Nooo, we aren’t singling out abortion clinics for special treatment.  Noooooo, we aren’t blurring the lines between church and state.  Found on the front page of  Sentinel, a weekly newsletter from Elizabeth Anne Seton School for parents and students:

Citizen Time

On Monday, March 10th at some time after 5:30 pm in City Hall Council Chambers, the Manassas City Council will vote on Marc Aveni’s proposal to require new medical facilities (to include abortion clinics) come before Council and the public before locating in the City. Your prayers, attendance and possible speaking during citizen time in favor of this effort are needed again.

I suppose that once again there will be a sideshow over at City Chambers where everyone will be strutting out their most pious behavior. Marc Aveni is getting himself some free advertisement for his cause.  (Will I get a thank you note for providing some coverage for him?)  I don’t think those of us in the County can pick up City channels so we will miss the show but I expect it will be a rendition of Brother Love’s traveling Salvation Show of Neil Diamond Fame.

I also see in that same periodical, a plea for workers to go picket Sudley Road for the 40 day march for life.  Worthy cause? Perhaps.  I wonder if it is as worthy as donating some free baby sitting time to a single mother so she can work?   I also wonder how picketing can be considered instructional time?  I know, I know, private schools don’t have to adhere to some …let’s see, how did they put it in the Sentinel…”some arbitrary number of hours to count as a school year.”  Ker-POW, and another knock out punch to the public schools.  Take that you  dopes sitting in a classroom making up your school day.  Get double the credits for parading up and down Sudley Road, holding a sign.  That picketing doesn’t go on long.  Teenagers being what they are, they usually congregate and gossip.  (Of course, so do some of their adult supervisors.)

If only I could call in the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence for the City Council Meeting tonight.  That would make the show complete.  They could even sing.  Imagine the look of horror if a few fake nuns in drag showed up to grace the presence of Manassas.

All kidding aside, hopefully the thinking members of the City Council will continue their plans to revise their fifty plus year old zoning laws on schedule and not bend to religious groups who clearly have a not-so-hidden agenda.  All medical facilities should have to adhere to the same standards.  To single any one type of procedure out for closer inspection or regulation should  and will attract litigation.   In the past, the City of Manassas has taken some legal hits that have been costly both in terms of money and prestige.  Can it afford to get sued over trying to regulate a medical facility?

The solution is fairly simple.  Those who doesn’t want to be bothered with this type of BS can just get office space a mile away in Prince William County.  Then it will be out of the hands of the City Council and some of its zealots.  Then what on earth will everyone do?  There won’t be much to bitch, moan and pray over.

 

 

25 Thoughts to “Private school issues clarion call to swarm City Hall Chambers tonight”

  1. Six Pack

    Some, like me, find such faith in action among the student body refreshing actually. You may not agree with the cause but don’t mock them for their beliefs please. They absolutely have a right to be in the public square on matters of faith and morals important to their faith. Readers should also note previous editions of said newsletter blew the clarion horn to feed the homeless in DC. Thank you.

  2. Morning 6-pack. It isn’t their beliefs I mock. I think it is perfectly reasonable to dislike abortion. In fact, you don’t know my own personal views on said topic. I have never discussed them here. The point is, abortion is legal and all the legal trickery in the world isn’t going to make it go away. What will reduce it tremendously is safe, reliable contraception and education.

    What I do mock is the methodology. I intensely dislike TRAP laws. Let’s not confuse belief system with trying to legislate one’s personal religion.

    If you haven’t seen the Sisters in action, they are hilarious.

    Feeding the homeless is a kind gesture. I hope that it doesn’t attempt to replace instructional time, however. How about a little day care center as a permanent instructional tool along side the high school. One of the main reasons people chose abortion over having a baby is economics. Additionally, if more young people saw how complicated life is for some of these folks they would perhaps change some of their own behaviors.

    I am a big believer in faith in action and am doing a little of that myself these days.

