School board member threatens Godwin teachers: I’ll be looking at you

MoonHowler

https://www.facebook.com/TracyAConroy/videos/10154143168594901/

 

I would be remiss as a former Prince William County educator if I did not address the behavior of Neabsco School Board member Ms Diane Ralston who told the Godwin Middle School teachers that she would be watching them. She also suggested that those teachers who had spoken against the name change did not belong at that school.

You have to hear it for yourselves.

I have to say Ms. Raulston’s remarks were threatening and totally unacceptable. I heard some teachers had considered resigning.

Teachers: Don’t be fools. Do not resign. Hold your heads up high and continue to teach and inspire the boys and girls of Godwin Middle School. There are legal resources to handle these kinds of threats from your employer. I was approached tonight by someone who will represent you. Please contact me and I will pass along the information to you. [email protected]

Ms. Raulston should consider resigning immediately. Her behavior makes her unsuited for any role of leadership in Prince William County Schools. We absolutely cannot have our teachers threatened in this way.

It’s one thing to threaten a colleague as she did Willie Deutsch, ordering him to stay out of her district. It’s quite another thing to threaten employees.

It is my greatest hope that Ms. Raulston will think about the liabilities associated with her actions and at least attempt to walk back her remarks. We cannot have teachers threatened and admonished for their thoughts and opinions.  The first amendment is still functioning in Prince William County.  Those Godwin teachers are the closest ones to the community and the children. We want happy teachers, not beaten down, scared, watched teachers.

We cannot have members of our school board bullying their colleagues or their employees.

Trump rally violence continues

MoonHowler

Talkingpointsmemo.com:

A black protester was jostled and shoved by white Donald Trump supporters Tuesday at a rally in Louisville, Kentucky, according to local news station WLKY.

Video published by the news station showed the black protestor, whom it did not identify, being confronted and pushed by white rally attendees until she left. The protester told WLKY on Tuesday night that she was doing well but trying to “process everything.”

Blogger and Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King later identified the protester as University of Louisville student Shiya Nwanguma. Nwanguma alleged in a Facebook video that the rally attendees called her “a n***** and a c***.”[ED. Note:  expletives redacted by admin. @Moonhowlings.net]

“I just got escorted out by the police,” she said in the video. “The people at the rally, they were pushing and shoving at me, cursing at me, yelling at me, called me every name in the book. They’re disgusting and dangerous.”

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America, we have a problem!

MoonHowler

Washingtonpost.com:

A former U.S. Marine was assaulted at a downtown Washington McDonald’s restaurant Friday night in an attack the victim said was racially motivated, according to D.C. police.

Christopher Andrew Marquez — who attends American University and ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2014 in California — said in an interview that the attack occurred after several black youths asked him whether “black lives matter” and then called him racist.

Marquez, who is Hispanic, called the incident unprovoked. It occurred at the restaurant in the 900 block of E Street NW.

According to a D.C. police report, Marquez, 30, told officers that a group of at least four youths were loud and began to argue with him. The report says Marquez told police that one youth hit him in the face with a handgun and stole bank cards and his wallet with $400 inside. The incident was first reported by the Daily Caller, a conservative Internet news and opinion site.

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Rep. Don Young: races to the bottom with homeless remark

MoonHowler

Huffingtonpost.com:

Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) suggested Thursday that the solution to homelessness is wolves. Young made the comment during a House Natural Resources Committee hearing during an exchange with Interior Secretary Sally Jewell. He was arguing that gray wolves should be taken off the endangered species list, criticizing the National Park Service and his congressional colleagues who seek to protect the animals.

“How many of you have got wolves in your district? None. None. Not one,” Young said, calling the gray wolf “a predator.”

“We’ve got 79 congressmen sending you a letter, they haven’t got a damn wolf in their whole district,” Young added. “I’d like to introduce them in your district. If I introduced them in your district, you wouldn’t have a homeless problem anymore.”

Why do people make remarks that savage the weakest and helpless of our society. I think Congressman Young has hit a new low. I thought that suggesting that immigrants should be dog food was low.(See our beginnings tab)

In the race to the bottom a new nadir has been reached by Congressman Young who suggested that he would introduce wolves into someone’s district to thin out the homeless population. Does Congress not censure these people? What an ignorant, grotesque, evil suggestion. Decent human beings don’t think like this man does.

