MY RANT: Segregation or My Imagination?

 Do you see what I see? Or I am simply lost in a world where things can only be seen by those who visit the world of imagination? I have oft times wondered about myself and I have always still tried to be me regardless how unconforming I was to society, but I am telling you I see something, and it don't make a lot of sense to me. I'll tell you what I see, and you tell me if I have blended my two worlds together, gone completely mad or if you see it too.

See, it was before me, I can't remember much at all but some of my older friends do and some of them tell me they don't remember much at all either so perhaps we were just children, or our innocence was something I am sure we wish we had never lost. I am not sure which came first the lady who wouldn't move from her seat on the bus or the preacher who marched with a desire for equality, but it happened, and things began to change for the better. There was the demand for equality, no one separated by race or origin. Isn't that what happened? Someone please tell me if I am wrong. I thought that was what happened!

Yet, I sit in front of my television, and I see it! I see it every day. There is race discrimination in college funds and beauty pageants and television. What's going on here? I am at a loss. I thought everything was about unity and equality how did the segregation begin take place all over again? And don't tell me it's not taking place. If television shows have begun to single out any one race, then that my friends, is segregation and help me out here but ..... isn't that why the woman wouldn't get out of her seat on the bus? Because she didn't want to be segregated? Correct me if I am wrong folks. And what about the preacher we just celebrated his life this week .....was his death in vain? Didn't he demand equality? How did everyone fall back into segregation?

 It doesn't matter how they got there now but they are there and they think it's okay. Will someone please explain because I don't understand why people fought so hard to become one in a country so strong only to separate themselves willfully, Help me out. Please someone help me out here! The world is regressing, and no one seems to notice but me!

Governor Terry McAuliffe Executive Order Number 1

Seal of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NUMBER ONE (2014) 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

 Importance of the Initiative

By virtue of the authority vested in me as Governor, I hereby declare that it is the firm and unwavering policy of the Commonwealth of Virginia to assure equal opportunity in all facets of state government. The foundational tenet of this Executive Order is premised upon a steadfast commitment to foster a culture of inclusion, diversity, and mutual respect for all Virginians. 

This policy specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, political affiliation, or against otherwise qualified persons with disabilities. The policy permits appropriate employment preferences for veterans and specifically prohibits discrimination against veterans.

State appointing authorities and other management principals are hereby directed to take affirmative measures, as determined by the Director of the Department of Human Resource Management, to emphasize the recruitment of qualified minorities, women, disabled persons, and older Virginians to serve at all levels of state government. This directive does not permit or require the lowering of bona fide job requirements, performance standards, or qualifications to give preference to any state employee or applicant for state employment.

Allegations of violations of this policy shall be brought to the attention of the Office of Equal Employment Services of the Department of Human Resource Management. No state appointing authority, other management principal, or supervisor shall take retaliatory actions against persons making such allegations.

Any state employee found in violation of this policy shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.

The Secretary of Administration is directed to review and update annually state procurement, employment, and other relevant policies to ensure compliance with the non-discrimination mandate contained herein, and shall report to the Governor his or her findings together with such recommendations as he or she deems appropriate. The Director of the Department of Human Resource Management shall assist in this review.

This Executive Order supersedes and rescinds Executive Order No. 6 (2010), Equal Opportunity, issued by Governor Robert F. McDonnell on February 5, 2010.

Effective Date of the Executive Order

This Executive Order shall become effective upon its signing and shall remain in full force and effect until amended or rescinded by further executive order.

Given under my hand and under the Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia this 11th day of January 2014.

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Gloucester Housing To Dramatically Change In Near Future?

Obama administration using housing department to compel diversity in

neighborhoods;

In a move some claim is tantamount to social engineering, the
Department of Housing and Urban Development is imposing a new rule
that would allow the feds to track diversity in America’s
neighborhoods and then push policies to change those it deems
discriminatory.

The policy is called, "Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing." It will
require HUD to gather data on segregation and discrimination in every
single neighborhood and try to remedy it.

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan unveiled the federal rule at the NAACP
convention in July.

"Unfortunately, in too many of our hardest hit communities, no matter
how hard a child or her parents work, the life chances of that child,
even her lifespan, is determined by the zip code she grows up in. This
is simply wrong,” he said.

Data from this discrimination database would be used with zoning laws,
housing finance policy, infrastructure planning and transportation to
alleviate alleged discrimination and segregation.

Specifics of the proposed rule are lacking. Now published in the
Federal Register and undergoing a 60-day comment period, the rule,
"does not prescribe or enforce specific” policies.

But one critic says it smacks of utopian idealism.

"This is just the latest of a series of attempts by HUD to social
engineer the American people," said Ed Pinto, of the American
Enterprise Institute. "It started with public housing and urban
renewal, which failed spectacularly back in the 50's and 60's. They
tried it again in the 90's when they wanted to transform house
finance, do away with down payments, and the result was millions of
foreclosures and financial collapse.”

