To kill or not to kill

MoonHowler

I went to grab some lunch at a nearby restaurant mid afternoon on Monday.  I unfortunately selected a table next to a woman who was telling her companion (at the top of her lungs) how she wanted that mother charged with criminal neglect and arrested.  She went on and on until I wrapped up the back-turkey bravo I was trying to eat and just took it home.  Obviously the woman had never had children.

Kids are fast.  Three year olds are faster than most kids and can give you the slip in a New York second.  Furthermore, we weren’t there.  What we do know is that gorillas are wild animals and they are unpredictable.  That gorilla could have turned on that kid and in an instant, killed him deader than a doornail.

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Captain George S. Harris: Memorial Day 2016

MoonHowler

memorial-day-banners-2016-signs-images-posters

Captain George Harris:  Memorial Day 2016

As Memorial Day approaches once again, I have been thinking about it more and more.  Perhaps it is because I have been reading more books about the war, the latest being “With the Old Breed” by E.B. Sledge who was a Marine mortar man In K Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division during the battles of Pelilieu and Okinawa.

As we know, Memorial Day, is a day when we, as Nation, remember those who died in the service of our Nation.  Those of us of a “certain age” remember this day as Decoration Day, which was established shortly after the Civil War.  And we have many Americans to remember because more than a million Americans have died in all the wars we have fought from the Revolutionary War to our present 15 year war in the Middle East.

Some 2,400 years ago, Plato said, “The dead have seen the end of war.”  They lie silently in military cemeteries all over our Nation from our National Cemetery at Arlington, Virginia to cemeteries in every state of the union and in cemeteries overseas.  These cemeteries bear  witness to the cost of war.  Headstones and monuments, including our Tomb of the Unknowns, stand as silent sentries over those who have given the last full measure of devotion.

But what of those who have given less that the last full measure?  In the last 15 years, more than a million young men and women have had their lives altered forever.  Some have had “million dollar wounds” but many have lost one or more limbs while others have suffered traumatic brain injuries and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.  Across our nation, 22 veterans die by their own hand every day.  That’s one every 65 minutes.  And our Veterans Administration health care system is overwhelmed.  Just as we owe those who have fallen for their sacrifice, we also owe those remain among us.

So today, when you pause to remember those who have died in the service of our Nation, I ask that you take a few moments to remember those who served and came home to live among us to remind us that, as John Steinbeck said, “All war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal.

Thank you, George, for your words of honor again this year.  For those who don’t know, George Harris is our honorary poet laureate of Moonhowlings.  George began his military career  as a young kid, age 18, in the Navy.  He served as a corpsman in Korea and in Vietnam.  He has certainly seen more than his fair share of mayhem and destruction of the human soul.

Thanks again, George, for guiding us in the right direction on this day.

Rating_Badge_HM

More than a Name on a Wall

MoonHowler

All our fallen warriors are important.  However, some hold a special place in our hearts, as individuals.  We cherish them not just for who they are but for their families and friends.

This past year I had my XX high school reunion and touched base with many old friends from Charlottesville.  I talked with Brenda, a high school friend.  We somehow got on the subject of Charlie Milton, who was killed in Vietnam.  Charlie was a high school chum of mine and a little more than that to her.  We both had a good cry and promised to go to The Wall together.  I had already located Charlie a number of years ago.  It still breaks my heart.

Did I mention that this song in the video, was written by another classmate, John Rimel.  He and Jimmy Fortune co-wrote More than a Name on a Wall together.  One of their friends had been killed in Vietnam.  It was so good to see John and he had changed so much.  He was tall, distinguished, and still so very talented.

As I close, I think of my friend Mark and his wife who lost their son in Iraq.  Colin was certainly more than a name on a wall to his family and friends.

Maybe its time for us as a nation to start thinking about the cost of war in human terms.   I have gotten so I can barely stand to go to The Wall any more.  That’s my generation.   My mother felt that way about the WWII Memorial.  She never went.  Perhaps neither of us has the stomach for war.

 

Tribute: Some Gave All

MoonHowler

Some have given all since before we even were a country.  There have been approximately 1.1 million American casualties in all our wars.

