PWC Informant

Breaking...

2010-03-18T21:23:00.003-04:00

Tuberculosis reported at Freedom High School. TB screenings to commence Monday.

Was the once-over on the vaccination record not thorough?

Was the student even innoculated at all?

Are illegal aliens to blame?

Stay tuned...

Busted! (Again)

2010-02-21T13:42:00.008-05:00

The Prince William County Schools current superintendent is certainly a gift that keeps on giving... the position is a topic of online news articles that still originate from New York:

The Eldredge, Fox & Porretti audit followed a scathing state Comptroller's Office audit of the school system that found numerous instances of waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer monies within the district. In August 2008, the Board of Education hired EFP to scrutinize the $119.5 million capital improvements project, and to probe expense reimbursements and financial transactions involving former Superintendent Steven L. Walts and his employee cabinet.

Regarding Walts, auditors determined that while he may have had high cell phone bills during the months he was preparing for a new job in Virginia, the Greece school district was obligated to pay those bills under his employment contract. Auditors did criticize him and other former district officials for "excessive" travel expenses, including out-of-town hotel stays with room costs of $350 per night and up and a California trip that cost the district $2,100 in airfare.

Auditors also found Walts made several trips to Virginia between March and July 2005 and did not record those days as vacation days, something auditors called "a consistent pattern of activity" that cost the district nearly $10,000. Auditors said Walts "essentially spent the last week of his (Greece Central School District) employment conducting personal business."

and subsequently get picked up by InsideNoVA:

During Walts' seven-year stint as superintendent of the Greece (N.Y.) Central School District, over-charging by contractors on projects related to a 2001 Capital Improvement Plan budget were in excess of $200,000. In examining the CIP, the third-party auditors confirmed insufficient documentation, change order issues and inconsistent labor rates charged by contractors.

"Quotes for work were often presented as a lump sum amount without any breakdown of labor, materials, or overhead and profit amounts," the document states. It also mentions that on many occa-sions, contractor invoices were found lacking in detail, in some cases just listing the amount due."

The audit for the Greece Central School District can be read here.

It's interesting reading like these gems that make me wonder why the superintendent's contract was renewed over the summer. When stories like these pop up, we can begin to point the fingers at those who had voted "yea" to renewal. Had I been on the school board two summers ago, I would have gladly voted for a severance package, and we would have been rid of this character, and perhaps have been able to find a far better, less shady, less soiled person to lead this school system. But no. The taxpayers ultimately pay the price.

I must wonder how well this will go down with the voters come 2011.

Happy Birthday, USMC! Semper Fi

2009-11-11T18:13:00.003-05:00

I picked up this tidbit on the Fox Nation. I am blessed to have a Marine as a father and countless friends. May God Bless You now and always :)

Foreshadow

2009-11-02T10:56:00.002-05:00

I apologize for not being on here for quite a while. Life has been fairly crazy with a younger sibling getting ready to leave the nest and my usual amount of college crazies, but I think things have calmed down, at least for now.

Tomorrow, we will see some pretty exciting races from NY-23, New Jersery, and Virginia. Do remember to vote and and rehearse your victory screeches/dances/rituals. The pot has been on boil for over a year now, and Tuesday, November 3, 2009 is just the beginning.

Do you like the badge? Give it a click and snag your own at http://www.taxonn.com

Let's get Red
Turn up the heat

$130K for What?

2009-08-18T23:35:00.005-04:00

The quill-and-scroll method of recording the entry and exit of school visitors took a digital turn about 2.5 years ago in Prince William County Public schools with the advent of the V-soft aka the Raptor. A school visitor hands his or her driver's license or other form of I.D. to the person running the front desk. The license is scanned which is checked against a sex offender database. And if you're concerned about your immigration status getting checked, don't worry. It's not happening yet, but that sounds like an absolutely brilliant idea!!! It would certainly complement the illegal alien crackdown, so keep jabberin' those pieholes!! :)

Anyways, back to the Raptor. A gripe I heard about this system was the net itself. In the past, who has been the one to play the role of kiddie-fiddler at school? It hasn't been a "visitor," or a "sex offender" whose name hit a match in the database... it has been a teacher. Are employees required to swipe their I.D.s? Probably not, and it wouldn't matter until after the act is committed; even then, I highly doubt the predators would be parking themselves at a school (or a Chuck E. Cheese). For a security system that sang to the tune of $130,000, has the misdirectional net truly been worth this expense? My my, it's a crazy world we live in. Unfortunately, it's just one of those issues of "He/She would never do such a thing," yet it still happens. Goodie Lord. Videos will be up shortly, and I'm retiring to bed.

PWCI on Twitter

2009-06-09T08:54:00.002-04:00

Many apologies for not setting this up sooner, but here we are! PWC Informant is now on Twitter.

Memorial Day

2009-05-22T18:34:00.003-04:00

I will be gone for most of the three-day-weekend, so I will post this before I pack for the trip. Drive, fly, and sail safely this weekend!

More Hot Water!

2009-04-27T20:31:00.004-04:00

I apologize for the delay in postings. My laptop is not 100% (meaning the anti-virus is still corrupted and I do not have access to the Internet). I will try to make do posting stuff from the library's computer lab until I head home for the summer.

Anyways...

Seriously, this is becoming the norm. Greece, New York is starting to feel like home. Ahhh, there's nothing like the smell of yet another investigation into the Prince William County Public Schools superintendent. Two others are caught in the net, which is certainly a refreshing change in scene. I caught wind of this story back at the Math Forum:

The school board asked for the investigation into Walts after a forensic audit last year revealed excessive spending of district money during the 2001 Capital Improvement Project.

Citizens In Action, led by former school board member Joe Moscato, exposed documents disclosing district property that Walts and two other administrators allegedly took before leaving their jobs in Greece.

Walts and former administrators Keith Imon and Keith Johnson presently work for the Prince William County School District in Northern Virginia.

Moscato shared documents that Citizens In Action believes are reason enough to discontinue the former superintendent's health insurance.

The superintendent receives 100% health coverage from the Greece Central School District. A clause in the superintendent's contract with the GCSD reads "For the purposes of any retirement benefit ... the Superintendent shall be deemed to have retired from his employment if he has completed at least 5 years of service as Superintendent of the District and there shall have been no finding of guilt on charges brought against the district" (source). I said this nearly a year ago, and I'll say it again: That last chunk of the clause is curiously starting to fall away.

I wonder how this is going to turn out.

Don't forget to check out the video!

HAPPY EASTER!!

2009-04-12T21:30:00.006-04:00

Happy Easter, everybody! 'Tis sure nice to be able to blog again :) There were a couple things that came up over Lent, and I am more than excited to tackle them on the site. Here we go!

On accident, I stumbled upon a posting titled "Mothers of Dissension: A Case Study of How Internet-Fueled Moms Are Changing Things" at the Fem2.♀ page. I was not interested in the post so much as reading the comments; it looks as if the topic has sparked a little discussion:

TriRes on Jan 18th, 2009 said:
BVBL is hardly “anti-immigrant”. There is a BIG difference between “anti-immigrant” and “anti-ILLEGAL immigrant.” If you want to see “anti-immigrant” sentiments, go to France. Trust me, what we talk about here is NOTHING compared to how the immigration debate goes. I am sick and tired of how my community is looking because of gang activity, drugs, and graffiti. BVBL actually goes out to clean up the mess the ILLEGAL ALIENS leave behind. Not once do I read a post on anti-bvbl that reads “graffiti clean up in neighborhood X tomorrow. Meet us at X intersection.” I am a Latina myself, and I am thoroughly disgusted with the way the folks at anti-bvbl handle readers who have views that are different from their own. “Open dialogue”? You gotta be kidding me! As soon as you post “anchor baby,” you are blocked from posting further comments, yet they allow their readers to say things such as “make the white man pay” and “help save our white a**es” and merely receive a slap on the wrist. Where is your story about the elderly woman in D.C. who was defrauded thousands of dollars by a bunch of illegal aliens, and then BURNED ALIVE IN HER OWN HOME… If the media gave any thought to this victim, and actually called the illegal aliens criminals, it’s considered “racist”. Bullcrap.

To which poster "Elena" replies:
Thanks for posting this very important article in the Wash Post. What Alanna and I saw was a virulent hate that was growing against our immigrant community. If you looked latino, you were instantly seen as “illegal”. As a matter of act, one our our Supervisors is married to a woman from Peru. A citizen, during the most contentious time in PWC, actually accused him of being an “illegal alien and abetter” because he his “inlaws” must be illegal. It was chilling. There needs to be a discussion about immgration, that is true. Historically speaking, immigration, has, and will remain, a very hot button issue. Interesting considering that we are a nation of immigrants. BTW, the person who posts on anti, Mackie, is the only poster we have who has been called out on his “anti white” rants. Overall, our conversations are fact based and respectful, even when we disagree. As a matter of fact, the Anti Defamation League has not called Anti-Bvbl or its blog owners “extremists”, however, they have labeled Greg Letique and HSM in such terms.

"John" finishes with:
The postings on antibvbl are factual and not argumentative? Give me a break. Anyone who disagrees with them is automatically labeled “anti-immigrant”, “racist”, or some other things. They engage in name calling and call our supervisors names. They have labeled Corey Stewart a Nazi and a racist more times than I can remember. They don’t want reasonable discussion on their blog - if they did they wouldn’t label everyone who comes on there that disagrees with them as “anti-immigrant”, or attempt to lump them in with the bvbl gang. What a bunch of phonies.

The Washington Post story in the blog post mentions a mother who did not like that one of her children was coming home with a rhyme that goes: "I don’t want to go to Mexico no more. . . . There’s a big, fat guy at the door. . . . If you open it up, he’ll [urinate] on the floor. . . . I don’t want to go to Mexico no more." (I admit that I was rolling on the floor when I read this, hehe.) One of the many complaints I hear, particularly with overcrowding, are people who urinate and defecate publicly and do not clean up after their business. Have they not heard of a "restroom"? (Prime example of the need for assimilation.) First, I do not need to see a free show when I go out in the afternoon to fetch the mail. Second, if the toilet does not work, use a bucket and lime until it is repaired. Thirdly, there are children around!

