Moonhowlings

Gen. David Petraeus said a church's Quran-burning "is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses."

Several weeks ago we put up a thread about a minister in Florida who planned to burn copies of the Quran on 9/11. To date, there seems to be mo change in his misguided plans.

CNN reports:

CNN) — The U.S. commander in Afghanistan on Monday criticized a Florida church’s plan to burn copies of the Quran on September 11, warning the demonstration “could cause significant problems” for American troops overseas.

“It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort in Afghanistan,” Gen. David Petraeus said in a statement issued Monday.

The Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, plans to mark the anniversary of al Qaeda’s September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington by burning copies of the Muslim holy book. The church insists the event is “neither an act of love nor of hate,” but a warning against what it calls the threats posed by Islam.

Good for General Petraeus. Its time someone called out this arrogant man. Who better than the commander of all US troops in Afghanistan.

More from CNN:

With about 120,000 U.S. and NATO-led troops still battling al Qaeda and its allies in the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban movement, Petraeus warned that burning Qurans “is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems — not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community.”

And one of his deputies, Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, told CNN’s “The Situation Room” that event “has already stirred up a lot of discussion and concern” among Afghans.

“We very much feel that this can jeopardize the safety of our men and women that are serving over here in the country,” said Caldwell, the head of NATO efforts to train Afghan security forces.

Caldwell said American troops “are over here to defend the rights of American citizens, and we’re not debating the First Amendment rights that people have.” But he added, “What I will tell you is that their very actions will in fact jeopardize the safety of the young men and women who are serving in uniform over here and also undermine the very mission that we’re trying to accomplish.”

“I would hope they would understand that there are second- and third-order effects that will occur that will affect that young man and woman who’s out there on point for America, serving their nation today, because of their actions back in the United States,” he said

The stupidity and arrogance of this minister is almost unspeakable. When the U.S. Commander tells you that you are endangering the troops, you should listen. If even one of our men or women is killed because of this ignoramous, his entire ministry should be held responsible. How sad that Americans would involve themselves with book burning. Sounds Third Reich to me. I would have no problem with the press being ordered to stay away and the minister barred from his bonfire on 9/11, as a matter of national security. The first amendment is not without some limitations.

Meanwhile, we can only hope that our troops will be safe.

From Netsafe Kids:

WHAT IS PORNOGRAPHY?

“I shall not today attempt further to define [obscenity]; and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it….”

That famous statement, uttered by the late Justice Potter Stewart in 1973 when faced with a case involving obscenity, illustrates the difficulty of trying to determine what constitutes obscene or pornographic content. The term “pornography” has no well-defined meaning, certainly no legal definition. And if a Supreme Court justice had trouble defining the nature of sexually explicit material, how easy is it for the rest of us—each of whom looks at the world in a different way? Lack of consensus is one reason the subject of pornography is such a contentious legal issue.

Pornography is a word thrown about all too easily.  We call lots of things ‘porn’ or pornography when we really don’t mean it.  We joke a lot about porn.  Obviously the XXX girlie shows are porn, aren’t they?  Anything that says XXX has to be porn and it has been my experience, if it has even one X, it is. 

I realized last week that people have very different ideas about what constitutes pornography.  A new adult boutique will be opening in the City of Manassas in the near future  and the townspeople are beside themselves.  I am asking what’s the big deal?  Another such shop exists on route 28 that has been in business for at least 20 years.  People don’t like the location of the new kid on the block, it seems.  Not in the City of Manassas!  So do we want to take what we perceive as porn and brush it under the rug?  Do we want it far away so we can sneak into the store and buy something we wouldn’t want our mothers to know about and not be seen by our friends and neighbors? 

Is Old Town Manassas the crown jewel where there are no secrets?  Young people (under 40) seem to have a lot easier time simply discussing things like sex toys and real fancy erotic underwear much easier than those of us who are post 40.  Yet, some of the people hollering the loudest are not in the post 40 demographic. 

