National Rifle Association, Janet Howell, Jerry Boykin

Because the Richmond Times-Dispatch posted a video on its website Monday of two bald eagles mating, here are today's nominees for Worst Virginians in the World!

The bronze goes to the National Rifle Association, which is in dire need of a new marketing strategist.

To sell everything from NRA shirts and hats to concealed-weapons jackets, the Fairfax-based gun lobby sent a fundraising email to supporters evoking – of all things – President John F. Kennedy and the Challenger disaster, Media Matters reported Monday. That's right: The slain-by-an-assassin's-bullet John F. Kennedy; the Challenger was just a convenient time hook.

Unfortunately, this bad idea isn't a new one. Media Matters reported last September that other NRA fundraising emails evoked 9/11, including an image of the smoldering towers and a message inferring that the NRA's political opponents are as bad as terrorists. In November, the NRA used an image of Abraham Lincoln (also murdered with a gun) using an NRA website in another fundraising email.

Just two more assassinated presidents to go.

The silver goes to state Sen. Janet Howell. It's not everyday that politicians want to be associated with being a pain in the ass, but Howell embraced it – sort of.

The Virginian-Pilot of Hampton Roads reported Monday that she challenged a bill requiring a woman to get an ultrasound before getting an abortion by proposing a protest amendment: requiring men to undergo a rectal exam and cardiac stress test before being written a subscription for erectile dysfunction medication.

To Howell, it's "only fair." "If we're going to subject women to unnecessary procedures, and we're going to subject doctors to having to do things that they don't think is medically advisory," she said. Her amendment failed on a party-line vote, but the ultrasound bill passed.

As intrusive as the ultrasound bill is for inserting the government between a woman and her doctor, doomed protest amendments often come off as jokes and overshadow genuine concerns. Even The Washington Post and The Huffington Post picked up on this legislative oddity, for instance.

Janet Howell rectal turned up 1.1 million Google hits as of this morning.

But the gold goes to retired Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin. He can leave the military, but he can't escape his past.

Boykin, currently a professor at Hampden-Sydney College, was invited to speak at West Point's National Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 8. But VoteVets (a coalition of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans) and the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on the institution to rescind his invitation because of disparaging remarks he's made on Islam.

Boykin most famously declared in uniform in 2003 at a church that America is "battling Satan" and that a Somali warlord had an "idol" for a god. He's been on an Islamophobic trip since. He said in 2010 that Islam "should not be protected under the First Amendment" and that Muslims "are under an obligation to destroy our Constitution." Also in 2010, he co-authored a book titled "Shariah: The Threat to America," in which the writers argued that most mosques and Muslim social organizations are radicalized. Boykin said on a radio show in September that there should be "no mosques in America" and that Islam is "a totalitarian way of life." Worst Virginians called him out in September for saying that people don't mind offending Christians but won't do anything to offend Muslims – present company excluded, apparently.

VoteVets argued that Boykin's comments run contrary to military values and, "Our counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan demands that the military as an institution respect, and not demonize, Islam. The very safety of our men and women in uniform counts on it."

The Associated Press reported Monday that Boykin withdrew his invitation. He wouldn't comment, but in a statement defending his original invitation, West Point said it was confident that he would've given an inclusive address and that exposing cadets to a variety of opinions and ideas is what being a cadet is about. CAIR responded, "I doubt that they would invite a KKK speaker and claim that they want to expose the students to a variety of opinions."

The Constitution that Boykin vowed to protect and defend gives him the right to express his views, no matter how contemptible. Yet, the First Amendment gives his critics the right to speak back, and for Muslims to live and worship freely in America, whether Boykin likes it or not.

That's Lt. Gen. Jerry "A Totalitarian Way of Life" Boykin, today's Worst Virginian in the World!

Donald McEachin, Randy Forbes, Bob Marshall

Because Del. Joe Morrissey spoke at a press conference with staff dressed as cartoon characters to protest the Kings Dominion law, here are today's nominations for Worst Virginians in the World!

First up is state Sen. Donald McEachin. He tried to double down on his criticism of Gov. Bob McDonnell's education spending and lost the hand.

McEachin earlier this month in the Democratic response to the State of the Commonwealth address correctly observed that Gov. Bob McDonnell wants to shift general-fund money from education to transportation by raising the earmark percentage on sales taxes for transportation, costing schools $165 million once Bob's plan is fully implemented.

