Monday, April 19, Jenna Bush Hager interviewed none other than Bill Clinton. The 2 shared playful moments as Ms. Hager laughed about her grandfather talking more about Bill Clinton than he did the others. He quipped back that every family has their ‘black sheep.’ They also discussed Chelsea’s upcoming wedding in a tender father moment.
Hager – a teacher by trade whom NBC hired last year as an occasional “Today” contributor – thanked Clinton for engaging in the “rarity” of “a Bush interviewing a Clinton.” Clinton joked in response: “I was thinking, you know, if your family fed in questions I’d be cooked.”
“No, no. They love you,” said Hager. “In fact, they joke that you’re my grandfather’s stepson … because he talks about you more than he talks about anyone else in the family.”
This, Clinton noted, would probably make him the “black sheep” in the Bush family.
Around 3 pm today, residents of Montcoal, West Virginia heard an all too familiar sound of multiple sirens tearing through their small, close-knit mining town. 7 miners have been reported killed and 19 more are still missing.
The cause of the blast is unknown. However, that mine has had a series of safety violations, many resulting from not properly ventilating methane gas. According the the Washington Post:
Nine miners were leaving on a vehicle that takes them in and out of the long shaft, when a crew ahead of the them felt a blast of air and went back to investigate, said Kevin Stricklin, an administrator for the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.
They found nine workers, seven of whom were dead. Two others were injured. Two other nine-person crews and a safety inspector who had been working alone were believed trapped, perhaps about a mile and a half underground, said Stricklin, an administrator for Coal Mine Safety and Health. Officials do not believe that the roof collapsed.
Dozens of rescuers were at the scene about 30 miles south of Charleston, but it was unclear whether the mine was safe enough for them to enter and look for the trapped men.
Mining disasters are not uncommon to that area. The last West Virginia accident was at the Sago mine in 2006. A list of mining disasters in that area can be found at WVminesafety.org
I feel certain everyone’s thoughts and prayers will be for the victims, the missing, their families, and the town of Montcoal.
Tomorrow is the big day! There is more excitement over the new apple Ipad than there is over the Easter bunny. Saturday, April 3, 2010, the Ipad goes on sale in Apple stores across the nation. Even the Apple employees have yet to see a real one.
Some of us love gadgets and cannot wait. I didn’t order one. I want to wait for the 3G one. It costs $130 more but you can drive around with it. Why be tethered to your wi-fi. Supposedly kids fight over them. No kid had better touch mine when I get it. It sounds like a good way to draw back a bloody stump.
Bullying is a serious problem in the United States. It has always been around on playgrounds, at schools, and in the neighborhood. However, with the widespread use of the Internet, bullying has become more pervasive and yes, virulent. Verbal taunts and physical threats became a way of life for one young immigrant girl.
15-year-old Phoebe Prince was the victim of extreme bullying from her peers. Phoebe, who recently moved South Hadley, MA from Ireland, was bullied by classmates until she hanged herself in January. The bullying was described as relentless and happened in the halls, at school, in the library, in class, via cell phone messages and on the Internet. Nine teenagers have been indicted for the death of this young girl.
According to the New York Times:
The prosecutor brought charges Monday against nine teenagers, saying their taunting and physical threats were beyond the pale and led the freshman, Phoebe Prince, to hang herself from a stairwell in January.
The charges were an unusually sharp legal response to the problem of adolescent bullying, which is increasingly conducted in cyberspace as well as in the schoolyard and has drawn growing concern from parents, educators and lawmakers
Of course the tormentors bear the main responsibility for the girl’s death. But are others culpable? How about the parents of those kids? How about the school? How about her friends? Was anyone aware that this was going on? Didn’t some teacher notice that a child was being tortured? How do parents help their children when they are being bullied? This tragedy seems so avoidable.
