Thomas Jefferson is a Rock Star

MoonHowler

Somehow, everyone wants to claim my hometown’s founding father, Thomas Jefferson.  Jefferson was born on April 13,  1743 in Shadwell, Virginia.   Shadwell was actually a plantation.  It burned around 1770 and Jefferson moved to Monticello Mountain outside of Charlottesville.  He is truly Virginia’s native son. 

Jefferson is claimed by Democrats, libertarians  and Republicans alike.  Certainly the Jefferson Jackson Dinner Fling put on the Democrats each year speaks to their affinity for Jefferson.  The Tea Party people seem mighty fond of Jefferson also.  He was quoted all over the place today during the rallies.  Some quotes are included below. 

Jefferson was an inventor, an author, he wrote the Declaration of Independence, he was a farmer, a building, a statesman, an educator, a diplomat, a scientist, a musician, a visionary, a philosopher…the list goes on. He founded and built the University of Virginia towards the end of his life.  His ‘academical village’ is one of the top universities in the nation. 

You have to be doing something right when that many different people coming from that many points of view think you are a rock star.  Exactly what is it about Jefferson that people find so appealing?

Some quotes from Jefferson might help illustrate his popularity:

“A wise and frugal government – A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government…”

“On every unauthoritative exercise of power by the legislature must the people rise in rebellion or their silence be construed into a surrender of that power to them? If so, how many rebellions should we have had already?”

“The principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale.”

“The multiplication of public offices, increase of expense beyond income, growth and entailment of a public debt, are indications soliciting the employment of the pruning knife.”

“I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious.”

Obama Mandated Visitation Rights in Hospitals to Partners of Gays

MoonHowler

President Obama mandated visitation rights for  partners of gays and lesbians in hospitals who receive Medicaid and Medicare funding.   Far too often in the past, parents of gays and lesbians held all the power and partners could be prevented from even seeing their signficant other. 

According to the Washington Post:

 

The president directed the Department of Health and Human Services to prohibit discrimination in hospital visitation in a memo that was e-mailed to reporters Thursday night while he was at a fundraiser in Miami.

Administration officials and gay activists, who have been quietly working together on the issue, said the new rule will affect any hospital that receives Medicare or Medicaid funding, a move that covers the vast majority of the nation’s health-care institutions.

It is currently common policy in many hospitals that only those related by blood or marriage be allowed to visit patients.

“Discrimination touches every facet of the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, including at times of crisis and illness, when we need our loved ones with us more than ever,” Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in praising the decision.

Hopefully this right would be extended to any partnership, not just a partnership between gays.  Straight people have unconventional relationships also.  However, this is a good place to start.

NYTimes Tea Party Poll

MoonHowler

From the New York Times:  (bold is mine)

Tea Party supporters are wealthier and more well-educated than the general public, and are no more or less afraid of falling into a lower socioeconomic class, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

The 18 percent of Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than 45.

They hold more conservative views on a range of issues than Republicans generally. They are also more likely to describe themselves as “very conservative” and President Obama as “very liberal.”

And while most Republicans say they are “dissatisfied” with Washington, Tea Party supporters are more likely to classify themselves as “angry.”

The Tea Party movement burst onto the scene a year ago in protest of the economic stimulus package, and its supporters have vowed to purge the Republican Party of officials they consider not sufficiently conservative and to block the Democratic agenda on the economy, the environment and health care. But the demographics and attitudes of those in the movement have been known largelyanecdotally. The Times/CBS poll offers a detailed look at the profile and attitudes of those supporters.

Their responses are like the general public’s in many ways. Most describe the amount they paid in taxes this year as “fair.” Most send their children to public schools. A plurality do not think Sarah Palin is qualified to be president, and, despite their push for smaller government, they think that Social Security and Medicare are worth the cost to taxpayers. They actually are just as likely as Americans as a whole to have returned their census forms, though some conservative leaders have urged a boycott.Tea Party supporters’ fierce animosity toward Washington, and the president in particular, is rooted in deep pessimism about the direction of the country and the conviction that the policies of the Obama administration are disproportionately directed at helping the poor rather than the middle class or the rich.

