WEATHER ALERT

Now Which One Of These Would You Prefer?

The National Weather Service has issued a severe weather alert for Fairfax County until 7:00 PM.  According to the agency, this particular batch of severe weather has the potential to cause severe wind gusts and possible tornadoes.

Citizens are advised to stay tuned to local radio and television for updates. [And watch their commercials while you're at it!]

For those of you who actually have real jobs however, please disregard this announcement. You will probably be too busy with work, and too afraid of your boss to take a silly notion like self preservation seriously, even if a massive tornado is heading your way.

VA News Break

Mosque Vandalism

Update: (09/17) The FBI has joined the investigation into the vandalism at the mosque in Harrisonburg.

According to WTOP, two Virginia mosques were vandalized over the weekend in what may have been a reaction against violent anti-US protests in several predominately Muslim countries. On Friday, worshipers at a mosque in Harrisonburg discovered that part of their place of worship had been vandalized.  Police believe that the graffiti may be connected to a similar incident at a Christian school.

On Saturday, the Washington Post reported that the windows of some 30 cars surrounding a Falls Church mosque had been smashed.   However, according to the Fairfax County Police department, the damage did not appear to be connected to the mosque as cars in a wide ranging area had also suffered damage. 

VA Supreme Court Weighs In On Guns For Felons

The Supreme Court of Virginia ruled Friday that only the courts have the right to restore firearms rights to felons who have finished serving their time in prison.  While lower courts in Virginia had argued that a decision by the Virginia Governor to restore the political rights of convicted felons precluded them from deciding on whether their right to possess firearms could be restored.   The Supreme Court didn’t agree with that argument. So now the courts have to go back and decide on their own whether convicted felons can have guns.

Virginia Creates More Jobs Than Maryland

According to Stephen Fuller, the director of George Mason University's Center for Regional Analysis, Virginia has been outperforming Maryland in job creation for over last thirty years.

“On a population base they're relatively equal, on a jobs base they're very unequal," Fuller was quoted as saying in a WTOP article.  Fuller backed up his claims with hard numbers, adding that while Virginia created 30,000 jobs last year, Maryland added a meager  1,500.

Fairfax Underground Shutdown

Update 09/09/2012: The site appears to be up and running again. In a post, the owner mentioned that the site has moved to a new server after a complaint was filed against the owner's former Internet Service Provider.

This Monday a popular forum for dissent and trouble makers was apparently shutdown. As of Wednesday, the website known as fairfaxunderground.com which hosts an extensive discussion forum, has been inaccessible to the public.  The website, which prided itself on its non-moderation, pro free speech policies, was a hot-bed for anti-establishment and politically incorrect voices in the community. 

While it is unknown exactly why the website has been unresponsive in the last few days, problems began to mount on the site when an individual going by the name of “Death Becomes Me” began indiscriminately blocking out threads on the forums.

Why Are We Cutting Mental Health?

Anyone who has lived in Fairfax for any length of time knows that this town has more than its share of psychotics. As of matter of fact I’d say that there’s a significant part of our population that is simply out of their minds. I blame the traffic.

But regardless of the cause, does it make any sense for the County to be cutting back on mental health services?

Well that is exactly what’s going on, to the tune of $9.5 million.

An opinion in the Fairfax Times lays it all out there. I’m not going to re-state the arguments, but I will add my two cents.

We the tax paying public are going to pay for all these mentally ill people one way or another. If they aren’t getting treatment in the hospitals, then they are going to be spending time in the jails and shelters while diverting law enforcement resources to deal with them.

But at least with treatment, there’s a chance that we can save some of these crazies from themselves. Hell, maybe some of them will be able to live normal lives. 

That’s a lot better than the alternative.

So yeah, Board of Supervisors. Go out there and figure something out.  I’m sure there’s other places we can make cuts that won’t be nearly as damaging to our community!

Why The Silver Line Sucks

As I’ve said before, the Silver Line is a losing proposition for NOVA. Now, some guy has actually put together some legitimate facts to back up my wild assertions.

In an opinion piece reported in the Fairfax Times, Robert Jackson of McLean asserts that the Silver Line really won’t solve anything. Instead, it will only spur development around the Tysons area, which will in turn add to the congestion along our roads.

Which leads me to the conclusion that this really isn’t about transportation at all.

Nope, at the end of the day it all comes down to one thing. Money! Watch as your Board of Supervisors Bow Down before the Almighty Dollar! More development means more people, and more people mean more TAXES!

That, in a nut shell has always been the problem of Fairfax County. Over development in the pursuit of taxes, and traffic!

To read the full article, go to

http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20120727/OPINION/707279840/1065/dulles-rail-triggers-more-not-less-traffic-congestion&template=fairfaxTimes

Defense Cuts Threaten NOVA

NOVA's Post Apoc Future?

Is NOVA on the verge of an economic doomsday? According to a study published by George Mason professor Stephen Fuller, we are all officially screwed unless Congress gets off of its collective butt and does something.

 Approximately 220,000 federal jobs in civilian agencies [i.e. contractors] will be eliminated next year if Congress fails to repeal the automatic defense spending cuts, often called the defense "sequestration," that are scheduled to go into effect in January.

Over a period of ten years, approximately 2.1 million jobs would be eliminated, either directly because of the cuts or indirectly as a result of its effects on local economies, the study concluded.

That’s a lot of good paying jobs that will be going down the toilet. 

I can only imagine what NOVA will look like ten years from now if these cuts go into effect.

New Bike Signs [NOT] Likely To Make Life Better

PREPARE TO GET REEMED COMMUNTERS

Another genius idea by Fairfax County is causing confusion on the roads.

 According to the Fairfax Times, new signs are going up across the County that read "Bikes May Use Full Lane” as opposed to just staying to the far right of the road where they belong. 

Not only is this idea completely insane, but it also may violate a state law that directs bicyclists to stay to the far right of any lane when impeding traffic. A rep from VDOT however stated in the Fairfax Times article that the signs were legal. [I.E. don’t try to lawyer your way out of this one]

But putting aside the legality of the signs, allow me to re-state the obvious.

Who the heck wants to see bicycles taking up entire lanes on ANY road, EVER!

I’m sure that’s EXACTLY what commuters want to see when they are trying to bust through ever worsening traffic conditions.

Fortunately, Virginia State Delegate Mark L. Keam, (D-Dist. 35) is looking into this issue.

Well that’s a relief.