However, in the same statement, McEachin claimed, "Overall in this, [Bob's] first budget, the governor is cutting pre-K and K-through-12 education by hundreds of millions of dollars." Well, this earned McEachin a False rating from PolitiFact Virginia on Thursday, the third False/Pants on Fire rating in a row for the commonwealth – that's bipartisanship you can count on.

The fact-checkers pointed out that Bob's two-year budget calls for a $500 million increase in education. The Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus said that since Bob wants localities to pitch in more for teacher's pensions, that money is being diverted away from education purposes. Yet, even when subtracting what would go to pensions, Bob's plan would still allot $155 million more for education.

PolitiFact points out that even if some localities choose to cut education spending, they also have the option of raising taxes or cutting non-education spending to follow state mandates.

Stay tuned: PolitiFact said it'll now investigate McEachin's claim that Bob's budget cuts pre-kindergarten programs.

Our runner-up is Rep. Randy Forbes for his response to President Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch on Wednesday rounded up many congressional Virginians' responses to the address, with Republican responses being usual (for either party) backhanded partisan comments: Majority Leader Eric Cantor rehashed his lie that the stimulus failed, Rep. Scott Rigell flashed the class warfare card, Rep. Rob Wittman doesn't like raising taxes on the rich, and so on.

Congressman Forbes, on the other hand, seems to have lost his groove:

"Hardworking American taxpayers rise early and go to bed late. I'm sure they are angry with Washington speechwriters who talk about bringing new values to government. Values that can regulate light bulbs, but cannot regulate government spending. Values that ban prayer and faith from public places. Values that talk about jobs, but only manufacture regulation and red tape. These hardworking taxpayers know that America can and will be rebuilt, but they believe it should not be rebuilt on their backs, but by their hands."

For all you people who get the recommended seven hours of sleep, you're not working hard enough!
 
Randy's comments on light bulbs is a reference to the Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act, a tea party bill meant to repeal part of an energy bill signed by raging liberal George W. Bush in 2007 that requires incandescent bulbs to be 30% more efficient. Never mind that General Electric and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association support the efficiency standards, and the greener light bulbs will save the country $12.5 billion a year.

But on a larger point, Randy picked up on Texas Gov. Rick Perry's meme that the government is trying to stamp out religion in the public sphere. This is the same man who embarrassed an already-historically unpopular Congress by proposing a resolution in fall to reaffirm that "In God We Trust" is the national motto.

What the federal government or Obama administration have done to "ban prayer and faith from public places" is a curious accusation. But compared to other nations, public faith and worship seem pretty idyllic in America.

An Indonesian atheist was charged this month with blasphemy for writing "God does not exist" on a Facebook page; he faces five years in prison. In theocratic Saudi Arabia, it is illegal for non-Muslims to practice their religion publicly. In communist China, only state-sanctioned "patriotic religious associations" are protected under the constitution, and all proselytizing in public is outlawed. Baha'is are the largest religious non-Muslim minority in theocratic Iran, but because their faith is not recognized by the constitution, they are not allowed to practice their religion, serve in government or military leadership roles, inherit property, or attend college.

If Randy wants to know what real religious oppression in public is like, he can see for himself by visiting one of those countries, preferably with a one-way plane ticket.

But our winner is GOP Senate candidate and escaped mental patient Del. Bob Marshall.

Some of Bob's greatest hits include saying that children born with a handicap is divine punishment for the mother having an abortion; homosexuality "undermines the American economy"; gays should be banned from the Virginia National Guard because of DADT repeal; arming college professors is a wonderful idea; and that repealing DADT will "jeopardize our alliances" because Muslims won't want to serve with homosexuals.

In sentiments that are actually tame by Bob's standards, he's defending a bill he proposed that would nullify the federal light bulb efficiency standards by allowing them to be sold in Virginia. "I have identified other powers reserved to states under the 10th Amendment that we can manufacture these in Virginia without federal interference," he told the Loundoun Times-Mirror this month, harking back to the Edmund Ruffin days. Bob also said that the energy-efficient CFL bulbs contain dangerous levels of mercury. In actuality, exposure to a broken CFL is equivalent to a nibble of canned tuna.

