Moonhowlings

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

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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.

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I was going to attempt to do a synopsis of this article in the Washington Post. It cannot be done. This article explains how Virgina will lose big bucks if the liquor stores are sold and they become private. Governor McDonnell doesn’t think the state should be involved in liquor sales. How  hypocritical. They sure don’t mind taking taxes from the sale of liquor. So I don’t even want to hear the moral indignation surrounding liquor sales. The Governor also suggests that revenue will be made up in taxes because more liquor will sell because it will be cheaper.

The logic here is simply …missing. Besides, do we want more liquor sold? How is that concept fitting in with the Guv’s supposed moral objections to the sale of liquor. He needs to run the state and leave the liquor stores alone. Virginia needs to just keep raking in the $245 million dollars it is currently making on profits and taxes. Governor McDonnell needs to do the math and get over this hold over from the evangelical Pat Robertson school regarding booze.

Make sure you check out the interactive graphic. It is very interesting.

From the Washington Post:

Virginia’s inner struggle to get off the scotch tax

RICHMOND — For drinkers, a fifth of Jack Daniel’s costs about the same wherever they buy it — about $25 in Virginia and the District, a couple of bucks less in Maryland. But for the governments that regulate that bottle, the difference is as stark as a sip and a chug.

In the District and most of Maryland, just a dollar or two from a fifth of Jack Daniel’s goes to government. But in Virginia, where whiskey and every other kind of liquor is sold in state-run stores, more than $13 of the retail price goes to the state.

As Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) prepares to call the legislature into a special session to consider privatizing the state’s 76-year monopoly on the sale of hard alcohol, he faces a hard economic fact: The liquor business has been exceptionally profitable for the commonwealth.

Every shot poured and every cocktail downed is another cha-ching for the state, and that translates into hundreds of millions of dollars a year that are used to fund schools, prisons and mental health facilities.

Even after paying all of the expenses involved — buying millions of cases from distilleries, paying more than 2,680 employees, keeping the lights on and the rent paid at 332 stores — Virginia’s Alcoholic Beverage Control board deposited $248 million in liquor profits, as well as excise and sales taxes, into state coffers during fiscal 2009. And unlike nearly every other facet of government, the liquor business has proved to be essentially recession-proof, taking in $13.7 million more in fiscal 2009 than in 2008.

Regardless of the profits, McDonnell fundamentally believes that running the liquor business ought not to be a government function. He also believes that selling the system’s assets and new liquor licenses could bring in a one-time windfall of $300 million to $500 million, which he would use to improve the state’s ailing roads. A private system would also mean better selection and more convenient stores for consumers, he contends.

On Wednesday night, McDonnell held the first of a statewide series of town hall meetings in Roanoke, partly to sell the idea.

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Thank goodness, Jon Stewart is back from vacation. I was afraid he had quit. Elena and I have been discussing how he was going to cover Shirley Sherrod without being outdated by a week. He managed and shed light on a topic I thought had been discussed to death.

He declared Breitbart the most honest player in the whole mess. He has Breitbart on video saying he wanted to be the one to take down the institutional left. (whatever that is)

Lost in Race

What is wrong with these politicians who lie about their military service or lack thereof? This is simply the most ridiculous thing to lie about. Anyone can do a paper trail on a military record. We can tap into the service records of people who served 150 years ago, and further  back than that.  What makes these guys think they are something special and won’t get caught?

If you are running for or are in office, there’s a good chance you have at least one political enemy. That’s all it really takes. Assume you live in a gold fish bowl. That means no running around, no womanizing, no tawdry little affairs, no love children, no videos, no lying about service records.

To date, we have 2 service liars: Illinois Senate hopeful Mark Kirk and Connecticut Senate hopeful Richard Blumenthal. One republican and one democrat. Why? What part of these men’s psyches allow them to lie about such a thing.  Desert Storm and Vietnam aren’t that far in the past.

Voters will have to ask themselves if they want a senator who would lie about his military record.  It might seem unimportant now, but in the long run, it seems like a real barometer of one’s general character.

Man-Horse Nuptials?

John McCain has been all over the talk shows on cable this week. He is a shadow of his former self. John McCain used to seem fair-minded. He co-sponsored the Immigration Reform Bill of 2007 along with Edward Kennedy, for Pete’s sake.

