Congress trumps Westboro Baptist hate attacks at military funerals

MoonHowler

No pictures intentionally.  This evil group gets no free advertising.

Huffingtonpost.com:

Westboro Baptist Church protesters will soon be severely limited in their ability to disrupt military funerals, after Congress passed a sweeping veterans bill this week that includes restrictions on such demonstrations.

According to “The Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012,” which is now headed to President Barack Obama’s desk, demonstrators will no longer be allowed to picket military funerals two hours before or after a service. The bill also requires protestors to be at least 300 feet away from grieving family members.

This aspect of the legislation was introduced by Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who, at the urging of a teenage constituent, proposed new limitations on military funeral demonstrations as a response to a 2011 Supreme Court case that ruled such actions were protected under the First Amendment.

Let’s hope the work of this Congress puts some teeth in the law and that Westboro will not longer be able to manipulate and bastardize the First Amendment to dispense their hate, often at a military family’s most vulnerable time.  Westboro will continue to act inappropriately, for sure, but at least our military families will be insulated by a layer of protection.  There are just some lines people shouldn’t cross and this is one of them, in my opinion.

Its good to see that Congress can finally get something done.

Why Rainbow Riding Should Not Receive Over $200 Grand of Tax Payer Money

Elena

UPDATE:

(Paraphrased from the Sheriff)  The you-know-what is hitting the fan.  A confidential memo has been leaked from Angela Horan.  Athough the Resolution is on the Agenda, the County Attorney will advise that the current Resolution cannot be approved.  Apparently, having a conflict of interest makes it too difficult for Supervisors to perform their duties? Well, DUH!  That’s why we call it a conflict of interest.  Head on over to Nottingham (with an N not an F, Corey) and get the gory details.

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Apparently, Rainbow Riding is “set” to receive 211,000 dollars of carryover money, ie. taxpayer dollars this coming Tuesday.

The county board has already committed to spending $2.3 million on specific projects which were dropped from the budget in April. Peacor specifically mentioned the Rainbow Riding Center, a therapeutic horse-riding program on county-owned land in Silver Lake. It is set to receive $178,000 to pave its parking lot and other improvements, on top of $33,000 it received in April.

Rainbow Riding attracted attention because its former leader is married to Supervisor Wally Covington [who tried to give it $100,000 from his office account in November] and some felt it hadn’t gone through the same budget review as others. Peacor disagreed with that, saying it was fully examined by the board, and provided a service more cheaply than the government could.

Allow me to recap, to date, the tax payer investment of a very small non profit that serves a hundred  people or so.

First, Rainbow Riding,  at no cost, leases 45 acres, valued at approx 976, 000 thousand dollars annually.  Due to this lease,  Rainbow Riding was able to sell their own land, subsequently putting several hundred thousand dollars in the “bank”.

We also know, from their most recent 990, Rainbow Riding has over $800 THOUSAND in cash.

For the past two years, they have recieved approximately 33,000 dollars through the annual budget.

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County Fuster Clucks

MoonHowler
The Hammer of Stewart

The natives seem to be restless down at McCoart Building if one holds one’s ear to the ground and reads the blogs.

Although it does not seem like much is going on in Prince William County, actually, a great deal is happening, mostly behind the scenes.  Maybe what isn’t happening is even more telling.

The Sheriff apparently has a bounty on his head (and other parts) and has had what is more politely described as a change of venue in the eyes of the county chair….at least according to the Sheriff of …Not-tingham.   He has accused the chairman of having one outrageous temper tantrum over his mere existence.

Meanwhile, a little birdie has dropped a little roll of paper on my front porch telling of another temper tantrum directed at a rather high ranking employee.  Does anyone have confirmation of such a thing happening?  It was done in the public arena or semi-public.  How many tantrums can one person have?  I want a front row seat for this Tuesday’s BOCS meeting.

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Cluck-pocalypse! The Million Mouth March for Chick-Fil-A

MoonHowler

Wednesday was the big day for those who oppose same sex marriage to show their support for Chick-Fil-A   and its president and COO, Dan Cathy.  Chick-Fil-A reported that it had landmark sales.  Lines stretched outside the door and often around the building at hundreds of Chick-Fil-A stores.  The show of support was sponsored by none other than Faux News regular Mike Huckabee who declared that Wednesday was Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day.

WARNING:  Video is suggestive.  Some may consider verbage crass and vulgar.  (too busy laughing here to arbitrate)

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Today there will be a counter demonstration for those who oppose the” Chicken eating Judas” who supported Chick-Fil-A on Wednesday.  Most of the demonstrations will concentrate on same sex kissing.  This ought to be a good one.  The war of chicken culture warriors.

 

For those of us who passed on litmus test lunch day and will pass on chicken kisses today, it all seems rather foolish.  COO Cathy is entitled to his opinion and those culture warriors who oppose gay marriage are free to buy chicken sandwiches to their hearts content. Same sex marriage supporters are free to never buy another Chick-Fil-A as long as they live.   It seems like everyone comes out a winner.