But Bob might have topped himself with this one: His bill is too crazy even for Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (who should be "former attorney general" after announcing his bid for governor). Cooch's office told the Claims Journal of San Diego on Tuesday that because he thinks the light-bulb law is constitutional, it can't be pre-empted by the state: "While the attorney general does not support the federal light bulb ban as a matter of policy and hopes that Congress will repeal it, the primary job of the Office of the Attorney General is to make legal judgments on the law as it is, as opposed to how one might wish it to be."

Cooch is famous for fighting the healthcare reform law in federal court (and losing) but sees a difference with the light-bulb law. Healthcare reform "sought, for the very first time, to force citizens into commerce for the sole purpose of then being able to impose regulations," Cooch's office said. "That is very different from the light bulb ban."

It takes a special kind of crazy to out-crazy Ken Cuccinelli, and Bob found it. No doubt he will stumble upon it again and again as his Senate campaign keeps rolling.

That's Bob – a few watts short of an incandescent – Marshall, today's Worst Virginian in the World!

Margaret Ransone, Ken Cuccinelli, Bob McDonnell

Because Del. David Englin wants a panel to research the potential revenue impact of letting marijuana be sold at ABC stores to close the budget gap, here are today's nominees for Worst Virginians in the World!

First up is Del. Margaret Ransone. Bad state laws are like an epidemic, spreading rapidly to other states and doing much more harm than good, even if other states experienced legal or financial problems executing them.

In copying other states, Ransone sponsored a bill that would require drug testing for applicants for unemployment benefits, the Free-Lance Star of Fredericksburg reported Saturday. Worse yet, applicants must pay for the tests themselves, in order to save the state money. Other Virginia Republicans have proposed similar bills but none as burdensome for the applicant. Ransone's bill does not say for how long a disqualified applicant can be denied benefits, and the bill does not prohibit the submitted test results from being shared with law enforcement.

These kind of sweeping drug-testing laws are unconstitutional, counterproductive, and expensive. In fact, a federal judge blocked a similar Florida law in fall for violating the Fourth Amendment. A similar law in Michigan for welfare recipients was rejected by a federal appeals court in 2003. Many legal and public health organizations submitted a brief in opposition to the Michigan law. They argued that such a policy prevents needy recipients from seeking help, and, they wrote:

"Michigan's scheme of suspicionless urine testing of applicants and recipients fails to distinguish between drug use and drug abuse or drug impairment and levels of impairment. Nor does the program screen for alcohol, the primary substance of abuse in America. Simply put, the fact that a urine sample tests positive for drugs does not mean that the person who provided the sample was drug dependent, was a drug abuser, is drug impaired, or is in any way unfit to raise a family or hold a job."

Yes, the state saves money by not conducting the tests, although it forces the needy to pay for them, but the Star reported that it would cost the Virginia Employment Commission $1 million in extra man hours.

Ransone said the drug testing is a "résumé-builder" because employers know that person has been drug-free since at least when they were unemployed. But 75% of adult illicit drug users are employed.

"It's really good to have the character skills," Ransone said about her bill. "It's just a good notion to consider that quality in a person that they're not using drugs."

The same could be said for those serving in public office.

Our runner-up is Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (who should be "former attorney general" after announcing his bid for governor) for once again embarrassing himself and the commonwealth. First it was boobs, then academic harassment over climate change, now it's rats.

His latest outrage has been about the District of Columbia's rodent extermination law. Cooch has claimed that Occupy Wall Street protests have led to a plague of rats in the city and that D.C. law prohibits rats from being exterminated, only captured and released; naturally he feels they'll be released in Virginia. The law "doesn't allow them to kill the dang rats," Cooch said.

Wrong. PolitiFact Virginia on Monday gave Cooch a Pants on Fire rating for this claim. The fact-checkers found that the law exempts "commensal rodents," such as rats and mice that feed on human food, from D.C.'s wildlife protection statutes. Cooch's office tried to weasel out of his claim by saying that the law further exempts certain rodents, but Cooch specifically talked about the rats in D.C., which are not the kind protected under the law.

What may be worse though is that talk show host and human bag of garbage Rush Limbaugh picked up Cooch's comments and singled out the councilwoman who sponsored the bill. The Washington Post reported this month that she's received profane, threatening emails from Limbaugh's listeners.

