Some UMD Students Need to Grow Up

Duke (#4) is a big rival of UMD (#22). I have heard about the Duke Flukes from Mr. Howler for years.  In fact, all sorts of hollering, yelling and cussing was going on in my house for the big game Wednesday night.  When the Terps won 79-72, there was great joy here at Howler Acres.  I feel certain most of you heard it from your houses. 

In College Park, however, the big win celebration  ended up in  unruly revelling and rioting that might result in  some expulsions from the University of Maryland.  The AP picked up the story and some very embarrassing pictures.  Most universities don’t take kindly to being made to look like a thug school. PG County police in riot gear and on horses tried to control a disorderly mob after the UMD win.

What a shame that joy has to be expressed by burning trash cans, cars and other things. Mob mentality is unacceptable. Most of the rioters are students although townies and some high school kids were in the mix, hoping to find a good party.

From Boston,com:

COLLEGE PARK, Md.—Police say they arrested 28 people when a rowdy celebration got out of hand after No. 22 Maryland beat No. 4 Duke in college basketball.

Police say those arrested face charges ranging from civil disturbance to destruction of property. Campus police say smaller groups there set a tree and trash cans ablaze.

Police say 23 of those arrested were students. One officer and four of those arrested had minor injuries.

Prince George’s County police Cpl. Larry Johnson says about 1,500 people poured onto a main road near Maryland’s campus after the Terrapins won 79-72 Wednesday night.

TV footage showed officers on horseback dispersing the crowd and police in riot gear patting down young men. Johnson says some threw snowballs and ice at police.

PG police arrested 28 and video tapes will be reviewed to identify other violators. Those found to be rioting face suspension or possibly expulsion from college. Alcohol was considered a major fact in this out of control behavior.   Those who were present at the riots were interviewed on TV tonight.  Naturally they were doing nothing and had to whine about ‘police brutality.’  Yawn. 

The smart thing to do when mob mentality is ruling is to walk, very quickly, away in the other direction.  A few hundred students have embarrassed their university, the alumni, and fellow students who cheered their team on and didn’t turn into cavemen over  a much deserved win.  Those rioting should be expelled.

Political Asylum for Home-School Family from Germany

Give me your tired, your poor...
"Give me your tired, yor poor...

Political asylum in the United states is usually granted when a person feels he or she may be persecuted or have a  well-founded fear of imminent  persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.  We think of political asylum being granted to avoid torture, imprisonment,  physical harm.  We do not, as Americans, think of giving political asylum to avoid going to private or public school. 

A Tennessee judge has granted asylum to a German couple and their children so the couple may home school their children.  German is one of the few European countries that enforces compulsory attendance in a recognized school.  According to Yahoo News:

 

The Romeikes are not your typical asylum seekers. They did not come to the U.S. to flee war or despotism in their native land. No, these music teachers left Germany because they didn’t like what their children were learning in public school – and because homeschooling is illegal there.

 “It’s our fundamental rightto decide how we want to teach our children,” says Uwe Romeike, an Evangelical Christian and a concert pianist who sold his treasured Steinway to help pay for the move.

 Romeike decided to uproot his family in 2008 after he and his wife had accrued about $10,000 in fines for homeschooling their three oldest children and police had turned up at their doorstep and escorted them to school. “My kids were crying, but nobody seemed to care,” Romeike says of the incident

 
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Prince William Coffee Party Chapter !!

The Prince William Coffee Party Chapter has been formed and we will have our first coffee talk on March 13th, click here for details.   We will be serving coffee, donuts, and free Coffee Party buttons to the first 50 people!  Now Slowpoke, the buttons are to wear, not to throw!  Seriously though, I really am hoping that people will take this opportunity to start having a civil dialogue.   This is one of my favorite quotes that was posted on the Coffee Party Page:

“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone…, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” Lincoln, March 4, 1861

 

Al Alborn is being interviewed, via phone, by CNN/KSRO Radio, at 10:48 this morning. Al and I don’t agree on everything, but we can disagree and still honor our different points of view. Vigorous debate has been at the very birth of our nation and there is no reason to stop now. But vigorous debate is not accusing the other person of not being a true American  because they don’t agree with you.  It isn’t about yelling the loudest so others are too afraid to participate.  I believe we all love our country, we just don’t necessarily agree on how to solve our problems.  I believe THOSE differences, and our ability to express them,  is what makes us a Democracy.

Kids Direct Planes at JFK

air towerAn air traffic controller and his supervisor have been put on leave because the air traffic controller allowed his kids to come to work with him. On the first day, the son spoke with pilots from the tower. Day 2, the daughter repeated the behavior. FAA folks are furious. “Take your child to work” wasn’t such a good idea in this case.

The cable news channels have been filled with the audios of the kids talking with pilots. The pilots have also come under criticism for not asking to speak with an adult. General consensus has been How stupid can you be!

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Utah Bill Criminalizes Reckless Behavior Causing Miscarriage

A controversial  bill is awaiting the signature of Utah Governor Gary Herbert.  If the governor does nothing, the bill becomes law.  Why is this bill so dangerous?

In a nut shell, the bill criminalizes reckless behavior that causes a miscarriage.  The bill’s sponsor, State Representative Wimmer (R) says of course not wearing a seat belt would not cause a pregnant woman to be prosecuted.  However, the lawmaker could not give real assurances that this wouldn’t happen.  He did add that taking drugs could be determined reckless behavior.

The bill, ostensibly, was created because some teenager paid another person money to beat her in hopes of aborting.  The fetus lived and Utah law failed to provide a means to prosecute the girl beaten or the person who did it.  Wimmer also says that this bill’s intent is not to restrict legal abortion.  (note raised eyebrow)  It would seem that this law is just poised and perched to be a test case for legal abortion to be criminalized.

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