Romney Insults all Arabs?

Elena

So, I think we may be establishing a pattern here.  Diplomacy may not be Romneys forte.  Not a big deal for a CEO of an equity firm, but as President, this could be problematic.

It’s one thing to accidentally insult the Brits over their ability to manage the Olympics.  Its another to suggest that Arabs are simply not cultured enough to sustain a successful and productive country.

Let me remind everyone, I am Jewish (not like you can forget, I remind you people constantly I’m sure), but to suggest that culturally we are better than Arabs teeters is just plain stupidity.

Here are Romney’s words in context, because as we know, that is critical when analyzing statements.

“As you come here and you see the GDP per capita, for instance, in Israel which is about $21,000, and compare that with the GDP per capita just across the areas managed by the Palestinian Authority, which is more like $10,000 per capita, you notice such a dramatically stark difference in economic vitality,”
Romney then said some economic histories have theorized that “culture makes all the difference.”
“And as I come here and I look out over this city and consider the accomplishments of the people of this nation, I recognize the power of at least culture and a few other things,”
Romney then went on to dig his hole even deeper by saying that similar disparity exists between neighboring countries like Mexico and the United States.

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Skeptic Richard Muller does about face about climate change

MoonHowler

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Perhaps it is the extreme weather conditions and the heat that make me take a closer look at a phenomena that I had previously not paid much attention to.  I am not one to jump on every environmental issue that comes along.  Apparently skeptic Richard Muller  doesn’t either.  Skeptic Richard Muller has not only done a 180 degree turn and said that climate change is very real. He also says that it is nearly all man-made. In a study funded by the Koch Foundation, Muller tells us that it isn’t too late to do something about it.

Muller tells us  volcanic eruptions do cause climate change but that their influence is short lived, usually 3 years or less.  He concludes similar opinions about the el Nino phenomena.

The cure, he says, will be switching away from the use of coal to natural gas.  He says we will need clean fraking techniques because natural gas causes 1/3rd the global warming.  Coal must be replaced because of CO2 levels.

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No, Actually, YOU Didn’t “Build That” All On Your Own!

Elena

Let’s have a little reality check shall we.  First of all, the editing in this clip is soooooooo false, its embarrassing.  Isn’t there enough real stuff the Republicans could throw at Obama without making up BS?

Before we continue, let’s start first with the actual transcript.  I know, I know it so much more fun to just make it up, but for this exercise in truth, I invite you to just play along for my amusement.

“If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help.  There was a great teacher somewhere in your life.  Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive.  Somebody invested in roads and bridges.  If you’ve got a business–you didn’t build that.  Somebody else made that happen.  The Internet didn’t get invented on its own.  Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.”

Really, does anyone with at least an 8th grade education not under what “THAT” was referring back to?  Was it the best grammar use, probably not, maybe President Obama just figured that WE were smart enough to understand that THAT meant roads, bridges, etc etc.

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Open Thread………………………………………………………Monday, July 30

MoonHowler

Olympic chatter will probably dominate conversations for the next two weeks.  By now, most people have formed an opinion on the opening ceremonies.  Its seems that people either loved it or hated it.  There seemed to be very few in the middle.

It looks like Vollmer and Lochte are dominating Team USA.

Poor Phelps isn’t on top of his game, for sure.

 

Where is Bull Run, Virginia?

MoonHowler

Recently the newspapers have been listing a place called Bull Run, Virginia.  Truthfully, I had no idea where it was.  I figured out that probably Big Dog had finally won his fight with the press about blaming Manassas for everything bad that has happened.  I was close.  Bull Run is a CDP–Census Designated Place.  (See Above).  Wikipedia has the following to say about it:

 

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 11,337 people, 4,728 households, and 2,709 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,237.8 people per square mile (1,633.3/km²). There were 4,948 housing units at an average density of 1,849.6/sq mi (712.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 63.45% White, 18.97% African American, 0.27% Native American, 5.46% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 8.04% from other races, and 3.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.03% of the population.

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New National Parks proposed

MoonHowler

Three new national parks are being proposed and might just inch their way through Congress in the near future.  The three projected parks would be sites of former nuclear testing:  Hanford, Washington, Oak Ridge Tennessee, and Los Alamos, New Mexico, according to the Washington Post.

The Hanford site produced plutonium. The Oak Ridge site enriched uranium. And workers in Los Alamos used those materials to assemble the Little Boy and Fat Man bombs dropped on Japan, forcing the Japanese surrender and ending the war. About 200,000 civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki perished.

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation called the creation and use of the atomic bomb “the single most significant event of the 20th century’’ in advocating the preservation of buildings once scheduled for demolition.

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Obama vs Romney: Will it boil down to likeability?

MoonHowler

According to the Washington Post:

If you believe the polls, it would appear there is one big factor standing in the way of Mitt Romney being elected president: Americans don’t like him as well as they do Barack Obama.

That was confirmed again in a new USA Today-Gallup survey in which respondents gave Romney higher marks on the economic issues, which voters say they care most about this year. But President Obama crushed Romney — 60 percent to 30 percent — on the question of which of the two was more likable.

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Let the Games Begin

MoonHowler

The Olympic Pagent was grand, glorious, and very Brit!  It appeared that no expense was spared.  I only cried twice.  Once over the queen and her corgis and then again when Paul McCarthy’s voice wavered as he began Hey Jude.  You could tell he was overpowered by emotion has his voice got more and more cockney accented.

