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RSS FeedsLaughing through the Pain and Embarrassment
This editorial in today’s Virginian-Pilot (“A modest to-do list for the AG” by Daryl Lease) made me spit out my sip of coffee.
Scott “Suck Up” Seery’s True Colors
Meet the true Scott “Suck Up” Seery, candidate for the at-large School Board seat this Nov. 2nd. At our VBDC breakfast last Saturday, Paul Baker asked which of the 2nd district congressional candidates he was supporting. Suck Up Seery declined to answer, saying that it was inappropriate to weigh in as he has is own race to run. Well, if his $100 contribution to the Repug Party of Virginia Beach doesn’t give you some indication of his leaning, check out his Facebook posts! Holy cow! Can you say “winger”?!?
Suck Up Seery was appointed to his current school board seat. This will be the first time he faces the voters of Virginia Beach. In typical GOPper style, Suck Up Seery is the new chosen son, who will use his School Board appointment as a stepping stone to higher office. How else would one explain all the sucking up?!?
Let’s squash that idea right away. The last thing our kids need right now is another vapid right-wing kiss-up like Carolyn Weems (go Dr. Carray Banks!) Let’s work hard to get Dottie Holtz elected. She’s the real deal!
Mark Warner Rallies for Glenn Nye
Video source: Virginia Beach Democratic Committee. Video of Rep. Glenn Nye on the flip…
Who’s on the HR Tea Party’s Secret “Political Operative” List?
Bwaaaaa! I stumbled across this page looking for a website for School Board candidate Carray Banks. They had nothing on Carray, but I wonder who’s on this secret “Political Operative” list???
Political Operatives (12 Articles) – Political operator in either party or organizations outside of party structure. Registration Required!
I laugh, but perhaps I should instead be a little sad. The days of fearmongering aren’t over yet. Why are these people so anxious to return to the days of yore, some even reminiscent of the McCarthy era.
But then with articles such as this, can they ever be taken seriously? Back to laughing! Bwaaaaa!!!
Please think of the alternative!
As David Campbell points out… “Liberals who want to punish Nye by staying home on election day should consider the alternative.”
Sorry to make you vomit in your mouth so early in the morning!
Yes, a lot of us are incredibly disappointed with Glenn Nye. How easy it has become to bash Nye by those that don’t live in the 2nd district. Righty Rigell could otherwise be my representative in Congress. It’s bad enough having total GOPpers representing the Beach in the GA, but Rigell coupled with McDonnell and a likely GOPper majority amongst Virginia’s delegation to Congress is going to be miserable, especially for us in the Beach.
I have a Glenn Nye bumper sticker on my car and his yard sign in my front yard. Over the weekend, I’ll put up some Nye support stuff on this blog. So, go ahead progressives. Start bashing us at VB Dems for supporting Nye.
For God’s sake, Righty Rigell, as announced in today’s Virginian-Pilot, has signed the Tea Party pledge. Great, our potential new congressman has pledged himself to a group founded on hate and racism. More vomit in my mouth!
Re-Districting in Virginia Beach
UPDATE: Vivian has the schedule of redistricting public hearings posted, which includes one Sept. 22, 7pm, at Roper Performing Arts Center, Tidewater Community College in Norfolk.
When voters go to the polls in November 2011 will they be showing up at new, redrawn districts? What will those districts look like?
I’ll be curious to see if or how the 90th, 21st, 84th, and 81st might get re-drawn. According to NLS, overflow from Beach house districts would be pushed into Algie Howell’s district, thus “de-Democrating” the 21st, Bobby Mathieson’s old district. They could also push certain blue-trending precincts in Sal Iaquinto’s district into the 90th district.
The Beach gets redder. Oh joy…
The 2nd congressional district is too small while Forbes’ 4th district is too big. Look for red Chesapeake to be added to the 2nd is my prediction.
The 2nd congressional district gets redder. Oh joy…
We’re moving back to the 1950’s. Is there anything Democrats can do to stop this or at least to minimize the punishment?
Bob Dean is Shaking his Head
Awhile ago I tried to help Libertarian Bob Dean by doing up an online petition that folks could sign in protest to the City of Portsmouth enforcing eminent domain on this poor guy’s crab shack livelihood simply because a developer and the once and future residents considered that crab shack an eyesore and wanted it instead developed as a park. For whatever reason he didn’t use the petition but I enjoyed our phone conversation about the matter.
Bob got 100 protesters out there on the site and the City did back off. Power to the little guy!
Cue the screech of the needle skidding over the record album…
From the Virginian-Pilot…
MISS No hero
Sometimes, people let you down. In 2008, John T. Johnson, who owns a crab shack on Scott’s Creek, rallied more than 100 protesters to oppose Portsmouth’s attempts to take his property through eminent domain. Neighbors complained about the property and wanted it turned into a park. This week, Johnson pleaded guilty to 18 of 21 charges related to the sale of heroin and cocaine at the shack. And the city plans to seize the property.
Ouch! Although an interesting legal question though… do convicted felon’s still have property rights?
Nye Needs To Take A Cue from Cantor
Rep. Glenn Nye needs to take a cue from Rep. Eric Cantor and, like Cantor, at least mention how “last year I think the state received somewhere around $3 billion of stimulus monies.” (Source)
That stimulus money really saved Virginia’s hide! Glenn needs to list out examples of the jobs saved, programs salvaged and contributions made to the surplus Virginia enjoys today.
Notes from Last Night’s Debate
I’m sure VBDC Chairwoman Susan Mariner and others wouldn’t mind if I posted here some of the Facebook comments on last night’s debate.