Those numbers do not reflect the number of Americans who have been maimed by war.

death

Something to consider:

When men talk about war, the stories and terminology vary – it’s this battle, these weapons, this terrain. But no matter where you go in the world, women use the same language to speak of war. They speak of fire, they speak of death, and they speak of starvation.

Abigail Disney

 

Memorial Day Weekend, 2016: A Tribute to Warriors

MoonHowler

Over the Memorial Day weekend, Moonhowlings.net will pay tribute to those who have fallen. I hope you will drop by to help us remember those who gave all. On Memorial Day proper, Monday, George Harris will share his thoughts with us.

So, as we move into the holiday weekend, let’s remember that many, many warriors have not returned and that some who have will never be as they were.

Freedom has a huge price tag.

If you see a vet, I have never met one yet who doesn’t beam when you thank them for their service.  Rolling Thunder is usually a big giveaway.

Thanks to all our special vets here at Moonhowlings!  Thanks for your service!

Kelly**, George, Steve, BS, Moe, Starry,  Ivan, Cargo….Roll call!  Who have I left out?

 

 

** a special shout out!!!!

Trump trashes Republican Governor Martinez of NM

MoonHowler

 

NYtimes.com:

ALBUQUERQUE — Donald J. Trump is unlikely to win the general election unless he improves his dismal standing among Hispanics and women. But his efforts to win over those two crucial constituencies is off to a rocky start.

On Tuesday night, Mr. Trump purposefully attacked Gov. Susana Martinez of New Mexico, who in addition to being the most prominent Hispanic woman in American politics, also happens to be the chairwoman of the Republican Governors Association.

Appearing at a campaign rally in Albuquerque, the largest city in Ms. Martinez’s state, Mr. Trump unleashed a blistering assault on the governor, who skipped the event, by saying she was “not doing the job.”

He faulted her by falsely asserting she was allowing Syrian refugees to settle in the state, and blamed her for Albuquerque’s unemployment numbers as well as the increase in the number of New Mexico residents on food stamps.

“It’s your governor’s fault,” Mr. Trump told thousands of booing supporters. “We have to get your governor and get going. She’s got to do a better job, O.K.? Your governor has got to do a better job.”

The swipes at Ms. Martinez, delivered in two separate instances during his speech, seemed designed to send a message: If the presumptive Republican nominee is attacked, critics can expect Mr. Trump to hit them back far harder.

What is this guy’s problem?  Ms. Martinez is highly respected.  Trump gets low marks with both women and Latinos.  These kinds of unprovoked attacks certainly will harm him politically with these two groups.

Hopefully those who must say they support Trump to stay in good graces with their party will just go behind the curtain on election day and write in Mickey Mouse or some other more deserving candidate.

Meanwhile Trump continues to try to buy his ticket to the White House.  I simply will have no respect for any Republican who caves and supports this man.  There is just something evil about him.

Bearded student barred from his own graduation

MoonHowler

beard 2

Washingtonpost.com:

“I refused to shave because I felt as if that was ridiculous being that I went the whole school year with my facial hair,” he told The Post in a text message. “Plus, students from other schools in the district who graduated earlier that week marched with their facial hair, so why couldn’t I?”

Jones said he refused several times — then they asked for his gown.

“My parents came down and had a conversation with the school board members, discussing why they weren’t letting me march,” he said, “but it seemed as the superintendent wasn’t trying to hear anything they had to say.”

He added: “I just watched my graduation from the stands.”

Davis said Jones, a teenage father, worked hard in school, earning a 4.0 GPA and excelling in sports — track, football and basketball.

 
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Virginia: Do reinstated voting rights mean easier reinstated gun rights?

MoonHowler

gun-felon-illustration

Washingtonpost.com:

RICHMOND — Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s order last month restoringthe voting rights of 206,000 felons had an unintended consequence: It’s now easier for those ex-offenders to regain the right to own guns.

Before the order, felons who wanted to legally possess firearms first had to go through the process of having their civil rights reinstated, including the right to vote, to sit on a jury and to run for office.