What did you like?  Everyone has to have a favorite part?  I wonder if  person can buy the opening show?  I felt somewhat overpowered by all the people and the production.  I have never done well with pagentry.

Anywho….your impressions please?  Also, what is your favorite event?

Contraception mandate to kick in on Wednesday

MoonHowler

From Politico.com:

This spring, Republicans were on a mission: repeal the Obama administration’s rule to require employers to cover birth control.

House Speaker John Boehner even stood on the floor of the House in February and promised that Congress would act. “This attack by the federal government on religious freedom in our country must not stand and will not stand,” Boehner said.

But now, with the rule set to take effect Wednesday — part of the “Obamacare” law the GOP hates so much — the fiery repeal rhetoric has fizzled. In fact, few on Capitol Hill are saying anything about it at all.

And that House vote to block the rule? Never happened — and isn’t in the works either. A group of die-hards on the issue asked for it again in a closed-door meeting Wednesday with House leadership but said no promises were made.’

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That Anglo Saxon Flap

MoonHowler

Mitt Romney seems to be putting his foot in his mouth at every turn this week, giving Joe Biden a good run for his money.  First Romney insulted the Brits with a remark about a less than stellar start up to the Olympics.  He was able to walk that one back in time, it appears.  The Mayor of London did make fun of him, but Oh Well….. Then he waded in up to his ears by saying something about shared “Anglo-Saxon heritage”.  The Democrats went ballistic.  Anglo-Saxon heritage?  What gives?

Well, not to chose sides but what do we call it then?  This country was founded by people from England.  the Pilgrims, the Puritans, the Jamestown folks led by Captain John Smith were all Anglo Saxons from England.  I heard it my entire life and no one bothered to tell me that it was now politically incorrect to speak of Anglo Saxons.  What should be be calling them?

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Does Pete Candland’s Conflict of Interest Resolution Go Far Enough?

Elena

As I read the resolution in the newspaper, my first reaction was “is this it?”

It isn’t just non profits that benefit from “close” relationships to Board members.  What about all the developers that give large sums of money to campaigns and then subsequently have an application before the BOCS.

I believe this is a good beginning but certainly the endeavor to stop conflicts of interest should not stop with money being directed to non profits.

Candland’s resolution would be presented on the annual carryover day where the board reallocates funding leftover from the previous fiscal year. Included in the 2012 carryover budget is a funding request from Rainbow Equestrian Center, where Brentsville Supervisor W.S. “Wally” Covington III’s wife serves on the board of directors.

The supervisors passed a conflict of interest policy this spring, which included Candland’s proposal to eliminate discretionary spending by supervisors on charities or nonprofits. The impetus for the resolution came from Covington’s initial desire to spend $100,000 of his discretionary funds on his wife’s charity project last fall. Ultimately, he pulled the donation.

The most corrosive force in PWC are the Developers who pay to play.  Here is one quick example I came up with quite easily.

For the second time in less than two weeks, incumbent county chairman Corey Stewart is getting criticized for the political donations he has accepted. This time, Haymarket Town Councilman Bob Weir called out Stewart this week for accepting $10,000 from Bruni Peters of Fairfax-based RK Realty less than two weeks before the county board approved an amendment to its comprehensive plan that paved the way for a housing and office project on 44 acres off U.S. 15 in Haymarket.

Ten grand is no chump change, especially in local politics.  Supervisor Candland needs to broaden, in my opinion, the scope of this resolution.

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PWC teachers in big trouble over SOL testing

MoonHowler

From the Washingtonpost.com:

Several Prince William County teachers, some of whom were placed on administrative leave, will have to undergo retraining after giving students inappropriate help on state-mandated exams, and students were required to retake tests, according to a school official.

County schools spokesman Phil Kavits said the teachers, who were supposed to interact minimally with students during testing in the spring, were overzealous in offering assistance

Twenty-eight students had to retake tests, Kavits said. He could not say exactly how many teachers were involved.

The testing problems were first reported Tuesday in the Washington Examiner.

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Corey apologizes to Mr. Bergman

MoonHowler

Corey should have and did apologize to Mr. Bergman for last week’s snit fit.  I still don’t know what Mr. Bergman did wrong.

Corey also directed his anger at anonymous cowardly bloggers.  Oooops!  I expect he means some of that diatribe at  me.  Let’s discuss that before moving on. First off, I have never attacked anyone’s family.  I have not and I will not.  Anyone who knows me or knows this blog knows that does not happen.  I will challenge a supervisor over his/her  behavior as a supervisor or policy but I leave family out of it.  Hell, we don’t even allow county employees to be attacked.  They can’t fight back.

Corey, email me and I will gladly tell you my name.  It isn’t a secret. I just chose not to put it on the Internet.  I have children who are adults and who work in town.  I don’t want my big mouth to have anything to do with their success or failure.  If you don’t know who I am, you might be about the only person in town.  Use [email protected]

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Jon Stewart “eat mor cok”……….

Elena

This is hilarious. Seriously, just put aside your preconceived ideas, and enjoy! Now, will my family be boycotting chick-fil-a? Probably not. I am not not one of those people that boycotts on a whim.

I thought boycotting “french” fries was just plain innane, down right ridiculous. I boycott make-up companies that still test on animals, but that is not an ideological reason, its more of an ethical reason in my mind.

My favorite line in this skit is when Jon points out that the Boy Scouts being concerned about having a “gay” image is somewhat redundent. Just watch, you’ll love the new Cow mantra!