George,

I am embarrassed to be a Virginian. It's not the first time, but geez I don't like being a laughingstock. I am here in Kabul working on some fairly heady issues like trying to change the whole electoral system for Afghanistan's legislative elections. Consequently, I've not been paying a whole lot of attention to the VA General Assembly.

My office mate here is from Sweden. The other day he comes to me saying, “So I understand that your state is going to outlaw the display of underwear. It’s all over the news in Sweden!” I assured him that the Swedish press must be hopelessly misinformed. The next day I finally got a chance to check on the goings-on in Richmond, and found it is I who was misinformed.

Who ARE these cretins in our statehouse? Do they realize that in this global village, flights of lunacy are immediately reported all over the world? Thankfully the underwear bill was shot down. Otherwise I think I would have made up some other state to be from.

Jim Heilman (electronic mail, February 18, 2005)