Monthly Archives: September 2011

Gov McDonnell’s “Strengthening Families Initiative” funds the revolutionary church

[Promoted by Epluribusunum, because this story has become even more disturbing. Apparently, this so-called “pro-family” initiative is diverting funds from programs serving the victims of domestic violence. According to a more recent Pilot article, some victim advocates were told by state officials “that shelters weren’t ‘a good fit’.” In other words, the ideology driving McDonnell says that marriage counseling is more important than saving lives.]

AAHMI 2010 conference banner

The Virginia Pilot reports on Virginia’s latest social engineering initiative; “Governor’s plan aims to solidify families, cut poverty“, but let’s call it what it is, a rather large allocation of taxpayer dollars to infuse right-wing think tanks and faith-based organizations with cash to help them build their revolutionary base.  Revolutionary is not my term.  I attended the DoingTheRightThingEvent on Saturday September, 24 and Chuck Colson explained that “we are living in revolutionary times“.  He also said that government can’t solve the problems of culture.  “Family” and “church” have to do that.

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Farmers market conversation with a Dick Black supporter

I was a bit surprised to see a Republican campaign booth at the Leesburg farmers market this past Saturday.  I’ve always found the farmers market a bit too “dirty hippie”, his phrase,  for the likes of Dick Black.  I love the wool booth where a woman spins bare-footed as she dons a bluetooth headset.  There’s too much reality, too many contradictions, too much uncertainty for the Black Campaign, you know what I mean?

Anyways, I was really happy because I wanted a handful of Dick Black bumper stickers.  A very nice woman in a snappy yellow coat and hat gave me the stickers.  She said that “Dick Black is a good man” as she handed me the stickers. She also told me that Patricia Phillips was “her Senator.”

I asked her what was so good about Dick Black?  She replied:

“He’s for no taxes, er, no new taxes”

What else?

He’s going to get transportation moving, on Route 7 and …

How’s he going to do that?

He’s going to get more money from Richmond

From Richmond?  Where do they get the money?

[sigh, pause, mousey voice] From taxes

Awww.  She was soooo cute.  An older woman with too much make-up, but she was such a doll, a very nice woman.  You should have heard her voice, soooo disappointed, because, she knows it’s a zero-sum game.  “Highway money” is not a “fluffy noun“,  no.  Highways are are serious corporate/state business.  And it’s important to have a representative to ensure the Government dolls out those tax dollars using the correct formulation: “from each according to his tax bill, to each according to the power of his State Senator to marshall corporate/church power”.  And when that representative derives his political power from mob fear, and pushes a programme containing all of the fourteen characteristics, there’s a word for that.

Loudoun Government For Sale?

To date, the real estate community has given over $118,000 to candidates in this year’s local races. That may not seem like a lot, but it is 50% more than any other industry.
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And there can be no doubt that those donations are going to come thick in these last days. In 2003 and 2007, the real estate business spent over 750,000 in each cycle to see their candidates elected. We live with the consequences of the Board that served from 2003 to 2007 every day, in crowded roads, stuffed schools and a crisis of foreclosures and underwater mortgages. Thankfully, the current Board has helped curb the excesses of that period, and introduced rationality and close consideration to the real estate development process.

These donations, however, are of a kind with others to Republican candidates that beg the question of whether Loudoun County’s government, when controlled by Republicans, is for sale?

Witness (Republican-turned-Independent) Sheriff Simpson’s history of benefits provided to his donors.

Or Chairman York’s vote in favor of every development project presented to this Board, and resulting plethora of campaign cash from the industry.

Indeed, some Republican candidates have taken to actually selling their services in return for political donations.

It begs the question of whether Loudoun’s Government will, in fact, be for sale come November 9th, if Republicans are given control. It’s something to think about.

Debates Go Well

Preparing For a Debate

Last night at South Dulles Alliance and today at the candidate’s forum for the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce, I engaged my Republican opponent and was ahead in both instances.

