No Stimulus Funds for PWC Schools — Too bad, kids! Squeeze in!

MoonHowler

Hats off to Frank Principi who tried to postpone a decision regarding the federal stimulus money until the next regularly scheduled BOCS meeting on September 14. That sounds like the right thing to do. However, that was not to be. As it stands now, pressed on by the urgings of CXO Melissa Peacor, stimulus funds will be considered during the next fiscal year.

In the first place, this was a mighty important decision to be decided on such short notice. 3 board members were absent: Caddigan, Jenkins and Stewart. The time line is fuzzy. Superintendent Walts wanted to begin hiring up to 180 new teachers. That’s understandable. He has a school system to run and that school system starts up Monday, August 30 with kids coming in the Tuesday after Labor Day. Walts doesn’t have time for the BOCS to grand stand and posture for their upcoming elections in 2011.

If there are strings attached to the stimulus money, then naturally the BOCS needs to be aware. If 3 of them aren’t there….there is a problem right from the git-go. It seems to me that the stimulus fund issue ought to be discussed during the Sept. 14 regular BOCS meeting. The School Board and the Board of Supervisors need to find a more effective way to communicate.

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The Cultural Center in NYC, Hopefully Not an Opportunity Lost

Elena

I have had many debates about this Cultural Center near the remains of the World Trade Center. For me, it is not just about upholding our constitution, it is about expressing to the world that as Americans we truly believe in our Democracy, that we are not hypocrites, that we are NOT afraid of Islam.

My brother who lives in NYC fully supports this center. People who I know that survived the attack on 9/11, support this center.

I read a wonderful article on the Imam, sent my way from a dear friend who is Muslim, and we had a wonderful exchange. Before people go screaming in fear and hysteria, I would recommend reading this very informative piece on the imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the man who had the vision and dream for this project.

I wanted to share story by NPR, for it gave me hope that maybe in all this fear, anger and hatred, their is hope mosque_17after all.
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What’s All the Flap about Cuccinelli?

MoonHowler

The Right Wing extremists are all howling with delight over their boy Ken Cuccinelli socking it to them thar femi-nazis…..the pro-aborts.  It must be full moon.  Let’s take a look at what their glee is over:

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has given a ruling that has the potential of skirting around legislation that the General Assembly as refused to enact since the early 1980’s.  Attorney generals’ opinions are not legally binding, as court rulings are. 

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Open Thread August 23, 2010

MoonHowler

Not to sound like George III, but nothing important happened today. Those were ominous words. He uttered those ill-fated words on July 4, 1776. Had we fast-forwarded to July 4, 2010, he would have known instantly that the colonies had rebelled.

I am headed to God’s country for a few days but I am going well armed with computers, ipads, cameras, gkids, etc. My idea of roughing it differs a bit from most people’s idea. Mr. Howler will remain home with the young howlettes. ruff ruff.

How was the F-word? (ssshhhh-I mean Fair) Is that wretched thing over yet? The weather should be wonderful all week. No more 90 degree days in August. The dog days must be over…at least until September.

Troops: Skipping Christian Concert Got Us Punished

MoonHowler

Right here in our own back yard, it appears that someone in the military is practicing religious oppression.  According to the Huffington Post:

RICHMOND, Va. — The Army said Friday it was investigating a claim that dozens of soldiers who refused to attend a Christian band’s concert at a Virginia military base were banished to their barracks and told to clean them up.

Fort Eustis spokesman Rick Haverinen told The Associated Press he couldn’t comment on the specifics of the investigation. At the Pentagon, Army spokesman Col. Thomas Collins said the military shouldn’t impose religious views on soldiers.

“If something like that were to have happened, it would be contrary to Army policy,” Collins said.

Pvt. Anthony Smith said he and other soldiers felt pressured to attend the May concert while stationed at the Newport News base, home of the Army’s Transportation Corps.

“My whole issue was I don’t need to be preached at,” Smith said in a phone interview from Phoenix, where he is stationed with the National Guard. “That’s not what I signed up for.”

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“Christian” Minister Endangers Americans around the World

MoonHowler

The Reverend Terry Jones misses the point. In trying to destroy his enemy, he becomes like his enemy. What has he accomplished? His reckless advocacy of a book burning day endangers Americans around the world and accomplishes nothing other than serving as a recruitment tool to those who would do us harm.

