Repeal of the Love Shack law

MoonHowler

love shack

The State of Virginia might just be well on its way to making honest men and women out of all of us.  There is legislation, introduced by Sen. Adam Ebbin, to repeal the ban on unmarried couples living together.     Sen. Ebbin is the only openly gay legislator in Virginia.  I don’t believe, however, it is illegal for same sex couples to live together.  If that is the case, a whole lot of colleges are breaking the antiquated Virginia law when assigning student housing.  But I digress…..

 

Washingtonpost.com:

 

RICHMOND — A Senate panel on Monday unanimously advanced a bill to repeal an old law that makes it illegal for unmarried couples to live together in Virginia.

It is a misdemeanor in the state, under a law dating to the late 19th century, for “any persons, not married to each other, [to] lewdly and lasciviously associate and cohabit together.”

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VA Republicans attempt to change electoral college

MoonHowler

electoral college

Washingtonpost.com

Republicans in Virginia and a handful of other battleground states are pushing for far-reaching changes to the electoral college in an attempt to counter recent success by Democrats.

In the vast majority of states, the presidential candidate who wins receives all of that state’s electoral votes. The proposed changes would instead apportion electoral votes by congressional district, a setup far more favorable to Republicans. Under such a system in Virginia, for instance, President Obama would have claimed four of the state’s 13 electoral votes in the 2012 election, rather than all of them.

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VA Senate: While the cat’s away the mice become rats–Rat Bastards that is

MoonHowler

rats4

This cat just happened to be Senator Henry Marsh, who attended the Inauguration in D.C.  The rats had been plotting this one for a long time, as you will see.  The mice didn’t take long to metamorphose into rats.

Washingtonpost.com

 

RICHMOND — Senate Republicans pushed a re-drawn state political map past flabbergasted Democrats on Monday, pulling off what would amount to a mid-decade redistricting of Senate lines if the plan gets approval from the House and governor and stands up to anticipated legal challenges.

The bill, approved 20 to 19, would revamp the Senate map to concentrate minority voters in a new Southside district and would change most, if not all, existing district lines. Democrats, still scrambling Monday night to figure out the impact, said they thought that the new map would make at least five districts held by Democrats heavily Republican. The map puts two sitting senators, R. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath) and Emmett W. Hanger Jr. (R-Augusta), into a single district.Read More

Ultra-sounds: Let’s point out the worthless dogs

MoonHowler

ultra soundSenator Ralph Northam introduced a bill in the Virginia Senate to give legislators the opportunity to redeem themselves and to remove Virginia from the embarrassment list.  His efforts failed.  It was last year during the legislative session that Virginia became the laughing stock of the nation, especially late at night because of their governor, Governor Ultra-Sound.

In all, the members of the Senate Health and Education Committee, had 3 reproductive rights bills to consider.  Only 1 made it out of committee.  2 were staked  by an 8-7 Republican vote.

According to the Huffingtonpost.com:

A Republican-controlled committee in the Virginia State Senate voted 8-7 on Thursday to block Democrats’ efforts to repeal a new mandatory ultrasound law and a set of regulations that could shut down many abortion clinics in the state. The committee also voted down a new anti-abortion bill that would have prevented Medicaid from paying for low-income women’s abortions in cases where there is a severe fetal anomaly.

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The new legislative session: ripe with social causes

MoonHowler

This year’s session contains several important bills that bear watching.

From Loudoun Times:

In response to the rally, the House Democratic Caucus announced plans for legislation in support of women’s reproductive health later that morning.

“The Republicans did real damage to Virginia’s women by passing burdensome regulations” on a woman’s right to have abortion, Sen. Mark Herring of Leesburg said at the press conference.

Instead of legislators being motivated by ideology, “we should be motivated by helping Virginians,” said Herring, who represents parts of Fairfax and Loudoun counties.

Delegate Kaye Kory of Falls Church, who also represents part of Fairfax County, introduced House Bill 1560, which would remove the requirement to get an ultrasound before having abortion.

Delegate Vivian Watts of Annandale has introduced HB 1644, which would define birth control. “It makes it clear that using birth control is not considered an abortion,” Watts said.

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What’s an opportunistic carpetbagger?

MoonHowler

Terry McAuliffe

Democratic Terry McAuliffe has often been referred to by Republicans and Democrats alike as an “opportunistic carpetbagger.”  Just what is that?