The best example I can come up with when someone asks what is porn would be the John Bobbitt flick he made after he was sliced and diced.  Someone got Mr. Howler an advanced copy and he was all proud of himself for getting the coveted video.  I lasted maybe all of 30 seconds before I left the room.  Mr. Howler, tough guy that he is, was even grossed out and he didn’t last more than 5 minutes.  So is porn stuff that grosses us out?  Is it always sexual?  How do we decide what ‘community standards’ are?  Is the issue of porn on a collision course with 1st amendment rights?

Before we can decide what kind of shops we want to condone or condemn , it seems sensible to clarify what we really consider pornographic, obscene or indecent.  In doing so, we have to realize that our neighbors probably won’t come up with the same set of attributes. 

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and his sidekick, Sideshow Bob (Marshall) have quite a dog and pony show going.  Marshall asks a question of a controversial nature and AG answers it, thus setting the Old Dominion on a collision course with civil liberties each and every time.  Does anyone notice a pattern? 

The Loudoun Times:

Loudoun County’s controversial debate over public displays on the courthouse lawn now has the ear of Virginia’s top attorney.

State Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli on Aug. 24 issued an opinion saying Loudoun County can erect holiday Christmas displays on public property as long as the displays represent other faiths and beliefs.

The opinion came at the request of state Del. Bob Marshall (R-south-central Loudoun).

  Read more…

Dr. Laura Schlessinger, the talk radio host, apologized and decided to retire from her conservative radio program after using the N-word on the air 11 times in 5 minutes, while talking to a female black caller.

According to Huffington Post:

Dr. Laura Schlessinger announced Tuesday night that she would end her radio show following her N-word rant last week.

“My contract is up for my radio show at the end of the year and I’ve made the decision not to do radio anymore,” she told Larry King. “The reason is I want to regain my First Amendment rights. I want to be able to say what’s on my mind and in my heart and what I think is helpful and useful without somebody getting angry, some special interest group deciding this is the time to silence a voice of dissent and attack affiliates, attack sponsors. I’m sort of done with that.”

Dr. Laura emphasized that she is “not retiring” but rather just ending her radio show.

“I’m not retiring, I’m not quitting, I feel energized actually,” she said. “Stronger and freer to say the things that I believe need to be said for people in this country.”

(See video from the Larry King Show below)

Read more…

From Huffington Post: (and it is many other places for those who think Fox News is the definitive news(sic) station)

Posted by:  

Shannyn Moore

Just a girl from Homer, Alaska

Sarah Palin & company spent several days in Homer filming her “Sarah Palin’s Uh-laska” show. (Eyes rolled).

On the public dock, private security patted down private citizens. The Fourth Amendment protects citizens from unreasonable search and seizure from their government. Private security searching private citizens in a public place, doesn’t fall under that category. It’s a bit more hinky.

Read more…

From Huffington Post:

NEW YORK — A federal appeals court on Tuesday struck down a government policy that can lead to broadcasters being fined for allowing even a single curse word on live television, saying it is unconstitutionally vague and threatens speech “at the heart of the First Amendment.”

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan threw out the 2004 Federal Communications Commission policy, which said that profanity referring to sex or excrement is always indecent.

“By prohibiting all `patently offensive’ references to sex, sexual organs and excretion without giving adequate guidance as to what `patently offensive’ means, the FCC effectively chills speech, because broadcasters have no way of knowing what the FCC will find offensive,” the court wrote.

“To place any discussion of these vast topics at the broadcaster’s peril has the effect of promoting wide self-censorship of valuable material which should be completely protected under the First Amendment,” it added.

The court said the FCC might be able to craft a policy that does not violate the First Amendment.

It cited several examples of chilled speech, including a Vermont station’s refusal to air a political debate because one local politician previously had used expletives on the air and a Moosic, Pa., station’s decision to no longer provide live coverage of news events unless they affect matters of public safety or convenience.

“This chill reaches speech at the heart of the First Amendment,” the appeals court said.

In a statement, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said: “We’re reviewing the court’s decision in light of our commitment to protect children, empower parents, and uphold the First Amendment.”

