Category: U.S. Politics

Letter to My Virginia Legislators

Posted on by chappyshi

Legislation, proposed by Virginia’s right-wing nut bag governor and passed by Virginia’s apparently right-wing nut bag Assembly, that includes removing our 17.5% gas tax, not changed for 25 years, and replacing it with a 0.8% sales tax increase makes no sense to me, probably because I am not a right-wing nut bag.  This is just redistribution of wealth to the wealthy and cannot help with Virginia’s transportation infrastructure problems nor can it help to reduce consumption of gas or vehicle created pollutants.

Read more here about the current state of the legislation:

Va. lawmakers give McDonnell partial win on transportation at session midpoint

Below is my letter to my representatives asking them please to not let this legislation pass:

Please don’t let this legislation pass.  I think about all the poor people who ride buses because they can’t afford cars.  Their environmental and consumptive impact is minimal thereby reducing long term costs to our environment and infrastructure.  They are the least likely to benefit from no gas tax and most likely to be negatively impacted by an increase in the sales tax.

On the flip side, those in the upper middle class and higher who can afford to and are more likely to buy and drive unneeded gas hogs including SUV’s and sports cars will certainly benefit from no gas tax.  They will then contribute less to minimizing the economic impact of pollutant spewing gas hogs and the degradation of our transportation infrastructure.  Lastly, since they have more disposable income, the impact of a 0.8% increase in the sales taxes is much less likely to impact their personal finances.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Never Worked

Posted on by chappyshi

In the Washington Post Outlook section article, Joseph Rocha — ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Didn’t Protect Me From Abuse in the Navy , dated October 11, 2009, Mr. Rocha tells a tale of how the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy for gays in the military not only did not work for him but worked against him.  Rocha joined the U.S. Navy in 2005 and was sent to the Bahrain, perhaps in Shore Patrol unit.

After qualifying and training for a spot in a dog handling unit, he joined a unit of 24 individuals responsible for 32 dogs.  The dogs were used to search for and detect  explosives, drugs, contraband,  bound from Bahrain to Iraq and Afghanistan.   Joe’s description of how he was treated vies with notoriety for stories of Abu Graib:

“– the chief had decided that I would be down on my hands and knees, simulating oral sex. A kennel support staff member and I were supposed to pretend that we were in our bedroom and that the dogs were catching us having sex. Over and over, with each of the 32 dogs, I was forced to enact this scenario.”

To make matters worse, the only person that stood up for Joseph, was the unit second in command, a 1st Class Petty Officer, who was named “Sailor of the Year” when she was 27, was blamed for  not reigning in her boss, a Chief Petty Officer.  WTF?  This woman, with orders to return to the States, was charged with negligence, had her orders rescinded and had to stay in Bahrain.  She killed herself.

The story continues.  Please read the whole article and write to your elected representatives and ask them to support gays in the military…or  anywhere.

I hadn’t had the time, or energy, to publish this entry before I read in the Washington Post on October 21, 2009, that the Chief Petty Officer responsible for the dog handing unit was under investigation for  “years-old allegations of hazing and sexual harassment against a gay sailor and others.”  Read more here…”Navy petty officer to face punishment in hazing.”

Disclaimer:  I am not gay.  I spent 10 enjoyable years in the Navy.  I worked for five years as an equal opportunity coordinator while I was in the Navy.  I have written, planned, coordinated, and conducted numerous classes/seminars on equal rights/opportunities, sexual harassment, and discrimination and briefed the Chief of Staff, Chief of Naval Operations, Korea, on said topics.

Governor Sanford “and Sons”

Posted on by chappyshi

What a freaking cheese dick!  Let’s see if I could get away with this…   I  am the governor of a state in the US.  I tell my staff, I think, that I am going hiking on the Appalachian Trail  for five days and will be out of touch.  Not even my Lieutenant Governor knows how to contact  me or what the chain of command is should I be unreachable, which I have already said would be the case.

To start with, I am such a conservative freak that I refuse nearly $800 million in stimulus funds from the Federal government.  That should really endear me to my constituents!  Then what?  I am actually in Argentina with some woman I met on the Internet…  I must be some kind of God!!!

Out you freaking idiot and out those who must have had some  knowledge your indescretion.  You all make me sick.  I am struggling to find a job and you are just getting away with murder.  Read it and weep.