Dreaming of a Leesburg Christmas: Have a holly jolly atheist Christmas?

MoonHowler

The Leesburg Courthouse is always a place to look for some good old Christmas spirit and good old controversy.   Every year it seems warring factions go up against each other over the right to display Christmas decorations on the Courthouse lawn.  This year some decisions were made early–back in September even. 

A little refresher course is provided:

 

According to TDB (September):

The policy that the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted to maintain provides equal access for unattended, semi-permanent displays on the grounds of the historic courthouse in Leesburg.

Displays are open to all who apply, but the number of displays is limited to the ten locations on the grounds that have been designated as display sites. The Board also voted to limit the period of time for filing a display application to no earlier than one year before the date the display would begin.

The Office of the County Administrator has received six applications to date for displays, five of which are for the 2010 holiday season. Information about how to apply for a display on the courthouse grounds is online at www.loudoun.gov/courthousegrounds.

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A Yuletide Gift of Kindness–Ted Gup Learns an Incredible Family Secret

MoonHowler
Sam Stone aka "B. Virdot"

This month’s Smithsonian Magazine features the story of B. Virdot’s mysterious letter in the Canton, Ohio newspaper during the Great Depression. 

The year was 1933 and christmas was just a week away. Deep in the trough of the Great Depression, the people of Canton, Ohio, were down on their luck and hungry. Nearly half the town was out of work. Along the railroad tracks, children in patched coats scavenged for coal spilled from passing trains. The prison and orphanage swelled with the casualties of hard times.

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Tax cuts for the middle class are chicken crap?

MoonHowler

Apparently tax cuts for the middle class are chicken crap, according to the heir apparent speaker John Boehner.  Okkkayyyy.

One of my most serious pet peeves with the Democrats is their ability to drop the ball and allow the Republicans to define their rhetoric.  Today the House votes to extend middle class tax cuts created during the Bush administration, in accordance with what President Obama campaigned for.  The tax cuts would expire for anyone making more than $250,000. 

As I sat up in the night listening to all the days events, suddenly this tax cut vote had turned into democrats voting for a tax increase because the Republicans would never pass it.  STOP!  That isn’t what happened.  The Democrats voted to extend the tax cuts for those making less than $250,000.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.  Any spin is just that, spin.

If Republicans fail to get on board with extending tax cuts for 98% of the American people, then it is they who are going to have the problem.  At least half of Congress are millionaires.  It should be perfectly obvious that the Republicans are playing to their country club buddies who hand over the big checks.  If the Republicans had the stones, they would jump on board with this or …they could have compromised and probably gotten the ceiling changed to $500,000 or even a million dollars.  Or, they could go in after the first of the year and propose new legislation to include their sort of rich buddies. 

Hopefully the middle class will not forget that they are going to be sold out for 30 pieces of silver.  Where are the jobs that are supposed to be created?  We have had the Bush tax cuts for a long time.  Where are the jobs?  The jobs excuse is what is chicken crap, Mr. Speaker.  I see Congress circling the wagons for their rich cronies and spewing rhetoric.

If your taxes go up after January 1 and you are in the middle class, send a big thank you note with a chicken on it to the Republican Congress  because that is who you can thank.  And its time for the Democrats to stop letting the Republicans define who and what they are about.  Democrats, stones time!!

Randall Terry Meets With Upcoming Speaker of the House

MoonHowler
With Boehner’s chief of staff, after the election.

If Nancy Pelosi met with a known terrorist with a criminal record, there would be a hue and cry.  Apparently soon-to -be Speaker John Boehner isn’t being held to the same standard.  According to Right Wing Watch:

 

And Terry apparently  issued some big demands for Boehner and the Republicans now that they have taken control of the House – the complete end of abortion in America:

We must demand that Republicans who won the House of Representatives hasten the end of legalized child killing in America. Their victory could be a strong step forward for the babies, but it also might be yet another set back after 50,000,000 dead babies.

We must not delude ourselves! The landslide the Republicans enjoyed in the House of Reps was a repudiation of President Obama’s overall agenda; it was about the economy, about jobs, corporate bailouts, the debt, and about his health care bill.

Yet we already see pro-life fundraising letters and petitions heralding this GOP victory as an automatic victory for the babies’ lives. This is simply not true!

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The Manassas Christmas Parade Dec. 4, 2010

MoonHowler

                                                                                                                                                                      

 

Saturday, December 4 is the 65th annual Manassas Christmas Parade.  It begins at 10 am rain or shine, cold, or not so cold.  The parade lines up in front of Manassas Shopping Center on Mathis Avenue and heads up Center Street, going towards Grant Avenue. 

This is a particularly special parade because of our very own star!  Cindy Brookshire will reign as Woman of the Year. 

Cindy Brookshire and Parade Chair John Martin

Here is Cindy’s bio published on the Christmas Parade website:

Cindy Brookshire has lived in Manassas 29 years and is an active member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Old Town Manassas. She worked for the Prince William Journal newspaper, Publishing Partners, Inc., and is currently a contractor producing monthly newsletters for the City of Manassas. She is an active member of the local Chamber of Commerce and proud member of Leadership Prince William, Class of 2010.

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