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Here Comes “Frankenstorm” Sandy

By
lowkell
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5



A detour from politics – although this hurricane/frankenstorm certainly could have an impact on the upcoming elections if we lose power for days, etc. – to provide an update on Sandy. Please click on the images, including ones on the “flip,” to “embiggen.” Also, I’d point out that although any given specific weather event can’t be attributed to climate change,  of course, this bizarre storm is totally consistent with the types of craziness we’d expect from a warming/weirding world. Just something to keep in mind when you hear Republicans deny overwhelming science indicating that mankind’s emissions of greenhouse gases are dramatically changing the planet’s climate.

P.S. Also check out the Capital Weather Gang, which says that Monday “is looking pretty ugly for most of the area,” with “strengthening winds, eventually sustained as high as tropical storm force (39+ mph) in addition to considerably higher gusts.” We’re also talking about “High likelihood DC area sees at least 3-6″ of rain, and wind gusts over 50 mph.” Can we say power outages? Get prepared now!

P.P.S. Other links: National Weather Service; National Hurricane Center; and Dominion Power.



Video: President Obama on Mitt Romney’s Massachusetts “Fees” (aka, Tax Hikes on the Middle Class)

By
lowkell
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2

A Particularly Important and Disgraceful Falsehood from My Opponent, Bob Gridlock

By
AndySchmooklerforCongress
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0

( – promoted by lowkell)

Andy Schmookler is running for Congress in the 6th Congressional District of Virginia, challenging the incumbent Congressman, Bob Goodlatte.  An award-winning author, political commentator, radio talk-show host, and teacher, Andy moved with his family to Shenandoah County in 1992.  He is a graduate of Harvard University and holds a PhD from the University of California at Berkeley.  

In the debates with my opponent, Bob Goodlatte, I made this key point:

“Never in our history has there been a political party so dishonest with the American people as what the once respectable Republican Party has become.  Bob Goodlatte is a part of this problem because he so consistently promotes this dishonest party line.”

The debates provided a host of examples of falsehoods, distortions, and hypocrisies-on fracking, on Obamacare, on job-creation, on balancing the budget.  

But I want to focus on a particular statement that Mr. Goodlatte made in at least two of our debates because this statement is especially important and especially revealing of the moral bankruptcy of today’s national Republicans.

Mr. Goodlatte, while declaring himself a fine practitioner of bi-partisan politics, blamed the gridlock in Washington on the Democrats in the Senate. The House passed lots of great bills, Goodlatte said, and the Democrats in the Senate failed to do their part-pass their own versions and then “negotiate the differences between the House and the Senate and then send the president one agreed-upon bill.”

“It’s all THEIR fault,” he was saying.

This is not only baloney.  It’s deliberate baloney.  

During these past two years, when Republicans held a big majority in the House, Mr. Goodlatte and his Republican colleagues focused on passing measures that had no chance of becoming law.

They consistently made no effort to bring Democrats – in their own chamber, in the Senate, or in the White House-into the process of writing their bills. And the bills they passed were not even within striking distance of reaching any agreement in a House-Senate conference.  Where in the record is there any evidence of a desire to find common ground?  The Democrats in the Senate would have been fools to imagine that there was an opportunity to work together to get real legislation passed.

(The Ryan budget illustrates the larger pattern: the Republicans, including Bob Goodlatte, passed this measure that would gut Medicare, making seniors pay more for the healthcare they need in order to give yet another tax cut to the richest of the rich.  There was zero chance that it would pass the Senate or be signed by the President.)

The Republicans were not seeking to get legislation enacted, and do the people’s business (like passing a jobs bill). They were playing politics.  They were making empty gestures.

How clear is it that they were big on empty gestures?  They voted to repeal President Obama’s healthcare reform accomplishment more than 30 times. 30 TIMES!  Have we Americans ever seen the likes of that before?

And we know why they were playing these games.

We know, because it is well documented, that the Republicans decided, before President Obama was inaugurated, that they would do everything they could to make this President fail. This was their strategy for regaining the White House from even before Day: prevent anything constructive from being accomplished, even if their actions would inevitably hurt the country.  (And this was when the nation’s and world’s economy were on the edge of an abyss, and the president’s failure would inevitably mean the nation’s failure, and suffering for tens of millions of Americans.)