Carter Phillips, a Washington lawyer who argued the case for Fox Television Stations Inc., called the decision satisfying. He said the court had “sent the FCC back to square one to start over” by not only tossing the FCC’s fleeting expletive policy but also a broader indecency policy as unconstitutionally vague

I am not so sure this is a good thing. Talk is trashy enough on TV as it is. On the other hand, what difference does it make if the show is network or cable. It seems the burden of decency is all on network TV and radio and not on the satellite and cable stations. Do our contributors think this is a good plan or not?

And yet another first amendment issue surfaces. The contributors on ‘Howlings have been discussing freedom of speech for weeks. Here is yet another example of different points of view:

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

What say you? Should the picture be taken down?

Well, in her case, Helen Thomas, White House reporter for years, put her foot in her mouth.

Ok. While we might not agree with her words, there is something bothering me about the hue and cry over her remarks. For starters, she offered an opinion. She said she felt that Palestine was occupied by Israel. I never heard her utter the word ‘Jews.’ There are an awful lot of people in the world who believe that. Why is Helen Thomas, daughter of Lebanese immigrants, not allowed her opinion? Additionally, she said that those occupying needed to go home. Good grief, that is said every day towards Latinos here in this county.

Helen Thomas is almost 90 years old. She apologized. Many news agencies have said her apologies were not good enough because she didn’t really mean it. This is where the thought police come into play. There is just something about that kind of mind control that bothers me a great deal. Who are we to tell others how to think? While we can be held accountable for what comes out of our mouths, how can anyone hold us accountable for what they think we should think.

On June 4, Helen Thomas issued the following apology:

“I deeply regret my comments I made last week regarding the Israelis and the Palestinians. They do not reflect my heart-felt belief that peace will come to the Middle East only when all parties recognize the need for mutual respect and tolerance. May that day come soon.” (June 4, 2010)

To her credit, Ellen Ratner of Fox News issued the following:

Helen Thomas has apologized. What more do people want?

If I had a dollar for every American who has said something in private about a racial, ethnic, or sexual minority in this county I would be a multimillionaire many times over.

Let’s face it we all have said things — or thought things — about “other” groups of people, things that we would not want to see in print or on video. Anyone who denies it is a liar.

Helen is three months short of ninety and her brain’s filters might not work as well as a forty year old’s. Give her a break.

Ellen Ratner is Washington bureau chief for Talk Radio News Service and a Fox News contributor.

Helen Thomas has resigned. Her resignation was announced around noon. I think the greater tragedy is that a 90 year old woman can’t be allowed to retract her statements, especially a lady of her stature.

She is a very remarkable woman. I can’t image being her age and doing the job she is still doing. Many of us who grew up with Helen Thomas will miss her. The good news is, now she is a free agent, she can also speak freely. I expect she will, knowing Helen Thomas and I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that acerbic tongue.

[disclaimer: This post does not imply agreement with Helen Thomas]

Joe Biden throws one hell of a picnic and Stewart ponders some serious question on Israel and Palestine.

Much as been said whether our obsession with Helen Thomas’s remarks overshadowed the real questions about what happened on the high seas. Are we more concerned with someone’s words or a nation’s deeds?

Remember the WWI memorial the vets built in honor of their fallen buddies from WWI that was erected out the the middle of nowhere in the Mojave Desert?  Some rat bastard has stolen it.  The cross that was actually a memorial has been embroiled in a Supreme Court Case in one form or another for a decade. 

Antibvbl.net covered the story of the Desert Cross  back in October, 2009.  Since then the land on which the cross was erected has been donated as private lands.  Huffington Post reports:

By Adelle M. Banks
Religion News Service

WASHINGTON (RNS) The war memorial cross at the center of a recent Supreme Court ruling has been stolen, a spokeswoman for the Mojave National Preserve said Tuesday (May 11).

A wooden box had covered the controversial cross, which has been the subject of court cases for almost a decade. A preserve staffer noticed the box was missing on Saturday; by the time a maintenance crew showed up Monday to replace it, the cross also had disappeared, spokeswoman Linda Slater said.

