Yearly Archives: 2010

Oh my, the man is shameless. The domain is  "traditionalvalues.us"  too cheap to buy a .com domain name.

You would not be amiss to think his mind is focused.  Focused like a spear ready to penetrate the tender hide of his foe. He knows what he wants and he will spare no pain to get it.

Dear Eugene:

When the Homosexual Lobby scours Public Advocate's financial reports looking for weak spots, I want them to see that together, you and I met our budget goals for 2010 and are more than capable of thwarting their perverted agenda next year.

To help you raise $102,595 by your December 31st deadline I am rushing you an emergency contribution of:

And to ensure you are not mistaken in his devotion to be a straight arrow:

Public Advocate was founded as a non-profit tax-exempt educational group under section 501(c)4 of the IRC.   Because Public Advocate lobbies to stop the Homosexual Agenda, contributions to Public Advocate are not tax-deductible.

This is a link to the full diary on Pam's House Blend.  I cannot do justice to the information.

If you're like me, you wonder why so many people - election after election - vote against their own self-interest, putting into power right-wing conservatives who only care about the wealthy and the powerful. Well, neuroscience may have discovered a partial answer to explain that puzzling behavior. Like all premises in science, this one will be rigorously tested by further research.

Scientists at University College London found that people with conservative views have brains with larger amygdalas, almond shaped areas in the center of the brain associated with anxiety and emotions, especially fear. Plus, they have a smaller anterior cingulate, an area at the front of the brain associated with courage and optimism This small experiment didn't try to explain whether the subjects' brains had been born that way or had developed through experience.

Prof Geraint Rees, who led the research, said: "We were very surprised to find that there was an area of the brain that...could predict political attitude.

That research appears to agree with a much larger UC San Diego and Harvard University study which showed that some people are born with a "liberal gene" that makes people more likely to accept change and less conventional political views. Those with that gene also seemed to have more friends and to have been be more socially adept in adolescence. According to the scientists, "Ideology is affected not just by social factors, but also by a dopamine receptor gene called DRD4," plus how many friends you had during high school.

Who knows? Perhaps Ken Cuccinelli and his ilk are simply scaredy cats who didn't have many friends in high school. Or...maybe he's just a nut.

And...Happy New year!

If Jim Webb decides to seek reelection in 2012, is he a shoo-in?  Based on this superb analysis, on a pro-Republican blog no less, I'd have to say "yes."

Ugh.

It's not even 2011 and that's my sentiments about the 2012 Republican nomination battle. While most of the state is not paying attention to this intra-party nonsense, the posturing by the candidates and soon-to-be candidates has been awful. There's no other word for it, simply awful from top to bottom. With the selection of a primary, the stage was set for former Senator George Allen to ascend. Bob Marshall and Jamie Radtke's only chances were a convention, so with State Central opting for a primary, that in theory would have preempted any candidacy. Whoops.

The analysis goes on to conclude that George Allen, aka "the man we know and love as 'Felix Macacawitz'", is the strong, odds-on (1:3) favorite for the Republican nomination to face Webb in 2012. But not before "the uncomfortable prospect of [a] scorched earth, 'anyone but Allen'" contest that makes this a "long year" for Republicans. And at the end of the GOP nomination process, we get a clueless, unrepentant George Allen, which means we start with "macaca," we continue on with his apparent shame over having Jewish heritage, we recall his habitual use of the "n word" and other shenanigans (deer head in a black family's mailbox, noose in his office, love for the Confederate flag), we then proceed with his 97% voting record with George W. Bush, onward to his utter lack of accomplishments - and disdain for - the "wounded sea slug" of a U.S. Senate, etc, etc. And all this will come in a presidential election year, with President Obama on the top of the ticket and looking like a strong favorite for reelection.

Given all this, how does "Felix Macacawitz" improve his 2006 performance and beat Jim Webb, who would start this time with staff, money, and incumbent advantages?  I have no idea, but if anyone thinks of anything, please let me know. Until then, I'm penciling in Jim Webb as a "shoo-in" for reelection in 2012. That is, assuming he decides to put himself through the torture of running, of attending events, of kissing babies, of doing call time, and generally of doing the thing he hates most in the world - being a politician.  

There were a lot of stupid stories in 2010, but this has got to be the "most stupidest" (or at least "more stupider" than 99% of the rest!

Mosque foes recently started a boycott of Bieber after he made comments in support of the mosque project in an interview with Tiger Beat, a teen fan magazine, Sullivan told WYNC earlier this month. Now, his 8-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son have been banned from attending Bieber performances.