The same mother also says "she didn’t like hearing that immigrant parents were afraid to send their children to school for fear they would be deported." Ummm, yeah... sure. I have family and friends who are "immigrants." They work for the Department of Defense, from home, and for Prince William County Public Schools. They also send their children to school without fear of "deportations." Care to know why? They are legal U.S. Citizens with proper, bona-fide documentation. They keep their noses clean. They are able to enjoy the rights that natural-born citizens enjoy. The only group of people who should be fearing deportations are illegal aliens, which makes sense. I'll say one thing, I wouldn't want to be in Prince William County with its Anti-Illegal Alien Law of Resolution until I fixed my "Illegal-Alien" status. (In the meantime, I'd hide out in Fairfax County, tee hee hee.)

I find it more than quite funny that "Elena" does not answer to "TriRes' " charge that anti-bvbl does not clean up graffiti... which I am led to assume is actually true. I, myself, have not read or heard of one posting/comment where anti-bvbl praised the members of Help Save Manassas and BVBL for their tireless efforts and countless hours to beautify their community. There is absolutely nothing "racist" or "anti-immigrant" about picking up trash and scrubbing graffiti. I guess those pesky MS-13 and Sur gang members are going to have to use smoke signals to coordinate more gang wars.

Just as "TriRes" points out "that they allow their readers to say things such as 'make the white man pay' and 'help save our white a**es' and merely receive a slap on the wrist," "Elena" counters with an insignificant "Mackie has been called out on his 'anti white' rants." There is no expansion upon the punishment (or lack thereof) that one of their own (doesn't) receives when such insults are thrown in the comments. I expected to read a response along the lines of "We do not tolerate racial and/or ethnic slurs whatsoever on anti-bvbl, blah blah blah. This user has been chastied and is now banned from further discussion on anti-bvbl, blah blah blah." Oh wait, nevermind: it would not and will not happen.

I am utterly thrilled to hear of the infamous "Anti-Defamtion League" being brought up YET AGAIN in an illegal immigration discussion. Wowie, I guess "Elena" needed an entire organization's help to say something about groups she has brought up. I wonder if "Elena" and her comrades are even capable of telling us something we haven't been told 100,000 times before. I also wonder if they could win a contest to describe Help Save Manassas and BVBL without using the words Nativist; Extreme; Extremist; Racist; Anti-immigrant; Hate; Hate group; KKK; Southern Poverty Law Center; SPLC; Latino; Hispanic; Anti-Defamation League; ADL; Mean; Fear; and Deport.

And as for the ad-nauseum "Latino" connection to everything immigrant? Well, lookie here: In the past, which group has continuously made the "Latino = Illegal = Race = Immigrant = Latino" comparisons? Nope, not Help Save Manassas; it hasn't been BVBl; couldn't have been FAIR... give up? Look no further than anti-bvbl. Think about it! Every single instance of anything remotely having to do with an immigrant was automatically tagged "Latino" and "Racist." There can be no such thing as an illeg-er immigrant from Romania, or Ireland, or Poland. This was, and continues to be, shoved down our throats. At some point, people got very tired of this hammering and useless rhetoric pretty quickly. Once we decided to make the "Latino = Illegal = Race = Immigrant = Latino" comparison we had heard so often, anti-bvbl's associates started screaming and spewing virtiol to those who would dare commit such a transgression. But wait, is that not what we had been hearing the entire time? Why do we receive a caustic backlash? Here's why: They have been forced to swallow their own bitter pill.

I hope they are still trying to gargle the taste out.

Happy Mardi Gras!

2009-02-24T23:37:00.004-05:00

I hope your greens, purples, and golds were worn in high style today. I had a rather stimulating evening of throwing darts, getting wowed by the men's floor magician, eating cotton-candy, and mask-making.

I will be taking a Lenten hiatus from Blogger. My e-mail can be found on my profile.

Berries Galore!

2009-02-04T05:13:00.006-05:00

The Berry Report has been released.

Enjoy

(H/T Smarter CATS in the Greece Central School District)

Thanks, Joe!

2009-01-28T18:58:00.010-05:00

While the Greece Central School District in New York may not have too much in common with Prince William County, our public school system employs the superintendent they used to have. June 2008 marked his third year in the system, but that hasn't prevented his name from cropping up in discussions up north:

Joe Moscato said...
Just a quick update on the Steve Walts agenda item. I don't know why Julia keeps putting this on the agenda as they are no closer to making a decision than they were last May... I learned that an investigative agency has launched an official investigation into Walts' and two others as a result of the forensic audit.
1/26/2009 6:52 PM

It's like they say in Hollywood: "Man, you don't want that kind of attention."

I wouldn't either. Let's see how this goes.

Or maybe not...

2009-01-27T11:24:00.008-05:00

Response to previous post:

Julie Lucas said:
Chairman Johns removed this item for now because we are going to discuss this issue during our budget work session. Please help spread the word that this issue will be discussed. Thanks for keeping people informed.
January 27, 2009 1:00 AM

So noted and posted, Ms. Lucas :) Again, thank you for the info.

OOPS! Did we just misplace an action item?

2009-01-26T21:11:00.006-05:00

I was checking the agenda for the Prince William County School Board Meeting on February 4th. The 26th item originally read (notice missing info):

That the Prince William County School Board direct the Superintendent that the textbook series "Investigations in Number, Data and Space" shall not be used as the primary textbook for 5th Grade instruction, but materials in the series may be used to supplement the currently approved 5th Grade textbook.

And may it live long and prosperous on the Internets that this is what the 26th item used to read.

Now it says:

That the Prince William County School Board discuss combining the virtual high school with the night high school program.

HMMMMMM, considering that the previous version of the action item dealt with a pretty hot topic in the school system, one must wonder why this action item has suddenly donned an invisibility cloak. If it must be moved to another date for some reason, at least put a note on the agenda! I find it strange that the Traditional Math proponents were the ones to sound the alarm. Where are the investigations folks? It appears as if they are trying to keep quiet about its disappearance. That fishy smell has become quite strong. What the heck is going on?

More news to follow...

Show Time!

2009-01-21T16:38:00.007-05:00

A critical milestone has been reached in favour of the Traditional Math proponents. At tonight's school board meeting, a small yet significant item on this evening's agenda will be deliberated and voted on. This item proposes having an opt-in option for traditional math. Months of e-mails, faxes, citizen comments, letters to the editor, and a solid math forum have come to this. Join the ranks of citizens at the Edward L. Kelly Leadership Center. Those at home can still catch the action on channel 18 (Comcast), channel 36 (Verizon), or watch the meeting live on the Web.

Go Team! :)

::UPDATE::
I watched some of the meeting online last night. The beginning portion was heavily in favour of investigations. I don't recall hearing all too much out of the MI crew before, but here they were with plenty of comments to spare. Hmmm. I wonder where they came from.
From reading the responses on the Yahoo! Math Forum, it appears as if there was no vote taken. The discussion afterwards, however, is something else. Numerous reports erupted that a couple school board members spewed vitriol during the board's comment time. A poster at the Forum wrote:

Apparently PWCS staff are spreading misinformation. I'd like to clarify that I was at the meeting and there were no chairs thrown and there was no swearing as parents left the board room during Lattin's comments. The only word that was said was, "Rude."

Man! Now I wish I'd attended the meeting in-person. Relive all 5 hours and 37 minutes, if you so desire. Fast forward to the last 20 minutes for the best parts.

::UPDATE::
Interesting Action item on the February 4th agenda. It states:

That the Prince William County School Board direct the Superintendent that the textbook series "Investigations in Number, Data and Space" shall not be used as the primary textbook for 5th Grade instruction, but materials in the series may be used to supplement the currently approved 5th Grade textbook.

Hopefully, this item will go forward at the next meeting. Traditional math has been waiting a long time for this.

Back in NoVA ...

2008-12-10T18:52:00.012-05:00

Wow, that semester certainly flew by. Good luck to all students who are taking finals, completing final projects, and writing term papers. Try every flavour that your preferred energy drink offers. Push the coffeemaker to the max. Now is the time to ask, "How ridiculously strong can I make this coffee?" Don't forget your fiber :) Safe travels for all as you return home.

Tomorrow, I will be heading down to Panama (YEAH, BABY!) for 10 blissfully hot and humid days. This is where I will be staying, at my grandmother's house in Vista Alegre:

I listened to "Spirits in the Material World" by The Police while heading home from campus last night. It was the first time I had heard the song. The repetitive chorus was stuck in my mind for the remainder of the evening.

I searched for the song's lyrics, and, strange as this may sound, they reminded me of the current economic crisis:

There is no political solution
To our troubled evolution
Have no faith in constitution
There is no bloody revolution

Our so-called leaders speak
With words they try to jail you
They subjugate the meek
But it's the rhetoric of failure

Where does the answer lie?
Living from day to day
If it's something we can't buy
There must be another way

Potential Obama Appointees Questioned on Guns

2008-12-07T20:40:00.008-05:00

This gave me one more reason to ask Santa for a Colt Thirty-Eight Special this Christmas. Unbelievable!

The National Rifle Association has denounced the Barack Obama transition team’s questionnaire asking potential appointees about their own gun ownership.

The 63-question personnel form includes this query: “Do you or any members of your immediate family own a gun? If so, provide complete ownership and registration information. Has the registration ever lapsed? Please also describe how and by whom it is used and whether it has been the cause of any personal injuries or property damage.”

Paul Light, professor of public service at New York University, told Politico.com that there was no such question for potential appointees when George W. Bush took office in 2000.

“It kind of sticks out there like a sore thumb,” he said.