Northern Virginians are often seen as not being “real Virginians.”  Stop laughing. It’s true.  I grew up in Charlottesville, therefore I have real Virginian cred which I have almost lost because I have spent my adult live here in Northern Virgina.  I have even had people say, “back when you were a Virginian….”  Go north of Bull Run and you are doomed.  Just doomed.

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This is how normal should look: Prospects for 2013 General Assembly

MoonHowler

I am such a home-girl. The following email came from Delegate David Toscano as an update before the General Assembly convened. it was informative. It told Virginians what was on board for the upcoming session and had no guns and personhood bills on it. I hope the prospects for this year will include things that make us healthier, wealither and wise. Please spare us from any more political agendas.

More than anything, I wish *I* had gotten a letter like this from MY delegate. Neither Mr. Marshall or Mr. Jackson seem willing to just be normal Virginians.

normal

 

TOSCANO UPDATE FROM THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Prospects for the 2013 General Assembly

January 5, 2013

On Monday, January 7, 2013, I arrive in Richmond for my eighth General Assembly Session, my second as Democratic Leader in the House.

Each General Assembly session takes on a special character and tone and this one will be no different. Last year’s session garnered national headlines as Republicans pushed socially divisive legislation, including a bill to force women to have an invasive ultrasound procedure before terminating a pregnancy, and numerous bills that made it more difficult for Virginia citizens to exercise their right to vote. We are less likely to see similar legislation this session, but until the bills are introduced, it’s an unknown. Below is a list of issues that you are likely to read about in the coming months:

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The Cooch in a blue state

MoonHowler

I am reminded of an old Bobby  Vinton record, ” Blue on Blue”  …Blue on Blue, leart ache on heart ache…so on and so forth.

What’s the Cooch to do?  He is the darling of the Religious Right and darling of the Tea Party.  Ooops, big cross over on the old Venn Diagram with that one.  Where does Tuesday’s election leave  that bad-boy attorney general?

From the Washington Post:

Firebrand conservative Kenneth Cuccinelli, now attorney general, is running, upsetting the state Republican establishment that badly wants mild-mannered and reliable Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling as its gubernatorial candidate.

Cuccinelli, who has gained national attention for his strong positions against climate change, homosexuals and abortion, had been riding the Tea Party wave of distrust and resentment of government and mainstream politicians.

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Deadly Meningitis Outbreak, a Question of Oversight: The war on people?

MoonHowler

The deadly outbreak of meningitis that has left 30 ill and 5 dead has been traced  to spinal steroid injections, given as an epidural.  This announcement put my family on red alert because my husband has gotten spinal injections in the past, given in epidural form, as an outpatient.

What is the most shocking here is the description of what went wrong.  According to the New York Times:

The outbreak, with 5 people dead and 30 ill in six states, is thought to have been caused by a steroid drug contaminated by a fungus. The steroid solution was not made by a major drug company, but was concocted by a pharmacy in Framingham, Mass., called the New England Compounding Center. Compounding pharmacies make their own drug products, which are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

On Monday, federal inspectors at the New England center found a sealed vial of the steroid afloat with so much foreign matter that it could be seen with the naked eye, Food and Drug Administration officials said Thursday. Under the microscope, the particles were a fungus.

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Cuccinelli refuses to sign off on State Board of Health regs on abortion clinics

MoonHowler
Coo Coo Nellie refuses to certify State Health Dept directives on abortion clinics

Washingtonpost.com

 

The office of Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli II (R) on Monday refused to sign off on state Board of Health regulations that had exempted current abortion clinics from new, hospital-style construction standards.

In a surprise move a month ago, the board voted to exempt existing facilities from the new rules, which would have required extensive renovations.

In a four-sentence letter to the health department, senior assistant Attorney General Allyson K. Tysinger said that the the office would not certify the regulations.

“The Board does not have the statutory authority to adopt these Regulations,” it says. “[T]he Board has exceeded its authority. Thus, this Office cannot certify these Regulations.”

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Responsible Blogging: The sky is not falling, Henny Penny

MoonHowler

Blog owners have the responsibility to “report” accurately.  Much of blogging is opinion.  However, when facts are discussed, a blog owner has the responsibility to report facts as accurately as possible and to correct when they are wrong.  that is just common decency.  We also feel the blog owners have to be careful not to harm people with what they say either through innuendo , statement, or suggestion.