Rick Sanchez’s interview with Jones proves that Jones is little better than Westover Baptist activists with their hate-mongering. Apparently Jones is trying to ‘grow’ his church. Is he going to take responsibility when one of his parishioners commits some vile act, all in the name of God?

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SPLC Posts Top Ten Conspiracy Theories

MoonHowler
(from SPLC: illustrations by Paul Rogers)
(from SPLC: illustrations by Paul Rogers)

There is no end to conspiracy theories.  Conspiracy theories are a big part of Americana.  However, most are urban legends and few have been proven, if any.  From the Lincoln assassination conspiracy theory to the Roswell Cover-up to the moonlanding being a hoax by NBC, some Americans are convinced that their government is up to something sneaky and un-American.

Southern Poverty Law Center has listed the top 10 current conspiracy theories.

 

 

01 Chemtrails
02 Martial Law

03 FEMA Concentration Camps

04 Foreign Troops on U.S. Soil

05 ‘Door-to-Door’ Gun Confiscations

06 9/11 as Government Plot

07 Population Control

08 HAARP

09 The Federal Reserve Conspiracy

10 The North American Union

 

 

My favorite one isn’t on the list. I like the one that exposes the government hiding UFO information from us since Roswell. I believe that one. These others are strange. I have heard of about half of them. The rest are tin foil hat theories, with accompanying Xfile music.

The explanations are given. It is far too long to provide exerpts. Plus I wouldn’t want to leave out anything.

Do you believe any of this? How far fetched is some of it? Sell us on a theory.

Sorry, sound effects weren’t working.

VEA’s Robley Jones Update: 2 Good Reasons to Watch Your School Board’s Deliberations

MoonHowler

GR-alert

With the BOCS sniffing around for money, it might be important to consider the letter Robley Jones, legislative Laison for VEA (Virginia Education Association) sent out this morning regarding  the Education Jobs Fund:

(and it did say Dear Moon-howler:)  

The manner in which the health of the state budget is presented can be most confusing. Trumpets ring as we declare a surplus; but the fact is that for the first time in 50 years, General Fund revenues have declined for two years in a row. The surplus just means that revenues exceeded projections, and a loss was projected.

You will also hear glowing words about the additional $18 million in funding for our schools from sales tax revenues. Sounds good, but sales tax revenues supplant required state and local spending. This $18 million does not add an additional penny for our schools.

But, enough ranting — I have two important things to call your attention to.

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Belief that Obama is Muslim Continues to Rise

MoonHowler

The Pew Institute released the following graphics to visualize the shift in perception regarding the religion of the president:

obama religion

The Pew Institute asked the poll question:

Now, thinking about Barack Obama’s religious beliefs… Do you happen to know what Barack Obama’s religion is? Is he Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, atheist, agnostic, or something else?

Contrast the difference in opinion from 2009 to 2010 regarding the received religion of President Obama:

Perceived Religion of President Obama
Perceived Religion of President Obama

According to the Washington Post:

White House officials expressed dismay over the poll results. Faith adviser Joshua DuBois blamed “misinformation campaigns” by the president’s opponents…

Among those who say Obama is a Muslim, 60 percent say they learned about his religion from the media, suggesting that their opinions are fueled by misinformation.

But the shifting attitudes about the president’s religious beliefs could also be the result of a public growing less enamored of him and increasingly attracted to labels they perceive as negative. In the Pew poll, 41 percent disapprove of Obama’s job performance, compared with 26 percent disapproval in its March 2009 poll.

More than a third of conservative Republicans now say Obama is a Muslim, nearly double the percentage saying so early last year. Independents, too, are now more apt to see the president as a Muslim: Among independents, 18 percent say he is a Muslim, up eight percentage points.

Does it matter what the president’s religion is? Does it matter if a president attends church on a regular basis? Did either Bush attend church regularly? How about Clinton? Reagan?

Did the fact that Joe Lieberman is Jewish affect the outcome of his bid for vice president when he was on the Gore ticket?

What is your explanation for why the misperceptions about the president’s religion have shifted so much?

How much of the shift in perception is deliberate rumor mongering?