The respected former Republican Senator from Ohio George Voinovich has said, “If the President was for it we were supposed to be against it.”

So gridlock was no accident. It wasn’t caused by uncooperative Democrats in the Senate.  This gridlock was key to the Republicans’ whole political strategy of the past four years.  

Why is this instance of dishonesty especially important?

It goes to the heart of the American people’s profound dissatisfaction with Congress. Approval of Congress is at record-low levels, and that’s because this Congress has accomplished less than any Congress in generations. (Indeed, it has been less than half as productive as the previously least productive Congress in our times.)

The Republicans, including my opponent, Bob Gridlock, broke our political system so they could gain political advantage by posing as the ones to fix it.

Why is this instance of dishonesty especially disgraceful?  

Making it their top priority was to make the president look bad by preventing anything from being accomplished –in a time of national crisis-was disgraceful enough. Now, the Republicans like Bob Gridlock are compounding their sin by trying to put the blame on their opponents for the gridlock they deliberately produced.

If that’s not a sign of moral bankruptcy, what would be?

To donate, you can give online through ActBlue, or send a check to the address below. 
P.O. Box 432
Mount Jackson, VA 22842

Felix Remix: You Know You Wanted to See This Video Again :-)

By
KathyinBlacksburg
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0

George Felix Allen used his clout as a politician when he requested to be in the film Gods and Generals playing in a Confederacy reenactment portion of the film. But Felix wasn’t happy to merely play a confederate in Gods and Generals.  

As a young man in Southern California he seemed to think he was in the southern Confederacy and sported a confederate lapel pin. As an adult practicing law, he had a noose in his Virginia law office and a confederate flag in his living room.

Though Felix was a rich boy from the hills above the ocean in Southern Calif, he affected the Southern good ole boy anyway. This was all before actually moving to Virginia.


As a teen Allen started dipping snuff. He wore boots, cowboy hats, and blue jeans, and sported a Confederate flag lapel pin. And he lived for football-if he ever had much of a choice. His dad, who went on to win a spot in the Hall of Fame, was a total hard-ass whose players nicknamed him Hitler and dubbed his training sessions “concentration camp.” (Allen sports maxim No. 15: “Most coaches vote Republican.”) The hours of game film George Jr. watched in his basement paid off with a spot on the University of Virginia football team.

You can tell a lot about someone by the battles he advocates for.  George Felix Allen had a Confederate flag in his living room (and in his office).  And he kicks into racist, sexist mode if given the opportunity to “step in it.”

Don’t let the public forget his “macaca” moment either. He brought shame on the Commonwealth and would bring shame to the US Senate.

Virginia News Headlines: Saturday Morning

By
lowkell
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3

Here are a few Virginia (and national) news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, October 27. Also check out President Obama’s weekly address, in which he “highlights the work of the new independent consumer watchdog he fought to create,” the goal of which is “to stand up for consumers and includes protecting every American from mistakes made by the companies who determine their credit scores.”

*Oct. 25: The State of the States (“Barack Obama maintains a narrow lead in the polling averages in states that would get him to 270 electoral votes. Mr. Obama also remains roughly tied in the polls in two other states, Colorado and Virginia, that could serve as second lines of defense for him if he were to lose a state like Ohio.”)

*Updated: “Frankenstorm” washes out Romney event in Va. Beach

*Blade reporter turned away from Va. anti-gay marriage rally (“A local  church on Friday denied a Washington Blade staff writer access to an anti-gay marriage gathering at which Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli spoke.”)

*Mark Warner makes two radio ads for Tim Kaine

*Anne Holton campaigns at CVCC

*Kaine tells NAACP gridlock must end

*Allen hits GOP talking points (Yep, that’s about all Allen does. Mindless pablum.)

*Cuccinelli to probe voter-fraud allegations against Moran’s son

*Sen. John McCain Campaigns for Romney in Fairfax City (Wait, didn’t McCain’s brother say that Northern Virginia is “Communist Country?” LOL)

*Kaine ad accuses Allen of siding with coal’s “big boys”

*U.Va. board member resigns, citing move to Florida

*Rigell, Hirschbiel’s key issues draw sharp contrast in 2nd District

*Douglass Explains Accepting Donations from Uranium Executives

*Schmookler attacks; Goodlatte responds (Gotta love how Goodlatte dodges all responsibility for his own actions, and for his own extremist party’s refusal to work with Democrats, the Senate, President Obama, etc. Andy Schmookler is absolutely right to call him on it, and the idiot media is wrong to say that constitutes an “attack.”)