I have a several problems with this. The young man was rude. He was on McCain’s turf. It was a McCain rally. He disrupted. No excuse. Then there is this thing about 2 wrongs not making a right. I saw a swing taken. I saw 2 people hauling the perp away. However, were these 2 dudes security? If yes, how am I supposed to know that? When John McCain came to PWC, our PWC police were there, in uniform, being paid overtime by us, the people of PWC. Had there been a heckler, he or she would have been taken out professionally by PWC’s finest. You and I paid for it here. John McCain needs to pay for it with his campaign funds rather than it looking like a bunch of bubbas hauled the guy away.
Elizabeth Hasselbeck agrees with the rest of The View:
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Elizabeth Hasselbeck says targets and cross hairs on Palin’s website are dispictable. She speaks out against Palin using poor judgement and about the violence surrounding the passage of the Health Care Bill. All the women seemed to be in agreement.
Idiot thrown out of the McCain/Palin Rally
Click here to see a howling idiot. The video kept startling up with a life of its own so I took it down.
Check out the second video labeled UPDATE: Scuffle
Another protester is throw out of the McCain/Palin Rally. This guy is not playing with both oars in the water, it appears. If this guy is at the same rally, the video shows that there were uniformed officers. Whoever hauled the man away in the first video might not have been authorized. Not a smart move.
And as the grand finale: The Spitting Incident last Sunday
Unfortunately, I cannot imbed the video. Click here for the LINK. Follow the guy in the white baseball cap. You might need to watch several times. The dude is not manning up to what he did. He clearly knows what happened from his gestures.
Sean Hannity asks for proof. Well, people will see what they want to see. To me, these video show that jerks and idiots come in all political flavors.
Soooo, has everyone calmed down from the latest Biden gaff? I listen to Joe now with my ears perked…waiting for him to put his foot in his mouth. I used to do the same thing with George Bush and Dan Quayle. The media has made too much out of mocking these three and they never let us down.
However on Monday when VP Biden blurted out that the new health care legislation was a BFD, I didn’t blink. I was waiting for a different type of gaff. I even heard it and it didn’t even make me blink. Or maybe I didn’t care. Maybe my own mouth has deteriorated to the point I don’t notice. I have a 4 year old granddaughter who slaps her thighs and roars with laughter, screaming WHAT THE HELL, when those hamsters drive their rat wheels down the street. I guess someone has reinforced negative behavior. And yes, at age 4, saying ‘what the hell’ IS potty mouth.
I have heard all sorts of moaning and groaning over bad Biden being in the East Room of the White House and dropping the F-Bomb. These same people I heard gasping over Biden’s potty mouth defended the other V-P, Cheney, for telling Senator Leahy to go ‘f-bomb himself on the floor of the Senate. I don’t really think one area is more sacred than the other. Either both need their respective mouths washed out with soap (Lifebouy was one of the soaps of choice) or we suck it up and move on, barely noticing.
When the term ‘douche bag’ is used with great regularity on TV on 10 PM shows, there really is no where to go but up. I am of the opinion that people can talk any way they want in their own homes. However, clean it up when they go out in public. That includes in bars, malls, schools, at other drivers on the road, and on TV.
So where have we come as a nation with our profanity? Did Biden just make BFD (and the fact that the acronym needs no explanation in the first place speaks volumes) a household word or perhaps he reflected the norm? Who sets the tone for our language being considered acceptable? ‘Our Mothers’ is not the right answer.
We have seen enough of Joe Biden at the open mic. For a change of pace, here is what brings out the potty tongue in my house these days:
Courtland Milloy is a Metro Section Washington Post columnist. The other day someone on this blog intimated that I would have no idea how a black person would feel and that I was insulting. Let’s look at it through someone’s eyes who meets all the qualifications. I have no opinion. Milloy has been with the Washington Post since 1983. I found the opinion piece to be rather humbling. I would like to highlight someone else’s opinion. We don’t have to agree with Milloy, but we need to view this incident through someone’s eyes other than our own. These are not MY sentiments but I feel it is imperative that we acknowledge how someone else might feel.