Is the Muslim issue in part because of 9/11? How much of the negativity is because it is perceived that President Obama is not Christian vs. Muslim?

Pew Institute Questionaire>

Download

More from the Captain Soundbite Fiscal Shenanigans Show

adultgirl

Guest Post by “Fed Up” 

Disclaimer: All guest posts are the opinion of the poster and do not necessarily represent the views of moonhowlings.net administration. M-H

Corey Stewart has been caught again playing fast and loose with taxpayers’ dollars, despite his best efforts to conceal another boondoggle.  Buried deep in a staff report (http://www.pwcgov.org/documents/bocs/agendas/2010/0803/8-A.pdf)  on the carryover budget (page 8 of a 54 page document), considered by the Board the same day his scheming with the Avendale development was distracting everyone, and abetted by the inability of his own staff and the local media to perform elementary school arithmetic, Stewart slipped through nearly a million dollars in additional taxpayer money for the Supervisors’ offices. 

From the “News & Messenger” on August 15,

“The budget item was passed as part of a much larger carryover budget, in which items from the previous fiscal year get carried over to the new fiscal year. According to county spokesman Jason Grant, the $712,000 increase should have been included in the fiscal 2011 budget process, but was accidentally omitted.” 

 Should have been included in fiscal 2011 budget process?  Ya think?  Then why not consider it as a separate budget item at the August 3 meeting rather than burying it in the staff report on the carryover?

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Mission Accomplished?

MoonHowler

Multi-National_Force-Iraq_ShoulderSIeeveInsigniaSupposedly the combat troops stationed in Iraq have left.  Supposedly we won.  Will there be ticker tape parades?  Will there be kissing and wild excitement in Times Square?  Hell no.  The story is barely a blip on the radar.  50,000 troops remain in a non-combat role.  Does that mean they are sitting ducks?  Do they have rubber bullets?

Also of importance is how we will honor those who died in this misguided war.  Will we have a special memorial for gulf wars dead?  Will Iraq and Afghanistan and Persian Gulf 1 be treated separately or will they be treated at all?

It seems so odd to have just posted a thread about the end of WWII and to have mentioned My Lai from the Vietnam era, and really to have nothing to say about Iraq of than the use of the word ‘misguided.’   An evil dictator was removed. However, there are 100’s more left around the world, still inflicting their terror and evil influence on others.  Shock and Awe seems to be leaving with ….out being noticed.

A big salute to those who served and to those who gave all.  I hope that we, as a nation, will give our military the glorious homecoming they so richly deserve.  And I hope those 50,000 who remain will be safe.

Bull Bullies Spectators–Goes on Rampage

MoonHowler

About 30 spectators in northern Spain were injured by a rampaging bull when he jumped into the stands and began goring people. One ten-year old boy was seriously injured when he was gored in the stomach. Bull fighting has already been outlawed in some parts of Spain.

Many people find bull fighting a very offensive sport. While rules differ, the odds really aren’t in favor of the bull. I find myself secretly cheering for the bull any time one goes after human beings, although I am sorry a child was injured. The bull was put down after being tied down. Bull fight has no redeeming qualities it seems.

Did you catch the dude trying to hold the bull by his tail? There has to be a Darwin award for that stunt. And naturally the fool escaped without injury.

Palin Twitters Support to Dr. Laura: ‘Don’t Retreat…Reload!’

MoonHowler

Dr. Laura Schlessinger, the talk radio host, apologized and decided to retire from her conservative radio program after using the N-word on the air 11 times in 5 minutes, while talking to a female black caller.

According to Huffington Post:

Dr. Laura Schlessinger announced Tuesday night that she would end her radio show following her N-word rant last week.

“My contract is up for my radio show at the end of the year and I’ve made the decision not to do radio anymore,” she told Larry King. “The reason is I want to regain my First Amendment rights. I want to be able to say what’s on my mind and in my heart and what I think is helpful and useful without somebody getting angry, some special interest group deciding this is the time to silence a voice of dissent and attack affiliates, attack sponsors. I’m sort of done with that.”

Dr. Laura emphasized that she is “not retiring” but rather just ending her radio show.

“I’m not retiring, I’m not quitting, I feel energized actually,” she said. “Stronger and freer to say the things that I believe need to be said for people in this country.”

(See video from the Larry King Show below)

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