On April 28, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the cross to stay up and directed a district court to further consider a congressionally approved transfer of the cross to private land.

“This is an outrage, akin to desecrating people’s graves,” said Kelly Shackelford, president and CEO of Liberty Institute, which represents the caretakers of the World War I memorial and several veterans groups.

“It’s a disgraceful attack on the selfless sacrifice of our veterans. We will not rest until this memorial is reinstalled.”

According to CNN:

The 6-foot-tall metal structure was removed Sunday night from Sunrise Rock in a lonely stretch of the Mojave National Preserve, said government officials and veterans groups that have been fighting for years to keep the cross on national park land.

The National Park Service said it is investigating the incident; no arrests had been made as of Tuesday morning.

The high court on April 28 ruled the cross did not violate the constitutional separation of church and state. The American Civil Liberties Union, which had brought the original lawsuit to have the cross removed, promised to continue the court fight.

I consider myself a fairly strong establishment clause person. I very much believe in seperation of church and state…probably as much as some of the 2nd amendment people believe in their cause. However, at what point do people just go rabidly nuts on a subject?

This cross was erected back in the 1930’s by veterans of WWI to honor their buddies who didn’t make it home. Call it a grassroots memorial, if you will. It was out in the middle of no where in the middle of the Mojave Desert. It was honoring the dead. It wasn’t pushing religion even.

Whoever took the cross is a thief– a common thief. The individual(s) is lower than a snake’s belly. This person or persons doesn’t represent a cause. The memorial ought to be left alone. There is one remain WWI vet left in America. Those brave men who fought that horrible war now belong to time and the ages. Can’t people put aside their causes just this once? The cross that represents the memorial needs to be returned immediately.

The VFW has offered a reward for information that leads to the return of the memorial.

Warning…Not for the faint of heart.

Jon Stewart Calls Out Fox News

I will admit it.  I would have been up all night trying to figure out why this license plate was racist.  I still wouldn’t have gotten it. 

VA License Plate:  14CV88

It seems that Virginia uses a computer to root out off color, racist and other types of messages that the state doesn’t want dotting its hiways and by-ways.  Sometimes, however,, expressions that aren’t quite as obvious slip through. 

According to the Washington Post:

The owner of a Ford truck bearing the license plate 14CV88 will have to find a new message after the DMV on Wednesday canceled its earlier approval of that series of letters and numbers.

A photo of the truck hit the Web a few days ago, went viral on car and other blogs and finally came to the attention of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an advocacy group for American Muslims. On Wednesday morning, the group complained to the DMV that the plate contained a white supremacist and neo-Nazi statement.

A few hours later, the DMV agreed that the plate contains a coded message: The number 88 stands for the eighth letter of the alphabet, H, doubled to signify “Heil Hitler,” said CAIR’s Ibrahim Hooper. “CV” stands for “Confederate veteran” — the plate was a special model embossed with a Confederate flag, which Virginia makes available for a $10 fee to card-carrying members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. And 14 is code for imprisoned white supremacist David Lane’s 14-word motto: “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.”

“If the license plate had been on a VW Beetle with nothing else on it, or a Volvo station wagon, no one would probably have noticed,” said Hooper. “But when the Confederate flag is thrown in . . . it shows the convergence of anti-government and anti-Islamic sentiments that unfortunately seem to be growing.”

The DMV would not release the identity or location of the vehicle owner, citing privacy laws. Virginia has the highest percentage of personalized plates in the nation

The giveaway that something was amiss, Hooper said, was the truck itself. An enormous photo of the burning World Trade Center towers covers the entire tailgate, with the words: “Everything I ever needed to know about Islam I learned on 9/11.”

It certainly wouldn’t have offended me.  I wouldn’t have gotten it.  I have a hard time decoding plates that are n’t even off color or racist.  I am sort of impressed that VA has the highest percentage of personalized plates.  That is sure making some money for someone.  On many of the plates, the addtional fees are due each year. 