Light hypothesized that the Obama camp might want to avoid the spectacle of a Cabinet-level or other high-ranking appointee who is found to have an unregistered handgun.

But the NRA, which spent millions in an attempt to defeat Obama, is crying foul over the question.

“Barack Obama and his administration are showing their true colors and true philosophy with regard to the Second Amendment,” said Chris Cox, the NRA’s top political official.

“It shows what we’ve been saying all along — this guy doesn’t view the Second Amendment as a fundamental constitutional right.”

Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina also denounced the question.

“It’s very odd and very concerning to put out a question like that,” he said.

DeMint’s campaign organization sent an e-mail to supporters vowing to endorse legislation that bars federal hiring discrimination on the basis of gun ownership.

The question put to potential appointees is just the latest Obama move to irk opponents of gun control, NewsBusters contributing editor Tom Blumer pointed out.

Among other things, Obama has voted to allow lawsuits designed to bankrupt firearms firms, voted to ban almost all rifle ammunition commonly used for hunting and sport shooting, endorsed a complete ban on handgun ownership, voted to uphold local gun bans and the criminal prosecution of people who use firearms in self-defense, and supported a proposal to ban gun stores within five miles of a school or park.

E-mail sent by Newsmax

Nothing pissed me off more than reading "criminal prosecution of people who use firearms in self-defense." So, according to this, the couple who shot 3 home invaders back in October should be punished simply for defending their lives. HA HA HA. Good one! I guess I'll play dead when (God forbid) I get mugged, raped, etc. at knifepoint while jogging. Surely no one would want to see a mugger's, rapist's, etc. brains splattered all over the road.

Beer, Conservatives & Liberals: A History Lesson

2008-12-07T18:56:00.005-05:00

Something to munch on while the semester winds down:

Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomadic hunters/gatherers. They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer and would go to the coast and live on fish and lobster in the winter.

The two most important events in all of history were the invention of beer and the invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the beer. These were the foundation of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups: 1. Liberals; and 2. Conservatives.

Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That's how villages were formed.

Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to B-B-Q at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as the Conservative movement. Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly B-B-Q's and doing the sewing, fetching, and hair dressing. This was the beginning of the Liberal movement. Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women. The rest became known as girliemen.

Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy, group hugs, and the concept of Democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer that conservatives provided. Over the years conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by the jackass.

Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare. Another interesting evolutionary side note: most of their women have higher testosterone levels than their men. Most social workers, personal injury attorneys, journalists, dreamers in Hollywood and group therapists are liberals. Liberals invented the designated hitter rule because it wasn't fair to make the pitcher also bat.

Conservatives drink domestic beer. They eat red meat and still provide for their women. Conservatives are big-game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, corporate executives, athletes, Marines, and generally anyone who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work for a living.

Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when conservatives were coming to America. They crept in after the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get more for nothing.

Here ends today's lesson in world history: It should be noted that a Liberal may have a momentary urge to angrily respond to the above before forwarding it. A Conservative will simply laugh and be so convinced of the absolute truth of this history that it will be forwarded immediately to other true believers and to more liberals just to tick them off.

Like two pieces from a jigsaw puzzle

2008-11-09T20:48:00.005-05:00

These fit together quite nicely.

(H/T BLACK VELVET BRUCE LI and Virginia Virtucon)

Something you might want to ask Obama supporters

2008-10-30T14:31:00.004-05:00

Message sent to the members of the Facebook group: Virginia for McCain-Palin 2008

Subject: Something you might want to ask Obama supporters

Today on my way to lunch I passed a homeless guy with a sign that read "Vote Obama, I need the money." I laughed.

Once in the restaurant my server had on a "Obama 08" tie, again I laughed as he had given away his political preference--just imagine the coincidence.

When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need--the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.

I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful.

At the end of my somewhat unscientific redistribution experiment I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient needed money more.

I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application. I say we try this in the next 10 days and we might be able to change a few minds...

Whistleblower Policy a Potential in PWC?

2008-09-15T09:03:00.015-04:00

The following comment was made on the August 20 post:

Anonymous said...

Have you seen the latest out of greece? Can we get a similar Whistleblower policy in PWC to protect us from Walts?
LINK to article:
http://www.mpnnow.com/news/education/x560278441/Whistleblower-policy-in-place-in-Greece

Also - upcoming Math Investigations Work Session @ 9/17 PWCS Board Meeting
http://www.pwcs.edu/absolutenewsmanager/templates/?a=1183&z=11

concerned pwc parent!
www.pwcteachmathright.com September 11, 2008 9:42 PM

That is a very good question indeed. If there is enough call for such policy to be implemented in Prince William County, particularly within the school system, it may very well become a reality.

In the meantime, a highly recommended recourse is to report suspected abuses, fraud, or waste of Department of Education funds or programs either anonymously or in confidence to the Office of the Inspector General in several ways by:

1) Downloading this form (complete anonymity) and mailing it to:

Inspector General's Hotline
Office of Inspector General
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-1500

2) Sending an e-mail message to oig.hotline@ed.gov

3) Calling the OIG Hotline's toll free number 1-800-MIS-USED. The Hotline's operating hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM, Eastern Time; Tuesday and Thursday, 1:00 PM until 3:00 PM, Eastern Time except for holidays.

4) Completing and submitting a complaint form online.

Reporting actions that go against the best interests of the students should never result in retaliation from the offending party. Unfortunately, the status quo for many places in the country is quite the opposite...

Let others know about this and other resources they can use to pursue their causes and cases.

Injustice does not have an indefinite shelf-life.

Bright Morning with Dilated Pupils

2008-08-20T12:58:00.005-04:00

Rumors are like coins: they are tossed into the air to be seen by all. Two outcomes flash as they present their faces to the audience. They blur into one; no person can track his/her choice side. Gravity takes over, and it brings the game of chance to its maker. Breaths held, the onlookers wait...

The touchdown commences and ceases in an instant.

Now back to the present. There was a flurry of gossip flying around and scuttlebutt on the grapevine that the superintendent was resigning, the office was being cleared, he went to the beach with Imon and was never returning, etc. A transportation meeting was where he could usually be seen at this time of year. Was he there today?

Definitely. It looks as though he is still employed by the school system.

It landed tails. Better luck next time.

The Joker?

2008-08-08T23:14:00.008-04:00

Just landed in my inbox minutes ago. I will admit, they did a pretty darn good job :)

Uhh... Umm... Ahh...

2008-07-29T02:03:00.008-04:00

You gotta hear this! Thanks Limbaugh!

(H/T Virginia Virtucon)

Fish + Estrogen = ???

2008-07-27T03:44:00.007-04:00

You gotta see it to believe it!

"Mom! There are so many day laborers here!"

2008-07-24T21:50:00.008-04:00

It's Thursday morning, and I'm off to The Home Depot just off the Rhode Island Ave.-Brentwood Metro stop in the hopes of acquiring employment there. I can commute with my father to the region (and use his stash of discarded Metro passes), work during the day, and return home with him. The Law of Resolution is a rather tasty treat one might find in Prince William County. I've been out and about during the summer, and the County is looking rather glorious :)

The Metro slows and comes to a stop. The electric bells chime and the matter-of-fact announcer says, "Doors opening." DING-dong , go the chimes again. I step out, relishing the 75° morning temperatures. I head down the platform and walk the trek to the store. As I round the bend, I have to stop because I am in utter shock: about 40-50 men are milling around in The Home Depot parking lot, sunning themselves while sitting on the curb and chatting amongst one another. I am stuck by the fact that a day laborer is something I have not seen in many, many months, particularly in Prince Willliam County. I had often wondered where many, if not most, of the day laborers had gone if they fled PWC. I guess I had found them.

I nodded to one gentleman and said buenas to another. I approached a foursome. Speaking spanish, I chatted with a laborer who said that many of them had been waiting for work since five or six in the morning. It was eight-ish or so when I arrived and asked if there had been any one to pick them up. They shook their heads no, there hadn't been too many people this morning. I thanked them for their time and left.

I took some pictures of the laborers milling around. I was a little nervous about getting close to them with a camera, so I took the shots from across the parking lot:

I returned in the afternoon. While the number of laborers was less than what it was in the morning, there were about 20 or so guys. I conversed with a couple fellows who were taking refuge from the sun in the shade. I told them that I thought there would be no one here because it was the afternoon; naturally, wouldn't someone have picked them up? This laborer said no, today had been a little slow. I chatted some more with the guys until I realized that I was no longer speaking to just two men. The other laborers had noticed there was someone talking to them and perhaps they thought I was a contractor. I paused for a second and saw that I was speaking to about 20 men. I got slightly nervous but figured as long as they didn't make any sudden or threatening motions towards me, I would be fine.

I asked them where they lived. They were from the D.C. area, they said. I told them about Prince William County and the Law of Resolution. They chuckled; it didn't look like they would try to go there. They seemed fine to try and earn a living while waiting in The Home Depot parking lot. It was a little hot that afternoon, and I asked them if they had enough water while they were standing outside during the day. Nearly all shook their heads in unison. "No agua, no baño," one said. "No food," offered another. I asked them how long they had been standing there. "Doce (12) horas," someone told me. I saw that the laborers were looking at me in a sort of eager, anticipating expression. "I didn't bring my car," I told them in Spanish. Nope, I was not there to hire them. I was looking for work myself! Nevertheless, they were interested in this person who had stopped to talk with them.

I talked with the laborers for a little while longer, then I bid them good-bye. I said that if I hopefully got the job at that Home Depot I would see them again. I thought I could hear one of them ask me what my name was, but the words were lost in their own good-byes. I stopped for a moment. He asked again.

"¿Cómo te llamas?"

I gave them my nickname.

The new PWC schools chief?

2008-07-23T20:59:00.007-04:00

¿Adiós?