Some fear the rule will open the floodgates to lawsuits by HUD -- a
weapon the department has already used in places like Westchester
County, N.Y., where mayors and attorneys representing several towns,
like Cortlandt, are writing HUD to protest burdensome fair housing
mandates that go far beyond those agreed to in a 2009 settlement with
HUD.

One letter written by Cortlandt town attorney Thomas Wood expresses a
common dilemma.

"Cordlandt is mostly residential and has only a few vacant parcels
that could be developed for commercial use," he writes. "In order to
stabilize the tax base amongst the most affordable in Westchester
County, the Town Board needs to encourage the development of
commercial property for commercial use."

Rob Astorino, the Westchester County Executive recently said, "What
they are trying to do is to say discrimination and zoning is the same
thing. They are not. Discrimination won't be tolerated. I won't
tolerate it. Zoning though, protects what can and can't be built in a
neighborhood."

Also troublesome to critics is that the HUD secretary, in announcing
this proposed rule, blamed poverty on zip codes – rather than other
socio-economic factors that studies have shown contribute to poverty.

 http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/08/08/obama-administration-using-housing-department-to-compel-diversity-in/#ixzz2bNquBcXK  Link back to original story.

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Gloucester Board of Supervisors Approve Discriminatory Animal Control Ordinances? Illegal To Own Grazing Animals Now?

The Gloucester County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday Night voted on and approved the new ordinance amending Gloucester County Code Chapter 3, dealing with Animal Control.  It is loaded with a bunch of serious issues from what we see.

http://gloucester.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&clip_id=374&meta_id=23421

The above link is to the section of the video where they are discussing and then approving the new ordinance.  The new ordinance is located http://gloucester.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?meta_id=23426&view=&showpdf=1 at this link in it's entirety.  Section 3-4 has some very serious issues with it.  The title alone has serious implications for anyone who owns any animal that grazes.


Sec. 3-4.  Animals and fowl prohibited to be at large upon, or to graze alongside of, any
public street or highway.


It shall be unlawful for any person to permit any animal or fowl owned by him or in his
custody or under his control to run at large upon, or to graze alongside, any public street
or highway, whether such street or highway be enclosed by fence or not

Please define alongside.  There is no definition here and can mean anything.  It can be 10 feet from the roadside or 1,000 feet from the roadside.  No definition is given.  So if Animal Control drives by your property and you own a horse and the horse can be seen from the road, if the horse is grazing in public view, that is alongside the public road.  You are now a criminal?

  Also, if you happen to be riding a horse alongside the road, which is legal in the state of Virginia, if you happen to stop to let a few vehicles pass you safely and your horse decides to eat some grass that is growing there, you are now a criminal for allowing that to happen.  This is pure discrimination.  What if I was coming here from someplace like Lancaster County, PA where I just happen to be Amish?  I am thinking about bringing my family here to start a small community.  I would not be allowed to follow my beliefs based on this one ordinance alone.  That is discrimination.  It also discriminates against old order Mennonites that have similar beliefs to the Amish.  It also discriminates against anyone who owns equine that would like to be able to ride them in public, from which there is no state law that says you can not ride or drive equine in public.

  Sec. 3-16.  Allowing animals to defecate on public property or on private property of
other persons.

It shall be unlawful for any owner or person in control of any animal to allow any animal
to defecate on the property of other persons without their consent or that of the
authorized agent or person having control of the premises or on public property.
Immediate removal and sanitary disposal of the defecated matter shall not constitute a
violation of this section. The defecated matter shall be placed in a container and
disposed of in a proper waste receptacle.



Are you serious?  What state law does this follow?  If someone is riding or driving a horse down a road and the horse emits it's natural exhaust, hence defecation, the owner has to get off their horse, somehow maintain the horse from moving and pick up the horses duty?  Was anyone thinking here when this was written?  Maybe you have to have someone walking behind the horse at all times ready with a shovel?  Again, this would be discrimination to anyone from an Amish or Mennonite Community and for anyone who owns equine that would like to ride or drive such in public.  What right does the county have to openly discriminate in such matters?  This again opens the county to potential lawsuits for discrimination in our view.  The ACLU could have a field day here.

Now if there is a consistent epidemic that could cause serious public health issues because of road apples, (equine defecation), then this ordinance would make sense as long as it was considered a temporary solution to such.  But this is not the case here.  Horse manure is not the same as dog manure.  Horse manure is made up mostly of grasses.  So if you have an animal that defecates on someone else's property and you do not go and pick it up right away, you are a criminal and can be charged as such and it goes on your permanent record.  We have not found any state laws that support this section in the way that it is written.

  We are looking at the rest of the new ordinance and we see other issues as well.  We will address them at a later date however.

As usual, we are not attorney's and this does not constitute legal advice.  Only an attorney can legally advice you.  We are simply questioning everything.

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