by Sean Gates
It
seemed like the air itself was full of electricity as I drove to the Revercomb
building on Tuesday night. Outside,
advocacy groups were handing out stickers.
The parking lot was already filling up at quarter to six. Inside, the energy was frenetic and as faces
both new and familiar filed in, it was clear tonight’s meeting would be an
historic one. This was my first time
covering the county meetings, and the purpose was to put a different kind of
coverage out there. Neil was beside me
and I knew his coverage would be thorough and precise, and there was no need to
duplicate his efforts. Instead I was to
focus on the dynamics between the board members and the energy in the room, and
provide coverage of a different kind.
The board
room was packed – the seats were full, there were people lined up against the
walls, the doors were open and people huddled in the quad, blocking the hall
and crowding the sidewalks and the parking lot around the building. People of every age and ethnicity had come
out, most of them wearing the orange stickers that said “GUNS SAVE LIVES.”
The
Board of Supervisors convened at 7:35, with Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, requesting
that the Resolution be moved up to a spot right after County Attorney Eric
Gregory’s report. For the next hour, the
floor was open to public comment, which was mainly handled by following the
order of the sign-in sheet that had been on the table in the hall. Speakers were limited to three minutes. The first was the owner of Dahlgren Garage,
and Pack Leader from my Cub Scout days, Mr. Chuck Rowan.
Although
there were some issues with the mic, Mr. Rowan gave one of the best speeches of
the night, saying, “whenever people ask me where I’m from, I tell them I’m an
American by birth, a Virginian by the grace of God, and I’m proud to be from a
pretty little part of Virginia you’ve never heard of called King George County,
birthplace of one of the great brains among our founding fathers. Madison would cringe that we even had to discuss this.” He went on to outline the
reasons he supports the second amendment rights of every American, and finished
with an impassioned plea: “Don’t do
anything to make me ashamed to be from King George.”
Jeremiah
Hansen had brought his three kids. The
four of them gave what amounted to one long speech broken into four parts, a
brilliant workaround of the three-minute rule.
The gist of the children’s speeches, particularly the eldest, Lydia,
seemed to be on the laws regarding minors and firearms, as she is both a minor
and female, she feels that being able to participate in firearm training
affords her a greater safety and agency in the world. I know plenty of women who would agree.
Anthony
Martinelli, a familiar face to me from my day job, with his droopy grey
moustache and his woodland camo jacket, gave an impassioned speech. “Brutal raw power cannot be appealed to with
a smile and a kind word,” he said. He
went on to cite examples of times throughout history when unarmed, or less
well-armed, populations have been squashed by aggressors they could not hope to
defeat. “It can’t happen in this
country? Wrong, it already has,” he said,
detailing the plight of African slaves in the antebellum south, and the Native
Americans who were killed or driven from their homeland. “If I could go back in time and arm the
African and the American Indian, I damn sure would have!”
Later
we would hear from William Taylor, a man whose family were European Jews who emigrated to escape
the Nazis, and for this reason he feels passionately about his second amendment
rights. “If my right to bear arms
offends you, then your right to vote offends me.”
As the
hour went on, it was undeniable which way King George County comes down on the
right to bear arms. The faces of the
supervisors were sympathetic and even, it seemed to me, full of pride in the
people they represent. I could even see
that Ms. Brabo was moved by the testimony, despite her words at the previous meeting cautioning Bueche against the resolution due to its potentially divisive nature.
At this point Bueche stopped going down the list and asked specifically for anyone who wished
to oppose the resolution to come forward and speak, explaining that he wanted
to be sure both sides had been heard from.
The only two citizens who came forward in opposition were Barbara Jane Gaborow
and Susan Park.
Ms.
Gaborow’s position seemed to be in support of the second amendment but against
the resolution. The gist of her speech
was that she felt we have a system of government that allows our voices to be
heard without resolutions or protests. And
while that’s theoretically true, it’s also hard to deny that our state is
divided between the urban areas in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, and the
rural counties that make up most of the rest of the state. Too often the folks in the rural counties
feel their voices go unheard, outnumbered by the population in the cities, and it seems to me that this resolution is a shout back, announcing that we the people of King
George County are still here, this is still our home, and our votes still count.