*Sweetheart’ Redskins’ deal questioned

*New report shows Dulles board’s problems even worse

*Peninsula braces for Hurricane Sandy; flood watch issued beginning Saturday evening

*Northeast in crosshairs of ‘superstorm’ Sandy

*Electric utilities, VDOT gear up for storm duty

Still Not Time to Allow Uranium Mining in Virginia

By
Progressive86
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1

A recent ‘research report’ released by the conservative misfits at the Heritage Foundation titled “Time to Allow Uranium Mining in Virginia” represents a fabulous attempt to shrug off the real issue at hand over lifting Virginia’s 30 year old moratorium on uranium mining: is it safe enough to allow and do the people of Southern Virginia, where the uranium ore lies buried, even want it? According to the report, “A closer analysis, however, reveals that uranium mining is conducted around the world safely and to great economic benefit.”

But in order for Heritage to have concluded “uranium mining is conducted around the world safely,” their definition of “safely” must have been quite narrow. Uranium mining has been conducted around the world with mixed records of safety, both with regards to ‘active’ mines and legacy mines. For instance, “Contamination of local water supplies around uranium mines and processing plants has been documented in Brazil, Colorado, Texas, Australia, Namibia and many other sites.”

As more intensive studies are conducted to determine the potential negative health effects of uranium mining, there is already a belief by some groups that have been mined around that uranium mining is directly or indirectly to blame for health problems in their communities.  For example, “There were 4,000 of us at one time…32 villages. Now we have two villages with 800 people [each]. We’ve faced starvation, epidemics, and illness brought from western contact. And now chemicals, chemicals everywhere.” While the Heritage Foundation may simply shrug these ‘beliefs’ off as unscientific and speculative, how scientific is it to assert that uranium mining has been conducted “safely” when studies on the health effects of uranium mining have been sparse or nonexistent, depending on the geographic location?

If the ‘other’ side that the Heritage Foundation points to as biased and full of “special interests,” it’s just as clear that the Heritage Foundation has its own conservative axe to grind. It can be found in the following line: Buried 1,600 feet beneath a cattle farm in southern Virginia on a tract of private [emphasis mine] called Coles Hill are 119 million pounds of uranium ore…” Here is where the real motivation lay. The Heritage Foundation believes that the “tract of private land called Coles Hill” should be used in any way the owners of the land wish.

In almost any other case I would agree, but the implications for the community surrounding Coles Hill are immense. As John Cannon of Halifax commented, “If one cell (in an eight-cell container of uranium tailings) breaks loose, the (Banister) river is dead for 80,000 years.” Thus, uranium mining at Coles Hill is not simply an issue of mining on private land, it’s an issue of what private landowners can do when public health is at risk. Can private landowners mine a substance that could devastate important communal water supplies, for instance?

And in spite of all of the pronouncements regarding the commitment to safety from proponents of uranium mining in Virginia, these are all just words that won’t protect those who stand to lose from a uranium mining “accident.”  

As Jesse Andrews, a Virginian resident who lives 15 miles from the Coles Hill uranium site said, “Here’s my real concern – that this mine will happen at all, because once the inevitable so-called accident happens, all the regulations you can write will become meaningless scraps of paper.”

I hope legislators in this year’s General Assembly remember these words well. Accidents WILL happen, it’s just a matter of when and who gets affected.

Video: The Days Tick By, Romney Refuses to Condemn Mourdock’s Extremist Remarks

By
lowkell
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2



Meanwhile, on top of Richard Mourdock’s comments about rape, and the fact that an ad for him by Mitt Romney is still running in Indiana, we’ve also got top Romney surrogate John Sununu’s racist comments, Donald Trump’s birtherism (and similar comments about Colin Powell as Sununu), etc.  And no condemnation from Romney, let alone ditching these people, returning their money, etc. I mean, can you imagine if one of Barack Obama’s top people said that the only reason Donald Trump’s supporting Willard is that he’s white? The right wing would (rightfully) go nuts, the media would turn it into a huge thing, etc. Imagine if a U.S. Senate candidate who Obama had cut an ad for said that he thought abortions were awesome, everyone should get one, or something outrageous like that? Again, the right wing and media would be (rightfully) outraged! Yet with Mourdock, Sununu and Trump? Meh. Yawn. Zzzzz. Another day in the “liberal media’s” world of false equivalency, cowardice, and of course “It’s ALWAYS OK If You’re a Republican!”

