Anti-BVBL

Saturday, July 4 will be another day of Tea Parties held all across the United States.  Many of us are still trying to figure out what the Tea Parties are all about.  Originally, I thought that they were about taxes.  TEA did stand for ‘Taxed Enough Already.” That seems reasonable.  Bi-partisan folks coming together to just say NO to new taxes and new debt.  I think I am wrong though.  Just looking at the agenda for the local tea party, it is unclear what the real theme is. 

A Republican friend of mine suggested that it was just a lot of hot air.  Now it seems to me that the Tea Parties are anti-Obama rallies.  Can we now say the Tea Parties aren’t bi-partisan and that they are Obama-bashing?  The local tea party has the much discussed FAIR guy in attendance.  So are the Tea Parties now protests about illegal immigration? 

According to the PW Tea Party Website:

WHY WE ARE DOING THIS

We are committed to improving the lives of every citizen of this country. We hold these tea parties with the hope that our elected officials will understand that we cannot leave a legacy of debilitating debt to future generations. We must not permit our leaders to embrace socialist policies that could change the face of America forever.

The list of speakers reads like a far right wing convention:

PROGRAM & SPEAKERS

The Honorable Jay O’Brien, Master of Ceremonies
Nicholas Gossin, Reading of the Declaration of Independence
Matt Hawes, Vice President, Campaign for Liberty
The Honorable Bob Marshall, Virginia State Delegate
John Snyder, Public Affairs Director, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
John Hanson, Founder, Repeal Income Tax- July 12 Movement, Fair Tax Advocate
Ben Marchi, State Director, Americans for Prosperity
Jack Martin, Special Projects Director, Federation for American Immigration Reform
Gerald Adams, Healthcare Policy Director, Americans for Limited Government

Bi-partisan? I think not. As we have seen on this blog, there is a lot of anger out there by those who lost the election. Call it TEA party all they want. I think it is a little closer to the original kool aid so many have drunk.

You can view their issues on their website.  I don’t think you will find these issues very bi-partisan.

Rather than going out and waving flags and acting like they own the 4th of July, how about finding some decent candidates? What I see are the same old special interest people out there– Anti-abortion, pro-gun, anti-immigration, no tax representatives still stumping. Republicans lost because that was the best they could trot out. They should not hope to change things without breathing some new life into their tired, old causes.

Moon-howler General, Tea Parties

Not too many things rhyme with Wasilla. Gorilla, mozilla, Godzilla. That’s pretty much it. Vanity Fair takes a most interesting look at Sarah Palin –her grass roots, her rise to power, her brief venture with the McCain campaign, and how it all happened.  The article is entitled “It Came from Wasilla.”

Think what you want about Palin. She is a very complex character who reveals what she wants you do know about her. Her best friend and closest advisor is her husband Todd. They make a striking couple. She is an Alaskan. Alaskans aren’t quite like other people. The fact that they are removed from the 48 continguous states makes them different. Alaska wasn’t a state until 1959. That makes them different.

Most interesting was the section of article about Palin fitting in with the McCain campaign. There were many surprises. Everyone still with the campaign has been very circumspect about what they say. Most information must have come from those no longer working for the Senator. Very few people are quoted. It is an interesting read. Fans of Palin will not like the article. Neither will her enemies. Those with a more neutral point of view will find the article very informative.

The link is above.

[UPDATE:  Sarah Palin has just announced she will not run for governor of Alaska in 2010.  Speculation is she will be preparing for national politics.  She has also said she will transfer power  to the Lt. Governor. ]

Moon-howler General

At some point, we must acknoweldge the reality there are children in this country, without proper documentation, through no fault of their own, that have grown up as American as you and I. THIS is their home, this is their country, however, they came to be here, they have a dream, no different than my own children. How moral or ethicial is it to deny hard working bright kids a future? An educated population benefits us all!

AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EDUCATION
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

One Dupont Circle NW, Washington, DC 20036-1193
Telephone: (202) 939-9355 • Fax: (202) 833-4762
Web: http://www.acenet.edu

July 1, 2009

The Honorable Nydia Velazquez The Honorable Charles Gonzalez
Chairwoman Vice Chairman
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Congressional Hispanic Caucus
2466 Rayburn House Office Building 303 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515

Re: S. 729/H.R. 1751, the DREAM Act

Dear Chairwoman Velazquez and Vice Chairman Gonzalez:

On behalf of the higher education associations listed below, I write in support of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors or “DREAM” Act. The DREAM Act has been introduced in both the Senate and House as S. 729 and H.R. 1751, respectively, and we urge you to work to make this proposed legislation into law.

Increased access to higher education is a top priority for our associations and the institutions we represent. As the name of the legislation recognizes, higher education is essential to achieving the “American dream” that immigrants to this country have sought since the founding of the nation. The DREAM Act will remove barriers to higher education for thousands of young students who have grown up in this country, attended our schools, and have the desire and capacity to make vital contributions to the nation’s economic strength and security. For many of these students, the U.S. is the only country they have known, and we need them to contribute to our economy to the full extent of their abilities.