The overwhelming majority of supporters say Mr. Obama does not share the values most Americans live by and that he does not understand the problems of people like themselves. More than half say the policies of the administration favor the poor, and 25 percent think that the administration favors blacks over whites — compared with 11 percent of the general public.They are more likely than the general public, and Republicans, to say that too much has been made of the problems facing black people.

Asked what they are angry about, Tea Party supporters offered three main concerns: the recent health care overhaul, government spending and a feeling that their opinions are not represented in Washington.

 

Do you agree or disagree?

Trust Women/Respect Choice signed into law! Thanks Governor McDonnell

MoonHowler

trust women

Thanks to Governor Bob McDonnell for doing the right thing. He has signed the Trust Women/Respect Choice license plate into law and has maintained the funding for prevention services. $15 for each plate will go towards Planned Parenthood.

The license plate faced a three-month back and forth challenge in the General Assembly. Apparently some of our legislators confused reproductive rights with first amendment rights and tried all sorts of sneaky tricks to stop the stream of money into Planned Parenthood.

Virginia is one of only FOUR states to have a pro-choice license plate, let alone one with a funding stream supporting reproductive health care services.

Hat Tip to Governor McDonnell. Frankly, I am pleasantly surprised. This really was a free speech issue.

The governor can be emailed from the here. I have already emailed him a thank you.

Whose Afraid of Virginia? More than Our Fair Share…

MoonHowler

We are but one of 50 states but it seems we are getting more than our fair share of negative attention.

The AG seems to feel upstaged by his partner in crime, the honorable Mr. Stewart. He wants to rein in the federal government. He tells the crowd: “There’s no hide the ball with Ken Cuccinelli. What you see is what you get.”

And now for some more fun…..

Holy cow. Why would someone fight health care and then take part in this kind of scene. What century do we live in. I guess what people do on their private time is their business but not when they are representing MY state. I hope the AG is going to the Awakening and Revival as a private citizen. Cindy Jacobs seems to be overly excited as does Lou Engles as he prays for whatever it is he wants? Overthrowing the government? How many people think this is appropriate behaivor?

The fact that at least 9 minutes of an 11 minute segment was about Virginia simply shames me. There is just too much negative publicity. Too much cultural warrior being presented as mainstream. Thank goodness the subject changes to Michigan.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Who is Lou Engle?

The other day someone challenged me about Rachel Maddow being mainstream. Hell, she was just in Parade Magazine. Today Parade, tomorrow, Readers Digest. If Koo…err Cooch is your mainstream, then Maddow much be the rest of the world’s Oprah Winfrey.

Chairman Corey Stewart, Creating Economic Development or Hostile Communities?

Elena

Our weekly update on sewing the seeds of intolerance. I guess Corey is going to put his money where his mouth is when it comes to promoting war over  peace in PWC.

The video recording of the Stafford TEA party rally shows  Corey announcing that on May 4th, he will call for a resolution directing county staff NOT to implement the new Medicaid requirements under the new FEDERAL law. He concededs this directive “may be illegal” but he feels quite confident  that that the “Cooch” will have his back.

Can the “Cooch” send up the National Guard to ensure PWC can withstand the new Federal Law just as  some localites tried to do in the 60’s to avoid desegregation?

Will the rest of the Board “have his back” too, or are some Supervisors prepared to represent ALL the people in PWC, even those that are poor and vulnerable.

N-word Denial Continues

MoonHowler

N Word Feud 

People like congresswoman Michele Bachman and Andrew Breitbart, ‘proprietor’ of the far right blog site biggovernment.org, just keep digging themselves in deeper and deeper. They need to take a page out of the Bill Clinton book and stop digging. According to Yahoo News:  (highlighting mine)

 

Three Democratic congressmen — all black — say they heard racial slurs as they walked through thousands of angry protesters outside the U.S. Capitol. A white lawmaker says he heard the epithets too. Conservative activists say the lawmakers are lying.

