Illegal Immigrant Blimp: Your Tax Dollars at Work

MoonHowler

From Gainesville:

The illegal aliens cross over at night through the mountains rather than the more direct route through the desert. This blimp has infrared detection so can see people at night in the dark – and radio down to troops on the ground their position. The blimp is unmanned and remote controlled, according to people here. Second picture I took using the zoom feature of my regular camera to get a more closeup view. This is from the hotel parking lot at 6:45 AM before I left for work. This blimp is a good 20 miles away from where I am.

Blimp in center over peakClose up of blimp

Obviously this blimp is an example of your government at work. Blimps aren’t cheap. Our government is using all sort of technology to curtail illegal entry into the country. Millions of dollars are spent on this endeavor annually. Yet the sound byte remain the same: Do your job

The sound byte is an election tool. People that continue to believe the government is doing nothing are being duped by politicians who simply want their vote. Too many people have fallen for this trick already.

CAVE MANager Paul Lotsof Speaks Out on SB 1070

MoonHowler

Reprinted with permission from The Cave FM located in Southeastern Arizona. Thanks to Gaineville resident for sending me up with the editorial and to Paul for giving me permission to use it. We aren’t hearing as much about old SB 1070 as we were. Perhaps because like its cousin, the PWC Anti Immigration Resolution, it because a neutered house cat. And after all, its all about winning an election.

The Logo of Cave 97.7 FM

Editorial for Oct 23-25, 2010

I’m CAVE MANager Paul Lotsof. Many years ago I was living in California and had some dirty clothes to wash. I put them in a basket and walked into a laundromat in Rialto. I found a washing machine and put my clothes in it, poured in some detergent and inserted some quarters. Not wanting to read the religious literature that is found in all laundromats, I just sat and stared at the washing machine while it did its thing.

A few minutes later, two police officers walked into the laundromat and headed to the rear of the building where they had a brief conversation with someone. Then the officers walked up to me and started asking questions: “What are you doing here?”

“I’m washing my clothes. What does it look like I’m doing?”

“How long have you been here? Where do you live? How long have you lived there? Where do you work?” The questions went on and on. Finally when I was able to get a word in edgewise, I asked the officers why they had singled me out for questioning. Their answer was that someone had complained that I appeared to be suspicious and they had to respond to the complaint. Eventually the officers decided that it was perfectly legal to wash clothes and they left.

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What Provoked Ginni?

MoonHowler

About 10 days ago, Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas called Anita Hill and left a rather bizarre message on her answering machine.  She called at 7:30 am on a Saturday morning so it sounds like she wanted to leave a message and deliberately called when she didn’t think she would get Ms. Hill live.

Those of us who remember  Anita Hill’s  role in the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings knew at the time that there was something going on that wasn’t quite what it should be.  Word around Washington travels fast and without mercy and the word on the street wasn’t good for old Clarence.  Washington, however, isn’t known for its right or wrong as much as it is for its can you prove it or not.  Thomas was confirmed by a 52 to 48 vote and the rest was history, or so we thought. 

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Just who does Jon Stewart think he is?

MoonHowler

Yes, Elena and I love Jon Stewart.  It beats a whole lot of other people we could love.  Sunday’s Washington Post ran an article entitled Just who does Jon Stewart think he is?  in anticipation of this Saturday’s event on the National Mall called Rally to Restore Sanity.  Stewart arrives Monday for preparation.  Very little is known about the event which begins at noon.  No special guests have been announced nor have any artists.  The rally will be broadcast live on Comedy Central. 

In some ways, Stewart returns to his roots.  He is a William and Mary graduate, class of 1984.  According to the Washington Post article:

Stewart, 47, has never claimed to be anything more than a guy trying to get laughs on “a fake news program on basic cable,” as he puts it. While that surely understates his case, it comports with his background as a stand-up comic and entertainer.

and

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Beware of John’s “Feet in the Stirrups” Resolution

MoonHowler
Prince William County has no abortion clinics.  There is one that has been in the City of Manassas for over 20 years.  There are several in Fairfax County.  For some reason the Prince William County Board of Supervisors feels it necessary to pass a resolution directing Governor McDonnell to make it more difficult for abortion clinic providers to be able to practice.  What a cowardly way, once again, to interfere with a woman’s most personal choice. Over and over again, Roe vs Wade has been reaffirmed.  This is simply a back door tactic to prevent clinics that provide abortions to be able to provide services.
 

Exhibit:Albanian Muslims Saved Jews During WW II Nazi Occupation

Elena

I found this story truly amazing. The Muslim leadership in Albania directed its people to think of Jewish children as their own. They risked their lives to save their Jewish neighbors.