Horrible, huh? Imagine the nerve of Justin Bieber, this teenybopper Canadian pop sensation, coming out in support of an Islamic community center several blocks from the World Trade Center site, aka "ground zero?" Now, the defenders of what they call "sacred ground" - unless, of course, we're talking about sex shops and strip clubs, bars, liquor stores and salons, those are ok apparently - are fighting against this Canadian scourge (and no, I'm not talking about his musical abilities or his hair style), Justin Bieber. Blame Canada and their damn Mounties and Maple Leafs and Molsons...and stuff!

Oh wait, just one problem.

I was able to reach the proprietor of the site, who confirmed that the Bieber item is in fact a hoax. "[T]he fact that some people take it seriously is hilariously depressing," he said in an e-mail.

It's a hoax, though, that has spread around the Web, and succeeded in taking in several anti-mosque activists...

Now, we knew these folks weren't the...uh, sharpest Koran scholars in the mosque - "Modern Know-Nothingism", as Elaine in Roanoke so eloquently put it - but this really has to be in contention for the "most stupidest story of 2010." And just remember, as my young nephews used to say, "girls to college to get more knowledge; boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider!" Especially the anti-"mosque" boys (and girls, although they seem to be mostly boys, including this bozo/bigot here in Virginia).

P.S. Other contenders for "most stupidest story of 2010" include: pretty much anything Sarah Palin said; "I'm not a witch;" Joe Barton's apology to BP; Jan Brewer's headless bodies in the Arizona desert; Sen. Inhofe's global warming denial, and many more. Please use the comments section to add your favorites!  Thanks.

Thanks to Tom Whipple for the Friday/New Years Eve "Clips."

1. TOUGH CHOICES FOR VIRGINIA'S GOVERNOR
2. NORFOLK SHERIFF: GOVERNOR'S PLAN A PUBLIC SAFETY RISK
3. GOVERNOR'S PLAN DOESN'T INCLUDE ANY NEW JUDGES
4. DEL. GEAR RESIGNS FROM HOUSE OF DELEGATES ON EVE OF 2011 SESSION
8. RETIREMENT OF JUDGE ON EASTERN SHORE LEAVES HOLE
9. DEL. WARD ARMSTRONG DOES HALF-FLIP ON BORROWING FOR ROADS
10. CITING ERRORS, VIRGINIA TO TIGHTEN TEXTBOOK REVIEW STANDARDS
11. VIRGINIA TRAFFIC DEATHS ON TRACK FOR RECORD LOW
13. DOMINION POWER RATES GOING UP AS CREDITS EXPIRE
16. THE GUV'S CREDIT CARD
21. METRO GETS $150M FOR SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS, NEW CARS
22. MONEY WOES CURTAILING SERVICES FOR DISABLED

UPDATE: Also, I don't know how I missed this, but the Republican't Party is out with a great new bumper sticker which perfectly sums up their governing philosophy. Check it out! :)

We're certainly not on the same political "team," but I'm sorry to hear this news anyway.

...[Del. Thomas] Gear [R-York] confirmed he has formally resigned from the House saying he felt it was the best decision for him as he battles the progression of multiple sclerosis. Gear said he was diagnosed with MS more than 30 years ago, but has felt the affects of the degenerative disease more severely in the last four to five years. It affects his balance and his ability to walk, he said, and it is made worse by stress. There's plenty of that during the annual legislative session, he noted.

Gear said he had several tough falls during the 2010 session. But it was a fall at his home on the day after Christmas this year that convinced him another session was a bad idea--particularly as helps his wife and sister both battle cancer.

Wow, that's an awful lot to deal with. I wish Delegate Gear - and his wife and sister - all the best. Good luck.

If you expected that tax refund fast, you might be disappointed. Last minute tax changes left the IRS a bit flat-footed. If you itemize deductions or take educator expenses or tuition and fees as an adjustment, the IRS will not accept your return, possibly until mid to late February.

So, if you file a Schedule A (like most current or former homeowners), are a teacher in K through 12 and want to take advantage of the small income adjustment for expenses, or do not benefit from the Educational Credits as much as taking the reduction using tuition and fee expenses, the IRS will wave off your tax return. Most E-file software will be designed to prevent submission until the IRS announces it is ready to process the returns.