I heard him on TV today calling illegal immigrants ‘illegals’ and calling for our military along our borders. I was disappointed to hear him use the term ‘illegals.’ He is an educated man. He knows that illegal is an adjective. But I heard him on Fox News so maybe he was just trying to fit in. Most of those anchors say ‘illegals.’

McCain is fighting a tough primary to be held in August. His opponent is J. D. Hayworth whose political stomping grounds are the suburbs of Phoenix. Hayworth is sort of a Tancredo on steroids. He continues to try to paint McCain as the Uber RINO.  According to the Washington Post:

Hayworth’s 12 years representing parts of the Phoenix suburbs have been described by his former colleague Dick Armey as a “fairly short, undistinguished congressional career.” But Hayworth attracted national attention after an epiphany of sorts in 2005. Though he had previously sponsored legislation to create a guest-worker program, Hayworth became a militant foe of Mexican immigration. Not just illegal immigration. Hayworth proposed a moratorium on legal immigration from Mexico. He declared an intention not merely to secure the border but also to “stand up for our culture” — which implies that Mexicans adulterate American culture. Hayworth warned of activists who would create an Aztec state on the ruins of American sovereignty in the Southwest. He voted against an anti-immigrant measure — which, among other provisions, prohibited religious charities from aiding illegal immigrants — because he thought the legislation was too soft.

From 2004 to 2006, Hayworth’s share of the vote in some Hispanic-influenced precincts dropped by more than 20 points, and he was carried away in the national anti-Republican deluge. Hayworth now presses his anti-immigration message in a primary challenge to McCain — contesting for the right to run for the Senate in a state that is about 18 percent Hispanic. To this appeal, Hayworth has added a “birther” message accusing President Obama of “identity theft.” Here he is on legalizing gay marriage: “I guess that would mean if you really had affection for your horse, I guess you could marry your horse.”

The Tea Party also plays an important role in this primary. Some pundits are speculating that the future of the Tea Party might very well be defined by this primary election.  Some Tea Party People supposedly like Hayworth but want to distance themselves from his less ‘mainstream’ persona.  Michael  Gerson of  the Washington Post also added:

Tea Party leaders have been understandably reluctant to endorse a candidate likely to embarrass any movement elastic enough to include Hayworth. Both Rep. Michele Bachmann and Sen. Jim DeMint have declared themselves officially neutral in the Arizona Republican primary. Sarah Palin has campaigned for McCain.

So we are all kept in suspense by these politicians from Arizona.  Many people expect this race to dominate the election cycle.  McCain and Palin still seem very much like the odd couple to me.  Does he pay her to appear or does she appear free of charge as a thank you gesture to him for bringing her down to the lower 48?

J. D. Hayworth gives his opinion of the gay marriage court case in Massachusetts:

Maddow debunks much bull being floated about.  She says much of what we have heard about all sorts of scandals are mostly ‘bull pucky.  She lambastes the ‘unmooring of facts from politics’ and decries the ‘triumph of fake politics.’

What ever became of the thousands of data entries in England that were supposedly contrived? You know, the ones disproving climate change theories? The British Parliament investigated and found no falsified information.  

Acorn has shut down (imagine that with no money).   However, the California AG got unedited information and it seems that much of the truth lay on the editing floor.  Gov. Schwarzenegger apparently became unhinged over the pimp stories morning, noon and night so he called on his AG to investigate. It seems there was much ado over nothing, but mission accomplished.  I understand the politics of personal destruction.  One doesn’t even have to leave Prince William County to witness them.

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

[video removed by editor. On switch was broken]

Remember Chris Farley in the SNL skit In a Van Down By the River?

How soon before regular Republicans will be jumping up and locking their doors? Most people don’t like being insulted. Is it possible to be too conservative? I am not exactly sure what too conservative America would look like. It does not seem very realistic.

Right now, it appears President Obama’s best friend is this group. The Republicans all get together and their key note speaker disavows their party?

The CPAC has come to town. It arrived on Thursday. For those who aren’t card carrying conservatives, CPAC stands for the Conservative Political Action Conference and it has come to town full throttle. The list of key note speakers is enough to make moderates and liberals break out in a sweat:

Hon. Dick Armey
Hon. John Ashcroft
Rep. Michele Bachmann
Glenn Beck
Amb. John Bolton
Andrew Breitbart
Herman Cain
Tucker Carlson
Liz Cheney
Ann Coulter
Sen. Jim DeMint

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Elizabeth Hasselbeck seems to think we should all go around in mourning because of the economy or maybe its over the 2 wars.  She wasn’t quite clear during her rant.  She needs to read some history.  Americans got through the Great Depression  listening to FDR’s Fireside Chats.  He tried to cheer people up, keep them informed, give them hope.  Yes, he told a joke or two.  Americans have always maintained their cheerfulness in the face of adversity.

