9500 Liberty Wins Charlotte Film Festival for Best Documentary!

MoonHowler


Congratulations to Eric and Anabel for winning the Best Documentary Award at the Charlotte Film Festival last night! The award is the Indy Truth Award for Best Documentary and is a very prestigious award. 

 

The film will show again at 3:30 on Sunday. Eric and Anabel were featured on two Charlotte NPR radio programs. Check them out at the 9500 Liberty website.

Here are the upcoming plans for these talented film makers:

Next stop, we will be premiering in DC on October 1st at the DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival as the opening night film. You can buy tickets here for the screening and reception.

http://www.apafilm.org/festival-2009/9500-liberty/
This is our big hometown premiere screening with the “stars” from the film and a big after party so it is not to be missed if you are in the DC area.

This is the list of scheduled screenings including Prince William County, Honolulu, St. Louis, San Diego, Charlottesville, etc. We are adding more screenings including in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles in the coming weeks. http://9500liberty.com/screenings.html

Thank you for supporting us throughout these months. Some of you have been with us for nearly two years. In fact, the second-year anniversary of the creation of the 9500 Liberty YouTube Channel will be celebrated on October 9th with the residents of Prince William County with a special community screening of the film at St. Paul’s Church in Woodbridge.

 

Please plan on seeing the film. According the the website:

9500 Liberty reveals the startling vulnerability of a local government, targeted by national anti-immigration networks using the Internet to frighten and intimidate lawmakers and citizens. Alarmed by a climate of fear and racial division, residents form a resistance using YouTube videos and virtual townhalls, setting up a real-life showdown in the seat of county government

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Free Speech? Apparently Not in Herndon

MoonHowler

The Herndon Mayor Steve DeBenedittis and Councilman Dennis Husch  both took exception to being dressed down by several citizens during ‘citizens’ time’ during a recent Herndon town council meeting.  Apparently both men had participated in a demonstration outside a fund raising event for Democratic hopeful Steven Miller, attended by Governor Tim Kaine.  

2 women both spoke of their disappointment that their elected respresentatives during their 3 minutes of time to discuss items that were not on the agenda.  The councilman and mayor both attempted to speak over the citizens who were not going to have any of that! 

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A Real American: Are You One?

MoonHowler

 

 

John Bonfadini, of Christmas decoration fame in Sudley also writes for the NOVEC magazine, Cooperative Living. John has sat on the co-op board for years and was a professor at GMU. His kids have all gone through Prince William County Schools.

I occassionally glance at the Co-op Living Magazine. It often has some good articles and the classifieds are great. This month John had a great article under his Food for Thought column.  I hope you enjoy.

 

 

A Real American: Are You One?
by Dr. John E. Bonfadini, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus, George Mason University

John Bonfadini

Recently, I received an e-mail with an attached letter. It was one of the many political commentaries floating around on the Internet these days.

The letter, written by a teacher, expresses her concern for the direction America is heading. She used the term “real American,” implying that some Americans are real and others counterfeit. She obviously believes that her position is that of a real, and not a counterfeit, American. I thought about her use of the term real American and wondered if I am one; so I sought out a definition.

 

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Tom DeLay Dances with the Stars

MoonHowler

Good for Tom DeLay. While conservative Republican DeLay ruled the house with an iron fist…ooops…make that Hammer, he does quite well on the dance floor. Most people are impressed that DeLay has the chutzpah to get out there and try. The competition is stiff. Also, these Hollywood types probably aren’t really DeLay’s type after being on Capital Hill. Very impressive, Tom. May the force be with you next week.

Mayhem in Farmville

MoonHowler

Last week’s murders of a Longwood University professor, Debra Kelley, her estranged husband, the Rev. Mark Alan Niederbrock, their daughter Emma Niederbrock, and teen friend Melanie Wells of West Virginia sent the small city of Farmville reeling. This was the type of crime seen on America’s Most Wanted or City Confidential. However, it should be one that startles parents into a rather uncomfortable reality as internet usage becomes more and more a part of family life.