Cooch said in a panicky interview with CNSNews this month: "So we have real concerns about this ridiculous – ridiculous! – law and we've been pretty genial about dealing with D.C. on it. But when you see an article like the 'Rats Occupy Occupy DC,' it points up the problem that we're going to have in Virginia because of that – and because D.C.'s really outrageous – outrageous! – treatment of these varmints who, for those who don't remember their history, carried things like bubonic plague. I mean, these are true vermin." ("Ridiculous!" "Outrageous!" "Inconceivable!")

Cooch should be very familiar with "true vermin," they do smell their own kind.

But our winner, actually topping that, is a twofer for Gov. Bob McDonnell. Firstly, he became another victim of PolitiFact Virginia, being slapped with a False rating on Friday.

Part of his pension plan for teachers is for localities to chip in $1 billion, but Bob told a General Assembly committee last month that it "puts no mandate on local government, but just continues their fair share of retirement for their teachers."

Well, not quite. Although public school teachers are local employees and localities chip in the most for their pension plans already as set by the General Assembly, localities lose state aid if they don't pony up the dough. Bob didn't start this system, but if it looks like a mandate, quacks like a mandate, extracts money from localities like a mandate, it's a mandate alright.

Meanwhile, Bob has Plan #572 to raise money for transportation without raising gas taxes. In 2008, the plan to allow the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority to collect taxes for NoVa roads was struck down as unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court, and a plan to raise funds through abusive driver fees was repealed after a firestorm of criticism.

Now, Bob wants to raise funds through toll roads, borrowing $4 billion over three years, and transferring education money, but he has another idea: sell naming rights for the state's roads, bridges, and intersections. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Saturday that, if OK'd by the General Assembly, the Commonwealth Transportation Board would establish rules, fees, and revenue projections.

Yet, the president of the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance told The Huffington Post that Bob's idea "doesn't come close to providing the new long term revenue that Virginia needs – and I'm sure the governor would agree with that."

So as if being surrounded by advertising and marketing on websites, buses, theaters, and even fruit isn't enough, you might wind up living on a street named for a corporation, even a corporation you hate. So, based on Fortune 500 companies headquartered in Virginia, we could see General Dynamics Drive in Falls Church, Advance Auto Parts Avenue in Roanoke, and the CarMax Bridge in Richmond. Who wouldn't want to live on Dollar Tree Street in Chesapeake? "Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Highway" rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?

We have an idea: In the spirit of raising revenue without raising taxes, but promoting transparency in government, Bob could turn himself into a walking billboard by selling ad space on his clothes like NASCAR for his biggest campaign donors. Many are energy companies, so they could even provide flashing lights!

Tune in next week when Bob proposes selling naming rights for Virginia's public schools and parks, and kids will be attending Capital One Financial Elementary School and playing in Amerigroup State Park.

It just might happen thanks to Bob "I'll sell my soul for the right price, too!" McDonnell, today's Worst Virginian in the World!

Wayne LaPierre, Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, Bob Goodlatte

Because a Metro Transit Police officer from Woodbridge has been charged with conspiring to steal thousands of dollars worth of coins to buy lottery tickets, here are today's nominees for Worst Virginians in the World!

The bronze goes to our good friend Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the Fairfax-based National Rifle Association. How can you tell he's lying? His lips are moving.

Media Matters reported Tuesday that Wayne told Glenn Beck on his Internet "show" that unlike union dues, the NRA's funds come from grassroots support. "We raise it all through 5, 10, 15, 20 dollar contributions that Americans are willing to preserve freedom," he said. "And they're willing to support it. But, you know, that's what NRA is about. I mean, I always say we're about our membership and we're about giving voice to our membership."

If by "all" he means "some," then yes. In actuality, Bloomberg News reported last month, less than half of the NRA's $228 million in 2010 income is from membership dues; most is from fundraising, sales, advertising, and royalties. Bloomberg found that Strum, Rugar, and Smith & Wesson, and Remington all contributed in 2011. The lobby's "Ring of Freedom" program started in 2005 honors donors who have contributed $1 million. The NRA received $71 million in donations in 2010, up 54% from 2004. In fact, Missouri-based firearms-related retailer MidwayUSA alone has donated $6.7 million to the NRA since 1992.

Although the NRA says it has "corporate sponsors," it also says, "It is not affiliated with any firearm or ammunition manufacturers or with any businesses that deal in guns and ammunition."