A panel can convene to judge ‘expressions’ that might not be too obvious.  I don’t think that would be a good job for me.  How many people on this blog have personalized plates or vanity plates?  I am too cheap.  And why is 88 a reference to Hitler?  [best Jon Stewart voice: sillll eeeee]

The House of Representatives will not grow by 1, at least not any time soon. The bill to give DC 1 vote in the house has been pulled. Republicans wanted the ban on carrying a gun in DC repealed. The Democrats refused and the bill was pulled.

So that is what it has come down to? I guess taxation without representation is alive and well. And I suppose the concept of states rights doesn’t matter in this case since DC is not a state and it can’t vote to make itself a state because it has no voting rights in Congress. Stop! My head hurts. Guns are more important than the right to vote?

Seen in AZ, not in DC

Guns Rights Protest

Thanks to Governor Bob McDonnell for doing the right thing. He has signed the Trust Women/Respect Choice license plate into law and has maintained the funding for prevention services. $15 for each plate will go towards Planned Parenthood.

The license plate faced a three-month back and forth challenge in the General Assembly. Apparently some of our legislators confused reproductive rights with first amendment rights and tried all sorts of sneaky tricks to stop the stream of money into Planned Parenthood.

Virginia is one of only FOUR states to have a pro-choice license plate, let alone one with a funding stream supporting reproductive health care services.

Hat Tip to Governor McDonnell. Frankly, I am pleasantly surprised. This really was a free speech issue.

The governor can be emailed from the here. I have already emailed him a thank you.

Fighting Hate West Virginia Style. Westboro descending on Charleston, WV to inform the good people in the state capital that the Montcoal mining disaster happened because God hates …who even knows…oh ….they got a threatening note from West Virginia. 

Charlestown fought back with class and style:

Westboro fanned out. (picket schedule)

They also went to VT to disrupt.

Westboro had mentioned deceased Morgan Harrington on their website. The VT student was murdered last fall after disappearing from a Metallica concert at UVA. Students organized and simply outnumbered qnd out performed Westboro in only the way United VT can do! Morgan’s parents were on hand to express their displeasure at having their daughter’s name dragged through the mud after her horrible fate.

According to WIBW:

BLACKSBURG, Va., (WIBW)_ Members of Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church turned up at the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia on Friday morning.

They were there for a protest following the mine disaster which claimed the lives of at least 25 miners. Rescue teams continue to search for four more miners whose fate is still unknown.

The church claims the explosion was a result of a threatening memo that the church said was sent from West Virginia, the New York Times reported.

According to the Charleston Gazette, more than 300 counter-protesters were on hand for a counter demonstration against the six church members who showed up.

Nearby, larger numbers of church members fanned out across three locations in Blacksburg, Virginia nearly two years after the shootings at Virginia Tech that killed 32 people.

They too were met by counter protesters, including the father of Morgan Harrington, a Virginia Tech student who disappeared last October. Harrington said he couldn’t believe the Westboro Church was including Morgan’s memory in their protests.

What, if anything can be done to stop these vile people?  They are using the very laws that make us tolerant Americans against us.  Hopefully the Supreme Court case will castrate their efforts.  I would contribute to any plan to legally put these disgusting wretches in their places.  I think jail time sounds real good.

And when you thought they couldn’t go any lower, check out the parting shot.  This sign was from the Sago mine disaster in 2006.  However, they arrived at Montcoal, WV today with similar tactics.  The poor people of Montcoal are trying to mourn their dead and recover their lost.  They just don’t need this crap.

Westboro Baptists (sic), the cretins who go to the funerals of our dead troops and protest American not killing gays or something akin to that perhaps serve a purpose. They are a group who are universally hated and despised by both the right, left and middle. They are right up there with 9-11 in that they are a great unifier.

Read more…

Weren’t those people removed from setting up camp on DMV property or was that just wish fulfillment in my dreams?

Mr. Howler had to go to DMV the other day. He has put it off and put it off because going there is akin to refined torture for him.  He prefers a root canal without anesthesia.  He came home spitting mad.  He had had a close encounter with Larouche-ites. And I had to listen to him, for hours, grousing.