Access to in-state tuition is essential for these students, as is the path to legal status that the DREAM Act endorses. As the DREAM Act moves through the legislative process, we respectfully request that you also work to extend federal grant aid to DREAM Act-eligible students to remove another significant barrier to their higher education success.
We recognize that the debate over immigration is complex and evokes strong emotion. The DREAM Act, however, provides educational and career opportunities for young people, many of whom are in this country through decisions beyond their control, but have shown themselves exceptional members of our communities and exhibit exemplary academic achievement. It is truly in our best interest to ensure they have the opportunity to achieve their dreams and become part of the well-educated and competitive work force that our country needs today.
S. 729/H.R. 1751, the DREAM Act
July 1, 2009
Page 2
We strongly support the DREAM Act and look forward to working with you to ensure swift passage of this important legislation.
Sincerely,
Molly Corbett Broad
President
MCB/ldw
On behalf of:
Read more…

Elena General

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Sunday, armed soldiers awakened the President of Honduras and ran him out of the country in his bedclothes. The president, Manuel Zalaya, is now living in Costa Rica.

President Obama has spoken out against the ousters of the president saying:

“We do not want to go back to a dark past,” Mr. Obama said, in which military coups override elections. “We always want to stand with democracy,” he added.

The intrigue continues when considering the past history of the United States in such matters:

According to the NY Times:

The United States has a history of backing rival political factions and instigating coups in the region, and administration officials have found themselves on the defensive in recent days, dismissing repeated allegations by President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela that the C.I.A. may have had a hand in the president’s removal.

Obama administration officials said that they were surprised by the coup on Sunday. But they also said that they had been working for several weeks to try to head off a political crisis in Honduras as the confrontation between Mr. Zelaya and the military over his efforts to lift presidential term limits escalated.

The United States has long had strong ties to the Honduras military and helps train Honduran military forces. Those close ties have put the Obama administration in a difficult position, opening it up to accusations that it may have turned a blind eye to the pending coup. Administration officials strongly deny the charges, and Mr. Obama’s quick response to the Honduran president’s removal has differed sharply from the actions of the Bush administration, which in 2002 offered a rapid, tacit endorsement of a short-lived coup against Mr. Chávez.

This situation certainly bears watching. It has the potential to blow up in many faces and the response so far seems quite different from the usual responses from the United States. President Zalaya is considered leftist. Fidel Castro and Chavez have both called for a return to power for Zalaya.

The Obama adminstration has been watching the crisis build for several weeks.  Zalaya wanted a referendum to lift the term limit restrictions on the presidency.  Secretary of State Clinton was there in early June.  She had been annoyed with the man’s unreasonable demands.  You really need to read the time line of events in the link.  The saga is too long for the blog.

Should President Obama take the same stand that Chavez and Castro take?  Is the U.S. complicit in the military operation?  What really is our past history?  Have we meddled, as a nation?  How come President Obama spoke out immediately about the Honduras coup but not the Iranian protests? 

Speak, contributors!

Full story in the New York Times.

Moon-howler General

Oh, vay. I thought the Tea Parties were a way to revitalize the Republican Party. Apparently, they’ve opted instead to shoot themselves in the foot by inviting the anti-immigrant organization - Federation for American Immigration Reform(FAIR) that has been declared a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center(SPLC). The SPLC is a civil rights organization that was recently in the news after they correctly identified the Holocaust shooter as a white supremacist.

According to the Tea Party website, Jay O’Brien will be the Master of Ceremonies at the Prince William Tea Party. Excuse me, but wasn’t this guy removed from office by voters during the last election cycle? Also, noticeably absent from the agenda are any local politicians. Will Corey Stewart boycott because of the FAIR connection? What about Tito the Builder, who spoke at the last Tea Party? How can individuals accept the Tea Party movement now that they have decided to join forces with this anti-immigrant organization? And how very disappointing that Bob Marshall would agree to speak at an event with FAIR.

I wonder if FAIR’s speaker will explain their position of wanting to curb legal immigration? or will they just ‘focus’ on illegal immigration? If they speak about halting or severely restricting legal immigration then I predict that future tea parties will become increasingly void of any persons of color. How could this be our plan for regaining control at the state or federal level?

Alanna FAIR, General

White Connecticut firefighters and one Hispanic were denied promotions since 2003. They took their appeal to the Supreme Court. Today, that denial was overturned. The Court sided with the firefighters in a 5-4 case which was handed down on the last day of the session. Justice Kennedy wrote the majority opinion.

More information will be provided in the responses below, as it gets talked to death during the day. Congress recesses today also.

Moon-howler General, SCOTUS

On March 30, 2009, Governor Tim Kaine signed a new law prohibiting texting while driving. This law, which goes into effect on July 1, 2009, makes it a traffic violation for a person to send or read a text message while driving.

Ok.  It seems to me that this should be common sense.  Don’t do it.  Texting while driving falls into the same category as reading a good book or the newspaper while driving, in my world.  This is a real bogus law that lacks teeth, in my opinion.

For starters, this law is a secondary law.  The driver has to be stopped for another infraction before he/she can be cited for texting while driving.  Secondly, at a glance, who can say who is looking at GPS directions or a phone number as opposed to texting.  Those first two acts are not traffic violation. 

The penalties are whimpy.  The first time one is caught texting, the fine is $20.  Subsequent texting violations are $50.  Ahem….is that a slap on the wrist or what?

Texting while driving is dangerous and distracting.  This law treats it like a joke.  The law also fails to address other dangers with electronic devices.  We have all seen idiot drivers in near miss situations because they were glued to their cell phone. 

If Virginia is serious about cutting down on distractions while driving, the law needs to extended past a secondary infraction with a $20 fine.  It needs to seriously address cell phone use while driving.  It needs to at least consider hands free driving. 

Is this law reasonable?  Is it even possible to text while driving?  What companion laws, if any, do our contributors think should be next.  Would our contributors support limitations on cell phone use while driving?  And, somewhat off subject, how will smoking bans affect your restaurant experience?

Moon-howler Virginia