Meanwhile, Dan Cathy will not be addressing Prince William Chamber of Commerce this November 27. He is staying off the lecture circuit for a while until the controversy dies down, according to insidenova.com.  (Actually other company leaders have him tied up somewhere with duct tape on his mouth.)  People will continue eating and loving Chick-Fil-A and life goes on.  Meanwhile, the company has released a statement that they serve everyone with dignity, which is as it should be.

WWhat a fuster cluck!

Prince William County: The new wild west

MoonHowler

 

Is gun safety an oxymoron?  For years we have been hearing that guns don’t kill people, people kill people.  Trying telling that to the 4 year old boy who shot himself in the head over in Dale City.  The gun he used was work related.  The gun owner was a security guard and he/she made every attempt to lock the vehicle.   The child apparently crawled in the back of a pick up rear window.

Reading on, I see that a man was shot in the head at Dennys and drove himself to the hospital.  Still another person, a woman, was shot at Hooters.  The shooter  was charged with discharging a firearm.

Why on earth are all these people packing heat to go to local restaurants?  Yes, I have a problem with guns in restaurants.

Yet another woman over off the Prince William Parkway was awakened in the middle of the night by a large BANG.  She called police who found a bullet lodged in her kitchen cabinet.  I guess that was her wake up call.

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Saluting Chief Charlie Deane

MoonHowler

Prince William County Police Chief Charlie Deane will retire September 1.  While it saddens us that he is leaving, we wish him much happiness in his retirement.   Chief Deane has served Prince William County’s police department 42 years,  since 1970, when he came here as a detective, from the State Police Department.  24 of those years have been as Police Chief.    He  is one of the longest serving officers in the State of Virginia and  he has  achieved national respect and recognition.

The Prince William County Police Department has gone from a fledgling police department  that began July 1, 1970 in a growing suburban county to a force with 580 sworn officers with a support staff of over 300 civilians.    Not only is Chief Deane well liked and respected locally, his professional reputation extends throughout the country.  His shoes will be hard to fill.

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Anti-health care congressman Kelly compares health care act to Pearl Harbor and 9-11

MoonHowler

The Huffington Post:

Criticizing President Barack Obama’s health care reform law on Wednesday, Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) likened the requirement that private insurance plans provide contraception coverage to two of the most devastating attacks on American soil.

“I know in your mind, you can think of the times America was attacked,” he said at a press conference on Capitol Hill. “One is Dec. 7, that’s Pearl Harbor Day. The other is Sept. 11, and that’s the day the terrorists attacked. I want you to remember Aug. 1, 2012, the attack on our religious freedom. That is a day that will live in infamy, along with those other dates.”

Wednesday marked the first day private insurers must include birth control coverage in their plans without charging a co-pay, per requirements in the Affordable Care Act.

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Recuse or Resign

MoonHowler

 

 

Prince William County  Supervisor Pete Candland has proposed a resolution to strengthen laws preventing conflict of interest.  Should his resolution pass, not only will county supervisors be prevented from voting on activities where direct financial gain is a possibility, his resolution takes the spirit of the law  further, to prevent other types of gain.

 

 

According to Jeremy Borden in the Washington Post:

Supervisor Peter K. Candland (R-Gainesville) offered a resolution last week to tackle that. His measure would force supervisors to disclose involvement in organizations that receive county funds and recuse themselves from voting on issues in which they or their relatives, including spouses, are involved in.

“Supervisors may still serve on boards of charities and have a positive impact on their community, but they must recuse themselves from voting when there is a direct conflict of interest,” Candland said in an e-mail response to questions.

Supervisor Peter K. Candland (R-Gainesville) offered a resolution last week to tackle that. His measure would force supervisors to disclose involvement in organizations that receive county funds and recuse themselves from voting on issues in which they or their relatives, including spouses, are involved in.

“Supervisors may still serve on boards of charities and have a positive impact on their community, but they must recuse themselves from voting when there is a direct conflict of interest,” Candland said in an e-mail response to questions.

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Mitt’s continuing floggyqueefers

MoonHowler

 

Mitt’s continuing floggyqueefers included Poland where a member of his team told reporters to kiss his ass.  A perfect trifecta!  Leave no country un-insulted.  Actually Jon went easy on him but I have rarely laughed so hard.

 

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Steven Colbert continues his dressage lessons

MoonHowler

A horse is a horse of course of course and this ain’t no Mr. Ed.

 

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Stephen’s Dressage Training Pt. 2
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Go to Middleburg if you want to see dressage. It is an upper class sport, and probably goes hand in hand with foxhunting and polo. On the other hand, what is that large, hanger-like building out off of Antioch Road? Might that be the home of the next dressage exibition?