2008-07-21T16:00:00.003-04:00

Okaaaay, I REALLY don't know what to make of the whispers and rumours and whatnot that's been spreading like fire on spilt gasoline in Prince William County and Greece, NY. It began last Friday, July 18 with an e-mail I received from someone stating that Steven Walts was resigning. I was out of town during that time, and when I returned home, my father had more information. As early as last month, the school board had apparently offered a buy-out for Walts. The amount wasn't quite what he was looking for. But then word comes around that he was resigning. The reasons spanned from being "caught en flagrante with a male math teacher" to suspicions that "one of the employees he brought from New York was his mistress and the wife found out. " A friend of my father's had called asking for confirmation. I would think that something this big would be reported in the Potomac News and/or Washington Post, but when I checked, there was nothing. However, underneath the hum of rush-hour traffic there is a palpable electricity, especially up in Greece.

It began with a post on the Smarter CATS in the Greece Central School District blog titled ALL POINTS BULLETIN?

PWC Resident said...
There's word out that Waltsie and possibly his boys are going to waltz out of Prince William County Public Schools.
Keep a sharp eye out for these hoodlums. Do NOT give the bad guys any reason to return to your system. 7/18/2008 7:12 PM

This post sparked a furor. These comments give reason for pause:

Anonymous said...
Impeccable sources close to PWC report that Walts resigned yesterday (Friday) rather than be fired for cause. It is alleged that Walts was caught with an employee engaged in behavior that would be considered cause for dismissal . The cheering in PWC has just begun!!
Are their people on our board that are sick enough to want to bring him back?
Stay tuned for breaking news!
Oh, he allegedly overspent the budget on the new admin bldg. by $15 million. And the Board of Education members are profoundly embarrassed by this turn of events. Of course they were warned about Walts' behaviors three years ago, and again and again. 7/19/2008 2:39 PM

Anonymous said:
If the story about Walts resigning is true, then some hard questions need to be asked.
Was the employee wishing to be given a raise by Walts?
Was the employee seeking to get ahead at work?
Did Walts overplay his hand?
Was there bad-mouthing of or by either party?
Clearly a subordinate employee can be compromised by a powerful superior. It is called sexual harrassment!
Can Walts' lifetime health care paid by Greece residents be stopped immediately for actions that warranted dismissal by the current employer?
Or will Boily and puppets want to ignore yet another smoking gun!!! 7/19/2008 3:52 PM

A further post allowed for discussion of the former comment: OOPS!! HE DID IT AGAIN?? In the following discussion, an anonymous post that seemed to originate from PWC offers more:

The rumor started here in Prince William early in the week that he was going to resign. It spread among the principals and teachers in summer school like wildfire. When people called the admin office, it was denied. But then on Friday, the talk expanded and it was coming from people who worked on the Hill in or close to the super's office. They said they saw what was happening Friday morning and that he definitely was resigning or going to resign. He was taking things out of his office clearing it out. By Friday afternoon, it was all over the county, although not officially reported anywhere. At my school we never heard any rumors as to why or any allegations about Dr. Walts, just that he was leaving. But there have been wild rumors for weeks that Kisha left because of sexual harassment and misconduct. We're just as baffled as everyone else is.

We have rumors like any school system but I can't remember any rumor being this talked about and not true. I'm not saying it is true but the people it was coming from are people who have never spread rumors like this in the past. They seemed fearful of losing their own jobs with a new administration so I think they were being honest about what they saw and thought was happening on Friday. 7/20/2008 3:51 PM

And here's my comment:

At this point, I'm getting told two different stories left and right. For all the announcements our school board makes, it would be VERY helpful to hear one verifying or busting this rumour. >:( I am astounded that SCATS appears to have more info on this than our own papers. ><

For those wondering about blog coverage, there is at least one. BLACK VELVET BRUCE LI July 20: "No, PWCPS Superintendent Walts is not resigning/been fired or whatever, despite rumors to that effect. Some folks have confused the resignation of the State Superintendent with Dr. Walts. For beter [sic] or worse, Dr. Walts is still with us."

Hopefully, more info will come to light in the coming days. 7/21/2008 4:32 AM

I know, Wikipedia isn't the best source =)

Personally, there is nothing I'd like better than to see a certain someone walking out of Independent Hill with his tail tucked between his legs. I can only hope that all school systems have been warned of this character and will keep their doors shut to him and his associates.

Put this in your toolbox

2008-07-09T22:21:00.006-04:00

All Citizens should have this page bookmarked ASAP, courtesy of FAIR:

Examples of Serious Crimes of Illegal Aliens

Stick 'em all over the discussion boards. Let's see the liberals try to spin this.

"Amnesty" my big American a**.

PSA for Illegal Aliens wanting to rob houses

2008-07-09T21:54:00.006-04:00

It may very well be the last time you do so. Thanks to a Texas man, there are two fewer illegal aliens in the United States. Two men were shot and killed when a neighbor saw them crawling out of a window, and then came over to the yard of the neighbor and began threatening him. After ample warnings, Joe Horn opened fire. The illegal aliens were dead at the scene.

The two illegals already committed a crime by entering and remaining in this fine Country illegally. I guess it would only make their rap sheet prettier by adding burglary and threatening someone. Kudos to the 61-year-old for defending not only his life and his own property, but also the property of his neighbors. I don't know what's funnier: having the family of the dead men actually wanting something done to Horn, or trying to imagine what Horn's trophy wall currently looks like :)

Story can be found here and here.

Sell Out the Bad Stock

2008-07-07T21:01:00.007-04:00

I've received intel this afternoon that the Prince William County School Board has been looking into buying-out the current superintendent, sort-of like a "we'll-pay-you-to-skip-town" thing. Funny, but this is coming from the same group of people who released a statement back in February saying:

"Dr. Walts continues to have the confidence of the ... board. The Prince William County community can rest assured that the School Board has long-standing and transparent policies and audit procedures assuring integrity and effectiveness of all division operations."

Good job! This is certainly worthy of a medal. The Citizens are presented with a front that denies any and all wrongdoings of their star employees, yet at the same time, a hand or two sneaks underneath the table to bid a completely different errand.

Unfortunately, the likelihood that the position will be vacated due to a buyout (and the school board members getting their heads out of each other's rear ends) is, sadly, quite unlikely. When offended parties win their lawsuits and student performance continues to spiral downward in the Math department, we may very well have eight school board representatives walking the plank. And those sharks are getting mighty hungry...

Rumours have been going around that Freedom High School may see new leadership within the next academic year or so. I'll be keeping an eye out on the job posting.

9500Problems

2008-06-19T00:13:00.005-04:00

Gosh, it's been awhile! But I am back now with at least one new brake on the truck, hehe.

I checked Wikipedia to scope Eric Byler's page to see if anything interesting had popped up. Yep, there was still that pesky "Conflict of Interest" flag, expected of course.

Ahhh, but wait! What happened to the "Criticism" section that was on the page before???

That's funny ... it appears to have disappeared, only to be replaced with "Flim Criticism." Oh my, there go the liberals again, hard at work making sure that ~~everybody~~ only a few people have the freedom of speech in their grasp.

Fortunately, a wikiFan or two managed to put in their bid before it magically disappeared again from the site. Thanks for the warning, guys :)

wikiOuch

2008-05-31T15:54:00.006-04:00

Eric Byler of the ~~loveable~~ (insert appropriate adjective here) 9500Liberty has landed himself a fan or two.

There was a neat "Conflict of Interest" tag at the top of his Wikipedia page.

I think this takes care of most of the "Conflict of Interest." Feel free to add to Byler's page as appropriate. :D

Silly MapQuest

2008-05-23T03:51:00.012-04:00

We're headed to Colonial Beach for Memorial Day Weekend. It looks like my folks will be taking the family sailboat down while I stay on Terra Firma and drive the van. How does one get there? Hop on the web and employ the tried-and-(98%)-true method of using MapQuest to chart the journey. They have a nifty feature where the user can route their trip by shortest distance or time.

Maybe I'm reading the directions wrong, but I observed something a bit odd when I switched from "Shortest Time" to "Shortest Distance." (Ctrl+click to enlarge)

"Shortest Time" route

Total Time Estimated: 1 hour, 17 minutes
Total Estimated Distance: 58.62 miles

"Shortest Distance" route

Estimated Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Estimated Distance: 71.03 miles

I think either some labels need to be switched, or just say that time and distance are saved with the top route. Anyhow, I still have the check with the man-'o'-the house for the best way to get to where we need to go.

Drive, swim, teleport, etc. safe this weekend!!! :)

Passed the boiling point

2008-05-21T03:16:00.009-04:00

A Board of Education member for the Greece Central School Disctrict in New York sent a loud and clear message when he resigned from his post a few days ago.

"I no longer wish to be associated with a school board that is politically controlled by its leadership and superintendent and is nonresponsive to the concerns of the community," he said. "The district's reluctance to seek an independent investigation by the proper police agency concerning the allegations of wrongdoing in the comptroller's audit is a prime example of this fact."

While this could very well be seen as a loss for the District, an independent voice of the system from the system may be able to do much more for Greece's constituents. An anonymous letter and a determined advocate for the community may be all that is needed to commence a criminal investigation into the Audits.

$2.5 mil+ was flushed down the crapper ... OOPS

2008-05-21T03:09:00.006-04:00

They're playing this loss awful lightly. What happens a couple days later is a bit of a shock.

If the Prodigal Son went to college

2008-05-19T22:01:00.009-04:00

I'm going back to school tomorrow, which should be fun. I'm still in "college mode," and I need something to keep my mind busy.

"What goes up to the dorm must come back."

3 days before launch
8/19/07

T-minus 19 hours
8/22/07

This is why some people need a moving truck when returning home

Here comes the fun part: unpacking!

Two semesters, minus 2 textbooks and a bunch of smaller novels -.-
Total cost: $1032.30

There's been a buzz about keeping the grass cut on foreclosed property in PWC. I have to wonder where they're coming up with the figure of $2 mil to keep the lawns trim... it can't all be blamed on gas prices! Here's a solution: round up a batallion of college students home for the summer and give them a lawn mower and a mutually-agreed salary. Give them a list of properties to mow and plenty of water. The figure goes down significantly, and students' pockets are full at the end of the day. Checkbooks are fattened by the end of the summer in time for the fall semester. It's a win-win situation.