Matt’s one argument is that because he works at the US Chamber of Commerce, he knows how business works.  But just being a functionary/spokesman who breathes the same air as real economists doesn’t mean you are an economist or that you have learned how to do real economic development.  He didn’t rebut my argument, or that I actually did work as an international commodities economist for many years in the US Department of State and had crafted national stategies.  In fact, he admitted my career is distinguished!   Score TWO for the Roeder team.

I do like Matt on a personal level; but the truth is that he is to an economist what a news reader is to a journalist.  I’ve actually been asked to write a text book on economic development.  And let’s not forget he will be an “absent Supervisor,” meaning working full-time in Washington, DC (not in Loudoun) for a conservative firm that doesn’t have our interests at heart.

But the clown of the morning was Eugene Delgaudio whose bluster, anti-Metro and anti-union rhetoric knew no rational bounds.  Noone, not even the Republicans, could keep a straight face, listening to Eugene.  But though they were all smiling, we know they agree with Eugene on most of  issues, and that’s just dangerous for Loudoun.   Valdis, Malcolm, Kelly, Tom, Andrea and Denise did very well, and boy do we need them.   Recommendation.   Make a contribution of $100 tonight to a Supervisor Candidate.   www.loudoun4roeder.org

disembodied fetus

[promoted by Liz]

In “Single-Issue Voter”, Roberto Rivera describes growing up in a Democratic Catholic blue-collar household.  He’s progressive on all the issues but, he’s “strongly pro-life” and finds himself politically aligned with people who “if, by some (please God!) miracle, abortion disappeared tomorrow, many of them would probably vote in much the same way they do now”.

Rivera wouldn’t.  He’d return to being a progressive, if “abortion disappeared”.

Roberto doesn’t know how abortion disappears.  Remarkably, his article makes no mention of “woman” or “pregnancy”. Abortion is something that “happens” to a disembodied fetus.

Disembodied 12-week fetus - National Library of Medicine

The illustration was produced with your tax dollars.  Isn’t he cute?  His name is Adam.  God created Adam from dust without the help of a woman.  The Adam above looks like he’s going to wake up and practice Mozart piano sonatas before he goes back to being a fetus.

That’s the image that Rivera wants you to maintain as he alludes to – if not women – to original sin.

A society that enshrines (the word fits particularly well in this context) the right to use private lethal violence against its weakest and most vulnerable members isn’t only unjust in this regard, it’s likely to be unjust pretty much across the board. The right to an abortion is based on a jurisprudence and an underlying worldview that denies the existence of a common good and holds personal autonomy and self-fulfillment as the highest goods.

Mark Earley wrote a similar piece, “No Life, No Justice” for Prison Fellowship Ministries that referenced Rivera’s article.  Earley does mention women, and Planned Parenthood, of course.

Since the passage of Roe vs. Wade in 1973, more than 48 million unborn children have perished—and only 7 percent of the women who had those abortions cited medical concerns, rape, or incest as their reasons. And those who promote abortions—they are flexing their muscle as never before. In Fiscal Year 2006-2007, Planned Parenthood…

According to Earley and Rivera, 93% of the time, women are choosing “personal autonomy and self-fulfillment” over their duty to dear Adam.

The fetus is fertile ground for conspiracy.  Rand Paul ratchet’s up the rhetoric in a very Delgaudioesque fundraising letter (emphasis mine).

 

Dear Concerned American,

It’s a horrifying modern day genocide happening in our own backyards.

Last year alone, Planned Parenthood was responsible for ending the lives of over 320,000 innocent babies….

I believe there is something deeply wrong with an organization that kills babies, and even more so when they are funded through the taxpayer dollars….

Planned Parenthood’s progaganda calls the pro-life movement a war on women.

And believe me, they have their supporters riled up like never before.

Daily emails from Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and Emily’s List are being sent smearing pro-life Americans like you and me as villains.