Washington Post 3/24/10
Courtland Milloy: Congressmen show grace, restraint in the face of disrespect
UNIÓN, Mexico — Gunmen believed to be linked to drug traffickers shot a pregnant American consulate worker and her husband to death in the violence-racked border town of Ciudad Juárez over the weekend, leaving their baby wailing in the back seat of their car, the authorities said Sunday. The gunmen also killed the husband of another consular employee and wounded his two young children.
Gunmen killed an American consulate worker and her husband in Ciudad Juárez. Their baby was found in the back seat.
Reuters
The New York Times
The F.B.I. was sending agents to Ciudad Juárez on Sunday.
The shootings took place minutes apart and appeared to be the first deadly attacks on American officials and their families by Mexico’s powerful drug organizations, provoking an angry reaction from the White House. They came during a particularly bloody weekend when nearly 50 people were killed nationwide in drug-gang violence, including attacks in Acapulco as American college students began arriving for spring break.
The Mexican govenment has 10,000 troops in border towns. Secretary of Clinton has sent strong warnings to the Meixican government. Triggering the drug trafficking is competition over the American drug market. What steps can be taken to cut down on Americans and American interests being harmed by this continuing violence? it all seems rather hopeless. Americans use drugs, human beings are greedy. Where is the weak link here?
Ex-Congressman Eric Massa’s behavior, rhetoric, and constantly changing story today on Glenn Beck had Arianna Huffington, Anderson Cooper, and David Gergen so amused/disgusted/incredulous that Huffington said she actually sympathized with Glenn Beck for having to interview Massa for an hour.
Gergen used a similar analogy. “People say that Washington politics is a freak show,” he observed. “And Eric Massa is writing a whole new chapter.
Whenever the chapter is complete, it may contain a memorable quote form Gergen about his time in the Navy.
“I don’t remember any tickle fights.”
Perhaps Massa’s story about the shower is purely a figure of his imagination. No one seems to be buying into his line of bull these days, from either camp. I doubt if anyone cares that he is gone. Glenn Beck protected his audience from having to observe the book of tickle fights that Massa brought with him. Beck looked simply dumbfounded that anyone would be showing a book like that. (Something from Massa’s Navy days)
The Texas Textbook Wars have begun and it is truly a clash of cultural warriors vs. mainstream America. So why does anyone care what textbooks Texas purchases? Texas is the 2nd largest purchaser of textbooks in the nation. California is the first. However, California’s financial woes are so bad that they have postponed purchasing textbooks for the time being.
So whats the big fight over? Texas has been known as clearing house for textbooks for several decades. What goes in, what goes, who gets mentioned and who is shunned is often determined ‘deep in the heart of Texas.’ Because California is not buying new textbooks, all the textbook publishers are kowtowing to Texas. According to Myfox in Phoenix:
What happens in Texas – is likely to impact your child’s textbooks, no matter where you live. That’s because the Lone Star state is one of the top textbook buyers in the world, so publishers write to Texas curriculum standards and the books are sold nationwide.
This week, the Texas State Board of Education will be hammering out social studies curriculum and stirring up plenty of controversy.
“The cultural war, has regrettably not ended. And of the biggest, most important fronts now are curriculum battles in Texas and indeed around the country because the next generation of young people need to understand good science, good history, comprehensive sex education.” said Barry Lynn, a church-state separation advocate.
But as 15 elected board members prepare to make those decisions in Texas this week, conservatives say there are organized, liberal groups in these textbook fights who want to sanitize our country’s history.
“Our founders acknowledge the reliance upon divine providence, that we’re endowed by our Creator with these inalienable rights, and this idea that now you remove that as if it does not exist it really goes to the depths of what these groups trying to get at, and that is to expunge any reference to America’s religious heritage.” said Jay Sekulow from the American Center for Law and Justice
Math seems to be fairly protected from politics. However, science and social studies texts are rife with contention. The biggest issue in science has to do with origin of the earth ideas and evolution/Darwinism. Many fundamentalist Christians oppose teaching about anything that is Darwin and words like ‘secular humanist’ are used to describe those who believe the earth is more than 6,000 years old.