GOING HOME TODAY, WOOT!

2008-05-13T02:10:00.011-04:00

I checked out Waldo’s Virginia Political Blogroll just to see if any interesting posts had come up since this morning. I was greeted with a rather loud-looking post titled "Corey Stewart is a Big Fat Liar." Curiosity piqued, I couldn't resist checking out the post... yep, same-ol' same ol'. Nothing special or out of the ordinary; just the usual housing freakouts, and the oh-so-famous racial tie to the illegal immigration debate.

I had a couple problems with this post. Assuming that illegal aliens are nothing but a bunch of Latinos is racist in itself. It makes a point in saying "whether legally in the county or not;" however, we read "Latinos fleeing" and "Latino shops." The term "illegal aliens" knows no bounds of race or ethnic group- only law-breakers. Furthermore, the post says that Corey "ran off every Latino/a." I must laugh at this statement because THIS Latina (a native of Panama) keeps returning to Prince William County despite the fact that the Law of Resolution is in order! If it were allegedly true that "every Latino/a" (assuming that a mixed-heritage also counts) was leaving due to the Resolution, then my brother and mother would not be at home. Funny, but every time I need to be picked up from campus (a three-hour drive) it has almost always been my mother. (And she makes bien arroz y pollo. ¡Que rico!) Obviously, there are a couple "Latinos/as" that have NOT left the scene. The race-ranters are the true cause of what they are trying to take down. It makes perfect sense that the law-breakers are fleeing the Resolution.

As to the housing situation, this aspect has been covered ad-freaking-nauseum. Either someone needs to clean their ears out or stop running their pieholes long enough to actually LISTEN to what is going on. And, oh lookie here: if the blogger of the post in question were to search within the same newspaper that they used to grace their posting, they would find that the so-called "housing meltdown" isn't happening in Prince William County.

I was taught that a good letter to the editor does not mention an opponent by name, but includes enough information to have the reader think "Oh yeah, I know who they're talking about." The content of a blog post should be sufficient for a reader to know what, who, etc. are being talked about. "Corey Stewart is a Big Fat Liar" sends out the image of a person who lacks a whole lotta class and creativity. Suggested titles include "Do Pinocchio and the PW BoCS Chairman Share a Common Interest?", "Similarities in Pinocchio and the PW BoCS Chair," and "Link Between Weight Gain and Nose Length."

Haha, I have 6 days off until I start classes again... fun. At least they're only 6-week courses

Obama: "I've been in 57 states."

2008-05-13T01:50:00.003-04:00

UN-BELIEVEABLE

Ugh, finals

2008-05-12T08:24:00.007-04:00

There's nothing like the sound of 22 scholars ~~happily~~ frantically clacking away at their keyboards as they finish (or start) last-minute assignments at the crack-'o'-dawn. The general consensus is that non-formal-exam assignments (i.e. final papers) are due at the glorious universal deadline of 5:00PM. I've been at the 24-hour lab since prior to 6AM this morning. I have not gotten an ounce of sleep since 2:30PM Sunday afternoon. I'm going to try to hold out until 2:00PM. Cheers to coffee, energy drinks, and cold showers to get us undergraduate students through the last hurdle.

Audit Wars: Episode II?

2008-05-09T11:00:00.006-04:00

One audit looks good on a past record, a second one would make it fashionable.

Democrat and Chronicle
May 7, 2008
GREECE — The Greece school board could soon initiate a detailed forensic audit of a building project the state Comptroller's Office said was rife with financial mismanagement and wasteful spending.

During a meeting Tuesday, the board formed a committee to investigate how much such an audit of the 2001 Capital Improvement Project would cost and what it would cover.

"We need to see what we will gain from a forensic audit," said Roger Boily, board president. "We don't want to pay for it if we get less information than we already have."

Forensic audits are often used to trace fraudulent accounting practices and pinpoint economic crimes.

A recently released Comptroller's Office audit of the Greece Central School District identified more than $2.5 million in excess spending on the building project and determined former district officials deliberately split orders for changes to the project into multiple parts in order to shield some spending from Board of Education review. The audit faulted former boards of education for lax financial oversight.

Also during the meeting, board member Joseph Moscato asked the board to rescind lifetime health care benefits given to former Superintendent Steven L. Walts, who left in 2005 to lead the Prince William County schools in Virginia.

With no concrete evidence of wrongdoing on Walts' part, doing so would be premature and defamatory, said board member Patrick Tydings.

"This calls for action before an investigation is done," he said, voting to defeat the proposal.

Moscato's motion to hire an outside agency to investigate whether the comptroller's findings warranted criminal charges also failed. In other audits, when significant criminal activity was found, the Comptroller's Office has referred the matters to local law enforcement. It made no such referral in Greece.

However, Superintendent Steven Achramovitch has asked the Monroe County District Attorney's Office to review the audit. That review is ongoing.

Pending cost estimates, the board held off authorizing school lawyers to investigate the findings.

The matter could come up again May 13.

The effects of Insomnia are starting to rear their ugly heads. Nap time!

The answer we've been waiting for

2008-05-08T14:52:00.005-04:00

It's funny how 2 states and an eight hour drive can be connected to one person. Here's a three-step formula to getting free healthcare from your place of employment:

Insert nifty clause in contract
Work five years
Retire

It's that simple! Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?

How did Walts get his benefits?
Greece Post MPNNow.com
Wed May 07, 2008

Greece, N.Y. -

When Steve Walts walked out of Greece Central in 2005, he did so knowing that his former district would foot the bill when it came to his health-care benefits.

A 2004 deal by Walts and former Board of Education members included Greece Central paying for his health care, even if he stopped working in the district. The Board of Education now is looking into whether to end the deal.

Walts, superintendent from 1998 to July 2005, entered into the agreement with the Greece board, led by then President Paul Wawrzyniak, in June 2004. Part of the agreement included the district's coverage of 80 percent of a health insurance plan offered by the district and chosen by him.

But the contract was updated in December of that year and expanded how much Greece would be responsible for regarding his benefits. An addendum passed Dec. 14, 2004, when Walts was 50, said that, if he retired or became disabled, he would be eligible for coverage in any group health insurance program with the district covering 100 percent of its costs.

When Walts left Greece in 2005 for Prince William County School District in Virginia, the benefits kicked in because of this clause: “For the purposes of any retirement benefit ... the Superintendent shall be deemed to have retired from his employment if he has completed at least 5 years of service as Superintendent of the District and there shall have been no finding of guilt on charges brought against the district.” Walts was considered retired from Greece.

Some board members have tried unsuccessfully before to overturn the agreement, but a recent State Comptroller’s audit could open the door, based on the wording at the end of that clause. Board member Joe Moscato made a motion to end the benefits in February, days after a preliminary audit was leaked, but other board members did not support it.

In 2006, then board President Ken Walsh said Walts' coverage cost Greece a little over $1,000 a month but the district would not confirm that, citing privacy reasons. Board member Joe Moscato estimated a few months ago that Greece could save close to $6 million over the next 30 years if it ends Walts' coverage.

Some have criticized the way the addendum was approved. Video of the Dec. 14, 2004, meeting shows the vote took about 15 seconds. No board members asked questions and there was no discussion.

Former board members Bill Grason, George Hubbard and Ken Walsh voted against the addendum. Former board members Karen Hoffman, Bob Mueller, Larry Sweet, Eric Peterson, Bill Russell and then President Gerry Phelan approved it.

School districts paying the bulk of a superintendent's health care isn't unusual. The contract of Walts' short-lived successor, Meg Keller-Cogan, included 90 percent health insurance coverage. If she retired, she was eligible to continue coverage in a district plan, with the district paying 90 percent.

But Keller-Cogan’s contract didn't contain the clause regarding retirement after five years that Walts' did, so she wasn’t eligible to receive the benefits after she left Greece within a year of being appointed to the post.

That Dec. 14, 2004, meeting also left Walts with a longevity clause in his contract. It granted him “$1,000 for each completed year of his tenure: Next July (2005) — the start of his eighth year in office — he will receive a $7,000 bonus; in July 2006, the bonus will increase to $8,000, and so on.”

Grason, Hubbard and Walsh voted against it. Hoffman, Mueller, Sweet, Peterson, Russell and Phelan approved it.

Wow, $6 mil in savings. And that last chunk of the clause is curiously starting to fall away.

Why don't they give the teachers free healthcare?

For the horse enthusiasts...

2008-05-06T16:51:00.014-04:00

A very different change of pace here, but there's something I need to make known. First, I don't keep up with horse sports as much as I used to, especially racing, but I heard about what happened over the weekend. My condolences go out to the owners, trainer, jockey, grooms, and others who were involved with Eight Belles.

I'm guessing PETA has never learned the definition of the word "accident." Instead of calling for the suspension of Gabriel Saez and revocation of the second place prize (which would not change anything at this point), why not commend the equine veterinarian in his decision to quickly end the pain and suffering for the filly by having her humanely euthanized on the track? Does PETA even know what an open fracture is and what that means for a horse? I think a quick death by injection is pretty ethical. PETA, please tell me how that animal was supposed to stand on two rear legs while her front legs healed. Where were their animal cruelty rants when Barbaro's muscles atrophied and his unaffected rear hoof foundered because it had to carry the remaining weight? Saez did everything in his power to try to pull up the horse after he said she "started galloping funny." One has to consider the size of the horse and the speed at which she was coming out of the race. In any case, it's delightfully refreshing to see how PETA jumped at the opportunity for a little publicity. Did they ever consider how the owners, jockey, and trainer must feel now? Didn't think so.