Maybe the fetus should should be sitting on a slippery slope.  Too bad there is no slope.  Roberto is no liberal.  If he was operating in the reality-based world he’d put down his moral smugness and ask, “what’s the root cause of abortion, unwanted pregnancy, maybe”?  Wouldn’t Rivera sound more rational if he said “if, by some (please God!) miracle, unwanted pregnancy disappeared tomorrow“?  But then he wouldn’t have a straw enemy.  He wouldn’t be able to blame women for using “private violence“.  He would have to take responsibility as a man.  He’d be forced to ask if that 7% (3.5 million) pregnancies terminated for reasons of medical concern, rape or incest “disappeared”, if that would require some degree of violence against societies weak and vulnerable.  He’d have to acknowledge that women actually embody those fetuses and that he’s advocating a Handmaid’s Tale world.

Suzanne Moore wrote personal piece in the Guardian, “It’s the same old game.  Get your rosaries off my ovaries, as we used to say“.  When she was 11, Moore and her mum were booted from a tupperware party.  When talk turned to ‘getting “rid” of things’, Moore’s mum blurted

Christ, you really don’t know what you are talking about. If it wasn’t for abortion I’d have a football team by now.”

Moore’s was writing about British “independent counseling” legislation.  It failed.  The British controversy is like the new clinic rules that are pushing Virginia to the forefront of the abortion debate reported in the Loudoun Times Mirror.  Both regulations intend to make it harder to obtain abortion services.  Moore’s analysis is relevant to Virginia.

We are repeatedly told this is an “emotive” issue. The new vocabulary of the anti-abortion lobby is full of vaguely feminist platitudes – not feminist enough to counsel the men who walk away from pregnancies but still. Underneath, we are fallen women, damaged goods and so terribly stupid that we can be persuaded to have a quick abortion by wicked charities. When we could be what? Wombs to provide babies for “proper couples” or go it alone as the root of all evil: single mothers?

This is nauseating. A vote of conscience? If MPs had one they would say it is not the business of the legislature to control women’s reproduction. They would stop telling us what is “emotive” and ask what actually is. I didn’t want counselling in order to have an abortion. I certainly did after a miscarriage – again an awfully common experience – but none was offered. No, instead let’s bring on an army of “independent” zealots who can tell us that abortion leads to cancer, mental health issues and infertility, and sod the evidence that having a baby is more risky than having an abortion. Anyone who talks about how easy it is and how the reality is glossed over is ignorant. You have a scan. You know and see what you are doing. It’s not a walk in the park but it is a huge relief. The emotive part is the enforced waiting.

Now the tactics are to further that wait. This is nothing short of cruelty dressed up in the language of concern.

Chris Freund of the Virginia Family Foundation explains the rationale for the regulations. “The threat that a health department inspector could visit the clinics at any time also will ensure that clinics operate safely”. When discussing medical procedures, it’s no longer polite to refer to “private lethal violence”.  “Safety” is a much better talking point.

Moore knows where Freund is coming from.

All fundamentalisms seek to control female sexuality. It’s the same old game. Get your rosaries off my ovaries, as we used to say. You trust me with a child but not with a choice? If MPs want to help women then they can make access to abortion and contraception more efficient. Who has the authority over my body – some geezer in the House of Commons? Or me and my doctor? Like my mother, I feel no shame and I refute this language of “care”. You want a definition of a nanny state? How about one that thinks it’s OK to poke around in your uterus?

 

Racing and Car Games

You can play several types of games on the internet. These games are divided into different categories such as adventure, puzzle, action, sports etc. Out of these driving games are increasingly becoming very popular in past couple of years. These games are very interesting to play as with some skills you can qualify from one stage to another very easily. There are some points which make driving games very popular among the gamers. A site called racingtop has a myriad of games you can choose from that don’t focus solely on racing, but just great car games in general. The first advantage of playing car games is that you may drive all your favorite sports cars or luxury cars which are otherwise not possible in actual life.

There is almost every type of car available in these games from which you can choose any according to your preference. You may further modify your car and give complete new looks to your car. You can choose from a wide range of luxurious cars with distinct features. You can play truck games that more about wreaking havoc such as monster truck rallies. Urban Crusher 2 is the perfect example of destroying what’s in your path and taking over. It’s a lot of fun to play and the graphics are pretty solid. You should definitely check that one out. Second advantage of playing racing games is that you can greatly improve your driving skills with the help of these games. I’ve only named less than a handful of the endless titles you’ll see on Racing Top. Check out the site for more info and start playing now!

