Comments on: Introducing Richmond Sunlight.

By: greenpeas

greenpeas — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 14:07:58 +0000

Maura, who is from Virginia and posts at My Left Nutmeg, told us about the Virgina Sunlight website. We’re interested in the possibility of starting such a website in CT, and one network developer I know (best I can do, being a nontechnie) says he thinks it will be possible to use the feed from the CT General Assembly website to create some kind of similar site. Is it possible, and would it work, to copy your website format and coding? I of course am the wrong person to figure this out, but if I could go to one of our members who understands this stuff and say, “You can use what they did as a template,” it might speed up the process (or that was my thinking anyhow). Please feel free to respond directly to my email, Waldo, if you spot this message. Thanks.

By: Waldo Jaquith

Waldo Jaquith — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 01:13:42 +0000

I, like everyone I’ve talked to about it, am grateful to the individual that made this cool thing possible and would like to thank him. What’s his name again?

*Laugh* Thanks. :)

By: Waldo Jaquith

Waldo Jaquith — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 00:33:45 +0000

It was this morning, I’m afraid.

By: Judge Smails

Judge Smails — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 00:31:37 +0000

After 24 hrs of what can be loosely termed as thought, I’d like to retract some of what I had to say last night. I’m in no position to say that the Interfaith Center won’t be a fine custodian of Richmond Sunlight. Furthermore, I believe I violated the spirit of the announcement by politicizing it, so please allow me to say that I, like everyone I’ve talked to about it, am grateful to the individual that made this cool thing possible and would like to thank him. What’s his name again?

By: 1

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 21:45:26 +0000

When is the press conference? I am not sure if tomorrow is today or tomorrow?

By: David M. Poole - VPAP

David M. Poole - VPAP — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 12:40:20 +0000

A great public service. Much kudos all around, including to Bill Wilson at the Division of Legislative Services for providing the feed from the state site. It would have been easy for a state government official to try to wall off the information; Wilson and his staff have always recognized the value of transparency are not threatened by new ideas. Kudos, of course, to Waldo for being so darn bright and for recognizing the importance of placing this site in the hands of a non-partisan group. Again, I can imagine most of us mortals would have had a hard time letting go of the glory. A true selfless act.

By: AndreaC

AndreaC — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 04:22:13 +0000

Get key votes in your inbox! It may not be as exhaustive as Waldo’s, though. Go to http://www.congress.org/congressorg/megavote/

By: Doug Smith, Virginia Interfaith Center

Doug Smith, Virginia Interfaith Center — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 03:56:09 +0000

JS/ Let me encourage you to download our legislative priorities that include such sinister plans as providing pre-natal care for poor women. Come on! We are a coalition of Jewish, Muslim, and Christan communities who want a government that is responsible and healthy, particularly when it somes to providing a safety net for those most vulnerable. We can not just promote charity when changes in the system reduce the need for charity. Big business has Williams Mullen, little people just have us. I assure you that compassion is not something you should fear - it is not a left issue or a right issue, only a human issue.

Our lobby day is February 5th at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Richmond starting in the early morning. Come and join us.

By: Judge Smails

Judge Smails — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 02:41:24 +0000

Fine. I’m not really too sure what to make of your new-found interest in using the church to lobby the state, but whatever. What’s good for the goose, afterall.

Good luck. I’m certain the Interfaith Center (what’s that, anyway? A gay bishop, a wiccan, a pagan, and a Wahabbi imam?) is up to the job.

By: Craig

Craig — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 02:12:58 +0000

Waldo, the new site is awesome. Great work. Hope you don’t mind but I posted a little tribute to you and Richmond Sunlight over at my blog… just my little way of saying that you rock…

Craig

By: Waldo Jaquith

Waldo Jaquith — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 02:09:07 +0000

JS, if you believe that the mission of this organization — carrying out the teachings of Christ — is liberal, I seriously cannot help you. If you believe that an organization that unites Abrahamic faiths is liberal, there’s simply nothing that I can do to help. If you believe that Richmond Sunlight cannot be trusted because this database of bills will secretly be biased in favor of Christian teachings through the use of a sneaky anti-conservative algorithm, then, again, there’s nothing that I can say to make you feel better, because that’s totally crazy.

But your message that conservatism is fundamentally in opposition to Christian values is one that I’ll keep in mind.

By: Judge Smails

Judge Smails — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 01:51:32 +0000

Nice dodge, but I could just as easily translate the above to say “preventing landowners from exercising their rights, appeasing Islamic extremists, and spending huge sums on government boondoggles.”

If you have a real response, I’m all ears.

By: Waldo Jaquith

Waldo Jaquith — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 01:43:21 +0000

JS, if you think that stewardship of our land, finding common ground with people of other faiths and preventing American children from starving is liberal, I’m afraid I can’t help you. :)

By: Judge Smails

Judge Smails — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 01:01:43 +0000

Congratulations on the launch. I really admire what you’ve been able to put together, but…

I’m just not so sure about this Interfaith Center deal. Don’t get me wrong, it’s your deal, so by all means do with it what you choose. And I grant you I know next to nothing about them, but a quick look at their website (I didn’t need to click once past their homepage) shows they’re interested in eco-stewardship, foodstamps, hunger, and rethinking bias against Islam - aka the Religion of Peace.

Now, forgive me for being impudent enough to suggest that all this betrays a smidge of a left-wing bias in the Interfaith Center’s approach to issues. For example, one might wonder where their “alternatives to abortion” link is, or maybe even their page supporting private school vouchers as an alternative to public schools. (And maybe they’re there - but not as prominently displayed as the ones I listed.)

None of this is to suggest that anything you or Rev. Smith has said is disingenuous in the least. I actually trust you just about as much as one can trust a person he’s never actually never met. Yet, as a comfirmed conservative I cannot help but be be wary of a website designed to serve all citizens being turned over to a group that appears to have an agenda representative of only half - at best.

By: Joanna

Joanna — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 19:32:37 +0000

Thanks for the replies to my post, Waldo, Doug. I’m /really/ delighted with this website. :-)