Actually, Wayne may be getting a call from the IRS soon. The NRA Foundation created an online store where NRA grant recipients were required to purchase many common products. The former director of tax-exempt organizations for the IRS told Bloomberg that this could jeopardize the foundation's tax-exempt status.

The silver goes to the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts in Vienna for, well, picking on the little guy.

Tom Jackman of The Washington Post's "The State of NoVa" blog reported Wednesday that Wolf Trap is suing The Barns of Rose Hill in Berryville for trademark infringement over the use of "The Barns" because of the Barns at Wolf Trap name. After 50 years of toil, The Barns of Rose Hill nonprofit opened a community center in September out of donated pieces of land. A month later, Wolf Trap trademarked "The Barns."

In its suit, Wolf Trap is calling for The Barns of Rose Hill to cease using its name and website domain name, destroy all merchandise with the name, and pay Wolf Trap its profits, compensation for injuries, legal fees, and triple the total reward. Never mind that The Barnes of Rose Hill nonprofit was founded in 2004 – and Wolf Trap didn't sue or trademark then – and has an annual budget of $150,000, compared to Wolf Trap's $28 million. The nonprofit says it can't afford to litigate. Jackman followed up Thursday, reporting that neither side is backing down yet.

As Jackman asked aloud in his blog, would customers really confuse a nonprofit community center and an amphitheater with the third-largest ticket sales in the world 50 miles apart?

Wolf Trap critics can bring their comments, pitchforks, and torches to the Facebook page "Big BAD Wolf Trap Bully" and donate to The Barns of Rose Hill on its website.

But the gold (which was bound to go to one of the Bobs this week) goes to today's clear winner, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, not so much for anything he did or said this week but for being a tangible target of the nation's ire: a cosponsor and chief defender of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

SOPA (and the Senate's PIPA) is meant to combat Internet piracy and copyright infringement but critics charge it could censor free speech, burden websites to police user-generated content, stifle innovation, and shut down legitimate sites. Goodlatte told The Roanoke Times this week, "This is all about violations of criminal laws and giving law enforcement new tools to enforce those laws."

Not since possibly the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 has an act of Congress rankled so many Americans. The White House announced last week that it opposes SOPA and PIPA, saying, "We will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet." Websites like Wikipedia, Reddit, Mozilla, and WordPress protested the bills with blackouts on Wednesday. Google said 4.5 million people signed its anti-SOPA/PIPA petition on Wednesday.

The backlash is being felt in Washington. The Hill reported Wednesday that two Republican SOPA cosponsors withdrew their support Tuesday. PIPA lost four Republican sponsors on Wednesday. One senator even withdrew his support from PIPA in June four days after he joined as a cosponsor.

Yet, to Goodlatte's credit, he's done the impossible by uniting contentious Virginia factions in an otherwise bitter election year – uniting them against him, anyway. For the Democrats, Sen. Mark Warner, a technology entrepreneur turned politician, wrote on Facebook that SOPA and PIPA "go too far." He said, "Online piracy is a real and serious problem, but there has to be a better way to go after rogue sites without fundamentally changing the way the Internet works." Rep. Jim Moran tweeted that he opposed SOPA and said, "Keep the internet open." Rep. Gerry Connolly wrote on Facebook, "We need a free and open Internet. SOPA will have unintended consequences against the high tech industry in our district, and place undue burdens on our small internet businesses."

On the Republican side, Goodlatte's primary rival, Karen Kwiatkowski, slammed him as a puppet of Hollywood and big pharma and big ag. "Bob Goodlatte – in our name – has told the world he doesn't support due process and the traditional American concept of innocent until proven guilty," she wrote. State tea party leader and GOP Senate candidate Jamie Radtke said SOPA is an assault on free speech: "My position is that I don't want to give [Attorney General] Eric Holder complete determination of whether or not certain Internet web sites should be pulled down." Goodlatte's Virginia colleagues aren't fans either. Rep. Frank Wolf wrote on Facebook (seriously, who needs press secretaries anymore?), "I oppose SOPA in its current form." Rep. Robert Hurt was even harsher in a radio interview, calling SOPA "unprecedented and really frightening." "I have a real problem with it and I don’t think at this point it's something that I could consider supporting," he said. "I would want to see some changes made to it before I could consider it but overall, I have significant problems with it."

