Dear George,

Doesn't the cost of $135 for the JJ Dinner suggest how far Virginia's Democratic Party has moved from its roots and constituency? What other statewide event would allow people to see all of our elected officials (wonder why that number gets smaller each year?) in one place if not this?

It is symptomatic of the campaign financing scandal: every event is a fund raiser. The message is, of course, if you don't have the money you aren't part of the Party.

Didn't Woody Guthrie sing a song about that?

Al Weed (electronic mail, January 16, 2001).

Editor's Note: The Democratic Party of Virginia will be hosting its 2001 Jefferson Jackson Day [JJ] Dinner on February 3, 2001 at the Richmond Marriott hotel [6 p.m.for cocktails and 7 p.m. for dinner]. The keynote speaker will be U.S.Senator Max Leland of Georgia and the cost is $135 per person.

Woody Guthrie wrote a song, "Do Re Mi," which can be heard on two contemporaneous albums, sung by John Mellencamp [From "Folkways: A Vision Shared" on the Columbia label] and by Ani Difranco [From ''til we outnumber 'em" on the Righteous Babe label].

The song was written about the dustbowl, but has since been applied to migrant labor as well. Here in Virginia, the song might go like this:

"If you ain't got the do re mi, babe, If you ain't got the do re me. Why you better go back to Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia or Tennessee. They say [Virginia] is the Garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or see, but believe it or not, you won't find it so hot, if you ain't got the do re mi."

On the same DiFranco album, Arlo Guthrie with the All Severance Hall Cast sings "'til we outnumber 'em." A summary of the story told, accompanied by "This Land is Your Land," is as follows:

"Two rabbits were in the forest one day, munching on things, and heard sounds of dogs off in the distance. As the wind died down, the rabbits saw the dogs and the dogs saw the rabbits. When the rabbits began to get tired they jumped into the hallow of a log. The mama rabbit said, "I don't think we will get out alive." The papa rabbit said, "We will just stay here till we outnumber em."

I believe these are hearty words for Democrats in the midst of a Republican administration!

Al Weed's Response

It'll work if Democrats stay home and procreate while Republicans dance and recreate.

Al Weed (electronic mail, January 17, 2001).