Indiana SB101: Legalized discrimination?

MoonHowler

Wikipedia:

Indiana Senate Bill 101, titled the Religious Freedom Restoration Act,[1] is a law that mandates that religious liberty of individuals and corporations can only be limited by the “least restrictive means of furthering a compelling government interest.”[2] The bill has been controversial. Opponents of the law claim that is targeted against LGBT people and other groups. The bill is similar to the controversial Arizona SB 1062 vetoed by Governor Jan Brewer in 2014, which expanded Arizona’s existing RFRA to include corporations.[3][4]

The bill was approved by a vote of 40-10[5] and on March 26, 2015, Mike Pence signed SB 101 into law.[6] The law’s signing was met with widespread criticism by such organizations as the NCAA, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, the gamer convention Gen Con, and the Disciples of Christ. Technology company Salesforce said it would halt its plans to expand in the state.

Pence is speaking now.  He started off his speech by comparing himself to Clinton.  What a nerve.  He has probably spent a good portion of his life spitting on Bill Clinton.

Pence continues to make excuses.  He says he and the general assembly will craft legislation that makes it clear that businesses don’t deny services to anyone.  Then why have the law?

Meanwhile, Gov. McAuliffe has told Indiana corporations to come to Virginia.  I like a guy that sees opportunity.

Colonel Morris Davis: Guantánamo’s Charade of Justice

MoonHowler

Colonel Davis’s op-ed piece appeared Friday in the New York Times.

Guantánamo’s Charade of Justice

LAST week, we learned that, only months into the job, the official in charge of the military courts system at Guantánamo Bay was stepping down, after judges ruled he had interfered in proceedings. The appointment of an interim replacement was the sixth change of leadership for the tribunals since 2003.

This is yet another setback for the military commissions, as they tackle two of their highest-profile cases: the joint trial of the chief planner of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, and four alleged co-conspirators, and the trial of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, accused in the bombing of the American destroyer Cole.

That’s not all. Besides the revolving door at the convening authority’s office, six military attorneys have served as chief prosecutor for these courts over the same period. (I was the third.)

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Paradoxical mental health expectations: not so enlightened?

MoonHowler

mental illness

Americans like to think that they are enlightened as far as mental illness goes.  They no longer keep crazy old Aunt Sally locked in the attic.  People are encouraged all the time to seek mental health treatment.  “Go for professional help” is code for get a shrink.   People confess to taking Zoloft and other anti depressants like they are popping an aspirin.   Some folks even discuss what their psychiatrists tell them as a conversation piece at cocktail parties.   Is all this feel-good talk about our national mental health simply window dressing?

Yes and no.  Actually, our treatment of mental illness is, if you will pardon the pun, schizophrenic.  On the one hand, mental illness is treated like its just one of the conditions that affects the human body, like heart disease, TB,  diabetes or chicken pox.  Our HIPAA laws protect mental health conditions like any other disease, in fact often times more than other diseases.

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Inventing your own demons when none exist

MoonHowler

 

 

AJC.com:

A 67-year-old Roswell man claimed he was only trying to be a “patriot” when he planted a bomb at a local park, according to a federal complaint against him.

Michael C. Sibley, 67, was arrested Saturday for allegedly leaving an explosive device at Vickory Creek Park in November, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

“The defendant allegedly placed a bag containing what appeared to be pipe bombs in Vickery Creek Park,” Horn said in an emailed statement. “This arrest should reassure the community that serious crimes like this will be investigated thoroughly and all leads followed to identify the perpetrator.”
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Rogue Pilot: Plane crash becomes mass murder investigation

MoonHowler

In an international press conference, a French prosecutor  reported that the 28-year-old co-pilot of  the crashed plane deliberately brought down the Germanwings flight.

The co-pilot, identified as Andreas Lubitz,  had 630 hours of flight experience and had joined Germanwings in 2013, straight out of flight school.

The French prosecutor reported that the co-pilot “had a desire to destroy this plane.”  Those listening to data from the black box said that they could clearly hear normal breathing from the co-pilot while the pilot desperately attempted to get back into the cockpit by pounding on the door and shouting, then communicating by intra-cabin communications.    It is also reported that it was the co-pilot who deliberately pushed the button to bring the plane down.

Washingtonpost.com:

DÜSSELDORF, Germany — A French prosecutor said Thursday that the co-pilot of the doomed Germanwing flight appeared to want to “destroy the plane,” in a stunning twist to the investigation that shifted attention to a possible suicide dive that killed all 150 people aboard.

The statement came after reports that the recovered cockpit voice recorder indicated the pilot was locked out of the cockpit before the A320 slammed into the French Alps on Tuesday.

