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West Virginia Democrats are complaining that the state party set up an affirmative action committee that has been required since 1974 and then immediately ignored the wishes of the diverse committee.

Bottom line, leaders of the state party decided to submit a draft affirmative action plan to the national party without members of the new affirmative action committee signing off.

This all came to a raucous climax during a two-hour Thursday night meeting that was streamed online.

The treatment and disrespect on display last night was unconscionable, said Democrat Hollis Lewis, the co-chairman of the affirmative action committee.

In the aftermath, Democrats have complained that the meeting deviated from a previously-posted agenda, that members of the affirmative action committee were stonewalled from participating in the actual discussion of affirmative action, and that party leaders talked over members of the party from traditionally-underrepresented groups.

Democrats today used words like egregious treatment and disrespect to describe what happened.

Members of the party spoke out on practically any available format. Former Delegate Amanda Estep Burton of Kanawha County laid out her concerns on 580 Live radio. Mary Ann Claytor, a two-time candidate for state auditor, spoke out on MetroNews Talkline. And several more Democrats outlined their deep concerns in a streaming press conference that lasted nearly an hour.

It just kind of made me sad, said Aryanna Islam, a former House of Delegates candidate from Marion County, who described herself as a rare young voice on West Virginias political landscape.

Were trying out best to be involved, but we feel like were constantly shut out, shut down. Last night sent a message that the diversity in the party is kind of like an afterthought. Its another box to check.

Kim Felix, a Democrat from Mercer County, also described a deep feeling of being let down. She made a point that the existing affirmative action plan hasnt been drafted by one person of color.

My initial reaction is one of sadness in that young persons like myself and people who identify as people of color have attempted to be proactive and involved and engaged in the Democratic Party. Incidents like what occurred yesterday really signal and send a message to young people that we are not valued, nor are people of diversity welcomed into the party, Felix said.

It would be my hope that we would be welcomed with open arms. What were hoping for today is to signal to the Democratic Party that this cant continue.

The affirmative action issue developed from reform efforts stretching back two years by Democrat Selina Vickers. She and state party leaders reached agreement on a memorandum of understanding, and establishing an affirmative action plan is an aspect of that. We recognized major problems. No transparency. No diversity, Vickers said today.

A change to party bylaws on March 15 allowed two months until May 15 to get in line with the national charter. The affirmative action plan was a key component of doing so. State party leaders asked for an extension on that aspect, and the Democratic National Committee allowed that until June 4, today.

The affirmative action committee met for the first time two days ago.

When it was time to implement it, instead of acting in good faith, they tried to ram through a plan, Vickers said at todays press conference. The whole thing is to have people of diversity develop a plan, do outreach and bring people into the party. In my opinion, these incredible people who are stepping up and trying to build this party were completely disrespected.

A half hour into the Thursday night meeting, longtime Democratic Party Chairwoman Belinda Biafore gave her own version of the background. Even that was rocky.

Weve been working for over a year now, Biafore began.

Madam chairwoman, said Mary Thorp, the other affirmative action co-chair, cutting in.

Excuse me, Im trying to explain what the plan was about, Biafore said, continuing along.

Biafore described the deadline to submit the affirmative action plan and emphasized that it was a draft. She acknowledged the affirmative action committee was just being formed and described it as customary for the executive committee to come up with a first draft.

Thats when Walt Auvil, a Parkersburg resident on the state Democratic Party Executive Committee, broke in with a point of order. He suggested it would be a good idea for members of the affirmative action committee be seated on the executive committee so they could actually vote on the affirmative action plan.

It defeats the purpose of having an affirmative action committee if theyre not part of the affirmative action plan, Auvil said.

Biafore responded that their admittance was next on the agenda, after consideration of the affirmative action plan.

Susan Miley, a Democrat from Harrison County, spoke up to agree with Auvil.

I cant even comprehend us not seating the members of an affirmative action committee prior to voting on the affirmative action plan when theyre the ones who are supposed to be the ones creating the affirmative action plan, Miley said. Thats just insane to me.

Pat Maroney, a former Democratic Party chairman, chimed in to again emphasize the approaching deadline. He said the affirmative action committee could make changes to the draft later on.

We have before us an affirmative action plan. We have to adopt it first before any of the proposed members become members of the committee, Maroney said. Its a question of which comes first, the chicken or the egg.

The egg splattered from there.

Why are white people drafting a plan for Hispanics and Black people? Why? Miley shot back.

She wanted to know why West Virginia couldnt plead for an extension from the Democratic National Committee by being open about just how little participation there was in the plans development.

The state party today produced a letter from the national Democratic Party denying another extension, saying West Virginia has already had enough time.