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Open Carry Discrimination (Jon Stewart)

MoonHowler

Sorry everyone. The Devil made me do it. I could not help myself. It is easier to beg forgiveness than to not do it. My son already rose up in protest. I told him it was a joke, a spoof. He isn’t laughing.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Open Carrier Discrimination
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

PG County Cops Tape Shows Brutality after Maryland/Duke Game

MoonHowler

Remember our article from the March 3, 2010 melee after the Maryland / Duke game?  Kids went wild, set fire to trash cans and in general celebrated way too much?  Some UMD Students Need to Grow Up showed students too happy over their win over Duke.  Some  footage also discovered what appears to be some serious police brutality on the part of Prince George’s County Police.  At least 2 students had the living hell beaten out of them with night sticks, fists and it appears the one was rammed with the horse. 

I generally don’t  holler brutality.  However, PG County has long had  a reputation from not running with the straight and narrow.  Judging from this video, is sure looks like PG County has a few rotten apples:

 

What do you think?

Dow Finished above 11,000 Today

MoonHowler

                             

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (the Dow) finished above 11,000 today for the first time in 18 months.  Loans issued to financially plagued Greece seemed to nudge the Dow upwards.  Much has been made of the Dow reaching 11k.  it stood for some sort of psychological ceiling that the Dow had to pass.

Many financial gurus are warning us that financial woes are far from over and to proceed with caution.  Is this a good time to get back in the market or have you been here all along.  Is this the time to hide your cash under the mattress or in the backyard in a jar?  How about the freezer?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Virginia Throws up another Hoop for Felons Wanting Restored Civil Rights

MoonHowler
artwork from c-ville.com
artwork from c-ville.com

Civil Rights are defined as: the right to vote, the right to serve on a jury, the right to hold public office and the right to serve as a notary public. if someone is convicted of felony, then one loses these civil rights.   Virginia Constitution says, “No person who has been convicted of a felony shall be qualified to vote unless his civil rights have been restored by the governor.” There is no limitation on the governor’s power to restore rights, and no mention of having to report the names of such people to the General Assembly.

According to c-ville.com:

Virginia and Kentucky are the only two states that do not automatically restore convicted felons’ civil rights. Most states restore these rights upon the completion of a prison sentence, probation or parole. In Virginia, felons convicted of a nonviolent offense must wait three years after completing all court obligations—sentencing, fines and probation—then file an application for the restoration of rights to the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

If your conviction is for a violent offense —or a drug manufacturing or distribution offense—the process is much more difficult.

The nonviolent offender’s application is two pages. The violent application is 12. Iachetta calls the violent felony forms cumbersome. “They’re horrible,” she says.

After waiting five years after all court obligations, a person convicted of a violent felony must obtain a burdensome collection of paperwork: a letter from your most recent probation or parole officer, copies of your pre- or post-sentence report, certified copies of every order of conviction and sentencing orders, three letters of reference and, to top it off, a personal letter to the Governor explaining your convictions and how your life has changed.

Iachetta says that roughly half of the people she sees who start the process don’t complete it.

“There’s got to be an easier way,” says Iachetta. “I don’t know at this point what it is. The process can be streamlined. That being said, until it happens, we’ve got to deal with what we’ve got.”

[Note:  Iachetta is Charlottesville’s general registrar]

Governor Bob McDonnell has added another hoop for former felons to jump through. He is now proposing that those who want voting rights restored must write an essay outlining their contributions to society since their release, Civil Rights leaders and many others interested in prisoner rights, are outraged by this plan. They say it targets minorities, the poor and the under-educated and denies them of their civil rights. Others are cheering on McDonnell for ‘meaning business.’

McDonnell defends his own plan in the Washington Post:

McDonnell’s administration said the essay requirement is designed to put a human face on each applicant and to help staff members better understand each person’s situation.

“It gives all applicants the opportunity to have their cases heard and have their full stories told,” said Janet Polarek, secretary of the commonwealth, whose office handles the requests. “It’s an opportunity, not an obstacle.”

