Tonight marks the end of an era. I am not quite certain what era, but definitely an era. I feel like Santa Claus and Walt Disney all died in one fell swoop. “The most trusted man in America” is no longer with us.
Walter Cronkite appeared to be the consumate professional. We didn’t know his politics. We could count on his objectivity as he reported the nightly news. He was hero. He stormed the beach at Normandy as a war correspondent. He covered the Battle of the Bulge and attended the Nuremburg Trials. Walter Cronkite announced the death of JFK.
Yet there was no greater cheerleader for the space program than Walter Cronkite. It wasn’t what he said as much as it was his exuberance and enthusiasm as he reported the events of Apollo 11 40 years ago. How fitting that he exit this earth as we commemorate “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
There is wonderful overview of his life and career at Wikipedia. There is so much to say but I will leave it to our contributors. So for tonight, in the immortal words of Walter Cronkite, “…And that’s the way it is.”
This is a continuation of the HOA “Us vs. Them” discussion from the “Trotting Out the Past” thread.
I am a member of the Chamber of Commerce, which is like an association for business people. I pay dues, I get to network with others to pick up business contacts, and I give back by volunteering my time on committees, events and offering my professional services for free. I can be part of the decision-making if I want.
How is a homeowners association different — why is it so “us vs. them”? Isn’t it an association of all homeowners who pay dues? Read More
Forty years ago, Americans who had access to a television all held their collective breath as Apollo 11, launched from Cape Kennedy carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins. The destination? The Moon, over 218,000 miles away from earth.
This destination had been in the works for nearly a decade, since President Kennedy boldly announced:
“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth.”
Ironically, tonight Space Shuttle Endeavor finally launched, after 5 or so delays because of bad weather or equipment issues. As it climbed its way into space, leaving the constraints of earth, gravity and all the thing we know, I was reminded of how fearful and frightening these space ventures still are. While much has changed in 40 years, some things remain the same. The trip is still extremely risky. Escaping earth is death-defying. Returning to earth, even more so. Since those early space pioneers first left earth for the Moon, America has lost 2 missions and entire crews.
The fact that those brave men accomplished their mission and returned to earth is a miracle in itself. I am still in awe of their accomplishments and will never forget the fear we all felt every time there was a rocket launched. In addition to fear, we all felt a tremendous amount of pride in America’s accomplishments.
The space race all took place during the Cold War. America had lost face in 1959. It had not been first. The Russians had beaten us by having the first satellite, Sputnik, orbit the earth. Now, a decade later, as Apollo 11 lifted from Earth, we all waited with baited breath, glued to our televisions. Would they land on the moon, or would they overshoot their target? Would they keep on going, never to be heard from again? Would they be able to land the craft? Would they meet some unexpected horror outside the Eagle? Would they be able to escape the Moon’s gravity? Would they be able to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere?
Notice the faces of the the onlookers. The expressions show the fear, the pride, the uncertainty of the mission. Did those faces we see in the video from 40 years ago look the same as those who watched the Endeavor launch last night?
This Apollo thread is dedicated to all of us who remember that day:
Second Alamo, Censored, Marie, Ivan
Leave me a note if I left you out because I thought you were too young 😉
Adding the following youngsters: Gainesville Resident
Many of Virginia’s rest stops will close July 21, 2009, to help save the state $9 million . To most Virginians, this move is ill-conceived, dangerous, and just plain stupid. More rest areas are scheduled to close later on in the year.
There are so many reasons why these closures should not be happening. First and foremost is the safety issue. Federal law mandates that truckers log rest time. Where will they rest? You can’t park a semi at McDonalds, or at least not many of them. How many businesses want to be bothered with truckers and every other traveler using their facilities? All travelers need to get off the road periodically. Common sense dictates that we provide a place for them to do so.
Much of Virginia’s revenue comes from tourism. How can you promote tourism if travelers have no where to stop to use rest facilities? What happens to travelers with children? What happens to travelers with pets? No fast food stores have facilities for pets that I am aware of.
