This cast of characters in Richmond is an independent lot

What I'm about to say may sound sarcastic. But it's not.

I love Virginia. Especially the General Assembly.

Oh, I may not be fond of every single member of the state legislature - heck, I don't know most of them - but a few are undeniably lovable. Del. Lionell Spruill comes to mind. And Del. Bob Tata.

Legislating teddy bears, both.

As best I can tell, most members of the Richmond crowd are hard working, part-time citizen lawmakers, unconcerned with what the rest of the country thinks of them.

What do you say we give them a little credit for such independence?

There have been several Very Virginia Bills passed by one chamber or the other recently that might not get a second outside of the Old Dominion.

One was the restaurant smoking ban that passed the House of Delegates this week and caused steam to pour out of the governor's ears.

As most of us know, Gov. Tim Kaine wants to ban smoking in every Virginia restaurant. Never mind that most eateries (how I hate that word and use it only to avoid restauranting everyone to death) are already smoke-free.

You see, restaurateurs have learned that few people smoke, so banning cigarettes is good for business. In time there will be only a handful of smoking establishments left in the commonwealth.

Yet an impatient army of anti-smoking zealots - led by the governor - continue to stomp their feet and demand a law that would outlaw smoking in every restaurant. Now.

It's for the children! they sometimes cry.

So the House of Delegates cleverly tossed a bone to anti-smoking activists with a bill that would allow smoking in restaurants if most minors aren't allowed in or if there is a door between the smoking and non smoking sides.

The governor isn't happy about it. Neither are those who want Virginia to be more like, well, New York.

But the common-sense crowd in the Old Dominion long ago figured out that if you don't want a side order of smoke with your meal, you shouldn't patronize restaurants that allow smoking.

That gets easier every day, by the way.

Another bill that would give some New Yorkers a case of the vapors would allow concealed-carry permit holders to bring their weapons into restaurants, provided they didn't drink alcohol.

Virginians can already open-carry a gun into an eatery. Why not a holstered weapon?

Last time I checked, those with concealed-carry permits were not shooting up Virginia's bars. (Oops. Almost forgot, Virginia doesn't have bars. We have eateries that serve alcohol.)

Which brings us to those creeps who are shooting up the place.

The General Assembly has something for them this year, too. It's the proposed change of the triggerman rule - although the governor, an opponent of capital punishment, has promised to veto it.

That bill says if you are part of a killing enterprise and manage to get one of your dim witted companions to pull the trigger, the state may put you out of your misery along with the person who was holding the weapon.

So, while other states abandon the death penalty, the Virginia General Assembly defiantly tries to expand it.

More proof - if any was needed - of a stubborn streak of independence in many Virginia lawmakers.

Kerry Dougherty, (757) 446-2306, kerry.dougherty@cox.net