That process — which involved submitting forms that were scrutinized by the secretary of the commonwealth’s staff, using the governor’s authority — is no longer in place.

Instead, felons who have completed their sentences can go straight to the step of petitioning the circuit court for firearm rights. Prosecutors review those petitions and can intervene if they believe a felon should continue to be barred from owning a weapon.

Days after McAuliffe (D) signed the April 22 voting-rights order, which was strongly opposed by leading Republicans in the GOP-controlled legislature, Secretary of the Commonwealth Kelly Thomasson warned commonwealth’s attorneys of a potential increase in gun rights requests.

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PWC School Board reduces teacher day by 30 minutes

MoonHowler

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bristowbeat.com:

The Prince William County School Board voted five to three Wednesday to reduce the length of the teacher workday from 7.5 hours to 7 hours.

The change will revert school work hours to the length they were prior to 2012; the measure goes into effect for the 2016-17 school year.

Potomac School board member Justin Wilk supported the action, along with Chairman Ryan Sawyers, Lillie Jessie (Occoquan), Willie Deutsch (Coles) and Diane Raulston (Neabsco.)

Gil Trenum (Brentsville), Alyson Satterwhite (Gainesville) and Loree Williams (Woodbridge) voted against the measure, saying they would rather support other changes to allow teachers more flexibility and autonomy in their use of planning time.

Wilk posed the the issue months ago, claiming teachers felt the initial 2012 vote was a punitive move against them.

Members were united on the need to boost teacher morale.

“I think, amazingly, we’re all on the same page,” Sawyers said.

Before the vote, Dr. Jennifer Cassata, Director of Accountability, presented the finding of a survey PWCS gave to teachers to help the administration better understand their feelings about the additional 30 minutes.

Good for the School Board.  Finally.   Yes, the addition of the half hour 4 years ago was a slap in the face.  It simply said no real raise but give us more time and like it.

No teacher walks in when the bell rings and walks out at dismissal.  There are always mandatory meetings, conferences or some other non-teaching duties that must be attended to.  This move by the School Board was symbolic but important to morale.

Here’s a novel idea–why not shorten the day AND allow more flexibility?  How about adding a couple personal days to those 3 days teachers already get?  How about making them unrestricted personal days for a full week?  There’s a start at saying the School Board  knows they are screwing their employees.  It’s sort of an “I’m sorry.”

Until the Board of County Supervisors stops playing on the cheap and supports education, this is just how things will be.  Classrooms will be over-crowded and teachers will be stressed.  The BOCS is too busy playing politics to notice.

The last laugh will be when no one goes into the field because of the crappy conditions.   Meanwhile, good for the SB for getting rid of the dreaded extended school day.

Zimmerman taunts Trayvon Martin’s parents

MoonHowler

dailybeast.com:

It wasn’t enough for George Zimmerman to kill Trayvon Martin.

In an interview with The Daily Beast this week, Zimmerman made it clear he has no remorse about shooting the 17-year-old boy to death in Sanford, Florida, and bears outright hostility for the parents whose son he took away forever.“They didn’t raise their son right. He attacked a complete stranger and attempted to kill him,” Zimmerman said of Martin.

“Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin did everything they could to capitalize on her son’s death,” he said. “She was never a mother figure to him. Tracy Martin couldn’t have cared less about their son. He treated him like a dog without a leash.”

Four years after Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin, the acquitted killer is trying to turn a profit on the gun he used to do it.
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Judge finds DC gun law violates right of self defense

MoonHowler

guns-in-DC

Washingtonpost.com:

 

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that a key provision of the District’s new gun law is probably unconstitutional, ordering D.C. police to stop requiring individuals to show “good reason” to obtain a permit to carry a firearm on the streets of the nation’s capital.

U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon found that the law violates the “core right of self-defense” granted in the Second Amendment, setting aside arguments from District officials that the regulation is needed to prevent crime and protect the public.