We are most concerned over the fear mongering that is being spread about the pension funds.  Funds from the county and the school board all go to VRS.  The State mandates what is to be paid.  The counties and school systems must follow that directive.  State employees are also part of the system.   I have read so much inaccuracy that it is impossible to correct at this point.  How do you prove a negative?

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Is it Time to Drop the Invocation before the BOCS Meetings?

MoonHowler

Richmond Times Dispatch:

HENRICO, Va. —

The Henrico County Board of Supervisors has dropped the traditional prayer before its meetings.

At a June 12 meeting, the board took up the appeal of an approved plan of development for a mosque on Hungary Road. With dozens of Muslims in the packed meeting room, the Rev. Tommy Knighten, associate pastor for children and families at Staples Mill Road Baptist Church, delivered the invocation, closing with “in Christ’s name I pray.”

The next day, County Manager Virgil R. Hazelett received an email saying that such a prayer “at a government meeting that is set to determine the fate of a Muslim religious center serves no other purpose than to create an atmosphere of hostility.”

County Attorney Joseph P. Rapisarda Jr. declined to release the name of the email’s author.

The email went on to say, “It would sadden me greatly if I were to learn that Henrico County viewed me as less important due to my lack of membership in the ‘right’ group” and asked the board to stop having prayers at its meetings.

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An interview with Michael Mann: The New McCarthyism

MoonHowler

video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player

From ABC News:

Some of Mann’s main points and charges in include:

– “New McCarthyism” in US legislature directed at US climate scientists; details

– Death threats, dead rats, scientists’ families threatened.

– Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., campaign has aimed to discredit climate scientists…

– Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, misrepresented Mann’s science

– National Science Foundation and other panels have cleared Mann

– Koch Brothers, Scaife Foundation, involved in fossil fuel efforts to discredit the climate science

– Organized email and letter campaigns have intimidated and silenced climate scientists; details

– Believes intimidation campaigns will fail if “exposed to the light of day”

The political war against scientists has been described as the new McCarthyism because scientists have been so bullied and intimidated, many just do their work and keep their mouths shut.  This behavior has been going on for over 10 years.  Our own attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli sued for Mann’s emails.  He was told he didn’t have standing.

The tobacco industry attempted to silence science for years.  The attitudes in Europe are quite different than in the United States, for example. There has been a strong attempt to silence the entire science community who researches changes in climate.  I wonder who could be trying to silence them?  Hmmmmmmm   …the fossil fuel industry?  Perhaps.

I am simply not willing to bet the ranch on industry being right and the preponderance of scientific findings being wrong.  That just makes no sense and there is only one earth.  You screw that up, and there is no place else to go.  The bullying and McCarthyism must stop.  The use of government to thwart distribution of scientific discovery and discussion is a serious violation of trust and use of taxpayer money.

The entire transcript can be seen at ABC News.

 

Joe Walsh brings a new dimension to the term Dog D***

MoonHowler

Just when you thought there was no lower place to be, along comes Joe Walsh.

Huffington Post:  (and lots of other places)

Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) on Sunday accused his Democratic opponent Tammy Duckworth — a double-amputee veteran of the Iraq War — of not being a “true hero” because she made her military service central to her campaign.

After calling Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) a “noble hero” for downplaying his military experience during a 2008 presidential bid, Walsh shifted gears to Duckworth at an Elk Grove, Ill., town hall.

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Cuccinelli distinquishes himself as a loser

MoonHowler

 

 

 

 

Columnist Robert McCartney has declared Gubinatorial hopeful Ken Cuccinelli a multiple legal loser.  Why?  Cuccinelli keeps batting out in his rather grandiose legal challenges.  The Washington Post today reminds us about his failed lawsuits that pandered to his base–health care and climate change being his biggest swing and a miss challenges.

 With two new, major court defeats last week, Cuccinelli’s record is almost as woeful.

… Cuccinelli is used to coming up short. Although he’s won battles over voter redistricting and Medicaid fraud, he’s had a remarkable number of losses on closely watched cases. Ironically, his much-publicized complaint against Obamacare didn’t even make it to the Supreme Court, because an appeals court tossed it out on grounds that he lacked standing to sue.

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