Gaborow said she felt the resolution would be
divisive, echoing Ms. Brabo’s comments from the previous meeting, but such thinking
seems to miss that the state, and the nation, are already divided. In my opinion, we are now locked in a battle
for the soul of our nation, and many of the speakers that night seemed to feel
the same way. One person weakly booed Ms.
Gaborow as she reclaimed her seat, but they were the sole voice to do so.
Immediately
after Gaborow, Susan Park approached the podium and hit all the familiar Democrat talking
points about gun violence. She spoke in
support of red flag laws and feels that these, and any other gun control
measures, do not violate the Second Amendment.
I feel certain our esteemed countryman, James Madison, would disagree;
but I cannot speak for him and the concerns of this world are no longer his to
bear.
Following
Park and Gaborow’s commentary, and failing the appearance of any further
dissenters, the list from the sign-up sheet was resumed until the allotted hour
had expired. One other notable speaker
of the evening was Alexander Sedansky, an immigrant from one of the former
Soviet states. He spoke eloquently of
the founding fathers, cited some of their work, and spoke to the fact that he
has seen first-hand what happens when unarmed citizens live under the rule of
an armed government. It struck me that
Mr. Sedansky is the very model of an American immigrant as envisioned by
Theodore Roosevelt: although not born in our country, his heart and mind are fully
American, and I am proud that King George County can call him one of our own.
When
the hour was over, Jeff Bueche thanked everyone who spoke, and in particular highlighted
the courage of Ms. Gaborow and Ms. Park for speaking opposition in a room full
of people who clearly did not share their point of view. The crowd followed Bueche’s lead and applauded
both women. It was good to see that kind
of civility in such an emotionally-charged setting.
The meeting then continued with a brief period of general public comment, unrelated to the 2a Sanctuary Resolution, after which the supervisors
began their reports. Each of them also took the time to thank the public for coming out
to speak, in particular Richard Granger, echoing Bueche’s sentiments regarding
civility and courage. They made a point of saying that they wish they had this kind of public involvement on all the issues, that it helps them in their decisionmaking process if they have a clear picture of what the public wants.
As I
looked across the dais I saw John Jenkins, a big man who seems less confident
in himself than most of his counterparts, but who makes up for it with humor
and humility; Richard Granger looking like Robin Hood with his neat Vandyke
beard and longer, swept-back hair, a touch of Errol Flynn. Granger seems to think deeply and speak only when he's sure he has something worth saying. Beside him, Cathy Binder, quiet
and unassuming by nature, also seems more apt to speak only when she's got her thoughts in order; Bueche, energetic and polished, looking like a professional politician. A bit of a flair for the dramatic but a
thoughtful leader.
Ms.
Brabo’s report was far more detailed than the others, with specific dates and
times, as though she’s reading from a journal or an itinerary. Like Bueche, she has a highly professional quality, but everything she does feels pointedly like a performance. Though I sometimes agree with the points she makes, I notice how careful she is
to express things in such a way that the public record becomes almost a
political alibi. She even took the
opportunity to “explain” her comments from the previous meeting regarding the
resolution being divisive. She somehow managed
to spin it, claiming she was supportive of the resolution all along; to all
appearances she saw which way the wind was blowing and changed sides.
The Board
unanimously passed the resolution, and a cheer spontaneously erupted from the audience,
through the crowded hallway, and out of the building; you could hear through
the walls as the parking lot let loose in jubilation. There was a break at this point as the crowd dispersed from the boardroom. I have heard reports that Ms.
Brabo could be seen outside celebrating with the crowd in the parking lot. The tone was light when the meeting resumed
after the break. The room had mostly emptied.
Joy
was in the air. As I watched the board
tackle the rest of the business on their agenda, they presented a united front
in the decisions they made, and in spite of some grandstanding I saw no enmity between
them, at least for a night.
As much
as the word “divisive” seemed to be on everyone’s lips, the theme for the night
was unity. The Supervisors came out swinging,
not against each other as is so often the case but against those who seek to
take from us without consent – whether it’s taxpayer dollars, or constitutional
rights – and, really, what more could a citizen ask from elected officials? What I witnessed Tuesday night was nothing
less than proof that the American spirit, and the heart of Virginia, are very
much alive today. King George County is
still the birthplace of James Madison.
Virginia is still the Mother of Presidents, and the cradle of the Republic. And I have never been more proud to be here, among
my people.
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I agree wholeheartedly, very well written.
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