almost as though the critics would rather not have a discussion." Oh my! the hypocrisy surrounding this statement from the editors reeks of deceit and bigotry. The same deception and bigotry the editors show their readers. The truth is the editors of the Daily Press do not want to have a conversation with their readers and customers. I am an example of a reader you choose not to have a discussion with. The Daily Press uses cancel culture by not printing all opinions of others, you know, diversity. Gorden Morse and Reed Johnson are two examples of this cancellation. The Daily Press does not want to have a discussion. The Daily Press only wants to dictate a liberal policy. The Daily Press only wants to talk to themselves, which makes you hypocritical. 

Tip Line: So are you saying that a girl raped in a bathroom cannot use a tip line to ensure the attacker is punished or at least picked up? This same boy was moved secretly by Loudon county officials where he raped another girl in another school. This is where the tip line comes into being helpful. School officials, Police, county supervisors refuse to do their job. The state must make sure all citizens are safe. The Daily Press, in this case, is ok with girls being raped with no recourse. The state needs to take over the police department in Newport News and Hampton. Too many have died under the current administration utilizing community policing in these areas. The Daily Press is partially responsible for these deaths as the Paper has endorsed community policing. You even admitted our recent policing effort has failed, but you offer no solution. I do see the results of this propaganda, and that is parents stepping up and taking back their children from left-wing haters. Leftists like County School board members of Loudon County are why we need the tip line, and you don't get it, or you don't care. So sad, editors, so sad. 

Critical Race Theory: Teaching children to look at the color of their skin to determine good and evil. That somehow racism is baked into laws and such. This theory was written in the 1970s, and yes, having lived through the 1960-1970s and in retrospect, racism "was" baked into the laws. My observation is simple the Havard Professor was looking at data from the 1970s and back and could not have possibly predicted laws in the future. Meaning the laws of the 1970s and back are no longer relevant today and the CRT, having not been updated or revised, is no longer relevant. But you keep bringing it up as a liberal leftist. That is like me bringing up the civil war, again and again, oh wait, that is you, not me... 

The Daily Press has criticized our new Governor without one shred of evidence. The editors have no clue what "inherently divisive concepts" are and admit it, but that does not stop them and others from making false accusations in an op-ed dedicated solely to the editors of the paper. Often written by subject matter experts, a person with a unique perspective it is here the Paper fails to deliver. It is here the Daily Press fails to live up to the expectations of what an op-ed is supposed to be, but rather nothing more than propaganda.