Memorial Day

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!

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!!

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!

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!

The Berry Report has been released.

Enjoy

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

Thanks, Joe!

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...

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?

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!

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 ...

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

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

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

These fit together quite nicely.





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