Social Studies is also a huge area of controversy because of the foundations of this nation. There is also great dispute over who our national heroes really are and what their role is in history. Terms like revisionist history are thrown about as well as terms like afro-centrism and euro-centrism. Patrick Henry sometimes gives way to Benjamin Banneker. George Patton and Douglas MacArthur might not be included. Colin Powell might be the potential replacement. Conservatives hold dear to their heroes and insist that those who have been revered throughout history stay at the forefront for children to read about and to be standard bearers.
Religion and religious topics continue to be argued as some parents and politicians fight to retain holidays like Christmas and Easter as units of study while others want all reference to Halloween stomped out.
One parent, Vivian Scretchen says “One day my son came home with an assignment for– it was around– it was around Christmas.”
But other parents believe religious discussions aren’t suited to secular classrooms.
“What I’m saying is that public schools don’t need to place this in their curriculum. Because it is– it’s potentially offensive to some. And it– it isn’t what a public school should be teaching.” said Jane Miller, a parent.
The Texas Board has already had showdowns over whether to get rid of mentions of Christmas, the Liberty Bell and Neil Armstrong. Some of the debate continues, but the backlash was so bad when the public got wind of the Christmas issue that the Board quickly voted to save it.
How sad that even textbooks have become political and part of the culture wars. What can parents do to make sure their voice is heard? What impact does this battle front have on language arts? What if your school districts ends up with a very conservative set of text books because nothing else is available? What can schools do? How about the other direction? Are there remedies? Will climate change be as contentious as Darwinism?
An air traffic controller and his supervisor have been put on leave because the air traffic controller allowed his kids to come to work with him. On the first day, the son spoke with pilots from the tower. Day 2, the daughter repeated the behavior. FAA folks are furious. “Take your child to work” wasn’t such a good idea in this case.
The cable news channels have been filled with the audios of the kids talking with pilots. The pilots have also come under criticism for not asking to speak with an adult. General consensus has been How stupid can you be!
It seems that convicted killer Paul Powell has filed for clemency. His lawyers say even though he has been bizarre and obnoxious he doesn’t deserve to do. His execution has been set for March 18.
Theboom boom boom we have all heard is coming from Quantico. The News and Messenger reports the following:
Quantico Marine Corps is blasting this week.
Residents in the area have been hearing loud booms today as a result munitions training that is expected to last all week. The overcast skies are increasing noise and vibrations, base officials said.
The training continues through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. each day.
The BOCS met yesterday. I believe they voted to restrict parking long Coppermine Drive off Williamson Blvd. I sure hope so. It is a blight. I do wish the BOCS would read out what they are voting on and what yea and nay means in the case of the vote. I often am unsure what the vote is. It would add more transparency to county government.
On Wednesday, former presidential candidate and Fox host Mike Huckabee pushed back at conservative bloggers who were “uncivil” about his recent decision to bring First Lady Michelle Obama onto his show to talk about her campaign to fight child obesity.
Huckabee’s show was the first lady’s debut appearance on Fox News, and there was considerable push back from viewers. “Some bloggers, it seemed, wanted me to bring her on my show only if I yelled at her. Or it seemed they wanted me to hit her,” Huckabee told a crowd in Wichita, Kansas.
[Huckabee] said he disagrees with nearly every policy position of her husband, but that attacking people doesn’t accomplish anything. The viciousness of attacks from all sides, he said, are “disgusting … the anger and the meanness.”
Mediaitereports that Michelle Obama’s appearance on Huckabee gave the show its lowest ratings of 2010.
I like to bring Mike Huckabee out as a shining star every once in a while. Huckabee respresents a decency I like. Could I probably vote for him? No. He is far too conservative politically for me. But I can like him. Like goes a long way. When I feel like I am getting too partisan (and Marshall-gate has made me feel that way.) the decency of Mike Huckabee restores my sense of equilibrium.
