And the next mystery park is????  Hint:  the weird shapes are called hoodoos.

Lots of night photography is done in this park.   The rock formations give everything an eerie look.  Some folks will be watching the transit of Venus from here. 

In Manassas, this weekend is supposed to be great weather. Not too hot and not too cold. Just right.

The discretionary fund vote is coming up this Tuesday.  All eyes will be on the BOCS.

131 Thoughts to “Open Thread…………………………………………………..Friday, June 1”

  1. Marinm

    @SlowpokeRodriguez

    I would hope so with 129% voting in Madison I would imagine more than a few are HuffPo reporters/voters.

    The infidels have been resoundly crushed and we will hear the lamentation of their women. They have been driven before us and we should continue to press the attack and ride them down.

    Uh O. If a D can lose purple WI by such a large percentage O will be very quiet on this election…

  2. There is a lifetime event going on and you all were watching petty politics, of which you had no input AND could find out about tomorrow, INSTEAD of watching Venus and NASA geeks?
    These guys were great! I thought that a couple of them were going to start dancing and one did break out in song.

    1. Some of us are talented enough to do both. I watched the transit of Venus starting at 545 which is when it was suppose to start.

      Actually we did have imput into this petty politics. Not sure it makes it a bit better. Also, don’t forget, we can email them while they are talking and they read the blog…you know, like they can tell instantly if we are doing hate or love at them. 👿

  3. @Moon-howler
    Nah…I wasn’t talking about YOU…… I know that you’re watching the Transit.

    I’m talking about these other guys. And the petty politics that I was talking about was over in Wisconsin.

    Politics here in Virginia aren’t petty. THOSE are important. They might affect me….. 😉

    1. @Cargo! Gottcha. Yea, you might end up with Corey. Be afraid…very afraid. Just kidding Just kidding.

      I didn’t watch Wisconsin either. It was predicted. It takes about 30 seconds to get the results.

      Transit of Venus was a little like watching paint dry….but I can say I saw it….sort of. We had cloud cover, did you?

  4. Talking about petty politics…

    via Instapundit and Althouse, here’s two maps about Wisconsin politics.

    http://ericcompas.wordpress.com/2011/04/06/kloppenbergprosser-election-results/
    Results of their Supreme Court recall fight.

    http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/2012/wisconsin-recall-results?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008
    Tonight’s fight.

    Looks like Wisconsin was pretty unified tonight.

  5. marinm

    @Cargosquid

    I can always youtube the Venus thing. Plenty of videos available and news covered it ad nauseum. Watching Maddow or the status updates on Facebook go from joy to crushed LIVE was priceless.

    “If other governors take his cue and take up the cause, that giant sucking sound you hear will be the air coming out of union bosses’ bloated political action budgets.”

    That puts joy in my heart. Pure joy.

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/billfrezza/2012/06/05/governor-walkers-victory-spells-doom-for-public-sector-unions/

    1. @marin, you might be drawing the wrong conclusions. Supply and demand will ultimately determine the power of unions. As the baby boomers retire, there will be huge shortages in teachers and nurses. Who will fill these spots?

      What you are seeing now is simply change….you might win for a while but will you win permanently? No. As long as people get sick and as long as people have children, these will be 2 public sector jobs that ultimately will call the shots. I wouldn’t want to do either job now. It will be touch for a while until all the current old crew retires. Then reality will set in. Need a science or math teacher? Prepare to pay. (and pay and pay and pay) Need nurses? What those immigration laws change!

      Its all supply and demand.

  6. Second Alamo

    Ah we won’t need nurses, because we’ll all be working into our 80’s according to the Social Security rumors while those on the government dole will still be enjoying their nonproductive (excluding making babies) lifestyle.

    1. If you were a little kinder about illegal immigrants, you might talk them into working so they could get their social security money back.

  7. @marinm
    Aaaa…that would be recorded. LIVE is where it’s at. And the different talks given by different scientists were interesting.

    @Moon-howler
    LOL…OOORRRR….we can change our legal immigration laws. I support inviting up Mexican FAMILIES to naturalize. That way, the men don’t need to send money back. But they need to follow the procedures. If currently illegal, they go home and start at the end of the line.

