Did you know that your right to vote is the first law of the land?

Another 189 acres of protected land has been added to the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park near Middletown.

It was with great dismay that I learned of the decision to have President George W. Bush as the guest speaker at this year’s naturalization ceremony at Monticello on July 4.

Kudos to the letter that appeared in the June 15 edition of The Daily Progress headlined “IRS, waiting at lights both taxing.”

“I really don’t like needles.“

Hey, you! Touching that flaming butane torch to that battery of bottle rockets is not only unsafe, it’s illegal.

We were pleased to see Treesdale Park as the subject of a front-page article (“Housing project denied tax help,” The Daily Progress, June 10), but were dismayed by the gloomy impression it left on readers.

Another sign that Charlottesville may have overbuilt its entertainment and cultural landscape:

The U.S. Supreme Court decision of June 12 to extend habeas corpus, the power of courts to review detention by the executive, to Guantanamo Bay detainees improves America’s world image and enhances its security. 

I find it interesting that on The Daily Progress Opinion page of July 22, in which George Will defends the U.S. position as the world’s most prolific incarcerator, the editorial just to the left considers the challenge of the Virginia Department of Corrections in operating its prison system without the revenue generated by renting out space to other states. In the same edition is a story regarding the General Assembly’s failure to fund proper road maintenance and construction.

A new Gallup poll about the mood of America contains some stunning results, such as:

Capt. John Smith is running for president, and Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross are getting married.

Last March I was involved in a serious auto accident at the intersection of Route 53 (Thomas Jefferson Parkway) and Route 729 (Milton Road).

Poverty deprives people of those things that determine the quality of life, including food, clothing, shelter, safe drinking water and the opportunity to learn, engage in meaningful employment and enjoy a feeling of self-worth and independence.

There are many ways to get into college, from hitting a ball or tackling a large man running at full speed to studying hard to reciting poetry while wearing a beret and smoking a fancy French cigarette.

I have been looking around Hillsdale Drive where I live. Litter is strewn everywhere, especially beside the bus stops.

Sen. Obama needs to take a hard look at the McCarthy example and decide whether he wants to continue down the path he has adopted.

We knew that Charlottesville-Albemarle is a preferred address for many non-profit agencies, but we didn’t know just how popular.

I am beginning to understand the frustrations the Colonies must have experienced when they decided to revolt against English rule.

It is not going to be a smooth trip.

As we look back on the political primary season, it is interesting how the most dominant issue (Iraq) for the Democrats has virtually faded from view.

One of Charlottesville’s “best-kept secrets” got a little more visibility last week when the Federal Executive Institute celebrated its 40th anniversary.

What a disappointing decision made by the Albemarle School Board. The strings program has been undercut. One hundred thirty-eight thousand dollars was robbed from the String Orchestra Initiative, which was begun ap-proximately 10 years ago in exchange for $168,000 for the planning of the math and specialty centers and the Inter-national Baccalaureate initiative. 

A spectacular vision for a botanical garden in the center of Charlottesville is being promoted by a local group. The proposed 40 acres of trees, flowers, shrubs and pathways would attract tourists and rival the famed Lewis Ginter gardens in Richmond, supporters say.

A few years ago, this Nelson County couple grew curious about why the state game department was shutting down activities at the Montebello Fish Hatchery, a tourist attraction and de facto park for local residents.

Dogs understand a lot of things, like leading a blind person or dragging a drowning child from a pool or lake or warding off burglars.

The right to keep and bear arms is sacrosanct in our Constitution.

Recently a statement released by the Rev. Jose Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory, said that not to believe that life exists beyond our planet would be to “set limits on the creative liberty of God.”

A hundred years ago, when human relationships were free of carefully crafted propaganda and peer pressure to purchase proper designer duds, emotions were easier to moderate.

There is a perception that any combination of options other than the current plan can be strung together to create an approvable plan. That is not the case. Any plan would have to go through the same process we just went through, and there is no guarantee that it would ever be approved (as in the Buck Mountain example). Also, it is unlikely that another plan would emerge that would obtain the community support that the current plan has.