Politico reported Wednesday that House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith called on Goodlatte to negotiate a compromise since bipartisan alternative bills have been proposed in both chambers. Goodlatte hasn't issued an official statement this week in response to the SOPA criticism yet, but he played the jobs card in what sounded like the last shriek on the retreat: "Literally hundred of thousands, if not millions of jobs, are depending on fighting this, and many hundreds of thousands more could be created if we stop this piracy," he told WHSV in Harrisonburg on Wednesday.

Although SOPA may be as dead as Goodlatte's balanced budget amendment, one commentator in China – where the Internet is censored – might've said it best about the debate: "We should learn something from the way these American Internet companies protested against SOPA and PIPA. A free and democratic society depends on every one of us caring about politics and fighting for our rights. We will not achieve it by avoiding talk about politics."

Congress' 13% approval rating won't climb much higher, thanks in large part to Bob Goodlatte, today's Worst Virginian in the World!

Darrell Anthony Perdue, Kerry Dougherty, Denise Rafferty

Because $177,000 in gas-tax funds were mistakenly funneled to Fredericksburg rather than Spotsylvania and Stafford counties, here are today's nominees for Worst Virginians in the World!

First up is Darrell Anthony Perdue of Evington, yet another Virginian convicted of cashing his dead mother's Social Security checks. Unlike David Ross, the Bristol man Worst Virginians called out last week, Perdue, 29, had only cashed checks for just – "just" – seven years.

He collected $1,100 a month and used the money on living expenses and a new truck, The News & Advance of Lynchburg reported Friday. Although Perdue expected the payments to stop, he kept paying them and was actually relieved he was caught so he could admit his wrongdoing.

Perdue was sentenced to 10-month's home confinement, two years of probation, and must pay back $85,850 to the Social Security Administration, which may be challenging since his attorney said Perdue suffers from severe social anxiety.

(Worst Virginians believes things come in threes, so we fully expect another "cashed his dead mother's Social Security checks" story by month's end.)

Our runner-up is Kerry Dougherty, a columnist for The Virginian-Pilot of Hampton Roads. In a column published Friday, she wrote a typical tale of journalistic woe: describing ridiculous bills proposed in the upcoming legislative session.

But Dougherty went a spite too far: "Even this session's license-plate proposals are yawn-inducing. Although you have to wonder who will want to zip around with this on his car: 'Reston! Live Work Play.' Be honest, is there a more soulless spot in the commonwealth than that bland ant colony near Dulles?"

To quote every column George Will ever wrote, "Well." The fact Reston is getting a license plate is hardly newsworthy elsewhere but is hardly scornful. The Virginia DMV allows any locality to apply for its own license plates with 350 prepaid applications. Virginia Beach, and Norfolk State, Hampton, and Christopher Newport universities have license plates, as do non-Virginia colleges such as Clemson, Marshall, and Florida State. 

(Tom Jackman of The Washington Post's "The State of NoVa" blog lost his mind over Dougherty's column. In a blog post Friday, he mocked Dougherty's writing style and smeared Norfolk by comparing crime rates. Jackman also pointed out a Norfolk gun store that is a large source of crime guns, even though localities in Virginia have little authority to enact their own gun laws.)

As for Reston itself, it is a postwar planned community built in 1964. When the city opened for business, it progressively took out full-page newspaper ads in 1969 that promoted living in integrated neighborhoods. Reston has four manmade lakes, 55 miles of trails and paths, and at least five "village centers" constructed with buildings cloistered around them to enhance a community look. The Reston Town Center has more than 60 shops, restaurants, businesses, and art galleries. Reston is home to two Fortune 500 companies, as well as the U.S. Geological Survey and National Wildlife Federation.

Not bad for a soulless, bland ant colony.

But our winner is Denise Rafferty of Stafford, for a badly-handled case that has led to the state Supreme Court.

Rafferty's client, Edgar Coker Jr. of Mineral, was wrongfully accused of rape by a friend at age 15 and followed her advice to plead guilty rather than face adult charges. He spent 17 months in a juvenile facility with an early release, and his accuser recanted. Since then, Coker, who has a learning disability, and his family have tried to clear his name and get it removed from the state's sex offender registry. The accuser's mother is also working with the Coker family.

