First of all, please put a disclaimer before the diary starts next time you plan on being downright hilarious.

I am in this race because we need more candidates on the ballot to advocate for Rail. We need rail. We need More Trains and Less Traffic. Greg. We have lost 2530 of our finest men and women in Iraq, but every year 40,000 Americans are killed on our roadway. Rail is safer. We need alternatives ways to move people and goods.

Now I have to wipe beer off of the keyboard.  AND IT'S GOOD BEER, DAMMIT.  ;)

Second-this woman is batshit crazy.  What the hell is she talking aout? Lady-if I wanted to elect a sheep who decided what to do after other people told her (her "stance" on the marriage amendment), I would be a registered Republican.  C'mon, now...

Lastly, this whole RAIL thing makes me think of lots of other things...like the Simpsons MONORAIL episode, and the musical the Music Man with the chugga chug chugga chug opening, and lastly...that she may be a huge fan of the cocaine.  I'M NOT SAYING SHE IS...I'm just saying...it makes you wonder.

Why are you always holding back all the time?  LOL

That was an amazing live blog. I participated because I don't want to discourage anybody who wants to run for office but... the answer to everything is RAIL?

Of course, my favorite answer:

Vivian, Jonathan: Glad to know you both are still there.

And her site doesn't work in Mozilla, either.

:)

Hey Gail,

Hate to break it to ya, but trains are yesterdays news.

That's why MY campaign is all about the transportation of the FUTURE...

Jambon on his "Virginia is Segway Country" tour

This campaign is all about Segways folks.  And don't you forget it!

 

Yes, rail is the answer to everything, wait... no the answer to everything is actually 42. Sorry, I got confused for a second there...

Yes, Mrs. Parker definitely wanted to stay on the message of fixing transportation via rail. I still appreciate her willingness to give live blogging a try and I definitely appreciate everyone who came out and asked questions this evening.

...we deposit 1 cent and then time travel to the end of the universe to collect the interest.

So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish.

I appreciate Gail's effort to mobilize Virginia by rail, but there's a far more important issue:

Making sure all Virginians have there towel with them at all times.

in all seriousness, mass transit is a very important issue.  It's just strange to see someone making their entire SENATE race out of it.

lastly, I don't think any of us Webb supporters should be knocking anyone elses websites right now. 

Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks the www.webbforsenate.com site is absolutely atrocious!

but not phenomenal.

If that helps.  :)

by most standards I'd say you're correct. 

but for a Senate campaign I think it's pretty darn bad.  especially one that's driven by the Netroots...

It's funny, but in some ways I agree with the whacky Ms. Parker...  Rail does have to be part of the answer.  I completely disagree with those who claim rail is 20th century and should be left behind.  Modern rail is absolutely key for connecting large densely populated areas with each other.  It needs to be used in conjunction with bus rapid transit, human powered travel (walking, cycling), airports, ferries, public buses, and even privately owned cars/trucks.  Any solution that does not allow for ALL of those methods to work well together is doomed to failure.

One of the things that works well in Europe and Japan is that it is easy/convenient to change modes of transportation several times in one journey.

Trucks and cars in the rural areas, with parking as you switch to rail for town to town travel, with covered walk-ways to huge bicycle parking for small town trips from the train station to the office.  Stores conveniently arranged for pedestrians near the train stations and bike parking areas.

It is a bit odd though that Parker can't talk about anything except Rail.  There are so many other problems.

Building the infrastructure, whatever it is -- rail, fast buses, or beam-me-up-Scotty transporters -- is a good step, but people need to get out of the mindset that insists the car is the best way to travel. People love their cars, even though they're inefficient, harmful to the environment and a host of other unpleasant adjectives.

For an example of a healthy urban transportation situation, check out Portland, Oregon. Light rail brings people in from the suburbs; FREE streetcars carry people around the center city; and bike lanes, beautiful bike lanes, are literally everywhere. Portland is one community that has made changing the mindset a priority...is it possible in Virginia? (I don't know; I'm new here...)

I keep hearing more and more wonderful things about Portland, I really need to get out there for a visit.  Sounds like we can use some of their excellent ideas.

My wife and I were out there a few years ago and had a great time.  (We also visited Seattle, Victoria, and Vancouver, plus Mt. Saint Helens, Mt. Rainier, Olympia National Park, the Oregon coast, etc.).

See, we were thinking that maybe, to be fair, we should do a mock interview with Mrs. Parker, because we did one with Webb and Miller, and one with Allen.

I can't top that. I just can't.

Rail is 20th Century.  Rapid Bus Transit is 21st.  Google it.  There are some very successful systems worldwide.  Rail is too permanent and expensive.  RBT is flexible and won't require tearing down people's homes or businesses. 

Gail is right, we need to do something but it isn't rail in a crowded area.  Europe's train are a great success but they were built long ago.  We designed our cities so we could live far away from them.  There are some very bright people working on these problems and they recognize the versatility of RBT.  People will have to get over their prejudices and enjoy the nice ride.

I saw a diagram once of 66.  40 cars, and then 10 cars for carpools and then one bus to exemplify what a difference using a bus can be for carrying 40 people.  It used toy cars and bus and was impressive.

MTC -- Library -- Transportation Blueprint for the 21st Century Rapid Bus Transit (RBT) is an emerging transportation concept which is gaining in popularity throughout the world. RBT ties the speed and reliability of a ...

www.mtc.ca.gov/library/blueprint/bp_rapidbus.htm

I would love to see a fast train between tidewater and Richmond and DC--and one as a commuter train between Peninsula and Southside.  I met Gail when she was getting sigs in Newport News--I thought maybe Allen was bankrolling her as someone who would peel off votes from the Democrats.  She might get 2-3%, which could be very significant, believe it or not, in a close race.
And maybe Jim Webb could dwell a bit on the need for better public transportation, as an offset to what Gail is doing??  jmho

If Gail is wanting rail in the more rural parts of the state that is great.  I would love to take a train.  I was thinking egocentrically.  Rail to Dulles, Rail to Dulles, Rail to Dulles spins in my head.  Thanks for reminding me to think bigger!

Lowell, I forgot to ask last night. If there is you should make up a graphic so I can add it to my site. I would wear the badge with honor.

anyone handy with PhotoShop?