Cuccinelli family law practice apparently favored men?

MoonHowler

Washingtonpost.com:

Fellow lawyers viewed the appearance at the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court in January 2010 as unusual because attorneys general almost never handle private cases. At the time, Cuccinelli’s deputy told The Washington Post that the case involved “some sensitive issues and some child witnesses, and the client wanted some sensitivity, and he wanted Ken Cuccinelli, so he finished out that matter.”

Cuccinelli’s office didn’t say so then, but the client was Ron M. Grignol Jr., a former House of Delegates candidate embroiled in a custody dispute with his ex-wife.

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IRS: Same sex couples may now file jointly

MoonHowler

irs map

Washingtonpost.com:

Same-sex married couples will be allowed to file joint federal tax returns, the same as married heterosexual couples, the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced Thursday.

The new policy, a response to a Supreme Court ruling in June that overturned a key provision in the Defense of Marriage Act, allows same-sex married couples to claim marriage-related exemptions, credits and deductions even if they live in jurisdictions that don’t recognize gay unions. Like heterosexual spouses, gay couples will be required to declare “married filing jointly” or “married filing separately.”

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Cup of Brandy: One Last Toast

MoonHowler

Doolittle_Painting_Final

An anonymous guest poster via email:

On Tuesday, in Fort Walton Beach , Florida , the surviving Doolittle Raiders gathered publicly for the last time.

They once were among the most universally admired and revered men in the United States . There were 80 of the Raiders in April 1942, when they carried out one of the most courageous and heart-stirring military operations in this nation’s history. The mere mention of their unit’s name, in those years, would bring tears to the eyes of grateful Americans.

Now only four survive.

After Japan ‘s sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, with the United States reeling and wounded, something dramatic was needed to turn the war effort around.

Even though there were no friendly airfields close enough to Japan for the United States to launch a retaliation, a daring plan was devised. Sixteen B-25s were modified so that they could take off from the deck of an aircraft carrier. This had never before been tried — sending such big, heavy bombers from a carrier.

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No doubt about use of chemical weapons in Syria

MoonHowler


So what do we do? Is this issue clear cut?

There are those who say we aren’t the world police. There are those who think we should mind our own business. Other people feel the use of chemical weapons violates the most basic of all international values.

Right now, depending on  you listen to and on who you believe, it appears that the United States and its allies are preparing for a strike on Syria. The objective remains unclear to the public right now.
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Standing ovation for Mount Vernon High’s dress code

MoonHowler

jeggings

Washingtonpost.com:

When students at Fairfax County’s Mount Vernon High School return to classes next week, they no longer will be allowed to wear “jeggings” as pants.

What exactly are jeggings? They are the fashion cousin of leggings, the skin-tight staples found in many high school hallways. Jeggings are leggings with a faux-denim appearance, providing the tailored jean look that is in vogue among teenagers. To dress in leggings or jeggings, Mount Vernon students must wear them underneath shorts, dresses or skirts that are at most three inches above the knee, according to school regulations.

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Make no mistake–Cuccinelli sponsored birth control ban

MoonHowler

Washingtonpost.com:

While in the state Senate in 2007, Cuccinelli co-sponsored a bill to add a line to the Virginia Constitution declaring that “life begins at the moment of fertilization and the right to enjoyment of life . . . is vested in each born and preborn human being from the moment of fertilization.”

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has warned that such a law might “deny women access to the full spectrum of preventive health care including contraception.”

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Moon mission to launch from Wallop’s Island

MoonHowler

wallops island

Washingtonpost.com:

For the first time, a spacecraft is to be launched from Virginia to the moon.

The launch is scheduled for Sept. 6 from NASA’s facility at Wallops Island on Virginia’s Atlantic coast.
If all follows the plan, and the clouds cooperate, the 11:27 p.m. launch should be visible in Washington and in much of the Northeast.

The mission will not land on the moon, but it is intended to go into orbit around it.

The robotic mission is to collect detailed information about the moon’s thin atmosphere. Sometimes thought to be nonexistent, the lunar atmosphere has been described as extremely tenuous and fragile, but present.

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George Zimmerman: The worst publicity in the world….