The long and short of the story is these 4 people were found murdered. A 20 year old California man was arrested at the Richmond airport, huddled in a corner. The man, Richard Samuel Alden McCroskey III, 20, had met the girls on the internet. They were all into a macabre music scene known as horrorcore genre. The Niederbrock girl was being home schooled and was in counselling. Apparently she was in a stage of bright pink hair, body piercings etc. Her mother drove both girls to Michigan to a concert where the alleged killer was performing his ‘art.’ McCroskey recorded songs that spoke of death, murder and mutilation under the name Syko Sam.

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Fair and Balanced? Not Really

MoonHowler

It is time for Fox News to start reporting the news rather than making it. Has Fox News transformed itself into the oppositional party of the White House? One day’s worth of listening confirms this theory to me.

Check out the email directive from Fox News Managing Editor Bill Sammon after the raw video of the Fox cheerleader made the rounds:

(bold highlighting by Eric Boelhert)
From Mediaite:

From: Sammon, Bill
Sent: Monday, September 21, 2009 2:25 PM
To: 005 -Washington
Subject: standards

For those of us who have only been at Fox for a relatively short period of time, it’s useful to remind ourselves that, as journalists, we must always be careful to cover the story without becoming part of the story. At news events, we’re supposed to function as dispassionate observers, not active participants. We are there to chronicle the news, not create it.

That means we ask questions in a fair, impartial manner. When approaching interviewees, we identify ourselves, by both name and news organization, up front. We seek out a variety of voices and views. We take note of the scene in order to bring color and context to our viewers.

We do not cheerlead for one cause or another. We do not rile up a crowd. If a crowd happens to be boisterous when we show it on TV, so be it. If it happens to be quiet, that’s fine, too. It’s not our job to affect the crowd’s behavior one way or the other. Again, we’re journalists, not participants — and certainly not performers.

Indeed, any effort to affect the crowd’s behavior only serves to undermine our legitimate journalistic role as detached eyewitnesses. Remember, our viewers are counting on us to be honest brokers when it comes to reporting — not altering –the important events of the day. That is nothing less than a sacred trust. We must always take pains to preserve that trust.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please stop by.

It will be interesting to see if those working for Fox News follow the directives of their managing editor or if his directive was all for show. CYA as it were.

Those who consider themselves Republican might want to start asking themselves if this is how they want to be seen from the outside world. Most Independents I know are running in the other direction as fast as they can.

Speaking of Afghanistan…

MoonHowler

A Quantico marine has the Marine Corp and vet organizations fuming over his ‘hero hoax.’ Sgt. David Budwah has gone all over hell and half acre bragging on himself for his alleged wounds suffered on his 2nd tour of duty in Afghanistan. Turns out though, Budwah never saw Afghanistan, not even close. He was in Okiawa or Quantico.

Budwah claims he was wounded in the face and arm trying to shield a buddy from from an exploding handmade hand grenade. The Marines say that the 34 year old sargeant lied and used his sob story to weasel his way into baseball games, rock concerts, banquets and other desirable places who intended to honor wounded war veterans.

Budwah had been a radio specialist who spent most of his time in Okinawa. He faces over 31 years in prison if convicted. According the Manassas News and Messenger:

Budwah also is accused of faking post-traumatic stress disorder in hopes of leaving service early and was sent to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, where he bluffed his way into 33 events from late July through November 2008, according to charges obtained by the AP through an appeal of its Freedom of Information Act request. Budwah is charged with making false official statements, malingering, misconduct and larceny.

How arrogant for this Marine to dishonor those who have legitimately received medals for bravery. The Marine Corp is furious. It is unclear how Budwah’s deception was discovered. He should go down as a national disgrace.

Sgt. Budwah really should have never spoken of Afghanistan. Those guys are our heroes. He is a liar and an anti-hero if convicted.