With rising anti-Muslim sentiment across the country, an untold story is raising greater awareness about the Muslim faith and the teachings of the Quran. That awareness comes from an unlikely source: a small Jewish congregation in Creve Coeur.

Temple Emanuel is premiering a groundbreaking exhibit of photos that reveals Albanian Muslims who saved 2,000 Jews during World War II.

It’s a story you’ve likely never heard. It is a story told through the faces of Albanian Muslims who risked their own lives to live by a code of faith and honor called Besa.

School Board Passes Resolution Asking for Federal Funds

MoonHowler

The Prince William County School Board has passed a resolution asking the BOCS for permission to apply for federal Education Jobs Fund  money to hire teachers in the current school year.  The county school system ended up with an additional 807 students for the current school year which made the current teacher shortage even more severe.  The cost for this many students is just under $8.7 million, or just under $11,000 per pupil. 

According to News and Messenger:

Prince William County Public Schools has been allocated about $17 million through the Federal Education Jobs Fund Program, but the school division can’t use that money unless the county approves it.

The School Board voted 7 to 1 Wednesday to ask the Board of County Supervisors to allocate $5.8 million of the federal money to the school division in the current school year to help pay the costs for the additional students who enrolled. The other $2.9 million needed would come from state funding.

Neabsco District representative Lisa Bell cast the dissenting vote.

The School Board’s resolution also proposes discussing what to do with the remaining $11.2 million in federal money during its budget process for fiscal 2012.

In August, the Board of County Supervisors passed a resolution stating that they would not address the federal education jobs fund money until the fiscal 2012 budget process.

The School Board is hoping they will change their mind.

One has to question Ms. Bell.  What plan does she have to pay for educating over 800 more students?  Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see what the current BOCS does in response to the School Board resolution.   Last August the BOCS got hysterical because they thought Superintendent Walts was issuing contracts to teachers without permission from them to take stimulus money.  They called an emergency meeting even though Corey Stewart, Maureen Caddigan and John Jenkins were out of town. 

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Juan Williams: The Sacrificial Lamb

MoonHowler

Journalist and author Juan Williams has been fired from NPR ostensibly for a response he gave to Bill O’Reilly following  The View incident where 2 of the hosts walked off stage.  Williams agreed with O’Reilly about attitudes about Muslims, for the most part.  According to the New York Times:

The move came after Mr. Williams, who is also a Fox News political analyst, appeared on the “The O’Reilly Factor” on Monday. On the show, the host, Bill O’Reilly, asked him to respond to the notion that the United States was facing a “Muslim dilemma.” Mr. O’Reilly said, “The cold truth is that in the world today jihad, aided and abetted by some Muslim nations, is the biggest threat on the planet.”

Mr. Williams said he concurred with Mr. O’Reilly.

He continued: “I mean, look, Bill, I’m not a bigot. You know the kind of books I’ve written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous.”

Mr. Williams also made reference to the Pakistani immigrant who pleaded guilty this month to trying to plant a car bomb in Times Square. “He said the war with Muslims, America’s war is just beginning, first drop of blood. I don’t think there’s any way to get away from these facts,” Mr. Williams said.

NPR said in its statement that the remarks “were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR.”

Spokespeople for NPR have said in the past that they are uncomfortable because Williams speaks one way on NPR and another way on Fox News.  On the other hand, is what Williams said offensive or honest?  What if he, as a black man, had said he gets nervous in some parts of town when he has to walk past a group of street wise black youth with their pants on the ground?  Would he have been fired? 

At what point must Americans simply not be allowed to  be honest?  How many of us remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when we first learned of 9/11?  How many of us would be nervous getting on a plane with Muslims heading to first class dressed in full dress? 

I can tell you I sure was the day I took one of the moon cabs across the Dulles lot with a lady in a burka or near burka pushing a baby stroller with packages in it.  NO baby, just packages.  I wouldn’t have gotten on a plane with her.  If that makes me a bigot, so be it.  I often disagree with Juan Williams but how soon can we count on all opinion being squelched?  I don’t want to live in a country where people can’t ever express their opinions.  I am afraid this latest move by NPR will be seen as a declaration of war.  The timing is very bad.

 

 

Christine O’Donnell and the Constitution

MoonHowler

Christine O’Donnell really needs to do better than this.  Part of going to Washington must include basic understanding of what’s makes our government work.  She really isn’t prepared on the most basic of levels.  Ms. ODonnell is correct.  Senators don’t have to memorize the Constitution, but they should have some basic knowledge of key ideas.