Local Voices SuperPAC launches innovative ad campaign to localize election, break through the noise

By
ProgressVA
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1



Local Voices, an organization founded by Lee Hirsch, award-winning creator of the documentary “Bully,” aims to bypass the spin of traditional negative campaign ads and prompt a real conversation among voters in swing states about how they benefited under the Obama administration. This week they launched micro-targeted campaign ads in Lynchburg and Hampton Roads, featuring powerful 60-second testimonials from local residents about why they’re voting for Barack Obama.

In addition to the Virginia ads, Local Voices is running ads in swing counties in Ohio, Colorado, Florida, and North Carolina.  The combined national campaign will spend more than $300,000 on cable television and radio ad buys, all targeted to adults 35+.

Keep reading for more Virginia videos, and all the ads can be viewed at www.localvoices.org.

All of the Local Voices ads feature local people in their homes, place of businesses or out in the community engaging in activities that are important to them. In each ad, the featured voter identifies him or herself and explains his or her reasons for voting for the President.

“The filmmakers who volunteer with Local Voices’ grassroots campaign care about the election,” Hirsch said. “We traveled to swing states and talk to local people – nurses, teachers, firefighters – anyone willing to share their story and explain why they are voting for the president, then we share their stories for their neighbors to see. By doing this, we do our part to get honest information to undecided voters in important states.”

Patrick Moran’s Lawyer Needs to Handle his Father, Supporters, the Press, Better

By
Goldmanusa
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0

by Paul Goldman

I have seen situations like this escalate for no good reason into unwarranted criminal stuff for all the wrong reasons. So with all due respect, at this point in the situation, it doesn’t help Patrick Moran for his father’s campaign or for anyone else in the Democratic Party to try and make this into a right wing “gotcha plot” now that the investigation has been formally started by local authorities.

As I wrote yesterday, of course these fanatics plotted to ensnare Patrick. But once the investigation is formally launched, trying to make Patrick into a victim of these ideologues makes it harder for the prosecutor to settle matters without some criminal proceeding.

Why? Because the more the case is politicized, the harder it is going to be for the prosecutor to just walk away from it. I realize the thinking behind making it into a right win plot is this: make the fanatics think they are at risk if the investigation isn’t shut down quickly.

However: you are dealing with “true believers”, they beat to their own drummer. They have concocted some “news media” cover for what they do, some first amendment thing, and the truth is, they probably welcome being investigated by “The Man,” especially one in a heavily Democratic jurisdiction like Arlington. It wouldn’t exactly be a Pussy Riot like the band in Moscow, but the fanatics would know how to make the most of their troubles with the prosecutor.

Bottom line: Politicizing this thing can not help Patrick avoid what needs to be avoided, that is to say an indictment or what could be pressure to plea to a lesser offense. That stays on his record forever.

You don’t want the prosecutors to feel they have to bring charges to save their own reputations. So what if they indict folks on both sides: How does that help Patrick in the long run?

It doesn’t: and again the other side would only wear it as a badge of honor in their fanatic circles.

The right strategy: Keep the damn thing out of the paper to the extent possible, get a real criminal lawyer to handle it, one who knows how to play the game, and have the thing go away.

As I wrote yesterday: Being monumentally dumb to get ensnared by fanatics is one thing, but that isn’t criminal, just brain dead.

I know Congressman Moran loves Patrick, same with Brian and their friends, and they want to help him. I appreciate that. But this is not something politicians or politics can handle now. Patrick Moran needs a real savvy criminal lawyer who knows how to play the game; and let him/her control everything.

There is no crime here. BUT…all the hype about voter fraud this year in Virginia puts more pressure on the local prosecutor to be seen as doing something. This case is way too political already: it needs to be dialed down and the professional Arlington law enforcement folks – well respected in my book – can be counted on to arrive at the right conclusion.

I have seen this type of stuff take on a life of its own due to the politics.  It would be totally unfair and unjustified to allow it to happen in this matter. This is why lawyers are tolerated: having a good one can come in handy now and then.