The French prosecutor said flight recorder showed the co-pilot — identified in media reports as Andreas Lubitz — did not say a word once the captain left the cockpit, the Associated Press reported.

“It was absolute silence in the cockpit,” the prosecutor was quoted as saying.

The New York Times quoted an unidentified investigator Thursday as saying the audio depicts someone knocking with increasing urgency — and force — on the cockpit door. The Times quoted the source as saying: “And then he hits the door stronger and no answer. There is never an answer.”

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Virginia college transcripts to note misconduct

MoonHowler

PilotOnline.com:

A bill on the desk of Gov. Terry McAuliffe would require Virginia schools to mark the transcripts of students involved in misconduct, in hopes of stopping sexual predators from transferring to unsuspecting schools.

The bill was informally named after Jesse Matthew, the man charged in the death of University of Virginia student Hannah Graham. Graham was last seen leaving a downtown Charlottesville restaurant with Matthew last September; her remains were discovered a few weeks later.

McAuliffe introduced a similar bill. An earlier version would have required a prominent notation on the transcripts of students who withdraw while under investigation for sex crimes.

The version on the governor’s desk, however, broadened the language to include a transcript notation for any student “who has been suspended for, has been permanently dismissed for, or withdraws from the institution while under investigation for a violation of the institution’s code.”

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The Confederate Flag visits the Supremes

MoonHowler

confederate

npr.org:

The U.S. Supreme Court is tackling a question of great interest to America’s auto-loving public: Whose speech is that on your specialty license plate? Specifically, when the government issues specialty tags at the behest of private groups or individuals, can it veto messages deemed offensive to others?

The specialty plate at the center of Monday’s case was proposed by the Texas division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV). The tag design features a square Confederate battle flag, along with the organization’s name. Texas produces specialty plates for a fee, but the design must first be approved by the state Department of Motor Vehicles board.

The SCV plate generated considerable controversy.

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Chris Borland to return much of his signing bonus

MoonHowler

Espngo.com:

Chris Borland, who sent shockwaves through the NFL with his retirement last week after one season with the San Francisco 49ers due to fears of future brain injuries, told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday morning that he was giving back part of his signing bonus.

Borland, 24, made the comment after he was asked if he had any buyer’s remorse.

“Absolutely not. To play one year, it’s not a cash grab as I’ve been accused of. I’m paying back three-fourths of my signing bonus. I’m only taking the money I’ve earned,” he said.

“This to me is just about health and nothing else. I’ve never played the game for money or attention. I love football. I’ve had a blast and I don’t regret the last 10 years of my life at all. I’d do it over the exact same way. From here on I’m looking forward.”

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Bill to return voting rights to convicted felons introduced

MoonHowler

felons

Huffingtonpost.com:

Millions of Americans whose past felony convictions forbid them from casting ballots may regain voting rights under a bill introduced this week in Congress.

The Democracy Restoration Act of 2015, introduced by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), would allow all former inmates to vote in elections for federal offices. Currently, the bill notes, nearly 6 million Americans are barred from voting. Three-fourths of them are finished serving their sentences and would have their voting rights restored if the bill becomes law.

“Disenfranchising citizens who have been convicted of a criminal offense and who are living and working in the community serves no compelling State interest and hinders their rehabilitation and reintegration into society,” Conyers writes in the bill. He adds: “The United States is the only Western democracy that permits the permanent denial of voting rights for individuals with felony convictions.”

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Judge denies the incumbents a primary

MoonHowler

Washingtonpost.com:

A judge refused Friday to overturn the Prince William County electoral board’s decision to block Republican efforts to hold primary nominating contests for several incumbent members of the Board of Supervisors.

After a court hearing, Judge Paul Sheridan said he doesn’t believe he has the authority to tell the county electoral board to reverse its position on the matter, which began when Republican party officials missed the state deadline for requesting primary elections for Prince William County board of supervisors chair Corey Stewart and three other Republican incumbents who wanted them.

“It’s not for a judge, in light of all this, to tell a political party or state and local agencies how to proceed,” said Sheridan, a retired Arlington County judge brought in to hear the case, which has roiled political waters in Prince William County.

So the incumbents have been screwed.  Perhaps just as important is the fact that the voters have been screwed. For example, I cannot vote for anyone in the fire house primary.  I don’t pass the Republican purity test.  I voted in a Democratic primary in the past 5 years.   I also voted in a Republican primary, being an Independent.  I also cannot vote because I vote absentee.  You cannot vote absentee in a firehouse primary.

