Day: April 24, 2012

 

Washington Post:

Though Christian ministers have often offered invocations before governmental meetings, the federal courts have consistently ruled that the prayers must be non-sectarian. In Dumfries, this led town leaders in 2010 to pass a resolution specifically advising anyone offering the invocation that “Prayers may not be addressed to ‘Jesus,’ ‘Christ,’ or any variation on those names. A prayer is ‘addressed’ to Jesus if it contains the phrase, ‘in Jesus’ name we pray’ or anything similar.”

Now some in Dumfries are having second thoughts, according to Uriah Kiser of PotomacLocal.com. Councilman Jerry Foreman has submitted a new resolution deleting the specific mentions of Jesus and Christ cited above. “By amending this language the resolution stays non-denominational. It doesn’t specifically call one religious leader or one religion out,” Foreman said in Kiser’s piece.

Prince William County also adopted a similar policy, InsideNova.com reported last year, instructing speakers that “invocations should not include references to religious figures such as Jesus Christ, to images such as a crucifix, or to teaching from such sources as the Koran or the Book of Mormon.”

If Prince William County has a policy to not include references to specific religious deities, someone forgot to tell the BOCS about it.  I distinctly heard a specific deity this afternoon.  On the other hand, I hear that many of the ministers don’t want to be included in a mini invocation that forbids them to focus their worship on the very deity that they revere. I don’t blame them.  Obviously Christians pray to Jesus, Jews to God, Muslims to Allah, etc. 

So, we have a problem.  What is the best solution?  It seems to me that rather than invite visiting ministers to come pray but not dare mention their deity, why not have a moment of silence.  There is a remarkable idea.  Everyone can pray to whomever they want.  If they don’t pray, then those at public meetings can make up a grocery list in their heads.  No one will be the wiser. 

Moments of silence can be very personal and personally rewarding.  Perhaps the supervisor sitting 2 seats away gets on your last nerve.  Speak to your higher power about giving you patience.  It just might work.  Moments of silence take the focus off the individual.  There is less of a temptation to gawk around the room.  Not everyone prays by bowing their head.  Not everyone closes their eyes.  For those more contentious meetings, have a 2 minutes of silence.   Longer prayer, longer grocery list –no one has to know. 

Everyone will feel comfortable.  Visiting pastors won’t have to compromise themselves, “others” who aren’t part of mainstream religion won’t have to feel that awkward moment that every “other” feels at the start of the BOCS meeting.   I think that the PW County is big enough to handle this one.  It needs to be adopted at all levels of government and, unlike the school board, it needs to practice its own policy.  Adopting a moment of silence just takes the heat off of everyone.   Oh, and Dumfries can follow suit too. 

 

 

The saga of Rainbow Riding continues.  It began with Rainbow Ridings inclusion in a land use deal involving Toll Brothers, Silver Lake, and 400 additional home that Toll Brothers wanted in addition to their original rezoning of Dominion Valley.
The questions begin with why was a small non profit given a seat at the negotiation table back in 2004?  Why was 45 acres of public land “handed over” for free to a small non profit?

Fast forward to today, now Rainbow Riding is asking for an additional 211,000 dollars, almost a quarter of a million in tax payer money.

Has anyone looked online at the financials of Rainbow Riding?  At the end of 2010, which is their last public financial statement one can view, they had 694,749 dollars of cash/cash equivalent on hand.

Why is it while our parks go unfunded, Rainbow Riding is given special access to tax payer coffers?

Silver Lake has YET to see its master plan implemented.  As pitiful the master plan is,  isn’t it only a fair expectation that those capitol improvements be made to parks that service everyone before the Supervisors feels they have the right to redirect precious resources to small non profits?

Our libraries and Community Centers, like Chinn Park, are in dire need of improvements to meet the needs of our growing population.  This is not about the quality of Rainbow Riding, this is about fairness and where tax payer dollars should be directed.

Tom Jackman wrote a great article for the Washington Post today, here are some exerpts.  Please don’t be shocked, Greg and Moonhowlings are in complete agreement on this one!

“They raise my taxes,” said conservative activist Greg Letiecq, “to give it away to a charity that serves people outside of Prince William County,” referring to a recent Board of Supervisors meeting where Fairfax County families stood up to endorse the funding. “It’s outrageous.”

The county board is scheduled to vote today on the $211,000 allotment to the center. It’s a sensitive subject because the recipients would seem to be so worthy, yet seemingly already well-funded.

Part of the resentment comes from Rainbow’s relocation several years ago to Silver Lake, which had a master plan for enhancing recreation. Elena Schlossberg, a land use activist and blogger, said no county money has gone toward that master plan.

“That minimal master plan should be completed,” Schlossberg said, including a picnic pavilion, playground and community garden, “so all citizens have access to Silver Lake, rather than 100 from Prince William County. You have how many thousands of children who could be served by Silver Lake, and by the Chinn Community Center?”

The county supports numerous charitable organizations, including the Red Cross and the Boys and Girls Club. But The Post’s Jeremy Borden reported Monday that 12 organizations, including Northern Virginia Family Service and Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault had been cut to zero.

Schlossberg noted that a charity receiving $33,000 from a local government “is a lot of money. If the county has $200,000 and they want to put that into a grant process so other nonprofits can apply, I think that would be more fair.”

correction:

CountyExecutive’s direction at last week’s markup was to prepare for the Board’s consideration at carryover the following items: 1) Americans at Wartime Museum Capital Donation request; 2) Northern Virginia Conservation Trust funding request; 3) Rainbow Riding capital donation request; and, 4) Route 1 preliminary concept and engineering study.  These funds will not be disbursed as part of today’s budget vote; instead, they will be presented during carryover later this summer for the Board’s consideration.