Coker's lawyer argued before the Supreme Court on Friday that Stafford Circuit Court should've heard his claim that he received ineffective counsel, The Washington Post reported Friday. Not only was Coker innocent, but the family said Rafferty said there was DNA evidence linking Coker to the crime, but a lab report shows DNA testing was never conducted. The family also argues that Rafferty did not talk to school officials who knew the accuser – who also has a learning disability – had a history of false accusations, and that she didn't fight a judge's decision to put Coker's name on the sex-offender registry.

If there is any silver lining in this case, it is that a bill has been proposed in the House of Delegates that would give juvenile defendants a legal avenue to challenge their detentions if new evidence emerges.

Since Coker's conviction, the family was forced to move several times because of harassment, and Coker was arrested at a high school football game for violating his sex-offender status, although he had permission from the school to be on school grounds. Now graduated from high school, Coker has little interest in continuing his education or looking for work because of his sex-offender status.

Even if the Supreme Court sides with Coker and returns his case to circuit court, and his name is expunged from criminal registries, nothing can replace a childhood and young adulthood scarred by others' incompetence and misdeeds.

That's hopefully-soon-to-be-former attorney Denise Rafferty, today's Worst Virginian in the World.

Portsmouth Social Services, Helen Cockrell, David Ross

Because a study found a 6% wrongful-conviction rate in Virginia for the 15-year span before DNA testing was widely available, here are today's nominees for Worst Virginians in the World! (An all-money scandal edition, no less.)

The bronze goes to Portsmouth Social Services, in a follow-up from a Worst Virginians nominee in October. The department came under fire for spending $40,000 for pro football player Anthony Hargrove's visit for speeches and accomodations.

Commonwealth's Attorney Earle Mobley probed the matter with Police Chief Ed Hargis, and an audit was released Monday, The Virginian-Pilot of Hampton Roads reported. The audit concluded that there was no criminal wrongdoing but a lack of judgment, and city procedures weren't followed. "In a cash-strapped city, it makes you wonder why they would do this at this time, or at any other time, in my opinion," Mobley said.

The report found insufficient documentation to support needing such a high fee and a lack of any negotiations over the price tag. There was also no cap on expenses, as there normally would be. Worse yet, Social Services didn't get approval from the city's purchasing department for the deal.

The Social Services director, city manager, and staffer who arranged the visit wouldn't comment.

Ironically, Hagrove's management company previously said it never charged for appearances at charity events.

The silver goes to Helen Cockrell, the fired and former director of the Shenandoah Area Agency on Aging in Front Royal. In a follow-up from Worst Virginians in September (scandals are the gift that keep on giving!), The Northern Virginia Daily reported Friday that documents disclosed in an SAAA civil suit reveal that Cockrell is at the center of an embezzlement probe.

The SAAA board of directors believes Cockrell used up to $20,000 of its funds on personal expenses unrelated to agency business and is asking for it back, as well as $50,000 in punitive damages and fees. The Virginia Department for the Aging said in a report that more than $12,000 was involved in fraud, as well as $300,000 in SAAA's budget for maxed-out lines of credit. Cockrell and a colleague were also cited for gratuitously costly travel expenses.

Cockrell has filed a counter-suit, asking for $150,000 for breach of contract. Her annual salary was $100,000, or twice the state's per capita personal income. Surely she earned enough each paycheck so she wouldn't have to defraud a nonprofit tasked with aiding the elderly.

But the gold goes to David Ross, a 72-year-old Bristol man who has been sentenced to two years in prison for lying about his mother's death and cashing her Social Security checks – for 40 years. Ross defrauded the federal government and taxpayers of more than $318,000.

Ross's mother died in 1971 of cancer, but neither the family nor the funeral home told the Social Security Administration about her death, and her death certificate omitted her Social Security number, so the checks kept rolling in. The Bristol Herald-Courier reported Saturday that the SSA uncovered the problem in 2010 as part of its centenarian project, when Ross's mother would've turned 103 years old.

At his sentencing on Friday, a tearful Ross asked for leniency and admitted what he did was stupid. The judge was unimpressed and picked the high end of the sentencing guidelines.

Despite pleading guilty, Ross didn't help his cause. He lied twice to investigators in 2010 when the issue surfaced, and he briefly fled to Florida, where he lied to investigators about who he was when they found him.

To his credit, Ross told the judge that he wished he could pay back all the money. Upon his release, he can pay off the money if he works full time for minimum wage – for 22 years.