  8. Cargo, make them quit analyzng Wisconsin. Its over. Surely they didn’t really think they were going to win. I can’t stand hearing about it any longer. It has been talked to death. There is nothing more to say.

    Thank goodness. Morgan Freeman is on. Change of scenery. The Magic of Belle Island.

  9. @Moon-howler
    You are right. So, what we do is…..privatize the schools. Then teachers are in private unions.
    You can still publicly finance them….. cut the check directly to the parents of the the registered child. Let that money pay for all schooling. If a city says it pays 9K per kid….let them cut a check for 9K to the parents and the parents find a school and pay. The school is still supervised by a public superintendent and accredited. The money also goes to home schooling.

  10. Cato the Elder

    My only comment on the Wisconsin recall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe_HtA5zw9U

  11. @Cargosquid

    There is no line. That’s the problem. Our immigration laws are very screwed up.

  12. @Cargosquid

    So what if your kid doesn’t need $9k? However your neighbors have a handicapped child who needs$30 k for school. Oooops, we have a problem, Houston. i would never ever agree to privatize schools. We have to have public schools if we are to have an educated society.

  13. Since my plan is bare bones…it can be amended to cover additional expenses. Just as a school would need additional funds for special needs, special programs could provide the funds to the parent….and the parent can decide where to take the child.

    Public schools or public funding of schools? Why do the schools need to be run by the gov’t if they are publicly funded and the funds routed through the parents? Same funding, more parental control.

    1. Standardization mostly and to make sure all kids get educated. In most westernized countries, the government runs the schools. Why do you want to be different?

  14. marinm

    @Cato the Elder

    🙂

    Pretty large slap in the face to MSNBC and the progressive movement if you ask me. Of course that doesn’t compare to the physical slap in the face the Democrat challanger took – which I think was uncalled for. Lots of hate being generated from that group.

    MH,

    Right to work states aren’t having too much trouble filling those spots. My wife’s cousin has her bachelors, teaching certificate and masters in special ed. She’s working on her 2nd masters. She makes 30K at a charter school and LOVES it. Sure she could make more money as a unionized teacher in Ohio but she refuses to work with/for a union.

    People will work – union or not – because it’s a calling or because it pays the bills or for whatever reason. I don’t pay much attention to this notion that if the unions go away no one will want to do those jobs. Just doesn’t pass the sniff test.

  15. @Moon-howler
    Because our schools have to many “top-down” problems and this country is based upon local control and power to the citizen. For one thing, we need to get the feds completely out of K-12 and leave it properly to the states.

    We keep adding more and more to the teacher load, more and more “standardization” that takes away from local control and teacher control. NCLB, SOL’s, etc are all horrible. Teachers and schools spend way too much time having to keep track of various metrics for the administrators. Just because other westernized countries do it, doesn’t mean that its the best idea. They had quite a few other ideas that looked good at the time…..

  16. @marinm

    Why is she satisfied making $30k when everyone else is making $40k?

    I sure wouldn’t be. There is this misconception that teachers are these souless alturistic drones who don’t care about money. That is not truel

    Right now the teacher shortages aren’t critical. They will be. 10 years from now, the conversation will be very different.

    Now, having said that….I am not a pro union person so I am not going to argue in favor of them. I have one of those distant sympathies for them. If the unions go away, then they will have to deal with educational associations with no collective bargaining.

    What might happen is, depending on how deep the shortages go…unions will come back and teachers will cost a fortune. suppy and demand, especially in critical shortage areas. You are looking at it from a people need work point of view.

    I am looking at it from the following: People will have kids who need educating. Teachers will be paid well because there will be shortages. If they want to form unions…I expect they will get their wish.

  17. @Cargosquid

    Not sure about top down. Do you mean principals suck?

    Feds need to be not as involved. Agreed.

    Paragraph 2, I pretty much would not disagree other than I think schools should be local control within the state. Too many get left out if you don’t have public schools.