As a cautionary note, if you use a preparer who tells you that you can complete these returns now for submission as soon as the IRS opens the gates, "stockpiling" is technically not allowed. A return must be filed within 72 hours of your signature. Further the IRS does not want the paper returns filed early either. If you think you can get ahead by filing paper, good luck. In reality, the processing ends up LIFO (last in first out).

There is one workaround that will benefit some filers. They can file without these items, then file an amended return for the balance. But amended returns are famously slow; six to eight weeks to process.

Here are the results from our latest Blue Virginia poll, this time on the ever-important question of why Del. "Sideshow" Bob Marshall is so (unhealthfully) obsessed with All Things Homosexual. According to Blue Virginia readers, one thing is absolutely for sure: Marshall is not - repeat NOT! -  motivated by "careful study of the subject" or "concern for the health and welfare of society."  No, this is bad, no matter how you look at it. The only question is, in what specific way(s) is it bad? On that question, there was no majority, but there was a strong plurality, with 44% selecting the "repressed homosexuality/'closet case' syndrome option.

Trailing significantly behind "closet case" syndrome were three other possibilities: 1) "all of the above" (20%); 2) "deep moral/religious beliefs about homosexuality" (20%); and 3) "pandering to his right-wing base" (16%).  I can't decide if "pandering to his right-wing base" is better or worse than some of the other options here. On the one hand, if Marshall's "only" pandering, then maybe he himself doesn't believe the insane s*** he puts out on this subject? In that case, of course, he's being a demagogue, stirring up bigotry for his own political gain, and that's even more heinous than actually believing in it himself. Alternately, perhaps Marshall both believes what he says AND is pandering to his right-wing base?  Either way, it's not good.

Perhaps the option which puts "Sideshow Bob" in the best light is that he has "deep moral/religious beliefs about homosexuality." The only problem with that one is, why would "deep moral/religious beliefs" about anything justify bigotry and hateful rhetoric? Also, I'd love to have Bob Marshall point to the passage in the New Testament where Jesus condemns homosexuality, homosexuals, transgender people, whatever. Oh wait, there isn't anywhere in the Gospels where Jesus condemns homosexuality or GLBT people? But then, where would Marshall's "deep moral/religious beliefs about homosexuality" come from, exactly? Perhaps the Old Testament Book of Leviticus, which also states that "every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death;" that "A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death;" that "he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death;" that "the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death." Obviously, these are not laws we follow - or that most of us wish to follow - in modern civilization. Bob Marshall, on the other hand? Who knows...

So, with initial unemployment claims at their lowest level since July 2008, and with those claims falling steadily since Democrats took charge - and passed the "stimulus" package that Republicans like Eric Can'tor like to badmouth (when they're not hosting job fairs or otherwise cashing in on stimulus funding) - will Republican'ts admit that they were wrong?  Actually, not only should they admit that they were wrong, they should also apologize to the American people for consistently "talking down" the economy, and more substantively for doing everything in their power to ensure that the stimulus package was smaller and more poorly designed than most economists recommended it be, for maximum economic impact. In the end, even with Republican't obstructionism and irresponsibility - putting politics above people's lives - the economy continues to recover.  Let's hope that the new Republican't-"led" House of Representatives won't totally  mess things up in 2011, for instance by refusing to raise the debt ceiling, or some other lunacy. Anyone have any confidence in that?  Uh oh.

h/t: Calculated Risk blog

This morning the Arlington Sun Gazette website printed a "news" article that simply explains what an Arlington conservative blog posted as its best/worst of 2010. That's it. Doesn't do any additional reporting, or get reaction from anyone else, or even print what the blogger's name is. Ever have a friend tell you about a blog post they read? That's exactly what it reads like.

Look, this is going to give Lowell an aneurysm, but I actually like reading Scott McCaffrey's opinions. He's been following Arlington politics long enough to have a great sense of the county's political establishment. I may disagree with 95% of his opinions, but I like knowing how the other side is thinking. And if nothing else, his stories about his cat never fail to crack me up.

But good god man, keep that stuff on the editorial page. Considering ArlNow.com is bringing Arlingtonians news faster & in a vastly more visually compelling way, you'd think the Sun Gazette would avoid blurring the lines between its news reporting & its conservative opinions, which are so out of step with the Arlington community.

Who knows, maybe in the wake of the Sun Gazette's epically dumb scheme to tear down the wall between news & advertising, maybe that's part of the plan. As McCaffrey himself said, as long "as there is the potential of $$$ for some of us at the end, who's complaining?"