That's David "A crooked boy's best friend is his dead mother" Ross, today's Worst Virginian in the World!

Worst Virginians will return Tuesday, Jan. 17.

Ken Cuccinelli, Republican Party of Virginia, Pat Robertson

Because the Montgomery Grill in Portsmouth closed without telling its employees before giving them paychecks that bounced, here are today's nominees for Worst Virginians in the World!

First up is Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (who should be "former attorney general" after announcing his bid for governor).

Cooch is no fan of former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe. In fact, Cooch in a recent Facebook post mocked him after The Washington Post's editorial board questioned tax credits for electric cars, and McAuliffe happens to own a hybrid/electric car company based in McLean.

"The Washington Post Pours Cold Water on Terry MacAuliffe's Business Strategy," Cuccinelli wrote, the Post reported Wednesday. "If even The Post says this, in agreement with those of us on the right, then those who are banking on government help to create, build, or sustain their otherwise unmarketable products are in trouble ... including the Dems' leading candidate for Guv in 2013, Terry MacAuliffe."

And Cooch misspelled his name twice, ala Douglas MacArthur. Won't Mr. MacAuliffe be surprised to learn that he's on Cooch's enemies list.

Our runner-up is the Republican Party of Virginia. It's been a strange few weeks for the state GOP over its presidential primary in March.

Only Ron Paul and Mitt Romney completed the requirements to appear on the ballot, prompting a lawsuit by Rick Perry, Jon Huntsman, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich (a McLean resident, ironically). Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli backed off from his original plan to change current law to allow more candidates on this year's ballot, prompting backhanded praise by rival Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling. And the RPV governing board also got flak from Gov. Bob McDonnell, Chairman Pat Mullins, and Bolling for a proposed loyalty oath on primary ballots.

On top of all of that, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Tuesday that a screener has criticized how signatures were accepted. High school teacher William Wilkin told RTD that poorly trained volunteers arbitrarily rejected "pages and pages and pages" of signatures.

In a statement to state GOP officials, Wilkin said, "Various volunteers made peculiar and idiosyncratic judgments to disallow signatures." Many received "less than one minute" of training, and seniors especially had trouble with computers. Worse yet, he said Romney petitions received greater preferential treatment. "I suggest that the Romney signatures may not have survived the type of scrutiny given to the other candidates if all petitions had been treated equally."

An RPV spokesman told RTD, "We strongly disagree with the characterization of events put forward by Mr. Wilkin. Due to the pending suit, we are unable to comment further."

Now that Republicans have near-complete control in Richmond, Virginians should be concerned how they will govern the state if they can't even govern themselves. There's still plenty of time for this snowball to grow even larger.

But our winner is Virginia Beach-based televangelist Pat Robertson (real first name Marion). Right Wing Watch reported Tuesday that Marion said on his comedy show The 700 Club that day that God (or some other voices in his head) told him who would win the presidency in November – something Marion of course won't reveal – and that President Obama is to blame for the nation's perils.

"I spent the better part of a week in prayer and just saying, 'God show me something,' some things I'll share with you," he said. "I think he showed me the next me the next president but I'm not supposed to talk about that so I'll leave you in the dark – probably just as well – I think I'll know who it will be."

Marion said God told him, "Your president holds a view that is at odds with the majority, it's a radical view of the future of this country, so that's why we're having this division. This is a spiritual battle which can only be won by overwhelming prayer. The future of the world is at stake because if America falls, there's no longer a strong champion of freedom and a champion of the oppressed of the world." We're "having this division," Marion, because of people like you who use their ideology as partisan fodder to tear down others.

Marion explained that God told him that this calamity would be brought about not by nuclear war, an earthquake, a radiation blast, or "Mayan galaxy alignment" but an economic collapse.

Either the Lord took time out of his busy schedule to be Marion's fortune teller, or Marion is walking around his declaration in fall that he'd no longer be endorsing candidates. (Worst Virginians called him out for declining to say he'd support a Mormon candidate for president.)

Worst Virginians called out Marion in October for saying, "Those people in the Republican primary have got to lay off of this stuff. They're forcing their leaders, the frontrunners, into positions that will mean they lose the general election." He should follow his own advice.

That's Marion "jawbone of an ass" Robertson, today's Worst Virginian in the World!