Some background, Sarah Palin, like her or not, mocked President Obama by writing on her hand as her ‘teleprompter.’ Now everyone knows that all presidents since JFK have used the teleprompter.  They have other things to do rather than sit around memorizing speeches.  However, laughing at President Obama over his use of the teleprompter is something his opponents have latched on to, and so be it.  He is a gifted speaker.

This humor seems rather harmless to me.  Palin mocks Obama,  Gibbs mocks Palin.  No one is a sacred cow.  There is nothing much vicious being said.  So why does Elizabeth Hasselbeck get close to hysterical over the issue?  I don’t watch The View.  I don’t enjoy watching and listening to people attempt to scream over each other.   But isn’t Hasselbeck really a little over the top or is she just politically naive? 

Did Hasselbeck think Palin was serious?  Didn’t she realize that Palin was spoofing the President?  I thought it was silly but also harmless.  And she got it back at her.  Hopefully she is woman enough to take it.  I imagine she is.

Today the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission which overturned a hundred years of campaign finance laws, including part of the McCain FeingoldAct.  Corporations and Unions can now spend money directly on the support of candidates.  According to Michael Waldman of the Washington Post:

This far-reaching ruling augurs a significant power struggle. For the first time since 1937, an increasingly conservative federal judiciary faces a progressive and activist Congress and president. Until now, it was unclear how the justices would accommodate the new political alignment. The Citizens United decision suggests an assertive court, eager to overturn precedent, looming as a challenge to President Obama’s agenda.

The Atlantic explains the decision:

Justice Kennedy, in the majority opinion, reasoned that the government can’t discriminate against speakers based on their corporate identities, and that “all speakers, including individuals and the media, use money amassed from the economic marketplace to fund their speech, and the First Amendment protects the resulting speech.”

This basically eliminates a middleman: before today, corporations and unions had to set up PACs (political action committees), filed separately with the IRS, that would receive donations. And they did. Corporations and unions spend millions of dollars on elections. Now, however, the accounting firewall is gone, and Wal-Mart or the Service Employees International Union, for instance, can spend their corporate/union money directly on candidates.

 

 
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According to Poor Richard and the Wall Street Journal, Lou Dobbs is considering running for the Senate from New Jersey as a third party candidate. Equally amazing, he hasn’t ruled out running for President. it was only last week that Lou Dobbs announced his departure from CNN where he went from finance journalism to advocacy journalism. He spent the last several years hammering away over illegal immigration, even going so far as stating that illegal immigrants were bringing leprosy into the country.

Now Dobbs is announcing a change of heart.

First, though, Mr. Dobbs is working to repair what a spokesman conceded is a glaring flaw: His reputation for antipathy toward Latino immigrants. In a little-noticed interview Friday, Mr. Dobbs told Spanish-language network Telemundo he now supports a plan to legalize millions of undocumented workers, a stance he long lambasted as an unfair “amnesty.”

“Whatever you have thought of me in the past, I can tell you right now that I am one of your greatest friends and I mean for us to work together,” he said in a live interview with Telemundo’s Maria Celeste. “I hope that will begin with Maria and me and Telemundo and other media organizations and others in this national debate that we should turn into a solution rather than a continuing debate and factional contest.”

Mr. Dobbs twice mentioned a possible legalization plan for the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., saying at one point that “we need the ability to legalize illegal immigrants under certain conditions.”

Telemundo and Lou Dobbs are certainly not two names I would ever expect to hear together. Is Mr. Dobbs becoming the poster child for Mr. Make-Over?

Mike Huckabee has always seemed like a decent sort.  His politics are too conservative for someone like me but I have always respected his sincerity and his decency.  He also plays a mean guitar. 