    It’s strange what shapes our beliefs. I grew up in an era when decent people didn’t even discuss abortion. It was a tawdry subject. Yet thalidomide came along, in epidemic form or so it seemed from the TV. Funny how things get etched in your mind. To me, it would be morally repugnant to force any woman to carry a pregnancy to term where such deformity was a permanent condition. But, we are all different and that is why the choice must be ours, not the states’.

  3. @Six Pack
    I left out one thing, I am not so sure how far we should take being in the public square on matters of faith. Would you extend the same generosity to someone Muslim or Wiccan?

    I think we tend to be more generous with our own faith than we do with the faith of others, especially if that other faith seems odd to us.

  4. Peterson

    Just something funny I saw the other day, re: matters of faith in the public square.

    “I can talk, my team can talk here in Washington, but it’s not going to make as much of a difference as if you are out there making the case. The work you’re doing is God’s work. It is hard work.”

    http://www.politico.com/story/2014/02/barack-obama-organizing-for-action-volunteers-103954.html#ixzz2vZZaFAl0

    So apparently Obama’s campaign organization/tax exempt group is “doing God’s work” according to the President. Which I don’t have an issue with, I just thought it was funny in the context of faith in the public square.

  5. IVAN

    So, “contraceptive pills” cause breast cancer. How desperate can some one be.

  6. Ray Beverage

    It shall be interesting since the Mayor set the Agenda to vote on two resolutions: (1) approves implementing Phase I of the approved Feb 3rd vote to completely overhaul the code; and (2) to approve only the proposed by Mr. Aveni one for which the Staff recommends disapproval. The second one makes interesting reading as it provides the various legal references on why doing what Mr. Aveni proposes is not a good move.

    THe two resolutions are action items BEFORE Citizens Time…maybe logic has prevailed to say, to borrow Ms. Aveni’s words elsewhere here, to quit beating a dead horse and take action. We shall see.

    Shame is, the City Manager is presenting the proposed FY 2015 Budget. Anyway, am going down in person mainly for the budget, and then whatever the end result will be of the other two actions.

  7. Ray Beverage

    @Moon-howler

    I can put a whole stack of links from both sides. Once again, because of an interest group/groups, the City is once more in the limelight….and not in a positive way. All the work done to move the City forward, to include supporting Manassas Midwifery to reduce the number of children born without prenatal care, or low birth, or still born is being sidetracked. Wonder if those who show up for a political topic such as abortion will show up to ask for more funding of the Midwifery, Health District and Free CLinic?

    Nawwwwww, they won’t. Not political enough nor will make good theatre.

  8. @IVAN

    Very desperate. They also used to say that having an abortion causes cancer of some body part. I don’t remember where.

  9. @Ray Beverage
    What a fabulous question, Ray. It is a very real and vital question that affects many.

    Midwivery is a real savings in terms of life and cost of bearing a child. Elena has gone that route and speaks highly of it.

    I dislike that the entire City budget is being sidelined by this issue. I am tired of religious zealots trying to shove their religion down our throats. No one is mandating abortion.

    I would be with you at the meeting were it not for being sick. Please report back from the side show.

    I guess what makes me the angriest is little girls up there bleating about saving the baaabbbiiies. I am a mother several times over, I am a step mother several times over, and a grandmother many times over. I had a career that covered decades and I still managed to raise my fair share of kids.

    I want someone to tell me why one of these little twits (notice the I in the word twit) thinks they can tell someone of my age and experience all about life simply astounds me.

  10. The sideshow has started. In the county on Verizon, its channel 38. I didn’t realize I could get it.

    Mayor Parrish really is the quintessential gentleman. He always tries to be fair.

    (I wish he would move to the Gainesville District.)

  11. Well, here’s Faith. Losing your crap again, Faith?

    BTW, Marc Aveni didn’t make you have a melt down. You did that all on your own.

    Ps. You aren’t pro choice.

  12. Now there is a man up there lying his ass off. Women lying in corridors?

    This man lives in a fantasy world.

    Why is he talking about Fairfax? This is Manassas. The clinic has been here for over 30 years.

    I guess he is an import. He didn’t even have the right city.