It’s a sad day for both incumbents and voters.  I have no idea why the deadline was missed but it just isn’t right.  To the general public, it looks like there is some voter fraud going on.  I am not sure how, but eventually something will leak out.  I just find it incredibly strange and non-random that the targeted people have been boxed in to this situation.  I expect there will be a lot of “pew packing” at the firehouse primaries to make sure that the incumbents are ousted.

I hope if that happens that the incumbents run as independents.  I will set aside a little money to donate to their campaigns should that happen.  Fair is fair.  And this situation wasn’t fair.  I still smell a rat…a big one.

George Mason rebrands its science and tech center in PWC

MoonHowler

gmu pwc

It looks like the George Mason University will drop the Prince William part of its name in the very near future.  This rebranding will take place in order to expand the  science and technology center of GMU.  According to the Potomac Local:

In a matter of weeks, the campus will soon be known as the George Mason University Center for Science and Technology. The school will drop the Prince William moniker used since the campus opened in 1997.

“We want to send a strong message that every time people talk about this campus that is it known fro [sic] the cutting edge work that is being done here,” George Mason University President Angel Cabrera told Potomac Local. “It will always be our location in Prince William, outside of Manassas for sure, but is sending a message on what we do here, and it’s part of our strategic plan where we are going to make our science and technology programs grow.”

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Black UVA student sustains head injury at The Corner during ABC arrest

MoonHowler

Warning: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE

Washingtonpost.com:

Racial tensions flared at the University of Virginia after a black student sustained head injuries while white police officers arrested him outside of a popular Irish pub early Wednesday morning.

The injuries, captured in cell phone videos and photographs from a crowd of students nearby, left the student with bloody streaks down his face, an image that quickly spread on social media. In one of the videos, obtained by The Washington Post, the student calls three officers from the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control “racists” as they try to handcuff his hands behind his back.

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THIS IS NOT A TAX BILL

MoonHowler

The tax assessments are in for tax year 2015.  What on earth has all the hype been over.  I was expecting to have to take out a second mortgage just to be able to afford the increase.  I had been eyeing the cat food for months now, figuring I was going to have to substitute at least a couple meals a week with the stuff because of PWC’s oppressive tax burden, imposed by all those “tax and spend” supervisors.

Such is not the case.  Back to hamburger and chicken.  The sky is not falling.  My tax bill increase, if it stays at the advertised rate hovers in right around $300 per year.  That’s about $25 a month.  I think I can afford that.  Oddly enough,  the tax amounts have gone down.   The assessment statement was much more detailed this year.

2013    $1.2562

2014    $1.2212

2015    $1.1936 (advertised)

Its pretty obvious that our tax amounts have decreased.  The actual housing assessments have increased which shows growth in the county.  You always want your house to be appreciating.  PWC housing assessments have always been low, compared to what you can get on the real estate market so things are even better.

The bottom line is, my taxes will go up a little bit more than they did last year.  My house is worth more.  My taxes were fairly flat for several years after the great recession so I am really not going to complain.

However, the tea party mentality people of the county will have you believe that our current supervisors have been fleecing us for the past 8 years.  That is simply a lie.

I live in an older neighborhood, Sudley, to be specific.  My house is about 45 years old.  Sudley has held its value fairly well and most streets still look presentable.  It’s not grand living though.  If you want granite countertops you have to remodel your kitchen.  If you want 10 foot ceilings you are pretty much out of luck.   If you want mature trees, you are in tree heaven.   Some of the people squawking the most about taxes live in much fancier digs than I do.  Perhaps some of them need to return to normal living if their taxes are too high.

I have lived here a long time.  I expected my taxes to go up over the years.  They have not disappointed me.  They have.  This yearly occurrence is normal.  It is what happens.  If your taxes are too high, you either bought too much house for your income or you really shouldn’t be living in Northern Virginia.

 

Something is rotten in the County of Prince William

MoonHowler

Washingtonpost.com:

The Prince William County court case over whether primary elections should be held for board of supervisors chairman Corey Stewart and three GOP colleagues has a hearing scheduled for Friday, officials announced on Monday.

Stewart (R-At Large,) county Sheriff Glenn Hill and supervisors Martin E. Nohe (Coles) and Maureen S. Caddigan (Dumfries) filed the lawsuit last week to overturn a county electoral board decision against staging primary elections after a local party official missed a state deadline requesting that they be held.

The incumbents hope to avoid a less predictable firehouse canvass or caucus nomination that would draw fewer voters and more likely favor lesser-known opponents.

One might want to stop right here and ask one’s self who has been behind shaking all the challengers out of the woodwork.  There has been some pretty active recruiting going on for about the past year.   The three board supervisors have also been the object of picking, mimicry, cheap shots  and down-right lies for several years.

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