While promoting his book, ‘A Simple Christmas,’ he took the time to speak out against his fellow Republicans taking a swipe at simply everything President Obama has done.  He said he hated it when it was done to Bush and he hates it being done to Obama:

Appearing before the Hudson Union Society to discuss his forthcoming book, “A Simple Christmas”, Huckabee took umbrage with the criticism levied by some conservatives over Obama’s visit to Dover Air Force base to see the coffins of returning soldiers.

When he [Barack Obama] was at Dover the other day, and went there to pay respect for soldiers, I heard a lot of people on the Right say “Aw, that’s just a cheap photo-op.” No, I think it was the Commander-in-Chief of our military paying respect to a dead soldier, and I’m grateful that he did that, and I was proud of him for doing that. And I think we all — as Americans — should give him credit for doing that.

 

He continued:

When he and Michele hosted the tricker-treaters on Halloween, quit finding something wrong with that. Say “Good, I’m glad that he and the First Lady are treating children to an experience at the White House.” And I just find it deplorable that some people on my end of the aisle want to find everything wrong and nothing right about the man as a man.
The underlying point, Huckabee concluded, was that knee-jerk criticism to the president was counter-productive to civil debate. “I hated it when people did that to George Bush,” he said. “They couldn’t even laugh at the man’s jokes they found something wrong with everything and if we do that to Barack Obama, then shame on us, shame on us. No wonder our country is so divided when that happens.”

Mike Huckabee is also an ordained minister. Perhaps that is what gives him a sense of decency. Maybe he is just a southern gentleman. At any rate, he serves as a model for the rest of us. He raises the political bar to where it should be. He is not an ad hominem attack kind of guy.

We may see a lot more of Mike Huckabee in the upcoming years. By the time the next presidential election rolls around, people might just be ready for ‘nice.’

Huckabee is an accomplished bass player:

Quotations are from Huffington Post.

Sarah Palin’s new book, Going Rogue, has received more publicity than most authors could ever hope or wish for. It should hit the shelves running, so to speak, Tuesday morning. Much has been leaked about of the book, either intentionally or unintentionally. In the book Sarah Palin talks about the McCain campaign, her difficulties with his campaign staff, her family, Alaska, her resignation as governor of Alaska, her near miss son-in-law, Levi Johnson, and an assortment of other things Americans seem to find fascinating. 

Sarah Palin appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show on Monday. I sat up extra late to see the rerun. Sarah Palin was gracious and scripted. Oprah didn’t have a prayer of catching her off-guard. Sarah Palin is likable. She is practiced. She appeared to want to leave no trail of words that might need explaining later. For example, she didn’t badmouth that pos Levi Johnson. That must have been tough considering Levi has gone everywhere trashing the entire family. She said he was the father of her grandchild and that would never change. Pretty smart of the lady, both politically and as the matriarch of the family.

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Rachel gives us some background and then interviews Ken Burns.  The theme from FDR resonates throughout, ‘building human happiness.’

Much as been made of the idea what if the government had not taken lands that ordinary people fell in love with and preserved them for our posterity.  Sedona, Arizona comes to mind.  Many of the most beautiful areas of that red rock country are sequestered away for only the rich people to enjoy.   Fabulous canyons are accessible, if you can afford to pay $400-$1500 per night for accommodations. 

Burns and Maddow tie in some of the problems being voiced today to the problems that have haunted the National Park System.  Regardless of how far we come, we still end up discussing some of the very same issues that were discussed a hundred years ago.

From the New York Times:  What’s Wrong with the National Parks?

The Herndon Mayor Steve DeBenedittis and Councilman Dennis Husch  both took exception to being dressed down by several citizens during ‘citizens’ time’ during a recent Herndon town council meeting.  Apparently both men had participated in a demonstration outside a fund raising event for Democratic hopeful Steven Miller, attended by Governor Tim Kaine.  

2 women both spoke of their disappointment that their elected respresentatives during their 3 minutes of time to discuss items that were not on the agenda.  The councilman and mayor both attempted to speak over the citizens who were not going to have any of that! 

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Day after day, the lies roll out and the truth is twisted. Finally, Rick Sanchez of CNN speaks out:

The newscasters aren’t–they are commentators. Beck and Hannity spew hate. Even Greta is not longer fair and balanced. Shepherd Smith is still fairly trustworthy and Bill O’Reilly is looking almost mainstream. Operative word: almost.