McDonnell is revamping the entire system for felons to have their rights restored as he works to make good on a campaign pledge to process every application within 90 days, considerably faster than any other administration in recent history.

“Under Republican and Democratic governors, they have had to wait six to 12 months — longer in some cases — to get an answer,” Polarek said. “Under the McDonnell administration, our goal is to restore the rights of everyone who has fulfilled their obligation in the most timely manner in Virginia’s recent history.”

For those who have difficulty with literacy, writing an essay seems like an immovable obstacle. Where in the Virginia Constitution can this kind of requirement be found?  Many prisoners and past prisoners suffer from the same malady; under-education plagues prisoners.  To ask someone with limited education to write an essay might just fall into the realm of cruel and unusual punishment.

Detailed Historical Information from the League of Women Voters in Fairfax

Don’t Miss the Bluebell Festival! Sunday 4/11 9-4

Elena

Sunday, April 11 2010, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

If you have never seen a carpet of Bluebells, you don’t know what you are missing! Merrimac Farm is a truly unique treasure. The event is free and a wonderful opportunity to see the Virginia’s amazing assets.

Prince William Conservation played an integral role in the birth of Merrimac Farm.

Bring your family and friends to Merrimac Farm on Sunday, April 11, beginning at 9:00 am, to welcome spring and view the spectacular display of Virginia Bluebells that carpet the floodplain along Cedar Run for nearly a mile. In the words of one visitor, it’s like walking through Oz.

We’ll have naturalist-led tours to the Bluebells and Cedar Run, where you can stay as long as you’d like. Along the way we’ll travel through a variety of habitats, talking about the birds, butterflies, frogs and other wildlife that lives at Merrimac Farm and in Northern Virginia.

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The Stewart Comedy Hour: Corey, not Jon

MoonHowler

 

In today’s News and Messenger, there is an article entitled “Tourism agency preps for Sesquicentennial” which made for an interesting little read.  PWC chairman of the BOCS did a stand up comedy routine as content for the piece.  Let’s focus on some local news.  First, the article from News and Messenger:

 

 

Tourism Agency Preps for Sesquicentennial

July 21, 2011 marks the 150th anniversary, or sesquicentennial, of the Civil War’s Battle of Bull Run, and tourism officials planning commemorative events are falling heavy on the theme of peace.

“We want to have a rolling series of events, basically for five years, because this is a national celebration and a state celebration,” the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau interim director, Sharon Cavileer, told Prince William supervisors Tuesday. Plans were to follow the state’s plan for commemoration and show the extent of the Civil War’seffects from a range of perspectives—from civilian to slave to soldier, both Union and Confederate.

“In Prince William, the sesquicentennial is an American legacy of war, peace and reconciliation,” Cavileer said, adding that planned events include a speech from a Nobel peace prize winner and a Peace Jubilee at the Old Courthouse in Manassas. On top of that, the key theme or message of the sesquicentennial is a proposed: “Where the battle began and peace prevails.”

That’s fine, said Chairman Corey Stewart, R-At-large. But less peace and more realism is in order, he said.

“I think we need to work on the message. The Civil War was not about peace. It ended in peace; it had to end in peace,” he said. “If you want to have a Nobel peace prize speaker, that’s okay, I guess. For God’s sake, I hope it’s an American.”

The CVB and sesquicentennial marketing strategists should not “water down” the realities and lessons of the Civil War to the point where it’s forgotten that this was a uniquely American period that ultimately led “to the uniting of the nation so it became the power it is,” Stewart said.

Apparently the chairman objects to all this damn peace floating about and he has done his best to make sure it doesn’t happen.  One glance at the chairman’s’ record will give a bird’s eye view of his distain for peace in local government.  He has fanned the flames during the immigration debate, he shouted anti abortion rhetoric at a V.O.I.C.E. meeting about housing,  insulted vets over joining the Coffee Party, disparaging all the other members in his sweeping generalizations, just to name a few instances where peace in PWC seems unlikely. 

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