They were by the front door of DMV so you could not get in without interacting with them.  They approached him because he was wearing team attire, typical lead-in to establish conversation.   They had their usual pictures of Obama with a Hitler mustache and other ant-Obama paraphernalia attacking  the president of the United States.  They were on a tear about ‘change,’ health care, and anything else they could associate Obama.

Mr. Howler told them to have a nice day to dismiss them and their response was that it would be when THEY got Obama out of office and gave him a knowing look.

People shouldn’t have to go through that in order to do business with the Division of Motor Vehicles, regardless of what state they live in.  Who let these clowns back on DNV property?  Weren’t they legally prevented from being there, sort of like the [Moonies] Hare Krishna were finally thrown out of airports?

When was the Larouche cult allowed back on DMV property?  Were they banned or  were they just on break?  Is their leader still in jail or is he a free man?  I would like to be able to conduct state business without dealing with thugs and cult members. Who knows the scoop on the Lyndon Larouchers?

And no, I won’t apologize for calling them thugs and clowns.  They have blighted state property for too many years.  They have become poster children for those descriptors.

ACLU

UPDATE: See Video at end of Post

March 11, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: (212) 549-2666; media@aclu.org

OXFORD, MS – The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit today against a Mississippi High School that has canceled prom rather than let a lesbian high school student attend the prom with her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo to the event. In papers filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, the ACLU asks the court to reinstate the prom for all students at the school and charges Itawamba County School District officials are violating Constance McMillen’s First Amendment right to freedom of expression.

“All I wanted was the same chance to enjoy my prom night like any other student. But my school would rather hurt all the students than treat everyone fairly,” said McMillen, an 18-year-old senior at Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton, Mississippi. “This isn’t just about me and my rights anymore – now I’m fighting for the right of all the students at my school to have our prom.”

Read entire Press Release

How about let’s just alter this scene just a little bit.  How about if the girl didn’t say she was a lesbian and 2 girls just showed up at the door to go to prom, like unromantic friends.  Would they be denied admission?  What is wrong with schools? 

There was a suggestion made that a private group should sponsor a private prom for ”people like this.’  Now just what is that supposed to mean?  I read in the paper that Bull Run Unitarian Universalist Church did sponsor a special prom for gay and lesbian students last spring.  Good for them.  That church is a real standard bearer for helping those who are under-represented.  I hope they will do that every year, despite the fact that local bloggers (many who claim to be good Christians)  had a field day and made extremely disparaging remarks about the church and the kids.   It’s easy to point fingers.  Its harder to step up to the plate and provide for those amongst us who might not have an advocate. 

Most of the time I think the ACLU is a pain in the ass.  I think we are supposed to think that.  However, this is one time I am glad they are out there, defending those who might not otherwise have a line of defense.  Schools need realize that gay and lesbian students are not all closeted like they were a generation ago, not should they be. 

If  the school wants to ensure that people’s sensibilities are not offended, it  needs to address the behavior of everyone coming to the dance.  It  needs to set standards of conduct and stick to its  guns.  It  should demand the same lines of decency from the heterosexual students as it is  obviously going to do with the homosexual students.  They can all do their dirty dancing after the prom.

More from the hometown newspaper

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

Michael Shannon has a guest column in the News & Messenger. Unfortunately, his rantings often go over into the realm of unacceptable public speech. By allowing him to have a column in the News & Messenger, the newspaper gives his voice a platform of legitimacy that includes prejudice, ignorance, and racism. Were Shannon to post his diatribe against Hispanics and Chief Deane as a letter to the editor, he would be exercising free speech. Because he writes as a guest columnist, the News & Messenger becomes complict in spreading this hateful message:

Shannon Column: The 2010 Mexican roundup

There was a near miss in Fairfax County for Prince William County’s Jefe de la Policia Charlie Deane. Authorities there arrested a Belgian accused of soliciting prostitution. A records check, conducted as part of the Federal “Secure Communities” program, revealed this miscreant was also an illegal alien.