I dont understand why an arbitrary deadline that we have no control over, that we have no say in whatsoever, and Im sure has been looming longer than five days much longer than five days why all of a sudden that is the deciding factor versus the voices of the people that actually live here, that actually care about this affirmative action plan, Miley said.

Biafore responded that the state party just needed to hit the deadline and then could amend the affirmative action plan.

I just want to stress that what everybodys missing is this is simply a starting point, Biafore said Thursday night. After I turn this in tomorrow youve all read it; its not like theres anything binding in it. You got to work and get whatever you want and well come back and approve it and amend it and send it on. Ive just got to get something to the DNC that says look, were making a good-faith effort here.

Today, Democrats outside of leadership continued to express outrage.

Lewis, the affirmative action committee co-chairman who has served as a Kanawha County magistrate, said concrete actions not just an apology, would be necessary to win back trust. The first step, he said, should be delaying submission of the affirmative action plan and allowing participation.

We want to see actionable steps. The first thing is to ask for an extension, not put that plan through and give us time to have input, he said. An apology is fine, but we need actionable steps to go with that.

Amanda Estep-Burton, a former delegate from Kanawha County, aired out a Facebook post Thursday evening and then went on local talk radio this morning.

Theres a complete lack of leadership. It was an absolute mess, said Estep-Burton. They completely violated all of their own bylaws.

They didnt get input from any underrepresented person when they created and drafted this plan to present to the DNC.

Another Democrat, Mary Ann Claytor, participated in the press conference and also went on statewide radio.

We had not had input in that plan, and we wanted our members to have that input, Claytor said. We didnt want to have a committee that was just full of party heads to make the decision.

We wanted to have our members involved because we believe the best representation is listening to the voices of the concern of your members.

Claytor was among the last to speak at Thursday nights meeting. She wanted to know why so few people could make amendments.

So that means that we dont have any voice in this. I dont know why you all have a caucus, she said.

Lewis followed up by punctuating his own frustration. As a Black West Virginian, this is a slap in the face.

Nick Casey, another former party chairman, drove a stake in the meeting.

I move we adjourn.

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Democrats erupt over affirmative action plan that cuts out affirmative action committee - West Virginia MetroNews

Sen. Rand PaulRandal (Rand) Howard Paul Rand Paul calls planned Fauci book 'science fiction' Biden sheds hawkish past on deficit with debt-laden budget Bipartisan 'family visitor visa' unneeded and unwise MORE (R-Ky.) on Thursday called Anthony FauciAnthony Fauci Rand Paul calls planned Fauci book 'science fiction' White House embarks on push to vaccinate hard-to-reach Americans Fauci, Jill Biden to appear together on 'Live with Kelly and Ryan' next week MORE's planned book on the coronavirus pandemic science fiction."

The book developed by National Geographic, titled Expect the Unexpected: Ten Lessons on Truth, Service, and the Way Forward, was taken off Amazon and other sites as a spokesperson told The Hillit was prematurely posted for pre-sale."

Oh, I dont know. I think they should publish it, Paul tweeted. I love science fiction.

Oh, I dont know. I think they should publish it.

I love science fiction.https://t.co/2ANc8IBTgs

Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, and Paul have clashed multiple times before over the necessity of wearing masks and the origins of the coronavirus.

I just don't understand what the problem is with him," Fauci said in an interview after Paul accused the National Institutes of Healthof sending funding to a lab in Wuhan.

Fauci came under criticism after the announcement of the book as many accused him of making money from the pandemic.

"He will not earn any royalties from its publication or from the upcoming documentary," the spokesperson for National Geographic said.

Paul has stated he is not getting the coronavirus vaccine due to the natural immunity he has from having the virus in March 2020.

Until they show me evidence that people who have already had the infection are dying in large numbers or being hospitalized or getting very sick, I just made my own personal decision that Im not getting vaccinated because Ive already had the disease and I have natural immunity, Paul said.

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Rand Paul calls planned Fauci book 'science fiction' | TheHill - The Hill

The political condition of our country is as pivotal as it ever has been. The integral part of the narrative becomes more and more sinister as layers of the COVID-19 investigation unfolds.

I got a call Tuesday morning from Sen. Rand Paul's office that the senator was going to be part of a business roundtable discussion that day at Murray State. Of course, we wanted to attend. Anything dealing with business possibilities interests me, as I'm sure it does you as well.

We all have our opinion as to who, what, when and where the issues in the country exist, however, when you get the opportunity to express your concerns and hear how the government is dealing with issues, you take it.

Straight party line folks will turn a politician on or off simply because of the letter in parenthesis at the end of their name. Those people will never change. They're straight-line Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or whatever and will be until the day they die. Their dad or mom was that party and that's good enough for them. I've heard that statement countless times. I try not to do that.