Border Security Woes Magnified

MoonHowler

The reasons for the current decline in border crossing arrests cannot be determined. Authorities are unsure if the reasons are because of the downturn in the American economy or because of the new fence. Most think that fewer arrests are because of the recession and lack of jobs in the United States making border crossing less desirable.

Meanwhile, the effort to secure the border has fallen behind 7 years, according to government sources. The cost of the project is also way up, over a billion dollars to complete. Maintainence costs once the project has been completed are also billions higher.

Problems like trembling cameras are plaguing those responsible for completion. Meanwhile, determined immigrants continue to vandalize the existing fence. The 28 miles of high tech border security are rife with problems.

According to the New York Times, various woes facing completion of this project are as follows:

The report, by the Government Accountability Office, Congress’s watchdog, said the department had fallen about seven years behind its goal of putting in place the technology the Bush administration had heavily promoted when it announced the Secure Border Initiative in 2005.

In 2006, the report said, the department estimated it would have a system of cameras, radars and sensors in place to aid a force of border guards by the end of 2009, but the completion date is now projected as 2016.

“Flaws found in testing and concerns about the impact of placing towers and access roads in environmentally sensitive locations caused delays,” said Richard M. Stana, an author of the report. The cameras and radars, a “virtual fence” in a system designed by the contractor, Boeing, have fallen prey to weather and mechanical problems.

The effort to build 661 miles of fences blocking vehicles or pedestrians is nearly complete, but with 28 miles left to go, it has been delayed by lawsuits from landowners in Texas.

The government has spent $2.4 billion on such “physical infrastructure,” but the report said it could cost $6.5 billion over 20 years to maintain it.

For all the money spent, the department has not set up a way to evaluate the fences’ impact, relying mainly on the judgment of senior Border Patrol agents.

There is no way to guage the effectiveness of the fence already completed because of security breaches, change in the actual number of attempted border crossings. Meanwhile, Congress must address these issues rather than sticking their respective heads in the sand.

Articles:

Scathing Report on Border Security Is Issued

Border Fantasies

More Troops Requested in Afghanistan

MoonHowler

General Stanley McCrystal has asked for additonal troops in Afghanistan. It was his opinion:

that the U.S. effort in Afghanistan “will likely result in failure” without an urgent infusion of troops has been endorsed by the uniformed leadership. That includes Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen and Gen. David H. Petraeus, the head of U.S. Central Command and architect of the troop “surge” strategy widely seen as helping U.S. forces turn the corner in Iraq.

Meanwhile, President Obama has said that the administration needs time to assess the situation and look again at options and objectives. According to the Washington Post,

Obama’s public remarks on Afghanistan indicate that he has begun to rethink the counterinsurgency strategy he set in motion six months ago, even as his generals have embraced it. The equation on the ground has changed markedly since his March announcement, with attacks by Taliban fighters showing greater sophistication, U.S. casualties rising, and the chances increasing that Afghanistan will be left with an illegitimate government after widespread fraud in recent presidential elections.

Should we risk getting bogged down even further in the war in Afghanistan by sending in more troops? Is it possible to win in Afghanistan? Must we get Bin Lauden to be successful? What would really denote ‘winning?’ Should the Taliban be totally removed?

The Afghanistan government seems corrupt and the elections were questionable. Must the Afghanistan governement be stable? Must the Afghanistan army be able to defend the country before we go? Have there been efforts to make this happen?

The drug situation is still deplorable. The Taliban almost eradicated poppy growing in 2001. Now they do not seem to be quite the intense opponents of the poppy industry as they used to be. This past year was a bumper crop. Much of the world’s opium comes from this area of the world. Can we turn our backs on this cash crop?

Politically speaking, will President Obama lose his liberal support if he continues the war in Afghanistan? Did he make promises about the Afghanistan front or did he mainly speak about the Iraqi war? What does American stand to gain or lose by either action?