  13. Good job, Manassas Council. Great motion to stick to process made by Mark Wolfe and seconded by Andy Harrover to stick to process when deciding land use. Mr. Way and Mr. Randolph also voted to stick to process.

  14. Ray Beverage

    Ah, I see you were following it, Moon. Yes, it was a long night and in my rough count, maybe 1 person in favor for the complete revamp vs. six who backed Mr. Aveni. I was amused by Del. Marshall’s comments.

    My compliments to Mr. Way for his favorable amendment as it was well thought out. That is the Jon Way I like – the analytical engineer he be. Sad to see though the Mayor tried hard to give Mr. Aveni an “out” – a very graceful out in my mind – and yet he stuck to insisting on the SUP. Shoot, I even tried in my comments mentioning one other application step required for certain medical facilities through the Certificate of Public Need Process….thought he might take a hint. Still, was nice to see in the City democracy in action and a vote which supports the common good, not one particular view.

    1. There were a bunch of pro choice people there who didn’t speak from what I have been told.

      You did a very nice job.

  15. Ray Beverage

    @Moon-howler

    I got several “thank you” for raising that same point in my comments. And I know the big crowds won’t come back to advocate for the single mother.

    As to the City budget, Mr. Pate – our City Manager – did a good quick brief on what is expected. That $1.5million for Regional Jail costs is a bite, and solution is to create a Jail Levy of a few percentages of a cent. Later today it will be posted online and be able to get a crack at what is in it. Overall though, the increase in tax rate (RE Tax + Fire Levy + Jail Rate) is a bit lower than last year, but assessments in the City went up about 8% overall for SFH/TH/Condos. My house went up 11.3%

    1. We haven’t gotten our assessments yet unless they have just come out.

  16. Like I’ve said, the hypocrisy is astounding and Ray did an excellent job point out the cognitive dissonance. Where is their, as in we love babies and women so stop the scourge of abortion crowd, when it comes to supporting Manassas Midwifery?

  17. Six Pack

    I watched and came to a different conclusion.

    Staff was unprepared to answer reasonable questions; 6 months for what Aveni wanted but 9 months for everything? Two years or three years for a final answer and vote? Aveni was the only one who knew what he wanted, the others seemed to go to great lengths to justify voting against him and for what this viewer can only describe as Bureaucracy run amuck.

    Thank you.

  18. Six Pack

    Lovejoy flipped his vote too, making it 4 to 2. Maybe Olivia got to him with her previous post?

  19. @Six Pack

    I thought everyone pretty much knew what they wanted.

    Let’s face it…some of the city council, Lovejoy and Aveni wanted to control abortion services. I don’t think that is the job of the City Zoning dept. Silly me.

  20. @Six Pack

    I expect Lovejoy had already been “turned.” Who knows though.

    I find it odd that conservatives want government to control every aspect of one’s personal life.

    This fight isn’t over. Hopefully some court rulings will put a stop to this nonsense.

  21. Ray Beverage

    @Six Pack

    We have an excellent Staff in this City. If you had viewed the February 3rd Agenda, you would have seen the original work leading to the 5-1 approval of the timeline. If you had read both resolutions – the first to set Phase I of III into process, and the recommendation to not implement Mr. Aveni’s proposal – you would see the reasons for the timelines and also why his was not a recommended course of action.

    Staff also was getting “a mile a minute” set of questions with each having a little change from the other. Good goverance which meets the needs of all is reflected best the approved Feb. 3rd action.

    And Mr. Aveni, as I said in my comments, should have done his homework. The State set in June last year the new classifications and requirements on Medical Facilities applications and review by Local, Regional and State bodies. His answer was in that, but hey, it ain’t good political theatre, so why do your homework?

    1. Finally, it’s all about abortion and using whatever trick, statute, conveyance, zoning law, land use or archetectual code available to accomplish one’s political purposes.

      The neverending battle.

      My wish is that people would just obey the rules of their own church and leave the rest of us out of the mix it would be a great start. Something to consider…what if a group of muslims came along and tried their own brand of logic to apply their Sharia law to Manassas City Government. Those same good people of Manassas (and everywhere else) would be up in arms, howling like stuck pigs.

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