Thank goodness this bad man was caught before he had a chance to cross the Occoquan.

Adding Belgian outreach to his already extensive Hispanic illegal alien outreach could have pushed Jefe Deane over the edge. There is only so much apologizing for enforcing the law that one man can do.

Reaching out to Belgians is particularly difficult in that you have to pander in two languages: Flemish and French. Plus Deane would have had to find a police officer with a French surname that spoke French and a Flemish surnamed officer that spoke Flemish otherwise his outreach would not be sincere.

Que Lastima!

That sort of complication makes last year’s Hispanic Contrition Tour (or Festival de Contrición) look like a model of efficiency, since one abject apology in Spanish covers about 15 countries and most of the landscapers in the county.

“Secure Communities” is actually sort of an SAT test for illegals. It only matches arrestees with a database of aliens who had a visa and overstayed, or aliens who were caught earlier and are making a return visit to the hoosegow.

If Juan is clever enough to avoid attracting attention after he wades the Rio Grande—not difficult under Deane’s lethargic enforcement regime—his name won’t be in the database. And if there is no database hit, then Juan remains in El Norte.

“Secure Communities” is a much less stringent affair than the 287g program that allows deputized local officials to determine whether or not to pursue deportation of illegals.

Of course if it were up to Deane, the welcome mat (or alfombra de bienvenida) would never be withdrawn. He worries that a lot of crime is going unreported due to a victim’s immigration status, hence the constant reassurance that Deane’s heart is not really in immigration work.

But I wonder if when Charlie is talking to “immigrant rights groups”, do the terms “aiding and abetting” or “conspiracy” ever come to mind?

The audience for his outreach often is illegal or knows other illegals, harbors illegals, knowingly does business with illegals and generally approves of the mass violation of the nation’s borders. Yet our jefe is unperturbed.

It is interesting to compare Deane’s come-one-come-all (or viene uno que llega a todos) philosophy with that of Frederick County, MD Sheriff Charles Jenkins (trust me, the first name is the only similarity).

Jenkins’ policy is to target every inmate identified as an illegal for deportation, which amounts to about 9 percent of his jail population.

“One of the first persons we processed [for deportation] was driving under the influence of alcohol through a school zone during school hours at 30 miles over the speed limit,” Jenkins told the Washington Post. “Is he any less of a threat to the community than a [top-level] offender? I would argue no.”

A sentiment not shared by Deane who downplays illegal alien crime by explaining the most common violations are driving without a license, public intoxication and driving under the influence of alcohol.

That’s certain to be comforting to the taxpayer in an auto crash with an illegal who had neither a licencia de operador del automóvil or insurance.

It’s a mere property crime, don’t you know, and besides the county furnishes Deane with his ride.

But now if looks like Charlie’s foot-dragging has finally paid off.

The census has come to town and thar’s gold in them thar Mexicans. Why our Board of Supervisor’s says Uncle Sam’s bounty on illegals is $1,000 a head and we want to count every last Jesús and Jesúsa.

That measly thousand bucks will just about cover the county fee for the ambulance and first visit to the emergency room for our newly welcome South-of-the-Border guest.

After Obama’s thousand bucks is gone, who pays for the schools and associated social costs that illegals bring?

Once the public gets past the whiplash-inducing political hypocrisy, I don’t foresee a counting problem. Just ask Charlie for the list of groups he’s apologized to and work up from there.

One thing is certain: Hispanics aren’t shy about lecturing the U.S. on how to improve the illegal immigrant experience. Just this week Columbian fanny-shaker Shakira was in the White House to discuss “child development programs in Latin America.”

But she’s behind the curve. We already have a program for that. It’s called “anchor babies.”

Michael R. Shannon is a public relations and advertising consultant with corporate, government and political experience around the globe. He is a dynamic and entertaining keynote speaker. He wants you to share the machines and can be reached at michael-shannon@comcast.net.