  18. marinm

    @Moon-howler

    The Charter school offers her the flexibility to teach in a way she wants to teach. She doesn’t view her principal as an advisary but as a team member. She really likes it. Can’t stop talking about it. The irony is that he funds her education via a court order from her father who was a union boss who is required to keep paying for school as long as she’s enrolled in something….. Oh, and she buys non-union cars as a secondary kick in the pants. 🙂

    1. Then she is very young. You left that part out. Some day she will need money.

  19. @Moon-howler
    When I mean top down, I mean from too much political input. Too many administrators that need to justify their salaries, too many politicians that refuse to tell the parent of little angel Johnny that little Johnny isn’t reading because the parents refuse to buy him a freaking comic book and think playing video games will get him a job.

    Too many get left out? The only difference between gov’t controlled schools and my idea is the route of funding and local control. The parents can send the kids anywhere. They get the money and spend it where they want. Top performing schools will expand. Families previously stuck in poor performing schools can go elsewhere.

    1. It makes for a good sound bite and fools people but won’t work. Why do you think there would be room at the really good school?

  20. Pat Herve

    Without the Union struggles, there would be no 5 day work week, Employer benefits – pensions, 401k and medical, 40 work week, minimum wage, the rise of the middle class affluence, and payment of overtime. The Union struggles is what has allowed many people, members and non members, to get out of poverty.

    Are there issues with Unions – sure, but there are also many issues with many employers too.

    1. Very good point, Pat. Thanks for reminding us. I tend to be a right to work person and don’t believe in the absolute rights of unions but every word you have said is true. Unions came in to being for a reason.

      Unions also insisted on many safety measures that just wouldn’t exist today. Triangle Factory fire comes to mind, as does that non-union chicken processing plant that burned more recently.

  21. @Moon-howler
    Why not? More kids enrolling means more money for THAT school. The schools would have more leeway to hire and fire and to discipline.

    1. Keep public schools public and private schools private. I have no problem with private schools, just not on my tax dollar.

  22. Why not? Don’t you support the GI Bills? That’s gov’t money going to private schools? There is no difference.

    If all schools are supported by public money, then they are public, though they are privately owned.

    Why should schools be owned by the gov’t if they are supervised by the gov’t?

  23. The GI bill is for grown ups. It supplements education. You cannot hold private schools accountable for educating all kids or force them to take kids.

    Why do you want to upset the apple cart. I have seen no evidence that private would make public better. Actually, your plan would screw up private schools.

    You are just trying to think of a way to remove that barrier of protection that teachers have which means putting up with every pain in the ass parent who comes down the pike.

    Public school is public school. If you don’t like it or want to put yor kid in an environment where you can torture and bully the teacher, pay out of your own pocket.

    Meanwhile, we all pay to provide school for all children. It is one of our most egalitarian habits as Americans.

  24. Torture and bully the teacher? What are you talking about?

    In my plan, I want to give more authority to discipline and control of the curriculum to the schools and the teachers while giving parents more choice.

    Right now is when teachers have to put up with every “pain in the ass parent” because the teachers are getting all the blame for why “Johnny can’t read.” INSTEAD of the parents.

    What protections would they lose? They can unionize. They can work at schools that protect teachers…etc? And the schools would be publicly funded.

  25. Cargo–

    What happened to your idea of going to school to be a history teacher? Are you still on that path? I just spoke with an old friend who retired from teaching. I asked her if she was enjoying her retirement. She said she spent a great deal of time writing letters about what is happening in education to elected officials. I have cut and pasted what she wrote to me on Facebook:

    I think it is critical to mention that she retired from a local school system:

    I feel sorry for any teachers who are still working. They don’t have a chance. I’ve been doing a lot of emailing to our government officials about the state of education and how teachers are being treated like the enemy. Plus the colleges/universities should be telling education majors that when they graduate they’re going to be poor and hated.

    That is very sad.

  26. @Cargo pt 2

    Poor and hated….Holy cow. Some of that is coming from kids also. The freaking “standards” and the pressure that comes with teaching and learning the standards is still the engine driving the train.

    However, the poor part will change in a decade or 2 because of the supply demand thing. So teachers can still be hated but not be poor.

    Politicians absolutely HAVE to get out of education. That is the problem. Politicians are basically dumb asses when it comes to education and they are making the decisions. No worse legislation has ever been handed down than NCLB. And it sounded so benign.

  27. SlowpokeRodriguez

    The state of Florida is owed a huge round of applause this morning for telling the DoJ to go take a long walk off a short cliff. Those of us who understand that states make up the election rules and that there is such a thing as the Constitution salute you, Florida!!