Susan writes: “My opinion of the debate: Debate goes to Nye on substance and poise. Golden gets second on style. Rigell gets third for a Sarah Palinesque understanding of issues and freaky animatronic mannerisms. Hope that’s the way it goes in November too.”
“I was proud of Congressman Nye. He was respectful, knowledgeable, and stayed on the message.”
“Rigell was inauthentic and vapid. Main thing I took away from his performance was images of his intermittent and bizarre yelling for emphasis (if you don’t have anything particularly intelligent to say, at least say it really loudly???) and the disconcerting plastic smiles he delivered on cue.”
“I am totally a fan of Kenny Golden’s flamboyant and entertaining style even though I disagree with most of his platform.”
“He [Rigell] said that he opposed the bailout. Of course he also opposed the stimulus plan, and yet he took $400K in Cash for Clunkers money. So I guess his opposition is more about OTHER people getting stimulus money rather than him.”
The best comment however goes to Susan’s FB friend, Cole:
Rigell on the Economy: Fire Pelosi. Tax Cuts. I run a business. Fire Pelosi.
Rigell on Immigration: Leave Arizona Alone!
Rigell on Healthcare: Don’t fund Obamacare. Hehe. I’m clever. Obamacare.
Rigell on Afghanistan: This is Sparta!
Clean Coal Ignorance
Both Kenny Golden and Scott Rigell at last night’s debate revealed their total ignorance when it came to the reality of coal.
Number 1, there is no such thing as “clean coal”. “Clean coal” is the product of carbon capture sequestration (otherwise known as CCS). CCS is a process by which the carbon emissions produced by burning coal such as in a power plant are injected into the ground. The technology to do so is at least a decade away for being realized. No where on God’s green earth is anyone enabling CCS.
Number 2, coal is a fossil fuel. Duh! Burning coal not only contributes to climate change with its dirty carbon emissions, it also produces NOx emissions that contribute to ozone pollution. The Surry coal plant for instance will contribute over 3,000 tons of NOx emissions into the Hampton Roads’ air, which has been designated for non-attainment by the EPA. This non-attainment status will have very costly impacts on our area’s ability to collect Federal highway dollars as well as attracting new businesses to the area as there will be additional air quality regulations imposed on their activities, to say nothing about the health effects of increased numbers of “bad air” days as children and seniors suffering from asthma.
The coal delivered to power plants for burning in large part comes from the practice of mountain top removal. The tops of mountains are literally blown off to get to the coal seams. What’s left is barren moonscapes smattering the Appalachian mountains. So many mountains have been obliterated that the devastation is viewable via satellite imaging. The material blown off mountains is dumped into the valleys below. Thousands of miles of clean beautiful mountain streams have been completely buried. The contours of the landscape has been so dramatically altered that runoff from natural rain events turns into roaring flood waters.
The coal removed must be washed which requires construction of huge impoundment ponds which are precariously constructed and in one instance perched a short distance above an elementary school. The ponds contain a toxic slurry of dangerous and carcinogenic metals to include arsenic, mercury, chromium, cadmium, boron, selenium, and nickel.
Every year, coal burning produces over 130 million tons of waste. Most of it is fly ash, which also contains these dangerous metals. A huge containment pond of fly ash gave way on Dec. 22, 2008 releasing over 1.7 million cubic yards of cludge into the Clinch River (Tennessee) valley. It inundated homes and contaminated drinking water supplies.
Fly ash was applied as a “beneficial use” to a golf course in Chesapeake (VA). There are no Federal regulations governing fly ash. Thanks to Dominion Virginia Power bullying there are extremely lax state rules governing fly ash as the golf course was unlined and not water sampling tests were conducted. No shock that area residents would now be suing Dominion for the toxins showing up in their ground water.
From beginning to end, coal is bad news and nothing to be celebrated as Rigell and Golden did last night. They are obviously swallowing hook, line and sinker all the garbage feed to them by the wealthy coal industry lobbyists.
Prediction with Tonight’s Debate
I’ve never heard Scott Rigell speak before. But from this video, he sounds like a frickin’ preacher. Egads! All that Pat Robertson guck looks like it’s rubbed off on him.
So my prediction is Glenn Nye wins the debate with a close second to Kenny Golden. Glenn has a brain that he can engage when speaking. Golden, I suspect, will have some wild card things to throw out, which will knock Rigell out of his preacher-like comfort zone.
http://www.youutbe.com/user/scottrigell2010#p/a/u/0/-JBHe4wx4Bg
Tell the EPA: Coal Ash Must Be Regulated as Hazardous Waste
This segment of “60 Minutes” aired Sunday evening and features the “beneficial use” by Dominion in building the Battlefield golf course in Chesapeake. I’m sure the invitation still stands for any Dominion official to eat dinner at area residents’ homes with meals prepared using their tap water.
You gotta love the lobbyist at the end who tells Leslie Stahl to trust state regulations and utility management to do the right thing. “Environmental protection is expensive” he says, as if that’s an excuse not to do it.
Help protect our water by speaking out at this EPA Hearing on the Proposed Coal Ash Rule, Monday, August 30th from 10am-9pm, Hyatt Regency Crystal City, 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202. Sign up today at: http://action.sierraclub.org/coalash_arlington. Car pooling from various areas of Virginia may be available. For more info contact Kate Pollard at kate.pollard@sierraclub.org.
Cross-posted at ArticleXI.com and Blue Virginia
Nye, Rigell and Golden to Debate Thursday
This might be the one and only time to see all three 2nd congressional candidates on stage together. Check it out Thursday, August 19, 7:00 at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach.
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