 

 

Christine O’Donnell really needs study harder.  According to the Wall Street Journal:

Ms. O’Donnell attacked her Democratic opponent, Chris Coons, for insisting that public schools teach evolution but not “intelligent design,” which posits that life forms are too complex to have evolved through natural processes and must have been created by a conscious being such as God. Mr. Coons, the New Castle County executive, said that public schools could not teach intelligent design or similar theories, like creationism and creation science, because they were “religious doctrine” rather than science.

“That is a blatant violation of our Constitution,” Ms. O’Donnell said. “The Supreme Court has always said it is up to the local communities to decide their standards.”

That’s generally true–except when it comes to teaching religion-based nonscientific theories of human origin. In 1968, the high court struck down an Arkansas law prohibiting instruction in evolution. In 1987, the court invalidated a Louisiana statute requiring that “creation science,” an antecedent to intelligent design, be taught alongside evolution.

Ms. O’Donnell likened Mr. Coons’s position on evolution to those of “our so-called leaders in Washington” who have rejected the “indispensible principles of our founding.”

She lacks facts on such a basic level, it makes her unqualified for office.  I felt sorry for her watching the video.  We are aware that the words in the Constitution do not say ‘separation of church and state.’  However the courts have continued to reaffirm this interpretation.  Jefferson’s writings also support separation. 

KK’s Temptations Debate Airs on Channel 5

MoonHowler

From Fox Channel 5:

Kim Skokan, co-owner of KK’s Temptations and Steve Thomas, a Manassas resident who opposes the store, joined the FOX 5 News at 10 to debate this sex shop battle.

The debate has been ongoing for about a month.  Tonight one of the leaders against KK Temptations, Manassas City resident Steve Thomas, squared off  against co-owner Kim Skokan.  Evaluate the debate for yourself.  Was there a clear winner or did both ‘sides’ make their point? 

 

As most people know, Moonhowlings has been supportive of KK’s Temptations.   I was glad to see Mr. Thomas narrow his objections to the store to being only against adult  videos rather than trying to condemn the entire shop.  Having a specific objection makes a lot more sense than some of the other people I have talked to and those  I heard making preposterous statements.   Mr. Thomas also resisted calling their store a ‘porn shop.’

However, tomorrow KK”s Temptations opens officially.  Stop by and tell the ladies hello. 

UPDATE:  The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was held this morning.  It is my understanding that none of the Manassas Council attended.  Shame on them. 

 

The  Red Hat Society ladies were cute.  Beth Parker sure pointed out the hypocrisy about the Candy Factory.  Kiddie plays and Last of the Red Hot Lovers.  Too funny. 

I am totally sick of hearing the kid card dropped.  What a bunch of bull crap.  It has nothing to do with it.  The woman who spoke up  and said something to the effect that the husbands would all want the wives to do things they didn’t want to do spoke volumes.  That’s what’s behind all of this.  Some of the good women of Manassas don’t want to be asked to ……nahhhh Moon Howler.  Don’t go there.  It was obvious. 

Maybe some of the good women just need to say no if something is suggested in the marital bedroom that they don’t want to do.  Surely these ‘weaker vessels’ have heard of NO and realize that they aren’t owned by their husbands?  Tell me it isn’t this basic. 

 

Leave it alone, Ginni Thomas–No more crank calls

MoonHowler

In 1991,  Anita Hill testified against Supreme Court Associate  Justice Clarence Thomas during his confirmation hearing.  Hill had worked  for Thomas at the Department of Education and at EEOC.  Under oath, she testified that Thomas had made sexual remarks to her during the time they were both at DoEd and EEOC. Thomas was confirmed 52-48 but the hearings were extremely contentious and almost everyone had an opinion on Anita Hill.  The support and condemnation usually ran along party lines.  

 

According to the New York Times:

In a voice mail left at 7:31 a.m. on Oct. 9 — the Saturday of Columbus Day weekend — Virginia Thomas asked her husband’s former aide-turned-adversary to make amends. Ms. Hill played the recording, from her voice mail at Brandeis University, for The Times.

“Good morning Anita Hill, it’s Ginni Thomas,” it said. “I just wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider something. I would love you to consider an apology sometimes and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband.”

Ms. Thomas went on: “So give it some thought. And certainly pray about this and hope that one day you will help us understand why you did what you did. OK, have a good day.”

Ms. Hill, in an interview, said she kept the message for nearly a week trying to decide whether the caller really was Ms. Thomas or a prankster. Unsure, she said, she decided to turn it over to the Brandeis campus police with a request to convey it the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“I though it was certainly inappropriate,” Ms. Hill said. “It came in at 7:30 a.m. on my office phone from somebody I didn’t know, and she is asking for an apology. It was not invited. There was no background for it.”

In a statement conveyed through a publicist, Ms. Thomas confirmed leaving the message, which she portrayed as a peacemaking gesture. She did not explain its timing.