Free Range Parents Investigated for Neglect by CPS

MoonHowler

Washingtonpost.com:

It was a one-mile walk home from a Silver Spring park on Georgia Avenue on a Saturday afternoon. But what the parents saw as a moment of independence for their 10-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter, they say authorities viewed much differently. Danielle and Alexander Meitiv say they are being investigated for neglect for the Dec. 20 trek — in a case they say reflects a clash of ideas about how safe the world is and whether parents are free to make their own choices about raising their children.

Let me start off by saying that if things were this stringent when my kids were coming along, I would be in the jail probably for about ten years.  My kids ran all over the place and once they got a little age on them, there were times I didn’t know right where they were.  They also didn’t have cell phones. What is the free-range movement?  According to WaPo:

The Meitivs say they believe in “free-range” parenting, a movement that has been a counterpoint to the hyper-vigilance of “helicopter” parenting, with the idea that children learn self-reliance by being allowed to progressively test limits, make choices and venture out in the world. “The world is actually even safer than when I was a child, and I just want to give them the same freedom and independence that I had — basically an old-fashioned childhood,” she said. “I think it’s absolutely critical for their development — to learn responsibility, to experience the world, to gain confidence and competency.”

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Always listen to your reporting alligators

MoonHowler

alligator

 

Every so often someone raises the the question about my anonymity.  I am not anonymous.  Most people know who I am and I have said many times, if you want to know who I am, email me.  Unless you are a troll, I will tell you.

Not only do most people know who I am, they also know how to get hold of me.  Such was the case today.  I got a call from a person who said they weren’t a birdie but they were an alligator swimming in the moat at the McCoart building.  Too funny.  I have never noticed a moat down there but if s/he says so, I’ll believe it.  My alligator then told me that there was a huge groundswell of support for none other than Melissa Peacor.  S/he then said that it was from people who really had little to do with her on a daily basis.  It was also from people who weren’t too fond of her, mainly because of gossip they had heard.

When someone is attacked, one of two things usually happen.  That person can be seen as a scapegoat and everyone turns on them.  There are classic examples of scapegoating in both the new and old testaments of the bible.  There are hundreds of examples in literature.  The same group mentality exists, oddly enough, down through the ages.

Scapegoating (from the verb “to scapegoat“) is the practice of singling out any party for unmerited negative treatment or blame as a scapegoat. Scapegoating may be conducted by individuals against individuals.

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Rachel Maddow: Virginia TRAP laws shame Virginia

MoonHowler


It will be up to the women of Virginia to decide if the Republicans are going to make deeply personal decision for them.

The people on the board were threatened by the governor and the attorney general.

From last week– too much else was going on.

Richmond Times Dispatch:

At least one board member said members of the panel felt threatened by a memo from the office of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli that warned board members could lose legal representation from the Attorney General’s Office if they ignored its advice.

In June, the board had voted 7-4 to exempt existing abortion clinics from the new construction standards, only to have Cuccinelli’s office refuse to certify the regulations.

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Virginia Proposed Anti-Bully Legislation

MoonHowler

From the Washington Post, Virginia Politics Blog:

NoVa. delegates push anti-bullying legislation

By Rosalind S. Helderman

Two Northern Virginia Democrats are sponsoring legislation to attempt to curb teen bullying, a topic that’s received heightened national attention due to a spate of suicides of teenagers who had been targeted by classmates.

Del. Adam Ebbin (D-Arlington) is proposing a billthat would make egregious bullying a criminal misdemeanor, punishable by up to 1 year in jail and a $2,500 fine. Ebbin cited the case of York County high school student Christian Taylor, who committed suicide in May.

Taylor’s mother has said she complained to school officials and local sheriff’s deputies that the 16-year old was being bullied but they did little to help. The local sheriff’s office has said it investigated her complaints and turned them over to school officials after determining no laws had been broken. In a wrongful death suit she has filed against local officials, Taylor’s mother indicates that her son’s bully allegedly told him before his death: “You need to just go ahead and kill yourself and get it over with.”