Time to trot out some of the 9500 Liberty videos that document the evil manner in which Chief Deane was treated. It appears that a few of our contributors have forgotten or never knew what really happened. Here, irate citizens demand an apology to the chief:
9500 Liberty tried to give Corey Stewart an opportunity to clarify his position on the Chief Deane issue. To give Corey the benefit of the doubt, it appears that he wasn’t after Chief Deane’s head; he was only helping his friend Greg go after Chief Deane’s head. (if we take him at his word)
One has to ask the important question: WHY? What was in it for Greg to make the ill-advised move to go after a well-respected community leader? Why would Corey risk the ire of his colleagues on the BOCS to turn their emails to him over to a blog owner? Why would Corey alienate his constituents by allowing a popular county icon like Chief Deane to be attacked? Who was controlling the strings?
The Supreme Court has indefinitely postponed the execution of Paul Warner Powell while it considers whether to hear his argument that he was unconstitutionally tried twice for killing a 16-year-old Manassas girl.
The court’s order on Monday came a day before Powell, 31, was scheduled to die for killing Stacie Reed in Yorkshire in 1999. He had chosen to die by electrocution. Powell also raped, stabbed and slashed Stacie’s then-14-year-old sister, Kristie, who survived.
Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul Ebert, who prosecuted Powell, said he spoke to the victims’ mother, Lorraine Whoberry, moments after the decision and she was quite upset. Whoberry, Kristie Reed and Ebert had planned to witness Tuesday night’s execution in Jarratt.
“It’s a let down,“ Ebert said. “I figured he was going to meet his maker. Now he may never.“
During this June 2006 Supervisors meeting Stirrup appears determined to force through this rezoning application over the objections of his constituents but also over the concerns of his fellow Supervisors. Thankfully Supervisors from other parts of the County delayed the process by several weeks. It was during this interim period that the County(c/o Chairman Connaughton) was able to obtain millions more in proffers. The land value alone of the 120 acres was $3.6 million; additional proffers that further extended road construction on Route 15 from 66 to 234 were also enhanced.
And you thought that only the Empire Strikes Back? Not so. A band called Sons of Maxwell has struck back at United Airlines for tossing an expensive guitar out on the tarmac and breaking it.
The video tells the tale far better than I could ever hope to do. Hats off to this group, Sons of Maxell, for giving consumers hope. Too many companies just give half rate services and then blow you off when you complain. All too often, entry level clerks tell us no without bothering to even investigate.
In the case of Sons of Maxwell, we might speculate on who got fired at United after this video hit Youtube.com and all the cable news shows. No one wants to be the star of this group’s complaint list!
Not all of us are in the position of being able to create our own videos. What other means do consumers have to right the wrongs of the various companies we have to deal with? Any good get even stories out there?
Those hordes of invaders are fireflies, also known as lightning bugs. Actually they are neither bugs nor flies. They are beetles. Glow worms are lightning bug larvae. Because of the wet spring, we have a bumper crop of the critters, all out looking for love in all the right places, according to the Washington Post:
The tiny lights shone in Virginia, too. In Alexandria a figure chased a waist-high yellow light across her yard — driven to obsession by flashes of unrequited love.
“I’ll go, like, catch a male and bring it over to the females. It’s really ridiculous,” said Kate Pabis, 36, a guidance counselor. “I just almost, like, feel sexual frustration for them. It’s like, ‘Come on, people! Let’s get together!’ ”
In recent decades, scientists have been able to translate snippets of this firefly babel. They say the flashes are a muddle of conversations, usually several species communicating in the same meadow.
They’re talking — as animals usually are — about sex.
This is a great op-ed from the Police Chief of Salt Lake City. I did not include the article in full, so I urge you to read it in its entirety. I believe Chief Burbank echoes the sentiments of Chief Deane. Given Moon-Howlers most recent thread topic, it seemed to fit the need to have law enforcement actually participate in what makes a community safe. Given the past history of PWC, Chief Deane was right to stand before the BOCS and warn of “unintended consequences” .
Police officers should not engage in civil immigration enforcement. However, local law enforcement should diligently continue to arrest serious criminal offenders and, as appropriate, refer dangerous criminals to federal authorities. Civil immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, and it is paramount to the well-being of our neighborhoods that the federal government maintains accountability.