“I did place a call to Ms. Hill at her office extending an olive branch to her after all these years, in hopes that we could ultimately get passed what happened so long ago,” she said. “That offer still stands. I would be very happy to meet and talk with her if she would be willing to do the same. Certainly no offense was ever intended.”

The olive branch seems to come with a very accusatory tone attached to it.  Ms. Hill feels she told the truth which she was required to so and she owes no one an apology. 

What is Virginia Thomas thinking? Why dredge up the past after nearly 20 years.  To call someones office at that hour of the morning, on a weekend when the likelihood of the person being there is fairly remote,  is nothing short of harassment.  Mrs. Thomas is already under fire for being too much of an activist with her husband sitting on the Supreme Court.   Most spouses of Justices keep a very low profile politically, much like a General’s spouse must do. 

It now seems that Anita Hill is the one who should receive an apology.  I hope she gets it. 

Racist Jokes Electrocute another Elephant

MoonHowler

Well, jumping jackasses.  Another one bites the dust.  It seems that the chairman of the Virginia Beach Republican Committee has been forwarding email that is less than politically correct.  It even happened before Paladino forwarded that famous picture of Trigger. 

Lowell over at Blue Virginia Blog is who busted the entire situation.  I can’t figure out who shot John in the whole thing because I am not a party person and don’t know all the operatives.  Best I can tell, Scott Rigell( R) is the candidate who is running against Glenn Nye (D).  David Bartholomew is the chairman, well, ex-chairman.   He has been replaced by Ken Longo.  I haven’t figured out who all the players are but I can link real well.

The Update from Monday (and a copy of one of the jokes)

The Updated Update  from Tuesday (aka Top Rigell Endorser Recommends Racist “Barack the Angry Negro” video)

MSNBC

It looks like the walls came tumbling down there for a minute.  Now…the eternal question…why are people stupid?

If you are running a campaign, running for office, anything like that..why forward stupid email, tell dirty jokes, show any interest in bestiality, fool around with women, men, or anyone else.  Christine O’Donnell can be forgiven.  She made stupid statements long before she ran for office or was involved in a campaign.  Kristall Ball, the same thing.  But these people should know better.  I don’t care if they are Democrat, Republican or what.  Don’t be stupid. 

All Muslims aren’t Terrorists but All Terrorists are Muslims?

MoonHowler

At least according to Brian Kilmeade, that’s how it is.  According to the Huffington Post:

On both TV and radio Friday, Kilmeade said that, while not all Muslims are terrorists, “all terrorists are Muslims.”

Keith Olbermann responded with the following:

“There is stupid and there is bigoted and there is paranoid and there is Islamophobic, but it takes a big man to combine all four of them,” Olbermann said of Kilmeade.

Olbermann also rattled off a list of non-Muslim terrorists, including several murderers from the radical right and Oklahoma City bomber. Timothy McVeigh

“So, here’s one for Mr. Kilmeade: not every unamerican bastard is Brian Kilmeade, but all Brian Kilmeades are unamerican bastards,” Olbermann said.

I don’t know what either of them are thinking.  Certainly we can all think of terrorists who aren’t Muslims. I immediately thought of the man who charged into the Holocaust Museum and killed a guard and Scott Roeder who assassinated Dr. George Tiller while he was attending Sunday church service.  Keith Olbermann also knows better than to call someone an unAmerican bastard. 

Shame on both of them.  Both men need to be setting a better example.  Has the world gone mad?

To his credit, Brian Kilmeade did apologize. Case closed:

 

 

The Missouri Puppy Mills

MoonHowler

What is a puppy mill?  Different people have different definitions.  The generally agreed upon definition describes a puppy mill as a place were dogs are bred in large numbers with most of the emphasis on profit rather than an effort to improve the breed.  According to wikipedia:

A puppy mill, sometimes known as a puppy farm,[1] is a commercial dog breeding  facility that is operated with an emphasis upon profits above animal welfare and is often in substandard conditions regarding the well-being of dogs in their care.

There is a bill on the Missouri ballot that would redefine how puppies are raised.  Why Missouri?  It is estimated that 1 in every 3 puppies sold in the United States comes from Missouri.  Many people in Missouri want to put a stop to puppy mills.  The following changes will take place if these voters have their way:

  • require large-scale dog breeding operations to provide each dog under their care with sufficient food, clean water, housing and space; necessary veterinary care; regular exercise and adequate rest between breeding cycles;
  • prohibit any breeder from having more than 50 breeding dogs for the purpose of selling their puppies as pets; and
  • create a misdemeanor crime of “puppy mill cruelty” for any violations.

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