Ebbin’s bill would define bullying as “recklessly or intentionally endangering the health or safety of a student by exposing the student repeatedly, and over time, to physical aggression or intimidation, whether through direct physical contact or through the use of information or communication technology, resulting in bodily injury or other harm to person or property.” It would also give victims the right to sue those who have bullied them.

 

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1 in 3 Admit to Being Bullied by a Boss

MoonHowler

1 in 3 adults admit to have been bullied by a boss.  According to USA Today:

One in three adults has experienced workplace bullying, according to surveys conducted earlier this year by research firm Zogby International for the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI). Nearly three-fourths of bullying is from the top down, according to a 2007 study.

 Some tyrannical managers scream and send out scathing e-mails. But often, an oppressor uses a more subtle — and easily covered — collection of behaviors. These actions could include purposely leaving a worker out of communications so they can’t do their job well, mocking someone during meetings and spreading malicious gossip about their target, says Catherine Mattice, a workplace consultant who specializes in this issue.

 The acts may seem trivial, but as they build up over time, the ramifications can be monumental.

 Bullied workers often feel anxious and depressed, can’t sleep and are at increased risk for ailments such as hypertension. Some employees feel so overwhelmed, they just can’t see a way out. “Sometimes, unfortunately, suicide is the result,” Mattice says.

 Do people just accept bullying more from a boss?  Do they fear retaliation to the point of being fired?  Why are people more willing to put up with it? 

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Another Bullying Story with a Bad Ending

MoonHowler

 

The cable news channels are full of the sad story of Tyler Clementi.  Tyler was a freshman at Rutgers University and committed suicide last week by jumping off a bridge to his death in the Hudson River.  What caused this young man to go to such drastic measures to end his life?

Tyler had a sexual encounter in his dorm room.  Apparently he asked for the room until midnight.  Unbeknownst to him, the roommate left his computer open and the web cam streamed the entire episode onto the Internet.  The roommate and a friend tweeted the information.  Tyler’s encounter was with another man. 

One has to ask what kind of monsters would do something like this?  Recording this young man’s personal sexual encounter was just another form of bullying.  Bullying goes on all the time.  In fact, there is an epidemic going on in this country and it isn’t just against gays.  Phoebe Prince  of Massachusetts wasn’t gay.  She was basically tortured to death by her peers, who have been charged in her death.  Tyler’s bullies, Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei, have been charged with invasion of privacy.  They can receive punishment of up to five years in prison. 

People don’t send their children to public school or to college to have them bullied by others to the point they take their own lives. Suicide with gay youth is 4 times that of straight kids. Yet, is bullying just a phenomena with young people or can it happen with any group? Does it happen at the office, in the neighborhood, in our political dealings, on the blogs? Bullying can and does happen everywhere.

We all need to look to see if our behavior involves bullying. We also need to watch for bullying behavior with our kids. Some of the most serious bullying starts with older siblings. However, experts say that today’s technology allows bullying to be carried to new levels. No longer are kids just beaten up on the playground or jumped on the way home and their lunch money stolen like in the good old days. Now people can sit behind a computer, such as happened with Tyler Clementi, and create situations that make someone’s life no longer worth living. Some folks survive and laugh at their tormentors. Others, like Tyler, decide to end it all.

Manassas Old Town Merchants Asked to Close up Shop for an Hour

MoonHowler

It has come to our attention that the merchants of  Old Town Manassas are being asked by the anti-KK zealots to close up shop for 1 hour during the middle of Fall Festival, between 12:00 and 1:00 pm.  Are they nuts? 

Fall Festival and the other events held in the City are to promote fun, highlight the city, and bring in folks to spend money in the City of Manassas.  Localities all over America do this and each place tries to add its own unique touch to an event; something that makes the festival special. 

What kind of a self-serving, narcissistic, selfish person would ask merchants in this economic crunch to turn away potential business for an hour?  Why?  Are they going to pay each merchant their lost revenue?  Are they going to replace the BPOL tax loss for the  City?  Are they going to replace the sales tax to the state?  Are they going to pay the salaries of the worker bees who might get put on unpaid ‘break’ for an hour? 

Do these people think that the average shopper coming from outside Old Town Manassas gives a fig about KK Temptations, which by the way,  isn’t even open for business yet?   The Moonhowlings roving reporters will be taking note of which businesses were bullied into closing.  We will publish those names.  Our readers and contributors may handle the situation as they feel best. 