Lt. Governor Debate Cancelled by Bolling

MoonHowler

From WTOP

The Lt. Governor Debate scheduled for this Thursday night by the Committee of 100 has been cancelled by Incumbent Lt. Governor Bill Bolling because of a dispute over rules.  He charges that his opponent Jody Wagner violated the rules by talking about the dispute over the rules. 

“It is something the organizers of the debate had specifically asked us not to do,” Bolling says.

But Wagner says she could not go along with one of the rules Bolling had suggested.

“What he wanted was that neither of us could do anything to disseminate the debate to our supporters,” Wagner says. “[Bolling]’s got a history of not showing and I think he doesn’t want to have to answer to that history.”

But Bolling says he didn’t want excerpts of the debate being distorted.

The incident comes as the statewide race tightens. The latest poll shows the Republican ticket with a lead of 4 percent — way down from double-digit leads polled earlier this summer.

 

CORRECTION:

So it appears there will be 2 debates on Tuesday, Sept. 22 in Manassas.  Nothing has been cancelled for the debates at :

Four Points by Sheraton
10800 VandorLane
Manassas, VA

 

The 50th state delegate debate between Jackson Miller and Jeannette Rishell. 8:30

The 13th state delegate debate between Bob Marshall and John Bell. 7:30

Sorry for any confusion.

UPDATE: from Insidenova.com

Katie Couric Interviews the Rodeo Clown

MoonHowler

The premier of Katie Couric’s new webcast show, @katiecouric, begins Tuesday, September 22 at 7 pm. Her first guest will be none other than this week’s Time cover feature, Glenn ‘the Rodeo Clown’ Beck. The preview video captures Glenn sayings some rather astounding things. For instance, he confesses that he would have voted for Hillary Clinton and that he believes Obama is better for the country than McCain would have been.

Huh? After all the railing against Obama on his 5 pm show, this man now says Obama is better for the country than McCain would have been. I give up. I simply don’t understand the angry thundering masses. I feel very much like I am watching LaLa Land Revisited.


Watch CBS Videos Online

Who’s the Cry Baby?

MoonHowler

Fox New’s Chris Wallace (biololgical son of Mike Wallace) commiserates that Obama did not include Fox News in his Sunday rounds. Well…DUH! Does anyone blame him? Every time Chris Wallace opens his mouth he takes a swipe at the President. What President would deliberately walk into a den of snakes? Maybe Wallace needs to stop whining and look at why the President feels a Sunday morning trip to Fox might just be counter-productive.

Most impressive is O’Reilly puffing up and informing all that Fox News and talk radio are the only credible news sources now. Nothing could be further from the truth. If they keep saying it enough, maybe it will come true.

Un- Fair and Un-balanced, unless of course they are saying what you want to hear. Maybe we should rename them the Boo Hoo Network.

Heaven help us all if O’Reilly is right. I truly fear for the country. Fox and talk radio.

{{{ Shudder}}}

Reprint of The Pointlessness of the Racism Debate

MoonHowler

Reprint of The Pointlessness of the Racism Debate by Lincoln Mitchell
Huffington Post

The question of whether or not some of the attacks on President Obama are racist is not likely to end anytime soon. There is little that can be done to persuade some supporters of President Obama that comparing the African American president to a witch doctor is not racist, or that the disrespect shown to Obama during his address to congress on health care would not have been on display if the president had been white. Similarly, critics of the president will continue to insist that this is simply all about the issues and that race has nothing to do with it.

Part of the difficulty is that on issues of race, there is a deep, but usually unspoken disagreement which runs through most of America. A substantial proportion of Americans see racism as something that is firmly in the past. This originates both from justifiable pride in how far we have come in this area, but unfortunately also prevents many people from recognizing or confronting the racism that still persists. Another large group of Americans sees racism as an ongoing problem which is less acute than a generation or two ago, but has certainly not gone away. The tension between these two views is apparent whenever a racial incident occurs; and it seems like half the country cries racism while the other half accuses the first half of playing the race card.

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