Earthquake in Haiti

MoonHowler

Last night, a 7.0 earthquake hit the country of Haiti which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic.  Haiti is an impoverished country with a weak infrastructure and limited building codes.  Right now, there is limited information coming out of the country. 

Our silence on the blog should not be seen as indifference.  We simply don’t know much and the information on TV changes minute by minute.  However, I do want a thread up to show our support of this tiny nation and the people who live there.  Additionally, we have Americans in harms way.  The coast guard has begun rescuing Americans from the American Embassy there.

I cannot imagine an earthquake of that magnitude this close to the east coast.  Out west, around the ring of fire,  all ocean front land is peppered with tsunami warnings signs.  I don’t believe I have ever seen a sign on the east coast and I have been from Maine to Florida.  Perhaps these signs are new and I just haven’t been on a coastal route for a while.  But if Haiti, right below Cuba which is 90 miles off the US coast is having 7.0 quakes, we are all very much in danger.

UPDATE:
Pat Robertson being Pat Robertson. SHAME SHAME SHAME on Pat Robertston

UPDATE:  Actual Footage from earthquake.  Is this what it really feels like?

Kudos to Mike May, Who, Along With Maureen Caddigan, Stood Strong For Citizens

Elena

Mike May said it best last night in response to Corey’s cowardly move to defer the Avendale vote when he stated “citizens invested their time, from BOTH sides of the issue, and deserve a vote, up or down”. Maureen Caddigan was right there with Mike, voting against the deferral. Last minute deferrals are a sleazy way to ensure a Developer can live to “fight” another day. Wow, too bad citizens aren’t afforded the same right when we are on the losing end of a land use decision!

I don’t know why Frank P voted in the majority to allow the deferral as he was clearly arguing with Mike Lubely about this bizarre premise that Avendale wasn’t “really” in the Rural Crescent. Hmmm, if that’s the case then why is the application a Comprehensive Plan AMENDMENT. Amendment being the operative word! The board has NEVER voted to take Avendale out of the Rural Crescent and Frank was absolutely right when he challenged Lubely.

I cannot tell you how incredibly disappointed I am in Corey. His leadership role was critical, and he chose the wrong direction. Avendale ONLY benefits the Developer and is a drain for every county resident who pays taxes. The Rural Crescent is a valuable land use tool, not simply from a “green” perspective, but from a planning approach. If the last five years has taught us one thing, it is that you can’t build homes as a means of supporting an entire county economy, or for that matter, and entire country!

I don’t know about everyone else, but I am tired of being soley responsible for supporting the budget of an entire county. We HAVE to diversify the base of our County income, and living more than 80% on real estate taxes, is simply crazy from a financial perspective.

Dave Marsden Wins Special Election to Replace Cuccinelli

MoonHowler

Democrat Dave Marsden has  won the special election in the 37 state senate district to replace newly elected Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.  He narrowly edged out Steve Hunt, the favorite son of some Republicans in this area. 

Marsden’s opponent Steve Hunt attempted to convince voters that he was was not an ideologue, but apparently he wasn’t too convincing.   Anti-bvbl published  a postregarding Hunt’s involvement with a crisis pregnancy center that handed out erroneouos information to women in December.  37th district, which runs from Springfield to Centreville and includes Burke, Fair Oaks, and Chantilly.  The voters in this area are not right wing extremists and apparently rejected this type of candidate.   Usually ideologues come out in droves for special elections but it didn’t work this time. 

It is good to know that a main-stream candidates now represents the 37th–finally!  Currently the Virginia Senate is narrowly under Democratic control.  Congratulations to Dave Marsden.

Hit and Run Victim’s Family Looks for Car

MoonHowler

Monday night about 7:30 pm, a 50 year old lady was run down in the street, right on Grant Avenue near Byrd Drive in Georgetown South. She was simply crossing the street with a friend. The car that hit her kept on driving without regard for her welfare. The lady’s family is currently looking all over for a car that might have the kind of body damage that happens when it strikes a human.  The lady suffered life-threatening injuries. 

It is horribly distressing to learn that someone in our area is so selfish and callous that they would not even stop after hitting someone with their vehicle. Hit and Run is a felony. What is also disturbing is that I cannot find the lady’s name anywhere in the news. This lady has a name and is currently fighting for her life in the hopital. Can our local news agencies tell us a name so we can wish her well? Can the community help the family with any needs she might have? Can we send flowers or cards? When do we protect privacy to this degree? Something is wrong here. The lady has a name.

UPDATE:  The Manassas News and Messenger has updated its article on Ms. Morton who is struggling for her life at Inova Hospital.  Meanwhile her relatives continue their quest to find the car who hit her.  Ms. Morton was thrown 60 feet through the air.  Full article

This is a horrible story and the driver of this vehicle should be caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.  Meanwhile, our thoughts and prayers go out to Ms. Morton and her family.  May she have a full recovery.  Kudos to the Manassas News and Messenger for doing a follow-up story on this heinous crime.