Rest in peace, Eight Belles

You put up a gallant fight and gave the guys a run for their money

Photo courtesty Blog.Cleveland.com

Photo courtesy TheOlympian.com

Even Clorox can't clean a soiled reputation

2008-05-04T15:11:00.006-04:00

More news from further up on the Eastern Seaboard:

MPNnow.com
Greece to discuss audit again
May 3, 2008

Greece, N.Y. -

The Greece Board of Education may look into whether it can end the controversial health-care benefits Greece Central is paying former Superintendent Steve Walts.

The board will have a discussion about the issue at its Tuesday board meeting at Apollo Middle School, 750 Maiden Lane. The board will hold a public hearing on the proposed $194,075,636 budget at 6:30 p.m. May 5.

After that, it will hold a study session on a recently released State Comptroller's audit, which found former Greece board members and administrators mismanaged money during Walts' tenure. There won't be any public comment but there will be board discussion, said board President Roger Boily.

The district held an audit forum about a week ago, which drew about 50 residents, administrators and staff.

Since then, "a number of board members suggested maybe we have a special meeting/study session to discuss the audit and come up with some ideas to look at where we go next," Boily said.

That includes looking at any recourse the district may have in changing or ending Walts' health benefits, which the district is continuing to pay, despite the fact that Walts now heads Prince William County Schools.

A 2004 deal by Walts and former Board of Education members included Greece Central funding his health care, even if he stopped working in the district. The agreement, brokered when Walts was 50, says Greece would pay 80 percent of a health insurance plan chosen by Walts from a selection Greece offered. If he retired or became disabled, Walts could continue the coverage, with the district footing the entire bill.

Walts' short-lived successor, Meg Keller-Cogan, had a similar clause. The district paid 90 percent of her coverage and agreed to pay 90 percent if she retired.

The sticking point, for some, though, is a clause in Walts' contract that says "... the Superintendent shall be deemed to have retired from his employment if he has completed at least 5 years of service as Superintendent of the District and there shall have been no finding of guilt on charges brought against the district."

The end of that clause could offer a chance end Walts' benefits. When he left Greece in 2005, he was considered retired, and the benefits kicked in. In 2006, then-board President Ken Walsh said Walts' coverage cost Greece little over $1,000 a month but the district would not confirm that, citing privacy reasons. Board member Joe Moscato estimated a few months ago that Greece could save close to $6 million over the next 30 years if it ends Walts' coverage.

Moscato made a motion to end the benefits in February, days after a preliminary audit was leaked, but other board members did not support it.

Boily said the best approach, for now, is to have the district's attorneys "take a look at the audit and its implications as far as what we can do as a board to look at the former superintendent's benefits and any other issues that may be oustanding: who got buyouts when they left the district and what we can, as a board, do about that," Boily said.

"But it will be left to the attorneys to do that," he added. "This is not something that the board says we have to cut off benefits or do anything of that nature. We need to have a legal opininion, based on the audit, where do we go from here?"

Some critics have suggested the district and board should pursure criminal charges against Walts and past administrators. But the board "has no indication whatsoever" that the Monroe County District Attorney's office will do so, Boily said.

More often, though, Boily said he fields questions about Walts' benefits.

"And my answer is, 'I never would have voted for something like that.'"

It is unfortunate to think that those who are perpetually blind to the truth are the very same people who call the shots. I hope someone in the Annex is paying attention to this.

ATTN: Someone on the Hill

2008-05-02T18:14:00.008-04:00

Interesting news from the Empire State.

Democrat and Chronicle
April 30, 2008
Greece teacher's bias suit may go to trial

An age discrimination lawsuit filed by a teacher against the Greece Central School District probably will go to trial because the two sides failed to reach a settlement during a conference Tuesday.

Lawyers representing the teacher, Mary Donlon, and the school district met for less than an hour Tuesday during a conference with U.S. District Judge Michael Telesca, said Donlon's lawyer, James Bilik.

Bilik said the case had not been resolved and might go to trial. No trial date has been set, and Bilik said he could not comment further. School district officials said they would not comment because the case involves a personnel matter. They referred calls to lawyer Daniel Moore, who said the same.

Donlon, 57, a second-grade teacher at Autumn Lane School, filed the suit in 2006. She had been removed from her classroom in March 2005 and reassigned as a substitute teacher. District officials had charged her with incompetence, neglect of duty, insubordination and conduct unbecoming a teacher.

Donlon alleged that beginning in January 2002, district leaders used an orchestrated campaign of unfair and inaccurate performance reviews to force her to retire. She contended that continuing bad treatment was retaliation for an age discrimination complaint she filed in 2004 with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Three other teachers who sued the Greece district for age discrimination settled their cases in 2006 and received payments ranging from $20,000 to $60,000.

If 60K wasn't agreed upon, I won't be surprised if the amount sought is 100-150K.

This reminds me of a song I heard:

And I ran
I ran so far away
I just ran
I ran all night and day
I couldn't get away

(Yeah, you couldn't get away from your troubles.)

Déjà Vu: 2008-2006

2008-05-01T21:50:00.008-04:00

It's May 1! There were protests last year and the year before. Here's a good one from the Associated Press via the Potomac News:

Associated Press
Published: May 1, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) _ A coalition of immigrant rights’ groups and social justice organizations are marching today in Washington to call for immigration reform.

The groups are demanding that Prince William County, in northern Virginia, rescind its anti-illegal immigration measure. They also want raids and deportations to end, and are calling for worker centers to be established in Washington, Maryland and Virginia.

Activists also plan to deliver a letter to the Republican and Democratic national committees, asking the presidential candidates to enact immigration reform.

The events in Washington are part of rallies and marches planned in cities across the nation.

They are protesting anti-ILLEGAL measures. Just great. Protests like these would make the ICE's job significantly easier; everybody is standing in one place!

Are you thinking about launching a counter-protest? Here's what you can do:

1. Go to Wal*Mart and splurge on that digital camera you've always wanted

2. Get a couple US flags and some poster boards while you're at it

3. Once you're home, hang one of the US flags proudly on your porch

4. Call a bunch of your anti-illegal and pro-US Citizen friends and tell them to meet you at your house

5. While you wait, exercise your right to free speech at Anti-BVBL. Fight the slowing economy by ordering a few anti-illegal alien merchandise from RightWingStuff.com

6. When your buddies show up, make patriotic USA posters

7. Fill up your diesel-guzzling truck with a full tank

8. Head to a busy street corner with your posters and flag

9. Launch counter-protest.exe

Congratulations! You are successfully counter-protesting. If anyone starts harassing you, that's where the digital camera comes in. Many have a video camera mode. Faces, clothings, vehicle make and models, and license plate numbers are the best "tags" you can place on a harasser. Human memory fades, but the camera is the best impartial witness you can bring to court should the need arise. Remember, there is safety in numbers. The sight of a gun on a hip may be enough to deter potential trouble. Stay safe, and be proud to be a US Citizen.

¡¡VIVA LA RESOLUCIÓN!!

Day of Silence Noise

2008-04-25T13:38:00.006-04:00

What are educators to do when their students are participating in some sort of protest?

Do they allow the student to participate in protest measures while in the classroom? Or does the academic setting take precedence over such activism, thereby insisting that the students participate in the class discussion, whether it goes against the protest measure or not?

What about those who chose not to engage in the protest? It can become quite frustrating to communicate ideas when one or more group members are unable to speak.

Are protesters entitled to the same participation credit as non-protesters?

At least this is only a one-day thing.

He's begging for it

2008-04-23T00:44:00.006-04:00

You don't yell "FIRE" in a crowded theater and you sure as HELL don't threaten the President of the United States. Last time I checked, it was illegal. The video was posted on http://www.WorldStarHipHop.com April 19.

"Comptroller" is such a cool word

2008-04-21T21:40:00.006-04:00

There's been news that the final audit from Greece, New York is out.

Enjoy

Storm Watch

2008-04-10T15:46:00.009-04:00

Here we go again ... taxes and budget time! Last year was a bit of an eye-opener. This year looks to be about the same. There may be less bickering, there might be more. It's the manager's choice. I read a very interesting point in the PotomacNews regarding the school budget. Actually, I never thought about it this way, but it made a whole lotta sense:

Supervisor Wally Covington, R- Brentsville, questioned why Prince William administrative salaries seemed to rise at a much higher rate than teachers, according to research he said he conducted using state Department of Education statistics.

Why not move the $1.3 mil raises that the "Top 10" are reported to receive for 2009, and give it to the teachers? Goodie Lord, it wasn't until 2007 that I've read so much beef regarding the school budget. Prior to that, nada. It's still in the air at this point, so the numbers will change. I guess we'll just hold our breath.

And another thing: I'm not extactly thrilled that there is a near-constant PWC vs. Fairfax comparison made. (They're probably not too happy about it, either.) Physical proximity does not always guarantee similar populations. Both counties have specific needs that make it almost impractical to cross-compare each other, especially when the issues become more complex.

In any case, perhaps there will come a time when we will all get along...

Or never.

Counterstrike

2008-04-09T11:59:00.003-04:00

A protest against illegal immigration, this time in an academic setting. What happens next is not surprising...

Curiously Odd

2008-04-05T18:04:00.005-04:00

I cruise FunnyJunk.com from time to time. Recently, they've allowed YouTube videos to be added to the site. In keeping with tradition, FunnyJunk visitors are able to comment videos as they do pictures or non-YouTube clips. One video in particular caught my eye. Titled "Fox Attacks," it wasn't the actual video I was interested in, but a comment poster Endpoint wrote:

Obama supports Caesarian abortion law, which allows a baby to be pulled from the womb and left todie on a gurney. Nurses are not allowed to assist a "fetus" that persists in living after beingremoved. Look it up.

These may be the words of a fierce Obama-hater that is only making this up in order to stir similar sentiment towards the candidate. Sifting through mud and muck to find the truth and confirm or bust claims such as these requires a little detective work. Has anyone else heard of this? Are there any sources that can prove this?

