Peter Candland: Proud to be an Ideologue?

Elena

I actually feel sorry for Peter Candland and I will tell you why.  Apparently, his M.O. now is to attack Ann Wheeler for  her statement “I am not an ideologue”.  From the blog he is promoting on his official facebook page:

This is a candidate that does not want to be associated with any political ideology, particularly the Democratic platform.

Let me share why I feel sorry for Mr. Candland.  I have had the privilege of working with people from many different perspectives in Prince William County on various issues, from land use, to power lines, to parks, to Silver Lake, to public school issues, et al.  I have built friendships with people that do not share the exact same political belief system as I do.  You know what, I am proud to call them friends.

Ann Wheeler is telling Gainesville citizens that she is interested in solving problems based on best solutions not based on whether you have an R or a D by your name.  Isn’t that what we all want, people interested in coming together to solve problems!

Does Peter Candland believe that Prince William County residents want our local government to emulate the  dysfunction we see happening the National level?  I for one do not.   Is Peter Candland’s message to the Gainesville District one of divisiveness?

Does Mr. Candland understand that in order for a Democracy to be healthy, we must have differing opinions, and vigorous debate?  Mr. Candland being a Republican is no more unacceptable than Ann Wheeler being a Democrat.

Peter Candland clearly prefers to have a very small and myopic circle of friends and associates, ones that only share his point of view on all issues.

As an elected leader, it is critical that one have the ability and interest to reach out to those  with whom you may have differing opinions in order to find the best solutions.

Damn those Grizzlies

MoonHowler

Yellowstone National Park, August 26, hiker  John Wallace, 59, was found dead along the Mary Mountain Trail. An autopsy confirmed he was killed by  a grizzly  the day before he was found, according to information the park released Friday.  Now Yellowstone authorities report that they have captured a 450 p0und 25 year old male grizzly as the suspect.  DNA testing will be done to determine if this grizzly is the killer.  If confirmed, the grizzly will be killed.

There have been 2 deaths by grizzly so far this year in Yellowstone.  Heretofore, there have been seven deaths attributed to grizzly bear since the inception of Yellowtone in 1872.  About 3 million people visit Yellowstone annually and there is an average of 1 bear injury per year.  However, three of the deaths have been in the past year. 

Why will the bear be killed?  Isn’t that what bears do?  They are wild animals.  Stories of the west all include our heroes getting into life or death conflicts with grizzly bears.  It appears that man is trespassing on grizzly bear turf, not the other way around. 

 

As one of those geeks who has driven up the mountain in Yellowstone to gawk at grizzlies, I can attest to the fact that people are fools.  People set up tripods and move far away from their cars.   I have never seen anyone allow a bear as close as in the video, however.  That is just suicidal.   There is always a raft of tourists out watching the bears eat.  Even though it appears that the bears are  a great distance from you, it is still a good idea to be able to get to safety immediately.  A bear can always approach from a different direction, undetected.  I have also seen fools go out and stick a camera in the face of a buffalo.  People forget that wild animals are…WILD and unpredictable. 

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RTD gives Cantor full Flip-Flop on the Truth-o-meter

MoonHowler

The following story appeared in the Richmond Times Dispatch in which they awarded Rep. Eric Cantor a full flip-flop for change on positions:

When Tropical Storm Gaston slammed into central Virginia in August 2004, U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor went all out to get federal disaster aid for his constituents.

The Aug. 30 deluge dumped a foot of rain on the Richmond area in 10 hours, causing floods, landslides and eight deaths.

Cantor, R-7th, fired a letter to then-Homeland Secretary Tom Ridge, seeking “immediate action” from Washington.  “Time is of the essence and it is important to start working on this matter so my constituents can receive help in this time of need,” Cantor wrote.

He issued a news release stating, “The magnitude of the damage suffered by the Richmond area is beyond what the Commonwealth can handle and that is why I have asked the president to make federal funds available for the citizens affected by Gaston.”

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Lexington ordinance bans Confederate flag on public flagpoles

MoonHowler

The Roanoke Times:

LEXINGTON — The arguments have been made thousands of times before. The Confederate flag is a symbol of history and Southern heritage. No, the flag is a symbol of hatred and racism.

In essence, the same arguments dominated a public hearing held Thursday night by the Lexington City Council to solicit input about an ordinance amendment that will effectively ban the display of the flags of the Confederacy from public light poles in the city.

City residents spoke first, and the majority, including whites and blacks, expressed support for the ordinance and described the Confederate flag as a symbol of slavery and oppression that is offensive to many. Once county residents and people from outside the area spoke, there was more opposition to the ordinance amendment and more insistence that the Confederate flag should be honored as a symbol of Southern heritage and the men who fought for the Southern side.

After a hearing of nearly three hours, in which strong emotions were expressed from both sides and there was some rowdiness at times, the city council voted 4-1 to adopt the ordinance amendment.

The new Lexington ordinance’s section on flags specifies, “Only the following flags may be flown on the flag standards affixed to light poles in the city and no others:” — the American flag, the Virginia flag and the flag of the city of Lexington.

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NatGeo: Inside 9/11

MoonHowler

National Geographic has done a great job with its series, Inside 9/11.  It tells the story of 9/11 for 2 hours a night, and then a repeat for those who might not want their kids exposed.  The series has very little politics in it and looks at what happened from an American point of view. 

It’s been good to get angry all over again.  There is something cleansing about remembering it all and bringing it to the forefront once again.   To me, the part I enjoyed the most, if one can use the word ‘enjoyed’ is the section on George Bush.  He gives a candid interview of what he felt that day.  It was very touching as we watch the president of the United States vacillate between being the president and just being an American.  He sure got more than he bargained for.  Perhaps his  9/11 Address to the Nation will go down in the annals of history as one of the greats.  It is simply too soon to tell. 

Did anyone else see the series and if so, what were your impressions?

National Geographic:  Remembering 9/11

Eric Cantor does fancy back-pedaling

MoonHowler

 

Huffington Post:

RICHMOND, Va. (AP/The Huffington Post) — House Majority Leader Eric Cantor says he never suggested that disaster funds for victims of Hurricane Irene should be held up by budget concerns.

The Virginia Republican told reporters after meeting constituents on Wednesday in Richmond that the House has already found sufficient savings to provide billions in dollars in disaster relief for victims of Irene, the hurricane that pummeled the East Coast this past weekend.

Cantor says it is the Democratic-led Senate that is holding up legislation that would authorize funds for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

He adds: “There are no strings attached. We found the money.”

Cantor forgets that we all heard what we heard on video.  How strange that after he gets guff from all sides about making insensitive remarks in the event of a major US natural disaster, he finds the money?  This is a fast job of back-pedaling and it is very obvious that Cantor was just trying to score some points with his conservative base. 

There are some things that just aren’t subject to  the ‘cut the spending’ mantra of Cantor’s tea party politics.    Meanwhile, where is Katia?  Hopefully Katia is blowing out to see.  Many areas in the Northeast still haven’t seen the last of the ravages of Irene. 

Was Cantor trying to tell us that Harry Reid made him make those stupid remarks?  Yea, that’s the ticket.  Harry Reid made him do it.

 

 

The Bachmann Comedy Hour

MoonHowler

Michele Bachmann truly is the gift that keeps on giving. Rarely has a presidential candidate provided us with so much entertainment.

There is no end to putting her foot in her mouth and there is no apology for gaffes or insensitive remarks. 

We will continue to post Bachmannisms from time to time.  Her proclivity towards foot in mouth disease is filling in the gap caused by Jon Stewart’s two week vacation.