  28. Cargo pt 3 I will never agree with you about privatizing and vouchers. I was a victim of that system and it probably won’t be legal in Virginia anyway because of Massive Resistance. Howevaaaaaa…I will agree with you about returning education to the states. If Mississippi wants to be the cesspool of eduation, so be it. Someone has to be–might as well be them. If it bothers them, they will improve. Let’s face it, what no one will publically admit, there is only so much change that can be made. You can’t turn limited ability into Harvard.

  29. @pokie

    Fill us in. You have made a statement but without the facts….it is falling on deaf ears. Are you talking about the voter registration purges?

  30. Yes, I plan on becoming a teacher. As for “poor and hated,” I’d need to know, “compared to what?” My mother worked in the New Orleans school system. THAT was poor and hated. At the time, tied with Mississippi as worst paid in country. Corrupt. Racism against her. She got grief throughout her career, at various times from the parents, admin, superintendents, etc. That’s why I don’t usually blame teachers for shortcomings in learning and classes. I blame parents, admin, and politicians. The teachers can only work with what they have and are limited to. Don’t get me wrong…there are some horrible teachers out there. But there are horrible….fill in the blank….. everywhere.

    Today, starting pay for teachers in Henrico…. 40,000 bucks. The last time I made close to that was while stationed in Kuwait, with 18 years seniority…made 42K. Working for Brinks, almost 60/wk….carrying a gun, in a dangerous environment, wearing a bullet proof vest….most with overtime…31 K.

    The Henrico County Public Schools salary range for teachers on a regular 10-month,
    209-day teaching contract is as follows:
    Bachelor’s Degree From $39,739 to $71,409
    Master’s Degree From $41,647 to $74,837

    I’m heading into teaching with my eyes open. If it doesn’t work out…. I’ll find another job.

    AMEN on the politicians. I was against NCLB and my mother was prescient when Dept of Ed was formed….said it was just going to make things worse.

    1. Our mothers would be contemporaries. Both ushered in desegregation and it was not easy. Yes, there was some definite racism directed at those white teachers, especially those who went in to previously black schools. My mother was a librarian. However, I know some very kind women reached out to my mother and helped with the adjustment and made sure that they had her back.

      However, a great deal has changed since then. Some for the better, some for the worse. It isn’t the same world.

      Pay, Henrico seems low. Have you seen NOVA salary schedule?

      BA $43,612(step 1) -$91,178 (step 26) is he teacher salary. PWC is low compared to other jurisdictions in the area.

      BUT….look what it costs to live here. A rental home starts at $1500 if you are lucky. Utilities can bring that up 3-4 hundred more.

      Car insurance is more. It would be very difficult to live on $43k unless you were very frugal, especially paying a big chunk of VRS now. Also, not to be an elistist but the minimum of 4 years of college to be a teacher costs some big bucks. Many teachers have some hefty student loans. I would sure advise against anyone walking away with an education major. Get it in something else and pick up the boring ed classes if possible. I dont know if that is even possible now.

      There is this scary attitude that teachers are supposed to work because they love it and they could care less about money. That is such BS and so offensive. Is that how bankers should feel or dentists? Hopefully people like what they do but geeez…they aren’t working for free. Do defense lawyers love crooks? Noooooo.

  31. SlowpokeRodriguez

    Moon-howler :
    @pokie
    Fill us in. You have made a statement but without the facts….it is falling on deaf ears. Are you talking about the voter registration purges?

    Yes, the purges. Facts remain facts regardless of whether or not I present them.

  32. @SlowpokeRodriguez

    If you are going to communicate, it helps to know what you are talking about.

    So is there something new? Last I heard, the election officials are refusing to obey the governor because of the law…saying they cant purge within 90 days of an election or something. I only half listened.

  33. marinm

    SlowpokeRodriguez :
    The state of Florida is owed a huge round of applause this morning for telling the DoJ to go take a long walk off a short cliff. Those of us who understand that states make up the election rules and that there is such a thing as the Constitution salute you, Florida!!

    God Bless them for telling the Federales to pound sand. That’s going to be interesting especially with the claim that the purge is mainly against hispanics.