Dominion Prepares for Hurricane Sandy

By
lowkell
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0

From Dominion Virginia Power.

 

News Release Issued: October 26, 2012 11:00 AM EDT

Dominion Prepares for Hurricane Sandy

– Mutual-aid support from other utilities to reinforce Dominion crews

– Customers urged to prepare for powerful storm's impact

– Safety tips, alerts available from Dominion on Facebook, Twitter, www.dom.com

RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — With Hurricane Sandy approaching, Dominion Virginia Power and Dominion North Carolina Power are preparing to respond quickly, as conditions merit.  The company has requested additional crews from other states to supplement its restoration workforce.  The company is asking its customers to take steps to brace for the storm.

“We are adapting our plans to ensure we have crews and equipment ready for extended duty when and where they are needed,” said Rodney Blevins, vice president-Distribution Operations. “This hurricane will bring dangerous conditions, and its effects will be felt for days along much of the East Coast. We urge our customers to monitor local weather forecasts for changing conditions in order to remain safe.”

Safety tips and alerts are available through social media via www.twitter.com/DomVAPower, www.facebook.com/dominionvirginiapower and on the company's website, www.dom.com.

The company reminds its customers to call toll free 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357) in the event of outages or downed lines. Customers may also report an outage through the company's mobile website at www.dom.com by typing in the phone number or account number on record with the company and the last four digits of their Social Security number, PIN or federal tax ID number. 

Dominion urges its customers to pay attention to weather reports and to take these common-sense steps to prepare for possible outages:

  • Before a storm arrives, establish an online account with Dominion at www.dom.com (search: MYA) so you can easily report an outage if it occurs and obtain outage updates online without having to call in (search: reporting outages). 
  • Also be sure the telephone number and other information related to your account are up to date. This includes providing a cell phone number if that is the phone you would use to report an outage or other problem. This simple step will ensure immediate access of your account for faster reporting.  Phone numbers can be updated online or by calling our special phone number update line at 1-800-222-0401.
  • Assemble emergency supplies such as water, flashlights, radios, extra batteries, medicine, cash and other critical items in an emergency kit.
  • Have a plan for how you and your family will stay safe, how you will evacuate if necessary and where you might go.  Also consider who else you might need to check on during an emergency.
  • Stay informed during the emergency through news reports and official information.
  • Check out the hurricane evacuation guidelines available at the Virginia Department of Transportation's website: http://www.virginiadot.org/travel/hurricane_default.asp. Also see the information on the Virginia Department of Emergency Management's website at:http://www.vaemergency.com/readyvirginia/stayinformed/hurricanes.

During the storm, if electricity is interrupted

  • Call Dominion's toll-free service number at 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357) or go to www.dom.com. The automated reporting system provides fastest access. Please have your account number or the phone number that is listed on your account ready so you can move through the automated system to report your outage or receive an update.
  • If you experience an outage, report it and then turn off major appliances such as heat pumps, water heaters and stoves. Unplug other appliances such as TVs, stereos, microwaves and computers. This will help protect the appliances and prevent possible overloads to the company's system when power is restored. Leave one lamp or light on so you will be able to recognize when power is restored.
  • If using portable or camp-type stoves or lanterns for cooking and lighting, ensure that the area is adequately ventilated.

After the storm

  • Listen to your local radio station on your car or battery-powered radio for regular news and weather updates. Don't rely on your neighbors to report your outage. Call Dominion at 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357) or go to www.dom.com.
  • Stay away from fallen wires, flooded areas and debris.  Treat all fallen wires and anything touching them as though they are energized.
  • Follow safe operating procedures for generators. Never operate one inside your home or in an enclosed space, such as a garage.
  • Follow safe operating procedures for electric generators. Never operate one inside your home or in an enclosed space, such as a garage. Do not hook them directly to the electrical system of your home. Electricity could flow backwards onto our power lines and endanger repair crews. The correct, safe technique is to plug directly into the generator with proper-sized extension cords.
  • Visually inspect the area around your electricity meter. If you detect or suspect any damage, call us at 1-866-DOM-HELP.

Some useful links for the public and media during storms:

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 28,000 megawatts of generation. Dominion operates the nation's largest natural gas storage system and serves retail energy customers in 15 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's website at www.dom.com.

Follow us on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/DomVAPower. 'Like' us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dominionvirginiapower. 

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