Mr. Huckabee loves music and his band, the Little Rockers do a good job of highlighting artists who are not the stars of today. The Little Rockers are building employees at Fox News.
We need more Mike Huckabees who always represent civility in politics. In many ways, Huckabee admonishes us all as bloggers also. As we sit behind our computer screens, would we say some of the things that come out of the ends of our fingers to a person’s face? On Anti-bvbl, probably 95% of the time, yes. Those who virulently attack others usually don’t make it ‘out on the floor’ of this blog. However, not all blogs can make that claim. Mike Huckabee is a standard we all can admire whether we agree with his politics or not. Mike Huckabee is a gentleman.
Monday night about 7:30 pm, a 50 year old lady was run down in the street, right on Grant Avenue near Byrd Drive in Georgetown South. She was simply crossing the street with a friend. The car that hit her kept on driving without regard for her welfare. The lady’s family is currently looking all over for a car that might have the kind of body damage that happens when it strikes a human. The lady suffered life-threatening injuries.
It is horribly distressing to learn that someone in our area is so selfish and callous that they would not even stop after hitting someone with their vehicle. Hit and Run is a felony. What is also disturbing is that I cannot find the lady’s name anywhere in the news. This lady has a name and is currently fighting for her life in the hopital. Can our local news agencies tell us a name so we can wish her well? Can the community help the family with any needs she might have? Can we send flowers or cards? When do we protect privacy to this degree? Something is wrong here. The lady has a name.
UPDATE: The Manassas News and Messenger has updated its article on Ms. Morton who is struggling for her life at Inova Hospital. Meanwhile her relatives continue their quest to find the car who hit her. Ms. Morton was thrown 60 feet through the air. Full article
This is a horrible story and the driver of this vehicle should be caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Meanwhile, our thoughts and prayers go out to Ms. Morton and her family. May she have a full recovery. Kudos to the Manassas News and Messenger for doing a follow-up story on this heinous crime.
According to the New York Times, data sharing between the C.I.A. and leading scientists has resumed.
The nation’s top scientists and spies are collaborating on an effort to use the federal government’s intelligence assets — including spy satellites and other classified sensors — to assess the hidden complexities of environmental change. They seek insights from natural phenomena like clouds and glaciers, deserts and tropical forests.
Basically speaking, US top scientists are receiving top security clearances to have access to C.I.A. reconnaisance material. This program was shut down by the Bush administration. It has the strong approval of the director of the C.I.A. and of leading scientists.
In the last year, as part of the effort, the collaborators have scrutinized images of Arctic sea ice from reconnaissance satellites in an effort to distinguish things like summer melts from climate trends, and they have had images of the ice pack declassified to speed the scientific analysis.
The trove of images is “really useful,” said Norbert Untersteiner, a professor at the University of Washington who specializes in polar ice and is a member of the team of spies and scientists behind the effort.
Scientists, Dr. Untersteiner said, “have no way to send out 500 people” across the top of the world to match the intelligence gains, adding that the new understandings might one day result in ice forecasts.
“That will be very important economically and logistically,” Dr. Untersteiner said, arguing that Arctic thaws will open new fisheries and sea lanes for shipping and spur the hunt for undersea oil and gas worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
Around 3 pm today, residents of Montcoal, West Virginia heard an all too familiar sound of multiple sirens tearing through their small, close-knit mining town. 7 miners have been reported killed and 19 more are still missing.
Bullying is a serious problem in the United States. It has always been around on playgrounds, at schools, and in the neighborhood. However, with the widespread use of the Internet, bullying has become more pervasive and yes, virulent. Verbal taunts and physical threats became a way of life for one young immigrant girl. 
An air traffic controller and his supervisor have been put on leave because the air traffic controller allowed his kids to come to work with him. On the first day, the son spoke with pilots from the tower. Day 2, the daughter repeated the behavior. FAA folks are furious. “Take your child to work” wasn’t such a good idea in this case.
Polar Ice from Satellite view