Hotel Queens New York

New York is a state which is located in the north-eastern part of United States. It is a place where you can able to find each and everything for entertainment. Once I have been to New York and had great experience. I really love to spend my vacation over there with my family. I have visited various places such as New York City by water, tennis Stadium, brooklyn, horseback Riding Academy and many more. But I was really impressed with brooklyn because over there I had seen hundreds of fishes which are different in varieties. I am very fond of watching the aquarium. Then after visiting various places with my family, I just went to a restaurant for having lunch. There was a huge range of varieties which range from traditional American, Italian, asian, West Indian.

Online reservation can also be done through online for Hotel Queens New York. Located minutes from downtown Manhattan, JFK Airport hotel, allows you to escape the hustle and bustle of the big city yet remain connected with your business or travel needs. Garden Inn & Suites is situated on the corner of Baisley Blvd. Guests of JFK Airport hotel enjoy outstanding amenities like rooms with free high-speed, wireless Internet access. Be sure you take advantage of complimentary JFK Airport shuttle service. Even I got the best accommodation with all the facilities which I need. Really even for next time I would like to visit the New York once again. I had many a memorable moments with my family and friends. You can leave your car with U-Save park and fly. You can get the various information about them from the official website.

Free Solitaire Games

Are you searching for a spicy online card games? If so this blog is for you. Solitaire online is an ideal choice for you to enjoy. Solitaire online games are available in attractive and colorful graphical structure. Today number of people, without difference in sex and age is enjoying online games. Solitaire is one such online game that is available in different playing themes and versions. All online players are offered with entertainment and excitement by this online game. You can enjoy the perfect enjoyment of card games by playing solitaire online. To play this online free solitaire games effectively, there are many techniques and strategies. Shuffling the playing cards is the basic strategy of solitaire online. They are then arranged on the playing table in disciplined manner. Cards can also be reshuffled by the online players.

Different varieties of solitaire games like Pyramid, Golf, Classic, Spider, King, Ultra, Freecell, etc are available online with both single and multiplayer versions. We can enjoy such a thrilling game by just pressing certain buttons of your keyboard, mouse and the arrow keys. At online casinos, this solitaire game is found to be very popular. Some even allow players to bet real money and with dazzling graphics it is displayed in wonderful manner. As there is risk to lose your hard earned money, it is always best to enjoy free gaming website. Are you seeking for the right site to enjoy free pyramid solitaire? If so, an exclusive site Fexi would be the ideal choice. Enjoy pyramid solitaire game by removing the cards from the pyramid. No technicalities and rocket science is involved so it is easy to play and enjoy pyramid solitaire by just dragging and dropping the cards. Feel free to visit their web site fexi.com to view the variety of solitaire games offered by them. If you want to play sudoku daily game then visit sudokuwizz.com.

Mortgage Education

When one proceeds to taking a college degree, here in the United States, one of the ways to do so is to depend on student loans. College tuition is sky-rocketing in its cost, disabling everyone to finish a degree all by him or herself. When the parents aren’t able to help their kids finish college, degree-holder wannabe end up applying for student loans which they will pay after school. It is such a huge responsibility to take, and when you think about the whole process, it is a pain to realize that when you start working, the student loan that you owe when you were still a student is one of the motivations that you should do good at work because you owe some payments that needs to be paid. Well, when you read the mortgage broker training information at trainingpro site, there is more to borrowing student loan.

You will be given more options on how to save time and money while as a student. The nice thing about this training course is that when one desires to apply, an online education is widely considered. If you’re into online education, given the advantages that getting an online education gives you the chance to decide on the right time frame for the start and end of your class, this training pro course will even give you a bigger chance to succeed. Training Pro pioneered the National Cross Certification Program which helps save students time and money so if that sounds really relevant to you, then you ought to visit trainingpro site now! In today’s age when a college degree earner is more in demand in the real world, it helps knowing that there are agencies available out there that will help any college aspirants towards finishing a degree, be it in campus or online.