In listening to Sen. Paul this week, we heard some talking points, as I'm sure you always will when politicians are involved, everyone comes from somewhere. However, I will say that Sen. Paul had good things to say across the board about the myriad of issues facing our country. I found his comments to be common sense responses, instead of the political, party line platform.

One thing that Sen. Paul said that stood out to me in the roundtable is that members of Congress often get into heated debates on social and national media. On the contrary, behind closed doors in the halls of Congress, it's not usually that way. Conversations are more civilized. That's good to know because out here in the audience, the theatrics by the national media confirms to me it's for ratings. Which in turn means advertising dollars.

After all, the play up in the media means elections for some individuals who wouldn't otherwise have a chance.

Among the issues Sen. Paul spoke about was COVID-19. We have to prevent this type of pandemic from ever happening again and it's going to take bipartisan moves to make that happen. Who knew there were 11 labs in the United States that do gain-of-function research? They take an animal virus and make them transferable to humans according to Sen. Paul. What? When I heard this, I shook my head in disbelief and my mouth went dry. Maybe that's common knowledge in your household, but it certainly wasn't in mine.

Sen. Paul introduced a bill that has passed in the early stages to halt all of this funding.

This seems like something out of a horror movie. I don't care what the national media says, I'm a firm believer that COVID-19 came from one of those research labs in China. No doubt in my mind. If we know and understand the labs that are doing this in the United States, can you imagine what they're doing in Communist China? If you can imagine it, they're doing it and more.

If there's another one, it could be even worse. The problem is, if we stop research here in the United States, there's no way foreign nations will follow suit. China's pockets are too deep and money talks when it comes to the world stage.

At least we have some of our government officials recognizing the need for a drastic measure to take care of this. Let's hope and pray they succeed.

Editors Note: Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the editorial opinion of the Murray Ledger & Times.

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From the Corner of 1001 Whitnell | Opinion | murrayledger.com - Murray Ledger and Times

Health experts are urging people who have already had COVID-19 to get vaccinated.

Their recommendation comes after Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who contracted COVID-19 in March 2020, stated he does not plan on getting vaccinated against the disease.

Until they show me evidence that people who have already had the infection are dying in large numbers or being hospitalized or getting very sick, I just made my own personal decision that Im not getting vaccinated because Ive already had the disease and I have natural immunity, he told a WABC radio show in New York.

That statement goes against the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which advises that people should be vaccinated regardless of whether they have already had COVID-19.

Experts do not yet know how long you are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. Even if you have already recovered from COVID-19, it is possible although rare that you could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 again, the CDC guidance states.

Dr. Julie Parsonnet, an expert in adult infectious diseases at Stanford University in California, says Pauls comments suggest a lack of understanding about the immune system.

I think its a bad message and I think it reflects a lack of understanding of how immunity works. Usually the first exposure to an infection is sort of like a taste test. Your immune system sees it and it responds, but it doesnt build up very strong memory responses and you dont have the circulating cells that allow you to respond very quickly to infection, Parsonnet told Healthline.

We know that some people who have COVID dont mount an immune response at all. We also know that some people get reinfected and that some people who have gotten reinfected have gotten quite sick. Yes, he (Senator Paul) will have some immunity, but there is good data that you will have better immunity if you get a vaccine, she added.

Dr. William Schaffner is an expert in infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. He says the recommendation for people who have already had COVID-19 to still get vaccinated is based on two factors.

The first is that the antibody levels after vaccination are much higher than the antibody levels after natural infection. And higher antibody levels are usually associated with a longer duration of protection, Schaffner told Healthline.

The second is, to use Tony Faucis word, higher antibody levels provide a greater cushion of protection against some of the variants. Obviously, those are not sufficient reasons for Dr. Paul, he added.

President Joe Biden has announced a goal of having 70 percent of adults in the United States vaccinated with at least one shot by July 4.

But that leaves almost a third of the population unvaccinated, meaning the coronavirus could still have a chance to mutate.

A substantial number of people who are unvaccinated will continue to support the transmission of the virus and I think this will be more prominent in some communities than others, said Schaffner.

Every time a new person is infected with the virus, the virus multiplies million and billions of times, he added. As it multiplies it mutates. Most of those mutations are harmless, but any one of those people could be a variant factory. They could suddenly develop a mutation or series of mutations by chance alone that would create a new and very dangerous variant. Thats a concept thats not understood at all by the vast majority of people.

Parsonnet says comments like those from Paul are damaging. She argues there needs to be a more united approach against COVID-19.

When I think about COVID-19, I think we are actually fighting a war, she said. We have a global war. Its sort of like that movie Independence Day when the aliens land on Earth. Well, the aliens have landed and theres this virus that is killing off people, and the worst thing you can do when there is an enemy that youre all fighting is for you to shoot each other.