According to the Washington Post article, The $1,300 Mission to Fell ACORN, James O’Keefe (pimp player)and Hannah Giles (hooker player) did not even know each other personally when they hatched the plan to nail ACORN. They had exchanged emails and talked on Facebook. Giles was studying journalism from a conservative point of view at Young America’s Foundation and had done a study on O’Keefe’s sting on Planned Parenthood. O’Keefe III describes himself as a progressive radical. Now what the hell is that? Is that a new name for Tea Partier?  O’Keefe’s work can be found at the Big govt website.

According to MSNBC :

Though O’Keefe described himself as a progressive radical, not a conservative, he said he targeted ACORN for the same reasons that the political right does: its massive voter registration drives that turn out poor African Americans and Latinos against Republicans.

“Politicians are getting elected single-handedly due to this organization,” he said. “No one was holding this organization accountable. No one in the media is putting pressure on them. We wanted to do a stunt and see what we could find.”

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Hot off the email press from Delegate Jackson Miller. I don’t see anything that howls at me for attention. At any rate, this is the lazy woman’s thread. I cut and pasted straight from Delegate Miller’s own email. I don’t see anything I object to. I hope he sends out email about how he voted on other people’s bills.

This year’s session is usually referred to as the “short session”. That’s because it only lasts 46 days as opposed to sessions in even years, which last sixty. Odd-year sessions are shorter because the General Assembly is only required to make amendments to the existing biennial budget. In long sessions, an entirely new budget must be constructed and approved.

Usually, amending the budget is a task that takes significantly less work than constructing one from scratch. But, the state’s budget shortfall makes amending the existing budget a lot more challenging than usual this year. Still, the General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn for this year on February 28.

As I noted last week, there will be many other issues before us during this session than the budget. Among the hundreds of bills that will be discussed are several that I am submitting.

Here are just a few of the bills that I am submitting or co-sponsoring this year:

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According to Yahoo News another member of the Obama team now has tax woes. Former Senator Tom Daschle, nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, has some recently resolved tax issues that can be described as:

[Daschle]…recently filed amended tax returns to report $128,203 in back taxes and $11,964 in interest, according to a Senate document obtained by The Associated Press.

The White House acknowledged Friday that “some tax issues” had emerged in connection with the nomination, but a spokesman said the president is confident the former Senate Democratic leader will be confirmed as the new health secretary.
Daschle filed amended tax returns for 2005, 2006 and 2007 to reflect additional income for consulting work, the use of a car service and reduced deductions for charitable contributions. He filed the returns after Obama announced he intended to nominate Daschle to head the Health and Human Services Department.

Most of the additional taxes resulted from unreported income from the use of a car service provided him by a close friend and business associate, Leo Hindery Jr. The unreported income for that service totaled more than $250,000 over three years.

Daschle also had unreported consulting income of $88,333, in 2007. He also had reductions to charitable contributions totaling about $15,000 over the three years covered, according to the Senate Finance Committee document. The document, marked “Confidential Draft,” is a committee statement concerning Daschle’s nomination.

Now the money situation just described is enough to give most of us apoplexy. Conversely, do all of us know every tax law? I think I would know if I didn’t report $250,000 over 3 years, but, I am not in the same income bracket as Senator Daschle.

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John McCain will speak at McCoart Complex at Saturday, October 18 at 2:00 p.m.

Sean Connaughton Plaza
Prince William County Complex
1 County Complex Court
(Located off the Prince William County Parkway)
Prince William VA, 22192
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Supervisor Stewart has sent emails out to many constituents announcing this rally:

I wanted to make sure you received an invite to join our next President, John McCain, at a rally in Prince William County this Saturday at 2 p.m. (doors open at 1 p.m). Senator McCain’s time is a precious resource, and his presence in Prince William reinforces our status as a key battleground county.

Traffic is supposed to be a bear so if you don’t have to be in the area, don’t be.

Once again Prince William County is the rally site for a presidential hopeful. Long ignored in presidential races, Virgina is a battle ground state during this election cycle as both candidates and their running mates hope to acquire the holy grail of all elections: President of the United States.

Prince William has been particularly blessed with a visit from both candidates. We were Obama’s first stop once he accepted the nomination of his party.

Will voters turn Virginia blue? Will Prince William be the pivotal county in the presidential race? With all the attention we have received, it is becoming more evident that we are more than just a blip on the radar. I wonder why that is?

It’s hard to be humble with this much attention.

Click for story and link to

Washington Post