“The enshrinement of constitutional rights necessarily takes certain policy choices off the table,” Leon wrote in a 46-page opinion, quoting a 5-to-4 Supreme Court decision in 2008 in another District case that established a constitutional right to keep firearms inside one’s home.

Leon said the right applies both inside and outside the home.

“The District’s understandable, but overzealous, desire to restrict the right to carry in public a firearm for self-defense to the smallest possible number of law-abiding, responsible citizens is exactly the type of policy choice the Justices had in mind,” he wrote.

So what happens from here?   What does all this mean?

The Tuesday ruling imposed a preliminary injunction, pending further litigation. The decision means the city cannot deny concealed-carry permits to residents who do not show a good reason for needing a gun but otherwise would qualify for the permits.

What about non-residents who feel the need to carry a weapon inside the District of Columbia?

 

 

Alex Meyers: Revolutionary

MoonHowler

So where would you have Alex Meyers use the rest room?  He seems like a guy to me.  I would chase him out of the ladies room in a New York minute.

I think the problem some of us have is that we can’t wrap our heads around our gender not always matching our genitalia.   I can’t imagine identifying as a male.  The closest I can get to it is attempting to use the bathroom standing up.  I got a good hard spanking for that stunt!    That has nothing to do with transgender.

I admit that “transgender” confuses me.  It probably confuses most of us who classify ourselves as “normal.”

Regardless, discrimination is simply wrong.

Erickson accuses Republicans of hypocrisy

MoonHowler

RedState Editor-in-Chief Erick Erickson makes comments to attendees at the 2014 Red State Gathering, Friday, Aug. 8, 2014, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Washingtonexaminer.com:

Conservative activist and radio host Erick Erickson, distraught at Republican voters choosing Donald Trump as their nominee, wants the GOP to officially apologize to former president Bill Clinton.

In a Friday blog post, Erickson accused Republicans of hypocrisy for having impeached Clinton in the 1990s for his conduct toward women, while now backing a “womanizer” in their own party.

“Republicans owe Bill Clinton an apology for impeaching him over lies and affairs while now embracing a pathological liar and womanizer,” said Erickson. “That apology will not be forthcoming. In fact, for years Republicans have accused the Democrats of gutter politics and shamelessness. Now the Republicans themselves have lost their sense of shame.”

Erickson has long been a Trump critic and recently admitted that he will not support the presumptive GOP nominee, nor will he support Hillary Clinton, who is likely to win the Democratic nomination.

“On the campaign trail, Trump was more a pathological liar than Bill Clinton ever was,” said Erickson. “He smeared his opponents, their wives, and their families. He embraced 9/11 trutherisms that George Bush was to blame for the attacks, he peddled malignant, false stories about Ted Cruz’s father, and few Republicans ever called on him to account. Many gave him passes on the lies they would never give to Bill Clinton.”

I absolutely agree with with Erick Erickson.   (Gasp)  How can anyone criticize any other politician for lying and morals if that person defends or supports Donald Trump.  Hypocrisy is at an all time high in elephant-villa for those who criticize anyone other than Trump.  If Erick Erickson thinks someone is sexist and repugnant, then geez, it must be true.

Isn’t he the guy who constantly demands that women get back to the kitchen and cook his dinner?

The world has turned upside down.

School Board Meeting Briefs: The forked tongue?

MoonHowler

What’s going on at school board meetings in PWC?  I am hearing just horrible stories coming out of those meetings–stories of teachers being threatened, students in certain districts being threatened as far as funding goes,

Tell me it isn’t so!!  I decided I would go look for myself.  I tried to find the video of last night’s meeting.  Talk about a wild goose chase.  Finding the video of a meeting is difficult and definitely not intuitive.

I finally was directed to the little TV icon on the main website, www.pwcs.edu.  Finally.  When I got to the site, guess what!  The board meeting had not been posted.

Come on school board site.  You have more resources than the non-school part of the county and their board meetings are up and running several hours after the meeting is over.  You can do better.

If what I hear is true, that board meeting archive will probably disappear anyway.  However, before that, I would like to watch the May 4, 2016 meeting  for myself.

Every day I offer up thanks…that I no longer work for Prince William County.