We need to think about this in a much more were in this together way and lets figure out how we pull together to fight the enemy, Parsonnet said. The enemy is not the Democrats and its not the Republicans. The enemys a virus and we need to deal with it.

Original post:
Why You Need to Get Vaccinated Even If You've Had COVID-19 - Healthline

Construction in Henderson and Henderson County so far this year is running nearly double that of last year, when COVID-19 concerns evidently put a temporary pinch on new home construction.

Through the first five months of this year, construction value has totaled $13.4 million (including $5.4 million in the city and $8.0 million in the county), compared with $7.7 million during the same period in 2020.

Housing construction was seriously pinched during the spring of 2020, with no permits sought for building new homes in the city in neither April nor May 2020, and none ought in the county in May 2020.

More: Sens. Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul meet with industry leaders, constituents in Henderson

While housing is rebounding, last month also saw a host of commercial projects, including:

Eight permits were issued for new single-family residences last month (including five in the city and three in the county), compared with none in May 2020.

The city housing starts last month included a pair of new homes being built by Henderson Habitat for Humanity at 10 Holliday Ct. and 1014 Pringle St.

More: Consultant: Sale of Henderson Municipal Power and Light could be costly to customers

So far this year, permits have been issued for constructing 29 new homes (including 15 in the city and 14 in the county), compared with 20 during the same period last year.

The construction value of the housing starts so far this year (not including the cost of real estate and certain other improvements) has averaged $191,200 in the city and $304,536 in the county.

The total value of all construction last month totaled nearly $3.1 million (including $1.9 million in the city and $1.2 million in the county), compared with only $509,382 in May 2020.

Here are lists of building permits issued by the city and county last month:

Commercial remodeling: KAH III LLC, 500 N. Green St., $290,000; JTCT Holdings LLC, 128-132 Second St., $100,000; JRN Inc., 2236 U.S. 41-North, $250,000; and Gardenside Center LLC, 2606 Zion Rd., Unit H, $164,000.

Commercial demolition: Terry Spainhoward, 1124 Atkinson St., $15,000.

Single-family residence demolitions: Marshall and Terry W. Arnold, 228 Watson Ln., $3,000; Jeremy S. Glenn and Brian K. Webb, 232 Watson Ln., $5,500; Jerold T. and Sandra Williams, 137 Kentucky 2084-North, $3,450; and Luffy Enterprises LLC, 16 Gum St., $1,000.

New duplex: Marshall and Terry W. Arnold, 228 Watson Ln., $193,000.

Duplex remodeling: Yoga Here & Now LLC, 1228 Washington St., $50,000.

Single-family residential accessory: LL Henderson LLC, 2127 Locust Dr., $10,000; James E. Solomon, 2360 U.S. 60-East, 1 cent; and Julianne Goodman, 507 Fair St., $7,000.

Single-family new residences: HCM LLC, 1450 Arrow Way, $151,000; Black Pearl Properties LLC, 77 S. Partridge Run, $120,000; Brandon Homes LLC, 923 Trail Dr., $268,000; Henderson Habitat for Humanity, 10 Holliday Ct., $130,000; and Henderson Habitat for Humanity, 1014 Pringle St., $115,000.

Single-family residential remodeling: Sindy Newman, 228 Rooney Dr., $20,000; and Paradise Ventures LLC, 2037 Peggy Dr., $2,000.

Signs: William F. (Jr.) and Martha O. Polk, 1309 S. Green St., $5,000; and Popps Bros., 2236 U.S. 41-North, $7,800.

Total: $1.9 million

New residences: Danny and Lisa Pittman, 9089 East Street Loop, $295,000; Richard Welden, 19661 Upper Delaware Rd., $200,000; and Valada McKinney, 9410 Kentucky 136-East, $199,500.

Room addition: Adam Glick, 14160 U.S. 41-Alternate, $41,400.

Manufactured homes: Rachel Talley, 8627 B.F. Overfield Rd., $80,000; and Audrey Ingle, 3096 Kentucky 136-West, $132,604.

Garages/utility buildings: Danny and Lisa Pittman, 9089 East Street Loop, $50,000; Herman Nelson Jr., 8505 Kentucky 1078-North, $15,635; Brian Powell, 3868 Peachtree Dr., $26,000; Rob Woodring, 8749 Tscharner Rd., $40,000; and Chad Vowels, 15088 Upper Delaware Rd., $35,000.

Miscellaneous: Rob Woodring, 8749 Tscharner Rd., $56,300.

Total: $1.2 million

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Henderson County building activity nearly doubles as home construction picks up in May - The Gleaner