The Party of Lincoln needs to look in the mirror

MoonHowler

Guest contibutor Camillus has returned. 

The following is the opinion of the poster and does not necessarily represent the views of moonhowlings.net administration.

M-H

The Party of Lincoln needs to look in the mirror

by Camillus

 Several weeks ago, a tape of NPR’s head fundraiser, Ron Schiller, making remarks critical of the GOP and the Tea Party surfaced.   In the tape, Schiller referred to the Republican Party as “anti-intellectual” and described the Tea Party as “racist,” “Islamophobic,” and “xenophobic.”  He went on to opine that “Jews” control America’s major newspapers.

 Schiller’s bizarre and conspiratorial anti-semitic remarks are disturbing and offensive.  His remarks about the GOP and the Tea Party, though, warrant further analysis for a simple reason:  they are perceptions widely shared in our society.

 Conservatives reacted to Schiller’s comments with anger.  In their eyes, it was just one more example of a liberal establishment standing ever-ready to portray Republicans and conservatives as ignorant racists and bigots.  

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What’s Wrong with Arizona?

MoonHowler

From yahoo.com:

PHOENIX (Reuters) – Arizona Governor Jan Brewer on Tuesday signed into law a controversial bill that makes the state the first in the nation to outlaw abortions performed on the basis of the race or gender of the fetus.

The move comes as anti-abortion groups across the nation try to seize on gains made by political conservatives during the November elections, seeking enactment of new state laws to further restrict abortions.

Under the new Arizona statute, doctors and other medical professionals would face felony charges if they could be shown to have performed abortions for the purposes of helping parents select their offspring on the basis of gender or race.

The women having such abortions would not be penalized.

State legislators have said no such law exists anywhere else in the nation.

Backers of the measure said the ban is needed to put an end to sex- and race-related discrimination that exists in Arizona and throughout the nation. They insist the issue is about bias rather than any broader stance on abortion.

“Governor Brewer believes society has a responsibility to protect its most vulnerable — the unborn — and this legislation is consistent with her strong pro-life track record,” a spokesman said.

Do they just invent things in this state?   In addition to being the immigration capital of the nation, were they also the abortion capital of the nation?   Is there real evidence that people were having abortions because of the race of the father?  How about the gender of the fetus?  Evidence please.Read More

Homeless to be removed from camp in PWC

MoonHowler

Insidenova.com:

DALE CITY, Va. —

By the end of this week, more than 80 individuals in Woodbridge will literally have nowhere to call home.

On Thursday morning, Virginia State Police are closing down a long-time homeless campsite located near the Dale Boulevard exit off Interstate 95 for safety and legal reasons. In an email sent Wednesday, Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jennifer McCord stated that residents will have an hour to move their belongings off that property once police arrive.

Technically, these residents have been trespassing on state property, stated McCord. And because of the nature of the camp setup, McCord said it’s potentially dangerous for both campsite residents and the motorists on the interstate.

“This is a difficult situation and while we are sympathetic to anyone who is homeless, VDOT cannot allow these shelters on its right of way,” stated McCord.

Approximately 35 people are living at the site, said Bonnie Schrader, director of the Drop-In Center program at the nearby winter shelter. To make matters worse, another 46 single adults are officially outdoors after Thursday when the nearby winter shelter closes for the season

This is a story that has no answers.  There are also homeless camps on this end of the county.  What do you do when people have no where to live?  I understand that some of the people in the Dale City camp are children.

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News and Messenger, your bias is showing

MoonHowler

Today’s News and Messenger  featured a story on Babur Lateef”s video , Seen Enough?, shown here and on other blogs over the weekend.

The N & M challenged the assertions made by the Lateef campaign, particularly the comparisons with the housing market and unemployment.  Both checked out as reported by the campaign. However, the N & M took issue with the use of these items:

We should include a note of caution here. Experts have often told us that politicians get too much credit and blame for the economy. They’ve said that even presidents and governors have limited effects in controlling economic trends.

So it seems reasonable that a county board chairman would have an extremely limited impact over a region’s economic performance. Prince William’s economy is closely tied to that of the larger Washington metro area, as well as to the state and national economies.
Lateef’s video suggests that Stewart shoulders blame for the collapse of the financial system in 2008, the rise of oil prices that summer to $140 per barrel and the massive recession that took national unemployment to 10 percent.

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