The News & Messenger needs to balance its columnists with individuals who maintain proper public decorum. It is the opinion of this blog’s administrators that Mr. Shannon’s public writings should no longer be a part of the News & Messenger. Translation: Fire Mike Shannon.

The Christmas displays at the Loudoun County Courthouse in Leesburg has become quite the center of controversy and political statement. That’s too bad. What ever happened to peace on earth, good will towards men? With all due respect for the 1st Amendment Establishment clause, some people are getting out of hand.

First off, to the Rotary Club’s credit, they have pulled out of the mix, withdrawn their application for a display which would have been a Christmas tree.

According to : Leesburg Today

One request that is no longer on the table is the Rotary Club of Leesburg’s Christmas tree that has graced the courthouse lawn for almost 50 years. Club President Ron Rogos confirmed Monday that the club has pulled its application to place a Christmas tree on the courthouse lawn.

Rogos said the Rotary Club Board of Directors made the decision Thursday, Dec. 3, electing to place the tree somewhere else, at a location still to be determined.

“We are a service organization with a long tradition of doing good things. We don’t get involved in policy-making or political decisions; all we are is a service club,” Rogos said. “The best way for us to keep doing what we’re doing is put our tree up and put it up somewhere else.”

Seven requests have been received by Loudoun County since their vote to overturn the ban on all courthouse displays earlier this month that had been implemented by the Courts Grounds and Facilities Committee. Amongst the usual Christmas Tree, interfaith and creche requests are 2 requests that many citizens are very unhappy with. One such request is from Richard Wingrove representing Freedom From Religion Foundation, a Wisconsin based group for separation of church and state. The request is to display:

…a six-foot mesh banner reading, “At This Season of the Winter Solstice, May Reason Prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural World. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.”

The above display pales by comparison to the next request from Sugarland Run resident Edward R. Myers.  Myers has put together a display that includes a parody of the 12 Days of Christmas: 

12 Day of Christmas” song to include “12 master debaters, 11 cunning linguists, 10 percent jobless, 9 niggardly noobs, 8-speech as gay tweets, 7 teabagger tools, 6-ting safety screws, 5 birther-control rings, 4 sucky health care, 3-dom disappearing, 2 many bills and a red FCUK to you too.” The FCUK is the trademark of French Connection United Kingdom.

The point, Myers said Tuesday is to force the Board of Supervisors to stop and think, noting that his signs, which he requested be hung on the fence around the courthouse in time for Saturday’s Leesburg holiday parade, are “like an onion with a number of layers.” In his application, Myers said he wanted his sign hung in celebration of the anniversary of the signing of the Bill of Rights, Dec. 15, which includes the protection of speech.

“I think mixing religion and government together to make a commercial Christmas is idolatry. I wanted to make something that would offend the Board of Supervisors for being so dismissive of the [committee] that thought through this issue so carefully,” he said, “while at the same time having a public display that would not offend children.”

Because, Myers said, it is only what people put into the words themselves that would make anyone construe his signs as obscene.

“It’s a play on words, with an innocent veneer, that people with dirty minds might read into it,” he said, noting, “free speech is kind of a hobby of mine.”

I respect the establishment clause folks until they get outrageous.  These requests seem over the top.  Too bad it has to be all or none.  I see nothing wrong with Christmas trees, wreaths, mennorahs, frosties, sleighs, mistletoe,  and holly on public property during this time of year.  These are symbols of many holidays.  Manger scenes are probably best displayed at churches.  That seems more appropriate. 

The 2 displays that are causing such contention in Loudoun County certainly explain why the Court Grounds Committee chose to ban all displays.  Too bad people can’t exercise good taste.  They ruin it for everyone.  It might be their legal right to display offensive material but doing so defies wisdom and good taste.  Those 2 qualities, unfortunately, cannot be legislated or codified.

Is this the time of year to make a point?  Was the Rotary Club taking the high ground to pull out of the fray?  Should all displays be banned or should the county be able to use its wisdom to decide what is appropriate and what is not?  Will the voters make these supervisors pay at the ballot box next supervisor election cycle?