Do "caesarian abortions" even exist???

New Wine and Old Wine-skins

2008-03-18T21:30:00.008-04:00

$14,000

Last time I checked, a goverment employee didn't get a raise that high. Last time I checked, a government employee wasn't allowed to earn more than the President. I needed some time to digest this bit.

Prince William County Superintendent Steven L. Walts stands to earn an extra $14,357 this year, based on proposed fiscal 2009 school budget figures that call for 6 percent merit and cost-of-living raises for all eligible employees.

(God help this poor blogger who made one-day's worth minimum wage canvassing on a street corner asking complete strangers if they "had a moment for the environment.") 14K is a nice cushion on top of an extremely comfortable salary, but 14K is what many people need. Sorry school board, you're not in control of things as much as you'd like to think you are. Fortunately, we have the BoCS who can sweep in and say, "I'm in charge now" and fix the school budget if necessary... I have a feeling it's getting very close to that point. Get your amour ready, and spit-shine that helmet! We're in for the long haul; extra rations optional but highly recommended.

By the way, I saw the Edward L. Kelly Leadership Center. I had always thought the building was going to be built right there on Joplin Road. It's not. I guess you can't erect a new building on old grounds (hence the title).

I wonder if the saying "You can't put old wine into new wine-skins" applies to school board members.

hmmm...

By Request

2008-03-12T15:01:00.003-05:00

There is much to be said about the power of the ballot. "VOTE 08" signs dot college student centers and libraries. Reading material gets distrubuted either in-person or through the inbox (both electronic and real).

However, what about those who elect not to participate in the election process? There could be several reasons for this.

They are not interested in politics

They did not conduct their research on the various candidates beforehand and feel that they should not vote

They are so fed up with the current system that they do not vote out of spite

Or the current electorate is satisfied with the incumbent's work. If the candidate is running unopposed, then the spot has been secured

Which bring us to the mayoral elections of PWC. In Occoquan, Haymarket and Quantico, the mayors pretty much have their positions guaranteed to them by the time the May 6 elections roll around. It would seem that the voters are happy with the work their mayors are doing.

Good luck to all candidates! My favourite to win is Earnie Porta. :)

Too True

2008-03-10T09:54:00.004-05:00

Cruising the 'Tube has its benefits

Daylight Savings Time

2008-03-09T23:07:00.003-05:00

Time to set our clocks forward... and subsequently fool our bodies by missing lunch and losing sleep. Good luck to the BoCS as they gear up for Tuesday. The PotomacNews reports

Prince William supervisors will begin the process of sifting through 500-plus pages of fiscal 2009 budgetary items with scheduled work sessions in the afternoon and evening.

(Some undergrad students will scoff at this number.) Just as important, the tax rate to advertise will also be addressed. Tic-tac-toe, 4 ties in a row was last week's outcome of the tax rate discussion. Hopefully, the supervisors will be able to reach a consensus tomorrow. March 18 is the deadline.

Here we go!

Sisyphus: The ten worse countries for women

2008-03-09T22:01:00.001-05:00

We will be learning about this in Global Realities tomorrow. It's hard to imagine that this is acceptable on any level. But it is.

Sisyphus: The ten worse countries for women

Shields Up!

2008-03-08T01:31:00.011-05:00

So you may have noticed that about 42% (I) and 65% (II) of the abovementioned links do not lead anywhere. I took them down for the sake of convenience. It was fun while it lasted, though.

I've been told that people are just starting to notice. Let's start some discussions and take down some names. I live for this :)

“Plans made after advice succeed; so with wise guidance, wage your war.”

Proverbs 20:18

-^_^-

2008-03-07T16:01:00.003-05:00

Many thanks to BLACK VELVET BRUCE LI for listing this blog on their site. Please be sure to visit them!

New Trade Winds

2008-03-07T14:41:00.011-05:00

Hey, Stevie Wonder! How's the weather in New York? It's a bit cold, isn't it. And it's not because you travelled a few degrees higher in latitude... it's the cold look your old system is giving you. And what's that smell? Oh, it's the Stink Eye. Your reign of tyranny is coming to an end. Pretty soon, no school board/board of education will be folly enough to accept you as its school's chief. So let's take a look at your oh-so-stupendously colourful background:

EEOC discrimination charges (Age is the trademark, Retaliation almost always accompanies it)
Mainstreaming schools out of their special education programs just to save a few bucks. Note: few students come with success stories
MATH INVESTIGATIONS. $2.4 million down the crapper thus far WITH MORE TO GO. It doesn't take two eyes and a pair of ears to see the number of concerned and pissed-off parents flooding school board meetings
Questionable prior fiscal activity. Wow, the draft audit from my lemonade stand looked better than the one coming from Greece

Holy smokes...

And if you haven't already heard, the school board sent its opinions to Richmond. I wonder why they thought House Joint Resolution 245 was "detestable." Just to give a quick rundown, the PotomacNews says:

The measure would amend the Virginia Constitution so that schools could be supervised by "a local governing body and locality’s chief administrative officer," if the General Assembly enacted legislation toward that effect, according to the bill. In other words, laws could be passed giving the county supervisors and executive, say, authority to run the schools in place of the School Board and superintendent.

OOPS, I guess this came at a bad time for the school board; with all the fire they've been under recently, it's almost implying that someone else could do the Board's job better... which might not be too far from the truth.

Right now, please make like the school board and take both hands and place them on each buttock cheek. There, you've just made a sorry attempt to cover your derriere. That's what happens when you try to support a bad employee. And when something comes out of this, you'll go right down the drain with him because you didn't disassociate yourself from his actions.

Anyways, it's the weekend, a time to recharge and recover from the workweek's blows and near-misses. We will return in not-quite full form for another 8 days of this blogger life.

24 months ago...

2008-03-02T00:02:00.007-05:00

Don't you just hate the "It's-that-time-of-year-again" feeling??? I'm feeling it now, and it's not helping things any being an even-numbered year.

It's never a question of when our pasts let go of us, but when WE decide to let go of our pasts.

Keep the Old, INTEGRATE the New

2008-02-22T01:35:00.003-05:00

WTF?! Have you seen PotomacNews recently??? The page theme looks a little more contemporary, but I can't access any of the old articles!!! Great, now I can't read my old comments >< Unfortunately, articles that had comments on them before the switch are no longer active in the new pages. Damn!

It's coming sooner than you think...

2008-02-13T13:46:00.003-05:00

The destruction of the tyrant, that is. Who says a renewed contract can't be nullified?

Hear ye, Hear ye!

2008-02-12T20:00:00.001-05:00

Ahhh, nothing like the smell of corruption first thing in the morning. Look no further than in Prince William County!!! And guess what they're checking out... FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS!!! Now, it's not the financial documents of PWC, although they may later be affected by the current situation, but those of Greece, New York. Wow. I think we have finally reached a turning point in PWC (and the boiling point of Her citizens). Be sure to check the updated links.

May Justice be served...

Cost of a lunch date and Missing titles

2007-12-17T23:06:00.003-05:00

Silent Auction "Lunch Date with X" Prices in PWC:

Delegate Frederick: $40 after 4 bids or so.

Supervisor May: same.

Tom Kopko and Chairman Stewart: $100 after 3 bids.

Coles District School Board Member Otaigbe: a mere $10 after 1 bid.

It stayed that way for quite awhile. Laugh. Out. Loud. "Sad" is putting it rather mildly.

In other news, congatulations to MR. Walts (believe it or not, it said "Mr.") for being featured in the Wall Street Journal. It's nice to know how cruddy reputation builds upon itself. I look forward to more mentionings of lawsuits. Printer-friendly, if that powders your donut :)

Note: This publication has a large reader base, "Worldwide circulation [emphasis added] of more than 2 million, with approximately 931,000 paying online subscribers." (source) Phew! That'd otta get you some publicity! Albeit, it's not the kind of publicity you'd be looking for (or wanting, for that matter). You'd think that someone would be smart enough to stop whatever he/she is doing to warrant such coverage. In this case, the person in question seems to actually relish it. Yikes!

Party at the Stewart's!

2007-12-15T22:48:00.001-05:00

Kickass can't even begin to describe it. Food was AWESOMENESS, their house is GORGEOUS, and drinks on the house!!!

Straight from the horse's mouth: Bob Marshall for Senate. I wish him the BEST of luck.

The raw nerve

2007-11-28T20:23:00.001-05:00

Illegal immigration is a pretty hot topic in the County. Kudos to the BoCS members who voted for the resolution. It's about time a legislative authority decided to do something about it. I'm glad it was PWC.

Well said, Uncle Sam.

PRAISE THE LORD JESUS

2007-11-07T06:00:00.001-05:00

IT'S OVER!!!

But how funny: both the Board of County Supervisors and School Board have ONE whopping new member. Hmmm... we'll see how this goes.

I'm still working on the paper. This election went fairly well this time around. You can thank me for your vote if it so applies to you.

:)

What is a convention?

2007-11-06T21:35:00.004-05:00

Even an AP Government student knows the answer to this one!

Instead of trying to go over a complicated definition, let's start out with a real life example: Elections!

Let's say there is a race for, say, Clerk of the Court. The Clerk of the Court is an elected position, not an appointed one, so that means the voters get to pick who they want. Well, election procedure dictates that only 1 (one) person may represent a party on the ballot. In other words, there can only be 1 (one) Republican or 1 (one) Democrat. (I am fairly sure that a race can have as many Independents as needed for the candidates.)

So what if the election people run into the problem of having more than one person of a particular party seeking the same position? There is a solution to this. A CONVENTION. A convention decides which person gets to represent the party. People of ONLY that elected party get to choose. This makes absolutely PERFECT sense because why would a Democrat be asked to choose who the Republican opponent is going to be for their candidate????

