Remembering Pearl Harbor….December 7, 1941

MoonHowler

And thus it began…

Imagine, going along, minding your own business, like my parents were doing, (They were still a couple) and the radio comes on with the shocking news of the attack on Pearl Harbor. What a life-altering day for most Americans. Most had no idea, even as they heard the news, just how much the upcoming war would alter their lives.

I am always saddened on this day, but remarkably glad that Americans haven’t pushed it to the backs of their minds–that date which shall live in infamy.

Many of those who would go to war after that day are no longer with us. Most are in their late 80’s or 90’s. If you know people from that time, find out as much as you can from them.

Mental Health changes on horizon in Virginia

MoonHowler

mental illness

Newsleader.com:

Key reforms called for in a 2012 report critical of Virginia’s mental health system finally will be implemented in 2014, officials said in a report drafted after a high-profile case in which the son of a state senator was denied care before stabbing his father and killing himself.

The report was written and rollout dates set after Austin “Gus” Deeds stabbed his father, state Sen. Creigh Deeds, then fatally shot himself, said Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services spokeswoman Meghan McGuire.

One key change makes state psychiatric hospital directors responsible for finding a bed when local community services boards cannot.

Starting in January, if a community services board can’t find a psychiatric bed, the state hospital in that region must take the patient or arrange placement at another facility, according to a document The News Leader obtained Thursday.

The report updated the agency’s progress on a collection of recommendations from a 2012 inspector general’s report on failed temporary detention orders.

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Bill O’Reilly, the Pope, Jesus and the Poor

MoonHowler

Soooooo….is there only one side in this debate? Are all food stamp recipients poor because of their own bad decision-making? Of course not.

Is Bill O’Reilly right that private charities do a better job of feeding the hungry? What does “better job” mean? Do we mean more efficient, less waste, less fraud or do we just mean there is less hunger–PERIOD? How do you measure that?

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Guns sales up: Now I can sleep better at night

MoonHowler

gun

Richmond Times Dispatch:

 Sales record: Virginia gun sales set a new high for
Black Friday as the number of firearms sold statewide continues to soar
and is just days away from setting an annual record.
Gun transactions in Virginia totaled 3,902 on Black Friday, a 1.2
percent increase over the previous record of 3,856 transactions on the
same day in 2012, according to the latest Virginia State Police figures
of mandatory criminal-background checks of gun buyers.

What is causing this rush to buy a gun?  Is there something happening I don’t know about?

Everyone needs to help break Virginia’s record.  Go out and buy a gun. Make sure you get a trigger lock while you are at it., especially if you have children in the home.

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Martin Bashir resigns from MSNBC

MoonHowler

Washingtonpost.com:

NEW YORK — MSNBC host Martin Bashir resigned from the network Wednesday, nearly three weeks after making graphic remarks on his show about former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

“I deeply regret” the comments, Bashir said in a statement. “It is my sincere hope that all of my colleagues, at this special network, will be allowed to focus on the issues that matter without the distraction of myself or my ill-judged comments.”

The uproar began last month when Bashir suggested that someone should defecate in Palin’s mouth because of a remark the former vice presidential candidate made comparing the United States’ indebtedness to China with slavery.

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The War on Christmas? There isn’t one!

MoonHowler

As a member of the club, the Christian club, that is, I have never felt that I was being victimized or that I was at war.  I grew up in a small city that was about as Christian as it gets.  The Levys were the only non-Christians I ever knew.  Even the Unitarians had wreaths on their church that was about 2 blocks from my house.   People move around more nowadays and small southern cities just aren’t as isolated as they used to be.

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Proposal for Virginia voters to register by party

MoonHowler

 

dem repub 2

Dailypress.com:

Del. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Prince William, wants voters to be able to register by political party.

He has proposed a bill that would add party affiliation to the information people are asked to provide when registering. People could say they are independents, as well.

The state party chairman of each political party would have to notify the State Board of Elections of the party rules governing who may participate in the party’s primaries.The bill is similar to ones introduced in 2012 by Del. James LeMunyon and Del. Timothy D Hugo, both Fairfax County Republicans. Their efforts died in the Privileges and Elections Committee, without a vote ever being taken.

Thumbs down.  Why does this seem like the Republicans love the plan?  Have you every heard a Democrat like this proposal?  How about Independents?  Something must be broken if the Republicans want to fix it.

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Public Overwhelmingly Supports Preserving Rural Area!

Elena

Many folks, including myself,  had strong reservations regarding the Rural Preservation “Study”.   I was concerned the underlying  premise behind the study was nefarious, intended to dismantle the Rural Crescent.  The results are in, and, by an overwhelming number of respondents, residents in Prince William County support the preservation of the Rural Crescent.  Click here to read the results for yourself.

It is clear to me, residents  not only appreciate  the geographic diversity in the County, they want to actively preserve it!

The weak link in the study, from all that I read, was the somewhat nebulous support for sewer in the Rural Crescent.  Why is that the weak link?  Because for 15 years, no matter who sat on the BOCS,  no matter who was in the pocket of the Developers, approving  high density development within the Rural Crescent was precluded by lack of available public sewer.

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Open Thread………………………………….Monday, December 2

MoonHowler


From Mother Nature Network:

Ice is known by a wide range of identities in nature, from tiny snowflakes to Chicago-sized icebergs and canyon-covering glaciers. Still, a neatly shaped circle of frozen, rotating river water is strange to see, even in a wintry place like North Dakota.
The video above shows such a circle spinning serenely atop the Sheyenne River, where retired engineer George Loegering was out hunting with relatives on Nov. 23. “At first I thought, ‘No way!’ It was surreal,” Loegering tells the Associated Press, which published the video this week. “You looked at it and you thought, ‘How did it do that?'”

Separate and not equal: Down right discriminatory

MoonHowler

Washingtonpost.com:

Virginia may be for lovers, but for same-sex married couples who already had to go elsewhere to tie the knot, tax time could present new burdens.

The reason is a recent decision by Virginia’s tax collectors to treat gay couples differently than the IRS does.

The Virginia Department of Taxation, after consulting with Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II’s office, has ruled that the state will not conform to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service’s new tax treatment of same-sex married couples because state law and a state constitutional amendment prohibit recognition of gay marriage.

As a result, gay couples must now file their federal tax returns as married couples — either jointly or separately — but will have to file Virginia tax returns as single individuals.

The ACLU of Virginia saw the decision as reaffirmation of the state’s “ongoing hostility toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Virginians, including legally married same-sex couples.”

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