[Clarification:  People may chose to spend their money in establishments opposing KK Temptations or instead they may choose to withhold their money from said establishments.]

One has to ask what on earth these people are trying to do to the City.  This proposed behavior is illogical.  What people boycott themselves?  The object of the boycott won’t even be open for business. 

Knowledge is power.  This boycott is all about bullying and power.  Some of us will not allow ourselves to be bullied.

Elena

Moon-howler

What’s a Dad to Do?

MoonHowler

There’s a story on all the cable channels today about the father of a handicapped child who got so upset and enraged over his child being bullied that he got on the school bus, asked his child to point out her tormentors, and verbally blasted the kids hazing his daughter.

Teams of ‘experts’ are analyzing the situation.  The dad was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.  He said he had complained to the school and nothing was done.  He will now stand trial.  We don’t know what will happen with the daughter or the boys who were throwing stuff on her and pinning her ears back.  The daughter has cerebral palsy and it has been reported that she is on suicide watch.

First off, let’s look at all the sides.   The father is frustrated.  He reports his concern to the school and the horrible behavior towards his daughter continues.  Most of it apparently is happening on the bus.  He is so upset over his inability to protect his child that he loses it and cusses out and threatens the kids who are perpetrating the problem.

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The Real Impact of the AG Abortion Clinic Opinion

MoonHowler

Rachel Maddow does an excellent job of showing how rights can be taken away by making whatever it is that people are trying to do  inaccessible.  Inaccessibility  substitutes for making an act illegal.  Its a rather cowardly, un-democratic means of getting one’s own political way.  Maddow  also interviews the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

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

Maddow explains how hospital regulations would financially  burden abortion providers rather than making abortion safer (Double wide hallways, swinging doors, 15 mile proximity to emergency room, etc.) Cuccinelli’s explanation is vague and full of weasel words, so that the average Virginian really doesn’t know what is being said.

Cuccinelli  attempted draconian, technically illegal abortion legislation while he served in the Virginia Senate.  He was unable to ever pass his legislation.  Now he attempts to circumvent legislation by simply declaring his opinion to be law.  His attempts to codify his own opinion won’t fly for long. 

Cuccinelli will not last. Most people don’t like having other people in their bedrooms. It remains to be seen if McDonnell will execute Cuccinelli’s opinion into state policy. Meanwhile, Cuccinelli has driven Virginia so far to the cultural right that he endangers other Republicans who might not be extremists.

Finally, Maddow addresses something the rest of us have been aware of for a long time. There is a tendency to bully those who are pro-choice. Many pro-choice people feel too  intimidated to admit they are pro-choice, much less hold their legislators accountable for their votes. Every woman in Virginia must decide that the women of Virginia are capable of making their own morally appropriate choices. They need to decide today that they will not allow others to define them. Pro-choice is not being pro-abortion and do not let anyone tell you it is.

UVA President Sends Strong Message on Toxic Relationships and Domestic Abuse

MoonHowler
Candleight Vigil for Yeardly Love
Candleight Vigil for Yeardly Love

UVA President John Casteen III delivered a chilling, emotional speech to those gathered at the candlelight vigil for slain lacrosse player Yeardly Love. His message should be repeated over and over in middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities, churches, libraries–just about anywhere there are women.

Casteen told the mourners  that we are all responsible for getting people help who are entangled and trapped in toxic, violent relationships. We can not longer just tell our friends, relatives and acquaintances to ditch a toxic relationship. We have to step forward and perhaps make some of those unpopular calls. Doing so might just save someone’s life–someone like Yeardly Love’s life.

The fraternity of silence and the culture of hiding abuse can no longer be tolerated.

President Casteen’s  remarks at the candlelight vigil for Yeardley Love:

There are profound ironies in our gathering here tonight for this purpose. This is the spring time. It’s the time of year for renewal, for new beginnings. And yet we have come here to grieve the ending of a young life, of Yeardley Love’s life, one full of promise and high prospects—and one not unlike yours.

I want to talk tonight about Yeardley Love, and I want to talk about you, and about this community—about us. Some of what I have to say is very hard. Bear with me, and listen.

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