MoonHowler

Apparently George Zimmerman chose to tour a gun factory in Florida recently.  The Joe Scarboro team on Morning Joe had a lot to say about the trip:

Yahoo News:

According to the TMZ story, Zimmerman got a personal tour of the Cocoa, Fla., facility from the son of Kel-Tec’s founder and owner. The story includes a picture of Zimmerman and a man wearing a Kel-Tec shirt. TMZ says it was taken on the assembly plant floor. The entertainment website reported that Zimmerman inquired about purchasing a tactical shotgun; however Kel-Tec’s website says the company doesn’t sell firearms directly to the public.

Late Friday afternoon, Kel-Tec sent Yahoo News a statement “concerning this leaked bit of information by someone unassociated with Kel-Tec.”

“He simply wanted to see the manufacturing facility,” the statement said of Zimmerman’s visit. “This is a common occurrence with our customer base that live close by or may be traveling through.”

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AZ defunding of Planned Parenthood struck down by court

MoonHowler

Huffingtonpost.com:

An Arizona law that would have cut clinics that provide abortion services from the state’s Medicaid plan was struck down Thursday, signaling a win for Planned Parenthood.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said lawmakers in Arizona were wrong to tie Medicaid funds for family planning services to a requirement that clinics like Planned Parenthood stop performing abortions, according to the East Valley Tribune.

The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood filed a complaint about the law in July, arguing it’s “wrong for the state to tell Arizonans who they can and cannot see for their health care.”

Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said this decision is in line with similar cases from around the country.

“All women, no matter where they live, should be able to get quality, affordable health care from the health care provider they know and trust,” Richards said in a statement, according to The Hill.

At what point is the War on Women going to just give it a rest?  Abortion is a legal procedure.  Those who don’t approve shouldn’t have one.  End of story.  However, some people want to drag this out to the point of absurdity.

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Antoinette Tuff: a real hero!

MoonHowler

I think that the word hero is tossed about was too casually and way too often.  We call people ‘heroes’ when they really have done nothing out of the ordinary or heroic.  However, Antoinette Tuff, bookkeeper at Ronald E, McNair Discovery Learning Academy, showed heroism in the face of danger that most people couldn’t imagine.  She showed compassion, strength, and calm demeanor during what could have been a deadly situation.  She saved literally hundreds of lives when a lone gunman toting an AK-47 and 500 rounds of ammo slipped into a locked door at her school.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

abcnews.com:

 The 911 tapes from a frightening standoff and shooting at an Atlanta-area school show how a school employee’s calm demeanor and kind approach helped end the ordeal without any injuries.

Police said Wednesday that school bookkeeper Antoinette Tuff was heroic in how she responded after being taken hostage a day earlier by Michael Brandon Hill, a 20-year-old man with a history of mental health issues. Hill went to the school armed with an AK 47-style rifle and nearly 500 rounds of ammunition, police said.

On a recording of a 911 call released Wednesday, Tuff can be heard relaying messages from Hill to DeKalb County emergency dispatchers before convincing him to surrender. She tells the dispatcher that Hill said he wasn’t there to hurt the children but wanted to talk to an unarmed officer.

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McAuliffe leads Cuccinelli by 6 points

MoonHowler

Richmond Times Dispatch:

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe holds a 6-percentage-point edge over Republican Ken Cuccinelli in the first Quinnipiac University poll of the campaign among voters likely to cast ballots in the November election.

McAuliffe holds a lead of 48 percent to 42 percent in the survey released this morning, while the down ticket candidates are still unknown to a majority of Virginians.

McAuliffe is viewed favorably by 34 percent and unfavorably by 33 percent, but 31 percent of voters had not heard enough about him to give an opinion.

Cuccinelli, the state’s attorney general, is viewed favorably by 35 percent of voters and unfavorably by 41 percent while only 22 percent hadn’t heard enough to form an opinion, according to the poll.

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Welcome back, Ed Schultz

MoonHowler

ed_show_twitter_profil

 

Starting next Monday, Ed Schultz will be returning to MSNBC in the 5 PM slot, shoving aside Chris Matthews and reducing his time to just the one show at 7 PM.   Schultz has been relegated to a 5 to 7 PM show on Saturdays and Sundays.  Schultz, known for being controversial and blustery, will probably come back with a roar.

Meanwhile, is Chris Matthews being sent to the naughty chair or what?  Does anyone know the inside scoop?