Which brings us back to Lucy Beauchamp. As soon as she heard that members of only one party were going to vote in the convention (as outlined above), she balked. She said something along the lines of "it's not fair that not all voters can vote." HO-LEE CRAP. I can't believe I'm even HEARING THIS!!! So dearest Lucy scratched out the word "Republican" and wrote the word "Independent" next to her name. That means that the convention is now unnecessary, the catering has to be cancelled, and the tables and chairs have to be returned to storage. In the meantime, AP Government students all over Prince William County are rolling out of their desks, laughing their asses off because............

BEAUCHAMP, A PERSON OF POLITICS, DOES NOT REMEMBER HOW A CONVENTION WORKS

CONGRATULATIONS LUCY!!! You've just become the laughing stock of the Republican Party of PWC.

SO YOU CAN'T TAKE "NO" FOR AN ANSWER, EH?

2007-11-06T21:20:00.003-05:00

JUUUUUUUUUUUUULIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pointing fingers and pouting because you lost at a convention (which reminds me... BEAUCHAMP DEAR, WE NEED TO GO OVER THE DEFINITITION OF A "CONVENTION") makes a candidate look very UN-professional. Not only that, it shows that you take stock in rumours. HOW NICE, a would-be delegate that takes stock in rumours!!! Well, here's a rumour for you: check the financial records from the week prior to March 2, 2006 to June 21, 2006. Go sniff that out. >_< Anyways, we WIN HUMBLY and we LOSE GRACEFULLY. Be happy. At least your voters are lame enough to allow themselves to become conditioned to seeing your name all the time; that's why they still vote for you, DUH!

Mannes gets my vote, even though I'm not in the Neabsco Disctrict. A true underdog.

The Untold-Tale of the Dumfries District Supervisor

2007-11-06T21:07:00.002-05:00

"Robert G. Lang."

Yes! That is what I wrote in for Dumfries District Supervisor on my absentee ballot. I was wondering if only the electronic ballots had a write-in option, but so do the absentee ballots. Of course, unless this Robert G. Lang had officially signed up for the position, it wouldn't show up on the electronic or paper form. I would assume that you get a bunch of your friends together and tell them on election night to write in your name on the ballot. But we'll see what happens.

I absolutely HATE IT that the WashingtonPost.com elections site places a big nasty red checkmark next to unchallenged spots (i.e. School Board Chairman, Dumfries Supervisor, etc.). I mean, that spot could still be taken over by write-ins, right? GRRRRR. Speaking of School Boards, I have a bone to pick with Lucas...

T.B.C.

Election Nite 2007 ... WOOT!

2007-11-06T20:43:00.003-05:00

Trying to re-write a personal essay while watching the polls and biting my nails is not quite working out. I am beginning the second page of the four-page requirement, and less than 30% of the precints are reporting their numbers, so I have plenty of time to elaborate on a harrowing experience of mine, while waiting for the results to come in. The only people/positions I should really be worrying about are

1. Corey Stewart
2. Glendel Hill
3. Dumfries Supervisor
4. Jeff Frederick

and I think that's it. Thank you to all apathetic IDIOTS that have enough time to complain about candidates, but either don't VOTE or even better, CHALLENGE one-seater positions. Hell, you might not win, BUT AT LEAST YOU'RE EXERCISING YOUR FRIGGIN' RIGHTS TO RUN FOR ELECTIVE OFFICES!!! I was fairly close to running as Independent for Dumfries District Supervisor. Younger candidates tend to bring a different insight to authoritative bodies rather than following tradition, which is what I've noticed in recent years. But I had to choose the collegiate life over the political limelight. The number of precints reporting is "creeping up like a wedgie" as my former teacher would say. Some of the races are already pretty tight, but there are still lots of precints to go through. So far, all of my abovementioned slots are winning (with the exception to number 3, but I will expand on that more in a minute), but I'm not going to get my hopes up too high. I think my essay is calling me. Later.

Return of the King

2007-10-19T00:54:00.002-04:00

Ignore the title. Due to such a considerable amount of time spent in hiatus, I didn't know what else to say.

I have learned that things have really heated up since I left for college, regarding the whole issue of the resolution being passed. Now I only wish I were there to witness it and help out with the pro-LEGAL immigration front. Why did I pick a college that was 3 hours away???

However, I recently stumbled upon the site of an old ally. Gosh, I'd nearly forgotten how he looked. I'll start bridging connections real soon.

The Jeff Frederick Crab Feast has proved that old enemies do not spoil my day. In fact, I might even go so far as to say that Betty Covington is a sweet lady. I think that if I could talk to her now, there would be no ill-references to the evils that the PWC school board has done, or my rant to the rest of the board members back in June.

If only I could say that about Julie Lucas......

By the way, the absentee ballot has been sent.

I don't think your name was on it.

School Board Meeting6.20.07

2007-06-22T10:34:00.002-04:00

Day of INFAMY

2007-04-05T09:51:00.001-04:00

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour. It was, as Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt called it, "A Day of Infamy." It certainly was…

Last year, April 5, 2006, was also a day of INFAMY.

It was the day a School Board stopped thinking about the students' best interests and instead started thinking of its own;

It was the day the Board Members needed to act "cool" and supported their superintendent;

It was the day a School Board protected the special interests of a VERY EVIL group of people from Greece, New York;

It was the day it didn't matter how many years of ALLEGIANCE you had in the system (more than 20 years to be exact), how positive ALL of your evaluations were, or how spotlessly-squeaky-clean your record was;

It was the day that it didn't matter how much positive support you had, or how LITTLE FEW people had UNTRUE things to say about you;

It was the day the staff lost a colleague; the teachers, their mentor; the parents, a leader.

But it was the day that the STUDENTS of FREEDOM HIGH SCHOOL had their HERO and their BEST FRIEND RIPPED AWAY FROM THEIR LIVES!!

A "Pearl Harbour" was attacked.

The Image of Freedom High School, shattered.

The Icon of Prince William County was RUTHLESSLY AND MERCILESSLY BACKSTABBED!!!

Today is the day the Prince William County School Board demoted and reassigned Dr. Dorothy McCabe from her position as Principal of Freedom High School for vague and unsubstantiated reasons.

May the date April 5th live on in INFAMY in Prince William County!!!

A warning

2007-02-16T03:58:00.001-05:00

Okay...

So I was arguing with my Dad about something. My Mum noted that I had inherited my father's inflammatory nature.

I said, "That's why I'm gonna make a GREAT politician!"

Then, my Dad got real mad and replied, "NO, after you become a Doctor. If you stay in politics long enough, you'll end up looking like Maureen Caddigan ... or worse, Hilda Barg." ((o_O))

Rather amusing, I must say ... true, of course ...

it was a Conspiracy

2007-01-29T01:31:00.001-05:00

"I've been having some concerns."

"About what?"

"The grievances are going back to the people that did this to her. Last time I checked, the policy was 'Majority Rules'". NOW THINK ABOUT THIS!!! The majority is already against us ... I highly doubt they're going to give us a positive ruling on the grievances. You know what? Her attourney's right ... this is one goddamn kangaroo court."

"Oh my God, you make perfect sense."

"So what's our next move?"

"I had hoped that it wouldn't to come to this, but after what you've just told me, we gotta do Plan B ... plant the worm ..."

"Man, this place REEKS of a conspiracy."

"Tell me about it."

"I'll say this: it's gonna be a loooong night ..."

In debt and NOT surprised -_-()

2007-01-17T22:13:00.001-05:00

HARDY-HAR-HAR ... ROTFLMAO ... LOL ... TEE HEE HEE ...
The PWC School Board is in the RED - excuse me - "suffering shortfalls in the budget" ... which is a nicer way to say it. -_-()
So we're in debt!!! What else is new??? As far as I know, the System was headed for collapse as soon as I was informed that case XYZ was sure-hit for a lawsuit. *COUGH COUGH*
But anyways, that is off topic ...
I know the Members are probably regretting the vote taken for the administration building back in November. It was a no-friggin'-brainer. Sure, your employers need new digs, but I thought this was a "for the students" society. Why couldn't they wait until ALL the school trailers were gotten rid of first before voting on something that was for them???
Again, off topic.
ANYWAYS, that's an awful lotta money that's just sitting there. Hmmm ... tempting isn't it??? But, hey, votes can be reversed, right? $36.9 million is a nice cushion, wouldn't you think???
Then again, they never listen to their constituents, and plow through with a vote and a subsequent decision that does not reflect "the best interests of the students".

Fortunately, the so-called "constituents" are voters and angry citizens in disguise ...

REMEMBER THE NOVEMBER!!!

The Countdown Begins ...

2007-01-16T22:15:00.001-05:00

294 magical days ... that's 7,056 hours I have left until I reward (or punish) elected representatives. They are either in the Pro-Vote List or the No-Vote List. (I would like to point out that these people already know who they are and what List they belong to.) I wish I didn't have to be this nasty about things ... but certain people have hurt me and those connected to me, and so they must be held accountable for their actions.

I don't play ... neither does Karma.

"And I will be praying ... I will be praying that the Padre forgives you ... because the voters never will."

-Triangle resident Robert G. Lang

PWC School Board meeting, June 7, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2007-01-13T21:55:00.001-05:00

TO ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS:

THIS NOVEMBER IS AN ELECTION MONTH. IF YOU HAVE TORKED ME OFF IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, FORM, FASHION, OR MANNER, YOU DO NOT GET MY VOTE.

This has been a message from your future voter

First one ...

2007-01-13T18:27:00.002-05:00

Yeah ... so after everything has been said and done, I need a place to vent.

Who hates that no one gives a crap about politics, school-related or not??? HA! I see no hands!

So now I must ask the reader: Why is it, sir or madam, whatever the case may be, that you do not take an active part in your local politics? And so they look at the floor and everywheres else and do not respond to my inquiry.

This frustrates me dearly. I wish I could vote, but I am not old enough. I know a lot of what goes on in Prince William County ... but nobody else does. Grr...

Political activism brings its risks and bountiful rewards. Nothing costs more than information.

2007 ... BRING IT ON!!!