  34. marinm

    Ugh. This is…just……crude.

    http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/06/obamas-risqu-joke-125518.html

    “Michelle outdoes me in pushups as well,” he said, after saying that she’s taken some criticism on her technique “because she doesn’t go all the way down” – a line that he let hang, naughtily, provoking laughter from the crowd.

  35. @Cargosquid
    Masters about 49k – 96k

    But there is also steps in there like MA 1 MA 30 PHD. If you want to look I will send you the website. You get the idea though.

    Compared to what….Let me think…I would say it is worse now because the kids also hate the teachers. The politicians hate the teachers and use them as political pawns. Kids hate teachers because the material sucks. Teachers are under pressure to make kids learn. Pack in olden days you just failed someone’s ass and that was the name of that game. Now failing someone is unacceptable. You have to make them learn. You see where this is going….That produces hate, mainly because of irrelevancy.

    But most of the hate is political hate. Some A-hole comes along and says he pays your salary…blah blah blah…that kind of stuff. Well, no he doesn’t. If that were said to me I would say no you don’t, you don’t make enough money. I would get fired. Again…you know wher this is going….

  36. @marinm

    I thought it was ….I would have killed him if I were Michelle. But not crude. After some of the things YOU have said? Give me a break.

  37. marinm

    @Moon-howler

    I’m also not President of the United States.. But, if the image he wants to portray of his wife globally is that she won’t take one for the team and pull a Lewinsky. That’s his choice.

    I keep the bedroom stuff private. But, your right. I am very vocal about trying to keep my wife from voting if she won’t do so correctly. And on having her call me, “My Lord.”.

    🙂

    1. I rest my case. He was bring funny. He said nothing wrong. He inserted a pregnant pause and let people’s minds go south….

      that is so freaking minor.

    2. I forgot to say, Thank God!

  38. @marinm
    Marin….

    You heard wrong.

    She’s saying, “Oh…my…Lord….” when she’s dealing with you. You have to listen closely. All wives say this.

    Well, except mine. I don’t do anything to deserve such words….. “Yes, dear.” Too most important words in a marriage.

  39. MARINM 2016!

    Libertarian ticket

    Motto: You’re not the boss of me!

  40. marinm

    @Cargosquid

    “She’s saying, “Oh…my…Lord….” when she’s dealing with you. You have to listen closely. All wives say this.”

    I don’t understand how “listen closely” and “to my wife” go together? Can you elobrate on this foreign concept?

  41. SlowpokeRodriguez

    @marinm
    Sounds like Bill Maher is really starting to rub off onto Obama!

  42. @marinm
    LOL….you are soooooo doomed.

    Pretend to listen closely.
    Say “Yes, Dear.”
    Buy jewelry for her occasionally.
    Do yard work to demonstrate how hard you work.
    Wash a few dishes.
    Agree that all the good ideas are her ideas.
    Do what you want to.

  43. WE are so doomed.

    I think I hear incoming from Moon and Elena now….

    1. Elena isn’t around but Moon is definitely gearing up….duck and run there Cargo.

  44. By the way, I put a link in at the D-day post that I found today.

    I highly recommend it.

    I watched it. And found myself crying without even realizing that I had started.

    1. Thank you. Since I go totally depressive on that day I am sure it will fit right in to my mood. I already couldn’t deal with it until evening.

      Will let you know how it hits.

  45. Message for MoM–I saw where you went a’slummin…..

    A guy has to do that every so often. Thank you. I know you had some evilness to get out of your system…..

  46. marinm

    @SlowpokeRodriguez

    Well I’m glad someone is rubbing Obama because if you believe him FLOTUS isn’t getting the job done.

    Too soon?

  47. Mom

    Hey Moon, whilst “slumming” I did notice that the denizens there have started to attack Corey. It will be interesting to see if this continues.

  48. Morris Davis

    The U.S. military is averaging nearly a suicide a day in 2012. Those that did more than heed the advice to go shopping after 9/11 are paying the price for more than a decade of fighting on behalf of a largely ungrateful nation.

    http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57449214/u.s-military-averaging-a-suicide-a-day-in-2012/

    1. @Moe

      That sounds like an epidemic to me. Did you win?

  49. @MoM

    Perhaps the denizens have noticed he has been using their heads as stepping stones the past 5 years?

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