This is the central finding of a report from the Police Foundation, a research organization in Washington, D.C. focusing on law enforcement issues. Noting that police agencies throughout the country were increasingly being asked to assume immigration enforcement responsibilities, the foundation conducted a yearlong study to determine the appropriate balance between immigration enforcement, civil liberties and community safety.
There is just too much bad stuff happening around Prince William County recently. We have a mother on trial for killing her adopted, handicapped daughter and a man on death row for killing and raping a teenage girl. We also have had a home invasion that resulted in a mother and son’s death. We have had drive-by shootings and car jackings. This is all serious crime. While there have always been horrendous crimes in PWC and the cities, at least while I have lived here, they were few and far between back in the good old days.
Recent events in the past couple of days are very troubling and could touch each and every one of us. A man in a van has attempted to grab and abduct 2 different teenage girls. Both of the girls were blonde. No one really knows if that is a common denominator or not but the residents of Wellington are understandably upset and nervous. His sketch is in News and Messenger.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations website:
The Council on Foreign Relations sponsors Independent Task Forces to assess issues of current and critical importance to U.S. foreign policy and provide policymakers with concrete judgments and recommendations. Diverse in backgrounds and perspectives, Task Force members aim to reach a meaningful consensus on policy through private and nonpartisan deliberations. Once launched, Task Forces are independent of CFR and solely responsible for the content of their reports. Task Force members are asked to join a consensus signifying that they endorse “the general policy thrust and judgments reached by the group, though not necessarily every finding and recommendation.” Each Task Force member also has the option of putting forward an additional or dissenting view. Members’ affiliations are listed for identification purposes only and do not imply institutional endorsement. Task Force observers participate in discussions, but are not asked to join the consensus.
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries.
Broken Immigration System Risks Serious Damage to U.S. National Interests, Warns CFR Task Force
July 8, 2009
Council on Foreign Relations
“The continued failure to devise and implement a sound and sustainable immigration policy threatens to weaken America’s economy, to jeopardize its diplomacy, and to imperil its national security,” concludes a new Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Independent Task Force co-chaired by former Florida governor Jeb Bush and former White House chief of staff Thomas “Mack” McLarty.
Young people make mistakes.One of those mistakes can be getting a tattoo or multiple tattoos.Lives change, however, and often tattoos can keep young people in a place where they just don’t want or need to be.The tattoo could be gang insignia, an old boyfriend or girlfriend’s name, wanna-be gang symbos or other destructive body markings.Tattoos can cause problems in future relationships, can keep one from productive employment, or brand a person as a gang member. Some tattoos just look trashy.
I am rarely a fan of Al Sharpton. I usually find him to be a blowhard. Today as he eulogized Michael Jackson, he talked about those who grew up with hearing and seeing Michael Jackson, and how kids from all different races and cultures danced and sang and somehow knew it was ok to be friends. Perhaps for those of us who were already grown when Michael began his career, learning that it’s ok to be friends was a little harder to learn.
“It was Michael Jackson that brought blacks and whites and Asians and Latinos together. It was Michael Jackson that made us sing ‘we are the world,’ to feed the hungry long before Live Aid.”
“It was that comfort level that kids from Japan and Ghana and France and Iowa and Pennsylvania got comfortable enough with each other so later it wasn’t strange to us to watch Oprah on television,”
No one knew what to expect today. TV was even blaring that an elephant parade would take place because the Staples Center would be the venue for the Ringling Bros circus starting Wednesday. I was pleasantly surprised. It was a fabulous tribute to a special entertainer who had a world-wide following. Even in that huge auditorium, with all the glaring lights and special effects, the good-bye was somehow intimate and personal. It certain touched a little part of everyone lucky enough to view the tasteful affair.
Tonight marks the end of an era. I am not quite certain what era, but definitely an era. I feel like Santa Claus and Walt Disney all died in one fell swoop. “The most trusted man in America” is no longer with us.
Forty years ago, Americans who had access to a television all held their collective breath as 
